Good afternoon,

Over the course of the school year, I have shared with you ways to improve upon the high school experience for both students and parents. This being my last Friday Focus of the year, I felt it appropriate to conclude with a student's point of view about their time here at Marian and some advice for our younger students.

What are you going to miss most about Marian?

“I am going to miss all of the support from teachers and the guidance department.” - Julia Widhalm.

“How much of a family community it is. I have always felt like I belonged, and everyone was so welcoming.” -Jodie Winkelman

“The relationships you make with people from all over the county, plus building relationships with different teachers is something I am going to miss.” - RJ Miner

What is some advice you would give to an incoming Freshman?

“Don’t hold yourself back out of fear, worry less about being judged and focus more on being yourself.” - Valle Leggett

“Give everything 100% and in the end, it will pay off!” - Caden Geils

“Don’t be afraid to try new things and join clubs. You will meet so many great people.” -Julia Widhalm.

What, if any, regrets do you have looking back on your four years here at Marian?

“Only participating in one extracurricular. If I could do it again, I would go back and join more clubs and sports.” -Valle Leggett

“Worrying so much about what other people think about me. Nobody remembers any of the stupid drama by the next day, so just have fun and don’t worry.” -Jodie Winkelman

Perspective is a wonderful thing. It opens our eyes and minds to new points of view, many times we may be struggling to understand, and it just takes a fresh perspective to give us clarity. The students’ perspective lets us see how they view their experiences at Marian. I want to thank these students for sharing their thoughts and feelings about Marian and encourage our students to listen to their words of wisdom.

It is possible to be happy and sad at the same time. Many people refer to this feeling as ‘bittersweet’. Parents, guardians and grandparents experience bittersweet feelings at graduations. Their “babies” are young adults. Graduates move forward in life. No matter if their post-high school plans include joining the workforce, attending trade school or college, or enlisting in the military, there will be change. Parental pride is liberally mixed with memories. While I am happy that our seniors will be graduating and taking the next steps in their lives, I am also sad that they are leaving. They have made a profound impact on my life and our school, and I wish them all the luck moving forward. I hope that you have found the Friday Focus to be useful, informational and perhaps even inspirational at times. Thank you for supporting Marian Central and I look forward to writing to you again next year.

Mr. Benji Winkelman

1) We will not be automatically "weighting" summatives and formatives in the gradebook. Instead, teachers will be focused on balancing point accumulation to ensure that the final grade reflects a student's mastery of the subject.

2) There will be a school-wide formative late work policy. It will be as follows:

- All assigned work is due on the date/time the teacher provides.

- An assignment is late if it is not submitted on the date/time the teacher provides.

- If a student is absent on the due date, but was present on the day it was assigned, the assignment will be considered “on time” if the student submits the work on the day they return to school.

- If the student is absent on the day the work was assigned, the assignment will be considered “on time” if the student submits the work within three days of their return to school.

- Late work will be accepted up to the date of the summative but will receive 75% of earned credit.

- Late work will not be accepted after the summative date and the grade of zero will remain.

3) All students will have the ability to remediate (improve their summative grades) within specific parameters, as defined by each department. These parameters will be consistent for each teacher within any one department and will be outlined in the course syllabus.

The Marian Administrative and Department Head Team made these changes to ensure that all students can successfully show what they have learned through various opportunities, thus allowing them to thrive at Marian.