Dear IACS Community,

Part of our job as a charter school is to disseminate best practices to educators and this week exemplified how IACS is proudly fulfilling this responsibility. On Tuesday, a group Spanish teachers from MA and NH visited Ashley Uyaguari’s middle school classes so that they could learn more about how we build language acquisition- hopefully you read about this in our last issue of Outcomes magazine. At the close of the day, IACS students sat on panels to speak to these visitors to share their experience learning Spanish in our program. Here are some example of feedback given by the visiting teachers:

Today, a team of IACS students accompanied HS Dean of Students Clare Ringwall and HS Science teacher Raks Derival to present at the Across Boundaries Conference: Innovation Showcase. Their presentation focused on the unique applications they made with their honors work in chemistry class. As stated in the conferences website, this is the 7th year of the conference designed to "bring together a community to drive innovation to transform learning".

And if that wasn’t impressive enough, today IACS hosted a group of educators from Thailand and Denmark who wanted to learn more about IACS’s use of systems thinking in the curriculum. HS Math teacher Rob Quaden and Systems Thinking mentor Al Ticotsky served as hosts for today’s visit. Rob and Al have networked with systems educators all over the world and authored books in systems thinking in K-12 education.

I’m grateful and proud to write about these visits, but also to know that this is a reflection of the wonderful work that IACS does on a daily basis!

In partnership,

Greg Orpen

Head of School

ILP Meetings

On Wednesday, February 13th and February 27th students will be meeting with their Advisor and family members to discuss their ILP goals for Semester 2. Please be sure to reach out to your child’s advisor if you haven’t already setup a time. Attention HS Interns: please schedule your meeting on Wed, February 13th as there are no internships scheduled for that day.

Reminder from the Enrollment Office:

In order to hold your child’s spot for next year, re-enrollment forms were due onJanuary 25th.

If you have not yet returned your form, please send them in right away, or contact Marybeth Bush ext 3218 or mbush@innovationcharter.org. If you have a sibling applying, please be sure to fill out an application online or by paper copy and return it to the enrollment office by February 25th

Please note, if your student has a sibling applying, you need to put in an application for them also. Siblings do get first preference but they need to go through the lottery.

Middle School Open House

Prospective Middle School families are invited to attend our final Open House on Thursday, February 7th from 6-8 pm. Please spread the word to friends and neighbors that could be interested.

Snow Delay Information: A reminder, if we delay the opening of school on an Early Release Wednesday, we also change our dismissal time back to 3 pm.

Private Instrument Lessons Now Available

After school instrumental lessons for band and instrumental ensemble students are coming to IACS! Students can sign up for private lessons in the high school music suite with qualified teachers. Options for instruments to learn are flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, baritone horn, and percussion. Lessons begin the week of January 28th; sign up by January 21st. Sign up at the link here.

PFLAG Parent Presentation- 2/5

Greater Boston PFLAG is an organization that fosters LGBTQ-inclusive families, schools, and communities through support programs for parents/guardians, safe schools and communities programs, and advocacy. Greater Boston PFLAG will be presenting to our community (staff, families, and students) this winter. Families are invited to join us on February 5th at 7 pm for a presentation focused on LGBTQ+ issues and identities, including how to be an ally.

This is in advance of student presentations on February 28th. Please join us!

Parent Presentation on Vaping- 2/12

Middlesex Partnerships for Youth will present a parent workshop on vaping on 2/12 at 6:45 pm in the auditorium.

Vaping has become a major issue in our schools and communities nationwide. This presentation will focus on the trend of student vaping, how to recognize vaping devices, vaping products, and the physical impact vaping has on the body. This workshop is designed for parents and staff.

Per diem Substitute Teachers Needed

We are looking for a few more people to join our substitute teacher pool. As the winter and flu season are now in full swing we need to ensure we have enough substitutes to give your students uninterrupted learning. If you or a friend are interested in learning more about becoming a substitute at IACS please fill out the availability form. Half day and full day subbing opportunities are available. IACS pays $25 per hour up to $100 per day maximum.

Semester 1 Assessments

Semester 1 Assessments (Report Cards) were published yesterday. Please log on with your child and review the feedback. If you have difficulty getting into your account, please reach out Middle School Administrative Assistant Katie Hoyer at khoyer@innovationcharter.org for assistance.

Art Show at Embrace Winter Social:

Come check out student art from semester 1 at the Embrace Winter Social today. 6th grade architectural structures, 7th grade 3D figures and stop motion animations, and 8th grade design projects will be on display from 7 – 8:45!

After School Art Program:

* Now offered Monday or Thursday for 10 weeks!

A new session of After School Art is starting soon! During this 10 week session, we’re offering Monday and Thursday groups from 3:00 – 4:30. The fee for the session is $75 and can be paid online.

The session begins the week of February 25 and runs through May 9. Please submit registration form and payment of $75 by Friday, February 15. Email jshaby@innovationcharter.org with questions.

Results from 2019 IACS Poetry Out Loud competition! Congratulations to the high students who participated in the IACS Poetry Out Loud competition. Special recognition goes to Nickeyla Samuel, class of 2021, who performed “War Widow” by Chris Abani and “Weighing In” by Rhina P. Espaillat and Carolyn Brooks, class of 2019, who recited “Cartoon Physics, part 1” by Nick Flynn and “Finishing Up” by A.R. Ammons.

Semester 1 Report Cards

Report Cards for Semester 1 will be available for viewing in the Aspen Family Portal on Monday 2/4 and students will be given a paper copy during advisory on Monday as well. If you are having problems accessing Aspen, please contact Crystal McKiel at cmckiel@innovationcharter.org or x2004. Reports card are not mailed to parents unless requested.

SAVE THE DATE for IACS Paint Nite!

When: Friday, February 15, 2019

Time: 5:30 – 8:30pm

What: A family-friendly Paint Nite event with free snacks and drinks provided!

Where: IACS Cafeteria

All proceeds will benefit students attending the Benvenuto in Italia – Welcome to Italy Endersession

For more information, email Jillian Anno at janno@innovationcharter.org

Lacrosse at IACS!

The athletic department is excited to announce that we have finalized a co-op arrangement with Nashoba Tech for boys and girls lacrosse for this coming spring. This arrangement will allow high school students to play lacrosse. Similar to our swim arrangement with Lowell Catholic, Nashoba Tech will be the host school in the co-op. We hope that everyone is as excited as we are about this new opportunity! Look out for more information about lacrosse in the spring athletics registration packet.

Basketball Update

Congrats to the girls varsity basketball team for clinching a spot in the state tournament.

Applications are Due for the 2019-20 Enrollment Lottery

If you know any prospective students interested in attending the High School (grades 9 & 10) in the Fall of 2019, please remind them that applications must be received by 4pm on Wednesday, February 25th.

Also, If you have not yet returned your re-enrollment form please do so as soon as possible to hold your spot. Kathleen Feeney, Director of Admissions, is happy to answer any questions you may have about enrollment. She can be reached at kfeeney@innovationcharter.org or x 2218.

Yearbook

As the first semester ends and the second begins its time to start thinking about all the cool things to come like Snowcoming, Endersession, and spring sports. But don’t forget about yearbooks, so you’ll be able to remember all those awesome events! Buy your yearbook today for only 40 dollars. You can either order online at schoolannual.com or with an order form (available from Ms. Anthony or Ms. Morocco). It’s simple to do and it’s worth it! The last day to order is March 22nd.

SEE YOU TONIGHT! Hope to see you all from 7 to 9 p.m. at this evening’s fantastic Embrace Winter social event. What better way warm up than spending a delightful night with the family playing Bingo, touring art work, enjoying snacks and taking a chance on fun raffle baskets? Thanks to Angela Caputo Griswold for coordinating this amazing event!

GIVING BEAN ORDERS DUE TODAY. Thank you all for participating in this new fundraiser!

BOOK FAIR: We sincerely appreciate all our volunteers who helped out with this winter’s book fair this past week. We couldn’t do it without you!

PAJAMA JAMS WINTER SOCIALS: Dance coordinator Faby Kelley is still seeking volunteers and donors to support the winter middle school dances. These pajama-themed parties will run on Fridays from 7-9 p.m., March 1 (7/8) and March 8 (5/6).