Compass Connections

• PSAT/NMSQT TESTING DAY AT COMPASS- Monday, October 16, 9:30 am-12:30 pm (see below or email sent 10/14)
  
• SCN Homecoming Assembly- Monday, October 16, 1:45 pm (shuttle from CA at 1:15)
• Art & Craft Club- Monday, October 16, 4:00-5:00 pm (Rm. 141)
• Intramurals- Monday, October 16, 4:00-5:00 pm (Gym)
• Robotics Club- Tuesday, October 17, 4:00-5:00 pm (Rm. 144)
• Compass Parent Advisory Committee (CPAC) Meeting- Tuesday, October 17, 6:00-7:00 pm (Rm. 140)
• SCN Homecoming Parade- Thursday, October 19, 1:00 pm (CA students may opt to attend with staff & return for classes afterwards)
• Compass Academy Community Event- Thursday, October 19, 5:00-7:30 pm (see below)
• No School (Institute Day)- Friday, October 20

THERE WILL BE AN ACTIVITY BUS TO PICK STUDENTS UP AT COMPASS ON TUESDAY AT 4:55 PM IN ORDER TO PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION TO STUDENTS WHO MAY NEED IT AFTER CLUB MEETINGS. The bus will drop students at D303 elementary schools.

For the upcoming clubs & activities meeting schedule, follow this link.

On Monday, October 16th, all 9th, 10th, and 11th grade Compass Academy students are scheduled to take the Digital PSAT/NMSQT. As previously noted, students who attend 1st and 2nd periods at East or North before taking the shuttle to Compass will continue to follow that schedule on Monday. Students who typically start their day at Compass at 9:30 will follow that schedule. Transportation routes will run normally on Monday morning.

The only Compass students who will not follow their regular schedule are students who attend Fox Valley Career Center or who take classes at ECC, East, or North during later periods in the day; those students will be excused from their classes on Monday and should report to Compass prior to 9:30.

Testing for all students will begin at 9:30 and will end between 12:30 and 1:15, depending on whether or not a student has accommodations for their testing. School lunch will be available between 12:30-1:30, and students may order lunch as they typically do through the lunch form, which is linked here.

PLEASE MAKE SURE STUDENTS COME PREPARED WITH A FULLY CHARGED CHROMEBOOK THAT HAS BEEN RESTARTED WITHIN THE LAST 24 HOURS IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT UPDATES HAVE OCCURRED.

For additional information about testing tomorrow, please refer to the email sent to all students and parents on 10/14.

The Compass Academy Student Leaders are working with the Compass Parent Advisory Committee (CPAC) to host a community event to highlight the unique and exciting student learning experiences that are happening at Compass. This event will feature student projects and experiential learning activity displays while offering fun activities for families and community members. There will be food trucks, a scavenger hunt, raffle prizes, games, and hopefully, lots of positive exposure of Compass to people who haven't had the chance to see what's happening in our school along with an enjoyable evening for students and their families.

If you would like to support this event but can't commit the time to planning with CPAC, we would welcome your support in soliciting donations for raffle prizes or in promoting the event. Please contact Sharon Stanley or Kate Durham to arrange donation pick-ups or to make a donation. All proceeds will go towards supporting student activities and events at Compass.

Universal Technical Institute (UTI) in Lisle is one of the premier technical schools in our area. UTI offers training for students interested in pursuing careers in mechanical specialties including: automotive, diesel, marine, and motorcycle engines; welding; collision repair; CNC machining; aviation technology; wind power and more!

UTI is hosting a National TechTrade Expo on Saturday, October 21st at all of their locations - including Lisle. If you are interested in attending to see the facility and learn more about the programs offered at UTI, please mark your calendars and RSVP via the link at the start of this paragraph. If you have any questions about the opportunities available at UTI, ask Ms. Ohlson anytime!

STUDENTS MAY COMPLETE THEIR LUNCH ORDER FOR THE WEEK BY CLICKING THE BOX ABOVE AND MAKING THEIR SELECTION BY 10:00 A.M. MONDAY MORNING.

Compass Academy students pre-order their lunch, so if your student plans to order lunch, please have them complete this form. Students are always welcome to bring food from home, if they prefer. If your student may qualify for free or reduced lunch, please complete this form or have them get a paper copy of the form from the Compass office.

Important information for students who are interested in taking an AP exam but are not enrolled in the corresponding AP course:

Students wishing to take any AP exams for classes in which they are not enrolled must register and pay for the exam no later than Friday, November 10. The fee is $98 per exam and is non-refundable after November 10.

Students who are interested in this option should meet with Ms. Ohlson before October 13th to discuss next steps.

• Career Pathways Night, 11/15, 6:00 pm, Compass Academy Community Room
  
• Future College Athlete Night, November 8, 6:30 pm, SCN Auditorium
• Early College Credit Information Night, November 29, 6:30 pm, SCN Auditorium

Are you interested in learning about the various career options available in St. Charles? Through the city's career pathway job shadow program, Compass students can shadow people in many career fields, including office administration, communications, accounting, firefighting, government, law enforcement, construction, forestry, water management, and vehicle maintenance. Students who participate in job shadowing on Wednesdays, and then write reflections about their experiences, have the opportunity to earn credit for career exploration.

Students may register for these opportunities by scanning the QR code on the bulletin board in the academic hallway or by getting a paper copy of the form from Ms. Ohlson. If students have questions, they should view the video shown in advisory, which outlines everything they need to know about this opportunity, or make an appointment with Ms. Ohlson, the Compass counselor.

PowerForward DuPage will be hosting the 2023 DuPage County Trade Apprenticeship Expo on Wednesday, November 1st from 3:30pm – 6:30pm. The event features interactive, hands-on demonstrations by the county’s building trade organizations as well as opportunities to meet with instructors to learn more about each individual trade apprenticeship program.

“This is our annual opportunity to open the doors and invite students, parents, guidance counselors, and teachers in to learn what each trade is about and more importantly, outline the career potential that exists outside of the traditional collegiate path,” said PowerForward DuPage Executive Director Karyn Charvat. The expo started in 2018 when Charvat noticed a gap forming in the construction trade industries. It is held at the IBEW Local 701 Union Hall, home to PowerForward DuPage. The expo is free to attend but requires online registration. Register HERE!

Watch our Expo Video!

Location:

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) provides more than 1,000 scholarships for U.S. high school students to study abroad for a few weeks, summer, or an academic year in more than 25 countries. These exchange programs prepare young Americans to succeed in the 21st century’s global economy by developing foreign language skills, increasing cross-cultural understanding, strengthening confidence and leadership capacity, and fostering new academic insights and ambitions.

Applications are now being received for the following scholarship programs.

Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX): Live with a host family and attend high school in Germany.

Application Deadline: November 1, 2023

Length: Academic Year

Future Leaders Exchange Abroad (FLEX Abroad): Live with a host family and attend high school in Georgia, Kazakhstan, or Poland

Application Deadline: December 6, 2023

Length: Academic Year

Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Abroad (YES Abroad): Live with a host family and attend high school in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, or Europe

Application Deadline: December 6, 2023

Length: Academic Year

National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y): Immerse yourself in Arabic, Indonesian, Mandarin, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian, or Turkish language learning

Application Deadline: November 2, 2023

Length: Six-seven weeks in summer or Academic Year

Youth Ambassadors: Learn about civic education and develop leadership skills in the Caribbean and South or Central America

Application Deadline: November 13, 2023

Length: Two-three weeks in summer

Programs cover international airfare, tuition, program costs, meals, and living accommodations (often with a host family), among other things. There are no language prerequisites, except for select Youth Ambassadors programs. Applicants must be between the ages of 15 and 18.5 when the program starts. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs strives to represent the diversity of the U.S. and societies abroad in its programs.

Another way to bring the world to your home or classroom is by hosting an international exchange student. Almost 2,000 high school students representing over 50 countries participate in highly competitive U.S. State Department programs to study in the United States each academic year on the CBYX, FLEX, and YES programs.

For more information please visit https://exchanges.state.gov/highschool and hosting.state.gov.

Email: sharon.stanley@d303.org
Website: https://compassacademy.d303.org/
Location: Compass Academy, South 9th Street, St. Charles, IL, USA
Phone: (331)228-3400
Twitter: @CompassD303