I hope summer has treated you all well. I am confident that the students will all arrive at school on September 3 well-rested and a little bit taller. As I head into my 5th year as Head of School at Urban Academy, what I am most proud of is the sense of community that continues to be the foundation of this school. With that in mind, I look forward to returning students, parents and staff welcoming in our new students and families. On Thursday, we welcomed eight new staff members to UA for orientation. I am very excited for these new staff members to join our team. A big UA welcome to Ms. Sarah Carroll (Grade 2), Ms. Gabriela Valla (Grade 2), Mr. Noah Pascoe (Grade 4), Ms. Lisa Park (Senior School Math), Mr. Danny Craven (Physical & Health Education), Ms. Rhea Lofstrom (Middle School French), and Ms. Tatiana Ferreira (Education Assistant).
The Weekly Update is a key source of information for families, along with the Parent Hub, and regular classroom communications. Please be sure to read through the rest of this update as there is important information within that will help everyone have a great start to the school year.
The first day of school is now combined with our Meet The Teacher event. This is a new format that we believe will allow parents and teachers to begin the process of building rapport and expectations for the year ahead right at the start of the school year. In addition to being the first day of school for students, and Meet the Teacher for parents, we will be hosting our Back to School Celebration as well, with food trucks on the newly paved basketball court next door and an opportunity to connect with other members of the school community.
I know the start of the school year is often filled with equal amounts of excitement and nervousness for everyone. It won’t be long until we are all into the routine of the new school year. Thank you for being a valued member of the UA community. I can’t wait to hear the buzz of energy in the building with the arrival of our UA students on September 3!
Yours in education,
Mr. Slinger
Head of School