Knight News
Grand Forks Central High School - February 15th, 2022
Central's Main Office (701)-746-2375
Principal's Message
GFC Families,
Thank you to those of you who took time to complete the survey that was shared with you over the last two weeks! This HRS (High Reliability Schools) survey serves as a way for us to monitor the effectiveness of some of the things we have in place as a school, as well as provide us with an idea of growth areas we have and so we can begin planning for them, too.
Responses from parents on the survey brought to light the need for us to share our work a bit more with you so that you can have a greater awareness (or reminder) of tools, programs, or operations we have in place that are meant to improve the educational experience of our students and the way we partner with parents and the community. So, I thought I’d highlight a few survey topics below and provide a description of what those topics look like at GFC in this edition of The Knight News.
Teachers have formal roles in the decision-making process regarding school initiatives. Teachers and staff have formal ways to provide input regarding the optimal functioning of the school. Not every decision made at the school level (vs. district level) involves teacher input, but the majority of them do. We have a High Reliability School (HRS) team, as well as department heads, that are made of teachers and these groups can provide input on decisions. Sometimes those roles are formal, but most often they are informal, even as part of surveys like the one parents just responded to in the last few weeks.
Teacher teams and collaborative groups regularly interact to address common issues regarding curriculum, assessment, instruction, and the achievement of all students. The best example of this would be the Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s) that teachers work in on the Wednesday early release days throughout the year.
Students, parents, and the community have formal ways to provide input regarding the optimal functioning of the school. An electronic form (Central Suggestions) is available for teachers, parents, and members of the community to provide thoughts and feedback regarding all aspects of Grand Forks Central High School. The link to this form can be found on our website, and has been a part of this newsletter in the past. You will find the link at the bottom of the newsletter in this issue and moving forward.
Support is provided to teachers to continually enhance their pedagogical skills through reflection and professional growth plans. Teachers are required to have annual growth plans that include a “stretch” goal. That is, a goal on which they will receive feedback, but will not be part of their annual evaluation. Supervisors (principals) provide support and guidance in relation to these goals, as well as other teaching strategies as part of direct observations and individual meetings each school year.
The school leader communicates a clear vision as to how instruction should be addressed in the school. The teaching strategies that we focus on at Central are listed in our instructional model. These strategies, or elements, are based on the work of Dr. Robert Marzano and have been chosen by our staff to best represent those that we believe are most important for our students. The GFC Instructional Model graphic is posted below.
These survey topics were chosen to be highlighted here based on the number of responses that indicated parents either did not know about the topics or were not aware they were in place or how they functioned.
Hopefully this provides you with a bit more knowledge about GFC. If you have any questions about the survey or the topics presented, feel free to reach out to me.
Onward Central!
Mr. Jon Strandell
A Look Ahead
Feb. 17-19th - "Curtains" Winter Musical - see poster below for more information
Feb. 24 & 25th - NO SCHOOL - Professional Development
Feb. 28th - Knight Idol - 7:00 PM - Auditorium
Mar. 3rd - Winter Band Concert - 7:00 PM - Auditorium
Mar. 14th - 18th - NO SCHOOL - Spring Break
Family/Teacher Conferences Tonight!
Family/Teacher Conferences will be held on Feb. 15th from 4:00-7:00 PM. Conferences will be face to face. If your family prefers a phone or zoom conference, please contact each teacher directly to set that meeting up. (Conferences were also previously held on Feb. 10th)
The teachers below will be unavailable tonight. If a teacher is unavailable for only part of the evening, the time available has been noted.
Unavailable on Tuesday, Feb. 15th
Matt Berglund (available after 6:00 PM)
Brittany Bunde
Ryne Dolleslager
Ligia Feo
Yvonne Kalka
Kylie Laudal
Garrett Litzinger
Academic Students of Quarter 2
Freshmen
Elizabeth Dudden
Ellie Walsh
Sophomores
Braden Huseby
Tatum Vanyo
Juniors
Cole Barta
Gianna Blue
Seniors
Jackson Lee
Sydney Hanson
Dismissing Students Early From Class For Planned Absences
Please review the guidelines below for excusing a student early from class. Your assistance is much appreciated!
- Permission from a parent/guardian is needed prior to any student leaving school early. Notes are accepted or you may call the Attendance Line at 746-2482.
- Students then must request a purple dismissal slip from the attendance secretary to be excused from class for the appointment.
- Students must show these dismissal slips to their teacher when they need to leave, so class is not interrupted.
- Students must sign out with the Attendance Secretary before leaving.
- You may send a note or call prior to the day of the appointment.
- If you wait until the day of the appointment to contact us, please call in the permission for your student to leave no later than 9:00 a.m. or send a note with your student and have them bring it to the Attendance Office first thing in the morning.
We understand that not every absence can be pre-arranged and we will continue to accommodate unplanned absences in as timely a manner as is possible.
Graduating Student's Legal Names For Diplomas
A student's legal name on the date of their graduation from GFC is how their name will appear on their diploma, transcript, the graduation program, the announcement for the Grand Forks Herald and any other graduation materials. If your student is changing their name legally prior to their graduation, you may submit copies of those documents to our office no later than May 25th. If your student has graduated early at semester time, their name at the time of early graduation will be the legal name used for all documents.
2022 Graduation Information & Deadlines
The graduation ceremony for the Class of 2022 is scheduled for Sunday, June 5, 2022 at 1:00 p.m.
Prior to graduation, there are a number of items that need to be completed. The following is a checklist of all obligations that must be met by each student before a diploma will be presented.
- All course work, tests, and detention time must be completed before Wednesday, June 1, 2022.
- All independent study, online and correspondence course work must be completed by Friday, May 20, 2022
- All seniors must complete the “Senior Survey” and the "Choice Ready Survey" prior to graduation. The surveys will be sent to student email accounts for completion.
- All bills must be paid (media center, athletic equipment, lab equipment, book damages, etc…) by Friday, May 20, 2022.
- The final day of classes for seniors will be Tuesday, May 31, 2022.
- Graduation practice is tentatively scheduled for Friday, June 3, 2022 at 8:00 a.m. All graduating seniors must attend the practice session.
- Caps and gowns were ordered in November and will be distributed from the Principal’s Office on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
- Senior pictures for the yearbook are due by May 1st and can be turned in at any time before that date to Mr. Berglund or can be e-mailed to: centralyearbook@mygfschools.org.
- If a student desires to receive a diploma without going through the graduation ceremony; he/she may do so by notifying Kristin Wilcox prior to Friday, May 20, 2022.
- All students who participate in the commencement ceremony are expected to dress in an appropriate manner. The cap, gown, tassel, and shoes are all required. No other personal additions will be allowed other than school-issued stoles of honor without prior permission from administration.
Only students who have completed their graduation requirements will participate in the graduation ceremony. The list of students who will be participating in the ceremony will be finalized on Wednesday, June 1, 2022.
Senior Yearbook Photo Information
Senior photos for the 2021-2022 GFC Yearbook can be submitted to: centralyearbook@mygfschools.org.
- Submitted digital images should be 300 DPI.
- Baby/Childhood photos can also be submitted. If you need a photo to be scanned, you can put it in Mr. Berglund’s mailbox and it will be returned after it is scanned (make sure your name is on it and it’s in an envelope).
Grand Forks Central High School Senior Portrait Yearbook Policy:
Every graduating senior student is permitted to turn in a portrait photo for reproduction in the Grand Forks Central School yearbook.
- The deadline for senior portrait submission is May 1, 2022
- Students should submit a vertical or square photo (not horizontal). Note: Full body shots may be cropped.
- Only single-subject photos are allowed.
- Accessories (i.e. hats, scarves, jewelry) and props (i.e. sports equipment) are permitted in the submitted photos as long as they do not promote or condone illegal activity. Senior portraits of questionable content will be shown to school administration for final approval.
- Portraits of students with weapons will not be published.
Note: If you did not have a senior photo taken and do not plan to take one, I can take a good picture of you. We want to include everyone and I have done this many times in the past. Just stop by my classroom (#22) and we will set up a time.
If you would like to order a 2021-2022 GFC yearbook, go to this website:
https://www.balfour.com/student-info?smi=55338
Mr. Matt Berglund
GFC Yearbook Adviser
Scholarship Opportunities
Seniors...have you visited the online scholarship listing on the GFC website? This list is a compilation of scholarship information that has been made available to us. Please check out the list and the many opportunities for scholarships by clicking the link below!
Spring Sports Start Dates
Boys & Girls Track
Informational Meeting Feb. 22, Room 312 at 3:05 PM
Practice Starts Feb. 28th at 3:45 PM on the track by the locker rooms.
Coach Sean Allan: sallan70@mygfschools.org
Coach Tim Gregoire: tgregoire040@mygfschools.org
Softball - March 21st
Coach Brittany Baker McNelly: bbakermcnelly050@mygfschools.org
Girls Soccer - March 28th
Coach George DuBois: gdubois050@mygfschools.org
Girls Tennis - April 4th
Coach Matt Fuka: mfuka219@mygfschools.org
Boys Golf - April 11th
Coach Josh Cichy: jcichy180@mygfschools.org
More information can be found on our school website under Athletics or in the daily announcements.
Spring Sport Information & Forms
*Important Change This Year* Activity fees are now all paid online on the MySchoolBucks.com website.
White Cards
- White cards can be picked up anytime in the main office M-F 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m
- White cards are used to indicate that student athletes have completed all necessary paperwork/processes in order to participate in an activity. Athletes must present white cards to coaches before they will be allowed to tryout or practice.
Athletic Forms
- Please have the items labeled "required" listed below completed when you come to the school to pick up your white card. If any of the forms are missing signatures or required information a white card will not be issued.
1. Physical Form (required)
All athletes must complete a physical form each year. Physicals dated after April 15th, 2021 are valid for the 2021-2022 school year.
2. Code of Conduct Form (required)
All athletes must fill out a code of conduct form each year.
3. Concussion Form (required)
All athletes must fill out a concussion form each year.
4. Activity Fee (due before first game or performance, not required for a white card)
$80 per sport/$70 per fine arts activity paid on the MySchoolBucks.com website
or
Activity Waiver/Consent Form/Free or Reduced Lunch Form (not required for a white card, but must be taken care of prior to the first game or performance) Please see the next section for more information about waivers below.
Students cannot play in a game or represent GFC publicly until their fee is paid or they have qualified for a waiver.
- District Athletic Forms can be found here: https://www.gfschools.org/Page/137
Free & Reduced Activity Participation Fees
School meals were free for all students this year, so many families did not fill out these applications this fall, however they are needed if you wish to apply for free or reduced participation fees for spring activities.
Online Sports & Activity Fee Payments
Please pay all student activity fees online through MySchoolBucks.com. There is a small surcharge fee when depositing money into your student's lunch account, however, there is no additional surcharge fee when paying for sports and activity fees, bus tickets and other products from the school store.
Create your free account today and never worry about having to send cash/checks to school with your student again. Visit myschoolbucks.com or download the app today to get started!
Grand Central Station - Your "Central Station" for school spirit gear!
Grand Central Station is online for convenience of shopping, just scan the QR Code and start shopping. New items are coming in all of the time, so check back often.
Grand Central Station Hours of Operation:
Open on days school is in session from 8:00 a.m. to 12:35 p.m. and 1:10 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Verbs are the Key!
Many times our students report that when they are tested/assessed in classes or on standardized assessments (ACT), they report not being confident about what they are being asked to do to demonstrate their knowledge, despite the fact that they feel they are knowledgeable about the topic. Understanding the question or task is, at the core, about understanding the verbs being used in the question or or prompt. A goal at Grand Forks Central is to make the most commonly used verbs on assessments part of our daily practice and vernacular. We ask that parents support these efforts at home as they are able. Listed below are the verbs we have identified as those we will focus on to best prepare our students for success on assessments and in life.
GFC Power Verbs
Formulate - to express in precise form; It's difficult to formulate a plan under pressure.
Compare - to examine the qualities of to discover similarities & differences; It's best to compare prices before a big purchase.
Contrast - to examine the qualities of to discover differences; Her black dress and the white snow contrast sharply.
Predict – say or predict that something will happen in the future. I predict the Vikings will win the Super Bowl.
Describe – give an account of something, including relevant details. Cormac McCarthy describes the setting in The Road as bleak, desolate, and harmful to human life.
Evaluate – form an idea of the amount, value, or idea of. We need to evaluate our options before making a choice.
Infer – make a good guess; read between the lines; what’s the hidden meaning. From your letter, I infer that you are well.
Support - give the facts; back up with details; provide proof. The facts support your claim of innocence.
Analyze – break apart; study the pieces; look at closer; examine. It is best to analyze a situation before acting.
Summarize – give a brief statement of the main points of something. Read the article and summarize it in a paragraph.
Justify - to show or prove to be right or reasonable; You must justify your actions with solid evidence..
Claim - state or assert that something is the case; She claimed that she was a part of a wealthy, educated family.20-21 Extra Yearbooks for Sale
21-22 Yearbooks
- The 2021-2022 yearbook will be sold online again this year on the Balfour website. Please click on the link below to purchase the upcoming yearbook. https://www.balfour.com/student-info?smi=55338
The cost is $55. Senior pictures and senior baby pictures are due by May 1st and can be emailed at any time before that to: centralyearbook@mygfschools.org
The next GFC Booster Club meeting will be held March 7th at 7:00 PM in the GFC Media Center
Administration
Dr. Gabe Dahl - Associate Principal A-K
Mr. Mike Wilber - Associate Principal L-Z
Mr. Aaron La Deaux - Activities Director
Contact Us:
Main Office : 701-746-2375
Attendance Line: 701-746-2482
Main Office Hours 7:00 AM-4:15 PM
School Doors Open at 7:30 AM
Location:
115 N. 4th Street
Grand Forks, ND 58203
Follow us on Twitter: @GFC_Activities
Follow us on Instagram: gfc_activites
GFPS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GrandForksPublicSchools/