Dear Bulldog Students, Families, and Friends,

I hope you and your families had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are energized for the busy month of December. Here at Sandpoint High School, we are very proud of the outstanding achievements of our students. I am also very grateful to have such a talented, energetic staff who have a tireless commitment to students, and supportive parents, and surrounding community which we could not do without. The staff and I are truly grateful to be working in such a wonderful school community. Thank you!

As we move into December and approach Christmas Break, the end of the semester will be here before we know it—so it is as important as ever for students to remain focused and make the most of this marking period. Progress reports will be emailed on or around December 9, 2022. Please make sure students are taking advantage of the wide range of ways that they can get academic support—whether it is taking advantage of in-class learning opportunities, checking Schoology, emailing a teacher, or attending after school ACCESS. Attendance and punctuality are also essential to learning success. Throughout December and January, please be alerted to information shared in classes and via messages emailed and shared on our website (https://sh.lposd.org/).

I look forward to ending the first semester of the school year on a positive note with our students, staff, and community. I hope you and yours have a wonderful Holiday Season and joyous New Year.

Sincerely,

Principal Jacki Crossingham

In the past two years at Sandpoint High School we have seen a higher rate of students being chronically absent. Chronic absenteeism is defined nationally as being absent for more than 10% of the school days. We are certainly not alone as this is a growing issue across the country. According to Attendance Works, in the 2020-21 school year at least 10.1 million students nationwide were chronically absent. They estimate that this number has more than doubled from pre-Covid years.

The impacts of missing school can be substantial. The research clearly shows how chronic absenteeism can negatively impact grades and increase school dropout rates. Thankfully, tools such as Schoology can help students stay caught up when they miss school. However, Schoology can’t fully replace the benefits of being in class and having direct access to classroom learning opportunities. Schoology is meant to be a supplement to learning and is not designed to replace the experiences that come along with face to face interactions with teachers and other learners. Our teachers have worked hard to build positive connections with our students. We realize in order for students to achieve the appropriate learning outcomes in class we want students to feel safe and comfortable.

We understand that the problem of chronic absenteeism at Sandpoint High School needs to be addressed as a joint effort between staff, parents, and students. As a school, we need to continue to improve in order for students to want to attend everyday. We ask parents to be engaged in your kids' education and to value the importance of attending. Finally, we ask students to appreciate the opportunities we have to offer. We want you here as you are a valued individual within our school community.

Thank you,

Derek Dickinson

Assistant Principal

Garrett Wuollett was chosen as the November CARE Student of the Month. Garrett was nominated by his teacher Corey Johnson. Other nominees were Huxley Hall, Payton Betz, Lily Gabel, Hailey Benson, Ryan Jennings, Max Olson, Madeleine Mitchell and Damien Rhodes.The students were celebrated with a pizza lunch along with teacher of the month, Erica Haynes and Coca Cola Athlete of the month Max Frank. Congratulations and thank you students for all you do!

• Mrs. Haynes has been doing so much for the yearbook this year. I didn't realize how much she did for it until I became an editor and I really appreciate her. Also l, last year when I was new she allowed me to eat lunch with her almost every day :)
• She's an amazing teacher and she always pushes me to be the best I can be!
• Ms. Haynes was the only one who bothered to ask if I was okay when I was really sad , she didn't have to go out of her way to do that, it wasn't even during her class we just sorta ran into each other. She also helped me out with the copy machine because I had no idea how to use it. I believe she really cares about her students
• She's one of the best teachers I've had, this year and last. She makes history fun to learn! Congratulations Mrs. Haynes!

On November 5, the SHS Academic Decathlon teams competed against the Priest River

Lamanna High School team to win first and second place at the North Idaho Competition of

Excellence, with Priest River coming in third. The first-place team scored 31,561 out of a

possible 60,000, and the second-place team was not far behind with 28,519 points. This year’s

topic is “The American Revolution and the New Nation.” A total of 36 students competed all day

at the meet, hosted by SHS. The five SHS teams (27 students) won a combined 30 golds, 34

silvers, and 31 bronzes. It was a fierce competition, with many of the first-year decathletes

upsetting their more experienced teammates to take five of the overall top decathlete awards.

The students are now hard at work preparing for the IAD Invitational, which will take place at

SHS on December 10. Their goals for this year are to win a fifth state championship in a row in

March and third place or better at the USAD National Finals in April.

Elly Pincher sings Alto and Mya Vorhies sings Soprano. These two SHS Choir Members were selected to perform with the Idaho All State Honor Treble Choir in Pocatello this February! They were chosen after a panel of judges listened to them sing through a rigorous set of vocal drills.

All these drills were sung a cappella.

Over 1,500 students throughout the state of Idaho auditioned for the prestigious Idaho All State

Ensembles and only just over 600 were accepted.

Elly and Mya will rehearse with about 100 other students in this ensemble from 8am to 10pm every

day starting on Wednesday, February 1st . They will be performing on Saturday, February 4 th in the

Jensen Performing Arts Auditorium on the Idaho State University campus.

Students began throwing on the wheel in pottery this month.
Expect some nice gifts to come home from your student artists.

Student Leadership organized the Veterans’ Day assembly honoring everyone who has served our country.

The Advanced Welding class recently took a field trip to the Idaho Forest Group mill in Laclede. Students were able to see how lumber is made from start to finish and learn about the many employment opportunities a mill can offer.

The SHS Earth Club and the Interact Clubs of Sandpoint High School, Forest Bird Charter School, and Colville High School joined forces and spent an afternoon tidying up the Healing Garden for Bonner General Health. Afterwords all the students were treated to Powderhound Pizza courtesy of the Sandpoint and Ponderay Rotary.

Join Interact by attending a meeting (Tuesdays after school in E2), or contact Mrs. Auld if you are interested.

The girls basketball team beat Kellogg 58-29 and Bonners Ferry 60-46 to win the Silver Valley Tournament last month to start the season. The girls have home games on Dec. 3 (East Valley), Dec. 13 (Bonners Ferry) and Jan. 2 (Lewiston.)

HOT OFF THE PRESS . . . LACROSSE REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

Is your student interested in playing a fast-moving, fun sport? The Sandpoint Lacrosse Club is committed to inspiring our student athletes to achieve their fullest potential as competitors, as students, and as Human Beings, to the best of our, and their ability, while fostering an atmosphere that thrives on the passion and fun of playing the game of lacrosse. All interested student athletes are welcome, including beginners!

Join us to learn more about this growing sport, meet coaches and hear about plans for the spring lacrosse season at the following team kick off meetings for high school boys and girls:

Who:

Interested High School Boys and Girls Players and Parents

What:

High School Boys and Girls Lacrosse Team Kick Off Meetings

Where:

Sandpoint High School Auditorium

When:

Tuesday, December 6, 2022

• High School Girls Players: 5:30pm

• High School Boys Players: 6:30pm

Program and Registration Information:

https://www.sandpointlacrosse.org/programs

Questions?

Email us at SandpointLacrosse@gmail.com

Counseling Department Mission: We will ensure and empower every student at Sandpoint High School to achieve academic success, strengthen personal and social growth, and develop achievable post-secondary plans.

Students are assigned to counselors by their last name:

A-G: Shannon Kerrigan; 11-12 A-F

H-O: Sara Gosling

P-Z: Tavi Brandenburg; 11-12 G

Post Secondary Transitions Counselor: Jeralyn Mire

College and Career Mentor: Angie Dail

Counseling Office Coordinator/Registrar: Amanda Skinner

Counseling Office Coordinator: Erricka Brownell

Having trouble getting information from your student? Then this is the guide for you! Schoology for parents will provide you with important information. You will be able to see grades, course information and assignments. Please click the link below for complete instructions. If you need assistance with the password please call the front office. 208-263-3034

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gCpclQoooqUVM0prJeWJazB9Df5gs7lTfu_mdHkJH7Y/edit?usp=sharing

This year we switched over to a new student management system, during the process of transformation we encountered some difficulties and may not be reaching you with emails, texts or phone calls. You have the ability to log into Power School and review the contact information we have on file. Please take a few minutes to do this and edit if necessary. You can update phone numbers, addresses and emails. We send out this monthly newsletter along with progress and report cards via email. We also send important messages via text and phone messenger. In case of an emergency, with your student, here at school it is important we have the most accurate and up to date information as possible. Please help us help you by logging into Power School.

As the weather turns colder, we just want to send this reminder out to parents and students. For the safety of all students and staff the doors to our school open at 7:15am. Please dress warmly if you are going to be waiting outside. Thank you

PowerSchool and Schoology? What's the difference and why do I want it?

PowerSchool is our new Student Information System, it's where we have our information on students such as emergency contact information, prior grades, and what classes they want to take in the future. Schoology is where all the everyday assignments happen. As a parent or guardian, you can get access to both! What's the benefit though?

With PowerSchool, you can see your student's schedules, attendance, and grades from prior years. You can also update your address, email, phone number, emergency contacts, and more all with your own login. This will also be where we handle most of the registration verification for the next school year (read: complete most of the forms from your couch rather than the school office).

With Schoology, you can check your student's current grades in their classes, see any assignments they're working on, and get a general idea of what happens on a day-to-day basis in the classroom. Schoology is used at the middle school and high school levels in the district, so you can have one login for all of your students and not need them to log in for you.

How do you get your parent access codes and whatnot? Contact your school's front office to get the website address and instructions to connect to your student's account. Please note that schools can only access students in their school. So if you have a student at SHS and SMS you will need to contact both offices.

Thank you,

Dalton Hawkins

Computer Science Teacher - SHS

Technology Integration Instructional Coach - LPOSD

Safety Update

• This month SHS held a lockdown drill during class time. More drills, at different times of the day, will be conducted later in the school year.
• Just a reminder, the front doors are locked after the start of school. We are a single point of entry school.
• ALL visitors must check in at the front office.
• The Raptor technology system is currently in effect. (See below for more info). Visitors may be asked to sign in with an identification card. Parents/guardians who are checking students in and out, or dropping off items will not be checked in/out through this system.
• Please be aware of the buildup of ice under the snow in the parking lot and on sidewalks. Be careful when entering or exiting the parking lot. Please report falls and accidents to the front office.

All visitors will now sign in with an identification card and wear a badge in all LPOSD buildings. Lake Pend Oreille School District is utilizing Raptor to help protect our students at school.

"Founded in 2002, Raptor has partnered with over 52,000 schools globally, including over 5,000 K-12 U.S. school districts, to provide integrated visitor, volunteer, emergency management, safeguarding, and early intervention software and services that cover the full spectrum of school and student safety."

To learn more about Raptor Technologies, visit raptortech.com