July 16 Update

The Lion Lowdown is JSerra's weekly e-newsletter for all current families during the regular school year (every Thursday except during holidays and breaks), but you will also receive a Lowdown sporadically through the summer when we have pertinent information to share.

COURSE LISTS HAVE BEEN EMAILED
Course lists were emailed to parents and students yesterday afternoon. Students' course requests were not listed in any particular order, and the number next to their course request does not indicate the period. Students will receive their schedules with times and teacher assignments at orientation in August.

PLACEMENT INFORMATION & SUMMER ASSIGNMENTS
Placement in Honors, AP, and Advanced-level courses is based on specific course pre-requisites and teacher/department approval. Information regarding course pre-requisites can be found in our Course Catalog.

Placement into many honors-level classes is contingent upon completion of a summer assignment prior to the first day of class. Courses requiring summer assignments can be found at here. Not completing the required summer assignment may result in the student being dropped from the course.

Moreover, acceptance into many of the upper division Visual and Performing Arts classes is very competitive. Placement into these programs was determined by the department.

2020-2021 COURSE CHANGES
If your student would like to change their courses for the upcoming school year, they will need to wait until the beginning of the school year. We are only allowing students to level down from an honors or AP course at this time. Due to social distancing measures to ensure safety, class sizes are smaller than normal and, consequently, many classes are at their new lower capacity. As such, schedule changes will only be allowed where space is available. Your student can make an appointment should they want to level down at this time.

For all other course changes, they will be able to meet with their counselor at the beginning of the school year. All appointments will take place via Zoom or phone call.

To help foster independence, effective communication, and initiative, we encourage students to communicate directly with counselors. These are skillsets necessary for college readiness and eventual adulting.

NEW PARENT STUDENT HANDBOOK
The new 2020-2021 Parent Student Handbook is available at jserra.org/handbook. You may also download it here.

SENIOR PAINT SPOT PARKING
The Class of 2021 marks ten years of painting parking spots! To purchase a senior parking spot, visit jserra.org/seniorpaint. Spots are limited so interested seniors should purchase their spots ASAP. Please take note of the key dates below:

• Friday 7/24 from 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.: Artwork Submission and Selection Date in the Senior Parking Lot (seniors/family members must be socially distance and wear masks)
• Thursday 8/6 from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.: Seniors will paint ODD numbered spots.
• Saturday 8/8 from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.: Seniors will paint EVEN numbered spots.

Due to COVID regulations Senior Paint Days have specific rules and days. For detailed information including regulations and parking map, go to jserra.org/seniorpaint.

GENERAL PARKING PERMITS
General parking permits (stickers) may now be purchased online. JSerra parking permits are available for a one-time charge per student and last the entire duration of the student's enrollment at JSerra. For example, a sophomore pays $50 for their permit and may also use it their sophomore, junior, AND senior years. The standard parking permit fee is $50 for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, and $25 for seniors who have not previously purchased a permit.

New purchases/stickers (as well as replacement stickers) will be available for pick-up beginning Monday 8/17 in the Deans’ office. Students must print and bring a copy of their emailed receipt to obtain their sticker.

TOMORROW IS THE LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER FOR COLLEGE APPLICATION BOOTCAMP SESSION 2
Session 1 of College Application Bootcamp is now closed but there are still a few spots remaining in Session 2. The deadline to register is tomorrow 7/17. Session 2 takes place online from 12:30-4:00 p.m. on Monday 7/27 to Friday 7/31. The fee is $550 per senior. Register here before Session 2 reaches max capacity!

TEXTBOOKS ARE NOW ON SALE
Textbooks for the upcoming school year may now be purchased online! JSerra has retained Follett Virtual Campus for our school's online bookstore for the 2020-2021 school year.

The textbook lists are final, but Follett may not have a few of the books in stock yet. If the book is not in stock, Follett will provide the ISBN and a link to the publisher so that you can buy direct. Please do not Google "Follett" as JSerra has a specific Follett storefront online for most of our textbooks: jserra.bkstr.com.

However, for a handful of classes, you must order from Pearson/Savvas Learning. For the list of those classes, go jserra.org/textbooks. Instructions on ordering books from Pearson/Savvas are also available on the same page.

For more information including a video tutorial on how to order textbooks, visit jserra.org/textbooks. Questions? Contact Librarian Jeanne Swedo at jswedo@jserra.org.

BISHOP'S STATEMENT REGARDING ST. SERRA
In the wake of the questions around St. Junipero Serra’s history and the founding of our state, several California bishops have offered perspective on who St. Serra was, what he contributed, and why tearing down his statues is not the answer. As members of a community bearing his name, we should understand why the Church proclaims him a saint and be able to speak confidently to his life and mission. You can read a brief response from Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento; in his article, he references Archbishop Jose Gomez of LA with a link to his letter. The second link is from Archbishop Cordileone of San Francisco.

• https://www.scd.org/news/statement-bishop-jaime-soto-tearing-down-st-junipero-serra-statue-capitol-park
• https://sfarchdiocese.org/letters-and-statements

COUNSELING SUMMER HOURS
JSerra Counselors are rotating throughout the summer to address your questions and requests. Please email counseling@jserra.org from now until Tuesday 8/4 when the entire staff will return. Counselors are working diligently through emails; however, they will be typically inundated once course lists are sent. We ask for your patience in our responses as we will have less staff to address your emails and requests.

LEAD PROGRAM IS NOW TAKING APPLICATIONS
Calling all JSerra students! Interested in hosting a shadow this school year? Do you have so much love for JSerra that you want to share it with prospective families? Then the LEAD Program is for you. LEAD is a student leadership organization that promotes the JSerra mission to surrounding communities. LEAD members are asked to attend numerous events throughout the school year such as school visits, open houses, pride events, and more. Apply online today! (Parents, if your student was in LEAD last year, they must apply again.)

SUMMER SUGGESTED READING LIST
The Suggested Summer Reading List is offered to both students and parents as a way to keep the brain a little active this summer (unless students have multiple summer assignments to complete). Continued reading is good for brain development, comprehension, and writing. Pick a few books that pique your interest on or off this list to "grow your brain" this summer!

ALL ISSUES FROM LAST YEAR'S PAW PRINT ARE NOW ONLINE
All issues from last school year's student-run publication, The Paw Print, are now archived online. Flip through issues you may have missed and look forward to more engaging content this fall!
 

DATE	TIME	EVENT	LOCATION
Fri 7/17		Deadline to Register for College Application Bootcamp
Mon 7/20-Fri 7/24	12:30-4:00 p.m.	College Application Bootcamp (Session I)	Online
Mon 7/27-Fri 7/31	12:30-4:00 p.m.	College Application Bootcamp (Session II)	Online
Fri 7/24	9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.	Senior Paint Spot Artwork Submission and Selection	Senior Parking Lot
Thurs 7/30		Summer School Ends	Online
Fri 7/31		Summer School Final Exams	Online
Thurs 8/6	9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.	Senior Parking Paint Spots (ODD numbered spots)	Senior Parking Lot
Sat 8/8	9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.	Senior Parking Paint Spots (EVEN numbered spots)	Senior Parking Lot
Mon 8/10		First Day of School

The calendar is subject to change. For the latest updates, please refer to jserra.org/calendar.
 

None at this time.
 

ATHLETIC ELIGIBILITY
AthleticClearance.com has opened registration for the upcoming 2020-20201 school year. Each student-athlete is required to complete a new profile and submit the final confirmation page to JSerra's Athletic Training Department prior to participating in any JSerra Athletics activity.

In addition to the AthleticClearance.com profile, all student-athletes are required to complete a pre-participation physical by choosing one of the following options:

1. Elect to see your own primary care physician (in which case you need to download the physical form here and bring with you to your appointment).
2. Go to Marque Medical in Mission Viejo and get a physical completed for $40 in a clean environment. Click here to schedule an appointment at the Marque Medical facility.
3. Go to MEDHERO Urgent Care in San Clemente and get a physical completed for $40 in a clean environment. Click here to schedule an appointment at MEDHERO Urgent Care in San Clemente.

For more information on athletic eligibility, visit jserra.org/eligibility. Questions? Please email Director of Athletic Training Kasey Kavanagh at kkavanagh@jserra.org.
 

SAILING
The JSerra Sailing Team would like to invite interested students to take the opportunity to learn to sail during the fall semester. Space is limited but there will never be a better time to learn while there are boats available, experienced sailors to help, and no pressure to compete at a high level! We are particularly looking for young sailors who will enjoy racing for our team when the sport can return to normal. Please send inquiries to Mrs. Wendy Adam at wadam@jserra.org.

FENCING
That's right, parents — fencing is coming to JSerra! With enough interests from students, we hope to bring JSerra Fencing to our school this fall. It's a fun and engaging activity that can be done year-round that promotes individual initiative and discipline as well as respect and sportsmanship. Plus, it's a well-rounded form of mental and physical exercise essential for total health and wellness. And don't even get us started on the number of prestigious NCAA Division I programs that actively recruit fencers — such as Harvard, Princeton, Duke, Notre Dame, Brown, Yale, and more! Complete the online interest form so we can keep your student up-to-date on our newest club sport. Questions about the sport of fencing? Contact Mr. Nick Dino at info@lagunafencing.com.