Important Dates:

TENTATIVE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL: JUNE 20

March 30 No School – Good Friday

April 2 MS ⅚ ELA MCAS Testing

April 3 MS 5/6 ELA MCAS Testing

IACA Meeting 6:30 pm

April 4 Early Release Wednesday

Driver’s Ed 12:30pm

April 6 HS Innovation Tour for Parents of Prospective Students 8:30 – 9:30 am

Casino Night 7:00 – 10:00 pm

April 9 MS ⅞ ELA MCAS Testing

April 10 MS ⅞ ELA MCAS Testing

April 11 Early Release Wednesday

Driver’s Ed 12:30pm

April 12 HS Shadow Day for Accepted Students

April 16 – April 20 No School April Vacation

April 23 IACS Board of Trustee Meeting 6:30 – 9:00 pm

April 24 HS Exhibition Night 6:00 – 8:30 pm

April 25 Full Day Wednesday

April 26 MS Parent/Principal Advisory Council 7:45- 8:30 am

MS Innovation Tour for Parents of Prospective Students 8:30 – 9:30 am

April 28 SAT Prep “Bootcamp” for HS Juniors 9:00 – 1:00 pm

April 29 SAT Prep “Bootcamp” for HS Juniors 9:00 – 1:00 pm

April 30 MS ⅚ MATH MCAS Testing

May 1 HS Shadow Day for Accepted Students

MS 5/5 MCAS Testing

HS Family Orientation 3:30 – 4:30 pm

May 2 Early Release Wednesday

IACS Red Cross Blood Drive 1:30 – 7:00 pm

May 3 MS ⅞ MCAS Math Testing

HS National Society Induction 6:00 – 8:00 pm

May 4 MS ⅞ MCAS Math Testing

May 5 SAT Exam 8:00 am

IACS Community Book Club – Rescheduled

For the next Book Club meeting, we will be reading Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. This book is about suburban mother-daughter duo living in a small town in Cleveland and the lives they lead. Join us on March 29th in the library from 3:15-4:15 for snacks and discussion! At last month’s meeting we had a great group of Parents, Staff, Students and Community Members, All are welcome!

MCAS Testing Update

The MCAS schedule is as follows:

April 2-3- 5th/6th grade MCAS ELA testing

April 9-10- 7th/8th grade MCAS ELA testing

April 30-May 1st- 5th/6th grade MCAS Math testing

May 3-4- 7th/8th grade MCAS Math testing

May 8-9- Science MCAS testing for grades 5 and 8 only

Massachusetts is in the midst of transitioning to computer-based testing and this year, all middle school grades will participate in computer-based testing. In preparation for this, we’ll have all students participate in a tutorial to show students how to utilize the TestNav platform and a practice test. This will help students become familiar with the computer-based platform before they utilize it for testing and help our IT department and staff ensure everything is running smoothly before testing. This will occur on Thursday, 3/22 for students in grades 5 and 6 and Tuesday, 3/27 for students in grades 7 and 8. If you’d like to see the TestNav tutorial and/or review computer-based or paper-based practice tests, they are available at this website: http://mcas.pearsonsupport.com/tutorial/

Families often ask us what they can do at home to help their child be prepared and do their best on the day of the exam. Please be sure your child is well rested and eats a healthy breakfast on testing days. Remind your child that the tests are not timed and s/he is well prepared for the exams. We want our students to remember to go back into the passages as they work through the tests and to check all of their work prior to finishing. Be certain to arrive to school on time. Once a testing session has begun, students who are tardy are not permitted to enter the testing room. If you have any questions about MCAS testing, please do not hesitate to contact me at mkapeckas@innovationcharter.org or 978-649-0432 x 2229.

The 2017-2018 Middle School Yearbook Is now for sale at the Early Bird price of $20 until Friday, April 13, 2018

Yearbook Order Form 2017-2018

Important HS Dates

April 24 Spring Exhibition Night, 6-8pm – All are welcome!

April 27 S2 Progress Report #2 Grades due

May 3 NHS Induction, 6-8pm

May 4 Senior Projects & Presentations of Learning begin

Scheduling Process for 2018-2019

March Seniors of the Month

Last chance to order yearbooks!

Due to a lack of yearbook orders, we are reopening yearbook ordering through next Thursday, April 5. The order form was emailed to all students today. All checks/cash and order forms can be turned in at the main office. Online orders are no longer accepted. Yearbooks are $35.00. Yearbooks will not be available for sale at the end of the school year. Reach out to yearbook@innovationcharter.org with any questions.

Exhibition Night is Approaching!

Mark the calendar for Tuesday, April 24th from 6-8pm! Everyone is invited to Exhibition Night. Subjects featured on this night will be Art, History, Math & Spanish. This is a great way to see the project-based work that our students create during the school year. See you there!

The March issue of Student Health 101 as well as the accompanying parent issue, Student Advocate is here! If you’re looking for a new fun (and healthy!) snack, look no further than this safe-to-eat “Raw” Cookie Dough Recipe! Take advantage of this resource by downloading the Student Health 101 app and take a look at the official IACS SH101 Twitter page. Don’t forget to fill the SH101 survey after reading an article, and be entered for a chance to win $100!

DO YOU LIKE TO READ? Scholarship committee is a wonderful chance to get to know some of the fantastic kids in our senior class! Two application review nights are currently being planned for late April. Contact committee chairperson michelle.balbat@gmail.com if you think you might be interested in helping out.

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: Be sure to head over to our website to get to know Heather Landis, this month’s volunteer in the Spotlight. Heather is an avid volunteer and the mastermind behind IACA’s Big Time Social, Casino Night, set for April 6th.

CASINO NIGHT: Speaking of April 6th, tickets for this fantastic, fun, adults-only night of entertainment at the UMass Inn and Conference Center are nearly sold out, but Heather can fit you in. Send her an email at domeafavorheather@hotmail.com.

APRIL IACA MEETING: Hope to see you Monday, April 2 at 6:30 in the Library and will be a potluck!