TA News

Dear TA Families,

Early January is a busy time of transition, as we return from holiday break and immerse ourselves back into classes for the final stretch of the semester. Students are working on culminating projects, essays, performances, exams, and reflections. This is an especially intense period for high school students, whose current roster of classes comes to an end on January 11. Please help us reinforce the message we shared at assembly yesterday: This is a critical time for all students to focus strategically, bring to bear all that they have learned over the past 4+ months, do their best work, meet final deadlines – and ‘go out on top’!

Final Exams & Projects Week, Jan. 8-12

Check out this document with details about the special schedules for our final exams and projects week. Below is a daily summary:

• Monday, January 8 is a normal full day of school
• Tuesday and Wednesday are half days with a special exam schedule for extended time for tests, projects, and other culminating experiences in classes
• Thursday is a special ‘by invite only’ day for make-up exams, special work sessions with teachers. and challenge course presentations
• Friday is our semester break day
• Monday, January 15 is the Martin Luther King, Jr Holiday

Details about Make-Ups & Call-Backs Day, Jan. 11

Thursday, January 11 is a special day at the close of the semester for students who could benefit from additional work time to demonstrate proficiency in their classes. Parents of students who are required to participate received an email on Friday 1/5 outlining the expectation. Also taking place on January 11: make-up exams for those sick earlier in the week, ELL testing, and the Challenge Course presentations featuring high schoolers who have pursued independent study courses this semester. Most students will NOT be in attendance on Thursday. If you have any questions, reach out to your child’s advisor, individual teachers, or the front office – also, check with your student first to see what they understand about expectations for the day.

Competitions Continue

It has been an exciting basketball season thus far, with all of the teams doing well. Congrats to the varsity boys for an intense game last night that had Panther fans on the edge of their seats for 90 nail-biting minutes and ended in an overtime win by 2 over Hazen. Positive thoughts are with our indoor track and robotics teams, both on the road today competing against many regional teams, at Norwich University and Belmont High School respectively.

On the Stage Again

After their big Radium Girls performances in November, students in the Fall Play class got right to work, writing and producing their own plays in small groups. Join us next Saturday, 1/13 at 6pm, in the Martha Jane Rich Theater for ‘In Our Own Words’, an evening of short plays featuring student talent and amplifying student voices about issues affecting today’s youth. Community audience welcome; admission free; a talk-back/Q&A session will follow the performances. Plus … we can’t wait to see what next semester’s drama students accomplish with the spring musical! Mark your calendars for ‘Mamma Mia!’ performances the weekend of May 17-19, 2024.

Save the Date: College Info Sessions Coming Up

The Counseling Department will host a two-part series of evening information sessions about the college application process on Monday 1/22 and Monday 2/12 at 6pm. The sessions are designed for juniors and their parents and guardians, but open to the TA community. The sessions will be remote; look for more details and meeting links soon.

Happy New Year,

Carrie Brennan, Head of School

Featured photo this week: The English 10 classes presented excerpts from their anthologies on Friday morning to an audience of students, teachers, and family members. The semester-long anthology project has been an integral part of the sophomore curriculum for decades and a rite of passage for TA students.