SSP High School Weekly
4/22/24-4/26/24 (Subject to change)
F.A.M.I.L.Y. (Forget About Me, I Love You)
Important events for the week:
4/22/24: Wear your Postsecondary Gear Day
- 7:05- BILT Meeting in the media center classroom
- 3:00- Grades are updated and synced from Schoology to Campus
4/23/24:
4/24/24: W.I.N. Wednesday
- 7:05- BARR Meetings: 9-S, 9/10- B, 10- B, 11-S, 12-B *B= Big Block, S= Small Block
4/25/24: Wear Your Packer Pride Gear Day
- 3:30-7:30- Parent/Student Connect Time (conferences)
4/26/24: No School- Comp Time
- Grand March @ 7:00 PM with Prom following
Did you take care of this?
Student/Family Connect Time (conferences): Conferences are coming up on Thursday, April 25th, from 3:30-7:30.
Here’s the directions for setting this up in ParentSquare: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AdkLm09uU2G8kG5maWK048_EGJMjGnxgalemFj6FMMA/edit?usp=sharing
Here’s what you need to pay attention to:
- You’ll set up the conferences following Scenario #1.
- Start time: 3:30 pm
- End time: 7:30 pm
- Appointment duration: 7 mins.
- You will a message to each of your classes (except for Connections) by Wednesday, April 17th!
- You may copy and paste in this sample message text (please make the necessary changes- your room number, your name, etc):
Please view the sign up list and find a convenient time for us to meet. Choose your student's name when booking a time slot with me. Conferences are Thursday, April 25th from 3:30-7:30 pm. We'll meet in room A116. Here are some helpful Instructions for parents on How to Sign Up for a conference (2 min. videos): in English and in Spanish.
Thank you and I look forward to seeing everyone!
Ms. Lori Peterson
Business Teacher, gr. 9-12
Please reach out to me if you need any help or have any questions!!
Lori B. Peterson
Digital Learning Coordinator
Direct Line: (651) 552-2965 or ext. 1168
Stride for Packer Pride Saturday, May 18
The 5K Run/Walk Fundraiser is back this year! For those unfamiliar, my family and I have organized this event for the previous 14 years or so to raise money for kids in our school district who struggle to afford activity fees. Our parents both graduated from South St. Paul in the early 50’s and believed in the importance of participating in co-curricular athletics and activities. We’ve done this event to honor them and help the kids who need it most.
We’d love to have a big crowd involved this year! Please consider participating (run or walk), volunteering (we never have enough volunteers), donating, and/or spreading the word to anyone who may be interested. A Kids Run is also part of this! All proceeds go directly to the kids of our community. Please contact me if you have any questions. Thanks and have a great day!
LINK TO SIGN UP, VOLUNTEER, DONATE
Pete Schultz
History Teacher
So. St. Paul High School
Please do not park...
Please do not park in the traveling teacher parking spaces UNLESS you are a traveling teacher!
COVID-19 Guidelines Update
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has issued updated guidelines for managing respiratory viruses, including COVID-19. If you experience symptoms of a respiratory virus, it is recommended to take the following steps:
Isolation: Stay away from others until:
Symptoms have improved for at least 24 hours, and
If a fever was present, it has subsided without the use of fever-reducing medication.
Precautionary Measures: After resuming normal activities, it's important to continue taking precautions for the next 5 days to minimize the risk of disease transmission. This includes:
Improving indoor air quality
Practicing enhanced hygiene, such as frequent handwashing
Wearing a well-fitting mask
Maintaining physical distance from others
Consider getting tested for respiratory viruses.
This updated guidance provides a unified approach to managing the risks associated with various common respiratory viral illnesses, including COVID-19, influenza, and RSV.
Teacher & School Bus Driver Appreciation Days at SEA LIFE at Mall of America!
I received the following email and I am just sharing it with you.
Hello-
I am reaching out today to let you know that SEA LIFE at Mall of America will be hosting Teacher & School Bus Driver Appreciation Days for the week of May 5th-12th, 2024!! Teachers and School Bus Drivers will receive FREE general admission, and any friends and family visiting with them will also receive $5 off their general admission ticket! This offer is available onsite only, and proof of employment, such as an employer ID badge or a paystub, must be provided at the SEA LIFE at Mall of America Guest Services Desk in order to receive the offer.
To learn more about our Teacher and School Bus Driver Appreciation Days promotion, please visit our website at: Field Trips in Minnesota | SEA LIFE Aquarium Mall of America (visitsealife.com).
Please feel free to share the attached flyer with friends and family members in the education and school transportation profession to spread the word of SEA LIFE at Mall of America's appreciation for teachers and school bus drivers! And please do not hesitate to reach out and contact me if you have any questions regarding the promotion!
Thank you for all that you do!
Personal leave is full on Friday May 17th
Student School Board Representative
High School Staff,
As a part of its strategic vision, the South St. Paul School Board made it a priority to increase opportunities to include stakeholder voices in their work. One of the most important voices is that of our students. As a part of this ongoing work, the South St. Paul School Board implemented Student School Board Representative on their Board for this past year. Through this unique leadership opportunity, Renata and Luis served as excellent liaisons between the School Board and our students during the 2023-24 school year. They worked closely with the South St. Paul School Board to provide input and share their student perspectives while gaining valuable leadership experience.
The 2024-25 Student School Board application process is officially open. Current 10th and 11th grade students have received an email inviting them to apply. I am asking for your help to encourage students to apply. A Student School Board webpage has been created that includes important information on the structure, expectations, and the application process.
We have created a webpage as well as the attached packet that will provide insight on our new Student School Board Representative program. If you have any questions, please reach out to Lisa Brandecker. Thank you for your help in promoting this opportunity with your students.
Together, we are STRONGER! Let's support each other! Here is what we agreed to:
- Teachers will be outside their classroom greeting each student.
- The classroom door shut, after the bell has rung, means the student is tardy.
- Tardy students will not be called out, verbally or nonverbally. The teacher will just mark the student tardy in Campus.
Student Classroom Passes:
- No Passes the first 30 minutes of each class period
- Students need to turn the phone over to use the classroom pass.
- During active learning time, students may NOT go to another teacher's room unless it is a written accommodation in their IEP/504/LEP
Bathrooms:
- All bathrooms will be open 30 minutes into each class period and will remain open until the start of the next class period.
W.I.N. (G.S.D.) Wednesday
1. Weekly Grading timeline
- All grades are updated by the end of day on Monday.
- By the end of day check turned in late assignments as turned in.
- Sync grades to Campus Monday before 3:00 PM
- Do not touch the gradebook on Tuesday
- By 3:00 PM on Tuesday, an email needs to be sent to parents/guardians regarding student attendance on W.I.N. (G.S.D.) Wednesday
2. There will be a W.I.N. Wednesday Packer Pride Pass that a student will need to fill-out (with teacher's signatures) before the students can leave the room to visit another teacher's classroom
3. Teachers will be taking attendance for all students that are required to be in school on W.I.N. Wednesday
4. Additional Support/Extension on Wednesday: Teachers need to create 2 W.I.N. Wednesday folders for each week:
- C and lower (for Additional support)
- C+ and higher (extension)
Student Grade Check:
All students will check their grades in Connections. Teachers may use one of the three options to support students checking their grades:
- Option 1: Conversation with each student while viewing Campus grades (printed up or electronically)
- Option 2: Link to the Google document
- Option 3: Print up and pass out a grade sheet for your Connections students
Staff of Color Affinity Group Meetings
Staff of Color are invited to attend as often as they are able. If you miss one meeting, please come the next time your schedule allows!
Future Meeting Dates:
Friday, May 3, 4-5:30pm
Wednesday, May 8, 12:00-1:30pm - SEC ONLY
Thursday, May 30, 11am-1pm
Things to remember...
Modifications and Accommodations are not a choice, it is the LAW!
But why would I do modify assignments or accomodate students?
You are legally required to make accommodations and modifications.
Again, you are not changing the rigor of the class. The assignment will still challenge the student.
It is not your job to question the validity of a student’s disability.
Just because an accommodation or modification seems to make something too easy in your eyes does not mean it will be too easy for the student. As educators, it’s our job to help students learn. Accommodations and modifications help our disabled students learn.
Not every disabled body is going to look the same. Not every disability is going to impact students in the same way.
REMEMBER: Accommodations and modifications are not optional. They are not a reward for trying in class. They are a legal requirement.
I would like you to know:
Asking you to modify/accommodate your assignments and summative assessments is not an attempt at micromanaging. SPED teachers are:
Advocating for students
Reminding you of the legal requirements involved in IEP
- SPED Teachers love seeing you (the general education teachers) at IEP meetings!
Last year, there were more teachers attending meetings than before and it was both noticed AND appreciated!
It’s also legally required to have general education teachers in attendance at an IEP meeting!
Accommodations & Modifications Library:
Linked in your Accommodations Tracker that Chris Bauleke / Carole Pankow sent out for trimester 2 is the new Accommodations and Modifications Library! Check it out!
Let me be clear... No white educator should ever use the n-word. Ever! Never while reading to the class! Never in conversation with other students/staff. Never repeating a conversation between students. There is not one circumstance where it is okay to use that word. Not one! Did you know that in 2016 President Obama signed a bill eliminating the words ‘Negro’ and ‘Oriental’ from all federal laws. What does that mean for us? We also need to eliminate those words from our vocabulary. We do not use those words while reading to the class, in conversation with other students/staff, or repeating a conversation between students.
Gender Inclusion Guidelines: South St. Paul Public Schools commits to supporting and maintaining learning environments that value students’ gender identity and gender expression. These guidelines work to ensure that all students have access to programming and facilities in which they feel comfortable and safe. Please make sure to read the Gender Inclusion Guidelines: LINK so that you are in the know. Students may also request a name change by following this LINK. Again, make sure to look it over so you are in the know.
Let me be clear... Students need to be called by their preferred names and pronouns. School is one of the few places where many of our LGBTQ+ students are able to be themselves. Being out at home is not a given; students are trusting you, their teachers, with a vulnerable part of them by giving you their preferred names and pronouns. It doesn’t matter if you knew them before they went by their current name. You do not get to choose their name for them. You do not get to make up your own name for them in order to avoid misgendering them to their families. You need to make it a priority to know what your students want to be called and when. This is not about being “woke” or “politically correct.” It’s about treating OUR students with the respect they deserve.
Having an issue with a student?
Weekly Activity Schedule
Want to see our students in action outside of the classroom? Come watch them at a home event. Here is the link to this weeks schedule: Weekly Schedule
Parent Newsletter:
Want to know what is being communicated with parents? Check out the Principal's newsletter- it can be found here.
On the Horizon:
4/29/24: Wear your Postsecondary Gear Day
- 3:00- Grades are updated and synced from Schoology to Campus
4/30/24:
5/01/24: W.I.N. Wednesday
- 7:05- BARR Meetings: 9-S, 9/10- B, 10- B, 11-S, 12-B *B= Big Block, S= Small Block
5/02/24:
5/03/24: Wear Your Packer Pride Gear Day