From expanding our school store to introducing new extracurricular activities to sending teachers to exciting professional development experiences, we’re incredibly excited for all of the things in store for the new year. However, without question, what we’re most excited for in 2025 is the completion of our building expansion project.
As mentioned in the previous newsletter, the Metro campus will be shutting down in the fall of 2025, and all of our Preschool – 2nd grade students and staff will be joining the Utica campus. Expected to be complete by the of summer in time for the start of the 25-26 school year, the project will see our current Utica campus expanded by way of a building addition. The addition will be slightly larger than our current Metro campus, and host newer facilities that will foster an engaging learning environment for staff and students alike. Between that and our newly implemented house system, which is evolving and growing, we expect to strengthen the culture of our school by finally having all of us together at one location (which makes it easier for our parent commutes too!).
The groundbreaking for the project is set for February 6th, which means all families should be prepared for some logistical changes during construction. Some important reminders for our Utica families as construction begins:
- Sections of the side parking lot/gravel lot will not be accessible. Some sections will be available at certain parts of the day, especially on days of special events. Please be mindful of all signage and instructions.
- The playground will be shut down and removed. We will have alternative accommodations for our students, but during construction, we will not be able to have our families utilizing that space outside of school hours, as we normally allow.
- PLEASE continue to follow traffic rules, including NO LEFT TURNS at drop-off and dismissal times. The success of this project depends on our permits from the township, and complaints about our families (which have been already been shared with the local police and municipality offices) could affect the approval of various permits. In short, community cooperation is more important than ever.
Finally, as you can imagine, a project of this scope is not cheap. While the budgeting and planning for this have been occurring for 3+ years at this point, many costs, such as new technology and playground transfers, were unable to be included in the budget. As such, we will be relying on donations, grants, and income from our school store and various fundraisers (such as the PTC Night at the Races). Please consider supporting if and when you are able to.
The staff of Huron Academy is full of anticipation and excitement for what lies ahead in 2025. We thank you for your continued support, feedback, and sense of community that we get from our amazing families.
Cheers to the new year!
Sincerely,
Joshua Sobczak,
Superintendent
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