April 21, 2020
Dear Academy at the Lakes Community:
This past weekend Governor DeSantis announced that Florida’s public schools will remain in virtual mode for the rest of this school year. After careful consideration, we have determined that Academy at the Lakes will follow these same protective measures and will continue our E-Learning delivery for the remainder of the second semester. Specifically:
- E-Learning will continue through the scheduled last day of classes for the year (May 22).
- There will be no final examinations for Middle and Upper Division students.
• Semester 2 grades will be determined by an average of Marking Periods 3 and 4. - You can expect to hear from the Division Directors regarding plans for the return of belongings from lockers and classrooms, the distribution of yearbooks, and other logistical matters.
Further, we are highly focused on making sure that we appropriately honor the work and the status of our wonderful Seniors, the Class of 2020. Mr. Sullivan has been communicating directly with them, and, together, we believe we will reach solutions that appropriately honor and celebrate this unique class and this unique set of circumstances. Please stay tuned.
We are also planning our Summer Programs:
- Upper Division classes (for credit) will continue to be offered in their hybrid or E-Learning format beginning (as scheduled) on Monday, June 1.
- Summer School opportunities for Middle and Lower Division students and Summer Camp programs are being drawn up, assessed, and re-drawn based on planning for the different scenarios that may be in front of us throughout the summer. We will announce the schedule for the first two weeks of June on Monday, May 11.
- We plan to send out a summer interests survey, also in May.
This spring, you showed your confidence in and satisfaction with our school by setting a re-enrollment record! Though the virus has slowed enrollment of new students during the last few weeks, it has not slowed our facility enhancement plans. I’ll share more details as we move toward the summer. You can truly help our school secure an ever-brighter future by referring families you know who may be less satisfied with their current school’s performance. Please reach out to Sue Gunther in Admissions (sgunther@academyatthelakes.org) if you are interested in learning more about our referral program.
I am most grateful to all of our teachers and staff, all of our students, and all of our families for coming together as we have to provide an exceptional experience for our community in these exceptional times. What powerful lessons our students are learning! I know we will emerge from this with greater knowledge, appreciation, and wisdom.
I will be back in touch soon with more bigger-picture thoughts, but wanted to be sure to share this logistical information with you as soon as I could.
Thank you very much for being part of our community. Stay safe and physically distant, but not socially distant!
Sincerely,
Mark Heller
Head of School