March Newsletter

Dear Academy Families,

As we move into the final marking period, I want to take a moment to thank you for your continued support and partnership. Please take a moment to read some Academy highlights from the month of March and be sure make a note of the important dates for upcoming holidays, Keystone and PSSA testing, and other various school activities.

Respectfully,

The Academy Staff

Congratulations to all of our seniors who received their CPR Certifications through the BCCC In-School Youth Program!

Our Academy students helped to spread some joy this month by painting and delivering some garden rocks to all the staff in the District Service Center. Both students and staff were delighted by the smiles and joy this activity brought, as well as the praise they received for their creativity and artistic ability!

On Monday, March 24th, the Bucks County WOW bus came to The Academy. Our juniors and seniors had the opportunity to hear a presentation and receive information and support for resume creation and job search assistance. Our students did a wonderful job with this and asked some great questions!

The Bucks County Out of School Youth Program (OSY) visited the Academy and presented to our seniors this month. OSY is a grant-funded program that can provide our graduating seniors with career training, paid internships and job placement. OSY will support enrollment and completion of any post high school program that is non-college accredited. This includes all hands-on trades programs ranging from metal working, construction, electrical, automotive, culinary, cosmetology, dental assisting, pharmacy tech, EMT certification, construction trades, and many others. In many cases, programs are fully funded and include a stipend upon completion. Transportation assistance is available as well as reimbursement for school related supplies students may need to purchase. If a student is uncertain about what they might like to study, there is a career counseling and advisement available as well. To become part of this program, all a student needs to do is apply. Call or text (267) 225-2851 or email HSEandWorkforce@bucks.edu for more information.

The Academy Student of the Month Program aims to celebrate the individual achievements and contributions of our Academy students. Students are nominated by our Academy staff for exhibiting the attributes of our four expectation categories on a daily basis: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Present and Be a Community. We are very proud of our selected students!

Important Dates:

Senior Portfolios and Presentations are due at the end of March.

Tuesday, May 27- Cap and Gown Pick Up (at The Academy)

Tuesday, May 27-- Senior Strut (be sure to notify Mrs. Conroy or Mr. Scappaticci if you want to participate)

Tuesday, May 27- Senior Parade

Friday, May 30- TAQ Senior Picnic (at The Academy during session)

Monday June 2- Senior Picnic (at Quakertown High School)

Tuesday, June 3- Commencement Practice (at Quakertown High School)

• **Must attend to participate in graduation ceremony.

Wednesday, June 4- Commencement

Thursday, June 5- Diploma Pick Up (at The Academy)

Requirements:

Please remember that seat time is a requirement for passing and earning credits in each class.

Also, seniors must be in attendance at least 85% of the required school days in order to participate in the graduation ceremony.

Additionally, all dues must be paid before graduates will receive their diploma.

Keystone Graduation Requirements and PA Act 158:

The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires that graduating seniors either pass all three Keystone tests, or meet an alternative pathway to graduation through PA Act 158. If a student has not demonstrated proficiency by passing all three keystones, they have several other options.

• Sometimes a student's keystone scores are not all passing, but the total of all three meets a minimum cut-off score. This pathway is called the Keystone Composite Pathway.
• Students who have attended tech school, and passed industry certifications while at tech will meet the Career and Technological Education Pathway, also known as the CTE Pathway.
• The Alternative Assessment Pathway is used when a student has achieved a high enough score on a different national standardized test, such as PSAT, SAT, ACT, or the ASVAB exam.
• Finally, the Evidence Based Pathway provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate proficiency by either acceptance into a four-year college after high school, or acceptance into a two-year college and completion of two service projects.

Rest assured, we are tracking all of our senior's graduation eligibility here at The Academy. We have two ongoing community service projects (Random Acts of Kindness and Academy Cleanup) for students who need to complete the Evidence Based pathway, and will also help them apply to and get accepted into a two year college.

For more information about ACT 158, please reference THIS HANDOUT from the Educational Law Center.

If you are wondering about your child's specific pathway options and requirements, feel free to reach out to us at any time!

Bucks County Community College In-School Youth Program

This semester, 9 of our seniors are participating in Bucks County Community College's In-School Youth Workforce Development Program. Once a week, a team of instructors from the college come to TAQ to lead our students through various certifications that will enhance both their resumes and post-high school employment opportunities. In this class, students will become OSHA certified, study CPR and First Aid, learn interview skills and develop a professional resume. Bucks County Community College also offers support, training and guidance to graduates through their Out of School Youth Workforce Development Program. For more information on these opportunities, view THIS link.

Class Rings:

Packets are available if students are interested in ordering a class ring. Also, information can be found online at www.jostens.com or email judy.office@jostens.com

Cap and Gown:

Cap and gowns can be ordered online on the Josten's Website (this link is just for the cap, gown and tassel). All packages can be found on the Josten's Website (all packages).

Yearbook:

Yearbooks can be ordered using the following link:

Yearbook Link

Please note:

This month for Project Based Learning, students made electromagnetic motors and manipulated variables to determine how motor speed is affected. For math, students showed off their basketball skills to acquire data points. These data points were used to deepen our understanding of measures of central tendency. For social studies, students looked at various urban legends to understand how folklore is influenced by different cultures. In English, students created their own stories through "Corpus Exquitus." "Corpus Exquitus" is a collaborative art-making technique where participants sequentially contribute to a writing piece, unseen by the previous contributor, resulting in a unique and often unexpected collective creation.

Students took a deeper dive into RIASEC and career language integration in SEL group. RIASEC stands for the following categories:

Realistic

Investigative

Artistic

Social

Enterprising

Conventional

Students identified their letters and researched various careers based on their individual interests. Their research included salaries, career outlook potential, education/training, and specific jobs.

RIASEC is an acronym that stands for six dimensions: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional. It is also referred to as John Holland's Six Occupational Types of Personality.

Our Academy students explored their top 3 career dimensions and potential careers affiliated with those preferences. We will continue to explore this topic with our students throughout the school year.

4/18/25- No School- Holiday Break

4/21/25- No School for students

4/26/25- Senior Prom

4/22, 23 and 25- ELA PSSA's

4/28th and 29th- Math PSSA's

4/30 and 5/1- Science PSSA's (8th graders only)

5/1/25- Job Fair @ QCHS 11am- 3pm

5/3/25- Junior Prom

5/12/25 & 5/13/25- Biology Keystone

5/14/25 & 5/15/25- Literature Keystone

5/20/25- No School for students

5/21/25 & 5/22/25- Algebra Keystone

5/26/25- No School- Holiday

6/6/25- Last Day of School

Be Respectful- Be Responsible- Be Present- Be A Community

Goal of the Month: Be Respectful: Use respectful language to staff and peers!

PBIS Student Leadership Group: The purpose of the student committee is to encourage student involvement and ownership of our PBIS program.

Having a problem with your student?

To request a meeting with The Academy Team, use the links below:

English Link

Spanish Link

This month we continued to work on Pathways.

All students, seniors and underclassman, are continuing to complete their Career Ready requirements. Juniors are required to complete at least 8 Reflections in Career Ready by the end of March.

Seniors are continuing to work on their graduation portfolios. Portfolios and presentations are due by the end of March.

Need Volunteer Ideas?

Below are a few examples of different volunteer ideas if students are in need of volunteer hours.

- rake leaves/lawn care for neighbors or elderly

- collect and/or donate food items to food pantry, pet items to pet shelters, etc.

- donate clothing and shoes to thrift store

- volunteer at a local animal shelter

- volunteer at public library

- write cards for children at hospital, elderly at nursing homes, send them

Reach out to a staff member if you have any questions.

Recently, School Gate Guardian, the same visitor management system used throughout our buildings, has been implemented at the District Office. This system supports our ongoing commitment to consistency across all facilities and strengthens the safety and security of our staff, students, and visitors.

Effective immediately:

• All visitors to The Academy are now required to enter through the main entrance of the DSC rather than the side entrance of The Academy.

• All visitors will now be required to have their ID scanned
  
  
• Once scanned, visitors will receive a badge that must be worn visibly during their visit. This badge will help staff quickly identify visitors and ensure that all visitors in our facilities have been properly screened. Visitors are required to return the badge before leaving the building.
  
  
• Additionally, the system will keep a record of all visitors to the District Office, the Academy, and ASPIRE, further enhancing our safety protocols.

Please note that all visitors are required to follow this ID scanning procedure. Thank you.

Please check out employment opportunities at QCSD.