 | Frequently Asked Questions | Q. | Are there after school programs for my child? | | A. | Our Extended Day Program provides a safe and supportive environment for our children in grades PreK - 8. In addition to regular care, enrichment opportunities (chess, violin, piano, Chinese and others) are available as well. For the Preschool set, Aftercare is available from 1:00 pm until 2:30 pm. This is a supervised unstructured play time with their school friends. It also allows you to pick up your Preschoolers and Lower School children at the same time. Unfortunately, we do not have care after 2:30 pm for PreK. At 2:30 pm, Extended day is available for children in grades K - 4. It is held in the classroom next to the gym and children are divided by age groups. Students in K must be picked up by 5:00 pm but older children may stay until 6:00 pm. Study hall is also available in both the Lower and Middle Schools. Times and locations vary by division. For more information visit our after school programs web page. |
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| Q. | What volunteer opportunities are available/expected? | | A. | Parent volunteers are the driving force behind our Parents Association. More information and a volunteer form may be found on the Parents Association web page. Volunteer opportunities vary by school division and, typically, you will sign up for them on Parents Night in the fall. In the Preschool, parents may sign up to provide food and decorations for holiday parties as well as for the celebratory parties which end the thematic units. In the Lower School there are opportunities for hot lunches, lunchtime readers, drivers for field trips and classroom parties. Middle School parents will be asked to provide a hot lunch and drive for community service and field trips. Upper School opportunities vary by individual advisors. |
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| Q. | When may I drop off my child? | | A. | Routines for pick up and drop off are outlined in the handbook for each division (see the respective page under Academics). Preschool students can arrive between 8-8:30 am. In the Lower School students may be dropped off as early as 7:30 am. If students are dropped off before 7:50 am, they should to go the first floor commons in the Lower School where they will be supervised by a staff member. Middle School students should not be dropped off before 7:45 am. |
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| Q. | What is the procedure for picking up my child? | | A. | Routines for pick up and drop off are outlined in the handbook for each division (see the respective page under Academics). Preschool parents must park and walk in to pick up your child at 1:00 pm. If your child is staying in Aftercare, please either park in the back or go through the back carpool line. Do not park at the front curb at this time as it interferes with carpool. Lower School students may be picked up by either parking behind the Lower School and walking down to the carpool area to pick them up, or by going through the carpool line.
In the Preschool/Lower School carpool line, two lines of cars are formed. The lines merge at the top of the driveway as directed by a staff person. Make sure that the sign with your child(ren)'s name is hanging so that it is visible. Your child's name will be called and he/she will be assigned a pickup station to wait at. Pull all the way up to your station. Please be courteous of other drivers. We also ask that you not use your cell phone during this time.
In the Middle School, pickup locations are assigned by grade level. If you have more than one child to pick up, please have them wait at the pickup location for the oldest child. |
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| Q. | When will I know who my child's teacher is? May I ask for a specific teacher? | | A. | The class lists will be included in the Back To School mailing in early August. You may not request a specific teacher, however if you would like to discuss your child's needs, please make an appointment with the division director. |
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| Q. | Is there a cafeteria? | | A. | No, all students at Durham Academy bring a lunch. The Preschool, Lower and Middle Schools have a hot lunch about once a month. The Upper School student council has arranged with local vendors to provide lunchtime options. The cost is around $5 per day. A schedule of vendors is included in the daily Upper School announcements. |
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| Q. | Where do I buy books for my Middle or Upper School student? | | A. | The Cavalier Supply Company (aka the DA bookstore) is located on the Upper School campus on the parking-lot side of the main building and sells Middle School and Upper School textbooks, school supplies, DA clothing and snacks.
All new textbooks and a limited number of used books will be sold the week before school opens. Information about the Used Textbook Sale is available on the Cavalier Supply Company website.
Information on the textbook sale will be included in the August back-to-school mailing. All Middle School and Upper School students are expected to have their textbooks by the first day of school. Bring your student’s schedule to the textbook sale, as different teachers may use different books. At the textbook sale, you will be given a list with the books required for each class. Textbooks may be charged to your student’s DA account or paid with cash or check, but not with credit or debit cards. |
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| Q. | Does Durham Academy offer summer camps? | | A. | Yes! We offer a wide variety of enrichment summer camps, including academic camps. For more information and camp descriptions, please visit our Summer Programs website. |
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| Q. | How does my child try out for sports? | | A. | All students in grades 7-12 are eligible to participate in our Interscholastic Athletic program. Enclosed with your welcome letter (or available on the athletics page) is the Athletic Physical form that must be signed by a doctor and returned to DA prior to beginning any sports practices. Starting dates for fall sports team try-outs and practices are on the athletics page of the Durham Academy website, as is a copy of the physical form. During the summer months you may call the athletic information line 489-2534, ext. 5 for current information or the athletic office 489-6569, ext. 6120. Fall sports game schedules will be on the Durham Academy website by July 15 as will the updated Athletic Handbook. We hope you're looking forward to an opportunity to participate! |
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| Q. | Is there a dress code? | | A. | There is no uniform but clothes should be modest and appropriate for school. Lower School students have PE every day and should wear sneakers. |
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| Q. | How do I pay my student bill? Where do I send it? | | A. | Bills may be paid electronically by accessing your DA student account through the DA web portal (coming July 2010). If you wish to mail your payment, please send it to the Business Office at 3130 Pickett Road, Durham, NC 27705. Please make sure that the student name appears on the check. You may send in one check for multiple students, but please be sure to print and send a copy of your student bill(s) or write the student names on the check to ensure proper credit. This will ensure proper credit to your account. If you have questions, please contact Rob Walker, Student Billing Bookkeeper, at (919) 489-6569 x6131 |
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| Q. | Where is the Back to School page? | | A. | User ids for the Durham Academy website will be issued after the New Parent event in early May.
To access the Back to School page, click here.
You will be asked to log in using your user id (login) and password. You may request your password or user id using the email address you provided the school. If you need more help contact Anne Benson at anne.benson@da.org or call 287-1705. |
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| | | Advisory Middle and Upper School students are assigned to an advisory. These function as a smaller community group as well as a homeroom. In the Middle School a curriculum is taught during advisory. The students are assigned to different advisors and different groups as they move through their Middle School years. In the Upper School, advisors and the groups remain the same for all four years. |
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AftercareThis service allows Prekindergarten and Kindergarten to remain at school until 2:30 pm. Students are supervised by DA Preschool teachers and enrichments are available. Click here for more information. |
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| Alumni Field The playing field inside the track on the Upper School campus where varsity boys soccer (Fall) and girls lacrosse (Spring) are played. |
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Annual FundThe Annual Fund is the most important fund raising priority at Durham Academy. It helps bridge the gap between tuition income and the cost of operating the school. Unrestricted giving to the Annual Fund is put to use immediately and supports many programs that make Durham Academy extraordinary. For more information visit the Annual Fund website. |
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| Brumley PAB The Brumley Performing Arts Building is on the Preschool/Lower School campus. It is located behind the building with parking adjacent on either side. |
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| Cavalier Supply Co. The DA bookstore is located on the Upper School campus near the main office. A smaller bookstore satellite is on the Middle School campus. |
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| CavDome CavDome is the nickname for our Upper School gym. A popular event held in December or January is "Lower School Night at the CavDome." |
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| Class Year The projected graduation year -- ie. students who enter Kindergarten in the fall of 2010 are considered Class of 2023. |
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| DA Alumni Anyone who has attended Durham Academy is considered an alumna or alumnus. |
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Intramurals (MS)Fifth and sixth grade students may choose to play Intramural Sports. There is some teaching of skills, but fun, good sportsmanship, and participation are stressed above winning. The Intramural Sports seasons are: volleyball, soccer, 5th grade softball, and 6th grade basketball. Each May there is a Track and Field Day. All teams are coed and each advisory fields a team. Students who sign up may play one season or several. For more information click here. |
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| Mentor Family Mentor families are assigned to each student new to Durham Academy's Lower, Middle or Upper School. The role of the family varies by the age of the student. For the younger children the mentoring is mostly parent to parent, but with the older students, the children take the lead. You will be contacted by your mentor family during the summer. If you have not heard from them by August 10, please call the Admissions Office. |
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| Middle School Shuttle The bus that brings 7/8 graders to the Upper School for after school sports practices and games. |
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| Morning Shuttle A service provided to parents allowing them to drop their Middle School student off between 7:30 am and 7:45 in front of Kenan Auditorium. Students will be driven by bus to the Middle School. |
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| Moylan Field Playing field on Ridge Road where varsity field hockey (fall) and girls soccer (spring) are played. |
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| Rotating Schedule The rotating schedule allows the school the provide more enrichment opportunities than they might otherwise be able to offer. You will receive a laminated calendar card at the beginning of the school year.
Preschool: 5-day rotation
Lower School: 6-day rotation
Middle and Upper School: 7-day rotation |
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| Senior Challenge Senior Challenge is the outdoor experience trip which is designed to encourage students to grow as a person and to grow as a class that better respects and values each of its members. It occurs at the beginning of the senior year. |
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| Travelling groups To ease the transition from fourth grade to fifth grade, students in fifth grade are assigned to a travelling group who will, for the most part, have the same schedule. Exceptions occur for fine arts and foreign languages. Students do not have to remain with the group during transitions. |
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