Spring Parent Newsletter
Dear Central Academy students and families,
Every year we tend to see an uptick in the number of cases of colds and flu between February and spring break. This year is no exception. As usual for this time of year, we have placed hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes throughout our classrooms and student lounges for students and staff to use as needed. Staying home when sick and good hand washing are the best ways to prevent the spread of infection. It can be hard to miss school. But we appreciate those who have called in sick when necessary. If you have to miss classes due to illness, email your teachers to find out what you missed in class and make arrangements.
With the global outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) there has been a lot of information about effective hand washing techniques in the news. Washing hands for 20 seconds with soap and remembering to wash thumbs, between fingers, and wrists is best practice to keep all viruses at bay. Be well!
PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
Parent Teacher Conferences will be on Thursday, March 5 and Tuesday, March 10, from 4:00 – 8:00 PM. These are drop-in conferences. If these times do not work for your schedule, please email teachers for a phone conference or email conference. You can find teacher email addresses on our website at https://ca.dmschools.org/faculty/.
IOWA ASSESSMENT TESTING (ISASP)
Iowa State Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) are required by the State of Iowa for students in grades 3 -11. Like last year, DMPS students will be taking their exams online after spring break. Most ISASP testing will take place at students’ comprehensive schools (for example, Lincoln students will test at Lincoln). Central Academy will only test DMPS students in 10th Grade Science if they take their science class at Central Academy.
High schools have a uniform ISASP testing schedule. Reading and Mathematics testing will occur on the morning of Monday, March 30, and the Writing test in the afternoon on Tuesday, March 31. The 10th grade Science test will be administered during regularly scheduled Science classes on either Wednesday (April 1) or Thursday (April 2) depending on which period they have class.
Middle schools set their own ISASP testing schedules. Since, they are each creating the schedule that works best for their schools, they have agreed that their testing schedule will not interrupt classes at Academy. So, 7th and 8th graders will attend Academy at their normally scheduled times and test at their home schools.
Central Academy will follow the normal bell time schedule for all middle school and 12th grade students.
- On Monday, March 30, only 8th and 12th graders will attend Academy classes during periods 1 – 3 while the 9th – 11th graders are taking their ISASP exams. Then, starting with period 4, everyone will follow their usual schedule.
- On Tuesday, March 31, periods 1 – 4 will meet as normal for all grade levels. But only 7th and 12th grade students will attend period 5 – 7 at Academy. All 9th – 11th grade students will be testing during those periods.
| MONDAY, MARCH 30 | Who attends Central | Central Bell Times |
| Period 1 | 8th & 12th Only | 8:45 – 9:30 |
| Period 2 | 8th & 12th Only | 9:35 – 10:20 |
| Period 3 | 8th & 12th Only | 10:25 – 11:10 |
| LUNCH | Normal | 11:10 – 11:45 |
| Period 4 | All grades 7th – 12th | 11:50 – 12:35 |
| Period 5 | All grades 7th – 12th | 12:40 – 1:25 |
| Period 6 | All grades 9th – 12th | 1:30 – 2:15 |
| Period 7 | All grades 9th – 12th | 2:20 – 3:05 |
| TUESDAY, MARCH 31 | Who attends | Central Bell Times |
| Period 1 | All grades 8th – 12th | 8:45 – 9:30 |
| Period 2 | All grades 8th – 12th | 9:35 -10:20 |
| Period 3 | All grades 8th – 12th | 10:25 – 11:10 |
| LUNCH | Normal | 11:10 – 11:45 |
| Period 4 | All grades 8th – 12th | 11:50 – 12:35 |
| Period 5 | 7th & 12th ONLY | 12:40 – 1:25 |
| Period 6 | 12th ONLY | 1:30 – 2:15 |
| Period 7 | 12th ONLY | 2:20 – 3:05 |
AP TESTING
This year Advanced Placement exam orders were placed in November. The tests are given during the first two weeks in May. Here is the AP Exam Schedule it includes the dates, times, and locations of all DMPS exams.
Tests costs $94 each. A $40 deposit was required in November to place the exam order. Final payments are due by March 13, 2020.
Families that qualify for a textbook fee waiver received a grant that paid for AP exam orders. However, the grant will only cover the costs of the exam if the student takes it. If a student does not take the exam (or the late exam if an emergency comes up) they will be charged $40.
More information on AP testing can be found on our website: https://ca.dmschools.org/adv-placement/ap-exam-information/
OTHER CALENDAR EVENTS
March 13 (Friday): Last day of 3rd quarter.
March 16 – March 25: Spring Break
March 26 (Thursday): Classes resume (we will follow the 7-period schedule even though this is a Thursday)
March 30 – 31: ISASP testing in High Schools grades 9 – 12.
April 1 – 2: ISASP 10th grade Science testing in Science classes.
April 27 (Monday): No classes for students, Professional Development Day
May 19 (Tuesday): Last day of Central Classes for 12th graders
May 28 (Thursday): Last day of classes for everyone else.