It seems like winter was frosting our windows just a few minutes ago. Yet, here we are, welcoming spring and summer and all of the joy that goes along with them. Nature uses the warmth of the month of May to offer up abundant new blossoms and blooms everywhere. Many of our families are preparing to celebrate the end of a high school era as graduation gets closer. From Cinco de Mayo and Mother's Day in the beginning of May to Memorial Day at the end of it, there is much to be grateful for--but in the midst of all the activities and celebration of others, don't forget about yourself. Let the new month shower you with possibilities of new challenges and steps to take towards rejuvenating yourself and bringing out the best in you! Here are some suggestions by John C. Bailey for setting aside the stress and stepping forward with a smile:
- Plan your day
- Organize your closets
- Learn to play an instrument
- Update your resume
- Get social
- Get fit
- Do some gardening
- Contact family and old friends
- Learn to code
- Join new online groups
- Write a journal
- Learn a language
- Learn to cook
- Volunteer
The high school PBIS All-Star program recognizes positive behavior in the classroom. High school students are encouraged to nominate classmates who demonstrate Agora's core values of learner-centeredness, wellness, responsibility, and engagement in their classes. Each month, five students' names are randomly drawn from the pool of student nominations (one from each of the five content areas), and those five students are recognized as the PBIS All-Star students for that month. The monthly PBIS All-Star students are announced in this newsletter, in The Agora Times (our high school newsletter for students), and celebrated in live class sessions.
🤩CONGRATULATIONS🤩 to the MARCH 2024 High School PBIS All-Star students!
- Jenna G-S. - 11th grade - English
- Phoenix W. - 9th grade- Math
- Sky R. - 9th grade - Science
- Hannah P. - 9th grade - Social Studies
- Jaylanie B. - 10th grade - Electives
National Teacher Appreciation Week offers an opportunity to recognize the hard work and contributions teachers make to education and society. It's a great time for students to celebrate Agora's dedicated teachers and other staff members by nominating them as PBIS All-Star staff! Students are encouraged to use the ClassLink app to nominate any teacher, counselor, family coach, administrator, or other Agora staff member who exemplifies the PBIS culture of caring and belonging--it's the perfect way to celebrate our dedicated staff members during National Teacher Appreciation Week!
🤩 CONGRATULATIONS 🤩
- Deb Garrison
Nominated by: Samantha H. for responsibility, wellness and engagement
“Mrs. Garrison always makes sure to she emails and communicates with people she needs to get ahold of.”
- Lew Kroner
Nominated by: Johhan S. for engagement
“Mr. Kroner always makes sure that we are doing what we are supposed to be doing in class and keeps us on track.”
- Jennifer Martin
Nominated by: BethAnn F. for responsibility, engagement, wellness and learner-centeredness
“The Teacher helps us whenever we need help, she never judges, and always makes sure we have our work sheets and what we need as a group together to make sure we always have a good grade on our homework, allowing us to do this out and inside of class. She is very supportive, communicative and even allows us to understand her on a personal level as we can open up to her and trust her all individually. She's respectful to everyone, always keeps the mood of the class up, and makes sure everyone else treats each other with kindness and support.”
- Patty Smith
Nominated by: Ethan T. for responsibility, engagement, wellness, learner-centeredness
“She is willing to work with students to help them become better. She also does well explaining her lessons and making sure that students that are engaged understand even some of the most complex material.”
Maureen Donnelly
Nominated by: Logan B. for responsibility, learner-centeredness, wellness and engagement
“Our class does not like to talk on the mic and the majority of our class does not like to
participate and she still makes math fun and has an up beat attitude despite the challenges of teaching a class that is difficult being algebra and also a class that does not like to talk on the mics or participate on the whiteboard. She is my Favorite teacher and she makes math fun. she explains things in multiple different ways so that every student understands for their way of learning. Every day she offers to stay late after class with any student that needs help and offers one-on-one time also. she is awesome. she also doesn't get upset or angry when a student or even the whole class sometimes doesn't understand and she has to go back to re explain things."
Agora offers over 30 club options where high school students can achieve, exercise leadership skills, find friends, broaden their interests, and more! Many of our clubs are looking for student leaders for the 2024-25 school year. Encourage your student to explore our clubs to find the best fit! For a description of each club, click here:
https://www.smore.com/rqvjc-high-school-clubs
- Agora Car Club
- Agora Theatrics Club
- Anime Club
- Art Club
- Astronomy Club
- A Time For Christ Club
- Book Club
- Chess Club (combined with middle school participants)
- Coffeehouse
- Cooking Club
- Debate Club
- Equine Club
- FBLA - Future Business Leaders of America (Agora chapter)
- F.I.R.E. Club - Female Initiative, Respect, Empowerment)
- Gaming Club
- GSA - Genders & Sexualities Alliance
- Girls Who Code
- Global Awareness Club
- HOSA - Future Health Professionals Student Organization (Agora chapter)
- 4 Diamonds Mini-THON Club
- Photography Club
- Poetry Club
- PYLN - Pennsylvania Youth Leadership Network
- Pursuing Joy Club
- RAKA - Random Acts of Kindness at Agora
- Sable Alliance - fostering unity in our school community through exposure to Black culture
- Spanish Club
- The Agora Times - e-newsletter by and for Agora high school students
- Travel Club
- Writing Club
Students who need to recover high school credits to fulfill graduation requirements may be eligible for summer school. During the summer, courses are offered at an accelerated pace. Students are expected to attend class and complete assignment requirements daily. This year, summer school will take place June 24 - July 31, and enrollment has already begun. If you believe your student might need to attend summer school classes, check with their school counselor.
Agora will host a graduation ceremony for our 2024 high school graduates at 4 PM on Wednesday, June 5 at the Hershey Giant Center. School counselors are currently working with graduates to make sure academic credits and Act 158 requirements are on track. We look forward to introducing Agora's Class of 2024 to the world!
Act 158 of 2018 (Act 158), signed into law by Governor Tom Wolf on October 24, 2018, provides alternatives to Pennsylvania's statewide requirement of attaining proficiency on the three end-of-course Keystone Exams (Algebra I, Literature, and Biology) for a student to achieve statewide graduation requirements.
In order to graduate from high school, students must meet all local graduation requirements related to credits and coursework along with the state requirements outlined in Act 158. Students must score proficient or advanced and/or score within a specific target range on Keystone exams to meet either the Keystone Proficiency Pathway or the Keystone Composite Pathway. There are alternate pathways that students may be eligible to complete if their Keystone scores do not meet the testing requirements.
Administrators and school counselors are working closely with each high school student to review Keystone scores and help students determine which pathway they are eligible to complete to meet graduation requirements.
- Monday, May 6 through Friday, May 10: Teacher Appreciation Week—Take a minute to thank your teachers for all they do!
- Friday, May 17: Pittsburgh prom (see Memo above)
- Monday, May 27: Memorial Day; Schools and offices closed
- Tuesday, May 28: Half-day schedule (see below) in the morning followed by a required 1 pm advisory session for Reading Plus benchmark testing
- Tuesday, May 28 at noon: 9th-11th grade student assemblies—link in ClassConnect
- Wednesday, May 29: Philadelphia prom (see Memo above)
- Wednesday, May 29: ADO Day— To be marked present, students must attend an in-person or virtual event AND/OR log into the OLS via ClassLink. No new coursework will be assigned for this day so that all of Agora can participate in an Agora Day Out activity – in person or virtual. Stay tuned to your email for more information!
- 12th grade students ONLY—Friday, May 31: Last day to turn in work for credit
- 12th grade students ONLY—Monday, June 3 at noon: Decision Day assembly—link in ClassConnect
- 12th grade students ONLY—Tuesday, June 4 at noon: Senior Celebration—link in ClassConnect
- Tuesday, June 4: Last day of school for students
- Wednesday, June 5: Graduation at 4 PM - Hershey Giant Center
- Tuesday, June 11: Report cards to be published
Occasionally, high school students will follow half-day schedules with abbreviated classes that are completed by noon. May 28 is the next day for students to follow the half-day academic schedule; students have classes in the morning only. Grade-level assemblies will be held at 12 PM, and a required advisory session for Reading Plus benchmark assessment is scheduled for 1 PM. The half-day academic schedule for students is detailed in the image to the right.
Hello Agora Families!
While many of you are thinking about the days of freedom ahead, the Travel Club is thinking about San Francisco! On June 22nd, Mrs. Nicol will take students to see the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Yosemite, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Googleplex, giant redwood trees, and so much more. We can’t wait to share our experiences with you!
If you were unable to join us in California – good news! You can register for our next adventure, in the summer of 2025. If you love history, law, government, museums, or our country, we would love to take you to Washington D.C.! This 4-day, 3-night trip is a whirlwind of all the important sites. And this is not just sightseeing – World Strides provides us with a tour guide expert who will educate us all along the way. If this sounds like fun, please visit our website for all the details, including itinerary, price, dates, and how to register. https://worldstrides.com/custom/2025-agora-cyber-charter-school-dc-216022/
If you have any questions, please reach out to Ericka Nicol at enicol@agora.org