September 12, 2023

Congratulations to Albert Han '24 for taking 1st Place in the 5000-meter cross country race at the Plano High School Ross Greiter Invitational.

Please join us for Parent Day on September 23, 2023! Don't forget to see Security to get an updated Parent ID while you're on campus. Stop by the PAC table for some light refreshments and learn about ways to get involved and support your student.

Please join me this Thursday at 6:00 p.m. to learn about our vision to create new pathways of opportunity at IMSA. For over 35 years, we have been a destination for students to explore and transform through a three-year residential experience. Not only are we looking to enhance that experience, but we are also expanding options across the state of Illinois. Flip through this quick overview for a high-level summary of the topics we will introduce. 

In this parent session, we will share our long-range plans and possibilities for students in the near term. We’ll invite you to make connections within your professional network and your local community as we aim to Elevate IMSA Everywhere. We believe our parent network is instrumental in supporting our progress, and we appreciate areas where you can help.

Please email me at eglazer@imsa.edu if you have thoughts on this topic or wish that I introduce others in the future. Also, Dr. Glazer's math help sessions in the fall will occur on A-days during 2nd mod in the math resource center.

PAC heard your requests and they are excited to announce the online IMSA apparel store!

Traditionally, proceeds from IMSA apparel sales have benefited the Senior Class Club. PAC will continue to honor that tradition by donating proceeds to the senior class annually.

Homecoming Boutonniere and Corsage Flash Sale

This is the last chance to order before homecoming! The sale ended Monday, September 11, but the order form will remain open until we are sold out of inventory. Click here to order.

Bus Transportation Meeting

Learn more about the downstate bus transportation on Wednesday, September 13, at 6:30 p.m. Bus Pre-Registration is requested by completing the form available on the Transportation page on the PAC website or by clicking here.

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.

The Math Center will be staffed by Peer Tutors for several mods on ABCD days and staffed by math faculty during Support and Engagement periods. The full schedule for the center is posted outside the door of A156.

If you're looking for more help in math or computer science, please stop in to see faculty during their office hours.

Resource Workshops

Faculty and staff will host informational sessions on various topics every Thursday to benefit the IMSA Community! Unless otherwise noted, these workshops will occur on Thursdays during the Support and Engagement Period.

Mark your calendar for the next session:

"Media Production 101"

Hosted by the ITMC

2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (Support and Engagement Period)

Room B127, Instructional Technology and Media Center (ITMC)

Learn about the art of visual storytelling through film and sound while checking out the coolest space and people at IMSA! The ITMC staff will go over Adobe software and help you learn how to personalize school presentations and projects. See what tools are available to you!

Stay on your wellness journey with opportunities to get moving on I-Days! All are welcome to participate.

• Yoga 12:15 p.m. - 12:55 p.m.
• Basketball Open Gym 3:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.

The Center for Innovation and Inquiry (IN2) is gauging interest in a new program for this year.  

IMSA.ai will present as a peer-to-peer, AI teaching program, based on a similar platform as TALENT. This is an experiential learning program where students will learn from more experienced program members, faculty, and guest speakers while working on short and long-term projects, that will then be presented during IMSAloquium.  

Like TALENT, IMSA.ai will have an elected student board responsible for the day-to-day operations and interaction with IN2 staff.

The first iteration of IMSA.ai is open to Juniors and Seniors only. The 20 available spots are limited to those who have at least some AI coding experience and are familiar with the necessary language. 

Please complete the interest form below. This application will close on Friday, September 15, with the goal of having the first meeting before the end of September.

On behalf of IMSA's Principal's Office, we invite you to submit proposals for IMSA's 2024 Intersession. The full Intersession Proposal Guidelines and Proposal Forms can be found on IMSA's Intersession page.  

Intersession proposals are welcomed from current and former IMSA faculty and staff, current and former IMSA Board members, current and former IMSA parents, alumni, and other professional/academic IMSA partners, so feel free to share this information with anyone who may be interested! Please note that current IMSA students may participate as Additional Facilitators on a session, but may not be the Primary Facilitator who submits the proposal.

The deadline to submit a proposal is Wednesday, September 27, 2023 at 11:59pm. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to Paul Gaszak at pgaszak@imsa.edu. 

The Fall 2023 Final Exam Schedule is now available. Final exams must be taken during the assigned time slots. If a student has two or more exams during the same time slot, please contact the Principal’s Office at prinoffc@imsa.edu. If a student has three or more exams on the same day, the student has the option to send a request to the Principal’s Office to take one or more of the exams on a different date.

Note that changes to this schedule may occur prior to December 18. Double-check the schedule the week prior to finals.

Mental Health Days (MHDs) allow students time away from academic and extracurricular responsibilities to focus on their social-emotional well-being. Students may utilize up to five MHDs during the school year. If a student wishes to take a mental health day, they should speak with their parent/guardian and/or resident counselor and work with them to complete the Mental Health Day Form prior to the mental health day.

If a student is experiencing a crisis, they should contact the school counselor (counseling@imsa.edu or 630.907.5009) directly as soon as possible. If a student is experiencing a crisis outside of school hours, they should contact an RC as soon as possible.

If your student feels ill or has an injury while on campus, parents can not call attendance to excuse them from class. Instead, students must visit the Health Office to be seen by the nurse. It is very important for each student's health and safety to be evaluated in person by our nurse on campus.

If your student has gone home for any reason, please remember to call or email the Attendance Office using the contact information below. This way, we can avoid any unexcused absences.

Phone: 630.907.5029

Email: attendance@imsa.edu

Any absences for college visits must be approved by a student's CAC prior to the visit.

More information about the attendance policies can be found on pages 19-24 in the Student Parent Handbook.

Class of 2026

Your next LEAD elective module will take place on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, from 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Please bring a laptop, notebook, and writing utensil to every LEAD session. Please read through the 2023-24 LEAD Syllabus before Wednesday to review the attendance policy and upcoming modules. If you need an excused absence, email LEAD Program Coordinator, Ms. Emma Wilson, by Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.

Class of 2024

Please remember to be vigilant about logging your service learning hours and meeting the 200-hour service learning hour requirement. Emails indicating current service hour breakdowns are coming soon. If you have received an email from Ms. Emma Wilson regarding concern about your hours, please schedule a meeting or email as soon as possible!

Questions or concerns? Contact LEAD Program Coordinator Ms. Emma Wilson.

Student Spotlight

Please complete the Spotlight Submission Form if you have been recently recognized in your field, celebrated for your academic or professional achievements, or are working on a project you'd like to share. If you have any questions, please contact Alex Johnson at ajohnson2@imsa.edu.

Applications for the 9th grade Fall 2023 PROMISE Program are open! The deadline to apply is September 13, 2023. Learn more about IMSA's PROMISE Program and how to apply below.

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.

Cyber Security and Safety Course

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.

Mark Your Calendars! 

September 18 - 23 - Homecoming Week

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

September 23 - Parent Day and Homecoming Dance