IACS Hawk
IACS Newsletter for the week ending December 15, 2017
December 15, 2017
Dear IACS Families –
It looks like winter has arrived and what better way to spend a cold, dark, December night than by coming to the warm, bright, and active halls of Innovation Academy! On Tuesday, December 19th, our Winter Exhibition Night will be held from 6:00 – 8:30 PM and all members of the public are welcome to attend. It is the perfect opportunity to learn about the high school curriculum and see some examples of the projects that our students have completed this semester. The Winter Exhibition Night will focus on the English, Science, Music, and Art departments and the other departments will be featured in the Spring.
I will hold an information session for parents of 8th graders from 5-6pm in Room 153 for anyone that would like to learn more about the high school, but the real fun will begin at 6pm in the auditorium when our Instrumental Ensemble, under the direction of Julian Sciolla, will play three jazz/funk songs that they have worked hard to perfect this semester. From 6:30-7:15, Science exhibitions will be held in the 2nd floor classrooms and the library. Exhibitions will include: product development, frog dissection, forensic analysis, robotics, ecosystems, changing dry ice to liquid carbon dioxide, modeling flight, and some student developed computer script.
Student art from Mr. Barry and Mr. Pelham’s classes will be on display throughout the halls of the first floor. Also on the first floor, from 7:00-7:45, the English department will have projects on display from the following classes: Craft of Fiction, Stories of Self, Protest & Hope, Good vs Evil, Rhetoric, and Friendship, Foes, & Folly. In the auditorium during this time, students will be taking part in the “Poetry Out Loud” competition. This is the first time our school has participated in this national recitation contest for students in grades 9-12. Nearly twenty of our students will each perform two poems they’ve chosen to memorize. They will compete for points in accuracy, presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding, and overall performance. The winner of our school competition will go on to participate in the regional semifinals on Saturday, March 3.
The evening will conclude with the Concert Choir and Chorale performing in the auditorium, under the direction of Erin Lane. The concert will run from 7:45-8:30 and will include eight songs that the students have learned during the semester. We really hope to see as many students, family, and community members for this wonderful evening to celebrate the work of our students.
Best-
Erik Arnold, Ed.D.
High School Principal
Important Dates
December 18 IACS Board of Trustees meeting 6:30 – 9:00 pm
December 19 Q& A session with HS Principal for Prospective Students &
Families 5:00 – 7:00 pm
MS 7 & 8 Quality Night 6:00 – 7:15 pm
High School Winter Exhibition Night 6:15 – 8:30 pm
December 20 Early Release Wednesday
Middle School Winter Concert 7:00 – 8:00 pm
December 22 Early Release (Friday before vacation)
December 25 – January 1 NO SCHOOL WINTER VACATION
January 2 Classes Resume
January 3 Early Release Wednesday
January 6 Middle School Open House for Prospective Students & Families 10:00 am
January 10 Early Release Wednesday
IACA Meeting 7:00 pm
January 11 MS Parent/Principal Advisory Council 7:45am
January 15 No School in Observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 16 No school for Students, Staff Professional Development Day
January 17 Full Day Wednesday
High School Open House for Prospective Students & Families 6:00 pm
January 19 Grade 7 & 8 Social 7:00pm
January 20 Grade 5 & 6 Social 7:00pm
January 22 IACS Board of Trustees meeting 6:30 – 9:00 pm
January 24 Early Release Wednesday
January 26 Innovation Morning for Prospective Parents of Middle School Students 8:30am
High School Semi 7:00 – 10:00 pm
New Magnet!
We are grateful for every donation, no matter the size, Thank you.
All School News
Emma’s Giving Tree
This holiday season, a mitten tree fundraiser will be running from Monday, November 27th to Thursday, December 21st to help donate gifts and living essentials to those in need. The gifts will be donated to local families with infants all the way through teens.
How it works! The mitten tree along with the donation box can be found in the cafeteria.
If you would like to donate without taking a mitten, gloves, hats, diapers, infant pajamas and winter-wear is greatly appreciated. Once again, make sure it is all NEWLY PURCHASED AND UNWRAPPED.
Thank you so much for your participation, Let’s make it even better than last year!
If you have any questions contact Emma Chaitin at emma.chaitin@gmail.com or Kyle Thornton at kthornton@innovationcharter.org
Theatre News
Children of Eden: Saturday, Dec 16th at 2:00pm– IACS Theater kids had a BLAST in NYC this past Tuesday and brought tears to the audience. You won’t want to miss this very special performance! Come and see our fantastic cast and join us for this beautiful story of the importance of family, caring for another and preparing our world for future generations. Children of Eden is sure to be a moving musical for the whole family! Tickets are $15 or by donation at the door.
Please contact iacstheater@gmail.com with any questions. Thank you!
Gilligan’s Island- Save The Date! Don’t get "stranded" without tickets to this hilarious Spring musical! Performance dates are March 15,16, and 17 and those dates will be here before you know it! Stay tuned for ticket information on our IACS website!
Like us on Facebook! Did you know that we have a theater Facebook page? Find us at Innovation Academy Performing Arts to see news, photos and videos of our IACS "rock stars!"
Give the Gift of…. THEATER! We’re pleased to offer IACS Performing Arts Gift Certificates this year! Each gift certificate is for 2 tickets for a total of $36. AND, you can use them for any show in 2018! Don’t miss this great opportunity to buy your tickets at our lowest ticket price and share them with your friends and families this holiday season. Gift Certificates will be available in the main office. Please use the attached form when purchasing the gift certificate. Thank you!
Middle School News
The MS Winter Concert is on Wednesday, 12/20 at 7 pm. 5th/6th graders recently enjoyed a sneak preview in a performance by the band and chorus. Join us on Wednesday!
Mark your calendar:
Quality Night for seventh and eighth graders is Tuesday, 12/19 6-7:15 pm. We are encouraging students and families to stay for the HS Exhibition Night after the conclusion of Quality Night. This would be a terrific way to learn about the HS program as you view student work.
Please remind your child to dress professionally. A suit or fancy dress is not necessary, but a nice shirt, slacks, and/or skirt would all be good choices. Presenting at Quality Night is a promotion requirement.
2017-2018 Yearbook Cover Competition
The Yearbook Committee is holding an art contest open to everyone in the Middle School Winners will be featured on the front and back cover of the Middle School Yearbook. Entries may include original photographs and collages, as well as original drawings. Winning entries will also receive a free yearbook. Non-winning entries will be featured inside the yearbook.
The theme this year is: IACS Students: Striving to be Good World Community Members. Entries may be submitted digitally or as a hard copy but must fit vertically on the 8 ½ x11 cover (which is the size of regular printer paper). Please include a completed cover sheet with your name, advisory and an artist’s statement. You may submit a maximum of three entries.
Deadline: Friday, January 4, 2018
Submit to a Yearbook Staff Member or Peggy Stephens-North, Please contact any of us with questions or email pstephensnorth@innovationcharter.org
Flyers are available with this link, on the website and by the Main Office.
The Yearbook is still accepting new members. Please contact Peggy for more information and use the Permission slip below
High School News
Important Dates
12/19 Endersession Packets shared with students and families
12/19 Winter Exhibition Night 6:00-8:40pm
12/21 Lecture Hall Live during Advisory
Reminder to Parents: Please remember to call the school at 978-649-0432 whenever your child is going to be absent from school.
Click HERE for more information about a 5-Week Summer Program Opportunity at Tufts University
2018 Summer Opportunities Fair for Students
Sunday, January 21, 2018 – Noon to 3 PM. PHILLIPS ACADEMY ANDOVER — SMITH
STUDENT HEALTH 101 – our Online Wellness Magazine
The December issue of Student Health 101 and the accompanying parent issue, Student Advocate is here! Learn strategies to help you and your family react less and enjoy more of the holiday season, find talking points regarding setting positive standards for your kid’s on-line world as well as many other helpful tips/tools ! If you’re looking for even more ways to access this wonderful tool download the Student Health 101 app, and take a look at the official IACS SH101 Twitter page! Just search @SH101atIACS within the Twitter app, tap the follow button; be sure to turn on those post notifications to receive alerts about future articles!
HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOK INFORMATION
Don’t forget to order your high school yearbook! Extra order forms are available outside of Ms. Kelly’s office. Order forms should be turned in at the main office. Orders can also be placed online at schoolannual.com. The early bird deadline to purchase a yearbook for $30 is December 22. After December 22, the price will go up from to $35.
Families of Seniors: Please make sure to submit senior portraits, baby photos, and parent pages to yearbook@innovationcharter.org by January 5, 2018.
Photo of the Week
Combined Choruses are excited for Exhibition Night on Tuesday December 19th!

IACS Students go to UMASS for Day of Poetry
Students in Ms. DiCarlo’s Poetry Workshop traveled to UMASS Boston on December 14 to participate in the Massachusetts Student Day of Poetry Festival. After spending the morning working with professional poets, they attended performances by Regie Gibson, Jeffrey Harrison, and Charlotte Seley. Our own poets Jack Benoit, Michael Kelsey, and Grace Madonna even shared their own work in the student open mic!
IACA News
DINING FOR IACA WINNER! Thanks to all our diners who turned out to support us at the 99s, and congratulations to the Frazier family, winners of our successful $50 scratch ticket Christmas tree raffle. Mark your calendar for our next Dining for IACA, Tuesday, January 9 at Flatbread Company. Got ideas or want to donate for upcoming raffles? Let us know. Email bbairdkm@yahoo.com.
START THE NEW YEAR RIGHT! Meet new friends and learn how you can get more involved in your child’s school life. Come to our first IACA meeting of 2018 on Wednesday, January 10 at 7 p.m. Check out the minutes from our last meeting, and be ready to join the discussion!
HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT BASKET IDEAS? The Embrace Winter Social is around the corner, and we want to have great prizes for people to win. Contact Kim Bilawchuk (kimbilawchuk@gmail.com) or Angela Caputo-Griswold (acaputogriswold@yahoo.com) to learn about donating or crafting for this important fundraiser.
DINING FOR IACA WINNER! Thanks to all our diners who turned out to support us at the 99s, and congratulations to the Frazier family, winners of our successful $50 scratch ticket Christmas tree raffle. Mark your calendar for our next Dining for IACA, Tuesday, January 9 at Flatbread Company. Got ideas or want to donate for upcoming raffles? Let us know. Email bbairdkm@yahoo.com.
SCRIPS Thank you to everyone who has ordered gift cards with SCRIPS! We are no longer accepting orders after December 13th. You will be contacted when your Scrips order has arrived, and will be available for pickup in the Main Office once you’ve been notified. For more information contact Bernadette Baird at bbairdKM@yahoo.com
YANKEE CANDLE: Backordered items have been distributed and are available in the Main Office. Online sales continue through January- go to http://www. yankeecandlefundraising.com/ store.htm and enter group number 990035230 to start shopping. If you have questions regarding online sales, contact Annette Famolare at chicknikki@gmail.com or Bernadette Baird at bbairdkm@yahoo.com
EVERY MONDAY EARNS MONEY FOR IACA: When you order from our neighbors at Brother’s Pizza on any Monday, they’ll donate 9% of your order back to the school. Good for dine-in or take-out.
FIND US ON FACEBOOK: Like IACA and stay in the loop! Become a part of the IACA community and get news and updates on our FB page.
BOXTOPS STUDENT CONTEST:
Calling all clippers! Please submit your latest round of BoxTops before January 31st! Remember to include your child’s name and advisory: a top collector in the HS and MS will be awarded with a gift card.
Innovation Academy Charter School