CSD Connections
A Bi-Weekly Clinton Schools Community Newsletter
Volume 2 Issue 4, October 19, 2017
TOP 10 CARDINAL CELEBRATIONS
1. Congratulations to the Clinton High School Cardinal Pride Marching Band. They received 2nd place in their division at the UCM Homecoming Parade. The band also placed 3rd out of all 17 bands that competed!
2. Congrats to all CIS students who were recognized today at their quarterly assembly. Check out all of their awards on Twitter @CIScards345.
3.Thanks to the district's 7 guidance counselors for hosting their annual Counselor's Advisory Meeting this past week. Counselors had the opportunity to inform school staff and community members about their roles and responsibilities in the CSD.
4. Congratulations to the 91 students who maintained perfect attendance during 1st quarter at Henry Elementary. Thanks to GVMH for providing a special lunch for this accomplishment.
5. Thanks to all parents who attended our Fall Parent Teacher Conferences today. We had a great turnout and enjoy visiting with you about your children!
6. The Clinton Middle School's Cardinal Television class has produced its first episode of the year. CTV, taught by teacher Mrs. Kim Thomason is in its 2nd year and allows students to produce a weekly school news program for the entire school to watch each week.
7. Congrats to the CHS Boys Cross Country Team for placing 3rd in the WCC Meet.
8. Your CHS Boys Soccer Team is playing for the district championship TONIGHT (Thursday) in Pleasant Hill. Best of luck Cardinals!
9. Happy National School Bus Safety Week to our district's amazing bus drivers! Our drivers bring with them a combined 314 years of school bus driving experience! Thanks for all they do to ensure our students arrive to school and home safely each day!
10. Congrats to Elias Kraft, Jordan Abernathy, Jakob Yates and Ben Collins who performed in the All-District Choir this past weekend and Maddy Ragan who performed in the Women's Honor Choir. Elias Kraft also earned a solo in the performance.
KING'S KORNER
A message from Dr. Joana King, Assistant Superintendent
Years ago I read the Stephen Covey book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I have tried to employ these habits in my life and will be the first to admit I have failed over and over again. One lesson from the book which I remember is the relationship between stimulus and response. When something happens to me, the only thing I can control is my response to it. For example, on a recent trip into Kansas City I found myself stuck in rush hour traffic. I could feel my typical response emerging. Irritation, blame and anxiety were my initial responses. Then, I remembered something from Mr. Covey’s book. To paraphrase, I am responsible for my reaction to any given situation. So, I took a deep breath and began reciting all the blessings I have been given in this life and began to notice the beautiful blue sky, the incredible buildings and even the road construction that will eventually make the trip easier. I wish I could tell you there was an immediate shift in my mood and I was suddenly happy about being stuck in traffic, but the truth is, I still had to fight the irritation urge. However, I did notice a shift in my thinking. What Mr. Covey calls a “paradigm shift”. The way I see the problem IS the problem. A new self-awareness. Learning had occurred!
Learning is the goal in the Clinton School District. Often, real learning comes in the form of trial and error, hard work and even failure. If the lesson comes too easy or quickly, it doesn’t last. You have heard the expression, “the struggle is real” and it’s true! A great question to ask your child, “what was your terrific struggle today and what did you learn as a result?” Come to think of it, that’s a great question for us to ask ourselves everyday as well!
PARENT REMINDERS AND IMPORTANT INFO
No School-School will not be in session on Friday, October 20th
District Calendar October 19-October 29
Only events that appear on the district calendar are listed here. As always, a calendar for each individual building can be found on the district website.
ALWAYS REFER TO THE DISTRICT WEBSITE CALENDAR, FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE LIST OF EVENTS. ALSO STAY UP TO DATE WITH CANCELLATIONS BY FOLLOWING US ON TWITTER @CLINTONMOCARDS
*10/19 Soccer District Championship @ Pleasant Hill, 7:00
*10/20 Football @ Center, 7:00
*10/23-27 Red Ribbon Week
*10/23 Board of Education Meeting @ CMS Media Center, 6:00
*10/28 ACT @ CHS, 8:00
*10/28 Cross Country District Meet (more info coming soon)
*10/29 Club Volleyball Tryouts @ CHS, 3:00
"IT'S A GREAT DAY TO BE A CARDINAL" ARTICLES
Advanced Placement (AP) Classes Added at Clinton High School
Submitted by: Jarrod Steffens, Clinton High School Principal
High school courses equivalent to undergraduate college courses are being offered this year at Clinton High School through the Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum, administered by the College Board organization. The College Board is a nonprofit organization that also offers the SAT test.
Clinton High School has started by offering AP Literature & Composition, as well as AP Language & Composition this year to Juniors and Seniors who choose to enroll. One of the biggest benefits of AP classes are that students are exposed to level of curriculum standards and rigor that they will face at the college level. Students in Advanced Placement classes are taught the necessary study skills to be able to handle the college level class, both now and when they step foot on a university campus.
At the end of the course, students are administered an AP exam, and depending on their score they could potentially earn college credit. Universities set their own policies on what scores will guarantee credit from the nationally recognized program. The test is scored on a 1-5 scale, with 5 being the highest score a student could achieve. At the University of Central Missouri, a 3 on the AP Literature or AP Language exam would earn the student 3 college credit hours equivalent to ENGL 1020. Whereas at the University of Missouri it would take a score of 4 on the AP Language test to earn 3 credit hours, or a score of 4 on the AP Literature exam could equal 6 college credit hours for a student. A high enough score on an AP exam allows a student to skip introductory classes at their chosen college. In addition, simply having the label of AP on their high school transcript can help students stand out in the admissions process.
However, the number one benefit of Advanced Placement classes is not the potential for college credit hours, that is simply an added bonus. The biggest reason CHS believes students should take an AP class is to be exposed to the college level rigor while still in a high school environment with supports they won’t have in college. According to research done by the College Board, students who take AP classes in high school are more likely to graduate college in 4 years, and more likely to perform well on the subsequent courses in the discipline they took an Advanced Placement class in. Students at CHS are taking college level classes, taught by trained high school teachers who help them through the additional coursework, as well as learning necessary time management skills.
Mrs. Laura Daniel who teaches the AP Literature and Composition class said, “I really enjoy teaching the AP Literature class. I think it gives students, who need and want it, an extra push in this subject area. This is an opportunity they wouldn’t necessarily have if they were taking their regular grade-level English courses. Plus, they have the opportunity to get college credit and prepare themselves for college!”
Mr. Barrett Burford is the teacher for the AP Language and Composition class and Mrs. Haylee Pulcini, along with Mrs. Daniel, teaches a Pre-AP Language Arts II class to sophomores to help prepare them to take the two AP classes their Junior and Senior years. All three of these instructors attended a week long AP training this summer in order to be ready to teach classes at CHS this year.
Student Alyssa Ferrin says “My AP Literature class makes me think in a more complicated way. Before, when I read a book, I just read it. Now, I have to think about it more deeply.”
Advanced Placement classes also have the highest GPA weight available for CHS courses. A letter grade of an “A” in an AP class at Clinton HIgh School gives a student a 5.0 on a 4.0 scale, giving students the ability to earn over a 4.0 GPA in high school. This weightedness allows a student to potentially earn over a 4.0 GPA on their cumulative GPA and reinforces students taking rigorous courses while in high school.
While Clinton High School is currently only offering two AP classes this year, there are over 35 courses offered through the College Board. CHS hopes to add AP classes in all disciplines over the next few years.
For more information or if you have questions email Principal Jarrod Steffens at jsteffens@clintoncardinals.org or check out the College Board website at https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/home
About Us
Email: alawson@clintoncardinals.org
Website: http://clintoncardinals.org
Location: 701 South 8th Street, Clinton, MO, United States
Phone: 660-885-5585
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Clinton-Schools-257810614245734/?fref=ts
Twitter: @ClintonMoCards