November 28, 2023

A special class schedule will be used on Monday, December 18, which is the day before final exams begin. This day was scheduled to support student success and well-being during finals week. Rather than starting exams right after the weekend on Monday, students will now have the first day of finals week to connect with all of their teachers and have the afternoon to access study sessions and other academic supports to help prepare for exams. 

*Specific study sessions and office hours will be communicated to students prior to the date.

In support of the Student Affairs Division Meeting, the Residence Halls will be closed on December 5 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Students will be asked to remain in the Main Building, so all Student Affairs team members can attend the meeting. Students' fob access will resume at midday.

Thank you in advance for your support. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Office of Student Affairs.

AI Session #4 picks up where Session #3 left off. We'll start by offering new code to fix an Open AI update if you attended Session 3, then walk you through how to personalize your own AI. If you missed Session 3, please come and join a learning pod, and we'll get you caught up! 

Please bring your own lunch and laptop.

Handouts will be provided. We love beginners, as well as those with experience who can share their knowledge with others. 

Catch up with previous AI Bytes sessions on YouTube:

Session 1: Intro to AI 

Session 2: AI Tools to Enrich Education

Session 3: AI DIY 101 is unavailable on video. Handouts are available in the IRC AI popup display!

Thank you to ITMC for recording, editing, and posting the sessions.

IMSA works to share the amazing accomplishments of our students and staff with legislators across the State of Illinois. The state provides a majority of IMSA's operational budget, so it is important to spread awareness of how those funds impact our students' experience and success at IMSA. Read the latest edition here.

Sophomores - November and December CAC Meetings

The CACs are meeting with all sophomores on November 29 and December 13. Both meetings will be at 10:00 a.m. in the Auditorium. Sophomore CAC meetings include the following topics: identifying personal academic goals, defining academic success, completing a personal 3-year academic plan, exploring college admissions, and getting familiar with using Naviance.

Juniors - College Selection Process

The Junior class will meet with the CACs to discuss the college selection process on Tuesday, December 5, and Thursday, December 7, each at 4:30 p.m. The college selection process is critical to students' educational journey. This process helps students identify colleges that best match their academic goals, interests, aspirations, and preferences. It's more than just choosing a college; it's about finding the right academic, social, and financial fit for students to belong, thrive, and succeed. More information about the meetings and which date you must attend will be sent out through Naviance.

Seniors - FAFSA and CSS Profile

The CACs are actively sending students' college documents through Naviance for regular and rolling decision applications. Meanwhile, the 2024–2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form is undergoing its most significant overhaul to date. Traditionally released on October 1, the FAFSA's availability for the 2024-2025 academic year is now expected around mid to late December 2023 or by January 1, 2024.

The 2024-2025 College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile has been available since October 1. The 2024-2025 forms must be submitted if a student is interested in being considered for a financial aid award.

FAFSA information should be sent to all colleges on a student's list. The CSS Profile should be sent to those colleges that require it.

Are you looking to relieve some stress, increase your energy, or get fit? Great news - IMSA Group Fitness Classes are back! Please join IMSA counselor and certified group fitness instructor, Alex Pratt, on Wednesdays starting on December 6 at 3:15. Classes will meet in the Multipurpose Room (the room with the mirrors connected to the gym).

Workouts are generally a full-body workout with strength, core, and cardio exercises. You will need to dress in workout clothes and shoes and bring a water bottle. If you have any questions, please contact Alex Pratt at apratt@imsa.edu.

Many educational systems are bound by standards and outcomes established by state or national norms. Students are given different tasks based on their readiness level, are tested, and then the tasks become gradually more challenging.  

At IMSA, we want to take a slightly different approach - shift from giving students problems to solve and encouraging them to create their own investigations. There are multiple ways this can happen:



• Problem-based learning: Exploring an authentic problem that has multiple possible outcomes
• Entrepreneurial thinking: Completing a design challenge and pitching a plausible solution
• Research: Investigating the impact of a treatment in a controlled study
• Engineering: Building a product that improves outcomes
• Internship: Engaging in problem-solving in a work environment

Community, university, and government partners are instrumental in expanding these opportunities for our students. Parents/guardians can help IMSA students through your work environment. If you can support an investigative opportunity to support student curiosity, please get in touch with me at eglazer@imsa.edu to explore what's possible.

Dr. Glazer will continue math resource help on A-days during 2nd mod, and starting in December, Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m. in the Science Study Area.

Resource Workshops

Faculty and staff will host weekly informational sessions on Thursdays 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:

"Academic Resource Session"

Hosted by Ms. Keck

November 30, 2023

2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

TV Pit

Learn tips on staying organized, managing time, and preparing for finals during this busy season!

Class of 2026

Your next LEAD elective module will take place on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, from 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Please bring a laptop, notebook, and writing utensils to every LEAD session, and 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.

Please make sure that you are watching your attendance points for LEAD. If students accumulate 12 attendance points OR reach five (5) total absences, excused or unexcused, they will fail to complete LEAD and have to retake it next year. Students (and their parent/guardians) with over 6 attendance points and/or more than 2 absences will receive an email from Mrs. Emma this week informing them of their total absences.

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

Little Green Monster Project

Thank you to everyone who donated supplies for The Little Green Monster Project! Creating these unique monsters would not be possible without your donations. More information about volunteering to make the monsters will be sent to students later this week.

TEDxYouth@IMSA is an IN2 program that gives IMSA students a venue to speak on topics they are passionate about and showcase their diverse interests. The organizing committee has worked diligently to plan and organize an event on Friday, December 1, 2023, featuring IMSA Student and Faculty speakers. Food, soft drinks, games, prizes, and intellectual growth will be served, so please join us!

The event is limited to 100 people, so pre-registration is mandatory.

IMSA’s Titan To Go program will host a pop-up thrift shop for students on December 6 and 7. The shop aims to provide students with a fun, low-cost shopping experience. We are collecting new or gently used clothing, coats and jackets, jewelry and accessories, giftable items, professional clothing for interviews, luggage, backpacks, items needed for intersession travel, books, arts and crafts supplies, dorm decor, and items approved for use in a res hall room (see IMSA Student Parent Handbook page 31). Please drop off your items in the Student Affairs office if you wish to donate. 

Proceeds from the shop will be used to support the senior prom. We want to provide a fun opportunity to shop on campus and to reduce the financial burden that may prevent some of our students from enjoying their senior prom. More details about the shop will be released soon.

For more information on donations, please get in touch with Michelle Bemis, Titan To Go coordinator, at mbemis@imsa.edu.

Your student voice is needed to help shape how IMSA designs AI experiences in and out of the classroom, including the design of a new Center for Artificial Intelligence. The purpose of this survey is to understand the level of usage of AI among students.  

Thank you for participating in our survey!

City of Aurora Vs. Cancer Basketball Shootout 2024

January 20, 2024

Hosted at Marmion Academy

Cheer on the IMSA Boys and Girls Basketball Teams as they compete against other Aurora schools. Proceeds from this event will go to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation to combat childhood cancer. Come support your Titans for a good cause!

Harlem High School Science Olympiad Invitational

December 2, 2023

8:00 a.m.

Hosted by Harlem High School

Support the Science Olympiad Team as they compete in the Harlem High School Invitational. All are welcome to attend!

Sindhu Chalasani '24 recently traveled to California to present her research at the International Forum on Research Excellence Conference. Sindhu presented her SIR project on computer-aided drug design to create new treatments for necrotizing enterocolitis in the Cellular Biology and Biochemistry category.

Katie Berger, Chief Student Affairs Officer, and Rich Busby, Director of the Project Management Office (PMO), presented on the topic "Reinventing Education for Future Work" at the Executive Learning Exchange: Skills First Chicago Conference on October 23, 2023.

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.

The Girls IN2 STEM program aims to empower middle school girls to achieve their highest potential in their future education and workplace. The program pairs middle school girls with an IMSA student mentor who helps provide exposure to various STEM fields and interests and equips mentees with the necessary skills to advance their interests beyond the program.

The program wrapped up the fall cohort earlier this month, where mentees participated in a project showcase.

Food Donations

Due to the busy season and shortened month, there will not be a Friday Fest in December. If you still want to donate funds to help purchase pizza for the upcoming Finals Study Session, click here.

Zelle donations can be sent directly to treasurer@imsapac.org.

Monthly PAC Meeting

Please mark your calendar for the next monthly PAC meeting on December 16 at

10:30 a.m. This meeting will be virtual only.

Although many students and families have December traditions for providing holiday gifts of thanks to faculty and staff, IMSA employees are subject to the State of Illinois Ethics Act which prohibits them from accepting or soliciting gifts from prohibited sources. Per IMSA’s Ban on Receipts of Gifts Policy, this includes current and prospective parents and students.

While we deeply appreciate the generosity of our IMSA families, we respectfully request you limit any holiday thanks to Faculty and/or Staff to written notes of appreciation only.

Check out the new search engine from the Illinois of Gifted Children for local STEM enrichment opportunities for all ages. This search engine was developed by IMSA Senior, Michael Meng '24!

Titan To Go is a resource for students to discreetly order basic toiletries when they cannot replace them before a trip home. Students may select from the following items:



• Shampoo and Conditioner
• Toothpaste and Toothbrushes 
• Dental Floss 
• Deodorant 
• Menstrual products
• Hand soap 
• Body lotion 
• Facial tissues
• Lip balm  
• Contact lens cases

Requests are confidential and can be made by clicking on the button above. Requests received by 8:00 a.m. will be processed daily, Monday through Friday. You will pick up your items in a Smart Locker once you receive a notification that your package has been scanned in.

For more information, contact Michelle Bemis, Volunteer Coordinator for Titan To Go at mbemis@imsa.edu.

Mark Your Calendars! 

December 9 - Admissions Tours

December 15 - Shortened Class Schedule

December 15 - Holiday Concert

December 18 - Shortened Class Schedule

December 19 - 21 - Final Exams

ILLINOIS MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE ACADEMY



1500 Sullivan Rd., Aurora, IL 60506-1000 |  630.907.5000 |  imsa.edu

To ignite and nurture creative, ethical, scientific

minds that advance the human condition.