April 30, 2024

Dear Middle School Families,

May is upon us and there are roughly five weeks of school left. The year can be most frenetic at the end, with numerous events and scheduling changes that students experience. Most days, excluding exams and the advisory conference day, maintain a typical school-day schedule. The last day of school is on May 30, and dismissal is at noon. More specific information about the end of school is below, including several end-of-year activities.

Although the year is coming to a close, finishing the year with effort and enthusiasm is my hope for every person in our Middle School. We look forward to making memories with your children and celebrating their accomplishments, sending them off soon to enjoy their summer.

Advisor Conferences

Parent Conferences with your children’s advisors will occur on Friday, May 10. That is a non-school day for middle-schoolers, and the conferences will be online. This is an opportunity for advisors to celebrate the holistic growth students have experienced. Different from parent-teacher conferences held twice throughout the year, advisor conferences are focused more on the personal habits and perspective children have displayed throughout the year. Please email advisors directly if you have not heard from them yet about scheduling these 15-minute conferences.

Last Week of School and Exams

Each of the last three days of school – Tuesday through Thursday, May 28-30 – are early dismissal days for students with school ending at noon.

Exams for seventh- and eighth-graders may begin on Friday, May 24, and continue through Wednesday, May 29. Makeup exams for absent students may be taken on any of those afternoons and on Friday, May 31.

Closing Ceremony

The Middle School Closing Ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 30, at 10:30 a.m. in the Mackenzie Gymnasium and is attended by all middle-schoolers and faculty. Please click here for details specific to the eighth grade in regards to the ceremony.

Request for Grade 8 Parents

A final reminder for eighth grade families to complete the following two forms by May 10. If we don’t receive submissions, we will utilize the names as listed on Blackbaud and school photos for the slideshow.

• Please submit a baby photo and a current photo of your eighth-grader to this link to be used during the middle school closing events!

• Please complete this form so we have the correct versions of your children’s names for their certificates!

Jack White Activities Day

Our annual Jack White festivities (named in honor of a former athletics director) will take place on Thursday, May 9. It is a fun-filled afternoon of competition with a special refreshment to close out the day.

Science Department Review

This year the CA science department is completing a curriculum review across all grade levels. In an effort to generate data to evaluate our current scope and sequencing of content, all middle school students will complete an assessment provided by CTP, the same company that provides our ERB tests. This assessment will take place during the last four days of school.

The scores gathered from the science assessment will only be used for the science department project and will not impact student grades. For students in grades 7-8, science final exams will take the form of unit assessments completed during regular classes.

Warm Regards,

Shaka Arnold

Head of Middle School

arnolds@columbusacademy.org