Dear Socrates Academy Family,
On behalf of the staff at Socrates Academy, I am happy to welcome you to the 2021-2022 school year! I am writing today to help provide information to prepare for a successful school year. Please take a few minutes to read this letter so that you may plan accordingly for the school year.
Partnership
We are looking forward to a productive partnership with you to ensure our scholars can achieve their highest potential. We recognize that in order to be successful at Socrates Academy, our scholars need support from both the home and school. We know a strong partnership with you will make a great difference in your child’s education. As partners, we share the responsibility for our scholar’s success and want you to know that we will do our very best to carry out our responsibilities. We ask that you guide and support your scholar’s learning by ensuring that they:
1) Attend school daily and arrive on time, ready for the day’s learning experience
2) Complete all homework assignments given by teachers
3) Read daily to develop a love for reading and to improve literacy skills
4) Share school experiences with you so that you are aware of their school life
5) Inform you if they need additional support in any area or subject
6) Know that you expect him/her to succeed in school
7) Know that you support the Greek Language mission of our school - Greek is not optional or an “extra” course - it is the core foundation of our program
This year our theme is “One Team One Dream”. As we expand to high school, add new innovative instruction to our curriculum, and strive towards greater excellence, it is imperative we work together toward a common mission.
Communication Protocols
From time to time you may have a question or concern that pops up. You are asked to first consult with your scholar’s teacher. If the question is specific to a content area, please make sure to reach out to that content area teacher. If the question or concern is still not resolved, then you may contact the administrator for your grade level. Please allow for 24 business hours response time.
Administrator Contacts
Open House
Our Open House for 1st-8th grade is Thursday, August 19th. Families will have the opportunity to meet teachers and obtain schedules (grades 6-8). We ask that you come according to the assigned time by last name to assist with physical distancing and traffic.
Last Names A-G 3-4pm
Last Names H-P 4:15-4:15pm
Last Names Q-Z 5:30-6:30pm
View Open House Maps HERE
Masks will be required for Open House.
The following will be available in the middle school building:
Carpool Tag Pick-Up
Before/After-School
Parent Faculty Involvement
COVID-19 Weekly Screening Opt-In
PE Uniforms
SA Spirit Wear Masks
Popsicles at the Park
Kindergarten families will not attend Open House. Instead, families are encouraged to join us at Beatty Park for Pops at the Park on Tuesday, August 17, 2021. We will be near the big playground towards the back of the park.
Freshmen Orientation
Freshmen Orientation will take place August 19th at 9-10:30am in the Language Lab of the middle school building. Freshman Orientation will:
Acclimate incoming Freshmen to the high school environment, curriculum, and requirements
Provide opportunities for scholars to meet high school administration and teachers
Encourage social interactions with other 9th grade scholars
Ensure that scholars have adequate information about school programs, policies, courses, scheduling, etc.
A separate session for scholars and parents will be offered. If you cannot attend orientation please contact the administrator for 9th grade, Ms. Ford (sford@socratesacademy.us) to ensure you receive the necessary information for the first day.
COVID-19 Protocols
Last school year, we were very fortunate to have a low number of faculty, staff, and scholars testing positive for COVID-19. I am confident that our strong mitigation efforts made this possible. Universal masking is required for all faculty, staff, and scholars - regardless of vaccination status. We will also continue to layer our mitigation strategies including optional screening, physical distancing, cohorting for dismissal and improved air filtration systems.
NC DPI has contracted with Concentric to provide screening testing for COVID-19. This testing is optional for all scholars. You can opt-in your scholar(s) to weekly screening testing during Open House. Only those scholars who opt-in for screening will be tested. A table will be set up in the MPR (middle school building) to answer any questions about our screening program.
Family Handbook
Please review the Socrates Academy Family Handbook. If you have any questions about the rules and expectations, please feel free to contact me or discuss them with your child’s teacher. It is very important that you and your child are fully informed regarding standards related to appropriate behavior for a safe and productive school year.
Carpool
Please expect some delays during morning and afternoon carpool as new families acclimate to our carpool routine. While I understand this can be frustrating, please understand that we are now moving over 800 scholars to cars. This takes some practice for both the adults and scholars.
Important - Disrespect towards carpool faculty, staff, or other parents will not be tolerated. Please model the 3R behavior we expect of our scholars.
First Day of School
It is imperative your scholar is present on the first day of school. First and foremost, this allows them to get into the routine of school from day one. Also important to know is that our funding is calculated based on how many scholars are in class on the first day of school. Charter school funding allocation is quite less than the traditional public school. Therefore, the importance of first day attendance is critical. Please make every effort to have your scholar on-time and present for the first day of school. If you anticipate difficulty with this please reach out to me directly.
The wonderful Socrates Academy faculty, staff and I feel privileged to be a part of this school family. We thank you for your support and look forward to meeting you.
Your partner in education,
Ms. Vanessa Baker, M.Ed.
Principal, K-9
