Compass Connections

• Dungeons & Dragons Club: Monday, October 27th, 3:45-4:45 (Rm. 111)
• Block E/SWAMP: Tuesday, October 28th, 3:45-5:45 (Rm. 140)
• Art + Tech: Tuesday, October 28th, 3:45-5:45 (Rm. 141)
• Culinary Club: Thursday, October 30th, 3:45-4:45 (Rm. 143)
• Block E/SWAMP: Thursday, October 30th, 3:45-5:45 (Rm. 140)
• Art + Tech: Thursday, October 30th, 3:45-5:45 (Rm. 141)

On behalf of the Compass community, Mrs. Stanley would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to our dedicated Compass Parent Advisory Committee members and Student Leaders for all of the time and effort they put into making this our most successful open house event to date. A good time was had by all who attended! Students presented projects from first quarter, people enjoyed dinner from Inches Tacos and desserts from Nothing Bundt Cakes, kids (and teens) had fun creating crafts and painting pumpkins, and raffle winners went home with some fantastic prizes.

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 or would like a retake, make-up pictures/picture retakes will be offered in the community room (140) on Tuesday, November 4th, from 9:30-10:30. Pre-ordering is not required.

On Wednesday, we celebrated our Students of the Month at our Navigation Celebration. Each student was nominated by a staff member for outstanding performance in one or more of our Directions to Success. Students who were recognized are pictured below: (L to R) Jocelyn Gordon, Jay Canada, Ivy Duffy, Olivia Pearson, Asher Needham, Charlotte Turley, Macie Hornstrom, Lillian Schumaier, Zoha Syeda, Hafsa Ansari, and Shannon O'Brien. Congratulations!

Students in the American Experience: Indigenous Peoples seminar examined various children's books to analyze the depictions of Native Americans. The Craft and Culture of Musical Theater seminar enjoyed a visit from Diane McFarlin, Artistic Director for the Kaneland Arts Initiative who has spent over 40 years in the world of theatre as an actor, singer, producer, and director.

• Pathways Night (2 Year, Tech, Trades & Military Post-Secondary Options): Compass Academy- October 29, 2025, 6-8 pm
• Fox Valley Career Center Open House: Fox Valley Career Center- November 6, 5:30-8:00 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

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Since 1948, the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley has awarded over $30 million in scholarships. The Community Foundation offers over 200 plus scholarship opportunities to students who will attend an accredited institution of higher education within the United States of America during the 2025-2026 academic year. The application window will open on November 1, 2025 and will close on January 20, 2026. If you need assistance, please contact Beth Christoffel at 630-896-7800.

The 2025 DuPage County Trade Apprenticeship Expo will be held on Thursday, November 6th, 2025 from 3:30pm – 6:30pm.

This annual event, sponsored by the DuPage County Building & Construction Trades Council and CISCO, offers opportunities to meet with various trade affiliates, their training directors, and instructors to learn more about each individual apprenticeship program.

VENUE: IBEW Local 701 Union Hall

28600 Bella Vista Parkway

Warrenville, IL 60555

REGISTER HERE TODAY!

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.

D303 is hosting a parent-empowerment series featuring Dr. Megan Schmitz of Vital Living Wellness Solutions. The series, titled “Guiding Students from Avoidance to Achievement,” includes three evening events at North High School and is part of D303’s student-attendance initiative.

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.

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.

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