Family Bulletin – May 17, 2019
Upcoming Events
Tuesday, May 21 – Capstone Presentations
May 22-24 – Middle School Backpacking Trip
Saturday, June 1 – Spring Gala
Blue Skies Greet Happy Campers
High school students completed Wednesday’s trek to Pine Lake by 1 pm, giving them plenty of time to enjoy lunch, set up camp, explore the lake, and even fish a bit. Although the hike was steep, students took advantage of the moderate pace to practice map-reading skills and native plant identification. On Thursday they hiked to the next campsite at Lizard Lake. Students return this afternoon for a 4 pm pick-up.
We Are Filling Up Fast!
First of all, thanks to all the families who attended Discovery Day last week. Many of the visiting students were sufficiently impressed that we have had a flurry of applications for next year. While such interest is great, it does provide additional evidence that space for next year may be limited. If you know of anyone planning on applying to the school, please encourage them to do so soon, as it is looking increasingly likely that we will be operating at capacity next year. And if you have not yet re-enrolled and intend to do so, please get that paperwork in as soon as possible.
Volunteer Sign-ups for Spring Gala
We need volunteers for our big event! If you haven’t fulfilled your volunteer obligation yet (or even if you have) please take a look at our volunteer shifts list. Needs include set-up on Friday evening, hosting and support the day of the event, and clean-up Sunday morning. There are shifts for both high school students and families. We appreciate all the help we’ve received so far to make this fundraiser a success. Even a little bit of help goes a long way. Thank you. SIGN UP HERE!
Capstone Presentation Day: Come Support Independent Learning and our Graduating Seniors
Explorations Academy is proud to share the culminating work of our six graduating seniors in the class of 2019. These students have been working for the entire year on their independent Capstone projects, and get to share the results of their efforts with the community. Each student will present their accomplishments and learning, followed by a short question period from the audience. All classes will be canceled Tuesday, May 21 for these presentations. Our first panel of three students will begin at 9:30 am and run until noon. Our second panel will begin at 1:00 pm and run until 3:30.
We welcome everyone in the community to celebrate the hard work of our seniors and witness the power of self-directed, experiential learning. We also fully understand that most families cannot take time off in the middle of the day. For those who can join us, please feel free to bring a potluck dish to share during our lunch intermission.
Fundraiser Fast Approaching
Less than a month to go until the Spring Gala, our biggest fundraiser of the year! Our goal is $80,000. This is huge, but imagine what a fully-funded budget could do for technology, arts, lab sciences, and outings at EA. We can achieve this with everyone’s help. Specifically, we need the following:
1. Donate auction items for the live and silent auctions. The more donations we receive, the easier it will be to reach our goal (see suggestions below).
2. Sign up to help with decorating the night before or hosting the night of the event. We will send out a schedule next week with more details about volunteer shifts.
3. Sign up for the dessert dash (see details below).
4. Buy tickets for the event! Bring friends, family, neighbors, and others in your community.
We can’t wait to see you there!
Live and Silent Auction Items
To achieve our goal we need everyone’s help. We will collect items and offers for the auctions through May. You may not think you have anything to contribute, but please read through this list and consider how you can help support EA and our big fundraising event.
-Do you have a cabin or a timeshare somewhere, or know someone who does? Donate a couple of nights or even a week!
-Do you have a skill that you can share? You could bake (dessert a month offer), teach a class (paint and sip), host a family dinner or picnic lunch, or play music for a party.
-Do you have a boat to charter for a day fishing and/or sightseeing?
-Would you offer a few hours of gardening or lawn care?
-Do you know a masseuse, hair stylist, esthetician, designer, personal trainer, or music teacher? Many will offer a gift certificate for services to spread their name to a big pool of potential new clients.
-Do you have extra airline miles for airfare or hotels?
-Do you have season tickets to sports events or the theatre?
-Do you have livestock? Donate fresh meat or produce.
-Are you or someone you know an artist? Prints, jewelry, and homemade decor are always sought after!
-Can you gather items for a gift basket? Popular themes include a beer basket, summer basket, campfire basket, movie basket, car emergency kit, spa basket…so many great ideas out there!
-Are you a carpenter or contractor? Donate a custom outdoor bench or an afternoon of work.
If you have any questions or want to brainstorm some ideas, please call or email anyone on the organizing committee. Larissa, Joy, and Liz would love to discuss possibilities for support and donation.
Larissa: (206) 383-6611
Joy: (360) 333-2386
Liz: (206) 384-0771
Registration for Summer Classes Opens Soon
Explorations Academy will once again offer a catalog of courses over the summer for students in both middle and high schools. These courses are intensive-learning classes, meaning students can fulfill a full term’s worth of credit in under two weeks. We are currently putting together our offerings, but two classes have been confirmed so far. Both classes earn students high school credit.
**Print-making: Relief, Intaglio, and Stencil prints
M-F July 22-29 9:00-4:30, plus a half day July 30
**Creative Writing: Flash Fiction, Flash Memoir, Prose Poetry
M-F August 12-18, 9:00-4:30, plus a half day August 19
Stay tuned for more information about these specific classes and other offerings as we finalize details.
Host Families Needed for International Students
Explorations Academy has admitted our first international student for next year, from China. While he has family in the area, all parties agree that a host family would be ideal for him so that he can learn English and American culture through immersion. If you are interested in hosting this student or another international student as necessary, please be in touch with Bacchus.
Leave a Reply