Second Semester Newsletter
Dear Central Academy students and families,
I got a D in high school Chemistry in the first semester. It was a pity D—I should have failed the class outright. But I never missed a class, and I didn’t make a lot of noise, so my teacher passed me. I like to comfort myself that I got a low grade because I am hard of hearing, a lip reader, and my Chemistry teacher had loose dentures that made reading his lips nearly impossible. But the truth was, I just didn’t get it because I thought it was boring. I kept asking myself that avoidance question, “when am I going to need to know any of this anyway?”
Of course, my mom did not see it that way. She and my teacher came up with a “plan” for me in the second semester.
Among other things, she got a tape recorder—which in the ‘80’s was this huge thing you had to plug into the wall—and I had to record each lecture and listen to it a second time at night, filling in my notes with what I missed the first time. I remember one night while I was relistening to a lecture at an incredible volume trying to make out the sentence, my mom asked, “What IS that?!” I growled back, “It’s Chemistry.” She just smiled apologetically but resolutely.
I worked so hard—the hardest I ever worked in a class before. I normally got A’s without much effort. But for me, Chemistry was different. Mercifully, by the end of the second semester, I had squeaked by with a legitimate B. I still swore I was done with Chemistry. I would never take it again.
Flash forward to my first semester at University: I had been granted a full ride scholarship from the Teacher’s College. I had decided that I wanted to be a Physics teacher. There I was, signing up for classes, and as luck would have it, I was one of the last people to select courses. Of course, every section of Physics—the only class I really wanted to take—was full. But sections of Chemistry were wide open. Bitterly I thought, “Naturally Chemistry classes still have spots available! Who would want to take it?!” My faculty advisor had no pity for me. She said, “You want to be a Physics teacher? You’ve got to take Chemistry.” And that was it. I had Chemistry on my schedule.
I was terrified I would lose my scholarship because Chemistry—that demon—would sink my GPA. All I could think about was that bulky tape recorder and those hours and hours of struggle.
But here is the weird thing: Chemistry in college was easier for me. I kept waiting for it to get impossibly hard. I was just certain that around the next corner in the curriculum I would crash into the reality that I just wasn’t cut out for Chemistry. But the hardship never came. I was astounded to discover that my struggle had made me stronger.
Strangely, at the end of that first semester, I had done so well that the Chemistry professor asked me to work as a lab assistant in the Chemistry department! In the end, I MAJORED in Chemistry Education! My mom was gobsmacked. It still feels surreal that I eventually became a high school Chemistry (and Physics) teacher.
Our goal at Central Academy is for our students to earn As and Bs in their classes. It doesn’t always happen. The struggle can be real. Do not be ashamed of the struggle. Do not suffer in silence. Struggle can make you stronger but only if you can find your way forward. Speak with your teachers. They don’t always know that you’re struggling if you don’t tell them. Ask the question that everyone is wondering, and no one is asking. Form study groups with classmates. If you want the grade, the Central Academy faculty will work just as hard as you do to get you there. They will not remove the burden from you, however. But they will help you chart a path forward and help you get the traction you need to get unstuck.
For the past seven years our goal was for 86% of our semester grades to be a B or higher. Last year our students met or exceeded that goal in every student group we track. So, of course, we raised our target for this year. It’s a big goal—especially given the complex and advanced courses we offer at Academy. We know that we can help you reach this goal. We know productive struggle will make you stronger. That’s why it’s frustrating every time students take the quick and easy way because they rob themselves of an opportunity to develop strength. Embracing the struggle may mean you don’t have a perfect GPA and that’s okay. Just don’t quit. That pity D I got (back before we had weighted grades), helped me develop the strength for my eventual collegiate success. But only because I stayed in and got the support I needed to keep moving forward.
Persistence pays.
You can’t get stronger watching someone else (or ChatGPT) lift weights.
Seek out support when you get stuck.
Happy New Year! And a special shout out to the Senior class of 2024 as they begin their final semester of high school!
SEMESTER 1 GRADES
Due to the severe weather last week, our morning classes missed three days and our afternoon classes missed 2 days in the final week of the semester. DMPS has pushed back the teacher deadline for reporting semester grades to January 22 at 4:00 PM. This will allow students who were counting on those final days to complete reassessments to still be able to do so. If you had a reassessment scheduled with your teacher, but the school closure prevented you from doing it, please get in touch with your semester 1 teacher over the first two days of semester 2 (Thursday, January 18 and Friday, January 19) to schedule a time to complete the reassessment. Remember, if you do not see them in person, you can send them a Teams Message or email.
AN EASIER WAY TO REPORT ABSENCES:
Using the Campus Parent Portal, parents can report their child’s absences in advance with an easy touch of the button. Using the Parent Portal, all the schools your child attends in DMPS will be simultaneously notified of their absence and the reason for absence. No more calling or emailing all the schools.
Find the Parent Portal on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.
The Absence Request tool in the Parent portal will register absences on the day your child is absent or for future dates if you know ahead of time. To explain past absences, you must still call or email us.
Attendance phone line: 515-242-7653
Attendance email: centralattendance@dmschools.org This new email address will allow any of our attendance people to see and respond to your messages.
Learn more about the Absence Request Tool: https://ca.dmschools.org/2023/12/absence-request-tool-for-parents/
NEW ENTRY BUTTON
To improve our building security, we had a “request-to-enter” button installed in the Academy foyer. It used to be that people would pull on the door handle and we would push a button to let them into the office. Now people seeking entry must push the button to make the request, and the office staff with access rights will be able to release the door.
Find the button to your left as you are facing the office door.
BREAKFAST and LUNCH NEED ID BADGES
Starting Thursday, January 18, students will need to swipe their school ID badge to get meals in the Central Cafeteria. The scanner will read a picture of the student’s ID, temporary IDs, or the student can punch in their student number.
All DMPS students qualify for Community Eligibility, meaning meals will still be free. But out-of-district students do not meet Community Eligibility so they must begin paying for meals.
Read more about DMPS Food and Nutrition Policies here: https://www.dmschools.org/departments/division-of-leadership-learning/food-nutrition/meal-rates-loan-program-procedures/
MLK DAY:
Historian, Heather Cox Richardson, wrote an article over the weekend about the definition of heroism that I found particularly moving. She drew on Dr. Martin Luther King’s teachings to illustrate her point. I thought you might enjoy it. Read the article here: https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/january-14-2024?r=4znmj&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
MAP TESTING:
At the start of semester 2, all 9th and 10th grade students in English classes and all Algebra I and Geometry students, will be taking the the NWEA’s MAP assessment in class. It will allow us to have a better picture of student progress on the individual level, the classroom and building levels, and the district level.
HAPPY NEW SEMESTER:
Stay warm! We are looking forward to seeing you tomorrow at the start of semester 2!
Sincerely,
Dr. Gogerty
