School will be in session on Monday, October 9.

Dear Frederica Family,

It was a glorious week as we celebrated Homecoming in all three divisions last week. The fun continued over the weekend as students, parents, faculty, and alumni repeated stories about their favorite Homecoming memories. Seeing pure joy on the faces of our Lower School students as they watched the school's inaugural football Homecoming parade was a highlight for me. You could see in their eyes a fascination with our Upper School students and a desire to one day be able to ride on an antique fire truck, convertible, or float while others cheer for them. The parade brought our community together in a magical and heart-warming way.

Our Homecoming experiences and memories would not have been possible without the imagination and tireless efforts of our Student Council leaders and advisors, the dedication and generosity of many families, the support and cooperation of our classroom teachers, the patience and understanding of our coaches, and, most importantly, the commitment and attitude of our students who universally embraced the week-long celebration.

Another highlight on Friday was the honor I had when I announced at the pep rally our 2017 Teacher of the Year:  Tom Willis.

Mr. Willis attended Frederica Academy for thirteen years before graduating in 1986. He returned to teach in 1993 after receiving a bachelor's degree in Applied Biology from Georgia Tech and a master's degree in Secondary Science Education from Georgia Southern University.

Mr. Willis teaches several Upper School science classes and coaches the Upper School Science Team.  The strongest endorsements for Mr. Willis being named this year's Teacher of the Year come from his students:

• "Mr. Willis has one of the most interesting styles of teaching that I have come across in my education."
• "I love coming into class and reading the 'joke of the day' on his board."
• "While he does a great job teaching the material, he also teaches the importance of putting in work outside the classroom in order to be successful."
• "He teaches us to never take ourselves too seriously."
• "He challenges us and helps us to succeed."
• "He has an extensive knowledge of music and has been known to start a sing-along - he is actually not a terrible singer!"

Middle School Head of School Honors Assembly Monday at 10:00 AM Terry Thomas Room

Upper School Head of School Honors + AP Scholars Assembly Tuesday at 9:50 AM Gym

 

As a reminder, If your student will need to take daily medication on the  Carpe  Vitam trip, please contact the school nurse so we can set up a  medicine administration plan. Please do this by October 18. School policy does not allow students to carry  medications on their person unless prior arrangements have been made with the School Nurse.

Click HERE to email Nurse Byers.

COMING SOON:  More photos of the 2017 Homecoming Court taken on Friday night.

Click HERE to view and download photos taken during the Homecoming Parade and Pep Rally.

 

Homecoming Week for the Middle School focused on raising awareness for childhood cancer. Tuesday's dress theme was "Gold Day." To coincide with the week's theme, Cindy and Mark Landis spoke at the Middle School Assembly about their late daughter, Connor Landis, who passed away from a brain tumor.  They shared stories of Connor's fearless and positive approach to life and thanked the FA students for all of their hard work to raise awareness and funds for those who need it. They finished the assembly by recognizing all of the recipients of the Connor Landis scholarship.

 

To offset some of the school days lost to Hurricane Irma, we've made the following adjustments to the 2017-2018 Master Calendar. Click HERE to access and download the REVISED 2017-2018 Master Calendar.

• Monday, October 9 - School will be in session on Columbus Day.
• Wednesday, December 20 - School will be in session on Wednesday, December 20. It will be a half day for all divisions. Lower School will adjourn following the traditional Giving Tree program. It will be the last day of exams for Middle School and Upper School students. Friday, December 15, will be the last exam review day and exams will take place on December 18, 19, and 20. Thursday, December 21, will be a Teacher Work Day.
• Wednesday, January 3 - The Second Semester will start on Wednesday, January 3, instead of Thursday, January 4. All students and teachers will return on January 3.
• Friday, February 16 - School will be in session on Friday, February 16. We will observe Presidents' Day as a school holiday on Monday, February 19.

We've made some additional calendar adjustments to optimize classroom learning and student assessments. For example:

• Thursday, October 19 - We will offer evening sign-ups for Middle School and Upper School parents as an alternative option to parent-teacher conferences taking place on Friday, October 20.
• Friday, October 20 - Lower School and Middle School students will not attend school on Friday, October 20, in order for teachers to participate in parent-teacher conferences. Upper School students will be in session until noon on Friday, October 20. Students in Grades 9-11 will take the Pre-ACT and students in Grade 12 will attend the Senior Health Seminar.