Below you can read an update from Dean of School Emily J. Waugh.

Dear A+ Friends and Families,

We are nearly to Jamaica! The current plan is to come to anchor on the 18th and then go alongside the afternoon of the 19th. I have attached the port plan and you will see on it the various activities we have planned for the students. We have taken extra safety precautions for this port due to safety concerns, so shore leave will end at 1800 each day and we will be alcohol and drug testing students periodically throughout the week. During the port brief with students we will also be putting added emphasis on the safety and risks section, making sure to carefully discuss responsible travel. We want all of the students to have an amazing and safe experience in Jamaica.

Academically this past sail, classes have been charging ahead. It’s hard to believe that 3rd quarter is almost over. In S3, we have continued working our way through the argumentation unit and have recently started discussing logical fallacies including: ad hominem, appeal to pity, tu quoque, hasty generalization, and the bandwagon fallacy. We discussed what they are, how they are used, their purpose, whether or not using them is ethical, and their effect on constructing an argument.

In English Language Arts, the students have started a unit on Ernest Hemingway’s classic, The Old Man and the Sea. Our English teacher, Bridget, was ecstatic to find out today that we could just see Cuba off in the distance, where Ernest Hemingway’s house, Finca Vigía, is located. Students will soon begin a three part assignment on the book including developing seminar questions, finding quotes of value and describing why they are significant, and rewriting three descriptions of nature focusing on the distinctive use of diction that Hemingway is known for.

A reminder about the upcoming Parent Port; if your student requires an ESTA to enter the US, please email me a copy of it. I will need it prior to departing Jamaica. If you need any help with this, please just let me know. I have also attached the “Parent Port Legal Liability Release Form”. If you are planning on your student traveling alone, being adopted by another family, and/or remaining on the ship with Dr. Kessler during the Parent Port, please complete the form and send it to me. More details concerning the Parent Port will be coming soon.

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

Best Wishes,

Emily J. Waugh
Dean of School
A+ World Academy

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