Dear Families,
I cannot believe that we are so quickly approaching the conclusion of our inaugural year! I couldn’t be more proud of the programs we have launched in academics, university & academic advising, and residential & student life. In every area of the school, passionate educators are working closely with students to develop their individual strengths while fostering a sense of community and family.
I hope families enjoyed our second round of family/advisor conferences before spring break, where your student could focus on setting academic goals for the rest of the school year. Meanwhile, starting in mid-April all returning students will set future-facing academic goals in 1:1 meetings with their University and Academic Advisor (UAA) as they collaborate on course sign-ups for next year. Please reach out at any time to your student’s advisor or UAA if you have questions about academic progress or course selections. You can look forward to another email from me in mid-April that shares our finalized course offerings document for the 2023-2024 school year. You will see increased AP course offerings and a number of unique Advanced Studies courses added across our core disciplines, along with growth in our arts and technology offerings. We are thrilled to continue growing our offerings every year to provide more choice and more challenge for our students.
The UAA office is also busy in Quarter 4 helping Grade 11 students better understand the college admissions process through their participation on “Model Admissions Committees.” In this unique program, students work with regional college admissions officers from a number of colleges to review a stack of hypothetical college applications and make admissions decisions. By standing in the shoes of the decision makers, our students will be prepared to put their best foot forward in their own applications while also holding a more informed mindset about the variables in this complex process.
In the 3rd quarter, we began the process of launching student leadership roles. Interested students had the opportunity to apply for student ambassador roles and for seats on the student council, and both groups have now been formed. In 4th quarter, student residential life leadership roles will be announced. It has been a thrill to watch our founding students define what it means to be a student leader at EF Academy Pasadena!
Our 3rd quarter was also rich in student and residential life programming, and 4th quarter promises even more memorable events! This month’s newsletter was written by our student activities team to give you a glimpse of these past and upcoming events. Please enjoy this opportunity to better understand the intentional ways that we build community, cultural understanding, and fun!
As always, thank you for the privilege of trusting us with your children. We are so proud of these young people!