University School Weekly Update

University School will be administering state-mandated TCAP Achievement Assessments to students in grades 3-8 and those enrolled in high school subjects with End of Course exams beginning on Monday, April 13, 2026 and ending Monday, April 27, 2026. Students in Grades 6-12 will need their charged, school issued Chromebook and charging cord.

TCAPs (Grades 3-5 Paper Based/Grades 6-8 Computer Based)

• April 13: Grades 3-8 ELA Subpart I

• April 14: Grades 3-8 ELA Subparts II and III

• April 15: K-6 attend in person/7-12 remote learning day (see info below)

• April 16: Grades 3-8 ELA Subpart IV and Math Subpart I

• April 20: Grades 3-8 Math Subparts II-III

• April 21: Grades 3-8 Science

• April 22: Grades 6-8 Social Studies

• April 23: K-6 attend in person/7-12 remote learning day (see info below)

EOCs (Grades 9-12 - Computer Based)

• April 15: English I & II (Grade 7-12 remote learning day/tested students required to attend in person)

• April 22: SAILS/SDC Statistics Challenge Exams

• April 23: Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II (Grade 7-12 remote learning day/tested students required to attend in person)

• April 24: Biology and U.S. History

• April 27: Double Math EOC (teachers will share info with students enrolled in 2 math courses)

Remote Learning Days

April 15th and 23rd will be remote learning days for students in grades 7-12. Students in grades K-6 and any student scheduled to take an EOC are required to attend school on campus from 8:00 - 3:00. Assignments and remote learning expectations will be communicated by your child’s teacher.

Preparing for Test Day

Federal and State Law states that every student be administered the same State Board approved standardized tests required of public school students in accordance with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 and T.C.A. § 49-1-602 pertaining to district and school accountability.

The TCAP assessment is a fully aligned assessment that captures the depth and breadth of what students are learning--and have been learning--in the classroom every day. The information from this year’s assessment will provide educators, parents, and students with a perspective on how students are progressing academically compared to their peers across Tennessee, and better information about a student’s strengths, needs, and areas for growth.

Parent request days will not be approved during state testing. Please do not schedule appointments or early dismissals on testing days. Students cannot be released from the testing room once testing has started.

You can encourage your child to do well on the tests and help them at home by doing the following:

• Discuss the tests with your child and send them to school with words of encouragement.

• Make sure your child goes to bed early and gets plenty of rest.

• Make sure your child eats a good breakfast.

• Arrive at school on time.

Optional Requested Time

Chapter 978 of the Public Acts of 2022 (PC978), codified at Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-6015, allows for TCAPs to be administered in a timed format with an additional “Optional Time” period (known as Requested Time). University School has decided to implement a schedule that includes time for any student to make a request for “Optional Time”. The amount of extra time will vary and is calculated as an additional 20% of the testing time per subtest. Students are not required to use the optional time, however they will remain in the testing room until dismissed.

Prohibited Devices During Testing

Students are NOT PERMITTED to possess or access any electronic devices while in the testing room. If a student accesses any of these devices during testing, the student's test results in that content area may be invalidated and a score of 0 entered in PowerSchool. Additional disciplinary action may also be taken.

Examples of prohibited devices include cell phones, Air Pods, smart watches, smart/Meta glasses, etc.

Where to find additional resources

Access the University School website for more information. Testing dates and other information may be found by selecting Testing Schedule under the Parents Tab. Information regarding TCAP/EOC Assessments can be located on the Tennessee Department of Education website.

Parents and students are encouraged to contact Dr. Campbell (campbellhe@etsu.edu) with any questions.

All juniors will take the ACT on Tuesday, March 31st. This is mandatory for all students in Tennessee. Testing will begin at 8:00 am and students should report directly to their testing location. Room assignments will be shared with students on the Canvas Counseling course for their grade level. Please contact Dr. Campbell (campbellhe@etsu.edu) if you have any questions.

Students will need to bring the following items on test day.

• CHARGED, School Issued Chromebook and Charger (See Mr. Moore on Monday if you have any device issues)

• ACT Approved Calculator (https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/ACT-calculator-policy.pdf)

All electronic devices and backpacks must be stored in lockers or student vehicles. These items will not be allowed in the testing rooms. Examples of prohibited items are cell phones, Air Pods, smart glasses, and smart watches.

University School policies regarding electronic devices and cell phones will apply during testing.

MyACT Non-Test Information - All juniors received an email before break from Dr. Campbell with information on how to set up their MyACT account and enter their student code for access to online score reports.

Practice Tests
Paper - https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/secured/documents/Preparing-for-the-ACT.pdf
Online - https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/ACT-Test-Prep-Practice-Test-User-Guide.pdf


Schedule after Testing - Students will resume their normal class schedule after testing is finished.

Please review the Spring State Testing Schedule for our school below; we ask that you please avoid scheduling any conflicting appointments on the day your child(rent) are scheduled to test.

Individual student score reports from the third quarter benchmarks will be sent home with students on Monday, March 30th. Students will receive a score report for each tested subject. These reports contain projected achievement levels for the spring TCAP/EOC tests as well as information regarding how students performed on test domains/assessed standards. Parents and guardians are encouraged to discuss the reports with their children. Should you have questions regarding your child’s performance, please reach out to their teacher for additional information.

"PICKIN' in the SCHOOL-YARD" (April 11th, 10-2), our annual JAM fundraiser, is in 2 weeks! Please come celebrate and support traditional arts in our school and community (rain or shine)!

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS! Please sign up now to help in some way:

https://signup.com/go/kyTQHMR

VENDOR Sign up (parent/student/community members) by 4/1:

https://forms.gle/6axm4u1yzTW4piEUA

Music Schedule:
10-10:35 State of Franklin (outside)
10:40-11:00 Elementary School students (gym)
11-11:35 Ambassadors (outside)
11:40-12 MS/HS Chorus (gym)
12-1 Junior Appalachian Musicians Showcase (outside)
1-1:40 ETSU Ramblers (outside)

K-8 Art will be shared and on display and vendors will be available for purchase.

Note: This year JAM students will have the opportunity to also participate in the ETSU String Summit (at no cost). There will be opportunities Thurs-Sat to attend (more info will be sent home to parents directly). An additional Summit workshop, held by resident artist, Missy Raines, will be provided for our JAM students during "Pickin in the School-Yard".

"Pickin in the School-Yard" is a collaboration between: JAM of Upper East Tennessee (serving 4-12 students from University School, Sullivan County, and Johnson City); University School students; and ETSU Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Studies.

To know more about JAM, make a donation to our 501c3 nonprofit, or for questions/more information, please contact Kim Greenland at allisonk@etsu.edu.

Hey K-8 Parents!

We are gearing up for our annual Spring Auction, and we need your help. Every year some of our most anticipated and hotly contested items are our classroom baskets. We're super excited about the themes this year, but we need your help to make them amazing!

Each grade has a unique theme, and we're asking every parent to contribute one item to their child's basket. You can donate any item you wish within the theme, or to make it even easier, our awesome volunteers have created Amazon wish lists for each basket. We are still in need of donations for our classroom baskets so if you haven’t already done so, please donate today!

Check them out:

K Squishmallow Basket:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/JVL6PH14QW7K?ref_=wl_share

1st Grade Gardening Basket:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1409IEIMPIXGI?ref_=list_d_wl_lfu_nav_3

2nd Grade Maker Space Basket:

2nd Grade Maker Space Basket

3rd Grade Mario Galaxy Basket:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/EPQQEZYW8RU4?ref_=wl_share

4th Grade Ice Cream Basket:

4th Grade Ice Cream Basket Link

5th Grade Shop Local Basket:

See flyer and pick up items from your favorite local businesses!

5th Grade Lego Basket:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2CTCTN4HYHBCD?ref_=wl_share

6th Grade Fire Pit Basket:

6th Grade Fire Pit Basket

6th Grade Exercise Basket:

6th Grade Exercise Basket

7th Grade Teen Spa Basket:

7th Grade Spa Basket Link

7th Grade Middle School Drip Basket:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3T4R2L8ERQFX?ref_=wl_share

8th Grade Family Movie Night Basket:

8th Grade Family Movie Night Basket

8th Grade Mom Spa Day Basket:

8th Grade Mom's Spa Day Basket

Flyers for each basket are also included.

Your contributions will help make these baskets a hit and support our school community. Let's make this auction unforgettable!

Thanks for your generosity and participation!

University School is proud to announce that Mrs. Doran's 2nd grade class has been crowned Tennessee State Reading Champions. This championship resulted from reading the most minutes per team over four weeks during READBowl IX: The World Championship of Reading, a global reading competition put on by Read With Malcolm, the Youth Literacy Initiative of NFL Super Bowl Champion and children's book author Malcolm Mitchell. Mrs. Doran's class read 56,312 minutes over the four-week event.

The seventh annual competition was held from January 12 through this past Super Bowl Sunday.

"Winning a state championship is always prestigious," said Mitchell. "However this year is especially notable, as there were more than one million students, from all 50 states and 19 countries on the reading field for the big game this year. I am so proud of every student who competed and congratulate our state and national champions. Training for READBowl X begins now."

Overall, students from across the globe read for more than 800 million minutes during READBowl IX. Mitchell, who struggled to read through school and into college, has made it his mission to reach kids and help them read to a better future.

The Math Olympiad season has concluded, thus we will no longer meet on Wednesday mornings. We will have a celebratory meeting later in the spring when contest results are released.

Morning Mile will start back Tuesday and Thursdays 7:30 – 7:50 AM.

Meet at the side track

Team 2536H, led by Marcus Snyder, had already qualified for the Tennessee State VEX Robotics
Championship by earning a top Skills ranking at the Last Chance to Advance competition in Morristown, Tennessee. The Happy Valley: VEX V5 Robotics Competition – We’ve BOT This Tournament on Saturday, February 28, then became the final opportunity for University School’s other two teams to earn their bids to State. Team 2536S, led by Fisher and Marten Wallace, competed exceptionally well and climbed as high as 3rd in match rankings before a semifinal loss ended their path through match play. On the Skills field, Peter Fagerburg, captain of Team 2536A, made a clutch, high-risk decision that paid off, pushing his team high enough in the state rankings to secure a State bid, confirmed Sunday night. Team 2536S still had one final chance through its Skills score, and after an anxious wait, Head Coaches Nicole Havert and Carter McVeigh received the long-awaited email at 9:00 p.m. confirming that Team 2536S had also earned a bid to State.

Before this year, University School had never qualified a robotics team for the Tennessee State VEX Robotics Championship. This season, the program made school history not only by earning its first State qualification, but also by qualifying all three licensed teams for State. This remarkable achievement reflected the hard work of the students, the support of families, and the commitment and leadership of Head Coaches Nicole Havert and Carter McVeigh throughout the season. We were incredibly thankful to the parents and everyone who helped make the season possible. The State tournament was held in Clarksville, Tennessee, on March 13 and 14, and our teams were excited as they headed there on Thursday, March 12, ready to continue their historic season.

Congratulations to Sophie Evans on her recent participation in a school performance of The First and Last Town in Tennessee, an original play commissioned for the 250th anniversary of the United States. The play was supported by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial (TN250).

Applied STEM foundation is a 3-week experiential program that covers various academic majors such as computing, digital media, engineering, and biology. The program is mainly for high school students interested in a STEM major but mature 8th graders are encouraged to attend. The program emphasizes exposure to technological concepts, idea development, and skills that support success within a STEM major using an experiential model. Students will also work with ROTC and complete fun challenges. The opportunity to earn college credit and scholarships may be available. Summer 2026 will have two tracks that students can select from.

• Track 1 -covers, Computing, Digital Media, Engineering, and other STEM concepts.

• Track 2 - covers Biology, Dental Hygiene, Radiologic Science, Environmental Health and Technology

Enrollment is now open.

Enrollment Link: https://www.etsu.edu/coe/summer-camp/applied-stem/

Cost: $75 which includes lunch

Dates: June 1-19 8:30 am – 3:30pm.

Any student interested in taking classes at one of the TCAT locations during the 26/27 school year should complete the Google form below. If you have any questions regarding potential classes or regarding the form, please contact Destiny McRee.

https://forms.gle/pq5TNvfFy4Gbe6NDA

Welcome to Ren Camp! We're celebrating our 24th year! Here, your campers can dive into exciting, hands-on STEAM adventures each day, exploring science, technology, engineering, art, and math in fun and meaningful ways.

What's New This Year?

• Two field trips per week (except during our two Kitchistry weeks)
• We're now offering a Drama Camp with an end of the week performance
• Bigger and better end-of-week parties
• Kitchistry now expanded into two full weeks for even more time in the kitchen
• Some new field trips that we've never been on!
• Meet real scientists, artists, and creators through special guest visits and live demos.

Ren Camp's mission is to foster a sense of belonging where teamwork and creativity thrive through engaging, hands-on experiences that empower campers to learn, connect, and grow.

Camp Themes:

• Week 1 - Mythical Creatures Academy- June 1- 5
• Week 2 - Robo World - June 8 - 12
• Week 3 - Kitchistry & Lights, Camera, Action - June 15 - 19
• Week 4 - Once Upon a Fairytale & Kitchistry - June 22 - 26
• Week 5 - Treasure Planet (Space Pirates) - July 6 - 10
• Week 6 - Survivor - July 13 - 17
• Week 7 - Rhythm Around the World - July 20 - 24
• Week 8 - Time Travelers - July 27 - 31

If you have any questions, please call: (423) 439 - 8084 or email: Browderkn@etsu.edu

A one-week Art & Museum Teen Camp for 7th graders and up, Mosaic Mountain: Materials of Collaboration, will be in session June 1-5. Campers will create multiple artworks to be exhibited in one of the Reece Museum's three galleries. Collaborating with local artist Amanda Renfrow and museum staff, campers will work together to create individual works of art through collaborative group projects exploring different media. Projects will include wheat paste collage, contact paper window collage, and a large-scale wind-chime mobile. The exhibition will open to the public at the end of the camp and remain on display through September 4. Students will be able to take their work home at the end of the exhibition.

For more information: 2026 Teen Art Camp - 262-9005A-9

• Do you want to be a leader?
• Do you want to shape the future of our nation?
• Do you want to preserve the freedoms we all hold dear?
• Do you want to learn how to become a contributing citizen?
• Do you want to better your community, your nation, and society as a whole?

You can do all of this and more at Tennessee American Legion Boys State, a training
ground for the leaders of tomorrow. This five-day gathering — made up of counselors
and 600 young men representing every county in Tennessee — is designed to offer
hands-on experience in the problems of government.

To accomplish this, participants are tasked with putting into practice the theories of government
through actual participation in city, county, and state governments organized as a “Mythical 51st State,” complete with political parties, an election, and the establishment of judicial, legislative,
and executive branches of government.

If interested, please contact Destiny McRee at mcreed@etsu.edu or 423-439-5925.

Any parent interested in participating in voluntary a research study being conducted by Dr. Wallace Dixon from the ETSU Department of Psychology, please review the information below:

Registration for both Goodwill Day Tennessee and Goodwill Day Virginia closes at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31. Volunteer registrations for our Abingdon, Bristol, and Richlands, Virginia, locations have reached capacity, so volunteer slots for those locations have already closed. Our Chilhowie and Wise locations still have volunteer slots available for April 12. Chilhowie has nine open slots, while Wise has four.

On the Tennessee side, all five locations still have volunteer slots open for April 26. Bristol has three, Elizabethton has nine, Greeneville has nine, Johnson City has three, and Kingsport has six.

Goodwill Days are designed to help high school and college students meet financial aid, scholarship, course, work ethic, graduation, college/work application, or résumé requirements for community service. Students in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia who are age 16 plus can earn one to eight hours of community service on either April 12 at our available Virginia stores or on April 26 at our available Tennessee stores. The deadline to register is the same for either state option: Tuesday, March 31 by 7:00 p.m.

The registration form is available at https://www.goodwilltnva.org/goodwill-days/ or students can scan the QR code on the attached flyer to access the registration form.

Goodwill Day Virginia and Goodwill Day Tennessee are components of Goodwill’s Service-Learning Partnerships program. Service-learning opportunities are listed at www.goodwilltnva.org/service-learning-partnerships.

For more information on Volunteer Services at Goodwill, please visit www.goodwilltnva.org/volunteer-services.

Thank you so much for your continued support of Goodwill Tenneva!

GattonRx Summer Camp
The annual GattonRx Summer Camp will be held June 1-5. The overnight camp is open to high school juniors and seniors interested in learning more about the pharmacy profession. The event will include lots of hands-on activities; opportunities to learn directly from students, faculty and practicing pharmacists about the profession; campus tours; and fun with peers.

An online application for the camp is required. If accepted, the residential camp fee is $400 for a double-occupancy room and $500 for a single-occupancy room. Financial assistance is available to those who qualify.

Register at etsu.edu/pharmacycamp.

If you would like additional information, please contact Destiny McRee.
(423) 439-5925
mcreed@etsu.edu

The United States Military Academy at West Point is excited to offer your rising seniors (current juniors) the Summer Leaders Experience (SLE)—a rigorous five-day, overnight immersion led entirely by current West Point cadets.

SLE offers an authentic look at cadet life and challenges students academically, militarily, physically, and socially. Participants will experience:

Hands-on academic workshops:

• Choose from 17 sessions taught by West Point faculty.
• Physical and military training: Army PT workouts, obstacle courses (indoor and outdoor), the Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA), and more.
• Leadership and character development: Team-building exercises, the Leader Reaction Course, ethics discussions, and cadet-led activities.

Students can choose between three SLE sessions:

• Session 1: May 30 – June 3

• Session 2: June 5 – June 9

• Session 3: June 11 – June 1

West Point provides scholarships to cover the $495 SLE fee and travel expenses for students with documented financial need.

Any junior interested in this opportunity should contact Destiny McRee as soon as possible.
(423) 439-5925
mcreed@etsu.edu

Visit jcpl.org/events to find more upcoming events.

March

29 - HS Boys Soccer (Gatlinburg Tournament - Game 3)

30 - GOTR/ Heart and Soul Practice

30 - HS Baseball @ Cloudland

30 - HS Softball @ Rye Cove

30 - MS Softball @ Boones Creek

31 - Tennis VS. North Greene (HOME)

31 - HS Baseball VS Cloudland (HOME at Milligan)

31 - MS Boys Soccer VS. Indian Trail (HOME)

31 - HS Boys Soccer @ Cumberland Gap

31 - HS Softball VS Cherokee (HOME)

April

1 - Math Help Club

1 - Chess Club

2 - GOTR/ Heart and Soul Practice

2 - Tennis @ Chuckey Doak HS

2 - HS Baseball VS Providence (HOME at Thomas)

2 - MS Softball @ Sulphur Springs

2 - HS Softball VS Rye Cove VA (HOME)

3 - No School for Students & Staff

3 - HS Baseball @ Unaka

4 - Track @ Tri-Cities Classic (Science Hill)

Email: UNIVERSITYSCHOOL@etsu.edu
Website: www.etsu.edu/uschool/
Location: 68 Martha Culp Dr. Johnson City, TN, 37614
Phone: (423)439-4271
Facebook: facebook.com/uschool1911
Twitter: @USBucs