Highland Park Senior High Headliner
October 27, 2023
Message from Principal Dr. Winston Tucker
Highland Families,
The end of the first quarter grading period is on November 9. That is just around the corner and will come up fast. I strongly encourage all parents to check in with their student and monitor their assignments and grades so students can have a strong finish for the first quarter grading period. Some students have a tendency to start out strong in a quarter grading period and then all behind and not keep track of their assignments and grades. We want all students to finish strong and have a successful first quarter. Thank you for your continued support.
Dr. Winston Tucker, Principal
Mark Your Calendars!
Monday, October 30, 2023
- Picture Retakes
Thursday, November 9, 2023
- End of Quarter 1
Thursday, November 16
- Give to the Max (see flyer below)
Thursday, November 23-Friday, November 24, 2023
- No School - Thanksgiving Break
Friday, December 1, 2023
- Red Cross Blood Drive
Cross Country Success!
The girls won the cross country section championship today and will be moving on to the state meet next weekend. Grace Lewis-Mosher won the race with Luna Scorzelli right behind. The girls put all 7 runners in the top 12 of the race. Grace Lewis-Mosher, Luna Scorzelli, Sam Palm, Zoe Moore, Madeleine Kley, Ingrid Haaland, Ellie Moore and Ruby Peterson.
The boys placed a solid third - with Mason Deegan winning the race. Jack Douglas placed 9th and will also be racing at the state championship.
full results at https://live.fastfinishresults.com/meets/28701
Students giving back to the community!
Leaving a Leaf Legacy: St. Paul Students Planting Trees for a Greener Future in their Community. 25 dedicated young students doing good and giving back while getting paid to learn about trees and actively working to green their community. - 200 trees planted on the east side in an effort to strengthen the urban tree canopy in an area where many ash trees infested with emerald ash borer (EAB) were removed.
Highland Park CCRC News
Click here to see the latest CCRC newsletter! This newsletter highlights upcoming college and career-related opportunities.
Highland Park CCRC - The CCRC is here to help students with college and career planning! The CCRC provides the following resources to students:
- Interests and skills exploration tools
- Career Information
- Resume Help
- College and Post-Secondary exploration tools
- College Admission, Career and Military Representative Visits
- College Admission test information such as ACT and Accuplacer
- Scholarships
- Financial Aid
- Summer and Community Opportunities
- And more!
CLICK HERE to check out the new CCRC website! This site will be updated throughout the year with important information, resources, and opportunities.
Education Pathway Class Opportunity
NHS News
On Wednesday, October 18, the National Honor Society hosted the annual Scots Stroll. The event is open to all students and staff, anyone interested in participating can buy a t-shirt for $15. That t-shirt gets students out of their period 4 class to come to the football field to "stroll" and play games. Most importantly all money raised will be donated to Habitat for Humanity, which has been selected as the NHS charity for the year. 100 students and NHS volunteers participated in Scots Stroll and $250 was raised for Habitat for Humanity.
FFA News
On Friday, October 13th, eleven Highland Park students traveled to the University of Wisconsin River Falls for the FFA Region 4 Poultry and Horse Evaluation competitions. The Poultry team had 6 students, many of them veteran FFA competitors. The Horse Evaluation team of 5 were all first-time competitors in the Horse Evaluation. Both teams were well prepared, having studied daily together in the weeks leading up to the competition. Results will come soon, but both teams felt good about their performances, and everyone had a great day in Wisconsin!
Chinese Film Festival Field Trip
Chinese immersion students from grades 11 and 12, along with Chinese language students from grades 3, 4, and 5, attended the Chinese Film Festival at the University of Minnesota on Thursday, October 26. The event was hosted by the University of Minnesota's Chinese College in the Schools program. These students had worked diligently in producing their films and were present at the award celebration today. Our school competed against over 150 students from various MN high schools, and we won a total of six awards, including the Best Use of Chinese Idiom, Best Animation, and Best Film Award!"
Class of 2024 Graduation Date Announced!
Tuesday, June 4
Roy Wilkins Auditorium
10:00 a.m. mandatory practice
5:30 p.m. graduation ceremony
Highland Park Swag!
Need swag? Order here!
Virtual Parent/Guardian Info Meetings
GTK- (Good to Know) information about HPSH for parents and guardians, especially those new to Highland. New this year- virtual parent/guardian informational meetings around relevant topics and commonly asked questions. Click here for more details.
Next Meeting- October 26, 2023
As we near the end of Quarter 1, learn more about GPA, Final Grades, and Credits Required for Graduation. There will also be a brief overview of Scots Strategies class, which is new to Highland this year. Join us virtually next Thursday, October 26 from 1:08 p.m. – 1:38 p.m. using this link.
Future Meeting Dates:
October 26, 2023
November 30, 2023
December 14, 2023
Missed the first meeting? We’ve got you! - September 21
Here are the links to the slides and recording from the first Virtual Parent/Guardian Meeting. Hope to see you all in October!
FFA News
FFA Members competed at the University of Minnesota Soil Judging Invitational. This was our first of many competitions for the year and students placed 3rd overall!
FFA is having a fruit sale fundraiser! Here is the link to the online order page. You can also order in person from any FFA member. https://myfruitsale.com/collections/zdtz
Student Parking in Lot
Highland Families,
The following communication was shared with all students via Schoology and through the daily announcements from Dr. Tucker. If your child drives to school, please remind your child of this expectation.
Scots,
Please only park in the parking lot if you are a senior and have purchased a parking permit. We will be having the police ticket the parking lot throughout the school year, and I do not want you to get a ticket. Students are not permitted to park in the middle school lot even with a Highland parking permit. Thanks for your cooperation.
10th Grade Families!
Our 10th grade students are starting their IB MYP Personal Projects! The Personal Project is a student-centered and student-selected project and provides an opportunity for students to undertake an independent exploration into an area of personal interest. The projects are up to the students and should be challenging and engaging for the student. It is an expectation that all HPSH students will engage in this project as do all IB MYP students across the globe!
Some Key Details:
Students will be engaging in some brainstorming lessons soon in advisory.
Students will find out their Personal Project Advisor later this month. (Students meet with their Personal Project Advisors during 4 scheduled meetings).
Finished projects include: a process journal, product/outcome, paper, and a showcase.
The overall project (with journal and paper) should take about 25 hours to complete. The criteria for the project and paper are Planning, Applying Skills, and Reflecting -- these are very universal and will work with any topic.
The paper will be explained in detail in December after the students have engaged further in their projects. The paper length requirement is 15 pages or less (this does include the title page, table of contents, evidence, bibliography). The paper aims to explain the process of the personal project, explain the impact of the project on the student and their learning, evaluate the product based on the success criteria the student created, and show reflection with detailed examples and evidence. Students will be provided with a rubric and prompts to help write the paper. The journal entries will be a great resource as students write the paper.
Please see the Schoology Personal Project Course for more details, documents, slideshow with examples, etc.
Thanks!
Marissa Bonk
IB MYP Coordinator
New Social Media Connection
Check out what our awesome Scots are up to by following Highland Park Senior High on Facebook and highlandparksr.scots.pride on Instagram.
2023-24 Yearbook Information
You can now order your 2023-2024 yearbook. Follow this link:
https://www.balfour.com/minnesota/saint-paul/highland-park-senior-high-school/yearbook-packages
Contact Nancy Michael with questions. nancy.michael@spps.org
Teacher Wish List
As the school year begins, there are two ways to support our terrific Highland Park teachers and staff:
- By purchasing items on the Wish List for use in the classroom: Wish List This list is always being updated—teachers are in the process of adding their lists for this school year.
- By purchasing general school supplies—Kleenex, hand sanitizer, pencils, pens, highlighters, dry erase markers, post-its and snacks. General supplies can be brought to the school office any time.
The PTSA will also be collecting Kleenex, hand sanitizer and general school supplies at the Open House event—if you can bring even one box of Kleenex, it will have a positive impact! It is the number one requested item from teachers and staff!
Thank you from the Highland Park PTSA.
SPPS Grading
There will be some positive changes to grading practices at all SPPS high schools beginning in the 2023-24 school year. SPPS is shifting to more consistent and equitable grading practices across all high schools to ensure that students’ grades truly reflect what they’ve learned. Visit the Grading Practices FAQ webpage for more information. More details will be provided this fall, including information sessions with language support for families.
Nutrition Services
In-person students will receive free breakfast and lunch under the Minnesota Free School Meals program. All students are eligible to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day. Second meals, incomplete meals and single item purchases, such as milk only, must be purchased.
- Student Second Breakfast: $2.85
- Student Second Lunch: $5
- Milk Only: $0.50
- For a complete list of prices, visit spps.org/ns.
Visit schoolcafe.com/spps to manage your student’s meal account, view menus, ingredients and nutritional information, and complete the Application for Educational Benefits.
A Message from Saint Paul Public Schools Nutrition Services
- While all in-person students will receive free breakfast and lunch under Minnesota’s Free School Meals program, it remains critical that all families complete an Application for Educational Benefits each school year. These applications determine how much funding your child’s school receives for educational programs and supports. Additionally, eligible families can qualify for other benefits. The application can be completed online at schoolcafe.com/spps. Paper applications are available at your child's school.
Parent Portal - Access Your Student's Progress
Use Parent Portal and see your child’s attendance, homework assignments, grades and more. Log on to spps.org/onestop and click on “parent portal”. This valuable tool will provide both information on your student and a means of communicating with your student’s teachers. Report cards are not mailed to homes.
For access please contact the main office at 651-293-8940.
MTC Unlimited Transit Pass Available for Purchase
MTC Bus Pass Quarter Dates
11/2/2023 to 1/14/2024 payment due by Monday, October 30, 2023
1/15/2024 to 3/31/2024 payment due by Monday, January 8, 2024
4/1/2024 to 6/14/2024 payment due by Monday, March 25, 2024
Highland Park Senior High School
Website: https://www.spps.org/highlandsr
Location: 1015 Snelling Avenue South, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: 651-293-8940