Little Elm High School
Weekly Newsletter - September 2, 2018
SEPTEMBER: NATIONAL ATTENDANCE AWARENESS MONTH
Chronic Absenteeism: All of Our Kids are All of Our Kids
When students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects, including high school graduation and post-secondary success. A student is chronically absent even if they miss only two days of school per month. However, many parents do not realize that even when absences are sporadic, excused or understandable, absences add up and can greatly impact a child’s education. Students who miss just two school days each month (18 days in a year) are more likely to fall behind in reading, writing, and math, making them less likely to graduate. A quote by John B King Jr., former US Secretary of Education, states “Ensuring kids actually make it to school is a vital part of leveling the playing field. Just missing a couple of days of school a month can mean the difference between dropping out and graduating on time. Absences add up. That’s why eliminating chronic absenteeism is a critical part of our work at the federal, state, and local level to ensure that every child has the opportunity to succeed.”
As Lobos we value embracing all of our kids as all of our kids. With this value comes a responsibility to make sure all of our kids have maximum learning opportunities which means we must make sure they attend school. A growing and compelling body of research demonstrates that chronic absence from school, typically defined as missing at least 10 percent of school days in a year for any reason, excused or unexcused is a primary cause of low academic achievement and a powerful predictor of which students will eventually drop out of school. By high school, irregular attendance is a better predictor of school dropout than test scores. A study of public school students in Utah found that a student who is chronically absent in even a single school year between the eighth and twelfth grades is over seven times more likely to drop out of school than a student who is not chronically absent. Improving attendance is a campus goal for LEHS. We will be working with individual students and parents utilizing attendance contracts, counseling, problem solving, goal setting, mentors and home visits. As a campus we will be employing incentives and rewards for students who have perfect attendance. Providing parents with information on how to submit the required documentation for excused absences is one of the services that our House Offices provide for LEHS families every day. Please contact your House Office Team with any questions about absences.
A-E House serving students with last names A-E: 972-947-9443 ext. 20006
House Principal – Alen Palislamovic
House Counselor – Michael Absher
House Secretary – Stefani HaverKamp
F-Li House serving students with last names F-Li: 972-947-9443 ext. 20022
House Principal – Ruben Molinar
House Counselor – Sarah McKimmey
House Secretary – Traci Carter
Lo-Ri House serving students with last names Lo-Ri: 972-947-9443 ext. 22227
House Principal – Kyle Heller
House Counselor – Amy Chamberlin
House Secretary – Jennifer Lambright
Ro-Z House serving students with last names Ro-Z: 972-947-9443 ext. 20017
House Principal – Terilyn Thomas-Monday
House Counselor – Juan Schmidt
House Secretary – Veronica Chavira
Attendance Reminders:
- Official Attendance-Taking Time: 3rd period (9:10 – 10:05 regular schedule; 9:00 – 9:50 activity schedule)
- A Parent’s Note after an absence must be submitted within 3 days after returning to school.
- A Doctor’s Note is required after an Absence for five or more consecutive days. A doctor’s note is required for any absence beginning with the 6th absence within any semester.
- A Doctor’s Appointment where the student attends school for part of the day and returns with a doctor’s note is not counted as an absence. Please avoid scheduling doctor’s appointments during the official attendance period. State testing dates for 2018-2019 are December 3 – 7 STAAR EOC Retest, April 9-12 STAAR EOC English I and English II, and May 6 – 10 STAAR EOC Algebra, Biology, and US History. Please avoid scheduling appointments on these dates.
- Excused Absences - A student who is absent (excused) shall be permitted to make up work and will receive one day/class meeting for each consecutive day/class meeting’s absence to turn in make-up work or to obtain any information covered during the absence. In general, absences will be excused for the following reasons:
o Personal Illness.
o Doctor’s Appointments
o Court Appearance
o Family emergency if the principal is contacted prior to the absence.
o Death in family
o Religious holy days.
**Please note that travel is not an excused absence. Please plan travel using the district calendar to ensure students do not have avoidable unexcused absences.
The road to success or failure in life starts with just showing up. Improving attendance has been a campus goal for the last four years and we have made significant improvements. Please join us in committing to do everything you can to ensure students are present. It is the small things that add up to make a big difference!
Renee Pentecost
Principal LEHS
ENGLISH
PARENTS - PADRES
ATTENDANCE MATTERS - SEMESTER EXAM EXEMPTIONS
2014-2015 - 93.8
2015-2016 - 93.8
2016-2017 - 94.8
2017-2018 - 95.3
We increased our overall attendance rate to 95.3% last year and we know we can do better! Our school missed receiving two distinctions from the state by 0.1 point in attendance! Exam exemptions have proven to be a powerful incentive for students to self monitor their attendance. Make sure you know the requirements for earning a exam exemption by reading the procedures below. Keep up the great work!
ASVAB – September 19th
We will be offering the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) to all interested 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students on September 19, 2018. The ASVAB is a multi-aptitude test used by the military to determine if you are qualified to join one of the services and what areas you would excel in. The test will be given during the school day at LEHS and results will be released to recruiters about a week after the test. This is a great opportunity for students who have thought about a career in the military.
The deadline to register is September 1st – please use this link: ASVAB Registration
Recap for the week of August 27 - September 1
- Lobo Varsity volleyball falls to 6A Rowlett in a 5 game thriller! 19-25, 20-25, 27-25, 29-27, 4-15.
- JV volleyball beats 6A Rowlett in three games!
August 30 -
- Freshmen A Navy football team beat Northwest 22-0
- Freshmen Gold football team beat Northwest 16-14
- LEHS JV football defeat Northwest 26-20
August 31 -
- LEHS Varsity Volleyball fall to Sherman while JV and Freshmen teams win against Sherman.
- LEHS Varsity Football falls 34-41 in double overtime to #15 ranked Northwest but show they are a team to be reckoned with.
September 1 -
- Freshmen Volleyball go 2-1 in Garland Tournament
Spirit Themes
9/7 Birdville Hawks - Luau
9/14 Keller Central Chargers - Patriotic
9/21 BYE
9/28 Lone Star (LMS/PSA/LEAYSA Night) Rangers - Space Jam
10/5 Centennial Titans - Tie up the Titans - (TyeDye)
10/11 Wakeland - Thursday - Wolverines - Tacky Tourist
*10/19 Liberty Homecoming - Around the World
10/25 Independence - Knights Say Goodnight to the Knights - Pajamas
11/2 Heritage (Senior/Parent Night) Coyotes - Black Out
11/9 The Colony - Cougars - Cougar Hunt - (Camo)
**Home football games are in bold.
Save the Date: LEHS Meet the Teacher
More Details in the next Newsletter -
2) PSAT Exam - October 10 - All 10th and 11th grade students
3) Senior Service Day - October 10 (see permission slip linked below)
4) Freshmen College Tours - October 10 (see permission slip linked below)
Report Harmful, Harassing, and Bullying Behavior
LEISD has an on-line tool called "Anonymous Alerts" that students, parents, and teachers can use to report harmful, harassing, and bullying type behaviors. Anonymous Alerts bullying reporting mobile app helps combat bullying and other negative activity in schools by empowering students to speak up. Social and peer pressures are some of the hardest obstacles for students to overcome. Anonymous Alerts encourages students, parents and staff to quickly, easily, and anonymously report bullying, cyber-bullying, gang-related issues, and other sensitive topics through private messages to school officials by building. All reports remain completely anonymous even during a two-way email conversation, although submitters have the option to reveal their identity if they prefer to have a person-to-person discussion.
To send a report from the Web/Internet go to: www.anonymousalerts.com/littleelmisd/
To send a report from your phone:
- Download the Anonymous Alerts® app for free from the Apple Store, Google Play store, and the Chrome store
- Start the App, enter login: leisd and password: leisd
- Send important reports to school officials
- Add a screen shot or photo about the incident
Scholarship Opportunities
College JumpStart Scholarship
Deadline: 10/17/18
Available to: High School Sophomores through College Seniors
Award Amount: $1,000
**Click image below to be taken to scholarship website.
Deadline for Applications - February 28, 2019
All applicants must be high school seniors and have applied to a college or university for admission in the Fall of 2019. All applications must be completed accurately and completely and submitted online to Tip Top Tux, Al’s Formal Wear or Dream Dress Express prior to March 1, 2019.
The Lexus Eco Challenge empowers teens to practice citizenship and strengthen STEM skills through environmental projects. Register today to jump-start inquiry, creativity, and advocacy in your classroom.
GET STARTED!
- Assemble teams of 5–10 students and register them for Challenge 1: Land & Water. (You can register as many teams as you like.)
- Advise them as they create practical solutions for issues related to land and water.
- Submit each team's environmental Action Plan by October 15 for a chance to win amazing prizes—up to $500,000 in scholarships and grants are awarded each year to eligible teachers, students, and schools!
Scholarship Search Site - Provided by College Board
College Covered
While you are there, check out the website College Covered. Do you want to know what you need in a winning college essay, what college entrance test score you need, or what makes a top notch college application? Get what you need to help get into the college of your dreams with the help of College Covered.
An App Matches Students with College Scholarships They Can Use
Little Elm High School
Chris Reza - Associate Principal (creza@littleelmisd.net)
Alen Palislamovic - White House Principal A - E (apalislamovic@littleelmisd.net)
Ruben Molinar - Grey House Principal F - Li (rmolinar@littleelmisd.net)
Kyle Heller - Blue House Principal Lo - Ri (kheller@littleelmisd.net)
Terilyn Thomas-Monday - Gold House Principal Ro - Z (tthomas-monday@littleelmisd.net)
Website: http://www.littleelmisd.net/Domain/9
Location: 1900 Walker Lane, Little Elm, TX, United States
Phone: (972) 947-9443
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Little-Elm-High-School/736775073135970?notif_t=page_fan
Twitter: @LittleElmHS