October 3, 2023

On Wednesday, October 4 between 1:20-1:50 p.m., there will be a nationwide emergency alert test on cell phones, wireless devices, radios, and TVs.

This is a standard test that occurs at least once every three years. No action is needed. Learn more here.

Watch the Jalsa performance from this past weekend!

Congratulations to the Girls Volleyball Team for taking 3rd place at the annual Schwartzwalder Tournament hosted at IMSA. The tournament was filled with tough competition, and the Titans fought hard!

Harvest Home Friday Fest - October 20, 2023

We are seeking volunteers for the first Friday Fest of the year, to be held on Friday, October 20, 2023, at IMSA. The theme for this Friday Fest is Harvest Home. We aim to welcome the students back to school and share the fruits of our harvests, whether from our gardens, local farmer markets, or the grocery store!

Remember, the students look forward to having home-cooked meals at Friday Fest, and we need everyone to participate for it to be successful! Contact fridayfest@imsapac.org with any questions.

Virtual PAC Meeting

Saturday, October 21

10:00 a.m.

All parents are invited to join the monthly PAC meeting to hear updates from our PAC Committees and IMSA administrators.

Thank You from the PAC Multicultural Committee

On behalf of our committee Co-Chairs Irene Ndang and Meiling Lu, the PAC would like to express our sincere thanks to the parents who donated (food, money, and time) for the Jalsa celebration on Friday, September 29. Special thanks to Mr. Anu Hora, an IMSA parent and Indian Harvest restaurant owner, for his generosity. Parent support contributed to a great show! 

The next culture show (Casa de Los Muertos) will be held on November 10, and we need your continued support. Please check our website for additional information.

Please join us in welcoming Airianna Quintanilla to the Counseling team! Airianna is serving as a Temporary Counselor until the end of the 2023 Fall Semester.

About Airianna

I am excited to join IMSA as a Temporary Counselor in my hometown! I know the importance of building foundational academic and social-emotional skills at this age and how these skills can last a lifetime. I am humbled by the opportunity to impact a student’s life positively! I am here to support and advocate for all students’ needs/rights and ensure that parents are informed about various available supports.

I provide a welcoming environment where my clients are unconditionally accepted and, through building a strong therapeutic relationship, feel comfortable to be their authentic selves. I recognize that it takes courage to seek out support. I utilize an integrative blend of therapies, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness, Solution-Focused Therapy, Psychodynamic, and Psychoeducation, while being trauma-informed.

I have had the privilege of working in a residential substance use treatment facility where I worked with adults who suffered from substance use disorders. I have also helped navigate interactions with law enforcement, child welfare, domestic violence, and working with at-risk youth. These interactions have allowed me to provide case management, counseling, court services, and individual and group therapy with adults and adolescents. Due to working with a vast array of clientele, I now serve clients in a private practice setting in Elburn. I have found that the power of a therapeutic relationship can create positive and healthy relationships to help individuals become more confident and successful as they navigate their lives.

AP Exam Registration

This year the CAC office will utilize online registration through Total Registration for the AP exams. Students are also required to enroll their exams with College Board.

Juniors and Seniors - 2024 AP exam registration information and instructions will be uploaded to your Naviance Student document library in the Shared Files folder by October 1, 2023.

Sophomores - You can pick up a hard copy of the registration information in the CAC office after October 1, 2023.

Online exam registration begins on Monday, October 2, 2023, at 12:01 a.m. and ends on Monday, October 16, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Registration is incomplete until students have printed the PDF of the Total Registration confirmation page and enrolled their exams with College Board. 

We know that parents may desire to register their students for exams. Therefore, we strongly recommend that parents and students be present while registering to ensure that the correct exams are ordered. AP confirmation forms and payments are due to the CAC office on Monday, October 16, 2023, at 4:30 p.m. This year, credit card payments will be invoiced through MySchoolBucks for your convenience, with the 4.9% processing fee invoice as a separate line item (also due by October 16). You may also pay via personal check, but checks must arrive by October 16 or risk converting into an obligation on MySchoolBucks instead.

To best help you with the process, we invite you to join the Advanced Placement Exams Webinar to help you understand the purpose and logistics of the AP examinations. The webinar will occur on Tuesday, October 3, at 5:00 p.m.

IMSA's StudCo is dedicated to voicing student opinions and facilitating the best learning and residential environment for the IMSA community. We work on projects that affect Academics, Residential Life, Lexington (food), Student Health, Clubs, and Communications. If you have any ideas or concerns, reach out to Maggie Dimarco '24 and Zuyu Liu '24.

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 Support with Ms. Keck"

Hosted by Ms. Keck

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

Ac Pit

Join Ms. Keck for general academic support before the end of the quarter. Content includes a peer tutor round table, academic resources, and tips on making your presentation stand out

Fall Break is new to the IMSA community. Our Challenge Success team recommended a few changes to our academic calendar so that students could have a break after the first quarter to support their needs. For sophomores, those needs might include a break from school and reconnecting with family and friends. Juniors needs might include researching or visiting college campuses, or thinking about a research project they would like to pursue next summer. The needs of seniors might include working on college essays and thinking about scholarships they should pursue. Whatever our students do during the time away, I hope it's productive and the family/friend time is appreciated.

As a parent or guardian, you might wonder about your IMSA student's experience. Growing up, I remember not sharing much with my parents because school was "fine." Here are some conversation starters to dig deeper:

• Tell me about your favorite class. What makes it important?
• Tell me about some work that you feel especially proud of. What makes it so interesting?
• Tell me about a friend you've made at IMSA over the past few months. Why do you like spending time with them?
• What's a new activity, club, or event you experienced at IMSA that you haven't tried before? What made that interesting for you?

I would not recommend talking about grades unless your IMSA student brings it up in a conversation. They often feel pressured to perform at certain levels, either by themselves or their parents, so that topic should be brought up when they feel ready. I don't want students to avoid making sense of their grades, but rather own that responsibility at this point in the year. At this point, students want to decompress and start exploring the future. Inquiring about what makes IMSA important to them is a good place to start.

If you have thoughts on this topic, or wish that I discuss others, don't hesitate to reach out to me at eglazer@imsa.edu.

Dr. Glazer's math help is available on A-days during 2nd mod, or whenever you spot him in the hallways.

Do you have a passion for math? Do you want to challenge yourself by attending fun events such as Human Calculator, Clash of the Smart People, or Integration Bee? Do you want to give back to your community and middle schoolers by volunteering for the Junior High Math Contest?

Make sure to apply to become a member of Mu Alpha Theta. As a part of this organization, you can access scholarships and volunteer opportunities while learning more about math with your peers at fun events. If you have any questions, please email Aashima Sisodia (asisodia@imsa.edu). Applications are due October 6, 2023 by 11:59 p.m. We hope to see your application! 

Do you know a qualified 8th or 9th grader interested in attending IMSA? Applications for the Class of 2027 are open now through March 1, 2024.

Monday, October 2, 2023

4:30 p.m.

IRC (Library)

Please join us for our first Read-In of the year recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month. What is a Read-In, you ask? Great question! A Read-In is an event where members of the IMSA community get together to recognize and highlight literature from underrepresented authors and artists. You, too, can share a poem or an excerpt from a reading if you'd like.  

This year, we have Spoken Word Artist Michael Reyes sharing original pieces! 

VNA Health Care will be on campus Wednesday, October 25 from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. and Friday, October 27 from 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. to administer flu shots for students and any staff members who do not have health insurance through IMSA.

Staff members on IMSA's health insurance plan should wait for more information about the flu shots set up through HR.

Have you heard about the CNA Course Nurse Angie is teaching? If you want to join this pilot program and learn about the participation requirements, please attend the informational meeting next Thursday during the Support and Engagement Period.

Alumni Spotlight

Matias Habib '23 of Sandwich, Illinois was recently honored with The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes for his innovative and eco-friendly bio-pesticide "TerraBuster," which targets the invasive Japanese Beetle. The Gloria Barron Prize is a part of the Young Heros Project, which awards and recognizes service-minded students ages 8-18. This honor is only bestowed on 25 young innovators in North America. Matias was further honored with a $10,000 prize, which is only given to the top 15 winners of this award.

While at IMSA, Matias entered TerraBuster into various 4-H and innovator competitions, including the Illinois State Fair, where he won the top prize in the entomology division. He was also recognized by 4-H nationally as a 2023 Youth In Action Award winner. With the help of these recognitions and associated monetary prizes, TerraBuster has grown from a prototype to a product that people can purchase and use in their gardens or orchards. Matias is currently a freshman at the University of Illinois majoring in nuclear engineering.

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.

We are now accepting proposals for an innovation grant opportunity for students interested in artificial intelligence. Recipients will receive resources to focus on learning, experimenting, developing, testing applications/tools, exploring ethical implications, and educational outreach efforts in artificial intelligence. 

Applications are due October 6, 2023. All grant recipients will be expected to produce a professional artifact and/or outreach activity that can be shared with audiences within and/or beyond IMSA. 

Class of 2026

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

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! 

October 6 - First Quarter Ends

October 7 - Halls Close at 1:00 p.m.

October 7 - 14 - Fall Break

October 15 - Halls Open at 3:00 p.m.

October 20 - Leon Lederman & Alumni Awards Assembly

October 22 - Admissions Preview Day