Dear AVAC and Transition Center Families, 

Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year! This school year is going to be amazing!  We will be starting the school year with 160 students in our two programs.  AVAC at our Central Campus will begin the year with approximately 70 students and our Transition Center site will open with 90 students. This summer our ESY program had almost 100 students and over 20 staff members. Students and staff had a great time meeting new friends, visiting the forest preserve, gardening, bowling, learning a variety of STEAM activities, cooking, health and wellness and so much more. Our program is thriving, and we are excited to see our students return!   

This school year we will be continuing our afterschool opportunities including STEAM club, Buddies Unite!, AVAC Central sports practices and Special Olympics.  Information about these opportunities with dates will be coming out in early September, please watch for future communications.   These have been awesome opportunities for our students to connect with peers at Central who are not in our programs.  These experiences have not only benefitted our students but have given invaluable experiences to our Central student population.    

Wednesday, August 17th is our FIRST STUDENT ATTENDANCE DAY! AVAC students will be in session from 8:00 am – 3:00 pm, that is periods 2 - 8.  AVAC freshmen all begin at 8:00 am.  Transition students will be in session from 7:45 am – 2:00 pm. Students will have door to door transportation. You will be receiving information from district transportation via US mail regarding route and approximate pickup time. Our program will also be emailing route and pick up time information closer to the first day. Remember that the first several weeks often has some delays and changes in drivers, routes and pick up times.  

If your student was enrolled at JT in our AVAC program during the 21-22 school year, you are registered, Transition Center students if you were the Class of 2022 at either Central Campus or West Campus, you are registered for Transition! If you are an incoming freshman or were not enrolled in JT last year you will need to ENROLL your student through our ONLINE REGISTRATION on the JTHS.ORG website.  This MUST be done before school starts to be added to transportation routes and to receive a schedule!  If you need assistance with online registration, please call Jodi Casagrande at 815-727- 6732.   

A few reminders of things to get done BEFORE school starts: 

• ALL FRESHMAN must turn in a completed physical form, shot record and dental form!
  State of Illinois Certificate of Child Health Examination Form. The form is a two-sided document and both sides must be filled out. On page 2, there is a section called “student health history” which must be filled out by the parent/guardian and MUST BE SIGNED and dated. The physical is considered incomplete without this section. In addition, please make certain that your student’s healthcare provider has documented the height, weight, blood pressure and BMI on the form and has completed the diabetes screening. 

• ALL AVAC FRESHMAN are invited to our CENTRAL FRESHMAN ORIENTATION – please see district communication on Tuesday, July 12th! Register online HERE no later than July 21 or ASAP. Upon registration, additional information will be sent to you closer to the orientation date.   

• ALL SENIORS need to turn in proof meningitis shot -   All incoming seniors must submit proof of receiving the Meningococcal Conjugate vaccine on or after their 16th birthday.  

• If you are a freshman, new to our district or you have moved, we require 3 proofs of residency 

• ONLINE Meal Application – Free and Reduced Lunch – needs to be done annually! The online meal and fee waiver application portal for the 2022-23 school year is now open. Families that are not directly certified for free meals/fee waiver through an eligible program (SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, Foster Child, Migrant) can complete the online application to see if their child qualifies for free/reduced meals and the student fee waiver. Students must qualify each school year for free/reduced meals and the fee waiver. Submit your online application HERE.   

Please regularly check our JTHS Central Campus website and JT Facebook for the latest information about school starting.  Please watch your district texts and emails too for easy access links with up-to-date information for the start of school. There have been and will be several critical communications before school starts. Three that you already should have received are Joliet Central Freshman Orientation, JTHS Welcome Back Steelmen Event and Online Meal Application. These communications are very important information for students and families!   

If you are not receiving information or have questions please email me, Lynda Shanks at lshanks@jths.org or Cicly Martin, AVAC/Transition Administrative Assistant at cmartin@jths.or and we will assist you! 

IMPORTANT DATES and ACTIVITIES for AVAC FAMILIES 

• Freshman Orientation – August 10th 8:00 am – noon – SIGN UP REQUESTED as soon as possible– AVAC students are invited and encouraged to attend this event!  We will have AVAC staff here to assist our students. Students will get a great overview of Central, meet new friends and have FUN!  

• Steelman Welcome Week –August 1st – August 5th  Students and families can get any and all information for the beginning of the year done BEFORE we begin! Days are designated by grade level! Welcome Back Steelmen Info  

I look forward to seeing everyone very soon! Enjoy the rest of your summer and please reach out if you have any questions! 

Lynda Shanks