Compass Connections

• SPIRIT WEEK: Monday-Friday, September 29th-October 3rd (See flyer below for themes)
• Dungeons & Dragons Club: Monday, September 29th, 3:45-4:45 (Rm. 111)
• Intramurals: Monday, September 29th, 3:45-4:45 (Gym)
• PROGRESS LEARNING ACT/PREACT TESTING DAY: Tuesday, September 30
• Bricklayers District Training Center Field Trip: Wednesday, October 1st, 9:30am-1pm (Sign up through link below)
• SWAMP/Block E: Thursday, October 2nd, 3:45-5:45 (Rm. 140)
• Art + Tech Class: Thursday, October 2nd, 3:45-5:45 (Rm. 141)
• Kick-a-Thon: Friday, October 3rd, 6:30pm at St. Charles East HS
• Dungeons & Dragons Club: Monday, October 6th, 3:45-4:45 (Rm. 111)
• Intramurals: Monday, October 6th, 3:45-4:45 (Gym)
• Student Leaders: Tuesday, October 7th, 3:45-4:45 (Rm. 143)
• Tech Makerspace: Tuesday, October 7th, 3:45-4:45 (Rm. 144)
• PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES: Thursday, October 9th, 11:00-7:00 (see below)
• No School (Staff Institute Day): Friday, October 10th
• No School (Indigenous Peoples' Day): Monday, October 13th

Parent-teacher conferences will be held at Compass Academy from 11:00-7:00 on Thursday, October 9th. At Compass, parents only need to sign up for one 15-minute time slot in order to participate in a team conference with all of their student's teachers. An email will be sent to all parents/guardians once registration for conferences opens. Please follow the link below for information on how to register.

• Pick-A-Time Parent Directions

• Pick-A-Time Parent Directions_Spanish

Compass Academy is conducting a Fall Testing Day on 9/30/25 using assessments from Progress Learning. These assessments will allow all Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors to experience an assessment that is aligned with the PreACT/ACT. These assessments will be administered online so students will need to bring their fully charged Chromebooks. More details were emailed to all students and parents on Friday, 9/26.

9/30/25 will be a non-attendance day for Seniors. Seniors are encouraged to use this day to complete college applications, make a college visit, or apply for scholarships.

The Juniors will also take the PSAT/NMSQT exam on 10/21/25 during the regular school day. The PSAT/NMSQT exam is a preliminary SAT that also opens the door to consideration for National Merit scholarships. This will be an online exam and students will need to bring their Chromebooks. That day will be a regular attendance day for students in all other grades.

Picture Day at Compass was Tuesday, 8/26. If you would like to view your student's photo and order, you may do so through the HR Imaging website. THIS LINK WILL ONLY BE OPEN FOR A LIMITED TIME. If your student missed Picture Day, we will have a day for retakes in early October so watch this newsletter for that information to be shared soon.

Mrs. Fairbanks, the Compass staff member who works with students in the Service Learning power block, dropped off three boxes full of pet supplies for animals at Anderson Animal Shelter. We would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to this worthy cause!

Attention graduating students:

The State of Illinois requires all graduating students to either complete the FAFSA (Free Application For Federal Student Aid), or complete the non-participation form to receive their diploma.

For students completing the FAFSA:

Students who have applied, or plan to apply to 2-year, 4-year, or technical schools that use the FAFSA can begin completing this form on October 1, 2025. Completion of this form allows educational institutions to provide financial aid support that is need-based. Many institutions also require a FAFSA on file for students to receive institutional scholarships or grants. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is a great resource for students and parents to get assistance filling out the FAFSA.

The FAFSA is completed by both students and their parents completing their respective parts of the online application. Students and parents establish separate FSA ID's with the website linked above to complete their portions of the online document. Students should make sure to use their PERSONAL EMAIL (not school email) to complete the FAFSA, since emails from outside entities are blocked on school email accounts. Directions to set up an FSA ID that work for both students and parents are HERE.

Students not completing the FAFSA:

Some students' post high school path might not involve the need to pay for education or training (example: when students enlist in a branch of our military, they don't need financial aid). These students should create an account on the ISAC portal (linked above in this email), and sign off with their parents electronically, indicating they are aware of the financial aid opportunities available via the FAFSA, but declining them.

Questions?

For help completing the FAFSA, see the isac.org website for more information and support.

If you need general information, please get in touch with Ms. Ohlson.

• 2026-2027 FAFSA Application: Scheduled to open October 1, 2025
• Compass Academy Financial Aid Night: Community Room (140)- October 7, 2025, 6:00-7:30 pm
• Pathways Night (2 Year, Tech, Trades & Military Post-Secondary Options): Compass Academy- October 29, 2025, 6-8 pm
• Early College Credit Information Night: St. Charles North Auditorium- November 18, 2025, 6:30-8:30 pm
• Fox Valley College Fair: St. Charles North H.S.- March 24, 2026, 5:30-7:30 pm

More details will be shared as we get closer to each event date.

Students and staff enjoyed watching the St. Charles East Homecoming parade and cheering for classmates and teachers who participated.

Compass Academy students pre-order their lunch, so if your student plans to order lunch, please have them complete the form that is linked above. Students are always welcome to bring food from home, if they prefer. If your student may qualify for free or reduced lunch, please complete this form or have them get a paper copy of the form from the Compass office.

STUDENTS MAY COMPLETE THEIR LUNCH ORDER FOR THE WEEK BY CLICKING THE BOX ABOVE AND MAKING THEIR SELECTION BY 10:00 A.M. ON THE FIRST MORNING OF THE SCHOOL WEEK.

Are you interested in learning about the various career options available in St. Charles? Through the city's career pathway job shadow program, Compass students can shadow people in many career fields, including office administration, communications, accounting, firefighting, government, law enforcement, construction, forestry, water management, and vehicle maintenance. Students who participate in job shadowing during the school year, and then write reflections about their experiences, have the opportunity to earn credit for Career Exploration.

For more information about this opportunity, students should scan the appropriate QR code on the bulletin board in the academic hall or make an appointment to see Ms. Ohlson, the Compass counselor.

Elgin Community College will host 145+ colleges and universities to help students and families explore post-secondary options. All current college, high school, and prospective students are encouraged to attend to discover transfer opportunities. The Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling sponsors this free event with ECC and other local schools.

Illinois Regional College Fair Registration

Our fair utilizes StriveScan to make information sharing easier for students. This app-based system is free for students, and registration is encouraged before the fair. Colleges will scan your barcode during the fair to send you more information about their schools. The day after the fair, you will receive a report with information on the colleges with whom you scanned.

Register Now

• Date

  Tuesday, October 15, 2025

• Time

  6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

• Location

  Main Campus, Building J, Gymnasium

Registration opens October 6th.

This free program is offered to enable Mastery Transcript Consortium members to connect with colleges and universities from around the country (and a few international schools).

Virtual College Fair attendees can choose the colleges/universities they wish to hear from by registering directly for their sessions in advance of the fair. You can ask questions of the college representatives during the presentations, too!

Watch the Compass Connections as more details will be shared in upcoming weeks.

Elgin Community College is offering a series of College & Career events for the fall and spring semesters. Session topics include The Start of College Decisions, Financial Aid 101, Early College Credit options, Professional Etiquette, Discovering Careers, Career Clusters & Opportunities, Successful Interviewing, and more. All events are free and open to the public. Events will be held virtually over Zoom on Tuesday evenings from 6 to 7 P.M. unless otherwise noted. For more information and meeting links, please visit https://elgin.edu/community/college-transitions/ccr/

Upcoming Events:

Financial Foundations: Budgeting Basics That Work

Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Time: 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Location: Virtual

New school year, new goals—let’s make financial wellness one of them. Join Marlen Glenn from KCT Credit Union and CCR Coordinator Gretchen Taylor for a down-to-earth, judgment-free webinar designed to help you take control of your money. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to reset your spending habits, we’ll walk through real-life budgeting strategies that fit your lifestyle and future goals. Start the year off with confidence, clarity, and a plan that works. Open to all ECC students and community partners.

The Discovery Program exposes students to a broad range of activities designed to encourage their interest in healthcare careers. Program activities include tours, guest speakers, group discussions, and hands-on projects. Meetings are held once a month, most often on Saturday mornings from 9:00am-12:00pm. The NM Discovery West Chapter and the Greater DeKalb Chapter collaborate a lot, so meetings will be held at Central DuPage Hospital, Delnor Hospital, Kishwaukee Hospital, and various off-site NM locations. Please note, meeting dates, times, and topics are subject to change. Participants are responsible for their own transportation.

For information about the Discovery Program and how to apply.

The application deadline is 9/29/25.

For questions about the Discovery Program please email NMDiscoveryProgramWest@nm.org

Important information for students who are interested in taking an AP exam but are not enrolled in the corresponding AP course:

• Students wishing to take any AP exams for classes in which they are not enrolled must register and pay for the exam no later than Friday, November 7. The fee is $100 per exam and is non-refundable. Students who are interested in registering must see Ms. Ohlson to receive the appropriate form and relevant information.

Sharon Stanley, Director

Email: sharon.stanley@d303.org
Website: https://compassacademy.d303.org/
Location: Compass Academy, South 9th Street, St. Charles, IL, USA
Phone: (331)228-3400
X (Twitter): @CompassD303

Instagram: @d303compassacademy