Family Bulletin
June 5, 2020
Upcoming Events
June 4-12 – Open Work Time for Students
Friday, June 12 – Self-Assessments Due
Photos From the Year
Thank you for joining us for our Virtual Term End and Dine-in event! The cluster videos were the highlight, of course, but it was also wonderful to watch the slideshow of our best moments from the past year. If you missed it (or are feeling nostalgic) here are a few photos from our best-of files. You can also watch the full term end video through our website link below.
Term End video
Teacher Availability Next Week
All staff will be working together on end-of-year planning and wrap-up in the mornings next week, June 8-12. However, we plan to be free in the afternoons for student or parent meetings as needed. We will offer plenty of feedback for students as they develop their self-assessment responses. Expect direct communication from your child’s advisor about their progress and completion of self-assessments. All self-assessments are due Friday, June 12.
Yearbook is Live Online
The yearbook team has worked hard to compile our photos, videos, and memories into a “book” that reflects our unusual times. This format is interactive, so feel free to leave comments and responses on the pages. Enjoy, and happy browsing.
EA 2019-2020 Yearbook
Teacher and Class Evaluations
Students are encouraged to fill out an evaluation for each teacher and class that they took this term, including electives and PE. The completed forms can be returned to Bacchus. Thank you so much for taking the time to fill these out. Each response helps us improve for next year and years to come.
Teacher Evaluations
Summer Reading Challenge
Since we are not able to offer the Final Expedition this year, we are giving students the final week of school to work independently on the Summer Reading Challenge. Teachers have listed several books that were formative reading experiences or that they think are particularly well suited for these strange times. We ask that each student read at least one book from the list over this week. Almost all books are available in electronic format from Bellingham Public Library. For those who prefer physical copies, Village Books, a long time supporter of EA, is offering both curbside pickup and delivery. Teachers are looking forward to discussing these books with interested students over the summer. The student who reads the most books from this list (honor system) over the summer will receive a $50 gift card for Village Books.
Summer Reading Challenge book list
Please Clean Out Your Lockers
For the majority of this term, the most commonly voiced desire within our community has been a return to normalcy. The murder of George Floyd is a stark reminder that the last thing we need is a return to the status quo. Normal has been built on systemic violence and oppression. It has been built on vested interests determined to maintain that oppression.
Today we stand in solidarity with those demanding justice and those insisting that we examine our history of racism, bigotry, and xenophobia.
Freddy Gray, Amadou Diallo, William Chapman II, Sam Dubose, Philando Castile, Terence Crutcher, Alton Sterling, Jamar Clark, Jeremy McDole, Walter Scott, Eric Harris, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and far too many others mattered, but not in the eyes of the law. Today, I ask you to join me and the rest of the Explorations Academy team in stating unequivocally that Black Lives Matter.
We recognize the power that comes from standing up to demand justice and seeing so many others do the same across the world blasted on social media, but we also know that it will take more than social media to arrive at social justice. Personally, I have increased my reading of books connected to better understanding the Black experience in America and the role that I can play in promoting equality. The most powerful book that I have read recently is Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and I just ordered White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin DiAngelo. The staff and I will be updating the reading list on the Summer Reading Challenge throughout the summer as we all dive into additional books on the topic.
In solidarity,
Bacchus and the Explorations Academy Team
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