PLANNING TRAVEL AND HONORING CLASS SCHEDULES

Dear Wasatch Families,

I hope this email finds you well. On behalf of teachers and college counseling, thank you for your participation in Fall Family & Teacher Conferences. We welcome your partnerships and enjoy opportunities to exchange insights with you related to your student’s learning.

As we approach Thanksgiving, winter, and spring breaks, I’m reaching out to remind families of our academic calendar and ask that you check your student’s upcoming travel plans. Below are communication contacts for you to consider when planning your student’s travel.

• travel@wasatchacademy.org - to coordinate transportation to and from the airport and other destinations away from campus on designated travel days (school breaks). If your student’s travel is already scheduled on designated travel days, no further communication is needed.

• amie.mondragon@wasatchacademy.org - to request student pick-up and/or travel needs outside of the published travel days. All requests for student travel outside of designated travel days should be approved by the Dean of Students & Residential Life, Amie Mondragon. This important step helps ensure that students own their learning and improves communication between students and teachers.

• attendance@wasatchacademy.org - for our local families to communicate unexpected absences due to illness or absences needed for medical appointments.

As you plan your student’s travel, please be mindful of Wasatch Academy’s academic calendar. At Wasatch, students engage in learning each day school is in session, including the days before and after scheduled breaks and all of the days at the end of the year. So that teachers can best support learning, students should be on campus and engaged with their instructors and peers. Student absences have potential impacts on their own learning experience and that of their peers, especially related to projects. Most importantly, absenteeism makes for additional burdens on your student, as they are still responsible for demonstrating learning during their absences. 

We understand student absences are sometimes unavoidable exceptions. As such, we have provided an avenue for students to request planned travel. Students must complete a travel request form and turn it into Mrs. Mondragon in advance of travel. The form guides students to connect with each of their teachers notifying them of their intended absences. This practice further ensures students receive the needed support from teachers as they collaboratively plan how to proceed with their ongoing learning during their absences.

Thank you for your partnership related to honoring the importance of classroom attendance.

Sincerely,

Jonelle Larsen
Assistant Head of School for Academics
jonelle.larsen@wasatchacademy.org