Compass Connections

• St. Charles East HS Commencement- Monday, May 20, 4:00 pm, Northern Illinois University
• St. Charles North HS Commencement- Monday, May 20, 7:30 pm, Northern Illinois University
• Intramurals- Monday, May 20, 4:00-5:00 pm (Gym)
  
• Block E (Academic Support)- Tuesday, May 21, 3:55-5:55 pm (Rm. 140)
  
• Block E (Academic Support)- Thursday, May 23, 3:55-5:55 pm (Rm. 140)
  
• Portfolio Defense for 9th-11th Grade Students- Tuesday, May 28 - Thursday, May 30 (students signed up for time slots last week)
  
• Final Exams at St. Charles East & North- Tuesday, May 28 - Thursday, May 30 (see schedule below)

Last Friday, family members, friends, and staff gathered to celebrate the 37 Compass Academy students who will be graduating from high school this week. After a brief speech delivered by Mrs. Stanley, the graduating students were called up one by one to receive a gift from the Compass staff and a green cord, presented by Ms. Ohlson and commemorating their time as a Navigator, which may be worn by graduates for pictures in their cap and gown and/or in the commencement ceremony Monday at NIU. Following the cord ceremony, attendees had the chance to enjoy a delicious taco dinner catered by La Huerta, desserts, yard games, and a bounce house at the annual end-of-year picnic.

There is transportation at the beginning and end of each day, following the posted start and end times for East/North and Compass.

• For nearly all part-time Compass students who are not graduating, Tuesday (5/28) will be their day for final exams, so they will take their AM bus to East or North, take their final exams, and either provide their own transportation home after their 2nd period exam or wait in the Commons at East or North (or other designated area) until the end of the day at 12:50, taking the bus home at 1:10. Part-time Compass students will not attend Compass on this day.
• All Compass students signed up for a designated time slot on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday for their Portfolio Defense, during which they will meet with a panel of teachers to review their portfolio, explain how they have met learning outcomes in each of their courses, and highlight artifacts demonstrating their best work. During this time, if students request it, they will also have the opportunity to engage in a Course Completion Conference, which provides an opportunity for them to share evidence of learning and explain to their panel how they have demonstrated proficiency of learning outcomes in a course where they had previously been Approaching Competency (APR). Students will prepare for their Portfolio Defense during their advisory class and will continue this work until the last regular day of classes on Friday, May 24th.
• The District will provide transportation on Thursday for Compass students who need it. A separate communication about this will be sent to parents and students on Monday, 5/20.
• Students are required to attend their Portfolio Panel as scheduled. They will not have additional learning activities on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, 5/28-5/30, but teachers and staff will be available for academic support during normal school hours (9:30-3:45, Tuesday and Thursday and 9:30-12:00 on Wednesday) to assist students in preparing for their Portfolio Defense. Students will be expected to remain in the Community Room when they are not meeting with teachers.

Any Compass graduates who haven't picked up a yard sign may still do so this week in the Compass office. Signs and stakes are available at no cost to students and no pre-ordering is required. WE'RE PROUD OF OUR 2024 GRADUATES!

In our themed countdown to the end of the year, Friday was tie-dye day, a tradition that started in year one of Compass in which every student and staff member has the opportunity to tie dye a Compass t-shirt. Along with tie-dying, students had the chance to participate in other outdoor activities for part of the day and to enjoy a frozen treat of choice from the Kona Ice truck.

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.

CLICK THE PHOTO BELOW TO SEE THE WIDE ARRAY OF OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO ORDER.

Whether it’s an overnight pre-college program, a local day camp, or a sleepaway adventure experience, summer programs for teens are a great way to pursue new interests, improve existing skills, and make new friends outside of the classroom.

The TeenLife website has collected and curated some of the best summer programs for students in middle and high school. These one-of-a-kind programs come in all shapes and sizes — some are academically focused, others are skills-based, and still others are similar to a traditional summer camp experience. However, all of these programs offer vital enrichment opportunities for teens to expand their horizons.

Click the graphic below to see more information on the District 303 website. Students should register with Ms. Ohlson. If you have additional questions, contact Mrs. Stanley.

It may still be winter, but it's the time of year when many colleges and universities have applications open for current high school students to learn on their campuses this summer. From STEM, to the arts, to athletics (and MORE!), the opportunities are many. While some schools have opportunities for all ages, students who will be juniors and seniors next year have many different opportunities to extend learning while experiencing a college campus this summer. An assortment of summer programs from colleges with links to more information are below:

• Aurora University - Camp Spartan - Camp for neurodivergent students who are rising juniors or seniors
• Beloit College - Summer Programs
  
• Colorado School of Mines - SUMMET Program
  
• Harvard University - Summer College Programs for High School Students
  
• Illinois State University - Summer Research Opportunities
  
• Northern Illinois University - Summer camps (STEAM, Summer in the Arts at Northern, and Athletic Camps)
• Northwestern University - Pre-College programs
  
• Michigan State University - Pre-College programs
  
• Purdue University - Summer College For High School Students
  
• Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology - Summer Camps
  
• University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) - Summer programs for fine arts (FAA)
  
• University of Wisconsin - Summer Pre-College Explore Programs
  
• Wheaton College - Summer Institute
  

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 during the summer, 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 the counselor's office. 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.

Sharon Stanley, Director

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