Fox Family News & Celebrations
Dutch Fork High School
U.S. News & World Report names Lexington-Richland 5 high schools some of best in SC
IRMO – Lexington-Richland School District Five is a leader in South Carolina for preparing students for college, and three of its schools are ranked among the top high schools in the state and nation, according to a new U.S. News & World Report ranking.
School District Five has the second highest college readiness rating in South Carolina, according to the new report. Spring Hill High is ranked third best high school in the state, while Dutch Fork High is ranked 12th, followed by Chapin High at number 13. All three schools are also ranked nationally by U.S. News & World Report.
“We are extremely proud to be ranked among the top schools in South Carolina by U.S. News & World Report,” Spring Hill High School principal Dr. Michael Lofton said. “This recognition is a representation of the hard work, dedication and commitment to academic excellence by our teachers, students and staff. I am proud of our Spring Hill family as we celebrate this awesome honor.”
The U.S. News rankings include data on more than 23,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Schools were evaluated on state-mandated assessments, as well as the academic achievement levels of its minority and economically disadvantaged students. Performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams were also used.
“What a tremendous honor to be recognized as one of the nation's top high schools,” said Dutch Fork High School principal Dr. Gerald Gary. “We have so much of which to be proud. Our Fox Family works tirelessly to create a challenging, but personalized learning environment which fosters self-worth and motivates the continual pursuit of life-long learning and service to others.”
There are 221 South Carolina schools honored in the 2019 rankings.
Michael Ames, principal of Chapin High School said, “The Chapin High School family is incredibly proud to receive this ranking and look forward to improving upon it in the following years.”
School District Five Superintendent Dr. Christina Melton said, “Being ranked among the top districts in our state is a testament to the focus we have on preparing our students to succeed in college and career. We applaud the work of our students, parents and educators and remain committed to pursuing educational excellence for all our students.”
DFHS Teacher Lauren Gehr Published in Edutopia Article
Caitlyn Kunchur Wins First Place at JSHS
DFHS student Caitlin Kunchur participated in the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium in Albuquerque, NM (https://www.jshs.org/national-symposium/) and won the 1st place award and a $12,000 college scholarship for her oral presentation in the Physical Sciences category!
Caitlin was part of the 5-student team selected to represent South Carolina at this national competition. The JSHS is sponsored by the US Department of Defense. This year's competition brought together 230 high school students, consisting of top 5 students each from 46 states (selected from state-level symposia held nationwide).
Congratulations, Caitlyn!
Important Information About Use of Technology During AP Testing
GUIDELINES ON INTERNET USAGE DURING TESTING
School District Five of Lexington & Richland Counties administers several online tests for students throughout our district each spring. This year, more than 3,000 students in our district will test simultaneously from Monday, May 13th through Friday, May 24th.
To help ensure the success of state required online testing, all video streaming access will be blocked on the district network on the following dates: May 13th - May 24th. This will include, but is not limited to videos streaming on YouTube, Vimeo, Khan Academy, PBS, TeacherTube, BrainPop, and BrainPop Jr. The restriction will be in affect across the district for all locations and all grade levels.
Please remember that students and staff must not bypass, or attempt to circumvent, district Internet filters as that would violate the district's Internet Acceptable Use Agreement and Staff Technology policy. We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to another successful year of online spring testing!
Fourth Quarter Interim Friday, May 3
Dear Parents and Guardians of Dutch Fork High School, We are partnering with BrightBytes, an educational research organization, in order to learn more about our students’ school and home technology use for learning.
TODAY, May 3, 2019 is the LAST DAY to complete the District 5 BrightBytes Technology & Learning questionnaire. If you have not had a chance to complete the survey, we would appreciate your participation.
Please complete the questionnaire using the steps below:
Navigate to BByt.es
Enter code AY9NP
Thank you for taking part in this important initiative!
Susan Aplin
Digital Integration Specialist
Hundreds of teachers attend Inquiry Matters professional development conference hosted by School District Five
IRMO – For the second consecutive year and in partnership with the University of South Carolina (USC), Dutch Fork Elementary School Academy of Environmental Sciences hosted the Inquiry Matters Conference on April 27. For the first time ever, Irmo Middle School International Academic Magnet hosted the Secondary Inquiry Matters conference on the same date and time. The inaugural event focused on the district's Professional Development (PD) work and collaboration with USC’s College of Education.
Inquiry Matters is a conference by teachers for teachers aimed at sharing the power of inquiry as an instructional tool in the classroom and as a means for job-embedded professional development. During the conference sessions, at both sites, teachers and students shared how they engage in inquiry within their classrooms and schools across the Midlands. The ability for USC’s College of Education and School District Five to partner for this event provides teachers, USC teacher candidates, administrators, and staff a day of learning focused on authentically enhancing teaching and learning; and gaining insight on why “Inquiry Matters.”
“We were extremely humbled and honored to have hosted such a well-established, well-known, and successful conference for teachers over the last two years,” said Dutch Fork Elementary principal Julius Scott. “This conference beautifully illustrates what is possible when we push beyond what is typical.”
Between both conferences, close to 300 teachers, teacher candidates, and administrators from across the state were in attendance. The elementary conference even welcomed participants from North Carolina.
“The Secondary Inquiry Matters Conference was a huge success for all involved,” said Irmo Middle School principal Cassy Paschal. “This inaugural event is a goal of our PDS-D vision Teachers from all over the midlands came together to learn about implementing inquiry-based strategies in their classrooms in order to enhance instruction for their students. The partnership between USC and School District Five yielded a strong learning opportunity for teachers.”
Lexington-Richland School District Five partnered with the University of South Carolina to become the first ever professional development school district of its kind in the nation. Through the National Association for Professional Development Schools, professional development schools (PDS-D) nationwide are partnerships between university education departments and schools to prepare new teachers, offer faculty training, help improve classroom practices and enhance student achievement.
“The Professional Development School-District partnership between USC and School District Five is an opportunity to systematically collaborate to enhance teaching and learning for faculty, staff, teacher candidates, and most importantly PK-12 students,” said Dr. Shelly Curcio, Clinical Assistant Professor. “Inquiry Matters is only one example of how our collective efforts mutually benefit teacher preparation and learning within School District Five. We are truly partnering with purpose.”
District Musical Going On Now
The district musical is May 2-4 at Center for the Arts at IHS. Students in grades 8-12 are involved. The musical is Willy Wonka. $7 tickets available online or in high school front offices
SCHOOL COUNSELING DEPARTMENT
Did you know you can follow our Twitter account by just visiting our School Counseling Webpage or you can follow us at DFHS_Counseling.
Scholarship Opportunities
Be sure to checkout the scholarship page on the school counselor’s webpage for a list of scholarship opportunities. https://www.lexrich5.org/Page/13142 . Scholarships are added weekly.
Attention Current Seniors!
Palmetto Fellows Scholarship Requirements
Top 6% at the end of 10th, 11th or 12th grade and 1200 SAT or 27 ACT
OR
1400 SAT or 32 ACT and 4.0 GPA
For students with a 4.0 and who plan to take the May or June administrations of either the SAT or the ACT to qualify, you must send your scores electronically to the Commission when your register to take the test (SAT Code: 4313) & (ACT Code:6326).
If you have questions about this process, please speak with your School Counselor as soon as possible!
You MUST apply for the Palmetto Fellows scholarship through the School Counseling Department.
REQUIRED Senior Scholarship Survey
DEADLINE: MAY 10, 2019
This deadline is set to allow time to prepare the scholarship listing for the graduation program.
2018-2019 Scholarship Data (Current Seniors)
The School Counseling Department needs your help! Scholarship awards received by graduating seniors need to be documented. The School Counseling Department needs this information to be able to celebrate your successes and to accurately report scholarship awards (academic, athletic or other) for the Class of 2019. Report ALL scholarship offers! Use this link” 2018-2019 Scholarship Survey or Go to: https://goo.gl/cHHPYA.
Please use your student Google account when adding your scholarship awards. The name and photo associated with your Google account will allow us to follow up with you if additional information is needed.
You will also be asked to upload a copy of the actual award letter or email. Please print to PDF or take a snapshot to upload.A new form must be completed for each scholarship award. If you have questions, please see your School Counselor.
SENIOR EXIT SURVEY
ALL SENIORS MUST COMPLETE THIS SURVEY!
Seniors, request your final transcript via Parchment.com. Make sure you place your request on “hold for final grades”. The college that you will be attending must have your final transcript to complete your enrollment for the Fall 2019 semester. After August 1, 2019 you will be charged a fee to send your transcript.
EXTENDED STUDIES DIPLOMA CANDIDATES
We have completed our review of seniors who will be receiving the Extended Studies Diploma. If you would like to verify your status, please stop by the School Counseling Office or see your School Counselor. These names will be submitted May 10th to be included in the Graduation program.
School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties
2019 High School Summer Program
APEX (ON-LINE)
Eligibility:
Students must have previously failed a course to be eligible for credit recovery. Participation in credit recovery will not affect a student’s GPA. Should a student wish to modify his/her GPA, he/she should repeat the full course for credit and not seek participation in the credit recovery program.
Students are eligible for a credit recovery course if they have previously taken and failed an initial credit (first attempt) course. Students must have obtained a grade of 50 or higher (50-59) in the initial credit course, or the student is not eligible for credit recovery and must retake the full course to receive credit.
Students will be required to complete an application to request placement in a Summer School Application for credit recovery course. Consent of the student’s parent/legal guardian must be obtained prior to enrollment.
When a student has shown mastery of the credit recovery material, the student will receive credit for the course. Student grades in credit recovery courses are designed to be GPA-neutral, meaning that the student’s GPA will not be affected by the student’s grade in the course. The failing grade in the initial credit course will remain on the student’s transcript. If the student passes the credit recovery course with a 60 or higher, the passing grade will be entered as “P.” If the student does not pass, the failing grade will be entered as “NP.” Neither the “P” or “NP”
grade designation will impact the student’s GPA.
Registration for all students is May 6 – June 20 at the home school.
Congratulations to our potential late Palmetto Fellows recipients: Isaac Bryson, Connor Isbell, Lindsey Kirtley, and Tyler Polk. We are so proud of these talented students!
Dutch Fork High School
Website: https://www.lexrich5.org/dfhs
Location: 1400 Old Tamah Road, Irmo, SC, USA
Phone: 803-476-3300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DutchForkHS/
Twitter: @DutchForkHS