Saturday, May 15 will be the Senior Spring Celebration picnic party at the Woodland Park Zoo! The Class of 2021 will be able to safely explore the zoo, hang out on the North Meadow Lawn, play lawn games and most importantly, be with each other - all dressed up! We're very excited to partner with the Woodland Park Zoo team to make this event a memorable one for all seniors!
Registration & RSVP is required to attend the event. Please click the button below and register before May 10, 2021. Thank you!
Can we bring a guest? For this event, unfortunately, we are not allowing guests because of COVID protocols and contact tracing requirements. It is only for the Class of 2021.
Will food be served based at the event? Yes, we are providing all seniors with individual picnic boxes (with your choice of protein on the registration form). There will also be snacks throughout the evening (again, individually packaged for safety).
Will masking required when not eating?Yes, masks will be required at all times unless eating or drinking. There will also be assigned eating areas, so when seniors have to take their masks off for eating, there will be a limited number of students around and we can do contact tracing if needed.
Will there be entertainment, or just an opportunity to hang out? Yes, we will have a DJ, lawn games (sanitized in between uses) and Woodland Park Zoo will host animal experiences for the students on the lawn. Students are welcome to hang out if they prefer.
Is there a cost to attend? There is no cost to attend.
What should we wear to the event? The event is formal or "Black Tie" attire. There have been chats about gowns & flats, tuxedos & tennis shoes - but while the term "Black Tie" is officially noted on the invite, tuxedos are not required and suits are fine to wear! We just want to remind the students that they'll be on the main North Lawn (where the concerts are typically held) with picnic tables and blankets - and to be comfortable if they want to walk around the zoo to see the animals.
Please email Madeline if you have any specific questions in the mean time!
We are also excited to let you know of a new trip opportunity for seniors this May. While we know this trip will not fully replace the experience of the Yukon, the purpose of the trip is the same; a time to celebrate, reflect, engage in fun activities, and spend time together.
We will be traveling to Cascade Meadows Camp located between Stevens Pass and Leavenworth. Seniors will have two dates to choose from: May 20-22 OR May 22-24. There is no cost for this trip.
Please plan accordingly with your senior project supervisor and your teachers as this trip will likely interfere with your senior project and/or classes.
Date Options
Session 1: May 20-22
Session 2: May 22-24
Timing for both sessions:
Depart SAAS at 9:00AM
Return to SAAS by 4:00PM
Transportation:
SAAS will provide bus service to and from the camp, following COVID protocols (socially distanced, windows down, etc). Students will not be allowed to transport themselves. If you participate in a sport during season 3, we will offer alternative travel options to try and help limit the competitions you might miss. These travel options will be communicated after spring break.
Safety:
All school COVID safety protocols will be followed; social distancing, face masks (must be worn at all times unless eating or sleeping), daily COVID pre-check attestations and temperature checks will be taken each day. If you are feeling ill or experiencing COVID like symptoms, we ask that you stay home.
Accommodations:
You should plan to be outdoors for the three days of your session - rain or shine! There is an indoor bathroom. (No showers) You will be sleeping under tarp shelters with 8 students per shelter (sleeping distanced and head-to-toe)
Gear:
Please review the Gear List. If you need help acquiring any of these items, please request them in the RSVP form.
Food:
Food will be provided and cooked by SAAS faculty in the commercial kitchen at the camp. Please provide any food restrictions or allergies in the RSVP form.
RSVP
Please complete the RSVP below (even if you do not plan on attending) by April 28, 2021. If you have specific questions, please reach out to Erin Aitchison.
Parents/Guardians: It is our goal to make sure you are aware of the Senior Project Program details and expectations, as well as the spring academic options available for the class of 2021. In addition to the weekly email messaging sent to you specifically focused on the class of 2021, we are asking that you complete and submit the Parent Acknowledgement Form (button below) no later than Wednesday, April 21. This will help to ensure that you are aware of and approve of your student's plans for the 2nd half of the spring trimester. Thank you!
Graduation for the Class of 2021 will be on June 8th - and we are thrilled to announce that our Commencement Ceremony will be held at T-Mobile Park. The venue change allows for two big event elements that we were unable to achieve at McCaw Hall. The outdoors increased capacity allows for each senior to attend in person andbring up to six guests (a set of 4 tickets and a set of 2 tickets, not to exceed two households in each set) to attend and watch the graduation ceremony. We are also able to accommodate for live performances in addition to pre-recorded content. The entire graduation will also be live-streamed and include pre-recorded performances for those who choose to watch remotely.
We will have a lot more details to provide you all soon, but we wanted to share this exciting news to our community as soon as possible. Please feel free to reach out to Madeline or Conner if you have any questions.
The SAAS Alumni Association wants to ensure that every alum feels their voice is heard and valued, so we are redesigning our program to match what our alumni are looking for. By completing this survey by May 25, you can help us build an Alumni Association you will be proud to be a part of.
We understand that life may be changing rapidly for you right now. If any of the contact information you fill out below changes in the next few months, please emaildfrey@seattleacademy.orgto update it. Once again, welcome to the Alumni Association! I look forward to getting to know you better.
Darby Frey
Alumni Relations Associate
The Development Team
Senior parents, we want to hear your voice! As a soon-to-be parent of a SAAS alumni, we want you to know how excited we are to also welcome you to the Alumni Association.
Before you join us, make sure to let us know about your SAAS experience and what you want to see when you join the Alumni Association as an alumni parent. Complete the Senior Parents survey today. And while you're at it, encourage your senior to complete their Senior Survey too. Make your voice heard to make an impact in the SAAS Alumni Association!
If you have any questions or would like to talk more, please feel free to email me atdfrey@seattleacademy.org.
Darby Frey
Alumni Relations Associate
The Development Team
In past years, Senior Projects have been a much-anticipated capstone to seniors’ Seattle Academy experience, allowing them to put the skills and knowledge they have developed at SAAS into action in the greater community.
We understand that now the school just is beginning to return to in-person instruction, some seniors would like the opportunity to continue their learning with their teachers and their peers. We appreciate the requests that we have received from students, and are energized by their passion for academic engagement.
This section outlines new academic options and expectations for seniors in the second half of the spring trimester and provides them with a form through which to communicate their choice. Between the dates of April 26-May 28, seniors may choose from the following three options:
Continue with their original plan of engaging in a Senior Project and not engage in any more classes.
OR
2. Continue to engage in a Senior Project and engage in a combination of their current courses as well as a selection of Humanities, Math, and Science courses,
OR
3. Forgo a Senior Project altogether and engage in a combination of their current classes and a selection of Humanities, Math, and Science courses. Students pursuing this academic option must commit to attending a minimum of 5 academic courses.
Students who choose options 2 or 3 above should participate based on a commitment to their own curiosity and growth, as well as a desire to practice a degree of academic independence that will more closely approximate what they will experience in college and in their professional lives beyond. All academic coursework beginning April 26 will be ungraded and students will not receive a letter or Pass grade designation on their transcript for continuing in spring courses.
Students should review and commit to the following expectations and guidelines for academic coursework:
Students must attend, either in person or remotely, each meeting period of every course in which they are enrolled, according to the regular attendance requirements, including notifying a teacher of absences or conflicts ahead of time and adhering to course expectations.
Students must complete all assigned coursework and assessments, meeting deadlines and other course requirements according to the regular schedule. While teachers may collect and provide feedback on student progress, no letter or Pass grades will be issued for the second half of the spring trimester. Please note: As of the spring midtrimester mark, all students should have fulfilled their Washington state English requirement.
This adheres to Seattle Academy’s longstanding protocol of concluding and submitting to colleges only spring midtrimester grades for seniors.
If any student has questions about how their transcript looks or will be sent to their college of choice, they should communicate directly with their College Advisor.
We are proud of our seniors for wanting to engage in the resources that SAAS has to offer in the final weeks prior to graduation. To help us confirm student choices and engage in the final step of planning for continuing coursework, all seniors must complete the Senior Spring Academic Engagement Google Form no later than April 1st at 3pm. Find descriptions for those courses that are being uniquely designed for this senior experience here: Senior Spring Course Descriptions 2021.
Here is an overview of how courses will be offered within our block schedule, with the new Physics, Humanities, and Calculus courses taking place in the assigned blocks listed below. Note that for some existing courses, such as Statistics, they will not be continuing. Additionally, students may continue taking their current courses, but may not join an existing course as a new addition to the class.
Senior Contacts
We expect all seniors to participate in preparations for Graduation during the week of May 31. If you have questions regarding preparation or planning for Graduation, please contact Lauri Conner, Assistant Head of School. You can also find here a link to the communication for seniors to register for Wednesday activities on March 31 and April 7.
If you have general questions regarding continuing on in academic classes, please contact Giselle Furlonge, Head of Upper School.
If you have specific questions regarding Math course offerings, please contact Willy Felton, Dean of Faculty for STEM.
If you have specific questions regarding Humanities course offerings, please contact Alison Ray, Dean of Faculty for Humanities.
If you have specific questions regarding Arts course offerings, please contact Fred Strong, Dean of Faculty for Arts and PE.
If you have specific questions regarding Innovations course offerings, please contact Lysie Taylor, Dean of Faculty for Innovations.
The College Advising staff is still here to support you! Please remember to keep your College Advisor in the loop on both outcomes and merit scholarships. You might have some tough decisions to make about where to go. Pro/con lists actually work pretty well, and your College Advisor is happy to talk with you about your options.
All service hours should be documented in x2Vol. If you missed the March 24 deadline, please contact Rick DuPreeand update your community service hours immediately on x2Vol. For those of you that have not yet reached the graduation requirement, we will work to support you in developing an action plan for the remaining hours.
We're currently navigating various options for a commencement ceremony that is both in compliance with health guidelines and honors our senior class in the best possible way. We will be sending updates to families and students as soon as we receive them. Thank you!
