The Cardinal Letter
Winter Edition 2018/2019
Greetings from Principal Goodman
Dear Parents and Students,
I hope this letter finds everyone enjoying the holiday vacation with their families and friends. We are half-way through the school year, and it’s time to reflect on the past year and push the reset button for round two.
The month of December was full of holiday spirit at Chippewa Falls Senior High School. We started off the month with a jazz band concert, followed by the orchestra and Madrigals entertaining the community at the annual Torte Theatre at the Heyde Center, the band concert followed, and finally, the choir concert ended the holiday tour. To kick off vacation, all four musical groups performed in the holiday concert. All 1510 students, community members, alumni students, and district cabinet members enjoyed the alternating musical group performances. The musicians worked very hard to prepare and the payoff was tenfold.
In our Principal Advisory Committee this month, we focused on four areas that we want to improve: School Safety, Building a Culture of Belonging, Motivational Incentives for Achievement Testing, and Developing Summer School Enrichment Programming. This group of students has given a voice to the student body at Chi-Hi. We partner together to make this school a great place to belong and to develop our strengths.
Sources of Strength, presented at our December staff meeting. These students are vital to the mental health and support of our student body at Chi-Hi. This is the second year of Sources of Strength. It is a proactive group of students who work collaboratively to carry out their mission: Our mission is to spread Hope, Help, and Strength into every corner of our community. Our mission is to help students and staff turn to their strengths and their supports that are all around. We are Connectors to Help and Strengthen others.
Our speaker this month was Brian Cole, who spoke to the students about the growing epidemic of methamphetamines and the impact addiction had on his life. His message was powerful and made an impression on the student body. Students were able to learn from his message and move forward with information to help them make good decisions in the future.
This month, Officer Joe Nelson, took time to educate our student body about school safety procedures to be prepared if a school threat or emergency occurs. We both emphasized the consequences of making a threat against the school or student body. These threats may not be made to intentionally cause harm, but our district takes these threats seriously. The consequence will result in a hearing with the school board for a recommended expulsion. These threats are a federal offense. They will result in criminal consequences with the police. If a student is 17, they could receive from 3-5 years in federal prison. We want to reiterate the importance of how serious we take these threats to protect our students and to lessen the frequency of these unsafe behaviors.
I would like to take this opportunity to inform parents and students of the reasons why we might have a hold in school.
We could ask staff to “hold” students in class in case there is a medical emergency in the hallway, and we would need to keep the hallways clear.
We may use a secure hold if there is an intruder alert or DRILL, to keep students safe if someone unsafe has entered the building.
We will be practicing one of these drills in January.
We may use a hold to complete a drug dog search in our building. These are unannounced. Students are required to stay inside their classrooms during these searches.
We may run a hold if we are investigating a threat and it remains unresolved. The police or school officials may need to keep students in their classes due to the perceived threat that was found by authorities.
In order to alleviate parent, student, and staff anxiety, our district has made a commitment to over communicating the message of the events that are happening in a timely manner. Student safety is our number one priority. We will do all that we can to ensure your children are in good care while at school.
We want to thank you for understanding that emergencies, tragedies, and things out of our control can happen daily. But know, that we are doing the best we can at Chi-Hi to make our school a safe place to learn and grow.
We look forward to working with all of you in 2019!
Respectfully yours,
Donna Goodman
Chippewa Falls High School Principal
Important Dates/Deadlines to Remember!
- Course Selection Sheets (2019/2020) Due - Wednesday, January 9 (drop off in Student Services)
- Finals - Wed, January 16, Thurs, January 17 and Fri, January 18 (see details below)
- End 2nd Quarter - Friday, January 18
- Winter Carnival Dance - Saturday, January 19
- Staff Workday (No School for Students) - Monday, January 21
- Start 3rd Quarter/2nd Semester - Tuesday, January 22
- Orchestra Concert - Monday, January 28 (7pm-HS Auditorium)
- Big Band Bash - Friday, February 1 (Heyde Center)
- Wire Choir Spaghetti Dinner - Saturday, February 9 (call Ms. Malone at 715-726-2406, ext 1427 for information)
- Music Department Send-Off Concert - Monday, February 11 (7pm HS Auditorium)
- Music Trip to New Orleans - February 13-18 (leaving after school on February 13)
- Early Release Day - Friday, February 15
- Practice ACT Test - Saturday, February 16 (see details below)
- ACT Test - Wednesday, February 20 - ONLY Juniors report to school this day!
- Orchestra Gold Ticket Night - Thursday, February 28
- Spring Activity Code Meeting - Monday, March 4 (6:30pm HS Auditorium/Team Meetings at 7:15)
- MORP Week - March 4-8
- HOSA Blood Drive - Friday, March 8
- Talent Show - Friday, March 8 (7pm)
- MORP Dance - Saturday, March 9
- Spring Break - March 18-22
- Progress Conferences - Thursday, March 28 AND Tuesday, April 2
- Spring Craft Sale - Saturday, March 30 (9am-3pm)
Art Course Options for 2019/2020
Plan NOW for Finals: January 16-18
- No passes are issued during finals. This INCLUDES, "Tardy Passes" and "Passes to Leave the Building" for appointments.
- The "Review in Classrooms" block from 8:30-9:10 is optional. Students must be in a classroom, the library or cafeteria. Students cannot be roaming the halls.
- Students with flex periods are NOT required to be here during that testing block, however, if they remain in the building, they must be in the library or cafeteria.
- The Test Makeups block (2:25-3:45) is not an optional testing period for students. Students who choose to skip a scheduled final during a designated block earlier in the day and want to make it up at the end of the day will not be permitted to utilize this block to do so. (Students with excused absences will be allowed to make up tests during that time).
- School lunch will be served all three days during finals. Students who eat here at school must eat in the designated areas.
- Students who leave for lunch or who were not in school for a morning final need to plan accordingly to get back here in time as students will need to show their school ID to get back into the building to take their afternoon final.
- Students are NOT required to report to specific classrooms from 2:25-3:45 (Test Makeups block). However, they must be in the library or cafeteria during that time...they cannot be roaming the building. This is a designated make-up test time.
- Buses will run their NORMAL schedule. Students must wait in a classroom or a designated area of the school from 2:25-3:45 if they are not making up a final.
- Students must stay in their testing classrooms for the entire duration of the test block. No passes are issued for early dismissal.
- Students should not be visiting grade schools or the middle school during finals.
School Board Meeting - January 15
Date: Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Time: 7:00 pm Public Session
Place: District Office
1130 Miles St
Chippewa Falls WI 54729
This meeting is a meeting of the Board of Education in public for the purpose of conducting the School District's business and is not to be considered a public community meeting. There is a time for public participation during the meeting as indicated in the agenda.
The public can access the School Board Agenda for this meeting by going to the School District website 24 hours in advance of the meeting.
Upon request to the School Board Secretary, submitted twenty-four (24) hours in advance, the District shall make reasonable accommodation including the provision of informational material in an alternative format for a disabled person to be able to attend this meeting.
Practice ACT Test Opportunity for Juniors
When: Saturday, February 16
Time: 8:00am
Where: Cray Wing at Chi-Hi
Cost: FREE
Open to Who: Juniors
Sign-up: Students can sign up in Student Services in February
UPDATE: ACT Test - Make-up Date March 12
Yearbook Order Information
Scholarship Opportunities for Seniors
Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District Foundation scholarship applications will be available online at: http://www.cfausd-foundation.com/application.html beginning February 1, 2019. Many scholarships are available for students wishing to pursue technical college or 4 year college degrees. Some scholarships are specific for academic achievement (GPA range 2.5 to 4.0), some for community, school and/or sport involvement, and some are for specific intended programs of study or specific post-graduate institutions. Be sure to look at this year's list of available scholarships and apply for any that you may qualify for.
CFAUSD Foundation also welcomes donations by individuals or groups interested in helping deserving Chippewa Falls graduates pursue their goals through higher education. Visit our website or e-mail: cfausdfoundation@yahoo.com to receive further information
Chippewa Area Mentor Program News
The Chippewa Area Mentor Program is looking for Mentors! Mentoring Involves:
- Being matched with a student, grade K-12
- Meeting with him/her one day each week at school
- Spend 30-minutes talking, playing games, reading a book, tossing a ball, taking a walk, you name it!
*The greatest need right now for mentors is at the Middle and High School levels*
Interested?
Visit our Website for more information:
News and Information
Food Service Department - Breakfast and Lunch Information
Meals Program - Weekend Meals for Students through Feed My People