And then it happened. The summer came to an end and school started.
Compass Academy in Mount Carmel, the first Alternative Education site for JusticeWorks YouthCare, started on Tuesday, September fourth, with fourteen students.
The first day of school started with breakfast and a review of the new check-in procedure. Breakfast and lunch are being provided by the Shamokin School District. Shamokin has arranged for students to receive the meals free of charge through the free and reduced lunch program.
Students were then split into two teams, the Green Team and the Gold Team. Each team spent the day together. Throughout the day, students reviewed the student handbook and engaged in various ice-breakers and team building exercises. Wednesday proceeded much like Tuesday with the emphasis being placed on program expectations. After completing a review of the program expectations, everyone took a student handbook certification. Students need to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the academy rules and the program expectations before they can move onto the academic schedule. Students also met with our new counselor.
Parents interested in reading the student handbook or reviewing the expectations can find them in the file share in Jupiter Ed. (If you haven't had the opportunity to log onto Jupiter Ed., please contact the academy and we will send you directions on how to log in. A convenient link to the Student/Parent portal is on the left-hand column of this site.)
Placement testing started on Thursday. As students completed testing, the free time allowed for a little bit of classroom creativity. Some of the students posed for silly pictures. After the pictures were printed, the students cut their images from the photo and placed them on the wall in Mr. Eck's room.
Nate K., along with Joey D. and Brandon S., recreated an iconic image from the Sistine Chapel (
Michelangelo's "The Creation of Adam").
Friday was the first official day of academics. Math, English, Science, and Social Studies all had their official start. Both groups joined together in the afternoon for lunch and kickball.
We are off to a fantastic start. The staff and students had a great first week and look forward to a safe and productive school year.
