This digital newsletter can be translated by clicking on the translate button on the right (or above if on a mobile device) and choosing your preferred language.

A reminder to all families regarding attendance:

If your student is going to be absent, tardy or dismissed please inform the main office by calling us at 978-649-0432 ext. 0 or emailing us at mainoffice@innovationcharter.org. This applies to whether your student is attending in-person or virtually. Thank you for cooperation.

Re-Enrollment for 2021

It’s already time to start thinking about Fall of 2021!

This year you will find your students re-enrollment form coming to you via email. Please fill out the google survey for all current IACS students.

Please be sure to complete the survey by January 29th ,slots not retained will be made available to new students on our March 1st 2021 lottery.

As always if you have any questions feel free to contact the Enrollment office.

Enrollment office

978-649-0432 ext 2218 Kathleen Feeney

978-649-0432 ext 3218 Marybeth Bush

Virtual Open House for Prospective Families

We have several virtual open house sessions coming up for prospective families ahead of our lottery. Please share this form to register with friends who are interested in learning more about IACS.

Per diem Substitute Teachers Needed:

We are looking for a few more people to join our substitute teacher pool. As we start to make plans for the return of students and teachers to classrooms, Virtual and In Person, we want to also have a working list of substitutes so that we can ensure that we provide 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.

HS & MS School Calendar

We have included the pdf for the 2020-2021 HS & MS Calendar. Please see the calendar on our website for the most up to date information.

School Breakfast & Lunch Program

IACS is offering FREE breakfast and lunch meals to ALL IACS on-campus learners. On-campus learners do not need to enroll or use a lunch account to receive free meals. Remote and hybrid learners can also receive free meals at either their town’s school or at IACS. Remote and hybrid learners, if you would like to pick up meals for days when the student is off-campus learning, enroll in this program by completing this survey. You do not need to complete the survey if you have already enrolled. Email kdrake@innovationcharter.org if you have any questions

Hybrid Transition

Students did a GREAT job learning the safety protocols and adhering to new procedures. It was great to reconnect and meet students in person!

Semester Shift

Semester 1 ends Thursday, 1/28. Students will not be able to hand in any missing work or revisions after this time, so please encourage them to do any catching up, if needed.

Students that have been in Science will switch to Social Studies (and vice versa).

Specials will also be shifting as well:

Hybrid Status Shift

A reminder to families that are currently remote that if you’d like your child to move to hybrid, please email our Dean of Students, Federico Pererya. We ask for two week’s notice to ensure enough time to make adjustments to schedules/classrooms to ensure proper spacing.

A Reminder about Dismissal

We are staggering dismissal to ensure spacing with students. We’ll start dismissing cars from the parking lot by Landberg Hall at 3:05 when the last wave of students has left the building and been escorted to their cars.

School Supply Lists

What will students need at school? Here are the supply lists:

5th/6th grade supply list

7th/8th grade supply list

Please remind your child to charge their computer and bring their charger along with their computer.

If your child needs to sign out a computer, please fill out the Chromebook user contract form and email Heather Landis at hlandis@innovationcharter.org to arrange to pick it up or have it brought to your child’s hybrid classroom.

Hybrid Information

Please read through this document to learn about what the shift to our hybrid model in January will look like at the middle school.

Thank you to families that joined us at our community forum about the hybrid transition at the middle school. Below are links to the slide deck and a recording.

High School Transition

It is that time of year that eighth grade students and families are looking ahead to high school. Eighth graders continuing onto High School at IACS do not need to reapply.

For students and families that are interested in learning more about our high school program, we are offering three virtual open house events. Attendees must register beforehand by emailing: visit@innovationcharter.org in order to receive the Zoom link.

There will be the choice of 2 more identical events:

Thursday, 1/28 7-8pm

Thursday, 2/11 7-8pm

Please specify which date you would like to attend in your email.

For students applying to technical or private schools, please ensure that you ask teachers directly about letters of recommendation and provide at least 2 weeks notice.

Please contact Kathleeen Feeney in the enrollment office to request transcripts that are sent along with your application. (kfeeney@innovationcharter.org)

Principal’s Message

We were pleased to be able to return so many students to the building this week in our new hybrid model. The students did very well adjusting to all of the new safety procedures that are in place. As a reminder, there will be no classes (in-person or virtual) on Tuesday, January 26th due to the number of students that have signed up to take the PSAT exam and the number of teachers that will be needed to proctor the exam. Next Thursday is also the last week of the semester, so I hope that all of our students will stay focused on their academics and have a strong finish to the end of the semester. Friday, January 29th is a full PD day for teachers, so there will be no classes on that day either. Students were all sent a google form if they wish to request any changes in their 2nd semester schedule…no emails please. Many students already made changes back in September, but this is another opportunity to make adjustments. All requests must be submitted by the evening of February 5th.

– Dr. Arnold

Switching between Hybrid and Remote Learning

At any point this semester, if you would like to notify us of your intent to either have your child learn in-person, or switch back to fully remote learning, please use this google form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScFH_xW9aFFmDfU_PEtCmZp5wg4TDoeHz1JMjJaQfYfM3LYAA/viewform?usp=sf_link

To help with our planning, please give us a 2-week notice before requesting to switch to in-person learning. We do not need a 2-week notification if your child is going to return to fully remote learning.

January Switch to Hybrid Information

Thank you to our families that joined us for the Hybrid Information Forum for HS Families. Below you will find the Video of the forum as well as the powerpoint slideshow. This is the Hybrid Bell Schedule, very similar to our current one, that went into effect on Tuesday, January 19th.

Video from HS Community Forum – January 6, 2021

Slide Show from HS Community Forum – January 6, 2021

Seniors:

Seniors: senior quotes, class will, and remember-you-for’s are due Friday, February 5 in the spreadsheet Mr. Macdonald shared with you (not emailed to him or the yearbook account). See your email for more details.

High School Open House

For students and families that are interested in learning more about our high school program, we are offering virtual open house events. Attendees must register beforehand by filling out this form or emailing: visit@innovationcharter.org in order to receive the Zoom link.

High School:

Please share with friends who are interested in learning more about IACS.

Press Release of the Week:

MCC’s Dual Enrollment Prepares High School Students for College

In Middlesex Community College’s Dual Enrollment program, high school students receive

valuable opportunities to enhance their academic experience. Taking concurrent courses for high school and college credit allows students to better prepare for college and to give themselves acompetitive edge in applying for – and succeeding in – higher education.

Middlesex provides Dual Enrollment students with full access to campus resources. In the

pandemic, this includes remote services through the libraries, Academic Centers for Enrichment

(ACE), peer tutoring, and advising – who can help students transfer to four-year schools. Ellen

Grondine, MCC’s Dean of K-16 Partnerships, Academic & Student Affairs, calls Dual

Enrollment a “team effort.”

“Beyond the opportunity to earn college credit or the economic benefits of saving families

thousands of dollars, we aim to teach students early on how to leverage the many resources and support available to our students at MCC,” Grondine said. “We know this will contribute to their long-term academic and personal success.”

Anne Ford, an English Teacher at Innovation Academy Charter School in Tyngsboro, has been

teaching MCC Dual Enrollment courses since she began at the school in 2018. Her classes

include English Composition I, Classics of Children’s Literature, Modern Drama and Crime &

Punishment in Literature. Ford believes MCC’s Dual Enrollment provides “an incredible

opportunity” for students.

“Students taking Dual Enrollment courses are investing in their own future,” she said. “They are

challenging themselves to become better students now, but also setting themselves up for future success as an undergraduate. They are developing skills that will benefit them in college.”

Ford believes there are many benefits of concurrent Dual Enrollment, including not having to

take extra courses in addition to a normal workload, potentially boosting their weighted GPA, and taking introductory college courses while still in the comfort of familiar surroundings at their current high school.

“It has been my experience that students rise to the challenges of Dual Enrollment courses, and

are eager to enroll in more Dual Enrollment courses as soon as their first ends,” Ford said.

“Through the Middlesex Dual Enrollment program, students establish their college transcript,

expand their skills, and save money on college courses all while still in high school. Honestly,

what’s not to love?”

Jesena Kalabokis is a junior at Innovation Academy Charter School who has already taken

several of MCC’s Dual Enrollment course offerings. She was interested in challenging herself as

she prepares to enter college and adjust to new expectations.

“I think Dual Enrollment will help me when I get to college because I will have a good idea of

what will be expected of me,” she said. “It also might help to alleviate some of the financial

burden that comes with college since I am already earning college credit in high school.”

Kalabokis – who is interested in studying journalism in college – has taken Dual Enrollment

courses that sparked her interest, including several English classes and an Introduction to

Psychology course. She appreciates having access to these courses and has so far risen to meet the expectations required of the more rigorous coursework.

“It’s easy to sign up for since we take the classes through our school,” she said. “You might be

able to take less classes in college since you are earning college credit. It is a great option if you are a student who enjoys being challenged.”

In Middlesex Community College’s Dual Enrollment program, high school students receive valuable opportunities to enhance their academic experience. Taking concurrent courses for high school and college credit allows students to better prepare for college and to give themselves a competitive edge in

applying for – and succeeding in – higher education.

Jesena Kalabokis is an MCC Dual Enrollment student.