Dear FA Families,
Yeboah’s message above is an important reminder for all of us as it relates to COVID-19. Keeping ourselves and all members of our family healthy over the next six months or so has to be a top priority – an opportunity still before us. Secondarily, keeping the campus open and safely operating with in-class instruction falls closely behind. No parent has ever shared with me that their child’s online classes came close to surpassing in-class lessons – and that their child reveled in isolation in their homes rather than being interactive with their friends every day here at school. My memory is strong and clear from last spring; online learning, at its best, was sufficient only as a stop-gap measure, especially in the younger grades.
As I mentioned in my Christmas message, the school is redoubling its commitment to protecting students and teachers from the spread of the virus in 2021 until everyone, or at least a great majority of our school population, can be vaccinated. Our simple but effective deterrents to the spread of the virus on campus this fall - social distancing, mask wearing, no large indoor gatherings, segregated groupings to reduce any cross-group transmissions, complicated contact tracing, and frequent hand washing – could and should still be implemented outside campus life as well if we have any hope of continuing uninterrupted on-campus schooling this spring.
The national news and area statistics continue to tell a daunting story. The newly discovered strain of the virus, some amount of holiday travel and intermixing with larger family and friend groupings, and the flu season all conspire and will continue to conspire to affect the number of cases and the number of hospitalizations in the area; and we, as a school community, are definitely not out of the high-risk chapter by a wide margin.
We all need to work together if we are going to keep the school safely open this winter/spring. Individuals who conduct their lives without regard to COVID-19 concerns endanger the wellbeing of their families and seriously threaten our school remaining open in the upcoming months. Sometimes it is just bad fortune or happenstance why one contracts the virus; but given the randomness of that stark reality, I would hope that everyone at FA would be committed to controlling what they can control in this pandemic and limiting the opportunities for contracting and spreading the disease. We are still in the darkness of the tunnel, no question; but the beacon of light ahead is also within reach. It would be a shame to lose our vigilance and discipline and only after the fact realize and bemoan the fact that we let this opportunity of a healthy spring slip through our grasp.
We are blessed to have a dedicated and highly capable school nurse watching over all of us during these complicated times. Nurse Nikki Pope has kindly offered to be a resource for you and your family as you navigate the precarious COVID-19 waters. It is important that you share any positive case results with her involving your family. She is also available to answer questions you may have regarding the school's COVID-19 protocols or other related or unrelated health matters. You can call Nurse Pope on her cell at (912) 506-0099 or click here to contact her via email.
I very much look forward to seeing students, parents, and teachers again this week. After a well-earned holiday break for all, it is time to return to the important business of supporting our children as they work, play, and learn together. The January-February window is prime learning time in the school calendar, and we need everyone here on campus to optimize this critical opportunity. Let’s all commit to doing what we can to stay healthy.
Respectfully,
Scott L. Hutchinson
Head of School
|
|
Monday + Tuesday
Faculty + Staff Workdays
Student Holiday
Tuesday
JV Girls Basketball (4:30 PM)
Varsity Girls Basketball (6:00 PM)
Varsity Boys Basketball (7:30 PM)
@ Home vs. Pinewood Christian
Wednesday
First Day of Second Semester
Wednesday-Friday
Click HERE for January Lunch Menu
Wednesday @ 8:14 AM
Parent Association Board Meeting
Wednesday @ 10:00 AM
US Virtual Assembly
Thursday @ 1:05 PM
US Student Council Meeting
Mr. Jobe's Classroom
Friday
Varsity Girls Basketball (6:00 PM)
Varsity Boys Basketball (7:30 PM)
@ St. Andrew's in Savannah
Saturday
Golden Isles Swim Meet
@ Golden Isles YMCA
Hosts: FA + GA + BHS
Warmups @ 9:00 AM
|
|
Frederica Academy uses a web-based school administration system called FACTS (formerly Renweb) to create better communication among teachers, parents, and students. FACTS is a fully integrated, web-based school information system and can be accessed 24 hours a day from work, home, school, or on the road. Parents and students utilize a component of FACTS called ParentsWeb, which provides parents and students password-secure access to student information via their computers or mobile devices.
FACTS launched a new version of its mobile App for iOS and Android users in late 2019. If you are currently using the older version of the Renweb Home App to view student grades and homework, that App is no longer supported by FACTS. The older version of the App is being phased out this year. If you purchased this App, it will still function, but any errors or issues will not be corrected.
FACTS is encouraging FA parents to use a new App that is available for free to all families enrolled at the school. The new App for the Student Information System (grades 6-12) is currently available on the App Store.
-
Go to App Store or Google Play (Android Apps)
- Type in “Frederica Academy”
- Download the App for free and you will see a FA-branded version of the new App.
The new App has a different look but still has all of the homework and grades information available to all of our families.
If you have any questions, please email Mr. Temple. As with any new technology information, there will always be a learning curve. This new App will be the best resource going forward, so please start to work with it as soon as possible.
|
|
Introducing New Entree Salads!
Knights Table team is excited to announce that we now have a daily salad that can be pre-ordered and picked up in the lunch line each day that is available to all FA employees, Middle School students, and Upper School students (for the same cost as a regular hot lunch).
Please click on the button below to view the daily offerings and pre-order your salad. Don't forget to pick it up! Salads will rarely be available without pre-ordering, so place your order now!
|
|
FRIDAY
ACT Registration Deadline
|
|
The regular registration deadline for the February 6th ACT exam is
Friday, January 8th.
|
|
|
JANUARY 16
UNC Teen Institute
|
|
The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's Young Founders Institute, an entrepreneurship lab for middle school and high school students, partners with select North Carolina independent schools.
Institute officials have contacted Mrs. Nevins to invite Frederica Academy Middle School and Upper School students to participate in a remote Internship Workshop for teens interested in finding internships this upcoming summer.
During the event, workshop instructors will coach teens on how to find role models in their field of interest, connect with key stakeholders in industries to develop their network, and apply to top tier internship programs at Bank of America, Comcast, and others. Students will be encouraged to explore interests in large organizations as well as early-stage startups.
This is a two-hour program on Saturday, January 16th, and is a free event sponsored by NC IDEA and Launch Chapel Hill.
Interested students should contact Mrs. Nevins.
|
|
JANUARY 21
Parent Association Meeting
|
|
The FA Parent Association invites all parents to attend the next Parent Association meeting on Thursday, January 21, which will take place in Hamilton Hall or can be viewed via livestream. The meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. |
|
Summer Programs Opportunity |
|
Frederica Academy Summer Programs had such an amazing summer last year that we are looking to expand our offerings and need your help!
This year, we are excited to offer an opportunity for parents in our Frederica Academy community to run a specialty camp. If you are interested, or just have suggestions, please contact Summer Programs Director, Heather Day, at 423-782-7716.
The 2021 Summer Programs will run seven sessions during the following weeks: June 7-11; June 14-18; June 21-25; June 28-July 2; July 12-July 16; July 19-July 23; and July 26-30. Specialty programs will run each week Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. or 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Summer Programs details and sign-up information will be shared in the near future.
|
|
Congrats, Gridiron Knights! |
|
Congratulations to Coach Derrick for being named the Coastal Georgia Coach of the Year by The Brunswick News.
The following FA players were named to the 2020-2021 Coastal Georgia All-Area Football Team: Will Counts, Joshua Elliott, Josh Meadows, Garrett Squire, and Jordan Triplett.
Eli Fritchman, Kyle Perez, Jaiden Rose-Scally, and Will Thompson were named Honorable Mentions.
|
|
Congratulations to Ellie Runyan for being named the Coastal Georgia All-Area Female Runner of the Year. The Brunswick News presents these awards each year, and this is the second consecutive year Ellie has received this prestigious MVP award. Well done, Ellie! |
|
January 14
Junior Class College Night
Virtual
January 15
School-Wide FA Spirit Day
January 15
Low Country Independent School
Diversity Conference
January 18
School Holiday
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
January 20
FA Blood Drive (1:00 PM - 5:00 PM)
Gym Lobby
January 21 @ 8:30 AM
FA Parent Association Meeting
Hamilton Hall or Livestream
January 21
Teacher + Staff Appreciation Luncheon
Gym Lobby
January 21
Rotary Student of the Month
January 22
US Second Semester
Drop/Add Deadline
January 23
Hands on Frederica Day
January 27 @ 1:00 PM
NCAA Eligibility Workshop
College Counseling Center
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
