Hello, Class of 2024 Parents and Students! 

Today marks the official first day of summer. Graduation has come and gone, our digital Summer School programs are in full swing, and that Sacramento summer heat is upon us. I hope that you and your families are happy, healthy, and enjoying the summer sun.

If you can take a quick break from summer fun – I wanted to make sure you have more information about the Class of 2024 Welcome Event we are hosting online next week. 

The ‘Class of 2024 Welcome Event’ IS…

…a week-long series of friendly and conversational online “sessions” with some of the wonderful people that will be an integral part of your son’s education over the next four years. Each of two nightly sessions will run 30-minutes and provide the opportunity for our Class of 2024 students and parents to put some names to faces on campus, ask questions, and get excited about the year ahead. Yes, we would love to see our ’24 students join in on the conversation! 

I’m sure we’re all familiar with Zoom by now, but some of you might not be familiar with the webinar feature on the popular platform. The sessions next week will be “webinars,” which means you will be able to see us, but we won’t be able to see you. So if you were worried about everyone seeing inside your home, worry no more! I will host the sessions, our panelists who will do most of the talking, and participation will be conducted through the Q&A feature on the platform. (I’ll explain everything at the start of  each session) 

Our panelists, who all represent a leadership role in various parts of campus life, will spend the session talking about their area of expertise while leaving room for questions along the way. If you already have questions for specific departments that could help guide the conversation, that’s GREAT! Provide those questions right HERE now, and we’ll have them ready to go before the session. We will try to address as many questions as possible during the 30-minutes and then will maintain frequently asked questions on the website.

The ‘Class of 2024 Welcome Event’ is NOT…

…orientation. All of those fun nitty-gritty details about Freshman year will get answered during Freshman orientation in August and also in the coming month through other informational events online and on the website.. Trust me, there will be plenty of time to talk about your specific class schedule and sports practice play-by-plays over the next couple of months. Use the Welcome Event evenings to get to know some faces and to ask questions that will be beneficial to the larger group. Maybe you don’t have a question right now, but the session inspires one just after; that’s also GREAT! By attending the Welcome Events, you will now know the people that can help and how to reach out to them! 

As I write this today, the Safe Return Task Force (SRTF), administration, faculty, and staff are hard at work planning and strategizing about our safe, respectful, and responsible return to campus in the fall. I want to mention that because we (our panelists for next week) might not have all the answers that the Task Force is working on. We are all very, VERY eager to get back on campus and provide the best and safest learning environment for all of our students. Our safe return is a work in progress, and I can tell you first hand that there are a lot of great folks hard at work day and night and that everyone at Jesuit Sacramento is making the goal to have all students on campus every school day. I welcome all questions at next week’s event, just know that questions like, “What exactly does the first day of school look like for their lunch period?” or “How many games will be on the Freshman football’s schedule?” might not get the specific answer you are looking for during the sessions. BUT, we will point you to the right location to watch for the answers when they are available.

So, spend your evenings with us next week!   

There are a lot of great people eager and excited to welcome our Class of 2024 families to Jesuit High School Sacramento! I would highly recommend you and your son to attend as many of the sessions as possible! 

I know this is not how you expected to first come together as the Class of 2024. And, to tell you the truth, I am bummed too. I am bummed that all of us aren’t on campus for a “normal” welcome event, where I can see everyone’s excited faces and dish out a couple of patented high-fives and handshakes to the newest members of my Marauder Brotherhood. But, I am still EXCITED about this unique opportunity. I wanted to translate our “normal” event into something that will allow everyone the chance to meet some of the folks that make this place great! This COVID thing will not last forever, and soon enough, we will all be on campus enjoying everything Jesuit Sacramento has to offer.

If you and your son can’t make it to one or any of the sessions, know that they will all be recorded. We will send out where you can find the videos after the conclusion of the event. So, grab some popcorn, pull up the chairs to the computer, log in, say hello, hang out, and join the conversation next week. I know I am looking forward to the conversations to come! 

Don’t forget to Register and Ask Questions before the event gets underway! You will have access to the schedule of events once you have registered.

Stay well, and God Bless!

Matthew Ramos ’05 
Director of Admissions