We are thankful for your understanding and patience during our temporary hiatus from in-person learning. Our team is excited and prepared to go back to full in-person learning and see the return of our entire student body on November 30!

So that you may plan in advance for activities after the Thanksgiving break, we would like to provide some more details and the remaining academic calendar for the first semester. We will closely follow our planned academic calendar with some slight modifications.

In an effort to best promote learning and support our students, we will approach final exams differently this semester. While we value these important end of semester assessments, we also believe it is appropriate to offer a modified approach to allow students and parents some choice.

Effective for this fall semester, students will have the option to be exempt from finals in courses where the student has achieved a 90% or higher before the final. Students exceeding this threshold may choose to take the final, but the final exam will be calculated and may raise or lower the final grade. If a student opts out of the final exam, their semester grade will be calculated with an “Excused” in the final exam category, and their grade will be reflective of all work completed as of the close of the semester. This approach will not apply to AP or Dual Credit classes. In these courses, the end of semester exams are critical for student preparation and to maintain compliance with our dual credit college partner. Also, this policy does not exempt students from final projects, labs, papers or presentations that are in lieu of final exams.

The rationale for this decision is based on many factors, but some of the more significant reasons include:

We are committed to providing and maintaining an incredible academic community and student culture. We also remain dedicated to carrying on enhanced safety protocols so that we can continue to have the privilege and ability to be with our students in-person.

As a reminder, it is essential that our families continue to make wise choices and stay diligent in monitoring health and safety. This is particularly important during the break as some families may have travel plans or have students returning home from college. At the beginning of the year, we asked for your commitment to this COVID health and safety acknowledgement. When we all work together, we safeguard our community and create a place where our students can flourish.

We appreciate your continued prayers and support as we navigate these unusual times. Our sincere wishes for a happy and healthy Thanksgiving and a time where we all can go before the King with gratitude for our many blessings.