News from April 16, 2010

Posted on Friday, April 16, 2010

Busy Times at TAA

Since our last newsletter lots of activities have occurred at TAA. The 89th annual alumni reunion weekend was held the first weekend in April. Our students and staff were so helpful in creating a warm and welcoming environment and also helping to thoroughly clean campus for our alumni. During the alumni weekend programming, the TAA choir, band, octet and mission trip group gave performances/presentations.

On Sunday, April 4, the Student Association held their annual Spring Banquet at the Spaghetti Factory in downtown Phoenix and then the group went ice-skating. This was a fun time with some students being given the first opportunity to ice skate.

On Tuesday through Thursday of last week (April 6-8) I had the opportunity to visit Union College, in Lincoln, Nebraska, with 13 students and Mrs. Victoria Leavens for a College Preview experience. Union College students and staff were very welcoming and accommodating to our group and impressed many of our group with their friendliness are are planning on pursuing their college education at Union.

Then this week a group of 80 students and staff loaded a charter bus and the two TAA minibuses and took off on the combined ACRO-Music Tour to Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. The groups will perform at two SDA elementary schools in Las Vegas and one elementary school in Salt Lake City and help put on two church programs in Salt Lake City too. This trip is a highlight for both groups where they are able to share with others their talents. We will see this group returning to campus this Sunday night.

Because of so many students being gone on tour, Mr. Edwin Johnson came up with a creative idea of combining the remaining students into special groups and having selected topic activities based on the core curriculum. So since Wednesday the remaining students have met with their teachers in a special schedule with all students participating in selected learning activities together.

As we look at the remaining six weeks of school, the activity level continues at a high level on campus with many programs and events happening. Make sure and mark your calendars for the May performances when ACRO has their annual Home Show on Saturday night, May 8 at 8 PM in the gym; and the Music Department will have their final performance on Saturday night, May 15 at 8 PM.

May 15 is a special day on the campus when the new Scottsdale Thunderbird SDA Church will be dedicated and have its grand opening. The public is welcome to come see the new church and I believe the choir and band will be performing that morning too.

-- Sherrie Warren

A Preview of TAA Activities

April 14 – 29, 2010

Date	Event
April 14-18	TAA Music & Acro Trip to Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. School group returns to TAA campus on Sunday, April 18 around 9 PM.
Friday, April 16	“B” Day Classes Special class schedule for students remaining on campus 7:30 PM-Vespers provided by Mesa Grande Academy in the new TAA Church
Saturday, April 17	SS & Church activity is planned only for TAA dormitory students. The group will be going to Phoenix Science Center. Dorm group departs at 10 AM and will return after a picnic lunch about 3 PM. Saturday night activity is a shopping trip to Tempe Mall
Tuesday, April 20	Southern University recruiter visits on campus. 4 PM – Baseball and softball games at Veritas 6 PM - TAA Board Meeting
Wednesday, April 21	4 PM - Baseball game @ Gilbert Classic
Thursday, April 22	4 PM – Baseball & Softball vs. Salt River La Sierra University recruiters will be on campus for interviews today and tomorrow
Friday, April 23	A Class Day 7:30 PM Vespers - JAM
Saturday, April 24	Choral group to Tucson Midvale Church Saturday night activity: SA Class Games
Sunday, April 25	“Man” Competition sponsored by Boys’ Dorm
Wednesday, April 28	PUC recruiter on campus – senior interviews Home Leave Break begins at Noon

2010-2011 Student Applications: Clarification

In the tuition statements that were sent out the beginning of April, each student in grades 9-11 received a Re-Application form. The Student Profile was mistakenly not included in the envelope. Please complete the student information section of the Re-Application form along with any parent information that has changed since the beginning of this school year and return these to the TAA Office as soon as possible.

All students (New and Returning) need to apply and be accepted for the 2010-2011 year prior to pre-registering for classes.

College Counseling Corner

What should my student be doing this summer in preparation for college?

Seniors

If your student is a senior, they should have already applied and been given a preliminary acceptance to the colleges they want to attend. The student should be making a decision over the next month or so on the college they want to attend. Soon after graduation, the final transcript request needs to be made at the TAA Registrar’s Office so that the final and official transcript can be sent to the college the student plans on attending.

Parents and students should have completed the FAFSA and had the FAFSA results sent to the college the student plans on attending.

Student housing deposits will be required and pre-registration can be done during the summer at most colleges.

Juniors

As juniors end this school year, plans are being made for making the student’s senior year memorable. Juniors should have already taken the SAT or ACT during this year, and if the student would like to take it again, time should be dedicated this summer for studying and being better prepared. The Princeton Review ACT and SAT preparation courses are being offered this summer and next fall on the TAA campus – with some scholarships available.

Students should spend some time this summer either job shadowing adults in different possible careers they may be interested in pursuing and also finding opportunities to be involved in community service activities. TAA requires 25 documented hours a year of community service activity and summer is a great time to get this done and colleges are placing more emphasis each year on accepting students that are not only book smart but are well-rounded and involved in the community around them.

Sophomores

Many people think that students leaving their sophomore year still have one more summer of freedom, but in reality early next fall there is a special test that is given nationwide that has the most potential in affecting a students future college plans: the PSAT. The PSAT, besides being a PRACTICE SAT as some may think is also the exam that determines National Merit Scholars eligibility. Many corporate and college based scholarships are available for students who qualify as National Merit Scholar finalists.

Students should be studying during the summer for the SAT or ACT and be prepared to take one of these tests sometime during the junior year.

Getting involved in community outreach and service activities with the local church groups is a fun way to help the student’s resume.

Freshmen

All TAA students took the ITED test last fall and should work on areas of deficiencies. Reading quality literature or acquiring a reading list from the AP English teacher and spending time reading some of the books recommended for the AP English test.

Summer Employment Opportunities

There are limited summer student employment opportunities on campus for students that live locally. New and returning students that are seeking summer employment at TAA need to apply in the Finance Office.

NEW!!!! Online Tuition Payments & Donations

Online tuition payments and donations to Thunderbird Adventist Academy may be made at the TAA website, www.thunderbirdacademy.org.

If you click on “About Us” at www.thunderbirdacademy.org you will see two buttons that can be selected for either your tuition payment or donation. Within a few days the links to these donations buttons will be on the margin of each page of the website.

When making a donation, please make sure and state where you would like the donation to go to and when making a payment on a student tuition account please state the name of the student.

April Home Leave Break

The final home leave break for this school year is just around the corner. Home leave begins on Wednesday, April 28 at noon and ends on Sunday. The dormitories will be closing at 2 PM on Wednesday and will re-open on Sunday at 4 PM.

The TAA office will be open on Wednesday afternoon until 5 PM and on Thursday, April 29 from 9AM – noon.

Proposed 2010-2011 Calendar

** All home leave breaks begin at 12 Noon on the first day listed.

Aug 5	4-8 PM Pre-Registration
Aug 15	9AM – 4 PM Registration Day & Move-In to Dorm
Aug 16	First day of school
Sep 15-19	September Home Leave Break
Oct 20-24	October Home Leave Break
Nov 23-28	Thanksgiving Break
Dec 11	TAA Christmas Musical Program
Dec 17-Jan 2	Christmas Break
Jan 15-17	Extended Weekend – No School on Monday
Feb 11-13	Visitation Weekend
Feb17-21	February Home Leave Break
March 18-27	Spring Break
Apr 1-3	Alumni Weekend
Apr 27- May 1	April Home Leave Break
May 14	TAA Spring Musical Concert
May 27-28	Graduation Weekend

Cafeteria Schedule – Week of April 19-23

· Monday, April 19: Swiss steak, scalloped potatoes, broccoli, Mandarin oranges, and salad bar
· Tuesday, April 20: Mexican buffet, salad bar, dessert
· Wednesday, April 21: Macaroni and Cheese, hot dogs, peas and carrots, white cake, salad bar
· Thursday, April 22: Vegeburger, French fries, green beans, salad bar, and brownie
· Friday, April 23: Vega Chik pot pie, steamed asparagus, potato chips, dinner roll, salad bar, and cherry cobbler

Cafeteria Schedule – Week of April 26-28

· Monday, April 26: Chili cheese fries, green bean casserole, salad bar
· Tuesday, April 27: Stir fry tender bits, fried rice, fresh fruit, and salad bar
· Wednesday, April 28: HOME LEAVE BEGINS – NO LUNCH

SAT and ACT Test Dates

2009-2010 ACT Deadlines			2009-2010 SAT Deadlines
Test Dates	Registration Deadlines	Late Registration (Extra Fee Required)	Test Dates	Registration Deadlines	Late Registration (Extra Fee Required)
June 13, 2009	May 7	May 21	May 12 SAT & Subj Test	Mar 25	Apr 8
			June 6 SAT & Subj Tests	Apr 29	May 13
Price	$32 (ACT no writing) and $47 (ACT with writing)		Price	$45 Reasoning Test, extra fees for Subject Tests

TAA 2009-2010 Calendar

Date	Event
April 14-18	Music & Acro Tour
April 22-23	La Sierra Interviews and Financial Estimations with Seniors
April 24	Small Choral groups to Tucson Midvale SDA Church
April 28-May 2	April Home Leave. Begins at noon on Wednesday, the 28th. Dorms re-open on Sunday, May 2nd at 4 PM.
May 3-7	Student Week of Prayer
May 8	Music department to Paradise Valley church 8 PM Acro Home Show
May 14	Flower Vespers
May 15	8 PM Spring Music Concert
May 17	7 PM TAA Academic & Athletic Awards (NEW DATE)
May 18	TAA Board Meeting
May 19-20	Senior Final Exams
May 21	Senior Trip Begins
May 26	Senior Trip returns
May 27	Freshmen and Sophomores Move Out of Dorms
May 28-29	Graduation