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St. John's Academy
65th Anniversary
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Dear Fellow SJA Families,
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I hope this letter finds you and your families healthy and well in this first month of the New Year. As St. John’s Academy commences Catholic Schools Week this week, the St. John’s Academy Advisory Board wanted to take this opportunity to share some exciting news.
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As many of you know, this school year marks the 65th Anniversary of the founding of our beloved Academy, and as President of the Advisory Board, it is my honor to inform our current families of a major initiative that the school will be kicking off this month to usher in the next era of Faith, Academics, and Service at the Academy.
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Last week we informed the SJA Alumni Community of our launch of the SJA 65th Anniversary Endowment Fund to position Saint John’s Academy for the next 65 years and beyond of Excellence. The Board and Administration intend for this Endowment fund to manifest as two key components:
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(1) The SJA Annual Fund, and (2) The SJA Capital Improvement Program.
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The SJA Annual Fund
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While SJA has been fortunate to enjoy robust enrollment and a strong financial footing, the uncertainty of the prior year and the closures experienced by other local Catholic Schools has further emboldened us to be proactive and prepared for any unforeseen challenges that may present in the future.
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- Operations Reserves: Maintain a reserve fund to protect against unforeseen required expenditures and to protect against potential future budget deficits.
- Expansion of academic offerings: Maximize the academy’s competitiveness in the changing educational landscape.
- Tuition assistance: Increase our capacity to provide additional assistance to SJA families in need.
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SJA Capital Improvement Program
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SJA has long been the beneficiary of the lovely Hillsdale campus that was bestowed to us by its founders and subsequent stewards over the past 65 years. This Board’s intention is to program a series of improvements to ensure that this generation hands off a strong physical plant and campus facilities to the Academy’s future students and leaders, while balancing short term improvements that will enhance our current community’s experience on campus.
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- Campus Beautification: New playground and other outdoor gathering areas, enhanced hardscaping and landscaping throughout the campus.
- New Science Lab and Ongoing Technology Enhancements: Upgrades to widen and enhance STEM offerings.
- Solar/Geothermal Sustainability: Dual economic and environmental benefit, to greatly reduce utility expense and the carbon footprint of the academy.
- Gym/Auditorium: Modernize the sound system, video projection capabilities, and lighting to benefit the SJA Arts and Sports programs and facilitate school presentations, gatherings, and events.
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For 65 years St. John’s Academy has prepared over two thousand alumni that thrived not only during their time with us on campus, but graduated into the world prepared to succeed beyond it. For 65 Years, SJA has been committed to excellence. That was evident in 1955 when our doors first opened and evident today in our key pillars:
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- Faith: Current students represent over 42 zip codes, widely modeling our Catholic faith and values.
- Academics: National Blue Ribbon and Middle States accreditation with over $250,000 in high school scholarships awarded annually, setting students on a path to continued success and excellence.
- Service: Our students perform over 3,000 volunteer hours per year in service to others, teaching them to understand the value of “giving back.”
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As we mark this milestone and celebrate our history and achievements, we also recognize that this past year has been filled with anxiety and uncertainty for many of us. I am extremely proud of this community, and of our administration, and faculty, all who have remained steadfast in their commitment toward continuing the mission of this community. As Catholic education remains challenged nationwide, we have been fortunate to welcome many exceptional families into our community while remaining financially self-sustaining within the Archdiocese of Newark. SJA continues achieving
these results while striving to remain as affordable as possible. However, we need your help to sustain our success.
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Join the 65th Anniversary Campaign
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Although this campaign is primarily focused on engaging our robust community
of alumni, we welcome the participation of our current families. If you’d like to contribute:
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- Visit sjahillsdale.org/65th - and Donate Now
- Write a check and mail it to St. John’s Academy, 460 Hillsdale Ave, Hillsdale, NJ 07642 – writing “65th Fund” in the Memo.
- If you are interested in becoming more involved, either by contributing towards a specific project or to receive more information on sponsorships, naming rights, foundation grants, or major gifts, please contact me directly at SJA65th@sja-hillsdale.org.
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On a personal note, our two daughters have thrived since joining the SJA community and although we are living in uncertain times, we take great pride and comfort in the stability that SJA has provided to our family. We’ll be joining this campaign, partially due to the fact that many of the planned improvements will immediately enhance their
experience at SJA. I hope many of you will consider joining us. Together, we can ensure that Saint John’s Academy remains the K-8 jewel in the Archdioceses’ crown, for the next 65 years, and beyond.
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Michael Barra (Annabel Class of 2023 and Amelia Class of 2026)
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President, St. John’s Academy School Advisory Board
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