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The New SAT vs. the ACT
Parents and High School Students,
Reminder: Friday, September 22, is the last day to register for the PSAT.
The PSAT is a great opportunity to help students decide if they want to take the SAT or the ACT. Tomorrow’s Advisory will go over some important information about applying to college.
“Your only job is to pick ONE test that’ll give you the best comparative score. It’s your job to pick the test that’ll give you the best score, focus all of your energy on it, and knock it out of the park.”
This resource guide helps explain the difference between the SAT and the ACT:
The New SAT vs. the ACT – Comparing the Options
PSAT
Dear Parents of 10th and 11th graders;
The PSAT (which stands for Preliminary SAT) will be administered at Southern wake Academy during the school day on Wednesday October 11, 2017. This test is a great trial run for the real SAT and also it is a qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship. This test is recommended for all 10th graders to take and is also open to the 11th who did not take last year.
Today, in advisory, our 10th and 11th graders will get the first opportunity to sign up to take the test. Signing up for the test will be open till September 22. Students need to check with their adviser or sign up with Mrs. Nasrallah (room # 4202). All students who sign up will receive a study guide that contains a full-length practice test, test-taking strategies and information about National Merit Scholarship.
The cost to take the test is $16.00 per student. Students need to pay prior to September 22 to reserve a spot. Cash or check (written to SWA) should be given to Mrs. Nasrallah
Thanks,
Noha Nasrallah
Traffic Patterns
Dear Parents:
Welcome to the 2017-2018 school year! This document will give you instructions to our morning and afternoon traffic patterns. With many new students and parents to SWA, I am asking you to please be patient for the first few weeks. Our number one objective is SAFETY…not SPEED as we maneuver the traffic flow on campus. We know that the first few days will take longer, as we all learn procedures and the best times to arrive/depart. Please be patient.
Thank you!
SWA Traffic Patterns
Welcome Lions!
Dear Families of SWA,
I want to first welcome you to the 2017-2018 school year! We have been working hard all summer to get ready for this year. I do believe that this year is going to be a game-changing year in the life of SWA. Over the past few years we have been amazed by the rapid growth as well as the many changes that were brought our way but we are thriving as one of the best schools in the state!
One of the things that we have realized is that SWA has a mission statement but does not have a vision statement. Our vision statement should encompass not only who we are, but also where we are going. It should bring unity throughout the entire school because we are all striving for the same vision. I want SWA to adopt our new vision statement that incorporates our mascot, the lion, to make it easier for everyone to remember! This vision statement has to be lived, day in and day out. This is what our school stands for. This is what our school believes in. This is how our school functions in order to give our students the best education. SWA is going to be a positive nurturing environment that will foster respect. This will be displayed everywhere throughout the school. The vision statement is
Life-long learners
Involved in the community
Obtaining academic excellence
Nurturing relationships
Succeeding in school and in the world
As principal of Southern Wake Academy my most important job is to keep your child safe. If a child doesn’t feel safe at school then he/she will not learn. We have implemented some new things this year that will enhance the safety and security of all our students. If you have not registered for the PikMyKid app, please do so! I need 100% participation in order for this to work. We are sending out instructions again today just in case you missed it last week.
Our emphasis this year is developing relationships! We are enhancing communication to everyone so you will never feel left out and will always know what is going on in the life of SWA. Developing relationships with each child is crucial in the life of SWA. I do believe that we have the best faculty and staff that are prepared and excited to invest in your family! Your voice is important to us! Getting to know you more is important to us!
As your principal, I want to promise and display these key practices for the 2017-2018 school year, but I can’t do it alone so I will always say “WE”.
We will be shaping a vision of academic success for ALL students.
We will create a climate that is hospitable to education.
We will cultivate leadership in others.
We will improve instruction.
We will always put students first!
This year is going to be absolutely amazing! I am so excited to have all our SWA families to return in a few days! It is such an honor to serve as your principal of SWA! Welcome Back!
Sincerely,
Mr. D. Thomas
Principal
Southern Wake Academy
PikMyKid
Dear Parents,
The first day of school is approaching fast and we are so excited to have the students back from summer break! You will be getting a welcome letter from me in the next few days but I wanted to go ahead and send this out. Our number one priority at SWA is the safety of our students. If the students don’t feel safe then they won’t be able to learn. We are excited about a new carpool program that is going to change the way we dismiss in the afternoon. This program is going to enhance the safety and security of all our students. Upon dismissal at 2:35, all our students will remain in their last period class instead of being let out to roam around campus until their ride gets here. I know some have expressed concern about lack of social time after school but as I watch the news and see what can happen when someone turns a vehicle into a weapon, I am more concerned about the safety of my students rather than them running around campus socializing.
This program is only going to work if we have 100% participation from ALL our parents. This program is called PikMyKid. It is an app that you download to your smartphone. Upon arrival to our campus in the afternoon, you will open that app and announce that you have arrived. There will be a stop sign on our campus to indicate when you are to announce on the app that you have arrived. The teachers will have a screen projected on the wall that the students and teachers will watch and when you announce you have arrived at the designated area, your child’s name will show up on the screen and they will be dismissed from class to go to your car. We will be able to watch all this in real time on our computers in the school!
This will also track all our students and let us know who is still on campus once carpool is over. There are settings in this app where you can designate someone else to pick up your child as well because I know many of our families carpool together. We are sending you the steps to download and navigate through the app. I know many of you will have tons of questions and since this a new program to our school we are going to be fine-tuning it over the first few days or weeks. There’s also a support email that you can reach out to if you have any questions or have trouble. There are videos that will also guide you through this process.
There are so many other cool things that this program will do for you and for our school. If you need to check your child out of school early you can use the app to do so and it will alert us. If you know that your child has an appointment in the future, you can place that on your child’s calendar in the app and it will also alert us. If your child has an afterschool activity on campus, whether it be a club, sports or tutoring, we will be able to see that as well.
If you do not have a smartphone, don’t worry, we have you covered too! All our students are loaded into the system and given a three or four digit number. You will be given that number so when you are in the carline, you will display that number and the staff who have duty outside will input that in our system and your child will come up on the screen. Just put that number on a sheet of paper big enough for us to see it. If your child walks home you can indicate that on the app as well and we can dismiss him/her to go home. If your child drives they will be able to leave upon dismissal and we will make note of that as well.
The best part about this is the fact that we will be able to keep track of your child and they will not be able to leave with anyone unless it is their parents/guardians or someone you have designated on the app or have given that person the identification number that is specific to your child. This is just one more way for you to rest easy knowing that your child is kept safe here at SWA! Please see the information below on how to get started and view the PDF file on the steps. Remember, in order for this to be effective, we need ALL our parents/families to participate! It is going to be a fantastic year!
Mr. Thomas
Principal
Here is a link to a parent training video: https://vimeo.com/226681351
Password: pikmykid
See PDF file for steps!
PMK Parent Manual 2017
Upcoming Events
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