Welcome to this issue of The Download, the EPIC family monthly newsletter. Each month, we send you a round-up of news from the school that we believe you will find helpful and valuable in your child’s education at EPIC and in communicating with your teacher.

We want to make sure The Download is responsive to questions you have, too. So if you have suggestions for information or news we should share in the next issue, email us at communication@epiccharterschools.org and make the subject of your email Newsletter Information.

Missed last month's newsletter? View it here!
EPIC, THE HOLIDAYS, & PACING
EPIC's buildings and offices will be closed from Monday, December 24th through Tuesday, January 1st. While our buildings will be closed, students who are behind pace and have not built the holidays into their pacing schedule should continue their work in order to not fall further behind. Parents of students who are significantly behind on their pacing and in danger of not being academically successful will be individually notified after the first of the year. So we encourage parents to check Parent Portal to evaluate their students' pacing and for students who are off pace to utilize the holidays to get caught up. 
CLASS OF 2019 GRADUATION NEWS
ATTENTION EPIC SENIORS:

For the first time ever we will be holding TWO graduation ceremonies to better accommodate our growing senior class and to provide better service to all of our families, who reside across the state.

Saturday, June 1, 2019
3PM-5PM
Cox Convention Center
Downtown OKC

Saturday, June 8, 2019
3PM-5PM
Mabee Center
South Tulsa on the campus of ORU

In order to begin planning, we are asking that students who anticipate completing all of their graduation requirements  please indicate below which graduation ceremony they prefer to attend attending.  This is not a binding choice (formal registration will be in February-March) but it does give us an idea for planning purposes of how many seniors to expect at each ceremony. By holding two ceremonies we do not anticipate limiting the number of guests students may bring.  Please note that you must complete all graduation requirements in order to participate in a graduation in June.

So, please check your calendars, consider where you reside in the state, and decide which location and date will be best for you and your family.
CLASS OF 2019 CAPS & GOWNS
You may also start placing your cap and gown orders through Herff Jones and purchase other graduation products such as announcements, rings and other items. A link to purchase these items is below, and we also have a graduation page on the EPIC Charter Schools website.
SAVE THE DATE: EPIC HIGH SCHOOL PROM
Saturday, May 4th, 2019
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
1700 NE 63rd St.,
Oklahoma City, OK 73111
6PM-11PM

Questions? Please contact Joy Huber at 405-426-7030.
Please DO NOT call the school.
5TH GRADE RESOURCES: POWER FORWARD
To educate the next generation about the value of electricity and importance of conservation, PSO partnered with Resource Action Programs to create a curriculum for 5th graders. This free, hands-on approach teaches young science students about energy efficiency and provides tools to help their families save energy and money.
The curriculum provides teacher lesson plans, educational materials, activity books and an Energy Savings Kit for each student.

For more information about the energy-saving learning kit, please click the button below.
EPIC SCHOOL PHOTO DAYS
EPIC is excited to be partnering with Oklahoma School Pictures to give our families their own school picture day! Professional photographers will be on hand to take school photos of EPIC students, and parents can order prints or digital photos of their kids directly from OSP.

Please click the button below describing where your child attends for more information.
EPIC CHARTER SCHOOLS IS GOING GLOBAL
EPIC students in grades 4-8 can participate in the  National Geographic GeoBee !

Test your social studies skills and see what you know about maps, other countries, other cultures, geography of the world and more!

The ultimate prize, should you excel all the way to the national level, could be a $50,000 college scholarship! It PAYS to know your geography!

The  National Geographic GeoBee  is conducted similarly to a spelling bee with questions sent to us by National Geographic being asked by a moderator and answered by students from our school. A school winner may go on to compete at the state or national level.

Study packets will be available for students to print out and use to prepare for the school competition. This is an amazing opportunity for all of the students, so please encourage them to do their best!

Our school Bee will be held at the Oklahoma City Blended Learning Center on Wednesday, January 16, 2019 at 4:00 p.m. The winner of the school Bee will be given the 1 hour long Qualifying Test that will be sent to National Geographic for scoring on Friday, January 25, 2019.

STUDY HARD, HAVE FUN WITH IT, AND GOOD LUCK!

EPIC's Schoolwide Geography Bee Details
  • Who: EPIC students in grades 4-8
  • When: Wednesday, January 16, 2019 at 4:00 p.m.
  • Where: EPIC Blended Learning Center, 11911 N. Pennsylvania Ave, OKC, OK 73120
EPIC COLLEGE, CAREER READINESS
Earning Credit through Work Study or Internship
If your student has a job or volunteers in the community, he/she can earn credit! Contact your teacher for more information and to add it to your course schedule.
FREE College Credit Hours while in High School
Is your student a senior with a 3.0 (unweighted) GPA or has scored at least 19 on the Pre-ACT or National ACT?
If you answered yes, this means he/she qualifies to take up to 18 COLLEGE credit hours at a community college while being in high school for free! Contact your local community college to learn more.

Depending on the community college, a few, including Tulsa Community College and Rose State College, will cover tuition for juniors as well.
C areer Tech might be right for you!
Attending Career Tech is free for high school students! Click here to find the Career Tech in your area. The programs are endless from business to health science, from human services to information technology, and so much more! Sophomores should apply NOW. Programs fill up fast!  Juniors may qualify to enroll for some programs. Career Tech tours can be found on the Epic Calendar.
Paying for College
FAFSA : FAFSA is now open. All college bound seniors are required to complete the form regardless of income.

Oklahoma's Promise : This program offers free college tuition to students who qualify. Students MUST apply in the 8th, 9th, or 10th grade. Regardless of college plans, those who may qualify should apply.
Qualifications: Must be an OK resident, must enroll in 8th, 9th, or 10th grade, and parents' federal adjusted gross income must not exceed $55K per year.
Are you a student participating in concurrent enrollment, career tech, work-study, or an internship interested in us sharing your success story?
Questions? Please contact:
Nicole Ellison, Director of College and Career Readiness Nicole.Ellison@epiccharterschools.org
Shay Patterson, College and Career Readiness Coordinator Shay.Patterson@epiccharterschools.org
WRITING WORKSHOP
Fir Acres Writing Workshop
Fir Acres is a two-week residential summer creative writing program for talented 10 th , 11 th , and 12 th graders. At the Fir Acres Writing Workshop, sixty high school students from across the country come together for two weeks to write and join a community of writers on the beautiful, wooded campus of Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon.

In daily Workshops, participants study great writing and produce their own under the guidance of dynamic, thoughtful, published faculty. At night, participants gather to socialize, meet and hear from distinguished visiting writers, and work on their own poetry, fiction, and creative prose.
Priority Application Deadline is January 1, 2019. Click the button below for more information or to apply.
COURT OF DREAMS: THANK YOU
Our hands-on math field trip for PreK-6th grade students was a huge success! Thank you to our families who attended and participated. We hope you had as much fun as we did!

For all Epic events, Epic send emails to actively enrolled families in advance of sign ups. Please don't 'unsubscribe' from our emails to ensure you receive important information including upcoming events.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Are you following us on social media? Fun activities, events, contests, and Epic-related news are posted throughout the week!

Be sure to like and follow now by clicking the icons at the bottom of this email.
DID YOU MISS THIS?
January
December
November
October
Since October, Epic has been honoring a student who #DaresGreatly in his or her academics and extracurricular activities with the title of Student of the Month for either elementary or secondary students. Each month, teachers complete a survey nominating high-achieving students which is then followed by a committee review and selection. Epic receives over 100 nominations each month! You can view our current and previous winners above.
CAREERS: APPLY TODAY
We're continually searching for talented, dedicated individuals to join our Epic team! Does this sound like you or a friend? View our current openings at the button below.

Most Recent Positions Posted:
  • ELL Coordinator
  • Maintenance and Custodial Manager
  • Certified SPED Teacher
  • Teacher's Assistant
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