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Tonight, Friday, November 7, at 7:00 PM at the Howard on the campus of AU

Join us for a free vespers concert by the AA music groups!

AA students are invited to attend Penny Arcade. They will be joined by 7th & 8th grade guests tomorrow, Saturday evening, November 8, at 7:00 PM (doors open at 6:45 - those who are needed to help with set up can arrive at 6:00 PM).

Bring your pennies (there will be a bank for change if needed)!

Organizational Pictures

This Monday, November 10

Organizations include class officers, SA/NHS officers, music groups (band, chorale, Silhouettes, bells, Orion Strings, and orchestra), Spiritual Life Committee, PFE, Lady Acumen, and Acumen (basketball teams that played against alumni). Be sure to bring any uniform changes that you will need for music ensembles. This includes concert attire with the appropriate BLACK DRESS SHOES and BLACK SOCKS.

Check the schedule that is posted (it was emailed and is also attached to this newsletter) and change before your picture time so that we can run as efficiently as possible.

Please bring your instruments (if applicable) for the pictures. Thank you!
~ Mr. VanDenburgh & the Yearbook Team

Paying for College 101 & FAFSA Night

This Wednesday, November 12, 6:30 PM

Seniors and their parents: We invite you to join us for a presentation on Financial Aid where you will receive one-on-one help on your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and answers to questions you might have about Andrews University and college in general. Multiple financial advisors will be on hand, ready to help.

Please bring your own laptop if possible. A few Chromebooks will be available, and we recommend that seniors also attend so that they can log in to the Chromebooks.

We ask that you have your child's social security number and your 2024 taxes readily accessible. The meeting will be held in the Commons of Andrews Academy, and light refreshments will be served.

Mrs. Robinson
Guidance Counselor | Andrews Academy
269-471-3453
dionner@andrews.edu

Andrews Academy Apparel to Support Worthy Students

We are excited to announce a new opportunity for Andrews Academy students to show their school spirit while supporting a great cause. On Fridays through Christmas break, students will be allowed to wear new school apparel that is being ordered to benefit the Worthy Student Fund at Andrews Academy.

While participation is not required, students who wish to wear non-uniform shirts on Fridays must wear one of the approved shirts available for purchase. Another order will be placed this Wednesday, November 12. If you are interested in purchasing shirts for your student, please use this link or scan/click on the QR code below to access the order form for t-shirts and sweatshirts.

Payment is expected before delivery of the shirts, and the only method of payment accepted is cash or check made payable to Andrews Academy. We appreciate your support of this endeavor to build school spirit and advance the mission of Andrews Academy. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mrs. Mills at samantham@andrews.edu.

Thank you for your continued support.

Mrs. Samantha Mills

Please make sure that we have the phone number that you would like to have contacted. For school closings due to weather, we also send an email, put the announcement on our Facebook and Instagram pages, and alert local TV stations (WSBT, WNDU, ABC57).

To receive a text notification instead of a call (text works best), please text “ALERT” to 22300. Please make sure that you have given us the number that you would like to be texted on as well. Email ginam@andrews.edu with any changes. Thank you!

Physics Labs

In Mr. Richard Wright’s physics classes, learning goes far beyond the textbook. Students dive into hands-on labs, some designed by Mr. Wright himself, turning abstract concepts into real-world experiments.

Recently, the class used smart lab carts and iPads to explore the physics of momentum. The high-tech carts recorded velocity data in real time and sent it straight to the students’ iPads. From there, students analyzed the graphs to uncover how mass and velocity work together to shape an object’s momentum—seeing physics come to life right before their eyes.

Attention Students: If you would like Friday's boxed lunch, those who are signed up for the lunch program must order it each week by Wednesday at 2:00 PM. The sign-up sheet will be at lunch or in the main office.

Parents: To sign your student up for the lunch program or add funds to your student's account, you may use this link to pay online (you will need your child's AU ID number), or you may pay with cash or check at the Academy main office. The minimum payment for 20 lunches is $141.20, unless your student has been approved for reduced lunch.

Junior/Senior Banquet

• Sunday, November 16, 2025, 2:00 - 4:00 PM

• Pioneer Memorial Church Youth Chapel

• Sponsored by PMC

Pizza & Parables

• Every Wednesday 6:30 - 7:30 PM 

• Pioneer Memorial Church Youth Chapel

• Sponsored by PMC

School Communications

The E-Sanjo and other communications from the school, including classroom teacher communications, use the email address(es) that you (and your parents) have recorded in FACTS when you registered for Andrews Academy. We will also use students' AU email address. Some have been wondering why they are not receiving their school communications to a certain email. If you wish to have communications sent to a specific email address, please send the change to ginam@andrews.edu. Thank you!

Important Attendance Policy Updates

ATTENDANCE EVALUATION

Each student begins each semester with an attendance record of zero points. All absences and tardies are assigned a weight of 1 point. The FACTS system includes separate attendance codes, allowing for clear categorization and reporting:

• A (Absence) 

• AE (Excused Absence)

• T (Tardy)

• TE (Excused Tardy)

The AS attendance code is assigned a weight of 0 and is used to mark school-related absences (e.g., for approved school trips or activities). These absences do not count against the student’s attendance record.

Students are allowed one long tour per semester.

PROCEDURES

Each school day, the student who was absent or tardy without excuse is notified of the record in FACTS, the student information system. Parents and students both receive email notifications. If the student believes the record to be incorrect, or has any question about the record, it is that student’s responsibility to contact the school office or attendance officer or submit to the school office a written excuse from a parent/guardian within 3 school days to remove those points.

Correction received after five days generally will not be accepted. In instances where a student is absent for several consecutive days, such as for an extended illness, two school days are allotted following the last absence to submit an excuse.

A student is responsible for all course work missed while absent with or without excuse.

Absence Policy
• After 5 unexcused absences per class: Student receives a warning email.
• After 8 unexcused absences per class: Student receives a demerit.
• After 10 unexcused absences per class: A meeting is scheduled with the student, parents, and attendance officer or another administrator.
• After 10 combined excused and unexcused absences per class: Student receives a warning email noting the risk of withdrawal from the class.
• After 15 combined excused and unexcused absences per class: A meeting with the registrar is required, and the student may be withdrawn from the class and lose all credit subject to that class, pending a review by the Student Affairs Committee.

Tardy Policy
• After 5 unexcused tardies per class: Student receives a warning email.
• After 10 unexcused tardies per class: Student receives a demerit.
• After 10 total excused and unexcused tardies per class: Student meets with the attendance officer or administrator.

Demerit Review Policy
Demerits related to attendance may be re-evaluated at the end of the semester if the student maintains no unexcused absences or tardies from the date the demerit was issued onward.

A student is eligible to hold an organizational office or leadership position as long as they maintain an attendance score below 7 unexcused absences. A student is also eligible to participate in co-curricular, overnight trips and tours if the attendance score is below 7 unexcused absences. A student is placed on citizenship probation when the attendance score reaches 7 unexcused absences. 

Major off-campus school activities include, but are not limited to, overnight trips and tours (see section on Student Citizenship-Citizenship Probation). When a student’s attendance score reaches 7 unexcused absences, the student is placed on citizenship probation. Further unexcused absences could lead to future in-school suspensions. Repeated attendance issues will be referred to the Student Affairs Committee to determine if the student should continue in the Academy and, if so, under what conditions. If these conditions are not successfully adhered to, the student’s enrollment may be discontinued at the time of infractions, at the end of a given semester, or at the end of the school year.

Students who miss five (5) consecutive school days due to illness must provide written documentation from a certified medical professional corroborating the necessity of that absence.

- From the Sourcebook (pg. 67-68)

For any attendance questions that you would like to ask by email, please direct them to AAattendance@andrews.edu.
 

Thank you!

Mrs. Dionne Robinson
Guidance Counselor/Attendance Officer
Andrews Academy
269-471-3453

More Attendance Information

• Pre-arranged Absences: Please be sure to fill out a pre-arranged absence card if you know in advance that you will be missing school due to a doctor/dentist/orthodontist appointment, trip, basketball tournament, driver's test, etc. These cards can be found in the main office or online. A parent's signature is required, then the office, and teacher(s) of the class(es) that you will miss.

• Class Schedule Adjustment (CSA) Requests: A CSA is available for students who have a study hall at the beginning or ending of the school day or will be working during a study hall during the school day. A CSA is required for students who leave the Academy to attend classes at Andrews University, who are going to work off campus, or who wish to begin the school day later or leave earlier on a regular basis. The CSA request form must be filled out and signed by everyone indicated on the form before the student stops attending their study hall. Students must adhere to CSA guidelines that are printed on the CSA application. Any violation may cause the CSA to be revoked. We will email students and parents when a CSA is approved.

• Other Absences: Parents, please call the main office (269-471-3138) or email AAattendance@andrews.edu if your student is going to be absent or tardy. These are the preferable methods. 

Please provide the reason why your child will not be attending school and how long you think they will be out.

Parents/Guardians are the only authorized individuals who can excuse a student's attendance. When emailing, parents must send correspondence from their email account to maintain the validity of the request. Please include the name of the student.

From the Sourcebook (pg. 68):

Students who miss five (5) consecutive school days due to illness must provide written documentation from a certified medical professional corroborating the necessity of that absence.

For any attendance questions that you would like to ask by email, please direct these questions to AAattendance@andrews.edu.

Mrs. Dionne Robinson

Guidance Counselor

dionner@andrews.edu

269-471-3453

If you have not done so already, please purchase the Multi-Factor Authentication Security Key for all AA students right away. This key is essential for your child to access all Google platforms (AU email, Google Classroom, etc.), as well as secure documents from Andrews University and Andrews Academy. Each student needs their own security key, which cannot be used by anyone else.

Security Key Link

AA Uniforms Available from Lands' End

Please review the Sourcebook (pgs 65-66) for more information regarding uniforms. 

• Only approved logoed uniform wear is allowed.

• A solid-color, long sleeved undershirt may be worn under the AA short-sleeved polo (no writing should be visible on the undershirt).

• Only AA logoed jackets are allowed to be worn in the building.

• The PE uniform (t-shirt or sweatshirt, shorts or sweats) can only be worn during PE class.

• If a student is wearing an AA logoed jacket, they should also have an AA logoed shirt underneath.