April Newsletter 2019
Dear Central Academy students and families!
We are half way through the second semester. Teachers have posted at least one topic score for a mid-term progress report. I used the automated system to email those reports a little earlier today. If you didn’t get one, just go into the parent portal and check the progress that way.
Please keep in mind that these reports are PROGRESS reports. In classes that have topics that we study over the course of the entire semester (primarily in English and other languages, and Social Studies), many students have not yet mastered the topics (we’re half way through our work on them). Unfortunately, the automated progress report lists student progress as GRADES and not SCORES. So, students who are making good progress but are only halfway through the topic are reported as having “Cs” when we KNOW that they are well on their way, they just aren’t there yet. Please help your child remember that at this early point in the semester, we still have time to master the material and improve scores. If you child has missing work, check with the teacher to learn about the upcoming opportunities to demonstrate learning and re-coup the lost opportunities from the missing assignments. You can find the email addresses of our faculty on our website. https://ca.dmschools.org/faculty/
SENIOR RECOGNITION
Every year we have a special ceremony for our graduating seniors and their families. This Sunday, April 7, we will be celebrating the class of 2019! Space is limited to just the seniors and their families/important people. Check your invitation and join us this weekend!
ADVANCED PLACEMENT EXAMS
We are gearing up for the AP Exams! Students in grades 9 – 12 who are taking AP level courses (college level) have placed their orders and are getting ready for the exams starting May 6. Our website has information about the exams this year including schedules. https://ca.dmschools.org/adv-placement/ap-exam-information/ Student also received individual confirmation letters if they placed an AP order for tests given either at Academy or at their neighborhood DMPS school. The letters were given to the first teacher they have at Academy and most were handed out yesterday and today. The purpose of the letters is to confirm that the order is correct and that students know where and when they test. We still have a little bit of time to make corrections to AP orders without incurring additional costs. So let me know if we need to make a correction.
IOWA ASSESSMENTS
Students in grades 7 – 11 take the annual Iowa Assessments in Reading, Writing, and Mathematics. Students in the 8th and 10th grades also take the Science exam. This year there is a new online version of the test in the State of Iowa. At Academy, we are testing in regular class periods to match when students are here. Some comprehensive schools are having large group test sessions. Students should continue to attend their Academy classes as usual and we’ll work with their school to ensure all required tests are administered.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Oh gosh! There have been so many awards and amazing scholarships that have been announced (or will be announced soon) it is difficult to keep up with them all! Students have been recognized for their achievements in English, Mathematics, Computer Science, Art, and more! Every chance we get, we post the latest news to our Twitter feed. You can follow us @DMPS_Academy.
If you don’t do Twitter, you can get the free DMPS App (available at the App Store or Google Play) and get our tweets directly without using Twitter. Search for “Des Moines Public Schools” at the App Store or Google Play. Once you download the app, go to settings to follow Central Academy (and any other DMPS school your child attends). Central Academy is located near the bottom of the list of schools under “Other”. The Academy Twitter feed is cultivated for our students and families, promoting college information, interesting ideas in literature, mathematics, history, space, science, and social emotional needs of and strategies for gifted students in addition to recognizing outstanding student achievements around DMPS and at Academy!