Dear Starpoint Students and Families,

We have officially crossed the half-way point in our school year! For our Seniors and their parents, keeping the level of motivation you have had up to this point in your time at Starpoint can be increasingly difficult as we approach June. I would remind all of our Seniors to make sure you are taking care of what you must to ensure we can all celebrate together at Graduation, but also to avoid creating bad habits that may be hard to shake after you have moved on to college or a career. Finish Strong!!

For all of our returning students and parents, as we move into February and March, the scheduling process will continue here at school. Students will meet with one of our school counselors both as part of a group and as an individual to discuss the academic course options available next year. Make sure that you take courses that will help you grow as an individual. Oftentimes, that means that you need to take courses that challenge you and your abilities. We will be implementing a new timeline this year for adjusting class requests to alleviate issues at the start of next school year. Parents, please review course requests with your student as soon as possible. We will be sending out a list of what your student will be registered for in early June and will only be accepting requests to change those requests for a few weeks. Specific dates will be sent to all parents and students. Parents who have questions or concerns can email their student’s counselor or call our Student Services Center at (716) 210-2308.

Finally, February is Black History Month and we recently honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in January. I am awed by Dr. King’s commitment to the cause of justice and equal rights as well as the dignity and grace with which he served that cause, but just 60 years ago. Recent violence and atrocities in Buffalo and around our country have reminded us that while we may have come a long way since the 1960s, racism and bigotry still exist among us. As a school community, may we all be committed to doing what’s right even when it is not comfortable or convenient.

“Darkness can not drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Choose Love!

Sincerely,

Alan Ingraham

Principal

Starpoint High School

February 14--Half Day (Dismissal at 10:20 a.m.)

February 20--Presidents' Day

February 23, 24, 25--Musical "Something Rotten"

March 17-18--Lock In to Lockout Cancer

We are about to start the scheduling process for the 2023-2024 school year, which allows students to select their classes for next year on their course request form. Counselors will be meeting with students in a classroom setting, discussing the general scheduling procedure and emphasizing the importance of taking electives for a well-rounded education.

In conjunction with these meetings, the “Student Scheduling Page” of the Starpoint High School Website (see below) should be used as a discussion point for all students and their parents. It contains information about elective courses, Boces programs, Advanced Regents and Regents diplomas, graduation requirements, and other information pertinent to the scheduling process.

Core courses (ELA, Math, Social Studies, and Science) will be determined using teacher recommendations. Those courses will be discussed with students during their individual meeting with their school counselor (February-May depending on when they are scheduled for this meeting) after the classroom meetings. At the end of the individual scheduling session, your child will be given their course request form to take home to you to discuss, make changes if needed, and have you sign off. That signed form must be returned to Student Services as soon as possible.

We have made a significant change to the timing when it comes to making changes to courses for the 23-24 school year. We will abide by the following timeline:

• June 6 - Individual scheduling will be finalized with all students.

• June 9 - The final list of what courses your child selected will be mailed home to parents for final review.

• June 12-June 23 - Parents will have the opportunity to make any additions or subtractions to that list. No modifications to the course selections will be permitted after June 23!

• August 18 - Student schedules will be mailed home. Parents/students will not have the ability to make any course modifications at this time, except to add a class.

Student Scheduling Website - Location

Go to the High School page, click on “For Students” in the top ribbon, and then choose “Scheduling Website” in the drop down menu.

https://sites.google.com/starpointcsd.org/studentscheduling/home

The Class of 2023 continued Starpoint’s senior luncheon tradition for the fourth time at the Lockport Town and Country Club with a “hot one” just before the blizzard blew us into winter break. The idea of the luncheon is to have notable speakers, often graduates, come back and impart some wisdom to our seniors about the growth process from high school to college to the real world. This year we had the pleasure of hosting Bill Drexler, a 2010 Starpoint grad. Drexler, who flew himself in from New York City for the event, is a successful cameraman for the Emmy-nominated TV show Hot Ones, a hot sauce interview challenge. Along with being the Senior Studio Videographer, Drexler has appeared in episodes alongside celebrities like Gordon Ramsey, Al Roker, and Tyra Banks. Drexler spoke to our seniors about having the passion for doing something they really desire, to educate yourself and immerse yourself in that culture. The event was emceed by our class officers who incorporated a trivia challenge and a hot sauce competition during the event. Other notable speakers from the past include Joe Licata (former UB standout quarterback who had a stint with the Cincinnati Bengals), Kaylee Wendt (TV meteorologist), and Colin Dabkowski (Buffalo News reporter).

Students are taking advantage of Open Library. Since the beginning of October, the LMC is open on Tuesday evenings from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. for students to work on group projects, assignments, or get assistance from Mrs. Grebenok or Mrs. Couch.

On November 15, over 50 students attended “Algebra 2 Open Library Review” and Social Studies with Mrs. Grebenok and Mrs. Couch. The session included two student tutors (peer tutors) who were on hand to offer assistance along with Mrs. Grebenok. Students were able to get help on the entire unit in preparation for the classroom assessment.

Over the winter break, a group of 10 Starpoint High School students volunteered their time to paint murals throughout the hallways of Empower Children's Academy. Empower is a local pre-school for kids with disabilities that are ages 5 and under. The Director of Empower Educational services, Mr. Scott Read, had reached out to local Art teachers to see if they would help bring some cheerful colors to the stark white hallways of his school. Mrs. Tomasello’s Drawing and Painting class rose to the challenge! The teachers and staff of Empower have shared that they, along with their students, are smiling bigger than ever with the new additions to their school. Mrs. Tomasello and her students plan to return on their next break to add some finishing touches!

Student artists of the undersea theme:

Jordan Duncan

Ella Casullo

Julia Brodfeuhrer

Trystin Kagels-Shank

Olivia Swanson

Flowers and Princess theme:

Conner Lauffer

Emily Lalewicz

Megan Bevilacqua

Olivia Terranova

Zelda Pulver

Tickets on sale now at starpoint.booktix.com .

In a completely new genre from the past few years’ shows, the Starpoint
HS Musical Club is excited to bring to the stage this year’s comedic
production, that features a combination of 16th century Shakespearean
literature and a nod to 21st century Broadway hits, and attempts to
explain the origin of the beloved American art form known today as
Musical Theater.

Our story is set in 16th century England, where brothers and playwrights,
Nick and Nigel Bottom are stuck in the shadow of “Renaissance rock
star”, William Shakespeare. The Bottom Brothers are desperate to write
the next “great hit” and are caught between moral dilemmas and finding
fame and success. A soothsayer foresees the future of theater taking a
totally new direction—shows in which the performers sing, act and
dance all at once. When the brothers finally decide to produce the
world’s first musical, Nick and Nigel realize that “being on top” requires
“being true to thine own self”, listening to your loved ones, and
following your heart.
You are sure to be entertained as these characters find themselves
following along with Nostradamus’ close, but not always entirely
accurate visions from the future. Avid theater goers or those who enjoy
Shakespeare’s literature will find many allusions to other successful
productions and stories. The show reminds us once again that “nothing’s
as a-m-a-z-i-n-g as a musical”.

Best of luck to this year’s cast, crew and pit who have worked incredibly
hard the past 4 months to put together this hilarious and quick-witted
production for our Starpoint community.

Dear 9th Grade Parents,

The course selection process for the 9th graders will begin soon. Now is a great time to discuss course options with your child. You can view all course descriptions on the high school website.

I know the mid-term testing can be stressful for many of our students. Be sure to encourage your students to study and commend them when you see them working hard. It's a difficult time to be a teen and they need all the support they can get!

Reach out with questions or concerns at any time!

Sincerely,

Ms. Wasilewski

School Counselor

SAT Weekend

Registration is now open for spring 2023.
Help your juniors increase their access to scholarship opportunities by encouraging them to register for the spring SAT exams.

Test Dates ............................... Registration Deadlines............ Late Registration Deadlines

March 11, 2023 ............................February 10, 2023...................... February 28, 2023

May 6, 2023................................. April 7, 2023................................ April 25, 2023

June 3, 2023................................May 4, 2023................................. May 23, 2023

Dear 10th grade parents-

Your student recently attended a presentation facilitated by the local BOCES instructors. They presented about each of the programs offered at the Niagara-Orleans BOCES. If your child is interested in learning more, they are invited to attend a field trip to BOCES on December 16 during the school day. Each student will choose three programs to explore on that day. Permission slips are due by December 14. You can view all the BOCES programs in our course guide on the HS website. If your child decides to attend BOCES next year, that decision will be made in February.

The scheduling process for the 23-24 school year will start in February. Start talking to your student about what classes they may want to take. View the course guide to further your discussion.

All the best,

Mrs. Rodenhaus, Last names A-F

Ms. Wasilewski, Last names G-M

Mr. Smith, Last names N-Z

Congratulations to Senior, Joe Strong who received multiple awards through a competition at Auto Collision and Glass including 1st place for Senior competition with a $5000 scholarship to Ohio Technical College! Awesome Joe!!

Our Peer Tutoring Center is up and running. Students in need of academic assistance can refer to the posted schedule in the ALC or see their guidance counselor to help them determine if they can stop by! Students can come from study hall or lunch, but can not skip class to go.

In addition, students in need of service hours can sign up with Mrs. Grebenok to be a tutor and students can sign up to tutor their peers to earn service hours.

If you have any questions please reach out to Student Services

It is not too early to start thinking about post-prom. The Senior Prom is tentatively scheduled for Friday, June 16th with the post-prom to follow.

Please email Mr. Jim Mendola at jimmendola@ gmail.com for important information and updates.

The Starpoint High School believes in the importance of a well-rounded educational experience for all its students by offering a variety of extracurricular and athletic opportunities to empower students to enrich existing interests and discover new passions. Below is a link to the clubs and activities that we offer. We are confident that there is something for everyone.

2nd Quarter: November 14-January 27

3rd Quarter: January 30-March 24

4th Quarter: March 27-June 23

https://www.starpointcsd.org/domain/407

The free lunch for every student program is no longer in place. This year the price for a school lunch for high school students is $2.60. See the links below for more detailed Information.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11q6mP_oC9p6tA3ibvRSAsXbgu8_gIJqi/view?usp=sharing

Starpoint utilizes My School Bucks for families to pay for student lunches. See the link below to sign up.

https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/getmain?requestAction=home

Student progress reports and report cards are posted on Parent Portal and are no longer mailed. In order to receive paper copies through the mail, you must complete the “Parent Portal Opt-Out” form. In addition, the link below will include other forms such as transportation request, early dismissal and working papers.

https://www.starpointcsd.org/domain/389

PTA membership link:

https://starpoint.memberhub.com

2022-2023 PTA Officers

President: Julie Quinn

julie.quinn531@gmail.com

716-578-7100

Co-Vice President: Kaori Briggs

briggskaori@gmail.com

716-471-3803

Co-Vice President: Jessica Holler

jessicaholler80@gmail.com

716-353-3694

Treasurer: Becca Floss

beccafloss@gmail.com

716-880-4334

Recording Secretary: Tiffany Shank

tiffanyshank3113@gmail.com

716-514-2360

Corresponding Secretary: Nicole Sommers

nicolesommers726@yahoo.com

716-390-9955

Below is the link for downloading the working paper application. Completed applications should be emailed to Mrs. Brogan at mbrogan@starpointcsd.org