Dear Starpoint Students and Families,

We are in the thick of the holiday season where many of us celebrate by getting together over Thanksgiving, Christmas, Diwali, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or New Year’s. I understand that the holidays bring a wide range of emotions for a lot of people, but no matter what your situation and whether you and your family observe these holidays or not, I wish you all a chance to rest and spend time with those dear to you.

My family and I particularly enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas as they allow us a chance to reflect on all of the things we have to be grateful for. There have been a significant number of scientific studies investigating the strong link between gratefulness and happiness. The evidence points to the idea that people who regularly practice gratitude tend to be happier.

As such, I would like to express my gratitude to those that make Starpoint High School an incredible place to work. Parents and guardians, thank you so much for your support of what we are doing. You play a critical role in all that we can and have accomplished, and you have entrusted us with your most precious gifts. Teachers and staff, your dedication to your work and to our students is inspiring. Thank you for all of your efforts in preparing our students to be successful and caring adults. Students, thank you for being the respectful, passionate, and inquisitive young people that you are. You make us laugh, think, and sometimes cry–the legendary coach Jimmy Valvano said if you do those things, it’s a heck of a day!

On behalf of everyone here at Starpoint High School, I hope you and your loved ones have a joyful and fulfilling holiday season.

Sincerely,

Alan Ingraham

Principal

Starpoint High School

December 1-- College Applications should be submitted

December 2-- Polar Plunge

December 15--Senior Luncheon

December 15--Chorus Concert

December 20--High School Wind Ensemble, Concert Band & Jazz Winter Concert 7:00 p.m.

December 22--Ugly Sweater Day

December 23--Early Dismissal 10:20 a.m.

December 24-January 2--Winter Break

January 16--Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 24-27--Mid Term & Regent Exams

January 30--Second Semester Begins

February 6-11--Winter Spirit Week

Morning BOCES students will be provided transportation to BOCES and back to Starpoint at 10:50 a.m. Students are responsible for their own transportation home.

We will not be providing transportation for the afternoon BOCES students. These students will be legally excused from their BOCES program.

We will have zone bus runs available at 10:30 a.m to take students home from their morning exams in addition to the normal bus schedule.

Students are taking advantage of Open Library. Since the beginning of October, the LMC is open on Tuesday evenings from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. for students to work on group projects, assignments, or get assistance from Mrs. Grebenok or Mrs. Couch.

On November 15, over 50 students attended “Algebra 2 Open Library Review” and Social Studies with Mrs. Grebenok and Mrs. Couch. The session included two student tutors (peer tutors) who were on hand to offer assistance along with Mrs. Grebenok. Students were able to get help on the entire unit in preparation for the classroom assessment.

Dear Freshmen Parents-

Last month I visited all grade 9 ELA classrooms to present important academic information to the students! Your child learned about: transcripts, class rank, diploma types, required classes for graduation, electives and how to become well-rounded. Ask your child what they remember!

Your 9th grader recently attended a presentation from the local BOCES instructors who visited our school. BOCES is an option for grades 10 and 11, but it's great for our younger students to gather information about their options. Ask your student what they learned!

Our course guide is on our high school website. Now is a great time for you and your child to research class options. In February, we will start the scheduling process for the 22-23 school year.

Wishing you all a happy holiday season!

Love,

Ms. Wasilewski

9th grade school counselor

SAT Weekend

Registration is now open for spring 2023.
Help your juniors increase their access to scholarship opportunities by encouraging them to register for the spring SAT exams.

Test Dates ............................... Registration Deadlines............ Late Registration Deadlines

March 11, 2023 ............................February 10, 2023...................... February 28, 2023

May 6, 2023................................. April 7, 2023................................ April 25, 2023

June 3, 2023................................May 4, 2023................................. May 23, 2023

Dear 10th grade parents-

Your student recently attended a presentation facilitated by the local BOCES instructors. They presented about each of the programs offered at the Niagara-Orleans BOCES. If your child is interested in learning more, they are invited to attend a field trip to BOCES on December 16 during the school day. Each student will choose three programs to explore on that day. Permission slips are due by December 14. You can view all the BOCES programs in our course guide on the HS website. If your child decides to attend BOCES next year, that decision will be made in February.

The scheduling process for the 22-23 school year will start in February. Start talking to your student about what classes they may want to take. View the course guide to further your discussion.

All the best,

Mrs. Rodenhaus, Last names A-F

Ms. Wasilewski, Last names G-M

Mr. Smith, Last names N-Z

On November 30th, over fifty high school students and staff gathered together in the spirit of the holiday season to spread Christmas cheer and heartfelt gratitude in handwritten messages to deployed troops. 344 cards were shipped to the USASOA “Christmas Cards For Our Troops'' program in Maryland, where once received, they will be sent worldwide to military stationed away from their home and families during the holidays.

Congratulations to the Starpoint students from the Niagara Career and Technical Education Center who were recently inducted into the National Technical Honor Society. Out of all the high school students in the United States, the National Technical Honor Society students who receive this honor comprise 1.6 percent of that population. For staff at the Orleans/BOCES center, they represent the four pillars of the National Technical Honor Society: scholarship, leadership, service and character.

The students were honored in front of their teachers, families and school district representatives. The students had to maintain an 89.5 grade average in their career and technical education programs and an 84.5 average at their high schools, have superior attendance, exemplary behavior, be a member in good standing with SkillsUSA and have a recommendation from a faculty member.

Congratulations to: Logan Becker in the Electricity/Electronics Program, Andrew Birtch in the Electricity/Electronics Program, Ryan Butler in the Animation, Film and Visual Effects Program, Marianna Campione in the Cosmetology Program, Joshua Linderman in the Diesel Technology/Heavy Equipment Program, Zelda Pulver in the Culinary Arts Program and Evan Strong in the Electricity/Electronics Program.

Our Peer Tutoring Center is up and running. Students in need of academic assistance can refer to the posted schedule in the ALC or see their guidance counselor to help them determine if they can stop by! Students can come from study hall or lunch, but can not skip class to go.

In addition, students in need of service hours can sign up with Mrs. Grebenok to be a tutor and students can sign up to tutor their peers to earn service hours.

If you have any questions please reach out to Student Services

Please join us on Thursday, December 15th for our next Plant for Positivity activity.

It is not too early to start thinking about post-prom. The Senior Prom is tentatively scheduled for Friday, June 16th with the post-prom to follow.

Please email Mr. Jim Mendola at jimmendola@ gmail.com for important information and updates.

The Starpoint High School believes in the importance of a well-rounded educational experience for all its students by offering a variety of extracurricular and athletic opportunities to empower students to enrich existing interests and discover new passions. Below is a link to the clubs and activities that we offer. We are confident that there is something for everyone.

2nd Quarter: November 14-January 27

3rd Quarter: January 30-March 24

4th Quarter: March 27-June 23

https://www.starpointcsd.org/domain/407

The free lunch for every student program is no longer in place. This year the price for a school lunch for high school students is $2.60. See the links below for more detailed Information.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11q6mP_oC9p6tA3ibvRSAsXbgu8_gIJqi/view?usp=sharing

Starpoint utilizes My School Bucks for families to pay for student lunches. See the link below to sign up.

https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/getmain?requestAction=home

Student progress reports and report cards are posted on Parent Portal and are no longer mailed. In order to receive paper copies through the mail, you must complete the “Parent Portal Opt-Out” form. In addition, the link below will include other forms such as transportation request, early dismissal and working papers.

https://www.starpointcsd.org/domain/389

PTA membership link:

https://starpoint.memberhub.com

2022-2023 PTA Officers

President: Julie Quinn

julie.quinn531@gmail.com

716-578-7100

Co-Vice President: Kaori Briggs

briggskaori@gmail.com

716-471-3803

Co-Vice President: Jessica Holler

jessicaholler80@gmail.com

716-353-3694

Treasurer: Becca Floss

beccafloss@gmail.com

716-880-4334

Recording Secretary: Tiffany Shank

tiffanyshank3113@gmail.com

716-514-2360

Corresponding Secretary: Nicole Sommers

nicolesommers726@yahoo.com

716-390-9955

Below is the link for downloading the working paper application. Completed applications should be emailed to Mrs. Brogan at mbrogan@starpointcsd.org