Saturday, April 23, is William Shakespeare's birthday. It is also the birthday of our assistant head of school and athletic director, Coach Kevin Starks. Shakespeare would be 452 years old. Coach Starks is not that old.
During homeroom on Thursday, April 14, all upper school students will have their iPads inspected for cracks, breakage, and other damage. We are inspecting iPads now so that if students are assessed fines for the damages, parents will know before exam time and have a little bit longer to pay the charges. The iPads will, of course, be inspected again when they are collected at the end of the school year. The Beginner Band students will not be in homeroom on April 14 because of their Worldwide Tour. The Beginner Band students' iPads will be inspected on Tuesday, April 12.
Monday, April 11, is the midquarter point of the final quarter of the school year. At that point, students have about as much time left in the quarter as they have already spent in the quarter. If they need to make amends for bad grades, this point is sort of a last opportunity. After midquarter, the days disappear more and more quickly. If students do not take action now, they will, sadly, find out it is too late to bring up a grade. Everyone is busy. Everyone is tired. Seniors are ready to move on. Spring is in the air. But now is not the time to quit. Now is the time when character is revealed. Please encourage your student to persevere, to be dedicated, to work hard, and never given up. Don't slide or glide to the end of May. Finish strong! The more time young adults use social media, the more likely they are to be depressed, according to new research from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Read the article here.
The mid-way point of this fourth quarter is April 11, just about a week away. Please encourage your student to finish strong, to keep on keeping on until the very end. Are the students tired? Yes. Would it be easy simply to glide through these last few weeks with minimal effort? Yes. Is it tempting to take shortcuts? Oh, yes.
But finishing strong is a great life lesson. When the going gets tough students are tired and want to throw in the towel--BUT they make themselves continue to work and excel, they form and reinforce lifetime habits that serve them well on down the road. Students who finish strong are more likely to get themselves out of bed and get to class when they are in college. Students who finish strong are more likely to become dependable employees. Students who finish strong are more likely to persevere through disappointments. We have lots of activities and events this quarter, but we will be having school right up until exams. If you find your student feeling tempted to kick back, please give him or her a little pep talk. This can be the best quarter of the year! It is possible that your student has accumulated quite a large balance with our food service, Valley. Valley allows students to charge lunches when their account has gone below $0. You need to know that every student automatically has an account. Even if you never set up an account, every student has an account and can charge against it. That information may be alarming to you. I have encountered parents who are horrified to discover that their student has charged literally hundreds of dollars in food, especially in light of the fact that they have been packing a lunch for him every day. It is important for you to monitor your student's balance online. As we get near to the end of the quarter when exams are given, having a balance in the cafeteria will put a student on a list that will keep him or her from taking exams. Go to this link http://www.hardingacademymemphis.org/campus-life/food-service/ to access (or maybe set up) your account. Don't be surprised in May! |
Mrs. SemoreHead of Upper School Archives
May 2016
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