IHS Update
December 4th, 2020
Knights In Action!
Knights Cross Country
Brighton Mooney placed 15th at the State meet in Round Rock with a new personal record of 18:23. She also made the Cross Country Coaches Association of Texas All-State Team!
Knights Student Council
Upcoming Dates
9/JV Basketball vs. Centennial HS 4:30pm @ IHS
Varsity Basketball vs. Centennial HS 6:30pm @ CHS
December 11th -
9/JV Basketball vs. Wakeland HS 4:30pm @ WHS
Varsity Basketball vs. Wakeland HS 8:00pm @ IHS
Absence Reporting
Please use the Absence Reporting Button on the Independence webpage (a white button at the top right hand side of the page) to report an absence for your child.
If your child experiences symptoms that could be related to the Coronavirus, or has been in close contact with someone who tested positive for the virus, or has tested positive for the virus, please follow these steps:
1. Contact Nurse Richard, Independence School Nurse, at richardl@friscoisd.org even if your child is a virtual student.
2. Nurse Richard will advise on quarantine and forward attendance information to the Independence attendance clerk.
3. If quarantined by Nurse Richard, students will access their school work via their teacher's Canvas course page.
4. Students will be marked virtually present if they complete and submit assignments by 11:59 pm following the day the work was assigned.
5. Most students will need a doctor's note to return to school. All students who have been quarantined will report to Nurse Richard as soon as they return to school.
A MESSAGE FROM THE NURSE
Students are doing a great job with wearing face masks. Here are a few reminders:
- Wear masks with two or more layers to stop the spread of COVID-19
- Wear the mask over your nose and mouth and secure it under your chin. If you keep having to hold it up it is too big.
- Wash your mask. It is hard to not touch your face mask during the day. For this reason you should wear a new one each day.
- If you forget your mask, we do have disposable masks available.
- If using a face shield you should also wear a mask.
Testing hours will be available 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. and will be held in the Red Corolla lot at Toyota Stadium (Follow this link for a PDF of the site map.)
Testing is open to all North Texans, regardless of county or city residency. However, anyone interested in getting a free COVID-19 test is required to register for an appointment at Texas.curativeinc.com.
The saliva tests take less than 10 minutes to self-administer. Results will be received within 48-96 hours. The Curative Korva lab reports its test has an 89-percent accuracy rate. ‘Positive’ tests will be reported to county health departments. The free test is provided by the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
Resources for Families to Navigate the Upcoming Breaks
A MESSAGE FROM THE COUNSELORS
Updating your 4 Year Plan
Chances are, you’ve changed your mind about a few things since you were in 8th grade. This is an opportunity to make some adjustments before we begin course registration next month. Don’t stress! These are not your final requests. FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS to clean up things like changes to your plans for athletics, fine arts programs, career pathways, etc. If you have technical difficulties or don’t get to finish before this feature in HAC is turned off, don’t stress out! You’ll be able to make all of the same changes when we do course registration in January. Use the FISD 2021-2022 Academic Guide to find specific course information.
PAP/AP & Program Drop Info
The window to request to drop a PAP/AP course or program (athletics, band, choir, orchestra, color guard, drill team, debate, Academic Decathlon, advanced theater) will be November 16th-December 4th. Students will need to email their teacher/coach/director for the drop link.
Elective drops and changes will not be permitted. The deadline for elective changes was May 1, 2020 per FISD Academic Guide (pg. 38).
Students may also choose to level up to PAP or AP or join a program. Students requesting to level up or join a program should reach out to their IHS Counselor before December 4th.
Juniors: Please click this link for information regarding planning for this school year and beyond!
Seniors: FAFSA Is Open! Seniors, apply now for money for college!
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid opened October 1st for seniors who will be attending college or career schools next fall.. Aid can come in the form of grants (free money), scholarships (free money), low-interest loans, or work study jobs on campus. This short two minute video might be helpful to watch to learn about it. Go to https://studentaid.gov/ to apply for help with paying for college.
Handouts that may help you with FAFSA:
Paying for College Resource Brochure
1-2-3 Approach to Paying for College
December 2020 Scholarship Deadlines
GO KNIGHTS!
-IHS Counseling Department
SAT School Day: Asynchronous Learning Day
Frisco ISD will be administering the SAT college entrance exam without essay to all eligible 11th grade students on March 3, 2021 on campus at no cost to the student. All students who are not taking the SAT, including all 9th, 10th and 12th graders, will not attend classes on campus or at the CTE Center on March 3rd. Students will be given asynchronous assignments and will work independently from home on March 3rd. Students must submit their assignments by 11:59PM on March 3rd for attendance purposes.
Students in 9th-12th grade who are exempt from the SAT per the ARD/504 committee decision will have the option of attending class in person or remaining at home for asynchronous learning on March 3rd. Additional information will be provided directly to the parents and students from their classroom teacher.
Additional information for 11th grade students taking the SAT during the school day will be shared closer to March 3, 2021.
FISD also administered the PSAT this past October to all tenth and eleventh grade students at no cost, something that the District has been doing for years through District funds.
The District encourages all sophomores and juniors to register for a free Khan Academy account and to link their PSAT scores once they receive them in December. Khan Academy has partnered with the College Board to provide SAT preparation resources at no cost.
Information about upcoming SAT or ACT administrations, practice tests and test prep can be found through the guidance and counseling department.
CTE Programs & Dual Credit Informational Nights
Career and Technical Education (CTE) will host three webinars that will give an overview of Frisco ISD CTE programs, new Health Science dual credit courses, and Collin Technical Campus dual credit opportunities. Please register for the webinar and see our FISD CTE website for additional information.
November 17th @ 6:30
December 15th @6:30
January 12th @ 6:30
High School Advanced Academics Nights
Students in Grades 8-11 and their parents are invited to learn more about Advanced courses, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Dual Credit, and Career and Technical Education (CTE) offerings in Frisco ISD. These events will be in a Webinar format and will start at 6:00 PM. Please register for one of the two evenings through the links below.
Wednesday December 9th from 6:00-7:30 - Register here
Thursday January 14th from 6:00-7:30 - Register here
PSAT/NMSQT Scores Available Tuesday, December 8th
PSAT/NMSQT results for 10th and 11th graders who took the exam on October 14th will be available online beginning Tuesday, December 8th. Students will receive a detailed email on Monday, December 7th with directions on how to view PSAT/NMSQT scores through the student’s College Board account. If the student does not have a College Board account, the student can set up an account at: https://studentscores.collegeboard.org/home.
Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Payment Information
AP Exam Payment Information
AP Exam Payments can be made through OnlineSchoolFees (OSF) now through February 19, 2021. Use of a debit/credit card will incur a 3.5% processing fee. Check payments do not incur processing fees and can be processed online. If students want to pay in person, they will pay by cash or check in the Counseling Office.
Fees for semester AP courses taken during second semester will not appear in OSF until late January.
Please only pay for the exams your child will take this year. Students may request a refund until February 19, 2021 for a previously purchased AP exam minus a $10 processing fee per exam. Refunds will be given in the form of a credit back to the OSF account.
*Students eligible for reduced/free lunch will be charged $15 per exam—discount will be applied automatically in OnlineSchoolFees
*AP Capstone (Seminar and Research) exams are $143 per exam.
For questions, please contact CCMR Facilitator Kim Colon at ColonK@friscoisd.org.
For more information about AP Exams, go to FISD Advanced Academics.
ASVAB - Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
Are you interested in serving in the Armed Services? If so, Independence HS will administer the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or ASVAB to interested 10th-12th grade students on Thursday, January 21, 2021.
The Department of Defense introduced the ASVAB in 1968 which is designed to predict future academic and occupational success in military occupations. Participation in ASVAB is always voluntary and the assessment is free of charge. In order to score tests and provide appropriate results, information including student name, date of birth, gender and education level is collected from students who choose to participate. A Social Security Number is not collected.
ASVAB results are reported to students and counselors on the ASVAB Summary Results sheet. Although student results will not be shared with local recruiters, students may share their results with Armed Service recruiters should they desire to pursue a career in the military. ASVAB scores are not reported to post-secondary educational institutions and it is not a substitute assessment for the SAT and/or ACT.
Students must register HERE in order to take the ASVAB on Thursday, January 21, 2021. The registration deadline is Friday, January 8 at 4:30 pm.
For questions, please contact CCMR Facilitator, Kim Colon, at ColonK@friscoisd.org.
Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NNDCC)
Frisco ISD is currently accepting admission forms through December 2nd for all students interested in being part of the NNDCC’s inaugural year at Lebanon Trail High School. The program will kick off beginning the fall semester of 2021. The NNDCC has similar curriculum and student learning experiences as the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC). The mission of the NNDCC is to motivate young people to be better citizens and the program and encompasses a myriad of teaching goals focused on leadership, teamwork, character education, personal responsibility, a sense of accomplishment, and service to the nation.
All interested students are invited to visit the NNDCC webpage for information on the program and how to apply for admission.
IT'S TIME TO ORDER YOUR CAP AND GOWN!
It's SENIOR ORDERING TIME at Independence High School, and it's time to place your graduation order! This year, Jostens has gone totally virtual.
ATTENTION CLASS OF 2021!
Jostens has been given special permission to extend the order deadline for Senior Graduation Items to midnight on Sunday, December 13. Place your order online at www.jostens.com and make sure you choose the “ORDER ONLINE” option at checkout to ensure the order gets processed correctly. This also extends the FREE Cap and Gown options available online.
Packets have been handed out to our Face to Face Seniors in English classes. If you don't have a Face to Face English class on campus, you can pick up in the front entryway of the school or front office.
Click the VIDEO below for a message from Jostens on how to order, how it all works and what to expect.
You can place your order:
- online at www.jostens.com
- by calling 1(800)JOSTENS (567-8367)
2021 Seniors!
Knights Boosters
Student Technology Device Support
If your student has trouble with a FISD device that was checked out for virtual learning, please log into the student portal and click on the device repair tile. They will complete the form and technical support will contact the parent/student for further assistance.
Technology Help
RAIL
Library To Go at IHS
Independence High School
Email: ihs@friscoisd.org
Location: 10555 Independence Parkway, Frisco, TX, USA
Phone: 469-633-5400