Dear Parents,
I am Julie McHugh, director of Julie Rohr Academy. I have a Master of Music Degree in Music Education from University of Miami. I have also taken many elementary education courses from both University of Miami and University of South Florida. Prior to coming to Julie Rohr Academy, I taught chorus classes at Everglades Middle School in Fort Lauderdale for a period of six years. This is my thirty-third year at Julie Rohr Academy. In addition to being director, I teach music to 1st through 8th grade and direct the spring musical.
I have five sons. Mitchell is fifteen, Martin is twenty-three, Matthew is thirty, Mark is thirty-three, and Michael is thirty-five. All of my sons attended Julie Rohr Academy until they graduated.
Michael graduated from the University of Central Florida in Orlando in 1995, taught at JRA during the 95-96 school year and then returned to UCF to work toward a Master of Music Degree in Music Education. He completed a second degree in music education in 1999 and began teaching at Millenium Middle School for the Performing Arts. He resigned from his teaching position seven years ago to "follow his dreams" and sing professionally. Michael moved to Japan and sang professionally for Universal Studios in Osaka for four years. Three years ago he began teaching music at the International Baccalaureate School in Kobe, Japan. He got married on July 22, 2006 to a wonderful girl from Japan. She now also teaches at the IB School. Her family came over for the wedding. It is amazing how well we managed to communicate even though they did not speak English.
Mark graduated from UCF in December of 1996 with a major in Business and Finance. He worked at JRA from January until August ‘96 primarily organizing, ordering, and setting up our computer lab. He began Law School at Harvard in September of ‘97 and graduated in June of 2000. The following month, Mark began working as an investment banker with mergers and acquisitions at Credit Suisse in New York City. He moved to the Los Angeles last year. Mark got married in April 2007 to Suzzette, who has a ten-year old daughter, Brittney. On June 9th, Mark and Suzzette presented me with my first grandchild, Sienna Rose who is absolutely beautiful.
Matt graduated from Sarasota High School in June of ‘96. He began working at Julie Rohr Academy while still in high school and continued while attending MCC. He took a reduced load at MCC while Mitchell was in chemotherapy to allow time to drive me to and from Tampa Children’s Hospital. He completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Finance from the University of South Florida in May of 2005. He now works full-time at JRA as our Business Manager. It is wonderful having him here five days a week! Matt will marry Andrea Watt on November 1st. He met Andie at JRA. She worked here for 8 months before she began Law School at FSU. She currently works for the State Attorney’s Office.
Martin graduated from Sarasota High School in June of ’03, from Manatee Community College in May of ’05, and from University of South Florida in December. Martin also has worked at JRA throughout high school and junior college. He will begin teaching Math at JRA on Monday! We are delighted to have him on the staff.
Mitchell will be in tenth grade at Sarasota Military Academy this year. I volunteer to teach a show choir there four days a week. As most of you know, Mitchell was diagnosed with leukemia in November of 1998. He completed chemotherapy in November of 2000. We are now nearly nine years post-chemo and Mitchell seems to be doing just fine. We go every six months for blood work and exams but so far, all is well. It is a chapter in his life that he wants closed and rarely mentions it anymore. He does, however, frequently mention his sister, Meaghan, that he never met because she died from leukemia before he was born. Meaghan died eighteen years ago at age three. It is interesting that in my 40 years of teaching, I have taught only two children with leukemia and they were both my children.
My husband, Michael, has recently retired from his position as director for the Sarasota County Public Schools Support Services. He is currently working on the State School of Excellence Committee. He will also help out at JRA. I am delighted to have his expertise.
My mother, Dr. Julia W. Rohr, the founder of the school, works here during the day giving private music lessons. She also directs the Shriners Chanters. She works full time and still has time left to fuss at people who park in her parking spot! On July 13th, my mother celebrated her 91st birthday. Congratulations, Mom!
It is very important for me to know each of you well. I want to talk with you frequently and get your feedback on how things are going. Please be sure to see me at least once a month just to touch base and let me know how you feel your child is progressing. Even though our school is large, we want to always maintain our "family" atmosphere. I am at JRA from 9 AM to 6:30 PM daily and from 7 AM to 7 PM one day each week. Should you need to call me before or after those hours, you are welcome to call my home at 371-5840 or my cell phone at 544-4232. I stay up late and get up early so you can usually reach me!
Have a wonderful year and I am so happy that you are part of our JRA family!
Sincerely,
Julie McHugh
Director
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Greetings from Our Assistant Principal, Cecilia Blankenship
email: cecilia@julierohracademy.com
August 18, 2008
Dear
Parents,
I am delighted to welcome you to the 2008-2009 school year at Julie Rohr
Academy. We are expecting an
exciting, learning-filled year.
This will be my 20 ½ year at JRA. This
year I will be teaching the 6th, 7th, and 8th
grade science classes, coordinating curriculum for the school and directing the
middle school program. As assistant
principal, I am involved in the administrative duties relating to the school
including student discipline and supervision of teachers.
If there is any way that I can assist you, please don’t hesitate to
ask.
I have been teaching since 1969 with four years off when my children were
young. I attended James Madison
University earning a degree in Secondary Education with endorsements in biology,
general science, and chemistry. I
later returned to Virginia Commonwealth University to earn an endorsement in
Elementary Education. I received a
Master of Science degree with concentration in Earth/Space Science and Teacher
Supervision from Longwood University and began work towards a doctorate in
educational leadership at the College of William and Mary.
I am continuing classes in curriculum and science education through
online courses because there is so much new information constantly available in
the field of education. Since
joining the staff of JRA, I have taught third through eighth grade science,
fourth grade language arts, preschool and second grade language arts
remediation.
I am the proud grandmother of seven grandchildren, five here in Florida
and two in Virginia. My oldest son,
Michael, lives in Virginia with his wife and two children.
Jason, my middle child, lives in Cape Coral with his wife and son.
My daughter, Sharon, has four children; she and her husband live here in
Sarasota. They own SRQDance and
SRQDance Preschool of the Arts. Four
of my grandchildren are attending Julie Rohr Academy this year.
My husband is a retired school administrator, so you can see we are a
very education-oriented family.
I am in the office from 8:00 – 5:30 daily except for the time I am
teaching science (12:30 – 2:30). If
I can help in any way, please do not hesitate to call or come by.
I look forward to seeing all of you again and getting to know our new
students and parents.
Sincerely,
Cecilia R. Blankenship
Dear Parents,
Hello, my name is Sue Anthofer (Mrs. Sue).
I will be teaching the Intermediate Division
language arts this year and 4th
grade science. I am also the
Director of the Intermediate Division. I
have worked at Julie Rohr Academy for twenty-eight years. I graduated from the University of South Florida with a B.A.
degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education. I am married to Scott Anthofer, who works in Information
Services for the Sarasota County School Board, and have one daughter, Amy, who
graduated from Keiser College with a degree in business.
She was extremely fortunate to be hired by Walt Disney World for her
“Dream Job”. She works as an
Event Coordinator on the Event Team at Magic Kingdom.
I feel that it is vitally important that
all children receive positive encouragement, love, and an opportunity for
successful accomplishments each day. This
enables them to build a positive self-concept and perform to their fullest
potential. It is also important for
your child to be happy and relaxed while at school.
Therefore, if you or your child have any questions or concerns at any
time, please feel free to see me to discuss them. I will have morning homeroom from 8:00 to 8:15, or you may
call me after 1:00 each day to discuss any questions or concerns that you or
your child may have. I have a class web site that you may receive or send
messages on about your child, information, homework, tests, etc.
This web site also lets you see your child’s grades.
Another web site posts class information relating to weekly homework,
tests, projects, parties, activities, field trips, events, etc.
You will be receiving an information packet
about the Intermediate Program. Please
read it carefully. It will contain
important information on curriculum, homework, tests, etc.
I also ask each parent to fill out a short survey about their child so
that we can work together to make this the best possible year for your child.
I am looking forward to the coming school
year and thank you in advance for your help and support.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share a year with your child.
I am looking forward to many exciting and rewarding experiences.
Last year the students chose to have Disney
as their theme this year. We are
going to make this the year of a “Million Magical Learning Experiences”!
I believe that learning should be fun, magical, exciting, and challenging
for the students.
Sincerely,
Sue Anthofer
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August, 2008
My name is Donna Confer, and I am delighted that your child is in my class. I am looking forward to a joyful year of teaching your child many new and exciting things. I was born in Chicago, Illinois and lived in the suburbs for twenty-one years. I received my B.S. in Elementary Education at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL. I student-taught 1-3 in Downers Grove, IL. I received my Illinois Teaching Certificate for Grades K-8.
Upon moving to Florida, I got my Florida Teaching Certificate. I taught in the counties of Lee, Broward, and Sarasota. I taught 3rd Grade in Ft. Myers and Fifth Grade in Ft. Lauderdale. I started teaching at Julie Rohr Academy in 1980. I have taught various grade levels, which include second through eighth. I am the Division Head of the Elementary Department.
Communication is essential between school and home. A homework sheet will be placed by the door. It will also be available on the web at: http://teacherweb.com/FL/JulieRohrAcademv/MsDonnaConfer/. If your child is absent, an individual homework sheet is automatically filled out for your child. You don't need to call the school for this information. The sheet, papers, and books will be placed in your child's tub. You may pick up the work after 3:30.
When you pick up your child in the afternoon, please check the Message Center. Important messages, notices, and letters are placed there for you convenience. Please sign your child out daily. Messages will also be placed on the sign-out sheet. Check my website every day.
Please feel free to come in and say Hi! My hours are 7:00-3:00. If you wish to contact me by telephone, the best time to reach me is between 2:00-3:00 al 371-4979. It will be a pleasure to meet and work with all of you.
Sincerely,
Ms. Confer
To email me at home: jra2nd@comcast.net
Dear
Parents,
My
name is Sally Malatesta. The children call me Mrs. Sally.
I have been at Julie Rohr Academy for fourteen years.
I teach PreK and I am the coordinator for Early Childhood Education for
Building 1 and Building 2.
I
grew up in Sarasota and went to Phillippi Shores Elementary, Brookside and
Riverview High schools. I attended
Stetson University in Deland. My
degree is in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education. I really love
small children and enjoy teaching and nurturing them. It is great to watch them grow and learn!
My
favorite thing to do is spend time with my family. My husband, Frank, and I have two children, Kimberly and
Frankie. They moved to the Orlando
area after graduating from college and still live there with their families.
We have four grandchildren; Frankie is four years old, Alexis is three
years old, Michael is two years old and Evie is almost two years old. (I always
have photos readily available.)
In
my spare time I enjoy reading, cooking, traveling, antique shopping, photography
and sewing.
I
look forward to meeting you and getting to know you and your children.
If you have any questions about your child or the program please let me
know. I always want what is best
for your child.
Sincerely,
Sally
Dear Julie Rohr Academy Parents,
My name is Kathy Bechtel. The students at JRA call me Mrs. Kathy. This is my fifteenth year as the office manager. I have two daughters and a son. Melissa is 22 years old and just graduated from the University of South Florida, Lindsay is 21 years old and is a senior at the University of South Florida, Branden is 17 years old and will be starting his senior year at Southeast High School. All three of my children graduated from Julie Rohr Academy after attending school here from Nursery through 8th grade.
In my day-to-day duties as office manager I interact with the students in many different capacities. If they are sick or hurt, I dispense medicine and on many occasions ice or crackers. You will see my signature on the numerous accident forms your child will bring home during the school year.
When you call the school it will probably be my voice you will hear on the other end of the phone. I will try to answer all of your questions or direct your questions to someone who can answer them.
I am looking forward to seeing all of the returning JRA students and their parents and to welcoming all of the new students and their families.
Sincerely,
Kathy Bechtel
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Dear
Parents,
Hello and welcome to the 2008-09 school year.
My name is Matt McHugh and I am the Business Manager at Julie Rohr
Academy. In May of 2003, I graduated from the University of South
Florida in Tampa with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.
Since that time I have been the “full-time” Business Manager at JRA,
however, I have much experience here.
For those of you who do not know me, I am the middle son of Julie Rohr
McHugh and as you can imagine, have spent my entire life here.
I graduated 8th grade from JRA and came on as an afternoon
aide throughout my high school years. I
continued working afternoons while attending MCC where I received my AA degree. After receiving my AA degree from MCC, I moved to Tampa to
continue my education at USF. During
my years in Tampa, I commuted to Sarasota on Fridays to work at JRA assisting
with some of the bookkeeping and administrative duties. This year I will be in the office Monday through Friday from
9AM through 6:00PM. This will
hopefully allow me to be available to any and all parents that need my
assistance. If you ever have any
questions or concerns, please feel free to stop in, call or e-mail me at any
time. My e-mail address is MattJRA@aol.com.
As Business Manager of JRA, one of my most important duties is to monitor
all accounts. This can get rather tedious at times. Over the past several years, we have had problems with some
accounts falling behind. Many
people do not realize the high costs of operating a school, and without timely
payments, it is difficult for us to meet our expenses.
To reiterate the process as stated in the contract, monthly payments are
due on or before the 1st of each month and weekly payments are due on
or before Monday of each week. A
late fee of $10 for any unpaid balance over $200 and $20 for any unpaid balance
over $500 will be added on the 5th and 20th of each month.
ALL unpaid balances must be paid by the last day of the month in
order for JRA to continue providing educational services for the student.
I greatly appreciate your attention to this and look forward to a
wonderful school year.
Sincerely,
Matt
McHugh
Business Manager
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