Thornton Academy News

The following email was sent to parents and students entering grades 10 - 12. If you did not receive this message, please contact helpdesk@thorntonacademy.org.

 

August 2022 

Students and your families, 

Welcome to our 2022-23 school year! We hope all of you have been enjoying our beautiful Maine summer days and are resting up to begin the new school year refreshed and ready to go. Preparation for a smooth opening of school is happening daily and everything will be ready upon your arrival. 

Here is some helpful information to get your year off to a terrific start: 

 

MyTA 

If you're looking for information such as the bell schedule or school calendar, visit MyTA on our website. You’ll also find news announcements, links to our cafeteria menu and student handbook, counseling resources, health and policy information, and much more. 

Other useful resources include: 

Contact information about departments and faculty/staff: 

www.thorntonacademy.org/contact 

www.thorntonacademy.org/directory 

 

Parent Newsletter 

The Parent Newsletter is emailed every two weeks. Be sure to watch for it in your inbox so you can stay up to date with the latest important information for your student. We will also post archived newsletters on the MyTA page. 

 

School Policies 

Thornton Academy is required to share school policies around student records and privacy. In addition, there are important school policies concerning topics such as cell phone use, school attire, daily attendance, and student behavior. You can find policies in the Upper School Student Handbook, which is located on the TA website. 

 

School Start and End Time 

There is no student supervision before 8:00 a.m. Students arriving between 8:00 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. must report to either the dining commons or the library. Classes will be in session from 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. each day. 

 

Tardies /Absences/Dismissal 

Thornton Academy will be using a new attendance system this school year called, “School Pass.” A separate mailing with specific information for parents will be shared prior to the start of school. 

 

Reading Block & Advisory Block 

Every Thursday will have a 21-minute block between Blocks 2 and 3 when all students are expected to report to their advisory for reading, and every Friday will have a 21-minute block between Blocks 2 and 3 when all students are expected to report to advisory for a variety of information and programming.

 

TA Release 

TA Release is the ability to be dismissed from campus during your study hall on an ongoing basis. Students granted TA Release are required to leave campus during this time and are responsible to return in time to attend their next class. TA release is available to 11th and 12th-grade students during any block with parental permission. For 10th grade students, TA Release is available for Blocks 1 and 4 only, with parental permission. Release during Blocks 2 & 3 for 10th-grade students, will be approved on an individual basis through the Deans’ Office. TA release is only available to students in good academic standing. Students who applied for TA-Release during the 21/22 year will already be approved for release during this year. If you would like to apply for release please use this form. If you would like to remove TA Release for your child, please contact their dean. 

 

Parking Policy 

Junior and senior students only may bring vehicles to school with a current parking pass issued from the school; the number of passes is limited. All student vehicles must be parked in a student parking lot. Students who wish to park on campus must fill out the Student Parking Permit form (also found on MyTA), then pick up the permit at the Director of Campus Security’s office in the Main Building. 

 

Lunch Accounts 

As a private school, Thornton Academy does not receive subsidies from the federal free lunch program. Lunch is available for sale to all students. Students must use the cafeteria debit card program, called My School Bucks, for purchases. See the attached letter with instructions for loading funds onto the card for ALL students. The attachment also has information about Thornton’s Free & Reduced Meal program, if purchasing meals creates a hardship for your family. 

Backpack Program: Please see the attached letter regarding the TA Backpack Program. 

 

Powerschool 

Students - Thornton Academy uses Powerschool to manage grades, attendance, and scheduling for all students. Instructions along with usernames and passwords are included with the iPad for all freshman and new students. 

Parents - All parents will receive an email on August 16 containing setup instructions and an access code for Powerschool parent access. A separate email will be sent for each student. Parent access allows parents to set up and view all their student’s classes under one account. If you also install the Powerschool smartphone app you will receive notifications when your student’s grades change. Grades for both yearlong and semester classes are updated periodically and at a minimum of twice a month to ensure student progress and learning. 

 

Google Classroom 

• Student - All classroom materials for Thornton Academy classes are made available via Google Classroom. Login instructions for new students are included with the iPad. Classes will be set up at your first meeting with the teacher. 
• Parent - Parents can access a weekly summary of their student’s work by asking one of their student’s teachers to add them as a parent in Google classroom. This will then provide them with a weekly summary of all their classes.

 

iPads 

iPad pickup for all students is on August 24. 

Students are strongly encouraged to pick up their iPad on August 24 so that they will have time to set up the device, solve any issues, and get acclimated to the device and software. On August 17, all students/parents will receive information and a unique access code regarding iPad pickup. If you do not receive this information on August 17, please email helpdesk@thorntonacademy.org so that we may send that to you. 

 

Information Update 

All parents must complete our Information Update process. The Information Update process ensures we have accurate contact and medical information regarding your student and also serves as a legal sign-off on school policies. All parents were sent a link to this process during the first week of August. If you have not received our Information Update email please send us an email at helpdesk@thorntonacademy.org so that we can get that to you. 

 

Student Schedule 

Students will be able to view their class schedules beginning on Monday, August 15 in PowerSchool. Login information for new students is with your iPad instructions. In the Navigation Bar choose “My Schedule” and select Matrix View. During the first week of school, a form for schedule change requests will be emailed to students and parents. All requests must be received by Friday, September 16. Schedule changes will be considered but not guaranteed based on availability. Counselors have worked hard to place students in classes that align with their academic needs 

Some additional start-of-school information is listed below. Thank you for your continued support in helping to make Thornton Academy the vibrant, dynamic campus that it is. We look forward to working with all of you to make this a great school year. 

Sincerely, 

Carol Taranko, Associate Head of School

Ben Grasso, Assistant Head for Faculty and Academic Affairs

Nick Tabor, Assistant Head for Student Affairs 

 

Important Dates for Start of School 

Thursday, September 1 (Maroon Day): 

First day of school for grades 9-12. All Upper School students report to the gym by 8:30 AM. Students should access their schedules using their iPad. Dismissal will be at 2:45 p.m. All buses run. 

 

NO SCHOOL September 2 and September 5 - Labor Day Weekend 

 

Tuesday, September 6 - All Upper School (Grades 9-12) students report to their classes before 8:30 AM. Regular bell schedule. All buses run. (Gold Day)

Sept. 8 - “Meet the Faculty” Open House @ 6:00 PM. Detailed information will be provided on our website and social media once school begins. This is a chance for parents to get more information about classes, content, curriculum, or class expectations. Parent-teacher conferences will be held later in the academic year for a more comprehensive update on individual student progress. 

 

Resources 

If you have any issues regarding your child’s conduct or attendance, please contact your child’s class dean. They are: 

Mr. Greg Paradis, Freshmen Class of 2026 Ext. 4417 

Mrs. Lauren Roche, Sophomores Class of 2025 Ext. 4400 

Mr. Kevin Kezal, Juniors Class of 2024 Ext. 4420 

Mr. Nick Tabor, Seniors Class of 2023 Ext. 4419 

 

If you have questions about bus transportation, contact the Dispatcher for your sending community: Saco Bus Dispatch (for Saco and Arundel students): 207-284-5959 

Biddeford Bus Dispatch (for Dayton students): 207-282-0909