SCPA ~ Upper School Newsletter

Mark Your Calendars ~

Picture Re-Take Day - Oct. 9
PSAT/NMSQT Exam - Oct. 10
All School Lions Marathon - Oct. 10
No School - Oct. 15-19
College Fair - Oct. 25
End of Quarter 1 - Nov. 1
No School - Nov. 2
Conferences - Nov. 20
No School - Nov. 22-23

From the Principal's Desk

Welcome Back SCPA Upper School Families,

I wanted to take a brief moment to welcome back our students and parents. We are all excited to get back to the routine. The start of the year has been seamless. I want to thank our Parent Group for a great Senior Breakfast on the first day of school. Our seniors appreciated the special effort made to mark such an important year.

We had our annual Senior Retreat last Friday. It was a great day. Senior year is a challenging time and we had a lot of great conversations about what to expect in the months ahead.

Welcome New Teachers

We have a few new members in our Upper School team this year. I am excited to welcome Mr. Jeske (orchestra director) and Mr. Beulke (choir director) to our Fine Arts department.

I would also like to welcome Mr. Eckel (English), Mr. Erickson (Spanish), Mr. O’Brien (Social Studies), and Mr. Johnson (Math) to our team. We are so excited to get to know all of these amazing teachers. Please take some time to reach out and welcome our new faculty members to our Upper School Prep community.

Building Strong Relationships

As always, it is important that we join together to solve problems facing our kids. In an effort to communicate more effectively:

Phones must be put away during classes. Students are not allowed to use headphone unless they are in a study hall. The teacher may also take away a student’s headphone use in a study if he/she deems it appropriate. Students may check their phones in between classes or at lunch.
Students may not take video/photographs during school hours. Any student found to have taken photos/videos during school hours may face disciplinary action.
Students with Uniform Violations will be issued detention. Skirts must be appropriate length. Boys are NOT allowed to wear “joggers” to school. Dress code violations will result in a detention. All detentions will be served on Wednesdays after school for 1 hour.
Common uniform violations tend to include skirts that are too short, boy’s “sagging” their uniform pants, yoga pants, leggings, and any item of clothing that is too tight will also be subject to detention.

Parents – I cannot enforce the uniform policy without you!

We are off to an amazing start to the year. I cannot stress the importance of our ongoing communication in an effort to coach and support the kids at Prep. I am wholeheartedly excited to begin another new year!

Thank you,

Mr. Andrew Sachariason

Upper School Principal

Upper School Announcements

Student Council Announcements ~

Homecoming Week will be September 24-28. The themes for the Spirit Days will be announced soon as well as other activities.

Homecoming Dance will be Saturday, September 29 from 8:00-11:00pm. Tickets will go on sale on FeePay Monday, September .

Homecoming T-Shirts - Order your Homecoming T-shirt by Thursday, September 13 at Noon to ensure that you get the size that you want. Only a limited quantities will be sold during Homecoming Week. Shirts by grade (9-12) are $12.00, Friends and Family shirts are $15.00 and youth Sizes are $14.00.
Freshmen: Black
Sophomore: White
Juniors: Navy
Seniors: Old Gold

Order Your Shirt Here

Upper School Math Lab ~ Math Lab is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:40-9:15am in room 233. If your student could use a little extra help on their math .

Math League ~ Math League is off to another great start, with 28 enrollees. If your child loves Math and a good challenge, please ask him/her to see Mrs. Bhatia in room 233, to help fill the remaining 2 spots.

Service Hours ~ Students in the Upper School are expected to complete 50 hours of service as a requirement for graduation. Students need to earn 10 hours during their freshman, sophomore, and junior year and 20 hours their senior year. Students must complete their service hours and submit them for approval by May 1st. Click here for details!

Interested in Lettering in Service? ~ There will be an informational meeting on Tuesday, September 18th at 5:00 in room 211. Parents and students are welcome to attend. Students that are interested in lettering in service must fill out and sign (parent signature required, too) the Intent to Letter document and hand in to Ms. Vidlock by October 1. The student will be responsible for checking in with Ms. Vidlock on a quarterly basis for progress checks. Students that earn the SCPA letter in community service are eligible for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award. See details for this award here .

Upper School students can earn a varsity letter in service by fulfilling the following criteria:

100 hours of service--50 in one area
2 letters of recommendation
reflection piece
photos/video
presentation

Yearbook ~ The 2018-2019 Upper School yearbook is now on sale! Order your yearbook online at Balfour.com for $50 before prices go up on on September 20.

Seniors, please submit your senior portraits to [email protected] by October 10.

Parents of Seniors, you can purchase a baby ad for your senior on FeePay for $30. Be sure to send your message (no more than 50 words) and baby picture to [email protected]. There are a limited number of baby ads available so purchase yours today!

Attention Parents and Students interested in our Guatemala Vision Team Service Trip ~ SCPA Vision Team will travel to Guatemala during June 2019.

Working with Common Hope, a St. Paul based non-profit that works with thousands of Guatemalans, SCPA has created a Vision Team that focuses on education, health care and housing. Students will create and lead lessons for school age children and work in the Common Hope facility with their nursery, library, and clinic. They will also construct a home for a family and travel with social workers for home visits with Common Hope affiliated families. Students will learn about the Guatemalan culture, meet and work with Common Hope affiliated families all while completing a variety of service projects. There will be an informational meeting for parents on Wednesday, September 26th at 6:00 in the choir room. Parents that cannot attend should contact Karen Vidlock for more information.

Attendance Reminder ~ When you call the upper school attendance line (651-395-5993) i t is very important that you let us know the reason that your student will be absent as well as any symptoms they may be experiencing if they are out sick. This is critical information that is required for attendance purposes and for our school nurse.

Educational Benefits ~ A reminder to fill out a new form for the 2018/2019 school year as soon as possible. Benefits will expire on October 9 if a new form is not on file . Forms can be found here .

College Counseling Corner -

Mathew Williams

Consider visiting 2-3 Colleges over

the MEA break!

PSAT/NMSQT Exam

Here’s a reminder the PSAT/NMSQT exam will be offered at SCPA on Wednesday, October 10 , from 8:30-12:30 in the PAC. For our juniors the exam offers excellent preparation for the timing and rigors of the SAT college entrance exam; it is the “pre-SAT.” It measures reading, writing and language, and math skills developed over many years, both in a nd outside of school. More information is available on the College Board website . The PSAT is recommended, but not required. The fee is &18.00 and it is posted on FeePay.

For juniors, the exam is also the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT). National Merit, in connection with the College Board, uses the exam to identify students for National Merit recognition. National Merit scholarships are both competitive and generous.

College Fair

Juniors will be excused from school on Thursday, October 25 with the understanding they will attend the Minnesota National College Fair at the convention center in Minneapolis. The college fair brings together representatives from some 600 colleges from all across the country. Students must provide evidence of attending the college fair by snapping a selfie (alone or with friends) while in the convention center and then email the picture to Mr. Sachariasion . Mr. Williams plans to attend the fair and will be available to students that morning.

Students are encouraged to carpool with their friends as parking around the convention center is limited and costs roughly $10. Remember that the college representatives at the fair are the very same people that may review admission files next year. Students are encouraged to wear something nice and represent SCPA with pride.

Here are the basics:

Minnesota National College Fair, Minneapolis Convention Center

*Wednesday, October 24, 9:00-12;00 and 5:00-8:00

*Thursday, October 25, 9:00-12:00

This is a free public event and other students and families are encouraged to attend the Wednesday evening session if it’s of interest to you.

College Admission Season

The excitement (and pressure) of the college admission season is underway for members of our senior class! Earlier in the month, seniors received instruction on how to place transcript requests using the Naviance program, and also received a short lesson on admission terminology they will encounter in the months ahead. Every student moves at a different pace, but it should be noted that the very first admission deadlines that many (but not all) seniors must meet is November 1 . Mr. Williams will be making a concerted effort to meet with all seniors to assist them in clarifying and solidify their application plans. Please contact him with any questions or concerns you have.

For parents, you may want to turn your attention to college financing. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can be completed starting October 1. The FAFSA is the form to complete if you would like your student to be eligible for federal and state grants, loans and work-study (a job on campus). You can learn more and get the process started at www.fafsa.ed.gov .

If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Mr. Mathew Williams

SCPA College Counselor

(651)395-5926

2018 Senior Retreat

On Friday, September 8, the Class of 2019 participated in the annual Senior Retreat. The day is designed to help students orient themselves to the stresses and excitement of college application season, as well as to build class community and enthusiasm. This year, we were able to host the event on campus for the first time, and our wonderful food service team provided us with freshly baked donuts and a taco bar, making it a truly special day.