Dear Parents of Middle School Students and Middle School Students, Getting to School On Time We are asking the middle school parents to partner with the faculty in getting the students to class on time. Morning tardies are increasing. When a student is tardy to class, it is not only a loss of his or her learning opportunities, but it also affects all of the students in the classroom. Teachers must often stop the entire class to “catch” the late student up on what has transpired. Even when students are five or ten minutes late, it is extremely distracting to the entire class. Please allow for the amount of time it a takes for a student to get in the building, get his or her necessary supplies from the locker, and get to class. Students should be dropped off prior to 8:10am every morning. This is especially important for next week’s SATs. If a student arrives at school after 8:25 a.m. during the test days, they will not be admitted to class and will miss that section. Make-­‐up day is Tuesday, May 26th. More information on SATs below. Robotics Demonstration The middle school students were treated to a special activity this week when former student and graduate Ben Rembaum visited campus and presented his robot that he and his partner created. Ben’s team placed first in a recent robotics contest in Orlando, Florida, and seventeenth out of 366 at a national robotics completion in St. Louis, Missouri. Science Fair Sixth and seventh grade students are continuing to research their science fair projects, which will continue through the fall of our 2015-­‐2016 school year. The annual science fair competition represents the embodiment of project based learning and the application of the scientific method and the design cycle. Each of these is an important component of our Middle Years Program of International Baccalaureate. In the fall of 2015, all current 6th and 7th grade Meyer Academy students will participate in the Palm Beach County Science Fair. Students will begin the initial stages of their science fair project including the selection of a topic, some background research, the development of a hypothesis, and the planning of their initial experiment design this spring. Sports Recognition Night-­‐Tuesday May 19th An email was sent out to the parents of all middle school students. Please contact Coach Feierstein, if you have any questions. SAT’s (Stanford Achievement Tests) SAT preparation will take place in the sixth and seventh grade identified classrooms throughout the week of May 11-­‐15. Eighth graders do not take the SAT’s. SAT tests will take place daily in the identified classrooms May 18-­‐May 21. SAT make-­‐up exams are Tuesday, May 26th. A schedule was sent to parents of third through seventh graders. Students who are tardy to class may not interrupt the administration of the class test. They will be scheduled for the make-­‐up test day on May 26. Exhibit Meyer-­‐A Celebration of the Arts-­‐Wednesday, May 27th (6:30-­‐8:00pm) Families welcome! The art exhibit opens at 6:30 p.m. followed by the band concert at 7:15 p.m. There will also be live music by students during the art portion. RSVP to events@meyeracademy.org. Band Students: As discussed in class, band is an IB MYP course, and one of its requirements is a public performance. The concert on May 27th will fulfill this requirement; therefore, it is mandatory for all band students in middle school to participate in this event. Art Students: As discussed in class, art is a MYP course and one of its requirements is to exhibit and participate in the creation and realization of an art exhibition. Our 8th grade students will be prepared to act as guides and docents for this event in order to fulfill this requirement; therefore, it is highly encouraged for all art students in 8th grade IB Art to participate in this event. Please let Mrs. Turk know ASAP of any schedule conflicts. EOC (End of Course) Information Meyer Academy Middle School students are offered several advanced math and language classes. Upon the completion of these classes at Meyer, students are required to take the “End-­‐of-­‐Course” (EOC) test in order to receive high school credit through the Palm Beach County School system and to advance into the next course. A registration packet for parents of students who have completed a high school level course and will be enrolling into a public school next year will be emailed to the parents. Parents will need to make arrangements to have their children tested. “End-­‐of-­‐Course” exams are scheduled for Monday, July 13-­‐Thursday, July 23, 2015, from 8:00am until finished. The deadline for registration is June 5, 2015. You may contact Vanessa Ferrell, CAP-­‐OM, at the Palm Beach County Schools 561-­‐434-­‐8850, if you have any additional questions. If you are requesting special needs accommodations for your child during the EOC this summer, contact Danielle Swiss at Swiss@MeyerAcademy.org by June 4th in order for her to provide you with the necessary paperwork for the district. If you do not have this paperwork, the district will not allow for accommodations. This year 33 of our 103 middle school students took high school math classes. We are very proud of each of them. 8th Grade Graduation Invitations A packet of invitations to be placed in their backpack was given to each 8th grader. If you have not received this packet, please ask your son or daughter. Due to our limited space in Strauss Hall, it is imperative to let us know how many guests you will be inviting to our 8th Grade Graduation on Sunday, May 31st. Please let our front office know your count as soon as possible. More graduation information follows. Meyer Academy Eighth Grade Graduation 2015 Important Dates and Information for Eighth Grade Students and Parents Wednesday, May 20: 8Y Presents the “8th Grade Debates” (8:30-­‐10:30am) in Strauss Hall Thursday, May 21: 8X Presents the “8th Grade Debates” (8:30-­‐10:30am) in Strauss Hall Friday, May 22: 8th Grade Graduation Practice in Strauss Hall (8:15-­‐8:55am) 8th Grade Math Finals (9:00-­‐10:45am) Deadline for RSVP to Front Office for 8th Grade Celebration of Achievement Breakfast Monday, May 26: Graduation Practice (8:30-­‐10:00am) in Strauss Hall Wednesday, May 27th: Celebration of the Arts (6:30-­‐8:30pm) Thursday, May 28st: 8th Grade Celebration of Achievement Breakfast (8:15am-­‐11:00am) in Strauss Hall On Thursday, May 28, at 8:15am, in Strauss Hall, we will have a lovely breakfast honoring the graduates and their accomplishments at Meyer Academy. Parents must RSVP to the front office with the total number of guests by May 22. This breakfast is for the immediate family only (Parents, Siblings, etc.) Graduation rehearsal immediately follows the awards breakfast. *Then eighth grade students are dismissed for the day (and year). *The valedictorian and the salutatorian will remain at Meyer to work with Mrs. LeRoy and Mr. Weismark on the graduation speeches. A copy of each of these speeches must be hand delivered to Mrs. Patrick before the valedictorian and the salutatorian leave on Thursday. Attire for the Breakfast: The boys are expected to wear long casual pants and a knit “polo type” shirt. The girls may wear long pants or a skirt or a dress. The girls may not wear strapless dresses, spaghetti strap dresses, dresses with cut-­‐outs or only one shoulder dresses. The shoulders must be covered the entire time that the girls are in the building. Girls should be mindful of the length of their dresses, as they will be on stage above the audience. Thursday, May 28: Graduation Practice Immediately following the awards breakfast at approximately 10:30-­‐11:00 am the students will have their last graduation practice. Students will receive their graduation robes at the end of this practice. The last school dismissal for the class of 2015 is immediately after the rehearsal at approximately 11:00 am. We'll see you on graduation day! The Day of Graduation-­‐Sunday, May 31st, 2015 Sunday, May 31, 2015: Graduation (10:00am-­‐12:30pm) at Meyer Academy in Strauss Hall 8:30-­‐9:30am-­‐A photographer will be available for individual pictures from 8:30am-­‐9:30 am. These can be family pictures or student pictures. The pictures will be taken on a “first arrive-­‐first taken” basis. 9:15am-­‐ All 8th grade students must be inside the Strauss Hall. 9:30am-­‐ A group photo of the students will be taken in their robes at 9:30am. Attire for Graduation 1. Students, you will get your gown at the Thursday practice. It will need to be steamed or pressed on a low heat. Please make sure all the wrinkles are out of it by graduation day. 2. Boys must wear black shoes, black socks, black or dark dress pants, a white shirt (long or short sleeved), and a tie. Dark ties look best in the picture. Suits are not necessary, as a matter of fact, wearing a suit jacket under your gown may be very warm and uncomfortable. 3. Girls must wear black, two inch heels or lower during the ceremony. Girls may bring higher heels for activities after the graduation ceremony. The girls may not wear strapless dresses, spaghetti strap dresses, dresses with cut-­‐outs or only one shoulder dresses. The shoulders must be covered the entire time that the girls are in the building. Girls should be mindful of the length of their dresses, as they will be on stage above the audience. Arrival Time-­‐Sunday Morning: May 31st Graduation this year will take place at Meyer Academy. All graduating students must be in the Strauss by 9:15am Sunday morning. The group picture will be taken at 9:30am. The ceremony will commence at 10am sharp. Guests who arrive after 10 am are a distraction to our program and our graduates. Please remind all guests to be in the auditorium by 9:45. Seating Two seats for each graduate's parents will be reserved in the rows immediately behind the graduates. Other guests and family members will need to find seating beyond those rows. Pictures and Video Parents may certainly take video or still photography before or after the ceremony, but we strongly discourage families from taking photographs/video during the ceremony. Meyer Academy has arranged for video to be taken of the graduation, and each eighth grade family will receive that video. The school has also hired a photographer to take a group picture of all the graduates, and each eighth grade family will also receive a picture of the graduating class. Families may purchase additional individual picture packages from our photographer. After Activities: May 31st Parents, if you are scheduling activities such as a brunch after graduation, we expect the program to run two hours. There will be a brief reception with coffee, tea, juice, and a graduation cake immediately following. You will probably be free to leave around 12:00 or 12:30pm.