Q1. How will the existing SJM campus be modified to accommodate the addition of 7th and 8th grade students on campus? Will the Junior High students be separate from the High School students?
A1: The SJM campus will be modified by segregating the south end of the campus to be a self-contained Junior High campus. The 10’s, 20's, and 30's arcades are now the home of the Junior High. Junior High students will have their own classrooms, hallways and bathrooms. They will use the same cafeteria as the San Joaquin Memorial High School students, but at a completely different time.
Q2. Will the Junior High students be able to use the SJM sports facilities for their teams?
A2: Yes. The new Junior High students will have full use of the SJM athletic facilities. It is the expectation that a full slate of Junior High sports for both boys and girls will be offered.
Q3. Will the current 7th and 8th grade teachers be considered for roles in the newly established Junior High?
A3: The new Junior High will have its own faculty who are trained to educate Junior High students and all their particular needs. Current Junior High teachers will have the opportunity to stay on their current campus and teach at a lower grade level or move to the new Junior High.
Q4. Who will be in charge of the Junior High?
A4: The new established Junior High will have its own Principal, who reports to the system President.
Q5. Will the Junior High students have the opportunity to take high school classes?
A5: Yes. Junior High students who qualify will be eligible for high school classes.
Q6. Will tuition change for the grammar schools? What will the tuition be for the Junior High program and for the high school?
A6: Tuition and fees for the new Junior High program have yet to be established, but it is expected that the tuition will range between $7,000 and $7,500. Tuition goes up 3-5% each year.
Q7. Does the Junior High have separate accreditation?
A7: The new SJM Junior High program will be incorporated into the SJM accreditation initially but the goal would be to have the Junior High program apply for and receive separate accreditation.
Q8. Will there be buses for the Junior High school students?
A8: The transportation schedule has yet to be finalized, but we expect to have shared busses available to Junior High school students.
Q9. Are there scholarship opportunities for the Junior High?
A9: It is expected that Junior High students will be eligible.
Q10. What are some of the highlights of the Junior High academic program?
A10. Separate Junior High classrooms and hallways, access to high school courses, faculty with subject-area expertise, 1:1 iPad program, project based learning approach, exploratory elective programs, Christ-centered campus culture.
Q11. What does the Junior High on the SJM campus offer?
A11. San Joaquin Memorial offers a Junior High program that is tailored to meet the students’ unique developmental needs during their junior high years as they transition from elementary to high school. While providing appropriate academic challenges, our program allows for early and significant exploration of fine arts, technology, foreign language, service learning and athletics. The SJM Junior High program utilizes resources from our well-established high school programs to create an unmatched Junior High experience for students as they learn, explore and prepare for high school and beyond.
Q12. Will the junior high students wear uniforms?
A12. Yes. Both male and female students will wear uniforms. The uniforms will be different from the SJM High School uniforms to create a visual distinction between the two student bodies.
Q13. At what time of year do you accept applications to San Joaquin Memorial Junior High?
A13. We will accept admissions applications year round.
Q14. Is it possible to visit and tour San Joaquin Memorial Junior High?
A14: We welcome visitors to our school. Please call the Office of Admissions at (559) 268-9251 to schedule a visit.
Q15. Do I have to be Catholic to attend San Joaquin Memorial Junior High?
A15. No. San Joaquin Memorial Junior High accepts qualified candidates of any religious affiliation.
Q16. Will the Junior High tuition cost be similar to what the current elementary rate is?
A/16. While it is still more than one year away before the Junior High begins it is expected that Junior High tuition will be comparable to our Catholic elementary schools. The tuition rate for the 2023/24 school year for the Junior High will be in the range of $7,500.
Q17. Is there a plan to share athletic fields/space?
A17. SJM is in the final stages of a $9 million capital campaign which includes major campus upgrades to the athletic fields and indoor facilities. As part of the campaign, Ryan Gym has been completely renovated, artificial turf will replace the natural playing surface in the stadium and the baseball field will install lights which will extend the time for practice and games.
Q18. What exactly does this mean for St. Helen’s and our teachers?
A18. St. Helen’s will have the opportunity to expand its Preschool program after the Junior High is moved to the SJM campus. St. Helen’s teachers will have the opportunity to move to the SJM Junior High or teach at a lower grade level on the St. Helen’s campus.
Q19. Will the sacrament of Confirmation be part of the San Joaquin Memorial High School curriculum?
A19. This is not currently an option, however the Bishop can make a different decision at any time.
Q20. What is the plan for the continued faith development of the Junior High students?
A20. In addition to the formal Junior High religion program which will be part of every school day, there will be a dedicated Campus Ministry for the Junior High students to develop age appropriate activities to deepen and strengthen their faith experience.
Q21. Won’t creating a Junior High School only positively affect St. Anthony’s School?
A21. Building a quality Junior High School program that is geared to the unique educational, social and spiritual needs of our junior high students will have a positive impact on all junior high aged students. Having age appropriate clubs, activities and athletics available, in addition to a hands-on academic program will benefit all students and all campuses of the system.
Q22. Will there be registration fees and iPad fees like at Memorial?
A22 There will most likely be registration fees at the Junior High School. There are no iPad fees at SJM and the expectation is that the policy will continue.
Q23. How do the projections show that this is going to encourage enrollment at St. Helen’s?
A23. There is an opportunity for growth at St. Helen’s at the Pre School level. Both of our elementary campuses have a significantly higher demand at the lower grades and weaker demand at the higher grades. Moving the elementary high grades to SJM will allow both elementary schools to expand their program to the youngest students where the demand is greatest. By opening the junior high program and creating more space on our elementary campuses, is an example of how the Diocese of Fresno is responding to the needs of our communities, who are seeking more Pre School options than we currently have available.
24. Can a student from outside of the Fresno area attend the new Junior High?
24A: The new Junior High will have open enrollment for any student who applies and is qualified to attend. While the St. Helen’s and St. Anthony’s 7 & 8 grade programs will be combined to create the new Junior High, enrollment is open to all qualified students.
25. Will Junior High and High School start at the same time?
25A. The two schools will not start/finish at the exact same time to allow for an easier dropoff and pickup process. The schools will most likely start/finish within 15 minutes of each other to facilitate transportation to and from campus.
26. When will athletic practices be held?
26A. The practice schedule for each team will be shared at the beginning of the sports season. Most practices will be held immediately after school. There will most likely be a different practice schedule in the off season for each team. Sports that are in season will get the priority time slots.
27. Will the Junior High curriculum change from what is currently taught?
27A. Each grade level has certain standards that must be taught each year. Those standards are part of the accreditation process, and will continue to be taught. The goal for the new Junior High faculty will be to have a project based learning environment that is interactive and experiential, suited for the particular needs of Junior High aged students.
28. Will the SJM Junior High students participate in the Catholic Schools Junior High Academic Decathlon?
28A. Yes, our Junior High students will fully participate in both diocesan competitions and local competitions.
29. Will the SJM Junior High have their own graduation ceremony?
29A There has not been any decision made on how we will recognize the conclusion of our students' Junior High career, but there will definitely be a ceremony to celebrate this accomplishment.
30. Will there be an opportunity to apply for St. Helen’s scholarships that are available at San Joaquin Memorial High School for Junior High tuition?
30A. The scholarships that are available to St. Helen families for tuition at SJM are privately funded scholarships and we will have to get that answer from the donors. The donors have been extremely generous to our families from St. Helen’s and I hope that they will continue to support all St. Helen families at whatever grade level they are attending at SJM. This is an answer that will develop over the next year, as we move into fully developing the Junior High program.
31. What facilities and amenities will be included in the gated portion of the Junior High campus?
31A. The Junior High campus will consist of the classroom buildings known as the 10’s and 20’s, which is made up of 7 classrooms, which includes a newly constructed science lab. The Junior High campus will have its own restrooms in the 10’s. There is also the Holy Cross chapel, the covered Block M used for outdoor gatherings, Holy Cross Hall, the raised bed garden and vineyard. The Junior High will have shared use of the cafeteria and main gym, but at separate times from the high school. Newly renovated Ryan Gym is also available as are all the outdoor athletic fields.
32. What is the maximum number of students the Junior High can accept?
32A. Our expectation is that in the initial year of operation we will accept between 50-75 students into each of the Junior High classes. We would foresee the eventual enrollment to be 75-100 in each grade.
33. Will 8th grade students class of 2022/23 from St. Anthony's and St. Helen's have to apply to SJM High School?
33A. Students who are already in the system will not have to apply for the next grade level, whether it is junior high or high school. They will automatically move to the next grade provided they have passed their current grade requirements and have a clean discipline record. Any student, regardless of grade level will have to pass their classes and behave in an appropriate manner to continue within the Fresno Catholic School system.
34. How will St. Helen's Pre-School program be affected?
34A. One of the many advantages of creating a system for our four schools is having a professional staff trained and experienced in enrollment management and recruiting, who will be responsible for building enrollment in various areas of schools as needed. Through the new system we will be able to dedicate personnel and resources to build enrollment.
35. Will you consider delaying the start of the Junior High until the 2024/25 school year?
35A. The decision has been made to open the Junior High in August of 2023. Delaying the start of the program will not allow us to move forward with all the planning and programs that need to take place on all four campuses and will not help us capitalize on all the positive momentum that currently exists.
36. Will 7th graders be able to take Italian 1?
36A. At this point a curriculum decision about world languages has not been made. Italian will almost certainly be offered during the 8th grade year, but we are not sure about Grade 7 yet.
37. It is already September, when do you plan to start recruting / hiring a principal, faculty and staff for the new Junior High?
37A. The principal position was posted on September 6th and we have already received applications. The logical order of hires would be after the Principal is named, he/she would begin to hire the faculty and staff for the junior high.
38. Will there be a bus stop at St. Anthony's School to transport students to the Junior High?
38A. We are currently working with our transportation department to see the possibilities of having a bus stop at both St. Anthony's and St. Helen's. Usage demand will be an important factor if bus stops are established at our two locations and if they are continued into the future.
39. Will students attend weekly Mass as they do at St. Anthony's?
39A. We are currently working with our diocese to have a Chaplain assigned to the Fresno Catholic School system to provide regular religious services, which would include weekly Mass.
40. Will there be suggestions taken into consideration for uniforms?
40A. As we move forward, input will be asked for various topics and scenarios. Suggestions will be sought for things like, uniforms, school name, school mascot, school colors, etc.
41. Will students have two copies of textbooks or lockers to assist in transporting & storing the bulk of school supplies?
41A. No decisions have been made on textbooks or the particular type of 1:1 technology that will be used. These decisions will be forthcoming and we would like the new Principal to be part of the process.
42. When will the applicatiom be open for admission to the Junior High School?
42A. Applications for the Junior High will be available online beginning on December 1, 2022. The application will be posted on the Fresno Catholic website as well as the Holy Cross Junior High website.
43. Will 8th grade students have the opportunity to participate in tackle football as a fall sport?
43A. We have every intention of having a full athletic program and tackle football for the Junior High is definitely part of the program.
44. Will the new Junior High follow the same schedule as SJM as far as red, blue and white days?
44A. The Junior High will have a daily schedule that will be unique to the Junior High and educational needs of Junior High students. We will however take into account the start and dismissal time of the high school to make sure both schools start and dismiss at different times of the day.
45. Has the masccot been selected for the Junior High?
45A. The mascot for Holy Cross Junior High is going to be the Saints. Principal Rachael Manzo met with the first incoming classes for the Junior High and allowed them to vote on the selection. Every student was given a ballot with five possible choices and Saints was the clear victor.
46. Have school colors been decided upon?
46A. After much discussion, school colors are going to be blue, green and gray. The color palette will be much like the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL.
47. How do school colors imapct daily school uniforms?
47A. Everyday uniforms will be blue or khaki shorts or pants, green polos, and the option of a gray sweatshirt. Where to purchase these items is still being negotiated. A final decision on Mass uniforms will be forthcoming.
48. Our Fresno Diocese is geographically so large, and this clearly affects those in the Frenso proper. Will this type of reorganization be happening throughout the Fresno Diocese?
48A: At the present time there are no plans to expand reorganization of schools throughout the diocese. As we move forward, evaluations of what is best for our Catholic schools will take place and appropriate decisions will be made at that time.
49. Will Holy Cross be offering accredirted Spanish 1 in the 7th Grade Spanish 2 and Algebra 1 in the 8th grade?
49A. We are still finalizing the curriculum for Holy Cross. There has been discussion about offering Spanish and/or Italian in the Junior High. Algebra I will definitely be offered to students who qualify to take a high school level Algebra class.
50. When will we know uniform information?
50A. Uniforms have been decided upon and that question has been answered in a previous post. We are still working with vendors to provide the best product at the best price. We expect to have this decided upon by April 1.
51. Will there be a campus care/after school program for late pick-up at the new junior high?
51A. Plans for after care have been discussed but no decision has been made on how after-care would work or what the cost would be.
52. Will the 7th and 8th graders be changing classrooms each period for different subjects like the high school students - or will they have one classroom where teachers switch and come to them more like a K-8 experience?
52A. All Junior High students will be changing classes. Teachers will have their own classrooms and the students will come to that particular classroom. The only exception is that there will be a dedicated science lab, for teachers to use when it is appropriate for their lesson.
53. Does safe environment training for SAS apply to Holy Cross as well?
53A. All employees for the Diocese of Fresno, participate in the safe environment training. There is the same requirement of fingerprinting and coursework for all Catholic school employees, regardless of which particular campus they work on.