Dear Middle & Upper School Community,

I'm writing with a special year-end message. There are a few things I'd like to highlight and celebrate about the semester we just concluded. The Middle & Upper School experienced:

• Record-setting high participation levels in athletics and fine arts programs
• The successful launch of our AP Capstone Program
• Top choice college admissions for many of our seniors, with more decisions pending
• Re-introduction of weekly time for clubs and student life events

In these and other ways, the faculty, divisional staff, and coaches have sought to strike a balance between college preparatory academics and programs that build community, provide leadership opportunities, and produce well-rounded students of high character.

Embodying such an important mission entails an openness to continuous improvement and a desire to see every student succeed. In that spirit, I commend to you the letter from Mr. Jordan below, who has listened widely to our students, parents, and teachers, and outlined a few ways in which the school plans to advance our mission even more faithfully in the Middle & Upper School beginning next semester.

Thank you for all you have done to make Allen Academy a special place. I hope you have a wonderful break and look forward to seeing you in January!

With best wishes for the season,

Mr. Seraphim Danckaert

Head of School

[email protected]



Greetings MS/US Families,

Thank you, parents, for your feedback on the Parent Survey. We have a good number of responses (n=98), and I appreciate everyone who spent their time completing the survey with thoughtful suggestions. The parent and guardian perspective is vital to the development and growth process, not just for next school year, but for our current school year. After reviewing the responses, I would like to share with you a summary of next steps in Middle and Upper School.

1. Testing calendar. Parents in various grades shared a concern about the number of tests on the same day or within the same week, followed by other periods of time with very few deadlines. While the vast majority of respondents emphasized a desire for academic excellence, better coordination of assignments and tests is clearly needed. The MS/US Leadership Team has devised a more streamlined approach to test dates to alleviate unnecessary overload, particularly considering all of the wonderful extracurricular programs our students enjoy.
2. Communication. Responses touched on the communication between teachers and parents. A consensus request was to increase communication from teachers to parents about the academics and individual student progress in their courses. We will pursue various avenues for increasing communication, but faculty will first focus on using Canvas announcements and emails to improve communication.
3. Canvas. Responses about Canvas indicated that the Weekly Agenda is an excellent start to ensuring all parties (teachers, parents, and students) are on the same page. Teachers will continue to work on making a connection between the agenda and the necessary materials to complete assignments.
4. Learning Specialist. It was evident from the responses that many students would benefit from more opportunities for tutoring and help with skills like time management and organization. Teachers have also shared that having a Learning Specialist full time would benefit their work with students. Therefore, beginning in late January, the Learning Specialist position will become full time in the Middle and Upper School. 

Other initiatives are still in a planning stage and will be announced after plans are complete. The MS/US Leadership Team will continue to invite your feedback and suggestions as we work with all constituents to improve the student experience at Allen Academy. As always, if I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Well wishes, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year,

What a way to end the semester! Sponsored by the MS/US Leadership Team, faculty and students enjoyed hot chocolate and sugar cookies on their last day of classes before exams. Students and faculty celebrated all the hard work done this semester in the Breezeway. Congratulations everyone for finishing the semester strong! Happy Holidays!

Olivia D. and Abbielle S. from US Band participated in the Texas A&M Hullabaloo Band - High School Band Day! On Sunday, Dec. 10th, the Hullabaloo Band hosted its annual High School Band Day event with students coming from over 20 different high schools to join the Hullabaloo Band at Reed Arena for the Men's Aggie Basketball game vs Memphis. It was fun to play the Aggie War Hymn plus other music and meet students in the Band!

On Friday, Dec. 8, MS Band students in 7th and 8th grade participated in Region Band Auditions for Central Texas Region 8 of TMEA, Small School Division for 1A-4A Public, Private and Home School students. The auditions took place at Groesbeck HS. It was a great experience for all of the students to advance individual playing skills. In January, students selected for Region Band will participate in a one-day Clinic and Concert event performing in a full ensemble with 100 students in the Band.

Olivia Y., Clarinet, was selected 1st Chair Honor Band out of 93 students.

Dylan S., Alto Saxophone, was selected 5th Chair Symphonic Band out of 52 students.

Katie M., Trumpet, was selected 5th Chair Symphonic Band out of 116 students.

Daniel P., Trombone, was selected 9th Chair Symphonic Band out of 60 students.

Congratulations!

10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse 

CAST LIST

CAST

Narrator 1: Hunter A.

Narrator 2: Elinor A.

Survivors (Scene 1, 3, 4, 8, 9):

Sam: Owen D.

Susan: Isla H.

Christy: Kathy K.

Jimmy: Milo T.

Survivors (Scene 2, 5, 6, 7, 10):

Sam: Colin R.

Susan: Robin M.

Christy: Noelle B.

Jimmy/Jenna: Caroline S.

Zombies:

Juliette S., Eva D., Braydon S., Brielle Y., Autumn L., Madison M., Oliva Y.,

Ireland M.

Tech: Karina S., Sanjay P.

First off let me say that this program has been growing so much in my time here as the Theatre Teacher at Allen. This has been such a difficult choice because we are only allowed to take 20 students due to PSIA rules. There were 31 students who tried out.

Competition will be in Mid-February. We have already been approved to take the students who have been listed as alternates to the competition. Back at Allen we will also perform the show for family and friends with both the competition cast as well as the alternate cast. I will also reach out to students who were not cast for competition to see if they would like to participate in the school production.

                       

Alternates:

Narrator 2: Michelle K.

Survivors (Scene 1, 3, 4, 8, 9):

Susan: Sofia M.

Christy: Morgan M.

Survivors (Scene 2, 5, 6, 7, 10):

Susan: Madison M.

Christy: Harper M.

Jenna: Delaney S.

Thank you,

Paul Early

8th Grade Science is Blasting into the holidays with their December Skies rockets! After reading the novel October Sky, the students built and launched their own rockets! At Allen we do as Homer Hickham says and "Keep Aiming High!" 

Mrs. Hanover traveled to AGU (American Geophysical Union) this week with her NASA SEES (STEM Enhancement in Earth Science) Interns, where they presented their Return to Venus proposal to the academic world. While there, she met with industry leaders, universities and government agencies bringing back new information and opportunities for our students here at Allen Academy! 

Paul Early

Theater Arts Teacher



Bachelor's of Science in Chemistry, Rice University

Total Number of Years Teaching: 2

Total Number of Years at Allen: 2

Subject(s) You Teach at Allen: LS/MS/US Theatre Arts

Favorite Thing About Being at Allen: 

The amazing students that have so much passion!

About Me: 

Besides teaching at Allen, Mr. Early likes to spend his time with his wonderful daughter Magnolia and his partner Ellen. You can find him biking to and from work on most days while singing show tunes. His other hobbies include board games, reading, and ballroom dancing.

Lunch Volunteers

Each year we are happy to partner with the Allen Academy community in allowing volunteers to help with our lunch program. This includes parents. grandparents, guardians, etc. If you have any interest feel free to signup!

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