Compass Connections

• First Experiential Learning/Blended Wednesday: Wednesday, August 20th (see below for more info)
• BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT: Thursday, August 21st, 6:00-8:00 pm
• Club Meetings Start at Compass: Monday, August 25th
• Compass School/Yearbook Picture Day: Tuesday, August 26th, 10 am- 12 pm
• Field Trip to Shedd Aquarium: Wednesday, August 27th, 8:00am-4:30pm (see below)
• Back to School Picnic: Thursday, August 28th, 4:00-6:30 pm
• NO SCHOOL (STAFF INSTITUTE DAY): Friday, August 29th
• NO SCHOOL (LABOR DAY): Monday, September 1st

To report a student absence, please call the Haines Center main line at (331)228-3400 and follow the menu options for Compass Academy. If a student who attends classes at both their home high school and Compass will need to miss a full day of school, parents must either inform East or North that their student is also a Compass student so that the Compass office is informed of the absence or they must call Compass Academy directly to report their students' absence. If parents make just one call to Compass to report a full day absence for part-time students, the Compass Academy administrative assistant, Ms. Chavira, will ensure communication between buildings.

Back to School Night is this Thursday, 8/21, from 6-8 pm. Whether you are a new Compass parent or a parent of a returning student, ALL Compass parents should plan to attend! Along with the opportunity to connect with other Compass parents and to meet your student’s teachers, you will have the opportunity to learn more about:

• New initiatives at Compass this year

• How to support your student's success at Compass

• Competency-based learning and assessment at Compass

• How to read your student’s credit matrix and Student Success Plan

• College and career planning events at Compass

• How to interpret Schoology and HAC for Compass classes

• Independent Study options (including ISLE and COVE)

• Experiential Learning Wednesdays

• The end-of-semester Celebration of Learning

• Compass Parent Advisory Committee (our version of PTO)

• Whom to contact for what

We look forward to welcoming you to the building on Thursday! Please enter at door 1, the Compass main entrance.

The first week of school always poses some challenges and delays with District transportation as students learn their schedules and drivers adjust to their new routes. We greatly appreciate everyone's patience in the first few days! We know there was some confusion with Wednesday routes, which was partly impacted by the unusual Compass schedule that day. If your student was impacted by this, please be assured that we are working with the Transportation Department to ensure that part-time students have appropriately timed Wednesday routes assigned for this week.

As a reminder, parents/guardians can find their student's bus route information through Home Access Center (HAC) by following these steps:

1. Log in to HAC using your username and password.
2. Once you are logged in, click on the Registration tab at the top of the page.
3. Scroll down to find the section titled "School Transportation." This will provide information on pickup and drop off times, as well as bus stop location.

Call (331)228-5180 if you have any questions.

All eligible Compass Academy students will receive District 303 transportation both to and from school and between school buildings if they are taking classes at their home high school or Fox Valley Career Center. The regular Compass shuttle bus from East/North to Compass after 2nd period may not appear in HAC, but all Compass students may take this shuttle as needed. There is also a shuttle at the 2:10 Compass dismissal to take students back to East/North for athletics and other extracurricular activities. This shuttle was running behind last week, but is expected to be on time this week so that student-athletes will arrive at East or North in a timely manner.

On Wednesday, August 27th, 15 lucky Gators will have the opportunity to attend a field trip to the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, IL. The bus will depart Compass at 8am sharp and return back to Compass at 4:30pm. Students will eat lunch at the aquarium at 1:45pm, so they will need to bring either a sack lunch or funds to purchase a lunch at the Bubble Net Food Court. Participants should wear shoes and clothing comfortable for walking.

Students should NOT bring their Chromebook, their backpack, or any valuables.

Expect:

• Students will be with a group of five students and one chaperone at all times.

• Students must follow all school rules and Shedd Aquarium rules on the trip.

Questions? Email Ms. Ohlson: brenna.ohlson@d303.org

The first 15 fully completed field trip forms to the Main Office (on paper, not email), will be able to attend. Don't miss out!

Students who are new to Compass Academy this year attended our New Student Orientation last Wednesday, during which they engaged in various activities planned by Student Leaders to help them connect with classmates and learn more about how things work at Compass. During lunch each day last week, students took advantage of the beautiful weather to enjoy time outdoors, socializing and playing games in the courtyard during lunch.

Students in “History of the Earth”, an interdisciplinary seminar focusing on biology and anthropology, worked in groups to create a timeline of key world events to visualize how recently major developments have occurred.

Students can find more information about these options on the Compass website or the bulletin board in the academic hall. Additional information will be 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.

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.

District 303 is committed to creating an environment where students can fully engage in learning and teachers can fully support their success. To achieve this, we have implemented a cell phone procedure that helps create fewer distractions and greater focus on learning inside our classrooms. For more details, please see below. All Compass Academy teachers began to teach and reinforce this procedure during the first few days of school.

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.

District 303 attendance procedures were updated and approved at the June 9, 2025, Board Meeting. All district procedures are available in the CUSD 303 Student Handbook found in the Parent/Community tab in the Information column of the districtd303.org website.

Updates to the attendance procedures were made to bring consistency across all schools within the district and to clarify student attendance expectations. One example of an update is the removal of the pre-arranged absence procedure. This aligns with the definitions of excused and unexcused absences found in Section 2.2.

Families are encouraged to review the CUSD 303 Student Handbook to familiarize themselves with the districtwide procedures.

District 303 is excited to introduce our new college and career readiness platform, SchooLinks. SchooLinks is a modern, college and career readiness platform that prepares students for what comes after graduation. SchooLinks helps students discover their interests and strengths, explore colleges and careers, and create an individualized career and academic plan that best reflects their post-secondary goals.

Beginning in the 2025–26 school year, SchooLinks will be available to students and families in grades 6–12 across District 303. This innovative tool replaces Naviance and provides a more comprehensive and engaging experience for future planning.

Research shows that students who have the support of engaged families and staff members are more likely to demonstrate qualities that include:

• Improved academic performance

• Enrollment in more rigorous courses

• Better attendance rates

• Increased enrollment in a community/technical college or a 4-year university

How SchooLinks will be rolled out:

• Seniors will activate their SchooLinks accounts during their Senior Meetings in the first two weeks of the 2025–26 school year to jumpstart their post-secondary planning and/or college application process.

• Parents/Guardians will have access to their own SchooLinks accounts beginning in September 2025. This will allow you to partner with your student in their planning journey—reviewing options together, tracking progress, and staying connected to key milestones and deadlines.

We’re confident that SchooLinks will strengthen our shared commitment to student success beyond graduation. More information about the rollout for grades 9–12 and how parents can activate their accounts will be shared within the next two weeks.

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