Update

Just wanted to give an "all is well" report-really "all is super" would be more appropriate. I have really enjoyed having the teachers popping by my office to tell me how awesome a particular student is, how well the class did on an activity/lab, how hard the students are working, etc. Lots of positive feedback from the teachers. Kudos to the students and their parents!

I received an initial report back on some of the feedback from the parent survey conducted recently-to the parents who provided the following comments (you know who you are, however, I don't):

She loves TGA. She stated last night that she is happier than she ever expected to be.Her experience is amazing—more than we could have asked for.

He told me, “Mom, I can’t believe they’ve made a place like this for teenagers like me.”

Just wanted to let you know our evaluator, Ms. Sullins shared the comments with us at our faculty meeting last Friday-and a couple of us needed a kleenex! Thanks-it is good to know the kids are enjoying it here. She also shared some great comments about how we can improve move-in day for next year-including ice-breaker activities for parents...I think one comment was along the lines of "force us to mingle-we are shy!" Thanks for those as well-it is through feedback that we learn what we are doing well and what we can do to improve!


Seniors are at Blount Mansion today for their Gov't class. I will try to get some pictures up this weekend (of it and Tremont, which I still haven't done!) The senior Mandarin class will also be practicing their "how to order at a restaurant" skills Sept 21 at a local eatery.

Philosophy Club, Newspaper, and Student Gov't are off and running-although trying to find times to meet with these very busy students has been interesting. Ms. Tai is offering to start a meditation group to help students relax and focus and has had several sign up already. Relaxation techniques will also be one of the three module meetings Sat 26th.

A shout out to Mr. and Mrs. Hubbs who have done some recruiting for TGA in their area. Any parent interested in speaking to local middle or high schools or other groups can contact me and I will put you in touch with Ms. Sullins.

School pictures for juniors will be made Oct 5th. Seniors are welcome to get their pics made, but most have already opted for senior pics over the summer in conjunction with their home schools.

Plans are moving forward for the I-40 road trip for juniors in Oct and for the China trip (spring break-March) for the seniors. Senior parents-we need to start collecting passports as we will have to apply for visas soon.

That's it for now-hope to get some pictures up this weekend!