Let's Hear the Roar
LCHS Parent Newsletter - October 2022
L.I.O.N.S - Loyalty, Integrity, Ownership, Nobility, Service
This school year has been off to an amazing start, and it’s hard to believe that we are already in our 2nd six-week grading period. We have several academic and extra-curricular programs underway and achieving outstanding results. I want to sincerely thank you for your strong support for our students. I am constantly humbled and inspired by our students, who are incredible both inside and outside of the classroom. The participation and the support of the Lion Community has also been outstanding, especially this week during our homecoming celebrations!
As we work through this school year, let’s continue to remind ourselves of the important roles we play to support our students. Let’s remain cognizant of the academic and personal support they may need at times from school and from home. The Lake Creek admin team and faculty are always proud and willing to partner with you in this important work.
We truly have amazing students at Lake Creek High School and with our collective support, they are on paths to achieve amazing accomplishments in school and in life. I encourage you to find the time to stop and speak with your child about how they are doing and feeling as it relates to their time in school. If you have questions or concerns, don't hesitate to reach out to me, another administrator, a counselor or a teacher so that we can all work together for what is best for the student and the entire student body! Together, we can continue to do phenomenal things for Lake Creek HS and Montgomery ISD.
Again, thank you for your continued support of Lake Creek HS students and teachers!
Proud to be your principal – and Go Lions!
Regular Day Bell Schedule
Activity Bell Schedule
Delayed Start Bell Schedule
SKYWARD FAMILY ACCESS
With the implementation of Skyward Qmaltiv, Montgomery ISD has gone digital with Progress Reports and Report Cards. What does this mean for your family? In an effort to increase organizational efficiency and offer a more convenient approach to access progress reports and report cards, you will no longer receive paper copies of these reports at the end of the grading period.
Progress reports are a snapshot that is viewable by all families in the grading module in family access. Your access granted by the district and your ability to view the progress report is your acceptance of this Progress Report to comply with MISD board policy. You will receive communication from your student’s campus administration team when progress reports are finalized on how to view these Progress Report grades.
Report cards will be accessible at the end of the grading period in the Student Portfolio. When accessing these reports, you will be prompted to provide your electronic signature before viewing. This electronic signature aligns with the MISD board policy that requires all parents to provide a signature when receiving their students report card. You will receive communication from your student’s campus administration team when report cards are finalized on how to view the official report card.
We want to ensure that you have complete access to these reports in your Family Access Portal.
Please make sure that you can see all of your students, access student profile information, attendance, and grading. Technology Services has built a Parent Skyward Information page to provide resources for navigating the Family Access Portal. If you are having trouble logging into Skyward or are missing information/students, please use the bit.ly/MISDfamilyaccess to provide us with detailed information on the issue(s) you are experiencing so we may assist.
Additionally, as a parent you can send yourself notifications for grading thresholds similarly to Ascender. Please follow the instructions on how to setup Grading and Attendance Notifications.
Thank you for your continued flexibility as we roll out new features of the Skyward system in our ongoing efforts to provide more convenient features to families.
Student Attendance Matters!
Thank you for your patience with administration while we learn how to manage student attendance in our new Student information system, Skyward. We are sending this email to advise you that starting this week, LCHS administrators will be processing attendance letters for your student(s). You will receive these attendance letters via the Skyward Parent Portal.
Remember, high school students must satisfy two criteria to earn credit towards graduation.
1. Be present in each course for 90% of the semester. This equates to about 8-10 absences per semester. It can change based on the number of days in the semester.
2. Pass the course with a 70% semester average or better.
High School attendance is monitored by class period, not daily like in the lower grades.
The attendance letter thresholds are as follows:
Any three absences within a four-week period in a class, parent/guardians will receive 3 Day attendance letter for each class that a student has accumulated 3 absences in a four-week period.
Any five absences in a class period, parent/guardians will receive a 5-day attendance letter for each class that a student has accumulated 5 absences.
Any ten absences in a class period, parent/guardians will receive a 10-day letter for each class that a student has accumulated 10 absences in. Once the student reaches 10 absences, credit may be denied and truancy charges may be filed.
Please note that you will receive a letter for each class period your student’s absences exceed one of the thresholds listed above. If you have any questions about your student’s attendance, please contact their assistant principal.
9th Grade - Dr. Bowhuis
10th Grade – Mrs. Brogger
11th Grade – Ms. Lout
12th Grade – Mrs. Fleming
Common attendance reasons that WILL count towards your student’s cumulative absences are:
· Parent Note – Absence Excused
· Full day medical – Absence Excused
· Funeral – Absence Excused (will not count against students for the purpose of final exam exemptions)
· Absent unexcused
· Teacher absent unexcused
Common attendance reasons that WILL NOT count towards your student’s cumulative absences are:
· Partial Day Medical
· Extra Curricular/Co Curricular
· Religious Holiday
· Required court appearance
· College Visit – Applies to 11th and 12th graders only. Each 11th & 12th grader are allowed two days for college visits per year. Documentation must be submitted to the attendance office.
· DPS visit – applies to students who are 15 years and older. One absence is allowed per student. Documentation must be submitted to the attendance office.
You may reference these helpful MISD tutorials if you need assistance:
Skyward Student Portfolio: Viewing Attendance Letters
Skyward: Viewing Student Attendance
Counselor's Corner
Our GT Referral window opens on Monday, September 26th and will close on Friday, October 7th .
If you are interested in having your child tested for Gifted and Talented services, please complete the Parent Referral form. Students may also submit a Student Referral form if they would like to be assessed for Gifted and Talented services. Student referral forms must have a parent signature before they can be processed.
All referral forms are due to your campus counselor by October 7, 2022. Please check out NEW MISD GT website for more information.
College and Career Center
College Applications are open for the class of 2023. If you are applying to Texas schools, here is a thorough ApplyTexas guide to assist you with the process. While most schools' deadlines are December 1st, we advise you to submit applications by the end of October. You do not need transcripts or test scores to submit, you can send those later.
Please follow @lifebeyondmisd for updated information
Athletics
YEARBOOKS
Yearbooks are on sale for $85.00. Please purchase the book on My School Bucks or Balfour.com
Student ads are on sale until December 16th. Please see Susan Poppell in room 1509 or send a message to susan.poppell@misd.org for an ad contract.
21-22 Yearbooks are IN! If you did not receive yours, please stop by room 1509 to pick it up. If you know any graduates, please let them know they can pick theirs up in the front office.
Juniors - Class of 2024
Seniors - Class of 2023
Seniors: ImaginLight will be on campus Tuesday, October 4th to take cap and gown photos. If you did not take your photo at the studio, you will be sent a pass to take your photo during the day. If you are a graduating junior please contact Susan Poppell at susan.poppell@misd.org to schedule an appointment.
Senior Yearbook ads are on sale until December 16th. Please see Susan Poppell in room 1509 or send a message to susan.poppell@misd.org for an ad contract.
Kinder through 12th Grade Picture
We will be RE-TAKING the Kinder thru 12th Grade photo on Oct. 12 after SAT testing and before the Senior Fall Field Day. If your student has been in MISD for each grade from Kindergarten through 12th Grade please have them report to the competition gym at 11:45 AM. K through 12 students also need to fill out the Google Form.
If you have already ordered and paid for your K-12 photo you do not need to re-order. If you would still like to order, please use the the order below:
Senior Fundraiser - Poinsettia Orders
- New Deadline: Poinsettia orders due 10/24!
- Checks should be made payable to LCHS Class of 2023.
- Poinsettias pick up will be during the week of Nov. 28th.
- Students who sell 15 poinsettias will receive a free prom ticket. Students who sell 30 poinsettias will receive 2 free prom tickets.
- Students may pick up additional order forms in B1117.
- Students should turn in orders to Mrs. Szymczak in room B2518
Find your bus number
MISD Transportation Department has transitioned to a new routing system which includes a program called Traversa RIDE 360. We’re confident you will find this system to be helpful and informative in planning and tracking your child’s transportation.
The Traversa RIDE 360 website and cell phone app allows parents to access their child’s school bus number, drop off and pick up locations and times, confidentially. Traversa Ride 360 also provides the Transportation Department with the ability to alert parents about weather delays, school cancellations and if the school bus is running late.
We strongly encourage parents to download the app and review the website guidebooks below to learn how to begin using this new software.
To access the Traversa Ride 360 mobile application:
- Download the “Traversa Ride 360” app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
- When prompted enter the school district “Montgomery ISD”.
- You will need to “Register” to use the app by entering an email address and creating a password along with your name.
- You will receive a confirmation email at the email address you entered. Confirm your registration through that email and you are now ready to use the Traversa Ride 360 app.
- Log in to Traversa Ride 360 and link your student by using the + student icon in the upper right-hand part of the screen. You will need 2 unique identifiers:
1. Student ID# (no leading zeros) and
2. That student’s birthdate (no leading zeros and include the slashes ex. 3/25/2006)
- Repeat step 5 for additional students.
- Once you have linked your student in the app, you can click on that student to see their transportation information.
- Regularly check for updates as transportation information can change as more students are registered and added to our bus routes.
Please know that bus routes are always subject to change based on the number of students enrolled in each school and transportation zone. We ask that you remain patient with us as we work hard to make sure that every student is assigned to a stop and route as quickly as possible.
Keep our schools safe!
Preventing unauthorized access to campuses is a critical first step toward keeping our schools safe. As a school community, every one of us must be all in to ensure we are doing everything in our power to keep unauthorized individuals from entering a school building via side or back entrances.
#StopTheProp: An important component in these efforts is as simple as ensuring that every door that provides access to a school is closed and locked. Under no circumstances should a student or staff member prop open a door and leave it unattended, or allow someone to enter that should instead be entering through the main entrance. This year we are asking everyone in our district to join us in an effort to #StopTheProp by ensuring every door is closed and locked at all times. We must all remain serious and vigilant about keeping doors shut, at all times.
“Stop the Prop” stickers will be placed on each exit door of each MISD campus, reminding students and staff that entry without a key is to be done at the front entrance of each school.
Student ID Badges: Identification badges will be issued to our students this fall. The badges will be similar to those worn to identify our teachers and staff members. More information about student identification badges will be shared as the fall semester progresses.
Reminders from Administration
Most students attended class meetings the week of Aug. 15th. Students who were absent attended a make up meeting on Sept. 22.
Our 2022-2023 Student Code of Conduct will be available here.
Most common dress code violations:
- No hats, hoodies, caps, head coverings may be worn in the building.
- Skirts/shorts/holes in jeans must be closer to the knee than the hip.
- No cropped tops are allowed. Students' midriff should never be visible.
- Pajamas and house shoes/slippers are also prohibited.
- Students may not wear clothing or have visible tattoos that displays vulgar, lewd, or obscene writing or images and may not wear emblems that advertise or depict tobacco, alcohol, drugs, or weapons.
Halo Detectors and Metal Detecting wands: To help LCHS combat the vaping epidemic, MISD has installed vape detector devices in locations throughout our campus to help us ensure our campus remains tobacco and drug-free. Administration will be investigating the alerts and consequences will be assigned to students who are found to be in possession of any prohibited devices or substances. It is also possible that administration will use metal detecting wands to confirm whether or not a student is hiding a device on their person. Administrators have been trained and will follow on district policy on the use of the wands.
Nurse's Notes
Social Media and Mental Health
Social media plays a big role in modern society, especially for young people—but it’s still pretty new. It’s one of the biggest differences about the way you’re growing up and the way your parents, teachers, and other adults in your life grew up. While you might not be able to imagine a world ever existing without social media, researchers are still learning about its impact on mental health.
Widespread social media use
Nearly all teenagers—94%—in developed countries use social media. In the United States, 95% of teens have access to a smartphone and 45% consider themselves to be online “almost constantly.” There are some good things that come from being well-connected to each other in the virtual world, but it can cause harm as well.
Pros
- Identity exploration. For many young people, especially those in more rural areas, social media can help them figure out who they are and learn from others like them.
- Connection. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, social media came to be an important way of staying connected to your friends and family who you couldn’t see in person and making new friends online to help combat loneliness.
- Learning new things. You can’t find new interests and things you love if you don’t know they exist. Social media is a great way to stumble upon new hobbies, interests, trends, tutorials, books—the list goes on.
- Taking action. A lot of times, the issues the world is facing can seem too big and make you feel helpless, but social media can connect you to others for social change and help you make a difference through broader campaigns.
Cons
- FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). Social media lets you stay tuned in to what others are doing at all times, which can lead to feeling left out if you aren’t invited or just can’t make the plans.
- Comparison. The things you see on social media may make you feel like your life is boring compared to others; you may find yourself comparing your body to photos of others (beware of filters and photoshop!); or you may judge how many likes/comments your posts get compared to other people.
- Cyberbullying and harassment. It is easier to be mean to people from behind a screen, so internet trolls and online bullying from people you know can take place.
- Information overload. The news or the general state of the world might make you feel down, but it can be hard to give yourself space when things are constantly in your news feed, and you feel like you can’t stop looking. On top of that, it can be hard to know which sources to trust.
- Unsafe people. Sometimes you don’t know if the person you’re talking to is really who they say they are. People may interact through completely fake profiles (catfishing), and others might lie about their reasons for interacting with you.
What does unhealthy social media use look like?
While there are definite benefits to being active on social media, it’s important not to go overboard. Social media platforms are designed to suck you in—getting likes and comments triggers the reward system in your brain, keeping you craving more.
If you are doing any of the following or notice yourself falling into these habits, it’s probably time to address how social media is impacting you:
- Checking social media as soon as you wake up
- Mindlessly scrolling through your feed longer than you planned to
- Constantly updating your followers (photos of every meal, every activity you do)
- Anxiously checking for likes and comments
- Scrolling social media often while spending in-person time with others
- Comparing yourself excessively to others based on what they share
Tips for a healthier relationship with social media
Reduce your use. It’s easy to not realize how much time you’re spending on social media each day or to get sucked into endless scrolling until all of a sudden hours have gone by. Many phones have settings where you can view your screen time and put a limit on your app usage (your phone will notify you once you’ve hit your allotted time). You can choose to override it, but it’s a great step in becoming more aware of your use.
Unfollow or mute people whose content you don’t want to see. Your social media feeds can be whatever you want them to be – and there’s no reason for them to be full of posts that make you angry, sad, anxious, or have other negative feelings. Even if someone’s posts don’t bother you but just seeing their name triggers a negative reaction, take them off your feed. Muting is a great option if you’re worried about them knowing you unfollowed them.
Limit how many news sources you follow. It’s important to stay informed, but the human brain wasn’t meant to take in as much scary and bad news as most of us do these days. Instead of filling your feed with news, intentionally seek out information when you want it – and make sure it’s coming from well-researched sources. This way you’ll know you’re prepared and in the mindset to consume news instead of having it pop up when you open Instagram for a brain break.
Work on your mindset. We’re all bound to see things we don’t want to see on social media – friends hanging out without you, a cute couple when you’re feeling lonely, or photo after photo of seemingly perfect influencers. This can put negative thoughts in your head that you can’t seem to get out. Try out our tool to help overcome them.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
Frequently visited webpages
Lake Creek High School
Website: https://lakecreekhs.misd.org/
Location: 20639 FM 2854 Rd, Montgomery, TX 77316, USA
Phone: 936-276-4000
Facebook: facebook.com/LakeCreekHS
Twitter: @LakeCreekHS