Upper School Update

Updates:

The Lower School choir has been asked to perform at the Charter School Essay Contest Presentation Day at the State Capitol on Thursday, May 9^th.  In light of this, we plan to switch the MCA Science testing for 5^th graders to Friday, May 10^th.  The 8^th grade will need to switch to Thursday, May 9^th for MCA Science testing. 

MCA Math exams will be given to the 8^th grade this Friday, 7^th grade next Tuesday and 6^th grade next Wednesday.

AP Calculus test will be given on May 8^th starting at 8:00am. AP Biology test will be given on May 13^th at 8:00am and AP Studio Art portfolios are due on May 10^th.

News: May 1st is Decision Day

 

May 1st is known as Decision Day for high school seniors.  This is the day traditionally that seniors send their deposits in to commit to the university they have chosen.

 

ERA staff and high school seniors sported college apparel today at school to help spark discussions around college decisions.  

 

This is a great time of year to have these discussions with your Upper School student.   It is also a great time to sit down with your student and do some online college exploration.  Look for ACT score required to get in, what course work they are looking for regarding admissions, what activities are available on campus, what programs they are known for.  Some questions to discuss:

•  Do you know what field of study you would like to go into?
• Do you know of any colleges or universities that you are interested in?
• Is the college or university that you are interested known for any great programs?  Does it offer the program you are looking for?

Eagle Ridge Families,
As we are getting close to Spring Break, here are some great ideas of things that could be done over Spring Break to help with college planning and academic success.


Great time to do some college planning

• Plan, prepare, and plan some more
  Consider and plan spring vacation college visits. Hopefully, your child's spring break WON'T coincide with college breaks, so you can see some students and really get a gander at college life when you visit.

• Get organized
  Have your son or daughter start a "College Binder" by making an early list of target colleges in a notebook. Visits to college Web sites should increase and he or she should begin calling, writing, or e-mailing target colleges to request publications. Set aside an area where all the marketing materials can be organized and be easily referenced.

• Remember those tests?
  If you didn't do it last month, check upcoming SAT or ACT registration deadlines for tests your child still needs to take. Is there one on the horizon? Make note of the test and registration dates on your calendar. If AP tests are coming up, make sure your child discusses plans to take exams with teachers and/or the guidance counselor, as needed.

Great time to do some preparation for testing:

• ACT, SAT, or AP Testing

Consider over Spring Break picking up a test prep manual from your local book store.  There are many AP, ACT, and SAT prep booklets that will give you test taking strategies, content tips, and practice exams.  These are a great way to get a feel for these standardized tests and help prepare for the test day. 

• MCA Test Prep

Feeling like you would like to help your child prepare for the MCA exam but not sure where to start. The state of Minnesota offers some great resources on thier website for parents to use with thier child prior to the exam day. The following link offers state testing information for parents and at the bottom of the webpage there is a link for test preparation suggestions for your child.  http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/JustParent/TestReq/index.html

Updates and Reminders:

13-14 High School Registration

It is the time of year that we start to focus on registration for the following year.  This can be a time when families have many questions that need to be answered regarding what courses a student needs to take for graduation, what courses are being offered and how a student can align their course work with their chosen field of study. Grades 9-11 will be receiving information about registration this week in their Humanities classes. Students will be expected to bring home course registration paperwork, and a graduation audit for families to review. 

• There will be an informational meeting for incoming 9^th graders and current 8^th graders on March 5^th at 6:00pm, current 8^th graders will receive their registration paperwork at this time, and it will be available in their English class, after March 5^th if they are not able to attend. 
• There will be two informational meetings being held on March 7^th for parents of students in grades 9-11 to ask questions about new courses, college planning and registration. The meeting times will be 1:00pm and 6:00pm. Please RSVP to me (epowell@eagleridgeacademy.org) by March 6^th if you would like to attend. A letter will be going out to all families with students in grades 9-11 this week regarding the meeting and the registration process.
• All registration documents are due to your child’s Humanities teacher by March 11^th.

Parent Teachers Conferences:
Parent teacher conferences are this week Thursday and Friday.  Teacher availability is in the chart below. A few teachers have limited availability due to leaving for the JCL trip to Fargo, and the NHS feed my starving children field trip.

Teachers will be given a lunch break from 12:00-1:00pm on Thursday and a dinner break from 4:30-5:00pm.

Name	Location	Subject	Where	Availability
Bergeron	Jessica	Latin	US Room 124	Limited: Thursday- All day, Friday: 8:00-10:00am (Leaving for JCL)
Carlson	Andrew	English	Lower Level Hallway	Full
Clapero	Dan	History	Lower Level Hallway	Full
D'Alessandro	John	SPED	US Room 208	Full
Goedjen	Tiffany	Math	Lunch Room	Full
Guelich	Bob	Math	Lunch Room	Limited: Thursday- 8:00am-12:00pm & 4:00-8:00pm, Friday: Not Available
Hairrell	Jake	Science	US Room 203	Full
Heltzer	Deborah	SPED	LS Room	Full
Hoffman	Riley	PE	Lunch Room	Full
Johnson	Erin	Humanities	US Room 201	Full
Johnson	Lisa	Art	Lower Level Hallway	Limited; Thursday- 5:00-8:00, Friday: 9:00-12:00
Kamrath	Jon	Art	US Room 129	Full
Lego	Melissa	6th Grade	US Room  126	Full
Higgins	Erica	Music/Orchestra	Lower Level Hallway	Limited: Thursday- All Day Friday: Not Available
Meier	Brian	Science	US Room 206	Full
Miller	John	Humanities	US Room 202	Full
Fehr	Chase	Chemistry	Lower Level Hallway	Limited: Thursday- 3:00-7:00pm, Friday- All Day
O'Brien	Dan	History	Lower Level Hallway	Limited: Thursday-2:00-6:00pm
Oksnevad	Annalise	Math	US Room 120	Limited: Thursday-NOT available from 2:00-5:00pm (NHS Advisor) Friday-All Day
Ortgies	Kelsey	Music	Lower Level Hallway	Limited: Thursday-8:00am-3:00pm, Friday- All Day
Osmundson	Krista	Latin	US Room 123	Limited: Thursday- All day   Friday- Not Available
Pahl	Sarah	6th Grade	US Room 127	Full
Sloneker	Sara	Humanities	US Room 207	Full
Sommers-Tillotson	Carolyn	Science	Lower Level Hallway	Full
Theisen	Sarah	Art	US Room 130	Limited: Thursday- All Day, Friday- Not Available
Tripps	Dan	6th Grade	US Room 125	Full
Tschann	Melissa	Latin	Lower Level Hallway	Limited: Thursday-All Day, Friday: 8:00-10:00am (JCL Trip)
Wegener	Jane	Humanities	US Room 204	Full
Williams	Sandee	Math	US Room 205	Full
Wolff	Mary	Spanish	Lunch Room	Limited: Thursday-