Full Staff and Fall Plans - September 2023

Hello to all parents, guardians, families, friends, and students of 1504!

Hard to believe that Fall Break is almost here, meaning that the first quarter of this academic year is already almost over! In addition to all of the necessary information for our students to be ready for Fall Break, this blog post will also look ahead to some of the exciting events and programs that our hall has planned for the months ahead, as well as some of the exciting things our wing communities got up to during the month of September. Finally, we are so excited to officially announce that a fourth RC, Griffin Kenna, has joined the 1504 hall staff, and his introduction can be found near the end of this post! 

Fall Break Information

As you are hopefully aware, in just about a week, the Academy will be closing for our Fall Break. The halls close at 1:00 pm on Saturday, October 7th, and reopen on Sunday, October 15th at 3:00 pm. (There will be a $25 fee for every 5 minutes a student is here after 1:00 pm on Saturday, October 7th, so please plan accordingly!)

In an effort to make sure all of our students are ready for Fall Break, we have created a presentation containing all of the relevant information for signing out for break. This presentation can be viewed at this link (click here), and we very strongly implore everyone receiving this email to give it a thorough read. Please review the slides thoroughly, as we want to ensure everyone has time to ask follow-up questions, submit permissions, and meet the expectations before leaving for fall break.

To list some of the most important parts, however:

• All students must sign up for a sign-out slot with their RC!
• Sign-up sheets will be posted in each wing by the first floor entrance/bulletin board by Friday, 9/29.
• All students must pass a room inspection conducted by an RC before departing campus.
• Room Inspection guidelines will be posted to each student room door by Monday, 10/2.
• All students must complete their Wing Clean assignment and have it checked by an RC before departing campus.
• Wing Clean assignments will be posted in each wing by the first floor entrance/ bulletin board by Monday, 10/2
• Parents or guardians must give permission (by emailing 04staff@imsa.edu) for the following reasons:
• If the student is taking the ATC shuttle.
• If the student is carpooling with another IMSA family (Please provide the family name!).
• If the student is signing out with grandparents, siblings, family friends, etc.  (Please provide the name of the individual!)
• More information about everything related to Fall Break (Downstate Bus, ATC Shuttles, other sign-out information) can be found in this presentation (click here), so please give it a thorough read!
  
  

1504 Annual Halloween Party: Donations Appreciated!

For those of you who were with us last year, you may recall when 1504 hosted its annual Halloween Party! On that day, our hall decorated the Hall Commons with a bevvy of spooky decorations and provided a plethora of free candy for all 1504 students! The event was a great success, considered by some in 1504 to even be the highlight of the school year.

The 1504 RCs are hoping to bring this tradition to our hall once again, but we need your help! Throughout the month of October, especially when you return your students from Fall Break, please consider donating some of the following items: 

• Candy! (individually-wrapped, ideally)
• Snacks and drinks (once again, individually-wrapped)
• Halloween decorations

Every little bit helps! If you wish to have a more involved role in 1504's Halloween Party (tentatively scheduled for Sunday, October 29), reach out to us at 04staff@imsa.edu. Past examples of parents/guardians getting involved included coordinating pizza deliveries, preparing homemade treats (such as caramel apples), and assisting with decorating! We're more than happy to take any help we can get on the 29th!

A-wing: Meet RC Griffin!

"Hi 1504! My name is Griffin Kenna and I am the RC for A wing.  This is my first year at IMSA, and I am very excited to work with the students and see them grow.  After graduating Columbia College in 2017, I worked in a variety of fields including brand marketing and co-running a media and production studio, but my core passion is music.  I am a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, and audio engineer with credits on 100+ projects from local Chicago artists and bands.

While my main priority at IMSA is student safety, I’m here to listen, encourage and problem solve with the students to help them succeed and make the most out of their time here."

B-wing

"Hi 04! RC Cynthia here.

Earlier this month we went on our first wing trip to Sugar Grove Family Fun Center. Though we had only a few students to attend, we had a good time go-karting and mini golfing! I look forward to our next wing trip and for more students to join. Any trip suggestions would be greatly appreciated! 

The month of September was dedicated to our Sophomore 1:1 interviews. The purpose of the interviews was to get to know more about the students, check-in with how well they are adjusting, and to ensure that they are well-informed about the resources available to them. The interviews went well and I have enjoyed getting to know all of the students. At the end of September, we celebrated our August and September Birthdays with our 1st monthly Birthday Celebration. I had each student complete a survey to let me know which treats they would like to have during their celebration; this way we could include everyone’s preferences. I love Birthdays and have committed to celebrating them monthly and I look forward to future celebrations. 

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns. I am here as a resource and to help maintain the well-being of our students. Happy Fall Break!"

C-wing + D-wing

"Hello, 04! RCs Kylie and Ethan combining our sections for this post:

Like RC Cynthia did for her B-wing students, our main occupation during the month of September was conducting our sophomore 1-1 meetings, getting to better understand our sophomores and how they are doing adjusting to their new lives as IMSA students. Overall, everyone seems to have gotten this year off to a solid start, and we reiterate that the RCs are here to support them in any way that we can! 

Near the beginning of the month, over the Labor Day weekend, we also honored a student request to take a trip to the nearby Five Below store to give our students a chance to do some quality discount shopping. This is a good time to remind you all that RCs are more than willing to take our students on off-campus trips anywhere they may desire! Whether it be nearby stores, fun centers, malls, or other events, just talk to an RC about a trip idea you have, and we can make it happen!"

Otherwise, that's all from us for this month! Once again, please be sure to read the Fall Break information presentation in its entirety and reach out to us with any questions at 04staff@imsa.edu!

-The 1504 RCs (all four of us, now!)