Little Elm High School
Weekly Newsletter - December 16, 2018
We Make a Life by What We Give
Tis the Season
Students who participate in community service learning tend to do better in school. Community service is somewhat of a missing link for students, giving them the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to real human needs. Volunteering is a great way to follow up on and supplement subjects that have been covered in the classroom. Students who participate in community service learn that they can actually make a difference which leads to a better understanding of their own competence, leading to more self-confidence and a can-do attitude that can spread to their work and academic pursuits. Taking part in community service teaches students skills that are valuable to future employers, like problem solving, teamwork, and the ability to follow instructions. Including volunteer service on college applications, scholarship applications, and job applications can be the positive difference that sets one person apart from the rest resulting in college admission, a scholarship award, or landing that first paid job. As students work in community service programs, they’ll learn how to better work in teams. Often, students will also learn to develop leadership skills as well. This is valuable not just for schoolwork, but for higher education, careers, and further community involvement.
As Lobos we value a culture founded on the highest qualities of character: Excellence, Integrity, Respect, and Compassion. Providing students with opportunities to participate in community service is one way we are encouraging these values in our students, campus, district, and community. As a school we value community service. LEHS students could earn an extra exam exemption for completing 30 hours of community service. As a campus we participate in the annual Fall district canned food drive. This year the district collected 19,900 pounds of food for the Little Elm Area Food bank. LEHS students collected and donated 6,717 pounds of food. Our staff also donated 2,817 cans winning the district challenge for staff. LEHS students and staff also support the district Back to School Bash where qualifying students are provided the things they need to begin the school year such as backpacks, school supplies, vaccinations, and haircuts. Another worthy community cause, Clothe A Child, provides LEHS students another opportunity to serve our community through fundraising as well as working the event. In addition to these large organized events we also have a number of clubs and organizations such as the Student Athlete Leadership Council, Student Council, National Honor Society, HOSA and DECA that all have community service projects throughout the year. Another unique community service opportunity that began with the Class of 2017, is our senior days of service both in the Fall and Spring. These are days where we offer seniors the chance to choose their location to serve and then provide bus transportation for seniors to participate in community service during the school day. We have partnered with The City of Little Elm, Habitat For Humanity, CCA, Feed My Starving Children and LEISD to provide students with meaningful community service opportunities. If you have a contact in the community that could use our help on these Senior Service days please fill out their contact information here so we can continue to add to these worthwhile community causes. These are just some of the ways that LEHS demonstrates our motto of One Community, One Pack. In the words of Winston Churchill, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.“
Renee Pentecost
Principal
Little Elm High School
Click the Link Below for a LEHS Holiday Message
Attendance Matters - Semester Exam Exemptions
Fall exams are HERE!
2018-19 LEHS Exam Exemptions
- Students are eligible to earn semester final exam exemptions based on academic performance, attendance, citizenship and community service.
- The start date for exam exemption eligibility was Sep. 5, 2018.
- US History courses are excluded from Fall exam exemptions. Dual Credit, OnRamps, AP and Online Languages courses may also be excluded from exam exemptions in order to meet their program requirements.
- The final eligibility report will be run through the house offices and posted by Dec. 7, 2018.
- It is extremely important that all parent and doctor notes be turned in to your house office by Dec. 7, 2018. Notes turned in after this date will not impact students’ eligibility for exam exemptions.
- Students wanting the FamiLE exemption must turn in their documented 30 hours to house offices by Dec. 7, 2018.
- House offices will generate the official list of students eligible for exam exemptions.
- House offices will provide exemption cards through 3rd period classes to students listing the number of exam exemptions for which they are eligible.
- Students choose which class(es) they want to request an exemption and notify the teacher. Exemption cards will have eligible classes printed on the card.
- Teachers will have final approval of exemptions if the use of the exemption could result in a failing grade.
- ANY absences after exemptions have been printed can void the exemption. Teachers will verify eligibility if absences occur December 10 - December 19.
- Students must be present on exam days even if they are exempt.
- Each teacher will initial the exemption card to verify the exemption has been used and collect exemptions used in their class. Cards will be turned into Mr. Reza's office on January 3.
- A MISSED EXAM will be averaged as a zero and can impact whether a student earns credit for the course.
- Transfer students must attend school in district for a minimum of one full quarter to be eligible.
Attendance on Exam Days -
- Friday, December 14th and Monday, December 17th are FULL attendance days. You may leave after 5th period if you are exempt for your exam on that day and if you have transportation (walk, drive, or parent pick-up). If you stay on campus to wait for a ride, you must still report to scheduled classes.
- On Tuesday, December 18th ALL students must attend 3rd period (7:20 AM to 7:25 AM) for attendance purposes. If you have exemptions for the remainder of the day (4th, 5A, and 5B periods) you may leave after 7:25 AM if you have transportation (walk, drive, or parent pick-up). If you stay on campus to wait for a ride, you must still report to all scheduled classes and should bring something to study or read.
- On Wednesday, December 19th ALL students must report to 3rd period (7:20 AM to 8:35 AM) and if you have exemptions for the remainder of the day (1st, 2nd, and 3rd periods) you may leave after attendance has been taken if you have transportation (walk, drive, or parent pick-up). If you stay on campus to wait for a ride, you must still report to all scheduled classes and should bring something to study or read.
- On any exam day a student may leave when they have finished the exam period of their last exam for the day if they have transportation (walk, drive, parent pick-up).
Click on banner above to go to the LEHS Graduation web page for the latest information on graduation.
LEISD Education Foundation Awards Grants to LEHS Staff
LEHS would like to thank the LEISD Education Foundation for their work to provide more resources for staff and students in LEISD. The LEISD Education Foundation makes these opportunities possible through the generous donations of our community. If you are looking for a worthy cause to invest your year end charitable donation, please consider the LEISD Education Foundation. They will make sure worthy projects such as these have the needed funding.
LEISD is still looking for 5-10 more applicants for our Community Leadership Academy for Supporting Success (CLASS) group that will begin meeting in January. In CLASS we look at all aspects of our school district including governance, finance, athletics, academics, CTE, communications, food service, assessment, and many more areas.
The application is open at https://www.littleelmisd.net/CLASS. The application will close on January 11, 2019. Please see a flyer below with more info.
Academic Decathlon Scores BIG at the Keller Meet
Our team scored 5th overall with 25,780 points in the objective tests.
Individual awards went to:
Malik Paulino for 1st in Math and 3rd in Science for Honors students
Melissa Chitakunye for 3rd in Math and 3rd in Interview for Scholastic students
Cesar Guerrero for 3rd in Speech for Scholastic students
Andrew Perry for 2nd in Social Science and 3rd in Economics for Varsity students
Elias Webb for 1st in Speech for Varsity students
Joey Startz for 2nd in Speech for Varsity students
Congratulations to these students! We are looking forward to more great news to come!
AP Human Geography World Cultures Night
The Groom Has Cold Feet
Articles on How to Help Your Teen Deal with Stress
Articles On Teen Vaping
Driver's Education Course Enroll Now!
A driver’s education course will be offered second semester at LEHS, starting on January 7th. It will include classroom and behind the wheel instruction. Successful completion of the course will enable the student to apply for their driver’s license. Enrollment will be limited so it will be on a first-come first-serve basis. Classroom instruction will be after school from 3-5pm Mon-Fri. The driving instruction will be on a schedule of your choosing. More details to follow. Students must be 15 years of age or older as of January 16th to enroll. Fee for the class is $400 made out to Little Elm High School. See Coach Cousins or your counselor for an enrollment form. Bring the attached documents and payment ASAP to Coach Cousins in room 1l08; as this class fills up very fast.
Chad Cousins/Social Studies Teacher/Coach/Driver's Ed
BIG GAME: LEHS Lobos vs. South Garland Colonels
Here are some of the news reports from Friday nights game -
LEHS Baseball's 2nd Annual Holiday Party and Lip Sync Battle
Student Athletic Trainers of the Month - December
Please congratulate the December & January Student Athletic Trainers of the Month: Alyanna Rodriguez, Aja Washington, Kyla Jones, & Rufaro Chitakunye.
SATs casted their votes on Rookie & Veteran Student Athletic Trainers to be recognized. Please read over what their Favorites are about December & January!
The LESMD-LC (Little Elm Sports Medicine- Leadership Council) coordinates monthly to send out themed questionnaires to the winners of the Student Athletic Trainers of the Month’s votes. This month Junior Hannah Farnell (LESMD-LC 3rd year Rep) designed the questions & presentation for December/January winners and did an incredible job! Thank you Hannah!
Thank you Alyanna, Aja, Kyla, & Rufaro for your hard work and commitment to the LE Sports Medicine Program!
Coach Cox & Doc Stine
Report Harmful, Harassing, and Bullying Behavior
LEISD has an on-line tool called "Anonymous Alerts" that students, parents, and teachers can use to report harmful, harassing, and bullying type behaviors. Anonymous Alerts bullying reporting mobile app helps combat bullying and other negative activity in schools by empowering students to speak up. Social and peer pressures are some of the hardest obstacles for students to overcome. Anonymous Alerts encourages students, parents and staff to quickly, easily, and anonymously report bullying, cyber-bullying, gang-related issues, and other sensitive topics through private messages to school officials by building. All reports remain completely anonymous even during a two-way email conversation, although submitters have the option to reveal their identity if they prefer to have a person-to-person discussion.
To send a report from the Web/Internet go to: www.anonymousalerts.com/littleelmisd/
To send a report from your phone:
- Download the Anonymous Alerts® app for free from the Apple Store, Google Play store, and the Chrome store
- Start the App, enter login: leisd and password: leisd
- Send important reports to school officials
- Add a screen shot or photo about the incident
Scholarship Opportunities
ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for this award, applicants must:
- demonstrate at school, at the workplace, and within the community the attributes of leadership, drive, integrity, and citizenship;
- demonstrate strong academic performance (minimum 3.0 grade point average/4.0 scale or equivalent);
- be citizens of the United States of America;
- be current high school seniors attending high school in the United States (students living on U.S. Armed Forces base and homeschooled students are also eligible); and
- plan to enroll in a full-time undergraduate course of study toward a bachelor’s degree at an accredited four-year college or university in the United States for the entire upcoming academic year.
Semifinalists will be required to provide a recommendation from a community leader, such as a high school principal, elected official or executive director of a nonprofit organization, and must provide documentation to certify academic performance and financial need. Finalists will be interviewed via Skype or telephone by a member of the selection committee. Learn more about the qualifications of a GE-Reagan Foundation Scholar. Counselors and teachers, download the flyer using the link below:
Eligibility
The Charles Butt Scholarship for Aspiring Teachers is available to prospective teachers who are currently in, or plan to enter, an eligible teacher preparation program at a Raising Texas Teachers partner university. Aspiring Teachers can apply in the fall of any year between their senior year of high school and junior year of college. See below for the lists of eligible programs at each university.
To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be committed to teaching in a majority-economically disadvantaged school or in a shortage subject area (in a school where more than 50% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, or as a math, science, bilingual, or special education teacher) in a Texas public school. Preference is given to Texas residents. Visit the scholarship website here for more information.
he Charles Butt Scholarship application opens on September 17, 2018. The close date for applications for each program is listed below. To receive the scholarship, you must also be admitted to the university through which you are applying.
University - Close Date
Our Lady of the Lake University (Residency program) - January 18, 2019
Rice University - January 15, 2019
University of Houston - January 18, 2019
Southern Methodist University - December 14, 2018
Texas A&M University- Special Education program - January 10, 2019
Texas Tech University - December 1, 2018
Trinity University - January 18, 2019
University of North Texas-Dallas - December 7, 2018
UTeach Natural Sciences at UT Austin - February 9, 2019
UT Austin College of Education - February 9, 2019
UT-Rio Grande Valley (STEP UP) - January 18, 2019
If you have any questions, please email Raisingtxteachers@ryht.org.
Terry Scholarship
For more information: https://terryfoundation.org/future-scholars/freshman-scholarship/
Selection Criteria
- Academic Achievement
- Demonstrated Leadership
- Financial Need
Affiliated Universities
- The University of Texas- Austin
- Texas A&M University
- University of Houston
- Texas State University
- The University of Texas- Dallas
- The University of Texas- San Antonio
- Texas Tech University
- University of North Texas
- Texas Woman’s University
- Texas A&M University- Galveston
- Sam Houston State University
- The University of Texas- Arlington
- The University of Texas- El Paso
College JumpStart Scholarship
Deadline: 10/17/18
Available to: High School Sophomores through College Seniors
Award Amount: $1,000
**Click image below to be taken to scholarship website.
Scholarship Search Site Provided by College Board
College Covered
While you are there, check out the website College Covered. Do you want to know what you need in a winning college essay, what college entrance test score you need, or what makes a top notch college application? Get what you need to help get into the college of your dreams with the help of College Covered.
An App Matches Students with College Scholarships They Can Use
Little Elm High School
Chris Reza - Associate Principal (creza@littleelmisd.net)
Alen Palislamovic - White House Principal A - E (apalislamovic@littleelmisd.net)
Ruben Molinar - Grey House Principal F - Li (rmolinar@littleelmisd.net)
Kyle Heller - Blue House Principal Lo - Ri (kheller@littleelmisd.net)
Terilyn Thomas-Monday - Gold House Principal Ro - Z (tthomas-monday@littleelmisd.net)
Website: http://www.littleelmisd.net/Domain/9
Location: 1900 Walker Lane, Little Elm, TX, United States
Phone: (972) 947-9443
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Little-Elm-High-School/736775073135970?notif_t=page_fan
Twitter: @LittleElmHS