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My name is Dr. Julie A. Brua, and I am very excited to return as a member of the staff at St. Joseph Catholic School (SJCS)! I have been blessed to work in education for over 35 years, teaching students from grade kindergarten through adults. This is my fifth year at SJCS.

I have earned the following degrees:

Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from University of Illinois at Urbana with 13 years of experience in teaching English Language Arts in grades 6-7-8 while at Deer Path and Northbrook Junior High Schools;

Master of Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction from University of Illinois at Urbana;

Type 75 Endorsement in Administration from DePaul University;

Doctorate in Educational Administration and Superintendent Endorsement from Northern Illinois University;

Chief School Business Official Endorsement from Northern Illinois University; and,

English as a Second Language and Bilingual Endorsement from Benedictine and St. Francis Universities.

I have spent over 22 years in leadership positions while also serving in many roles associated with my faith: cantor, RCIA sponsor, religious education teacher, 8th grade Confirmation sponsor, Catholic school principal, etc. My daughter Audrey, who went through religious education at St. Joe's, graduated in December 2025 and is working as a financial analyst. My husband RJ and I live in Libertyville, and in our spare time, we enjoy exercising, spending time with family, and spoiling our dogs, Paisley and Colsen. I feel blessed to be here as a cantor/choir member at St. Joe's masses and as a teacher at St. Joe's Catholic School.

About our English language arts program:

All of our middle school students will complete HMH Grammar lessons, and we will incorporate some aspects of Gretchen Courtney's writing program and other genres of writing during the grades 6-8 ELA experience: expository, research, argumentative, narrative, poetry, script writing, fables, descriptive, memoir, Ted Talk, music website, speech, PSAs, and other types.

Our program offers support to students in many forms. In addition to the help and support I provide to all students in the classroom, IXL, an online practice program, offers additional support to students, including step-by-step demonstrations.

All of our students will leave St. Joseph Catholic School with a solid foundation in grammar and writing and will be ready for the challenges of high school English language arts.

Posts

Week at a Glance: August 24 - 28

We had a great first few days! Looking forward to an awesome 26-27 SY!

Grade 6:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through capitalization rules
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience by email writing and All About Me presos

Grade 7:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through capitalization rules
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience by email and narrative writing and Inspiring Quotes presos

Grade 8:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through capitalization rules
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience by email, mentor sentences in teams, and argumentation writing and Values presos

Week at a Glance: August 20-21

Grade 6:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through getting to know you activities, gearing up for capitalization introduction
to convey ideas precisely and concisely using chosen language when writing through getting to know you activities
- ELA Information Sheet Signed by Parents - Due Friday, August 21
- Personal Writing in-class activity - Finish in-class; Due Monday, August 24

Grade 7:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through getting to know you activities, gearing up for capitalization review
to convey ideas precisely and concisely using chosen language when writing through getting to know you activities
- ELA Information Sheet Signed by Parents - Due Friday, August 21
- Inspiring Quote Google Slide in-class activity - Finish in-class; Due Monday, August 24

Grade 8:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking, gearing up for capitalization review
to use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening through getting to know you activities
- ELA Information Sheet Signed by Parents - Due Friday, August 21
- 5 Values Google Slide in-class activity - Finish in-class; Due Monday, August 24

Week at a Glance: June 1 - 3

Grade 6:

to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through debates

Grade 7:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of categories - game

Week at a Glance: May 25 - 30

Grade 6:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of using verbs correctly
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through argumentation writing with Saints presentations

Grade 7:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of agreement
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through argumentation with editorial writing in decades projects presentations

Week at a Glance: May 18 - May 22

Grade 6:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of using verbs correctly
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through argumentation writing with Saints presentations

Grade 7:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of agreement
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through argumentation with editorial writing in decades projects presentations

Grade 8:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of types of sentence patterns
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through the study of famous authors' writing strategies

Week at a Glance: May 11-15

Grade 6:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of using verbs correctly
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through argumentation writing with Public Service Announcements (PSAs)

Grade 7:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of agreement
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through argumentation with editorial writing in decades project

Grade 8:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of types of sentence patterns
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through TED Talks

Week at a Glance: May 4 - 8

Grade 6:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of agreement
- Review: Monday and Tuesday, May 4-5
- Assessment: Wednesday, May 6
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through argumentation writing with Public Service Announcements (PSAs)

Grade 7:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of sentence patterns
- Review: Tuesday and Wednesday, May 5-6
- Assessment: Thursday, May 7
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through argumentation with editorial writing in decades project

Grade 8:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of types of sentence patterns
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through TED Talks

Week at a Glance: April 27- May 1

Grade 6:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of agreement
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through argumentation writing CANVA presentations and Public Service Announcements (PSAs)

Grade 7:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of sentence patterns
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through argumentation with editorial writing in decades project

Grade 8:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of types of clauses
- Review: Monday-Wednesday April 27-29
- Assessment: Thursday, April 30
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through TED Talks

Week at a Glance: April 20-24

Grade 6:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of agreement
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through argumentation writing CANVA presentations and Public Service Announcements (PSAs)

Grade 7:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of types of clauses
- Review: Monday, April 20
- Assessment: Tuesday, April 21
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through argumentation with editorial writing in decades project

Grade 8:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of types of clauses
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through TED Talks

Week at a Glance: April 13-17

Grade 6:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of agreement
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through argumentation writing

Grade 7:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of types of clauses
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through argumentation and editorial writing

Grade 8:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of types of clauses
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through TED Talks

Week at a Glance: April 7-10

Grade 6:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of agreement
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through argumentation writing

Grade 7:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of types of clauses
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through argumentation writing

Grade 8:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of types of clauses
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through TED Talks

Week at a Glance: March 30 - April 3

Grade 6:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of sentence patterns: DO, IO, PN, and PA
- Module Review: Wednesday, April 1
- Assessment: Thursday, April 2
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through argumentation writing

Grade 7:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of types of phrases and clauses
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through argumentation writing

Grade 8:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of types of clauses
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through Paul Harvey essay style and TED Talks

Week at a Glance: March 16 - 20

Grade 6:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of sentence patterns: DO, IO, PN, and PA
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through animal best pet informative CANVA presentations and elevator speech preparation

Grade 7:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of types of phrases
- Review: Monday, March 16
- Assessment: Tuesday, March 17
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through commercials

Grade 8:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of types of phrases
- Review: Monday, March 16
- Assessment: Tuesday, March 17
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through Paul Harvey essay style

March 9-13: Week at a Glance

Grade 6:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of sentence patterns.
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through animal best pet informative CANVA presentations
Note: Wednesday, March 11 - Field trip to Improv Playhouse.
- Lunch is at 10:10 - 10:30 - then 10:40-1:40 Field Trip
- Bring bag lunch, water, and snack for the day - no hot lunch available

Grade 7:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of types of phrases
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through commercials

Grade 8:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of types of phrases
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through Paul Harvey essay style

Week at a Glance: March 2-6

Grade 6:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of sentence patterns.
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through animal best pet informative essays

Grade 7:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of types of phrases
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through commercials

Grade 8:

to demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking through the study of types of phrases
to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience through Paul Harvey essay style