We are always excited to see how well Challenger students perform during standardized testing, but this year we are especially pleased! As educational institutions across the nation continue to report the severity of students falling behind after two unprecedented years of quarantines and online learning, Challenger students continue to break the trend and achieve excellent results on the Iowa Assessments! (Watch your mailbox for your child’s personalized Iowa results that will be mailed to you this month.)
In the charts below (click to toggle), the bars represent 1) Challenger student performance against all Iowa test-takers and 2) all private school test-takers nationally, using 2017 norms, the most recent available. The fiftieth percentile represents the average rank of all test-takers. The average Challenger student in every grade outpaces—by a significant margin—his or her peers in both public and private schools (which we would expect to be a higher achieving group).
In every grade, Challenger students excel. These high scores are the result of the hard work and dedication of students, teachers, and parents who stayed focused and overcame difficulties. Congratulations, and well done to all!
Ceremonies for eighth grade graduates will be held during the last week of school. If you have a graduate in your family, you should have received an invitation in the mail. We are proud of our graduates, who now embark on new chapters in their lives as self-reliant, productive individuals.
Preschool and kindergarten classes will close the school year by enjoying a “big top” of fun! On the last day of classes, students may come dressed as a circus character if they wish. We’ll play games and have lots of laughs and circus-themed activities.
With summer just around the corner, it’s time for some outdoor fun, friendly competition, and fresh air!
Our annual Field Day, which will be held on the last day of school, is a day for students to take part in outdoor activities like relays and games.
Students are not required to wear their uniforms on Field Day. They should wear modest clothing appropriate for outdoor recreation.
Please check the lost and found at your campus before the school year ends. You may find something you did not realize was missing!
We listed several recent achievements of many students in the May newsletter, and we’ve listed a few more in this issue. Nice work and congratulations to these amazing Challenger achievers!
We received word of additional students who, as a result of their excellent science fair projects, were nominated to compete at the Thermo Fisher Junior Innovator Challenge—a designation for middle school science fair projects that placed in the top 10% of middle school science fair projects from nearly 275 fairs in the United States. We congratulate Adyant B. (Strawberry Park, CA) and Mridula R. (Strawberry Park, CA) on their nominations and wish them and all Challenger qualifiers (as mentioned in the May newsletter) the best in the upcoming competition.
The International Academic Competition (IAC) consists of both team and individual competitions in geography, history, and science. The competition is open to elementary through high school students in over 25 countries. Sidharth M. (Berryessa, CA) placed second in the regional science bee and has qualified for this year’s national competition. We wish him and our other IAC competitors (as mentioned in the May newsletter) the best as they continue to compete in June.
We would like to offer special recognition to Luka N. (Silverado, NV) for his performance in the 2021–22 Broadcom MASTERS competition. (This competition has a new title sponsor starting this year and is now known as the Thermo Fisher Junior Innovator Challenge.)
Luka’s science fair project, Which Mangroves (Mature Plants vs. Immature Propagules) Thrive Better and Are Best Suited for Aerial Reforestation? was named to the top 300 out of the 1,807 nominees. He later advanced to be a prestigious Broadcom finalist by placing within the top 30 national contenders of all middle school science fair projects affiliated with the Society for Science!
Luka was also elected by his peers for the Broadcom Leadership Award and to speak on behalf of his class at the Broadcom Awards Ceremony. The Class Speaker must be shown to demonstrate the collegiality and spirited leadership of the Broadcom MASTERS competition, while uniting fellow students around common goals.
Math Kangaroo is an annual, international math competition for students in grades 1–12, with over 36,000 American students participating in 2023. We are proud to announce that the Challenger students listed below were ranked within the top three placements nationally.
Congratulations to the following Challenger students who placed in the top three at their respective regional spelling bees!
Tarini N. (Avery Ranch, TX) has advanced through the Scripps National Spelling Bee quarterfinals and semi-finals and placed within the top 11 finalists out of 231 national contestants!
Challenger’s summer program is designed to review academic concepts while offering meaningful interaction with teachers and other students.
Half-day and all-day programs are available and begin June 12 (or 13 for TTh students). Students will engage in unique learning exercises, drills, and activities using methods that have proven successful for six decades—it’s the perfect way to enrich your child’s summer days!
If you have not yet enrolled your child in a summer program and would still like to do so, follow the steps below. A $25 application fee will be assessed.
It’s that simple! Click here to see the payment schedule, and contact your campus office with any questions. We look forward to a summer of fun and learning with your child.
To keep concepts alive in your child’s mind this summer, consider picking up the Challenger Phonics Fun kit. The activities, characters, and songs are so fun that children learn while they play! Visit TheLearningCrew.org today.
We are planning to begin implementation soon of our new Student Information System—a tool that will offer you online access to important information you need regarding your child’s education with Challenger School. When the systems are ready, you will receive emails with instructions on how to set up accounts so that you can access information, submit agreements, and make payments. We will implement this powerful tool in stages and anticipate that you will be pleased with the additional opportunities to connect and access information.
Mark your calendars now for our two main breaks during the next school year.
Challenger will not be in session during the dates listed below: