Clark High School eNews
October 9, 2015
Welcome to the 2015-2016 Clark High School eNews
ITEMS OF INTEREST
1. PTSA News (NEW)
2. Multicultural Club (NEW)
3. JSA Club (NEW)
4. PSHS PTSA Information
5. Parent/Teacher Conference Day
6. COGAT/PSAT Testing
7. Coffee with the Principal
8. Exam Exemption Guidelines
9. Cougar Chow
10. Wildcat Soccer Golf Tournament
11. Attendance Procedures
12. NHS Information
13. Math Club
14. Counseling Center News
15. Yearbook Ordering
16. Dress Code
17. PISD Volunteers
18. Athletic Schedules
19. Student/Parent Policy Guide
20. 2014-2015 PISD School Calendar
1. PTSA NEWS (NEW)
Principal Coffee – October 19, 2015, 9am
Please join Mrs. Williams for coffee and good conversation on October 19th in the library at 9am. If you have something specific you would like for her to address, please send your question to askclarkptsa@yahoo.com by Saturday October 17th. We look forward to seeing you in the library!!
Cougar Chow – October 30, 2015, 11:44-1:30
What is Cougar Chow you ask ?!?!? It is a day the students of Clark eat outside for lunch! There will be food trucks, DJ, snow cones and lots of fun to be had by our students and staff. A and B lunch will be combined for the first lunch. Then C and D will be combined for the second lunch. They each will have a full hour outside that day to take advantage of all there will be to eat and play. We ask that each student bring at least $5 that day to purchase food from the food vendors. A more complete listing of food vendors participating and prices will be coming soon. So watch for posters at school, listen to the announcements, read the enews and save your $1 bills in order that your student is ready for this most exciting PTSA event for Clark HS!!!!!
Reflections – “Let Your Imagination Fly”
The deadline for this year’s Reflections Program is November 6th, at 9am. Entry forms and guidelines are at www.txpta.org/programs/reflections/participate. More information will be coming through your students Art and English classes.
Membership Update
Clark PTSA needs you to help us meet the needs of our AWESOME school. So far this year we have….
· Supplied Kleenex to each of the classrooms
· Donated paper towels to the Chemistry department
· Provided graph paper, calculators and expo markers to the Math Department
· Paid for LOTE Association dues for Spanish, French and German so their students can receive outside of class enrichment opportunities
· Donated school supplies and spirit wear for those students in need
· Donated to the new MARQUEE
· Purchasing a microwave for the cafeteria
There are so many other areas where our help is needed and we need YOU to help us make Clark HS the best learning environment it can be! So sign up today at www.clarkptsa.org. You can make a difference!!!
Questions
If you have any questions you can ask us at askclarkptsa@yahoo.com
2. MULTICULTURAL CLUB (NEW)
The next Multicultural Club meeting will be held on Tuesday October 6th from 4:20 to 5:00 pm in Room B118. The purpose of this club is to offer a place to get to know, learn and share about world cultures and cultural heritages that are represented in Clark High School and in our Plano community.
Next Multicultural meetings dates:
Thursday October 15th 8:20 to 8:50
Tuesday October 20th 4:20-5:00
Thursday October 29th 8:20-8:50
All these meetings will be in Room B118.
3. JSA CLUB (Junior State of America) (NEW)
The next JSA meeting will be held on Thursday October 8th from 4:20 to 5:00 pm in room B118.
The purpose of this club is to give students the opportunity to discuss & evaluate society.
JSA meetings are every Thursday 4:20-5:00 in room B118
4. PSHS PTSA INFORMATION
The PTSA is partnering with Plano Urgent Care to help earn funds for our teachers. For every Facebook ‘like’ (up to 250) during October, $2 will be donated for the PTSA Grants to School Requests program. Simply click this link and ‘like’ their page! (Also see the flyer below.)
https://www.facebook.com/PlanoUrgentCare
5. OCTOBER 12TH-PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCE DAY AND A STUDENT HOLIDAY
Monday, October 12, is Parent Teacher Conference day and a student holiday. Please contact your student's teacher directly to schedule a one-on-one conference. If you would like to schedule a conference with multiple teachers at the same time, please contact your child’s counselor, and he or she will schedule the conference for you. Conferences will begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. Please consider reaching out to teachers and counselors now to book an appointment because the appointment times fill up fast.
6. COGAT/PSAT TESTING
Wednesday, October 14th will be a testing day for all PISD high school students. Our ninth graders will be taking the CogAT test, while our tenth graders will be taking the PSAT. If possible, please avoid scheduling appointments on this test day. Testing will occur in the morning, beginning at 9:00 a.m. and ending around 1:15 p.m. There are no make-up days for these tests, and regular attendance is expected for all students.
Students involved in off-campus P.E. or Plano Senior High athletics in the morning during 1st period should report directly to Clark by 8:55 a.m. that day. Plano Senior High coaches are aware that athletes from Clark will be on their home campus that morning when CogAT and PSAT are administered.
The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), to be taken by all ninth graders, measures students' learned reasoning abilities in the three areas most linked to academic success in school: Verbal, Quantitative and Nonverbal. For more information on CogAT, please visit http://www.riversidepublishing.com/products/cogAt/details.html
The PSAT, to be taken by all tenth graders, is a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT. PISD students take the PSAT in tenth grade and have the option of taking the test again in eleventh grade as part of the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). The tenth grade PSAT is not part of the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. For more information on PSAT, please visit the College Board website at www.collegeboard.com.
Please note students taking the PSAT may bring a 4-function, scientific, or graphing calculator to the test. Students are not allowed to share calculators during the test. A calculator is not required by CollegeBoard for testing and will not be provided by the school for testing. Students need to arrive Wednesday, October 14, on campus no later than 8:55 a.m. in order to be in their testing room by 9:00 a.m. Since these are timed tests, students arriving late may not be able to be tested. Many thanks in advance for your help to get all of our Cougars to school early on Wednesday, October 14, for their testing!
Both of these testing instruments provide important insights about your student relative to current classes, future classes, and post-secondary information pertinent to careers and colleges.
7. COFFEE WITH THE PRINCIPAL
Mark your calendars! The Clark PTSA is sponsoring a Coffee with the Principal on Monday, October 19 at 9:00 a.m. Join Janis Williams in the Clark library for coffee, breakfast treats, and some great conversation! If you have a question you would like addressed by Ms. Williams, please email it to askclarkptsa@yahoo.com by 9:00 p.m. on Friday, October 16.
8. EXAM EXEMPTION GUIDELINES
Our exam exemption guidelines have been revised so that we are in compliance with state attendance requirements. Below you will find the 2015 -2016 Final Exam Grade Waiver Guidelines for 9th, 10th and 11th grade students.
Students enrolled in an AP/IB course for the second semester of the school year may be eligible for a grade waiver from the final exam in that subject for the second semester if the following conditions exist:
- A minimum grade of 80 overall 2nd semester average (per class) and 80 for the 6th six weeks must be maintained (per class).
- Student takes the National AP or IB exam for that course in May.
- Student shall have no more than four absences during the second semester (per class).
- Student shall have no more than five tardies in that AP/IB class.
- No major infractions resulting in ISS, Saturday School, Out of School Suspension, or Special Program Center.
- Student must have no outstanding fines, fees, or debts for school property or other PISD services.
To qualify for the grade waiver, students must report to class on the day of the exam and take the final exam for the course. Students will have the option of allowing the final exam grade to be counted towards their grade or utilizing the grade waiver option.
Failure to report to class will result in a zero as the grade for the examination. If the student has an excused absence, he/she will be allowed to take the make-up examination on the scheduled date.
9. COUGAR CHOW
The fun returns on Friday, October 30th, during all lunches at the PTSA sponsored Cougar Chow. Stay tuned for additional details.
10. WILDCAT SOCCER GOLF TOURNAMENT
Calling all Wildcat Fans that like to golf!!! The Men's Soccer Program will be hosting its first annual golf tournament October 12th at Twin Creeks Country Club in Allen, Texas. Proceeds from the tournament become scholarships for deserving senior players. Golf tournament information and registration forms are located on our website at http://planowildcatsoccer.com/ GO PLANO!!!
11. ATTENDANCE PROCEDURE FOR 2015-2016 SCHOOL YEAR
Reporting a student absent: A parent/guardian should call the student absence line to report a student absence. Call 469-752-7200 option 1 for English, or option 2 for Spanish, next press option 3 to leave a message. Leave the student name, ID#, reason for the absence, date of the absence and who is reporting the absence.
Parent notes: A student has up to (3) three days after an absence to turn in a parent/doctor note in order to receive an excused absence. The note should include the students name, ID number, reason and dates of the absence. A parent call does not excuse the absence.
Leaving school ill: If a student becomes ill while at school, he/she should go to the nurse's office. The nurse will contact the parents. The student and parent must then sign out at the attendance office before leaving. A student should not call/text you from their cell phone to tell you they are sick and to pick them up. Cell phone use is not allowed during class time. We have a phone available for students in the front office.
Doctor/Dental appointments: If your student must leave school early, PLEASE send a note with him/her so that he/she can be released from class. The student can sign out and wait for you in the front office. A doctor's note is required when the student returns to school. The state requires us to have a doctor's note when a student is gone for an appointment.
Other absences: Non-School activities must be pre-approved by the principal in order for the student to make up missed work. The Student Absence Request Form is available in the front office and on the Clark website in the FORMS section. The form needs to be filled out and turned in to the attendance office at least a week before the absence.
REMEMBER - NOTES CAN PREVENT UNEXCUSED ABSENCES!
12. NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY (NHS) INFORMATION
National Honor Society now has an updated webpage with information at tinyurl.com/ClarkNHS and a Twitter feed for updates. Follow @NhsClark for all the latest news. Forms will be available online soon. Keep checking back!
13. MATH CLUB
Math Club meets every other Tuesday in Ms. Bothman's room, C104. Math Club provides a forum for kids that are interested in math and the students are surrounded by others who share a similar interest. In the club you have an opportunity to participate in many prestigious competitions including AMC, McNabb, and Texas MathLeague. Come join the Clark Math Team!
14. COUNSELING CENTER NEWS
The deadline for changes in levels (honors to on-level) is Friday, October 10.
15. YEARBOOK ORDERING INFORMATION
Yearbooks can be ordered at jostensyearbooks.com. Please like us on Facebook at facebook.com/ClarkYearbook or follow Clark Yearbook on Instagram@Clarkhighyearbook and @clarkhighYB for updates and information.
You may also submit your photos for review and possible inclusion in the yearbook at clarkhighyearbook@gmail.com. For yearbook questions, please contact Ms. Gibson at evelyn.gibson@pisd.edu.
16. DRESS CODE
We want to remind everyone to keep the PISD dress code in mind when making back to school clothing purchases. The district's dress code can be found in the PISD student/parent policy guide, which can be accessed at http://pisd.edu/about.us/policies/index.shtml.
17. PISD VOLUNTEERS
PISD requires that all volunteers complete a new background check every year. If you have not done so since July 1, 2015, please go to pisd.edu and fill out your volunteer application. Make sure to select Clark H.S. as one of the campuses where you would like to volunteer.
18. ATHLETIC SCHEDULES
Athletic schedules can be found on the Clark website at:
http://k12.pisd.edu/clark-high-school/contributions/16951-athletic-schedules.
19. STUDENT/PARENT POLICY GUIDE
Below please find a link to the 2015-16 Policy Guide for the district:
http://www.pisd.edu/PolicyGuide.English.pdf
20. 2015-2016 PISD SCHOOL CALENDAR
You can view the 2015-2016 PISD school calendar on the district’s website at.: http://www.pisd.edu/common/calendar/
Clark High School Counseling Staff
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Sincerely,
Bill Freeman
Clark eNews Editor
Clark High School
Email: bill.freeman@pisd.edu
Website: http://k12.pisd.edu/clark-high-school
Location: 523 Spring Creek Parkway, Plano, TX, 75023
Phone: 469-752-7200
Twitter: @ClarkHSCougars
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