Dear SUA Community,
Lelia and I hope that you had a wonderful Easter! We also hope your spring break allowed time for relaxation and renewal with family and friends.
You, as parents and guardians, know well that there are “seasons” in the school year, and we are heading into one of the particularly busy ones at the end of the year. Unbelievably, students have only two weeks of classes remaining before spring semester exams begin on Tuesday, April 28, and continue through Thursday, April 30. There is no school on Friday, May 1, as that is a Grading Day for teachers.
We are excited for the May Minimester, which starts on Monday, May 4 and continues for students in grades 9-11 until Tuesday, May 19. Parents of seniors, please make certain to check your inbox for an email sent yesterday that provides all of the details about the senior minimester, “Who Let the Dawgs Out,” and how those experiences coordinate with the senior events and graduation practices. We are so excited to spend time with our seniors in these meaningful activities to bring together their time at SUA and equip them with some life skills to help them in their transition to college. We are cherishing our days with the Class of 2026.
AP exams also start on Monday, May 4, and run until Friday, May 15. The semester exams prior to the AP exams will serve as “practice exam” preparation for our AP students. As has been the practice in the past, students taking AP exams will be excused from their courses. One benefit of the May minimester schedule is that students will need to keep up with one course, their May minimester course, while taking AP exams, rather than managing a full schedule, as was the case in the past. Our AP teachers have been extremely grateful this year for the schedule allowing them to work with their students for the entire school year.
Finally, please keep in mind the information that was shared via email in the Parent Bulletin prior to spring break as you plan for May. During the May minimester, school will dismiss each day at 2:30 p.m. This time will allow teachers to plan with co-teachers, make daily adjustments to lesson plans, finalize arrangements for field trips, and prepare lab and other in-class activities for the following day. These efforts help ensure that each day includes high-quality learning experiences responsive to students’ needs. There will be supervision in the Keller Student Center daily during the minimester starting at 2:30 p.m. for families who wish to maintain their normal after-school pick-up plans.
Also, please note that classes will start at 8:45 a.m. on the two Fridays during the May minimester, May 8 and 15. This schedule creates consistency with our late-start meetings throughout the rest of our year.
So, there are busy, exciting, and celebratory days ahead! As we reminded the students in their Sunday Message, we need to take these days one at a time. Easter reminds us that God is truly with us. We pray that the joy and renewal of Easter will inspire us to find joy in our daily moments, celebrate growth, spread love, and support one another. If we do that, we will truly have a strong and fulfilling end to the school year.
Go Bulldogs!
Kathy
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