Compass Connections

• Beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month: Monday, September 15th
• Dungeons & Dragons Club: Monday, September 15th, 3:45-4:45 (Rm. 111)
• Intramurals: Monday, September 15th, 3:45-4:45 (Gym)
• Student Leaders: Tuesday, September 16th, 3:45-4:45 (Rm. 143)
• SWAMP/Block E: Tuesday, September 16th, 3:45-5:45 (Rm. 140)
• Art + Tech Class: Tuesday, September 16th, 3:45-5:45 pm (Rm. 141)
• Culinary Club: Thursday, September 18th, 3:45-4:45 (Rm. 143)
• SWAMP/Block E: Thursday, September 18th, 3:45-5:45 (Rm. 140)
• Art + Tech Class: Thursday, September 18th, 3:45-5:45 (Rm. 141)
• Dungeons & Dragons Club: Monday, September 22nd, 3:45-4:45 (Rm. 111)
• Intramurals: Monday, September 22nd, 3:45-4:45 (Gym)
• Tech Makerspace: Tuesday, September 23rd, 3:45-4:45 (Rm. 144)
• SWAMP/Block E: Tuesday, September 23rd, 3:45-5:45 (Rm. 140)
• Art + Tech Class: Tuesday, September 23rd, 3:45-5:45 (Rm. 141)
• Theater Club: Thursday, September 25th, 3:45-4:45 (Rm. 142)
• SWAMP/Block E: Thursday, September 25th, 3:45-5:45 (Rm. 140)
• Art + Tech Class: Thursday, September 25th, 3:45-5:45 (Rm. 141)
• St. Charles East Homecoming Parade: Friday, September 26th, 1:00 pm (Compass/East students who are participating will be released to the parade staging area 2 blocks away at 12:15 and will not return to class; Compass students who want to attend the parade as spectators will walk to Main Street with staff to watch and will return to the building for class afterward)

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.

Items may be placed in the donation box in the lobby by the main entrance. We will be collecting donations all month as part of this quarter's service project led by the students in Mrs. Fairbanks's service learning Power Block. Every donation makes a difference!

Parent/Guardian emails have now been synced with SchooLinks, our new college and career readiness platform. Parent/Guardian accounts were made active and ready for access on September 4th. (Compass students have already been using SchooLinks in advisory and group guidance meetings.)

To get started, please review the resources below:

• SchooLinks: Getting Started for Guardians

• SchooLinks: Getting Started for Guardians (Spanish)

• SchooLinks: Guardian Demonstration Video

• 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.

For the seminar, Art and American Identity, students visited three museums or exhibits exploring art focused on patterns in American identity, including heritage, immigration, and social protest.

Compass students enjoyed watching classmates participate in the St. Charles North Homecoming parade last Friday in our school's annual tradition of attending both comprehensive high schools' parades. There were Gators/North Stars represented this year on the football and soccer teams, in the marching band, and with multiple clubs.

Riley and Michael, students in CNC Machining & Programming, created customized paper weights for the Compass custodial staff to thank them for all they do for us. Thanks, Leticia and Marisol!

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.

Students can find more information about these options on the Compass website or the bulletin board in the academic hall. Additional information was shared with parents on Back to School Night as well. Please note: Field trips are typically only offered on Wednesdays and are almost always shared with students and families several weeks in advance. In the Compass model, the experiential learning in which students engage on field trips is integral to the learning in their courses, so students are expected to attend all field trips that are course-aligned.

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.

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.

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

Compass Academy students and families may order Compass spirit wear at any time through our Spirit Wear Store, which you may access by clicking the image below. All purchases are customizable and are shipped directly to your home.

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