Course Placement & Academic Support

AP courses are college-level courses taught according to the College Board Advanced Placement program curriculum. AP courses require an exceptional quality of work and requires the approval of the Department Chair and/or College Counselor. All students enrolled in an AP course may elect to take the AP exam in May. There is a fee associated with taking an AP exam.

CL courses are college-level courses which give students the opportunity to earn college credits. CL courses are offered through UCONN/ECE, Sacred Heart University, and the University of Iowa. CL courses require an exceptional quality of work and requires the approval of the Department Chair and/or College Counselor.

Honors placement requires superior quality work, successful completion of a challenging workload and academic achievement. Placement requires the approval of the Department Chair and/or College Counselor.

This rigorous sequence of courses are designed to prepare students for college. The majority our SJHS students will take College Preparatory level courses requiring above average quality work, output, and achievement.

The most important level of support begins and ends with the student and teacher working together. If a student would like to schedule an extra help session, the student should first identify what questions or issues are causing difficulty. The student should approach the teacher to schedule an appointment and check the teacher's availability. Extra help sessions should be constructive and specific. Teachers are available to work with students until 2:45 pm on a regular school day dismissal.

Meeting Times/Location

• Teachers are available to work with students before school and during free periods by appointment and until 2:45pm on a regular school day. However, a student should check faculty availability in case a meeting or prior commitment disrupts their schedule. Location Teacher’s Classroom, and Google Meet.

Contact

• Email or speak to your teacher to arrange a meeting time.

The Office of College and School Counseling includes a professional staff of experienced counselors dedicated to the college, career, and personal needs of our students. Counselors also work closely with administration, faculty, and parents to provide a supportive environment for all students.

Meeting Times/Location

• Before, during and after school appointments available. Counselors are also available for urgent appointments if needed. Location 2nd Floor Academic Wing, and Google Meet
• 2nd Floor Academic Wing, and Google Meet

Coordinator/Contact

• Contact your individual School Counselor to schedule or Mrs. Mallon, Counseling Secretary at lmallon@sjcadets.org.

 

To better coordinate and plan individual learning strategies, teachers, counselors, and administrators are available to meet with parents and students. Conferences may be held over the phone or by appointment. If a parent would like to meet with a teacher, counselor, or administrator, the parent should contact the faculty or staff member and set up an appointment. If a conference is needed with multiple teachers in one meeting, the parent is asked to contact the counselor to arrange the date and time.

Faculty and Staff Directory

St. Joseph High School uses the EasyWriter, a Pocket Reference, as a guide to improving writing and research. This reference guide is an important tool for students and teachers alike. Together, we agree to the formats used in writing and research. Departure from the formats referenced in the style guide is at the discretion of the teacher and will be communicated to the student as such.

The EasyWriter reference guide has many helpful tips for students. This guide addresses the essential areas of effective writing and research: writing, sentence grammar, sentence style, punctuation/mechanics, language, multilingual writers, research, and documentation. Students at St Joseph High School are expected to regularly refer to the style guide to assist in proper format and citation.

The following sections are of particular importance to a student as he or she documents his or her research. Specific examples are given in the style guide.

Research—please refer to the following sections in your EasyWriter:

“Materials that do not require acknowledgement”
“Materials that do require acknowledgement”
“Avoiding plagiarism”

Documentation—ask your teacher which format he or she prefers:

Modern Language Association (MLA)

• MLA manuscript format
• In-text citations
• List of works cited

American Psychological Association (APA)

• APA manuscript format
• In-text citations
• List of references

Chicago Style (CHI)

• Chicago manuscript format
• Footnotes, endnotes, and bibliography
• Council of Science Editors (CSE)

CSE manuscript format

• In-text references
• List of references

The International Student Coordinator supports the social, academic and cultural transition of all international students. He serves as the student-agency-school liaison. He maintains all I-20 and SEVIS data and assists with travel documents for international students.

Meeting Times/Location

• Before, during and after school appointments available.
• Classroom 209 and Google Meet

Coordinator/Contact

• Mr. Delancy, Mandarin Teacher International Student Coordinator, mdelancy@sjcadets.org

 

Intervention meetings may be convened by the student’s guidance counselor or the administration for the purpose of evaluating a student’s progress when the student is demonstrating poor performance. Participants will include the student’s guidance counselor, and may include teachers,  Social Worker, Dean of Students, school nurse and the administration. The student and parents will be requested to attend the review. Student progress will be reviewed on a periodic basis. It is expected that the student employ the strategies identified in the intervention meeting.

Members of the National Honor Society and the World Language Honor Society are available to tutor students after school or during the student's study period as schedules allow.

Referrals of professional tutors are available upon request and arrangements are made at the discretion of the parent. If employed, it is requested that the tutor coordinate efforts with the subject area teacher. Please contact Lynn Mallon, Guidance Secretary for more information at lmallon@sjcadets.org.

Additionally, there is a free, school-based tutoring service with an experienced teacher, for both math and science, which welcomes students from every high school grade level who would like extra support or review.

The program is intended to provide help to all levels of students, and develop both remedial and advanced skills in these subject areas. This program joins The Writing Center in providing SJ students with practical and accessible learning resources in the college preparatory mission.

The Student Academic Center

The Student Academic Center will be a designated place where any student may go after school to foster self-confidence and hone student-driven growth.

• All students are invited to one-on-one tutoring in each subject, organization and study skills building, writing and research assistance, and presentation coaching after school.
• The center also welcomes students looking for a quiet sanctuary for completing homework or reading.
• Mrs. Conetta (director), Mrs. Doyle (faculty math tutor), and peer tutors will be available. 

Learn More About Our Student Academic Center Here

Our school social worker provides counseling and psycho-social services in regard to mental health, social and emotional development within the school community and serves as a family-school liaison.

Meeting Time/Location

• Meeting Times Before, during and after school appointments available. Ms. Deirdre Ekholdt is also available for urgent appointments if needed. Location 2 nd Floor Academic Wing, and Google Meet.

Contact

• Contact Mrs. Mallon, Counseling Secretary at lmallon@sjcadets.org or Ms. Ekholdt, MSW, Social Worker dekholdt@sjcadets.org

The Writing Resource Center at. St Joseph High School is a student-centered learning, resource, and study environment for students to obtain and seek help concerning writing expository essays, creative assignments, and research/term papers for their classes.  This program endorses writing across the curriculum, and student-trained tutors are available for tutoring sessions after school. During a session, peer tutors and teachers engage in conversation with student-writers, focusing on ideas, organization, development, argument, synthesis, and writers’ concerns.  In serving as an audience, the Writing Resource Center staff fosters active learning, skill-set growth, and writing confidence while simultaneously providing support during any stage of the writing process: idea generation, brainstorming, outlining, drafting, or revision.  

Contact Moderators for Meeting Times and Locations: Ms. Lowell, tlowell@sjcadets.org  |  Mrs. Fasano, jfasano@sjcadets.org