November is one of my favorite times of the year. I pause to take inventory of my blessings and reflect on simple acts of kindness and gratitude. One of these blessings is the opportunity to work at Leadership Academy of Utah (LAU). I am grateful to our families, mentors, staff, and, most importantly, our fantastic students.

Over the last few months, I’ve also gained a greater understanding and appreciation of the many educational opportunities our school offers families. Live courses, independent study, funded electives, and Friday adventures are a few of the many engaging experiences available to students.

Another educational opportunity for high school students is Early College concurrent enrollment. Four of my children graduated from high school with associate’s degrees. This path saved each of them over $15,000 in today’s tuition costs. I’ve heard my children express gratitude for graduating debt-free from college. I’m grateful that Utah sponsors these opportunities for motivated students. If your student is interested in exploring early college options, please reach out to our school counselors to help answer any questions about our Early College program.

I also encourage students to take the ACT assessment to prepare for college. The state of Utah provides the opportunity for all juniors to take the ACT at no cost. To help our juniors prepare for the ACT, LAU will host an ACT Boot Camp course starting in mid-February. (Please stay tuned for more information, which we’ll send out in December.)

Of course, the best preparation is hard work and effort in our Williamsburg courses. Our students are learning to think critically and budget their time and effort. These skills will help them excel in their next-step education goals.

Again, I wish to acknowledge and express my gratitude to our parents and students for trusting our school to deliver a high-quality education. Please feel free to visit with me to celebrate our students, or to help me identify ways to make our school experience even better!

Warmest regards,

John Tripp 

Executive Director, LAU

Action Items

Asking for input on a change to our school calendar: Would you like it if our school year started a week later in August and ended a week later in May? We’re considering making this change to our school calendar, and we’d like your input! Please take 30 seconds to share your preference with us through this short survey. (This change would take effect next August for the 2023-24 school year, as shown in this draft of next year’s academic calendar.)

Message from the LAU IT Team: As we approach the end of the fall semester, we expect that students will spend more time online using their LAU-issued devices as they prepare for finals. We encourage parents to observe how their students are using and treating their LAU devices. We have had computers and other devices returned to us in the past few weeks with damage that could have been prevented had the individual taken better care of it. We encourage parents and students to be mindful of the Acceptable Use Policy and other guidelines agreed to in the LAU Laptop-Chromebook Handbook and take every precaution to prevent damage to any LAU device. As a reminder, parents may be charged all costs incurred to repair or replace damaged devices. 

Join us for the WSU Football Game and Pizza! Join LAU students, friends, and families on November 12, 11:30 AM-4:00 PM MT, for pizza at the Pie Pizzeria and a Weber State University Football Game! Pizza, drinks, and game admission are all included at a discounted rate for LAU friends and family. Find all the details and sign up here! Registration closes next Monday, November 7.

Tell your student about LAU’s upcoming College and Tech School Fairs: If your student is exploring options for post-high school education, they can join us for our Tech School Event on November 16 or our College Fair on November 18 (or both). You can find more details here. Please email Kate Chaney at kate@lautah.org with questions.

Give our November School Counselor Update a read: Read here for the November counselor update, including Concurrent Enrollment reminders and help, upcoming scholarship information, and more.

Announcements

We are now hiring Adventures Substitutes! Williamsburg Adventures Substitutes are outdoor and leadership enthusiasts who support Adventures Guides or Leads in one of our Adventures courses in Utah. Interested individuals can apply here for the following locations: North Salt Lake, South Salt Lake, Manti, and Utah County.

Upcoming Events

November 6: Daylight Savings Time Ends

November 12: WSU Football Game and Pizza – 11:30 AM-4:00 PM MT

November 16, 18: Tech School and College Fairs

November 22: Secure Your Proctor assignments due for all high school science, math, and social studies classes

November 23: Study Day – No class; office is closed

November 24-25: Thanksgiving Break – No class; office is closed