IACS Hawk
Week ending December 20
Dear IACS Community –
With the chill in the air and the snow on the ground it is clear that winter is here, but it still seems hard to believe that our first semester is nearly over. The December 10th extra-help block during the school day was used productively by our students, so we will be having a second extra-help day on January 9th. On the evening of January 9th we will be having our first multicultural potluck dinner. It will begin at 5pm in the cafe and then at 6pm the high school Exhibition Night will begin. All students will either have projects on display or be involved in a class presentation. The evening is open to the public and we encourage anyone that would like to learn more about the great work that our students engage in at the high school to stop on in. The evening will wrap-up at 8pm with a short performance by our concert choir and chorale. On another note, planning for Endersession is well underway and students should start turning in their Endersession paperwork after vacation. Students need to select their top four choices and all of the descriptions and forms can be found here in the Endersession Packet 2020.
All of us at IACS hope you have a restful and joy-filled holiday season and we look forward to seeing you all in the new year!
Best-
Erik Arnold, Ed.D.
High School Principal

May this photo of Mr. Orpen bring you as much joy as it brought to the
students at Open Mic Night!

For up to date details, please use this link to the school calendar on our website.

Information about the Nutrition Program here & links to the online cafe payments.
All School News
Aspen Glitch
We’ve had a few students and families notify us of problem in their Aspen Portals. It appears that the Recent Activity box is not displaying recent assignments. This is an Aspen-wide problem following a recent update to the system, and not specific to IACS. Aspen hopes to have the problem resolved soon.
In the meantime, recent grades can be found by clicking on ACADEMICS Top Tab and view recent scores by subject and assignment.
Upcoming Middle School Enrollment Open Houses
We have 2 upcoming enrollment open house sessions at the middle school- Saturday, January 4th 10-12 as well as February 13th from 6-8 pm. During the open house, tour groups cycle through sessions by teachers and students to learn about the middle school curriculum at IACS. Please spread the word to friends and neighbors.
Here in the IACS library we got a sneak preview of this fantastic version of
The Carol of the Bells by Ms Lane and the IACS Chorale
Middle School News

5th/6th grade Quality Night
Mark your calendar– the rescheduled date is Tuesday, January 7th from 6-7:15 pm.
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. After they present, we encourage you to visit IACA’s bake sale in the cafeteria for a post-presentation treat and to connect and celebrate with other students and families.
Middle School Ski/Snowboarding Club
We are piloting a new ski and snowboard club for the ski season of 2020 for students that already ski/snowboard or would like to learn. The club will meet for 6 weeks on Fridays at Nashoba Valley
and we have an arrangement with the ski area for a discounted ticket, lesson and rental packages as needed. There will also be a possible parent carpool.
Join us on Friday, January 3rd from 3:15 to 4:00pm for an initial informational meeting for parents and students. Ski you later!
If you have any questions, please feel free to email parent organizer/ski patrol Jude Reveley at
High School News
Poetry Out Loud
Congratulations to all who competed in the Poetry Out Loud semi-finals 2019-2020… well done everyone! The school finals will be in January, but here are the results as of now:
A Block
1st place: Georgia Row
2nd place: Caitlin Pennie
3rd place (tie): Nickeyla Samuel & Katy Baird
B Block
1st place: Andrew Shapiro
2nd place: Hannah George
3rd place: Sammi O’Neill
C Block
1st place (tie): Tess Colella & Amy Clements
2nd place (tie): Sonakshi Srivastava & Andrea Pearson
3rd place: Hope Coleman-Plourde
D Block
1st place: Chloe Kefauver
2nd place: Zander Baker-Villarreal
F Block
1st place: Daniella Chávez
2nd place: Colin O’Neill
3rd place (tie): Morgan Frazier & Delaney Brown
Merrimack Valley Food Drive
Thank you to everyone who donated to the Merrimack Valley Food Drive! Altogether the high school donated 226 goods, worth 227 lbs! Congratulations to the Kelly/Morocco advisory for the most donations. They will receive the prize of a pizza party or ice cream party, sponsored by the National Honor Society. Happy Holidays!

Save the Date – Thursday, Jan 9th!
Exhibition Night will be held on Thursday, January 9th. Join us as the school is transformed into a gallery of student exhibits and presentations. All students will be contributing at least one piece. This is a great way to see the project-based work that our students create during the school year. Come celebrate our students’ achievements.
Come early for a multicultural potluck in the cafe from 5-6pm. Sign up to bring a dish!
Exhibits & Presentations begin at 6pm.
The Combined Choral & Chorale will give us a quick preview of their upcoming winter concert.
Yearbook
Yearbooks are on sale, so get them soon before the price goes up! They are $35 until December 31, after which they will be $40. Please order and pay online at https://forms.diamondmindinc.com/iacs/hs yearbook. The online order form includes personalization options (i.e. your name and icons). The deadline for ordering is Friday, April 3, 2020. Also, senior portraits, baby pictures, and parent pages are due very soon: Friday, January 3!
Photos of the week

The Boys Lavatory Choir took their skills into the cafeteria this morning to sing “Silent Night”…it was a very special performance!

Santa and Elves
Videos of the Week
Instrumental Ensemble performs a holiday classic during long pass on Thursday
Andrew Shapiro, Tyler Donkoh-Halm, & Tom Bojsen perform some jazz at Open Mic Night
Gratitude Corner
IACS is incredibly grateful to YOU!, yes you, for all that you do to make our community a wonderful place for all to thrive and be successful.
IACA News
Happy Holidays from everyone at IACA!
IACA Meeting January 8th
Innovation Academy Charter School
Enjoying the snow!