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18 85 S TA FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!
WITH ALL OUR MIGHT, FOR STMA!
MENDOTA
Cadets T R U S T
HEIGHTS
I N
T R AD IT ION WELCOME TO
C A R R Y HSA I G INT H T H THO E B L UM E AASN AC D WAHD I TEMY E U P P ER
SCH OOL
#GOCADETS
TOMMIES TOMMIES
SEMESTER 1 AT A GL ANCE
NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION Thursday, August 20 from 8:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. •
Drop-off is at Flynn Hall.
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Students may come in casual dress with closed toed shoes. Spirit wear is encouraged and may be purchased at the Cadet Maker bookstore.
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Uniform items from the tailor will be ready for pick-up in Flynn Hall.
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Students should bring their school supplies and, if desired, 12” locker shelves as they can set up their lockers.
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F I R S T D AY O F S C H O O L
Tuesday, August 25 from 8:00 a.m. - 2:50 p.m. with optional tutoring until 3:15 p.m. •
Students typically arrive at around 7:30 a.m. Drop-off and pick-up is at Flynn Hall.
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Students should arrive in their B-1 uniform (sleeves rolled and without a tie). They will continue in this uniform until November 1.
BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT Wednesday, September 9
This night is an opportunity for parents to follow their son’s schedule, meet his teachers, ask questions, and socialize with other parents. •
You may print a copy of your son’s schedule and bring it with you or view his class schedule through the Powerschool app.
Inquiries regarding the Upper School may be directed to Mr. John Buethe, Vice President, at jbuethe@cadets.com. 4
P I C T U R E D AY
Wednesday, September 16 Students should arrive at school in their Class A uniforms. •
Picture retakes are scheduled for October 13.
Questions about picture day should be directed to Mr. Tom Weber at tweber@cadets.com.
G R A N D PA R E N T S ’ D AY
Friday, September 25 from 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. •
Grandparents’ Day at the Academy is a beloved tradition. The day begins with Cadets and their grandparents having coffee & rolls, touring the school, taking photographs, and more. Mass is then celebrated, followed by the Pass & Review in the stadium.
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All upper school students are required to attend the Pass & Review.
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School will be dismissed at 12:00 p.m.
PRACTICE PSAT Wednesday, October 14 •
Freshmen take the practice ACT at home while sophomores will take the practice SAT at home. Juniors report to the Academy in the morning to take the PSAT in person. Seniors report to the Academy in the afternoon to work on their college applications.
For questions, please reach out to Mr. Casey Erickson, Director of College Counseling, at cerickson@cadets.com.
D I S C O M I X E R (Christco)
Saturday, December 5 from 8:00 - 11:00 p.m. •
The Disco Mixer is a great opportunity for all Cadets to socialize with our sister school, Visitation. Dates from other schools are welcome, too.
Please direct questions to Campus Ministry Coordinator, Joel Loecken, at jloecken@cadets.com. 6
FALL CONFERENCES November 4 & 5 •
Conferences are in-person and virtual. Parents will receive a link to schedule a 5-minute conference with their son’s teachers via Calendy. Conferences run Wednesday and Thursday from 3:30-7:30 p.m.
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Parents are encouraged to reach out to instructors to schedule virtual or in-person appointments at any point during the school year. Teachers maintain office hours from 2:50 - 3:15 p.m.
FRESHMAN FUN NIGHT TBD •
SEMESTER 1 FINAL EXAMS Monday through Thursday, January 11-14 •
Final exams take place across four days, at
For STA and Visitation freshmen. The evening will
the end of the semester. Students should plan
include gym activities, video and board games, and a
to take up to three 90-minute summative
dance contest. Pizza and drinks will be included with
assessments per day, though not every
admission.
instructor will administer an exam and some will assign a final project or paper. 7
ACADEMY 101
DROP-OFF & PICK-UP •
Upper School students should be dropped off and picked up at Flynn Hall.
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Students who arrive before 7:30 a.m. congregate in the Anderson Learning Commons (ALC) for supervision until the start of school.
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If your son needs to leave school for an appointment, he should sign-in and-out at the Flynn Hall desk.
AT TENDANCE •
All absences, tardies, and early dismissal requests should be reported through the STA app or email at attendance@cadets.com.
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A valid note from the health service provider is required in order for a student to be excused from school. Either the student and/or the parent should request a documentation note from the doctor’s office receptionist. An excused absence does not impact daily athletic and activity eligibility. A student whose absence, tardy, or early release is unexcused is ineligible to participate in co-curricular activities for the day.
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Excused or unexcused, students who miss class are responsible for completing their incomplete work.
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An extended absence is defined as a leave of three or more days. Students may request an extended absence by submitting a completed Extended Absence Form to Mr. Luke Marks, Dean of Students. The form can be found on the Registrar’s webpage (http://www.cadets.com/academics/registrar). 9
COMMUNICATION •
Weekly Newsletter - each Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
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Cadets.com - select “current families” at the top of the home page
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Saint Thomas Academy app
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Facebook - Saint Thomas Academy
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Facebook - Saint Thomas Academy School Parents
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Instagram - allthingssta
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X - allthingssta
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YouTube - Saint Thomas Academy Communications
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Final Forms & Team Snap for Athletics & Activities
A-H
CLASS SCHEDULE •
Saint Thomas Academy runs an eight-day, eight-period rotation. On a typical day, students attend five classes. Days run alphabetically and periods numerically. For example, on an “A-Day,” students attend classes 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5. The next day, a “B-Day,” they attend classes 6, 7, 8, 1, & 2. The rotation has been set for the year and is noted on the school calendar, app, website, and student planners.
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Each class meets for 55 minutes, five out of every eight rotational days. This amounts to about 55 class meetings per semester.
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The first bell is at 7:55 a.m. with class starting at 8:00 a.m. Classes end at 2:50 p.m. Faculty are available until 3:15 p.m. for tutoring.
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Students eat lunch from 11:35 a.m. - 12:05 p.m. or from 12:35 - 1:05 p.m., based on assignment.
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“Community Time” is scheduled daily from 1:10 - 1:50 p.m. During this time, students are either with their advisor in Advisory or engaged in tutoring or clubs & activities. Advisory meets twice a month for students in grades 10-12 and once a week for students in grade 9. 11
ACADEMIC CALENDAR •
Saint Thomas Academy runs a semester-based academic calendar. Quarter grades post to PowerSchool but are not included on the final transcript. Final grading policies vary by faculty member, but are typically distributed as 40% for the first quarter grade, 40% for the second quarter grade, and 20% for the final exam grade. With a few exceptions, Saint Thomas Academy follows a conventional A-F grading scale.
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During the Open Enrollment Period, students may request to change their class schedule by completing the Schedule Change Request Form found on the Registrar’s webpage (www.cadets. com/academics/registrar). The Open Enrollment Period ends 16 academic days from the start of the semester.
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Following the end of the Open Enrollment Period, the student’s teacher may direct a course change. No course changes are permitted 24 school days from the start of the semester.
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Fall semester exams are held on the final four days of the term in January. Spring semester exams are held on the final three days of the term in June. Students who are absent or plan to be absent for a final exam will receive an incomplete grade for the course and be ineligible for co-curriculars until that incomplete is resolved. They will need to work with the instructor to arrange for a proctor. Unresolved incomplete grades convert to ‘F’ grades two weeks from the end of the grading period.
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L ATE START •
Saint Thomas Academy schedules one late start per month, typically on the first Wednesday of the month. Students should arrive by 9:25 a.m. with classes starting at 9:30 a.m.
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On occasion, the Academy may delay the start of the school day until 10:00 a.m. due to inclement weather. Parents will be notified of a delayed start via email, text, and on PowerSchool. The Academy will also notify area news agencies.
MASS •
Saint Thomas Academy celebrates all-school Mass nearly once per month. On Mass days, students should arrive at school in their Class A uniforms.
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Saint Thomas Academy’s Chaplain, Fr. Timothy Combs, celebrates daily Mass in the chapel and presides over confession several times a week.
Feel free to reach out to Fr. Combs at tcombs@cadets.com with questions relating to the Academy’s liturgies.
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CURRICULUM Incoming students are block enrolled in their first year coursework. Going forward, your son will select coursework based on his academic needs and preferences. The registration process begins in April. You can read more about the Academy’s curriculum on its website at www.cadets.com/parents/parent-portal/ curriculum-overview.
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CORE CURRICULUM The core curriculum comprises 52 classes. To graduate, students must successfully complete the following core graduation requirements: •
8 semesters of English
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1 semester of Fine Arts
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1 semester of Physical Education & Health
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Continuous enrollment in Military Leadership
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6 semesters of Math
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6 semesters of Science
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8 semesters of Social Studies
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Continuous enrollment in Theology
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6 semesters of World Languages and successful completion of one level III World Language Course
Students who receive a “C-” or lower in a core required class may appeal to the Vice President to retake the course for partial credit. Students who fail a core required class must retake the course for partial credit.
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ELECTIVE COURSEWORK •
Twelve semesters of coursework are elective. Students have a lot of flexibility when selecting these courses and should work with College Counseling when making their selection.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS •
In addition to these class requirements, students must also write and deliver a senior speech to the student body and community during Formation as a senior, successfully complete May Term their junior year, complete 70 hours of community service between junior and senior year, maintain continuous enrollment in Advisory, and complete at least one application to a four-year college or university as a senior.
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STUDENT SERVICES Cadets benefit from robust student services, providing continuous support through their time at Saint Thomas Academy. General inquiries regarding: •
Counseling, academic support services, and learning accommodations should be directed to the Director of Students Services, Mrs. Katie Schultz, at kschultz@cadets.com.
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Saint Thomas Academy’s Advisory program should be directed to the Advising Chair, Mr. Luke Marks, at lmarks@cadets.com.
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Student health should be directed to the School Nurse, Mrs. Nancy Schacherer, at nschacherer@cadets.com.
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Ministry should be directed to Fr. Timothy Combs at tcombs@cadets.com.
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Student behavior, school safety and security, and related concerns should be directed to the Dean of Students, Mr. Luke Marks, at lmarks@cadets.com.
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The college application and admission process, as well as course registration advice, should be directed to the Director of College Counseling, Mr. Casey Erickson, at cerickson@cadets.com.
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Class scheduling, transcripts, enrollment verification, address changes, and student records should be directed to the Registrar, Mrs. Stephanie Nonnemacher, at snonnemacher@cadets.com.
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Athletics should be directed to the Athletics Director, Mr. Reed Hornung, at rhornung@cadets.com.
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Questions about clubs and other co-curricular activities should be directed to the Athletic Director, Mr. Reed Hornung, at rhornung@cadets.com.
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EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY Saint Thomas Academy provides a fully-managed, school-owned 1:1 MacBook program for students: •
Upper School students are issued a school-owned MacBook Air device, year-round, for the duration of their Upper School career. The Upper School technology fee covers AppleCare, maintenance, software, and support for the device, and, upon graduation, Saint Thomas Academy releases full ownership of the device to the Cadet.
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While enrolled, all support and repairs are performed by Saint Thomas Academy. Students are responsible for the copay on the provided Apple Care policy for damage or repairs to the device issued to them.
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Saint Thomas Academy utilizes PowerSchool’s Schoology Learning Management System (LMS) in conjunction with PowerSchool’s Sudent Information System for grading and records. Schoology is the student and parents’ source for class materials, assignments and the calendar of upcoming work. PowerSchool is your source for final grades, GPA information and course schedules. Login credentials for Schoology and PowerSchool will be sent directly to students and parents prior to the start of the school year.
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Questions about technology at Saint Thomas Academy should be directed to the Director of Technology, Mr. Paul McKeehan, at pmckeehan@cadets.com.
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LOCKERS •
During orientation, the Registrar will issue your son one academic locker and one athletic locker.
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While the academic locker will come with a combination, students are expected to bring a personal padlock for their athletic locker. It is the student’s responsibility to secure his belongings during the school day. Locker rooms are locked when not in use.
STUDENT PLANNERS •
All students will be issued a planner on the first day of school. The planner will include the schedule and class rotation. These are an important resource for students and should be used.
STUDENT HANDBOOKS •
All student handbooks are published to the Academy Website at cadets.com/handbooks. These handbooks are a resource to you and your son and should be reviewed.
CELLPHONES •
To promote academic focus and healthy socialization, students are not permitted to carry their cellphones during the school day. It is recommended that they keep their phones stowed in their locker, in their car, or at home.
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In case of an emergency, should you need to contact your son during the school day, please call the front desk at 651-454-4570. You may also opt to email your son at his school-issued email, as he will have his computer with him
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in class.
CADET MAKER BOOKSTORE The Bookstore is open from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is also open on select evenings, like Back-to-School Night, home game nights, and other special events.
G E T I N V O LV E D ! By actively participating, you’ll be an essential part of our close-knit community.
Opportunities include: •
Cadet Maker volunteer
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Cafeteria/Lunch volunteer
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Cadet Concierge volunteer (Flynn Hall front desk)
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Fathers’ Club events
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Mothers’ Club events
SHOP THE
C AD E T M A K E R
T H E S H O R T FA M I LY B O O K S TO R E The Bookstore is open from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is also open on select evenings, like Back-to-School Night, home game nights, and other special events.
Saint Thomas Academy is a place where boys harness their greatest intellectual, athletic, spiritual and leadership potential. Here, they can explore and become the young men they are meant to be. It’s the origin of a life-changing bond of brotherhood your son will carry with him for life.
AllThingsSTA Saint Thomas Academy Saint Thomas Academy Communications AllThingsSTA
SAINT THOMAS ACADEMY
949 MENDOTA HEIGHTS ROAD / MENDOTA HEIGHTS, MN 55120