Hooch Happenings

Todd's Tidbits

Hooch Families,

It is time to CELEBRATE!! The most recent Niche rankings for high schools came out this week and the Hooch has another strong showing in ranking #5 in the state, which places us as 3rd in Fulton County. Additionally, we had 23 students (see below in SMORE) named as National Merit Scholar semi-finalists. This is the 2nd highest in the district and we are wishing the best to all of the students as they move the final round.

Now for not so celebratory information:

Student Parking on Campus

WITHOUT Permit

Our Campus Security Associate and administrative team patrols for illegally parked cars several times each day. Students are not permitted in any parking lot during the school day without a visible permit or authorization from the Administration. Students parked illegally could have their car wheel booted. The fine for removing a boot from an illegally parked car is $50 and jeopardize their opportunity get a permit in the future.

WITH Permit

Permitted students are to drive safely in the parking lot and use only authorized spaces. Students are not permitted to remain in parked cars before or during school hours. Should the need arise to have to change vehicles (within the family), then administration should be notified. Students leaving the campus during the day without permission will have the following consequences and these will be applied to any student in the vehicle with a parking permit.

1st offense = Loss of parking privileges one month + 1 days ISS

2nd offense = Loss of parking privileges two months + 2 days ISS

3rd offense = Loss of parking privilege (no refund of fees)

Students are discouraged from parking off campus in neighborhood streets. Johns Creek Police Department may be provided with the plate numbers of vehicles that are reported by residents of the subdivisions and towing of the vehicle is possible.

Tardy Policy Update

We are having increased numbers of students just not moving through the halls and stopping to “hang out”, so we need you encouraging your student to keep moving or as I like to say “keep walkin’ and talkin’”.

As a reminder, students have 7 minutes between classes with a minute left warning bell sounding at the 6-minute mark. A tardy report will be run weekly and any student showing 3 or more will be met with and provided a consequence aligned with the Fulton Code of Conduct that can include but not be limited to:

Detention(s)
Saturday Opportunity (3 hours)
In School Suspension

We will follow our usual progressive discipline approach, meaning, as a student is seen more for same infraction the consequence(s) are increased.

All the best,

Dr. Mike Todd

Principal

PSAT Information and Early Release Day

Wednesday, October 13th will be a school day PSAT test day for all 9th – 11th graders at Chattahoochee High School. All 9th – 11th grade students are registered to test, so no further registration actions are needed. It is not a mandatory test, but it is a highly encouraged opportunity for interested students as the cost for testing is being covered by county and state funds.

This PSAT is offered as a face-to-face exam only. Students should arrive to campus as a normal start day but will be released early with buses expected to leave campus at approximately 12:50pm.

There will be a free 2-hour video prep course offered by our Business Partner, Cambridge Ed, to interested students. Please look for the interest link in your email accounts next week.

More intensive test prep resources are also offered through the below business partners. Please visit their websites for more information.

Best in Class Education website

Cornerstone Academic website

C2 Education website

Media Center

Do you know that:

A 5,000-person study found that higher social media use correlated with self-reported declines in mental and physical health and life satisfaction. Persuasive design techniques like push notifications and the endless scroll of your newsfeed have created a feedback loop that keeps us glued to our devices.
The number of countries with disinformation campaigns on social media doubled in the past 2 years. Social media advertising gives anyone the opportunity to reach huge numbers of people with phenomenal ease, giving bad actors the tools to sow unrest and fuel political divisions.
64% of the people who joined extremist groups on Facebook did so because the algorithms steered them there. Algorithms promote content that sparks outrage, hate, and amplifies biases within the data that we feed them.

If these facts from the Netflix documentary – The Social Dilemma – fascinate you, please visit https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/faqs/ for more. To watch the film in its entirety, please visit https://youtu.be/7mqR_e2seeM. The full film is available on YouTube until 9/30. The full film can also be found on Netflix if you have the subscription.

Counseling Corner

The Chattahoochee High School Counseling Department is hosting Financial Aid Information Night on Thursday, September 30th at 5:30 pm for a LIVE virtual event. Here is the link to join virtually: Financial Aid Night LIVE Link

A representative from the Georgia Student Finance Commission will be on hand to explain the FAFSA, HOPE, HOPE Grant, and Zell Miller Scholarship. If you are unable to attend this event, the PowerPoint will be available on our website www.chattcougar.com on Friday, October 1st.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

2022 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists

On September 15th, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced approximately 16,000 semifinalists, representing less than 1 percent of high school seniors in the U.S. Students were entered into the competition as juniors by taking the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Semifinalists were the highest scoring entrants in each state, and the number chosen from each state is proportional to its share of graduating seniors in the U.S.

The students from Chattahoochee include: