Hello Community,

Every day I am reminded of how privileged I am to be part of a great organization. Sandpoint High School and Lake Pend Oreille School District is full of hard working and dedicated individuals further surrounded by a supportive community. I don’t believe we would be able to accomplish much without those people in place.

The end of the calendar year has always been a time to reflect back on what happened as well as begin to plan for the future. SHS is currently doing both by analyzing data and making decisions for next year based on that data. The main question at hand is what type of schedule SHS should have next year. COVID caused us to adapt our A/B schedule which was in place for 10+ years and adopt a 4x4 schedule. This change has caused us to further look at all schedules in a quest to determine whether or not the A/B schedule is best for our students. To help answer that question, we will be looking at; grade distribution over the last few years, gpas, ISAT scores, SAT/PSAT scores, attendance rates, and possibly more in order to get a complete picture of how schedules have affected our students. I hope you have already responded to the survey sent recently about schedules. This is a BIG decision and we understand there is no perfect schedule and whichever choice we make, some people will be frustrated they did not get their ideal schedule. Please know we are taking all input into consideration.

In other news of note, we are now on to our winter sports schedule. This includes basketball, wrestling, cheer and dance. Drama is also competing this weekend at State. We have upcoming shows from our band as well. It will be exciting to see our programs perform and compete during this season and I invite you all to attend at least one event to celebrate the hard work of our students and the accompanying staff.

Our last day of school this calendar year will be December 17th with a release time of 1:10pm. This also happens to be close to the midpoint of Term 2 so I encourage you to help your child check their grades and use the two weeks off to catch up on work if needed. This Term will end on January 27th and grades will be final and transcripted at that time. Remember that the 4x4 schedule moves VERY FAST and sometimes students and their families are caught off guard.

Remember I am always open to parent input on anything related to school. If you have any questions or something to share, please call or come in and talk to me.

Go Bulldogs!

David Miles II; Sandpoint High School Principal

She is the new face that you will see at the front desk. She is excited to be a Sandpoint Bulldog and currently lives in Sagle with her husband Chris and her son Cooper, who is currently a freshman at SHS. Christy and her family enjoy spending most of their time outdoors doing a variety of activities. She says summer is her favorite season of all, and enjoys spending time on the water. Christy looks forward to getting to know all f the new faces at SHS. Stop by and say hello when you get an opportunity.

The Idaho State Department of Education is providing free, online QPR (Question, Persuade and Refer) Gatekeeper Training for Suicide Prevention to Idahoans (ages 18 and over) who interact with students at home or at school! This includes all members of a school’s community: educators, parents, grandparents, school staff, staff at youth organizations, coaches, and more! The training only takes 1-2 hours to complete. Get started here.

We want as many caring adults as possible prepared and trained to connect students with support and resources! Thank you for taking the time to complete this course which will help our community protect and support our youth.

Student Council is holding a fundraiser to help raise money for Toys for Tots! We will be collecting money at school during 2nd period from Dec. 6th through Dec. 16th! The class that raises the most money will receive a meal at Dub´s(a burger, fries, and a drink). Cash or checks are accepted (Checks must be written to SHS). Student Council is also holding a raffle to win a basket full of gift cards from local stores and restaurants in town! These are some of the following places, 7B Boardshop, The Idaho Club, Burger Doc, Sweet Lou´s and more! There will be two winners, the first winner will have the option of choosing between two gift baskets. One basket will be worth over $600 and the other will be over $700. The raffle will take place on Dec. 17th (winners will be contacted by SHS Student Council). The Raffle is open to everyone in the community.

Upcoming dates

• Toys for Tots Fundraiser: Monday December 6th -Thursday December 16th

• Battle for the Paddle: January 21, 2022 @ Lakeland HS