Knight News
Grand Forks Central High School - September 1st, 2021
Grand Forks Central Families,
We have the first few days of school at Central in the books and are looking forward to the weeks ahead now that students are settled in at GFC. Though the start of the school year can be hectic, it is also an exciting time and an opportunity to start over or readjust.
During the first few days and weeks of school, please support your student in creating routines for sleep and homework that make sense. As much as possible, it’s best for kids to have a large role in this, knowing that adults have the final say on things like bedtime and phone access times - no matter their age. Your work to help your student(s) put healthy practices and routines in place around their school day is much appreciated. Well-rested and focused students are much more successful and the result of sensible routines and practices at home. The start of the year is a great time to put these in place!
Thank you for your support as we begin another school year at GFC!
Onward Central!
Mr. Jon Strandell
Principal
Morning Building Access and Procedures
We have adjusted the times that doors will be open in the morning at Central to coincide with our ability to effectively supervise students in the morning.
Door #1 (N. 4th Street) and Door #14 (gym doors) will be open at 7:30am daily. Once class starts at 8:00am, only Door #1 will be accessible throughout the day.
Breakfast is served in the commons starting at 7:30am.
All students in the building must be in either the commons or the media center (library) between 7:30am - 7:50am. Period 1 class begins at 8:00am.
A Look Ahead
Sept. 6th - NO SCHOOL - Labor Day
Sept. 13th - Booster Club Meeting - 7:00 PM in the Media Center
Sept. 15th - Voluntary Covid and/or Flu Vaccines - 2:00 - 4:00 PM
Sep. 22nd - Early Release for PLC Day - students dismissed at 1:00 (see schedule below)
Oct. 8th - School pictures
Vaccine Event
A voluntary COVID vaccine and/or flu vaccine will be offered at Grand Forks Central High School on Wednesday, September 15th from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. An email with forms and more info will be sent out early next week.
2020-2021 Yearbooks
Digital Parking Permits Now Required For Student Parking
Monitoring and ticketing will be done by the City of Grand Forks and will begin on Sept. 7th!
A digital student permit is now required for all student parking areas.
- Digital permits will be free to all GFC students.
- Previously used GFC grey parking hang tags will no longer be valid and can be discarded.
- Part of the sign up process requires a verification code to be sent to your email address. We believe the district spam filter is not allowing this verification email to be delivered to your student issued gmail account and suggest you use a private email address to sign up instead.
Student Only Access Link to obtain the parking permit for student parking areas:
https://gfpermits.rmcpay.com/#purchase?purchase_seed=KJQEA7YZT3_SIAL2ZWH93
Once students have registered via the access link above, they can then manage their vehicle information by visiting the online permit portal at any time throughout the school year.
Online Permit Portal: https://gfpermits.rmcpay.com
- The digital permits are based on license plate information. Students will need to ensure their vehicle information is correct and up to date at all times as inaccuracies may result in ticketing.
- When a student signs up, the website will ask them to choose a zone (either the "Central Ramp" or "GFC Student Lots", however, students are not required to only park in that area and the permit is valid in all student parking areas.
- The permit sign up lists will be monitored throughout the year and anyone using the permits improperly will be removed from the permit list and may be ticketed.
School Absences
If your child is going to be absent because of an illness, going out of town, an appointment, etc., please call the Attendance Secretary at 746-2482. The attendance line can accept voicemails 24/7. Please leave your name, your students full name, a phone number and the reason for your student's absence if you leave a voicemail. If you call in, you do not need to send a note with your child the next day.
Signing In/Out Process for Students
All students who need to leave during the school day must have parent permission either by phone or note & must sign out with the Attendance Secretary prior to leaving. Upon returning to the building, students must sign back in. Failure to sign in/out properly may result in detention hours issued for classes missed.
Illness
Please contact the Attendance Secretary by 9:00 a.m. to report your student's illness.
Appointments
If the child has an appointment, please call or send a note with your child prior to the appointment. In doing so, the child can pick up a purple "early dismissal slip" from the Attendance Secretary to show their teacher and be excused from the class without interrupting the class.
Oversleeping
Oversleeping is not excused at GFC. Students will receive one warning for their first overslept and detention for any that occur afterwards.
Vacation
In order for your student to have the best attendance possible, please plan short trips, vacations, etc. around our school calendar. If you know in advance your child is going to miss school for a trip, please contact the attendance secretary prior to the absence so the absence can be approved by the appropriate administrator. Arrangements for homework for planned absences is the responsibility of the student.
Stay In School Program
There is a positive correlation between regular attendance and academic success. The Stay in
School Program is a collaborative effort between school, family, and community which supports students and families in meeting the expectations of school attendance, through face-to-face or distance learning. As part of the program, all attendance records are reviewed on a regular basis. School staff will work with parent(s)/guardian(s) throughout the tiers of the Stay in School Program.
The following revisions have been made to our current Stay In School program:
- Monitoring attendance for all grade levels – Kindergarten through 12th grade.
- Emailing Stay In School letters starting on Day 90 of this academic school year vs. sending letters in the mail.
- Establishing a Community Stay In School Advisory Committee, which includes representatives from GF County Social Services, GF Police Department (SRO), Grand Forks Public Schools, Juvenile Court, Lutheran Social Services, Northeast Human Service Center, State’s Attorney Office, and The Village.
- Diversion Hearings will take the place of Community Attendance Meetings, which will be held at the Mark Sanford Education Center with the Elementary or Secondary Associate Superintendent.
The Stay In School brochure can be found at https://www.gfschools.org/Page/9299. The brochure provides an explanation of how Grand Forks Public Schools monitors chronic absenteeism with the Stay In School Program. Chronic absenteeism is defined by the Department of Education as any student (K-12) who has missed at least 10 percent of school days in a school year for any reason excluding medical and/or school-related functions.
Poor attendance is frequently the first sign that a student is on the road to school difficulty and possibly dropping out. Each day a student misses school results in gaps in their education, an education that is ever more necessary in our constantly changing society. When a student is chronically absent, they miss receiving the consistent instruction they need to build on basic skills or missed opportunities for interventions, reteaching, and enrichment.
Detention
Detention is held on most Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the commons. Dates are announced in the daily bulletin.
7 a.m. detention is also available in room 221 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Students who owe detention hours will not be eligible to participate in any extra-curricular activities, public performances or represent GFC publicly until the hours are served.
For questions about detention hours owed, please contact Amy Spicer, Attendance Secretary. For question about the detention policy, please contact your student's Associate Principal.
Online Sports & Activity Fee Payments
Create your free account today and never worry about having to send cash/checks to school with your student again. Visit myschoolbucks.com or download the app today to get started!
Homework Requests
Students who are absent at least two days may request assignments by calling the main office at 746-2375. Homework requests should be made as early as possible (preferably prior to 10:00 a.m.) to allow teachers time to complete the request. Assignments may be picked up in the main office between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m.
2021-2022 Yearbooks
- The 2021-2022 yearbook will be sold online again this year on the Balfour website. Please click on the link below to purchase the upcoming yearbook. https://www.balfour.com/student-info?smi=55338
The cost is $55 (or $60 if you want it personalized with a name on the cover). Senior pictures and senior baby pictures are due by May 1st and can be emailed at any time before that to: centralyearbook@mygfschools.org
The first Booster Club meeting will be on Sep. 13th at 7:00 PM in the GFC Media Center
Administration
Dr. Gabe Dahl - Associate Principal A-K
Mr. Mike Wilber - Associate Principal L-Z
Mr. Aaron La Deaux - Activities Director
Contact Us:
Main Office : 701-746-2375
Attendance Line: 701-746-2482
Main Office Hours 7:00 AM-4:15 PM
School Doors Open at 7:30 AM
Location:
115 N. 4th Street
Grand Forks, ND 58203
Follow us on Twitter: @GFC_Activities
Follow us on Instagram: gfc_activites
GFPS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GrandForksPublicSchools/