Scot Nation: NEWSLetter
March 2018
Missed Parent Teacher Conferences
Conferences were postponed due to the prediction of freezing weather conditions. We did not want too much time to lapse without getting all the essential information in your hands. You should have received this letter (below) along with the 1st quarter progress report of semester two, graduation progress, & a demographics page to be verified.
Parents and/or Guardians,
Enclosed there is a packet of information that was shared at parent teacher conferences on Wednesday evening. Unfortunately, conferences were canceled on Thursday due to predicted weather conditions.
Please review the information included within this envelope:
o Progress Report-Please e-mail and/or call the teacher of the class your student is receiving either a D or an F at this point in the semester. Please discuss a plan to redeem the course and therefore receive credit for the class. See phone list of teachers on the reverse side of this letter.
o Graduation Progress-This is simply the update of what classes have been completed based on the state and district requirements. If you have questions regarding graduation progress, please contact the counselor for your child directly. Counselors are assigned based on first letter of student’s last name. There may be a sticker on this document, please take care of the item(s) indicated.
Ø Classification is based on the following minimum credit requirements, although 7.25 can be earned yearly. There will be opportunity to earn up to 29 credits during 4 years of high school
· Freshmen should have a minimum of 6 credits at the conclusion of the year be classified as an 10th graders
· Sophomores should have a minimum of 12 credits at the conclusion of the year to be classified as an 11th grader
· Juniors should have a minimum of 17 credits at the conclusion of the year to be classified as a 12th grader
· Seniors should have a minimum of 24 of the required credits to graduate high school
Counseling Office Phone Number 785-274-6006
A-F Aaron Ebke Aebke@tps501.org
G-N Dana Owens Dowens@tps501.org
O-Z Tasha McLellan Tmclellan@tps501.org
COLLEGE AND CAREER ADVOCATE
Dr. Angela Duncan aduncan@tps501.org
o Demographics Page. Please review the information and make written updates on this page and return it to the counseling office. Please sign your name at the bottom of the page indicating you authorize updates
Your partner in education,
Shana Perry, Principal
Let's Talk Parent Letter: Please Read
About the Human Sexuality Education Programming in Your Student’s Health Class
Research consistently shows that access to comprehensive sexuality education is crucial for young people. The United States has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates among industrialized nations, and one in four sexually active teenagers will contract a sexually transmitted disease each year. Without access to information, students are more likely to experience unintended pregnancy, contract sexually transmitted infections, and remain unprepared to navigate sexual decisions and consent in healthy ways.
To meet the needs of our students, Topeka Public Schools is partnering with the Kansas-based non-profit, Let’s Talk, Inc. Goals of the programming offered in freshman health classes include providing functional knowledge that is medically accurate and directly contributes to health promoting decisions and behaviors, while providing opportunities to reinforce skills that promote positive health behaviors among students. Let’s Talk, Inc. will utilize strategies and activities designed to personalize information and engage students in critical thinking about relationships and sexuality, with the goal of increasing student’s comfort level communicating about these topics with family members and romantic partners.
Instruction and activities will include the following topics:
● Healthy decision making
● Communication
● Consent
● Healthy Relationships
● Contraception, including correct use of condoms
● Sexually Transmitted Infections
● Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation
Let’s Talk’s Executive Director, Vanessa Sanburn, MSW, works to ensure sexuality education provides a thought-provoking, positive, and self-affirming experience for all participants. Vanessa has been facilitating sexuality education presentations since 2002 for students and families. Vanessa served on the Lawrence School Board of Education from 2009-2018, working in part to improve access to meaningful, inclusive, and comprehensive sex education for all students in her district. In 2014, the Sexuality Information honored Vanessa with a Spotlight award in Washington DC and Education Council of the U.S. for her work advancing sex ed policy and practices in Lawrence Public Schools.
Cori Green, RN, BSN, is a professional nurse at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Cori began her career in public health, working in a clinical setting to provide a wide variety of family planning services. In 2005, she began teaching a family based class to facilitate family communication about sexuality. Cori has taught throughout her career, volunteering in classrooms throughout middle and high schools as a guest speaker on a variety of sexual health topics. In addition, Cori has received special training to conduct sexual assault evidentiary exams for rape victims that come to the hospital emergency room.
Combined, Vanessa and Cori have 20 years of experience teaching sexuality education and bring both a social work and nursing skill set to this work. Having education and skills in these fields provides students access to medically accurate information, based upon real-world clinical knowledge and experiences. Let’s Talk has the capacity to ensure students receive relevant, inclusive, medically accurate information to support healthy decision making.
If you do NOT want your child to participate, please sign and return this to the school office by Monday, April 2, 2018.
___________________________________________________ _____________________________________
Parent or Guardian Signature Date
The following letter was sent home with students enrolled in the Physical Demintions of Health and through e-mail to the parents of students enrolled. The e-mail was sent through the most current e-mail address in Power School.
Are You Connected?
D's & F's, Missing Assignments, Re-takes and Make-up Tests
Students who attend class regularly, show up on time and remain for the entirety of the class period are already helping their grades! When students are in class, they are receiving bell-to-bell teaching with a Bell Ringer, Warm-up Assignment, Homework Review, or Quiz. Then teachers are providing instruction difficult for students to receive it they are not in class. May teachers are giving quizzes at the start of class, so tardiness is severely impacting grades.
RESOURCES AVAILABLE:
After School Tutoring: Monday-Thursday 3:00-5:00pm
FLEX DAY:LAST DAY TO MAKE UP WORK 8:00-12:00 PM (Student must arrive by 9:00am or there will be no entrance) Students will need to have hard copies of work to make up and made arrangements with teachers prior to attending this day, as most teachers will not be available this day and Para's and GEAR-UP Tutors will be there for support but not to get assignments and log-ins for students. Students without work or preparation to access Google Classroom, tests, etc will be sent home.
Students exhibiting inappropriate behavior on this day will be sent home, and there will not be an additional opportunity to submit work.
TEACHER HELP: Many Teachers will be working before and after school to cover the 7.5 hours for the FLEX DAY. Students should ask teachers of their classes were D's and F's exist to make arrangements for assistance from the teachers. Student's responsibility!
If the grades in Powerschool are D's and/or F's, please make sure your student is aware of the opportunities available.
CONGRATULATIONS! Signing-Day!
Thank you to the Booster Club for making this a special day with the beautiful decorations and food.
These scholar athletes have taken the next step as a natural and expected transition to college!
"Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today." ~Malcolm X
William White: Football
Kenny Stewart: Basketball
La;Shai Clark: Basketball
Angelo Plakio: Football
Jaime Cuevas: Athletic & Activities Director
Honorees & Family Members
Winter Royalty 2018
Congratulations to La'Shai Clark and Tyree Florence-Patton who were name the 2018 Winter Royalty Queen and King!
SENIOR NIGHT
https://www.facebook.com/Highland-Park-High-School-1406126639644202/
SENIORS: College & Career
ACT Registration Deadline
Friday, March 9th is the deadline to register for the April 14th ACT without a late fee. Fee waivers are available for eligible students who have not already used two waivers.
Upcoming College Tours
Seniors, if you have applied to UMKC or Johnson County Community College and would like to visit the campus, please see Dr. Duncan ASAP. Students who have already participated in a college visit this school year are not eligible to attend.
TPS College Tour
Juniors, Topeka Public Schools is sponsoring a 2-day college tour May 31-June 1. This tour will visit 4 universities in Missouri. Students will have the chance to visit and learn more about UMKC, Lincoln University, Saint Louis University, and Harris-Stowe State University. There are a limited number of spots available. Students are required to pay a $30 deposit by April 16th to confirm their spot. After their spot is confirmed, they will also have to sign a behavioral contract as well. We are looking for juniors who are in good standing and planning to pursue higher education after high school. Go to www.tinyurl.com/TPSCollegeTour2018 to register.Scholarships
Seniors, there are a wide variety of scholarships deadlines throughout the spring semester. There are several scholarships specifically for Highland Park students. Be sure to check out our district scholarship page for more information. Apply, Apply, Apply!!
Also be sure to check the scholarship cabinet for updated information. Deadlines are quickly approaching. Also, as you receive scholarships, email Dr. Duncan at aduncan@tps501.org with the name of the scholarship and the amount.
FAFSA Completion is Essential to funding assistance for post-secondary plans for colleges, universities, technical schools, et. If you have not done this and received a Purple Sticker on your Graduation Progress Page during Parent Teacher Conference or in the mail, you currently do not have federal or state grants and funding for college. Please schedule a meeting with Dr. Duncan ASAP. Do not continue to wait!
PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR: Do you have a plan for next year? What will you be doing after you graduate from Highland Park High School? Community College? University? Technical School? Military? Work? Please make sure you are communicating with your counselor: Mr. Ebke, Mrs. McLellan, Ms. Owens and Dr. Duncan about your plans and how they can help you.
SENIORS AND PARENTS: IMPORTANT INFORMATION
It's not too late to sign up for the Remind Group for Senior and Parents of Seniors. Important information and updates are shared through this APP.
Use the following link to join:
https://www.remind.com/join/fg84kd
DEADLINE TO ORDER APRIL 26TH 3:00PM.
If you need a graduation packet, you can get one in the counseling office or Rm #152.
You're almost there, but you have to keep taking your steps in the right direction.
Yearbooks-$50 and ordering of personal adds in the yearbook (see Mr. Berklund for prices for adds and sizes)
More information will be provided!
Robing Ceremony-May 11th
Senior Breakfast and Rehearsal- Friday, May 18th
Graduation-Saturday, May 19th @ 1:30pm Expo Center
*Seniors Arrive at 12:30pm
Coffeyville Community College in Partnership w/HPHS
FULL TUITION AND BOOKS FOR 4 SEMESTERS
to students from Highland Park High School to attend.
What does that leave for students and parents to pay? Housing and Meals
When you complete the FAFSA, you may qualify for the Pell Grant which will cover the majority of the living expenses.
This is a great opportunity, and if you are interested, please see one of the counselors, the college and career advocate, or Mrs. Perry for assistance.
State Testing 2018
Missing a scheduled testing session could result in missed incentives or special activities for students who attend and take the test seriously.
Mark Your Calendar
March 11th-Daylight Savings Time Begins-Spring Forward
Spring Break March 19th-23rd
HPHS Site Goals
By the end of the 2017-2018 school year, each student will demonstrate growth on the state assessment resulting in a school-wide increase of ten percent growth. Math proficiency will be at or above twenty percent.
By the end of the 2017-2018 school year, each student will demonstrate growth on the state assessment resulting in a school-wide increase of ten percent growth. Reading proficiency will be at or above twenty-four percent.
The overall attendance rate for Highland Park will reach ninety-two percent for the 2017-2018 school year by reducing chronic attendance issues by fifty percent.
As Administrators, Mr. Ackerman, Ms. Johnston, Ms. Watson, and myself (Mrs. Perry), we have added the following goals as the Instructional Leaders at HPHS as our commitment to our students, families, and stakeholders. These goals will not be reached overnight, and we can't do it without the assistance and support of the faculty and staff at HP, the district office and BOE Members, community, families, and especially our students who must put forth a real effort each day:
- Increase the 2017-2018 Graduation Rate based on the current students enrolled to 93% of the 11R's and Seniors and those who finish will be going to college, vocational school, the military, or secured full-time employment.
- Increase school-wide communication with a weekly staff newsletter, monthly newsletter to parents and community, updated marquee, high traffic on Facebook, and visibility in the building and at school and community activities.
- Inspect what we expect and increase teaching and learning with teachers submitting weekly lesson plans, posting power standards, evidence of Building Academic Vocabulary, increased usage of Webb's DOK Questions, common formative assessments, and bell-to-bell teaching.
- It is our goal to help make Highland Park a school we would gladly send our own children to while creating high expectations, producing results, increasing rigor in the classroom, and creating a school culture worth bragging about; where students are safe, challenged, and ready. We (Administrators, Faculty & Staff) will build ladders for students while keeping the standards and expectations high!
Highland Park High School: Home of the Scots
Email: steve.berklund@tps501.org
Website: https://www.topekapublicschools.net/Page/27
Location: 2424 Southeast California Avenue, Topeka, KS, United States
Phone: (785) 274-6000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Highland-Park-High-School-1406126639644202/