Welcome Back! School Starting Information
Welcome! and Welcome back students and families!
We have a very exciting new school year starting at Central Academy on August 23. FY2018 School Startup Information contains a number of documents that parents may find helpful. They include a map of the school for new students, a calendar of A and B days for students in grades 8 – 12 (7th grade students do not have A and B days at Academy– their class schedule is the same every day), a bell schedule of our class times, DMPS attendance policy, a map of the Campus cafeteria for new students, a map of the bus pick up zones and parking for students and families, a tentative list of bus numbers traveling between DMPS schools and Academy (regular schedule and Wednesday schedule), pedestrian safety tips, and DMPS gender identity policy.
New Teacher:
We have one new teacher joining the Academy faculty this fall. Please welcome Ms. Shelley (Michele) Clayton in our Science department. Ms. Clayton will be teaching AP Biology, IB Biology, and Accelerated Biology. She received her first Bachelors of Science from St. Cloud in Minnesota, she furthered her education with a Master of Science in Marine Biology at Nova Southeastern in Florida. She recently finished her second Bachelors in teaching, endorsed in grades 5-12 in Biological Sciences from Upper Iowa University. Ms. Clayton has lived in the Des Moines area for the past 12 years and enjoys swimming, biking and spending time with her husband and three girls. She also loves to GEEK out on SCIENCE!
Parent Night and Orientation:
Parent Night is Tuesday, August 15 from 6:30PM – 7:30PM in the Central Campus Auditorium (next door to Academy). The topic is Developing Resiliency in Teens and is designed for parents new to the Academy.
Orientation is Tuesday, August 22 from 5:30PM to 7:00 PM. It is an open house format designed for students and families to visit rooms, meet teachers, ask questions, and get a feel for the place. There will be a 30-minute presentation in the Campus Auditorium at 5:30 and repeated at 6:30 to answer Frequently Asked Questions for students new to the Academy.
School Supplies:
Academy does not have a school-wide supply list. Generally, students need paper, pencils, pens, and folders or binders. You can ask teachers on Orientation Night (or by email on the first few days of school) if there are any specialized supplies for their classes.
Bus and Parking:
Every year the parking at Central is tight! DMPS provides bus transportation between DMPS middle and high schools and Central throughout the day so that students do not need to drive. One improvement for high school students this year is that the first bus coming to Central in the morning will leave their home schools at about 7:35 (varies by school) instead of 7:15. Students taking their first class at Central will not have to leave so early to ride the bus!
The enclosed bus schedules lists the tentative bus numbers on each route. We will update this information on August 22 at Orientation. This schedule lists the times that buses arrive and depart CENTRAL– not the home school. There is a 7 – 15 minute travel time between schools and Central depending on where the school is located in the city.
Parking in the student lots is reserved for Seniors, IB students, and out of district students. During the first few weeks of school, students may register for a parking pass in the Campus lobby before enforcement begins.
Pedestrian Safety and Picking Up Students:
During the passing times and after school, parents will not be able to pull into the Academy drive way to pick up students. There are too many buses and pedestrians to make that safe. We recommend that you establish a meeting spot and have your student come to you. There is metered parking on 18th and Grand but they don’t enforce the meters during after school pick up times. Encourage students to use the cross walk at 19th street to cross Grand. The traffic is very busy on Grand and we want everyone to get to their destinations safely.
During class times (like picking up for an appointment or for a sick student) parents are welcome to use the Academy driveway.
LUNCH:
The community Eligibility Program (CEP) at many of the DMPS schools allows all students who attend the school to receive free school breakfast and lunch. Students who attend CEP school will also have those benefits at Central.
Students from East, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Brody, Cowles, Goodrell, and Merrill who fill out an application and qualify for free or reduced priced meals will also have those same benefits at Central with no additional paperwork. Benefits from last year will continue through September this year to process new applications.
Use the same lunch number as you use at your home school. If you don’t remember it, we will have it on a card for you at orientation.
High School students eat lunch where they have their block 3 or 7 class. Eighth grade students eat lunch at Central. Seventh grade students eat lunch at their home schools.
The enclosed lunch map shows the various lunch options available at Campus. We also have a lunch line with sandwiches, salads, and a la carte items in the Academy lobby.
Fee Waivers:
To determine which students qualify for fee waivers, families completed the Household Economic Survey as part of the online registration for school. If you qualify for a fee waiver at your school, your English books at Academy will be provided with no cost. If you qualify for a partial fee waiver at your home school, Academy English books will be provided at half cost.