This page includes news of importance to 10th grade parents. Please follow these links for news specific to your student's grade level:
MAIN PARENT NEWS PAGE Important news for all parents
10th Grade Parent e-News
10TH GRADE CELEBRATION OF LEARNING
Geneva Saint-Amour 12/05/08
Please consider joining us for the 10th grade Celebration of Learning. It will be held on December 15th between 5 and 8 PM at the Prescott College Crossroads Center. Open the attachment for more details and information.
Thanks for considering it.
10TH GRADE CELEBRATION OF LEARNING 
ANTICIPATED RETURN...
Geneva Saint-Amour 11/06/08
I just received an update from the travelers. They are anticipating a 5:30 to 6:00 PM return to campus. Students will be calling home as needed when they get in the area.
Thanks for supporting this outstanding field work. Please remember that your child will be tired, hungry and possibly dehydrated (long bus ride!!). Once the basic human needs are met, I hope they have terrific stories to tell about this experience. Feel free to share any highlights with me.
GRADE 10 TRIP TO CALIFORNIA
Geneva Saint-Amour 11/03/08
Thank you for your support of fieldwork at NELA. In addition to the museums and sites, the students will be a part of a special election night event at the school where they are housed. http://www.greendot.org/leadership/
See below for more information about the special event scheduled for Nov 4th.
-----Original Message-----
From: Brendan Haggerty
Subject: RE: Election night
Throughout the duration of their stay in Los Angeles the 10th grade students from Northpoint will be at the ANIMO leadership charter school. The school, which is located in an old law school, The University of West Los Angeles, ranks 31st place among the top 100 Gold Medal Schools (According to U.S. News & World Report Animo Leadership).
Tomorrow night the Animo leadership school has invited some of its alumni, in addition to their Northpoint guests, to attend a party/political discussion that will be facilitated by their AP Civics Class. In addition to the school hosting this party, the school is also the site of a public polling site.
We are very excited that our 10th grade students are able to have this timely and eye-opening experience studying the politics and power of race.
.......????
Brendan Haggerty
Activities Coordinator
FIELDWORK AT NELA
Geneva Saint-Amour 10/27/08
I am looking with anticipation at the upcoming field work for Grade 10. The staff has created an amazing plan of high quality experiences for the students. They presented their plan to the Prescott Unified School District Governing Board and received full approval (copies of the plan are available upon request). Permission slips and packing lists have been shared. Parent volunteers are being arranged to participate in the trip and also in the shopping and prep work. If you want to volunteer, please let us know.
I understand that there are one or two students who are considering NOT participating in this fieldwork. Please be aware that this is not an option at Northpoint Expeditionary Learning Academy. All students are expected to participate in all field work and related experiences. This information was shared during school interviews and has been mentioned in our handbook and other material.
Students who do not attend the field work will earn UNEXCUSED absences for the days of the trip. They will be responsible for makeup work with each of their teachers and they will be responsible for the material that they do not experience so they can continue with the classwork of the semester (which is based on the trip).
I believe we have the support of most of you for the amazing educational program we offer at Northpoint Expeditionary Learning Academy and I thank you for that.
10TH GRADE FIELDWORK
Geneva Saint-Amour 09/22/08
10th Grade Field Work Permission Slip
ACADEMIC INFORMATION FROM NELA
Geneva Saint-Amour 09/18/08
I hope you can open and review the attached documents. These include Expedition descriptions and course syllabi for the classes the 10th graders are enrolled in this semester. Please contact crew leaders if you have questions.
EXPEDITION TOPIC FALL SEMESTER 2008
LANGUAGE ARTS FALL SEMESTER 2008
SOCIAL STUDIES FALL SEMESTER 2008
ACTION REQUIRED - PSAT INFORMATION AND MISINFORMATION
Ramie Liddle 09/13/08
Hello Parents of NELA Grade 10 and Grade 11 students:
What a way to begin the year with a new counselor! With a big mistake.
I have a big apology to make. But first, I would like to honor you for recognizing the value of preparing your child for the college admissions process by registering him or her for the PSAT to be taken on October 18th.
The original information regarding the cost of taking the PSAT was incorrect. You or your student has paid $15. The actual cost to take the exam at Prescott High School is $18. Therefore, it is necessary for the difference of $3 to be paid in order to register your student. I will need to have the additional funds by Thursday, September 18, 2008. Alternatively, you may choose to have your student take the test at Bradshaw Mountain High School for $15. Either way, I will need to know by Thursday.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. I am truly sorry for this misunderstanding and hope that it doesn’t prove to be a major hurdle to your student taking this important test.
All the best,
Ramie Liddle, School Counselor
PSAT PAYMENT DEADLINE
Ramie Liddle 09/02/08
Greetings Parents of 10th and 11th graders:
Thank you to all the parents who have dropped off payment for the PSAT. This is an important test for our students in their preparation for college. A reminder that payment for the exam is THIS FRIDAY, September 5th.
The high schools that are hosting the exam need to order additional materials so we must reserve our seats early. This test is given once a year and there is no late registration in our case.
Many of you have e-mailed me or your student's crew leader indicating an interest in taking the exam. Please follow-up with the $15 payment (checks can be made to "NELA') by the end of the week or your spot will not be reserved.
Who: all 10th and 11th grade students interested in going to college
When: Saturday, October 18th
Where: either Bradshaw Mountain High School or Prescott High School (please indicate which school upon registration) Registration deadline: Friday, September 5th Payable to: "NELA" give to Shannon, Ramie or Crew leader
Thanks for your attention to this matter.
Ramie Liddle
Guidance Counselor
Northpoint Expeditionary Learning Academy Ramie.liddle@prescottschools.com
928-717-3272 x106
RACISM....
Geneva Saint-Amour 08/22/08
Hello:
I am writing to the parents of the Grade 10 team to share some basic information about the expedition topic that was introduced today.
An expedition is the basis of our school curriculum. Each grade level chooses an expedition topic to cover in the semester. This over-arching theme will guide instruction across all curriculum areas. This means that all subjects will still cover the Arizona standards but they will do it through the lens of the expedition topic. This allows our students to prepare for AIMS, learn high quality content and also study compelling, current events topics.
Your sons and daughters had the opportunity to open up a dialogue about the topic of racism. The expedition this semester is called "THE ILLUSION OF RACE, THE REALITY OF POWER." Guest speakers, image gallery, current readings and more were introduced today. Your students may come home talking about what they saw, how they thought about things and what their views are. That is our hope.
As with every topic, we do not ever try to teach a student how to feel about an issue, but we try to teach the student how to think about the issue. They are free to determine their own views and opinions. This is the beginning of development of the 10 Design Principles. Learn more at www.elschools.org.
Thank you for your regular communication.