August 29, 2023

For students remaining on campus during Labor Day Weekend, Lexington will be open during the following times on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday:

Brunch: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Dinner: 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported a rise in COVID-19 activity in all 102 Counties of Illinois. The rate of positivity is near 7% across the state. However, the rate of hospitalizations remains low.

IMSA is not immune to this rising COVID-19 activity. We have also seen an increase in positive cases on campus. We continue to work with the Kane County Health Department by following their guidance and reporting our data for surveillance. In addition, we have initiated communication with the Illinois Department of Public Health for further guidance. In the meantime, please refer to Nurse Angie's email from earlier this week for tips on staying healthy and our increased safety measures on campus.

Welcome back, Titans! This year, we have made multiple changes to the attendance policies. These changes can be found in the 2023-2024 Student-Parent Handbook on pages 19-24. The updates are significant from last year, so it is important everyone reads the handbook and becomes familiar with the changes.

Some key takeaways:

• Absence points now carry consequences starting at 3 points (i.e.: first unexcused absence). 
• Students are issued a Withdraw/Fail letter starting at 9 points with the option to appeal.
• Students can not exceed 10 (single-mod) points and 5 (double) points per class. When a student hits that mark, the Attendance Office sends a notice. The Principal or designee investigates and determines if the student should be granted an enrollment extension. If granted, the student will be issued an outcome letter with the length and terms of the extension. 
• There is now an "Attendance Probation" process (pg. 23). 
• Please review more detailed rules about when parents request extended leaves from campus (pg. 24). 
• See the Attendance Recognition process (pg. 24) for the students who demonstrate their commitment to attending class. 

Important Items You Should Know:

• If you sign your student out from their hall and they will miss school, you must call the Attendance Office.
• While students are on campus, parents cannot call a student off for illness or injury. Students must see the nurse. Only the Health Office can excuse students for health reasons while on campus. 
• If your student is home sick, you must call them in.
• If your student is off campus for another reason, i.e., a college visit or doctor's appointment, you must call them in.
• Approval for college visits must go through your student's CAC.

Mandatory Peer Tutor Training

Thursday, August 31, 2023

4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Academic Pit

Dust Off Your Math Skills with Ms. Loos!

Ms. Loos will be available in the Math Center (A156) during 4th Mod on ABCD days. Students can stop in to work with Ms. Loos on problem sets or classwork or collaborate with friends! 

The Writing Center will open for the semester on Tuesday, September 5! Stop by the Writing Center (A109) to meet our tutors and grab a piece of candy!

The Writing Center Hours in A109 are:

A Day: 9:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.

B Day: 9:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.

I Day: 11:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.

C Day: 9:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.

D Day: 9:00 a.m. - 4:20 p.m.

Tutors will also be available in the halls during the evenings starting September 5. We look forward to helping students work through ALL stages of the writing process, from brainstorming essay topics to revising previously graded work. 

Last week, ITS updated the campus Wi-Fi password. To connect your devices to the campus Wi-Fi, please use the following information and enter the password exactly as it appears below:

Wi-fi Network: IMSAPublic ///////// Password:  IMSAfall24

Day of Service 2023 was a huge success! Thank you to the 70+ IMSA staff and faculty members and 6 IMSA parents for volunteering alongside our students. Students completed service for Feed My Starving Children, Anderson Humane Society, and Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry, as well as several on-campus service projects like making dog and cat toys for the Anderson Humane Society, helping faculty with projects, painting the softball and baseball dugouts, and helping clean and organize the Granger Workshop. Together, the IMSA Community completed over 1,500 hours of service in just one day!

Thank you to all of the volunteers and anyone who donated items for Carnival! The event would not be possible without you! Stay tuned for more pictures from this year's event!

Many families choose IMSA to provide their students with a challenging and enriching academic experience with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. When students come to IMSA, they discover it's so much more, especially the community spirit.

This past week students had a chance to experience Day of Service, which entailed giving their time as a team to engage in meaningful service. I joined a team at Feed My Starving Children, and we assembled thousands of bags of food for communities in need beyond the Aurora area. I was impressed by how our new 10th graders collaborated in assembly fashion and felt a sense of accomplishment each time we filled a box to ship out. Special thanks to Emma Wilson, our Coordinator of Student Leadership and Service, for making the day possible.

This past weekend we had a chance to celebrate our community through our annual Carnival. It was a fun day to invite families to experience carnival-style food, games, and activities alongside our students. Special thanks to Chloe Katehis, our Coordinator of Student Activities, for making the day possible.

In the year ahead, there will be many ways families can be involved in community activities by offering a special parent/guardian touch that students appreciate so much. Sometimes that will be offering home-cooked meals, volunteering at events, or maybe doing something special for a roommate. We want you to feel part of our community, either in person or remotely. There will also be plenty of spirit-filled community events that our students lead, and they will invite our family members to enjoy. The life-changing transformation that IMSA students experience is, for sure, shaped by their residential experience and being an active part of this very special community. We're glad you are part of it.

If you have thoughts on shaping or strengthening our community, please reach out to me at eglazer@imsa.edu.

Student Spotlight

Danica Sun '24 was recently interviewed by WBEZ Chicago about the impact of youth activists in the fight against climate change. Danica serves as co-head of Fridays for Future Chicago, which is part of a global student-led group of activists working to end the climate crisis.

Last year, Danica and other students from Fridays for Future organized a strike in Chicago with over 300 students in attendance.

Please complete the Academic Achievement Submission Form if you have been recently recognized in your field, published, or celebrated for your academic or professional achievements. If you have any questions, please contact Alex Johnson at ajohnson2@imsa.edu.

This year, IMSA will transition from using a FOB to a "proximity ID card" to gain building entry. Students will receive a proximity card that will serve as their I.D. and a smart key card to access the Main Building and Residence Halls. Students will continue to receive a physical key for their room.

Students should keep these proxy ID cards with them at all times. If lost, replacement keys or I.D. Card will cost $15.00. Students found without an I.D. card in their possession must show proof by the end of the day. If proof is not provided, the old card will be deactivated, a new I.D. card will be produced, and a processing fee will be charged. We discourage students from connecting I.D. Cards to physical keys.

Further questions can be directed to Willie M. Mayes, Campus Safety and Security Operation Director. Thank you!

Don't forget to download the LiveSafe app from the Apple Store or Google Play to get security alerts and access other safety features on campus!

All IMSA students are expected to register their primary computing device (laptop) and any desktop computer with Information Technology Services (ITS). Juniors and seniors are expected to re-register their computing devices each school year. Failure to register devices may result in the student being unable to access certain vital computing resources, like printers while on campus.

To register a student’s computing device:

• Go to the Student Computing Services web page: https://imsa.edu/scs
• Find the instructions for the student’s computing device's operating system under the "Prepare Your Computer for Life at IMSA" heading.
• Follow the instructions to complete the registration.

All members of the incoming sophomore class must complete a Cyber Security and Safety Course within the first few weeks of the new school year. This is a self-paced class delivered via IMSA’s Canvas environment. This course must be completed by September 15. The class should take about an hour to complete.

Members of the Junior and Senior classes may also complete this course as a refresher

To log in to Canvas:

• Go to the Student Computing Services web page: https://imsa.edu/scs
• Click on the button for Canvas.
• Log in using your IMSA username and password.
• Select the ITS Cyber Safety and Security Course from the available tiles.

Parent IDs

Parents will have an opportunity to get updated Parent ID photos at Parent Day on September 23, 2023. Until then, parents can continue to use IDs from last year, and new parents can visit the Security desk for a temporary badge when on campus. Please contact Mr. Willie Mayes, Campus Safety and Security Operations Director, with questions regarding Parent IDs.

PAC Facebook Pages

The PAC tech team accomplished a long-standing goal this summer. We have restructured our Facebook groups to make it easier to verify users with PowerSchool and remove users when their student graduates from IMSA. If you are a junior or senior parent who uses Facebook for updates and has not been receiving posts, please request to rejoin our PAC group at 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/IMSAPAC

Once verified, you will be preapproved to join any of our subgroups (Hall, Region, or Graduating Class). A list of subgroups is posted on our feed.

Next PAC meeting

We look forward to seeing parents on Saturday, September 23, for Parent Day. Look for a resource table and refreshments courtesy of the PAC.

PAC Committees

Are you looking for ways to be involved, stay informed, and support your student? Learn more about the PAC Committees at https://www.imsapac.org/ or contact us at info@imsapac.org.

Mark Your Calendars! 

September 4 - Labor Day (Academy is closed, but Residence Halls remain open)

September 18 - 23 - Homecoming Week

September 22 - Shortened Class Schedule for Pep Rally; Homecoming Soccer Game

September 23 - Parent Day and Homecoming Dance