August 14, 2014
Dear Parents and Guardians of 12th Graders:
We hope this letter finds you enjoying the final weeks of summer and anticipating the excitement
that comes with the beginning of a new school year for your son or daughter. These next couple of
weeks might be filled with preseason practices, finishing summer reading, band practice, college
visits, school supply shopping, and enjoying the last days of summer break. We look forward to
opening the high school doors as we have every fall since 1803.
The start of school is an exciting time in the life of a school. Seniors are launching their final year in
high school. These next nine months will be filled with exciting moments and memories. We plan to
be at their side celebrating and supporting them from start to finish. Please let us know how we can
help.
We hope that you will join in the excitement by perusing this packet. Please know that there is a lot
of information here. Indeed, it might seem overwhelming at first. That said, please take the time to
go through it slowly and thoroughly as it will be in your child’s best interest. Do not hesitate to call
us if you have a question or a concern.
It has been a busy summer here on the GSA campus; long deferred painting was completed, the
Academy Building has gone through a facelift with seventy-one new energy efficient windows
installed, our dining area has been refurbished, and the gym lights have been updated so much so
that it is 40% brighter and 50% more energy efficient. We had a number of successful summer
camps that were very well attended. The GSA Summer Speaker Series was a wonderful success.
Summer is always a time for planning for the year ahead. We spent much of July finishing
handbooks, refining student schedules, and planning the roll out of our exciting MLTI laptop
program. We look forward to introducing all of them to you during the first weeks of school.
Student Services will be sending out a separate informational letter regarding college/post
graduation plans.
DOCUMENTS TO BE RETURNED TO GSA Please read, complete, and sign the
following documents, and return them to the office on or before the first day of school:
1.
Contact & Emergency Information Sheet and Enrollment Agreement were sent out in the
June mailing and are now due back to our office. STUDENTS WITHOUT A
CURRENT EMERGENCY CONTACT FORM AND ENROLLMENT
AGREEMENT ON FILE WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO PARTICIPATE IN
ATHLETICS OR ATTEND CLASSES UNTIL THE FORMS ARE SUBMITTED.
2.
Confidential Income Survey (required).
3.
Updated Health History Questionnaire (required), this was sent in the June mailing and is
due now.
4.
Vehicle Registration Form (required if applicable). If your student will be bringing a vehicle
to school, they must complete this form in order to park in the student parking lot.
IMPORTANT ENCLOSED INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS
1.
Class Schedule: Your child’s class schedule has been reviewed by Student Services based on
last year’s academic record. In some cases, classes that were requested at the time of
registration could not be scheduled or are not being offered at this time. Schedule changes
can occur through the Add/Drop period, Sept. 3rd-10th to accommodate students. Please
make sure your child brings his/her schedule to school on the first day.
2.
Period/Bell Schedule
3.
GSA Student/Parent Handbook: The 2014-2015 handbook contains a great deal of relevant
information to assist you in answering both academic and general questions you may have to
start the year. We ask that each parent read this year’s Student-Parent Handbook and keep it
handy as a reference.
4.
In House Charge System: This is a computerized program where prepaid funds are recorded
in our system for students to use to purchase food in the cafeteria. An attached letter
contains the details of this program.
5.
Letter from the Math/Science Departments re: calculators/supplies.
6.
Fall Sports Schedule.
7.
Pesticide/Water/Air Quality Policies.
8.
Drama Information Letter.
MAINE LEARNING TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE (MLTI): George Stevens Academy is
pleased to be a member of the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) beginning the 2014-15
school year. This means that all GSA students will be receiving laptop computers for their use,
enabling students to realize untapped academic potential. We are very excited about this
enhancement to our academic program. As this is our first year with MLTI, we know that the rollout
of the new computers will not come without some hiccups. We seek to be transparent and flexible
where we can as we move forward. Please know that there will be a required meeting by grade
for students and a parent/or guardian (30 minutes) to present the MLTI program. With the
benefits come responsibilities, however, and both students and parents must be aware of and accept
these responsibilities. Parents and students are required to sign the GSA Student Use Policy before
receiving their Macbook Airs. Copies of this policy will be distributed at the required meeting. After
the meetings, copies will be available on our website and in the Main Office.
STUDENT INSURANCE INFORMATION
An application for school accident insurance is available through Student Services. This is a low-cost
accident insurance designed to cover students who do not have private health insurance. Any
student who participates in GSA sports programs must have insurance, either private insurance or
school accident insurance. If you need insurance, please come in and pick-up an application.
IMPORTANT EVENTS AND DATES
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Wednesday, September 3rd school is in session for all students grades 9 through 12. (9th graders
and new students only will be coming to school on Tuesday, September 2nd.) The day’s schedule will
provide students an opportunity to meet with their advisor, to attend all of their classes, and to
participate in grade specific meetings.
We ask that all students be at school by 7:55 p.m., with 8:00 a.m. being the official start of
the school day.
● Students should report directly to the gym, where teachers and administrative staff will greet
them.
● Students may purchase lunch in the cafeteria, go to Merrill & Hinckley, or bring their own
from home.
● Dismissal will be at 2:30 p.m. Buses will be at the side and back entrances to the school for
pick up.
●
BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT
Thursday, September 18th is Back to School Night. This is an opportunity for parents of 12th
graders to meet other GSA parents as well as your child’s advisor and teachers through an
abbreviated class schedule, and to talk with us about the coming year. We will start the evening at
6:20 p.m. in the gym with selections from the GSA band and an official introduction at 6:45 p.m.
We hope that at least one member of each family will be able to attend—so please mark the date on
your calendars!
12th GRADE COLLEGE PLANNING AND FINANCIAL AID FORUM
On Tuesday, September 23rd starting at 7:00p.m., Martha Garfield, Director of College and
Vocational Counseling, and Mila Tappan, College Access Counselor with the Finance Authority of
Maine will be presenting an overview of the college planning and financial aid process for 12th
graders and their parents. A more comprehensive financial aid meeting is scheduled for December
16th at 6:30pm. Mila Tappan will return to walk parents through the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA).
PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
Parent/Teacher conferences will be held on the afternoon and evening of Thursday, October 9th
and during the morning of Friday, October 10th. Parents will have the opportunity to sign up to
meet with teachers and advisors to discuss their child on an individual basis. Reminders and sign up
information will be sent out in September.
COMMUNICATION
Good school-parent communication is vital to the successful education of your child. Here are some
of the ways we try to maintain good communication with the parent community:
●
Our Website, www.georgestevensacademy.org. We post schedule changes, events
notices, links to department pages, calendars, directories, Head of School Blog and Head of
School Twitter, all on the front page. You’ll also find links to important documents,
including handbooks and forms.
●
Friday eBulletin. The eBulletin, published most Fridays during the school year, contains
information related to GSA activities, events, and opportunities. If you have given us an
email address on the emergency form, you will automatically receive our eBulletin. If you did
not provide an email address and wish to do so, or if you would prefer not to receive the
eBulletin, please contact Liffey Thorpe at l.thorpe@georgestevens.info, or call 374-2808.
●
PowerSchool is a web-based record of academic information about every student. We
create a password-protected PowerSchool account for parents and guardians, giving them
access to their child’s grades, academic progress, and attendance records. An online Daily
Bulletin with updates about schedule changes, sports and arts schedules, and daily menus is
also available through your PowerSchool account; you can set the Daily Bulletin to be
emailed directly to you every day.
●
Gmail Accounts are created for each student and faculty member at GSA. We encourage
students to use this email account when communicating about school business. Please see
the attached sheet with password and account information.
●
Family Connection/Naviance Website. This is a web-based service designed for students
and parents that you will use to help make decisions about courses, colleges and careers.
●
The Student-Parent Directory includes names, towns of residence, home phone numbers
and email addresses of parents of students attending GSA. It also lists faculty email
addresses. The Directory will be available late September/early October.
●
GSA Matters is published twice a year and is prepared by the Communications Office.
Matters is available via email or on our website, and includes stories and news items about
what’s been happening at GSA.
We look forward to welcoming you back to GSA. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the summer
and make the most of it. Please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions or concerns before
September 3rd. Perhaps we will see you at the Fair? Look for the GSA booth under the grandstand!
Sincerely,
Paul B. Perkinson
Head of School
PBP/gcs
Enclosures