MCHS Newsletter
September, 2021
A LETTER FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
As we begin the 2021-2022 school year we want to welcome everyone back to school. Students are hard at work in their classrooms and athletics and activities are well underway. We are looking forward to Homecoming Week, which begins on September 13th. See details of activities listed below.
We will continue to contact trace exposures to COVID-19 and your student may be subject to exclusion from attendance and athletics/activities. Please be reminded that students and staff who have chosen to receive a COVID-19 vaccination should submit proof of their vaccinations to the school nurse. Students/individuals are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose. Fully vaccinated students/individuals who have submitted this documentation are not subject to quarantines if identified as a close contact to someone diagnosed with COVID-19 as long as they are symptom free. Fully vaccinated students/individuals who become ill are still subject to isolation and testing. Please do not send your student to school if they have any of the CDC identified COVID-19 symptoms, which are asked of students entering the building daily. If your student tests for COVID-19, you must provide a copy of the test results to the school nurse prior to returning to school.
Regarding any positive cases in the school:
Marengo High School is working closely with the McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) and are reciprocally reporting confirmed cases in our school. If your student is determined to be a close contact of a confirmed case of COVID-19, you will be contacted directly by our school nurse and MCDH with specific instructions for your student. We will continue to update you of individuals who test positive through a Health Notification email.
If you have any COVID-19 questions, please contact the school nurse at 815-568-6511 x1102, call the Illinois COVID-19 hotline at (800) 889-3931, or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
Stay safe and have a great school year!
VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE
Our Back to School Fall Conference Night, originally scheduled for Wednesday, August 25th, 2021, will be presented to you virtually beginning September 7, 2021. Staff have prepared video recordings, syllabi, and other pertinent information to post on our Fall Virtual Open House webpage, which will be available for you to view on September 7, 2021. The page will be organized by department, course, and teacher. Beginning September 7, 2021, and at your convenience, you may view presentations as follows:
1. Log in to your parent portal, click Documents on the left side menu, and then click Student Schedule to identify your student’s courses and teachers.
2. Go to the Fall Virtual Open House page (www.mchs154.org>Menu>Fall Virtual Open House) and click on the courses and resources you wish to view.
We encourage you to view these presentations with your student to prompt conversation, ask them questions, and orient yourself to your child's educational expectations and the demands of their courses this year. If you have specific questions after viewing the presentations, please email your student’s teacher directly. Their email addresses are located on the Staff Directory page (www.mchs154.org/staff).
Counselors will be sharing a video with information related to post-secondary planning (the importance of the high school transcript, FAFSA, Career Exploration and Xello, etc.), standardized testing, general test-taking skills, and organization and time management strategies. The Psychologist will be presenting information on her role and the SEL curriculum that will be taught during Advisory. Guidance staff can also be reached on our Staff Directory page should you have any questions related to these topics being shared virtually following the Open House.
BOARD OF EDUCATION RECOGNITION
On Monday, August 30, 2021, the Board of Education recognized Morgan Sebring, Michaela Almeida, and Paola Montes (not pictured) for their outstanding achievements.
Morgan Sebring earned Second Place at the National SkillsUSA Automotive Refinishing Contest
Michaela Almeida placed Ninth in the High Jump at the Girls State Track Meet
HOMECOMING 2021!
Homecoming week at MCHS begins Monday, September 13 and will culminate with the First National Challenge football game on Friday, September 17. Our Homecoming activities will again look a little different this year - the dance is postponed (TBD) until such time that we can have it safely. Homecoming week will kick off with hallway decorating based on our chosen theme: The Time of the Seasons. On Monday afternoon, students will have an outdoor assembly and spirit games complete with powderpuff football competitions and the annual Tug-O-War showdown at the football field. Parents are welcome to attend! On Friday, students nominated for Homecoming Court will be recognized during the varsity football game at halftime and the winners will be announced. Throughout the week students will enjoy an ice cream social, a movie event, and of course, dress up days to help decide which class will win the spirit stick! This year's dress up days are as follows:
Monday = class color day
Tuesday = mismatch day
Wednesday = all seasons day
Thursday = pajama day
Friday = maroon and white spirit day
We hope to see everyone out at the sporting events helping to cheer on MCHS!
READING CLUB OPEN HOUSE
The Reading Club Open House was held before school on Friday, August 27th. Students were invited to drop in between 7:20 & 7:45 am to meet other Reading Club members, have a snack, and take some free books. Fifteen students were able to attend, some of them new members. We discussed upcoming events for the year, and decided that we will have meetings every other week on Thursdays after school. We are hoping that we will be able to go on field trips later in the year, but we will need to wait and see if that will be possible. In the past we have attended plays at the Lifeline Theatre in Rogers Park, where they adapt novels for the stage, so we are hoping they will resume live performances sometime in the near future. In the meantime, we will enjoy our after-school meetings, where we will discuss and recommend the books we are reading this year.
WORK PERMITS
If your student becomes employed but is not yet 16 years old, they must apply for a work permit through Student Services, who will submit your information to the State of Illinois Department of Labor. Items needed to apply for a work permit include:
1. A letter of intent from the student’s employer.
2. A letter from the student’s parents giving their permission for their child to work for the employer.
3. A copy of the student’s birth certificate.
4. A copy of the student’s social security card.
5. A copy of the student’s current physical.
Nick Tomasi carved a swan from an apple in Foods III class
FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE
Meningococcal Vaccine Required
The Meningococcal vaccine is required for students entering 12th grade. The Illinois Department of Public Health is requiring that all student entering 12th grade show proof of two doses of meningococcal vaccine unless the first dose was administered after 16 years of age. In this case, only one dose is required.
October 15th, 2021 is the deadline for Freshmen and Seniors to have met vaccine requirements. Contact your healthcare provider and make your appointment today. #VaxToSchool
Reminder: Students who have one COVID-19 symptom or are being tested for COVID-19 may not attend school. Students who have been fully vaccinated and are symptom free may attend school if an immediate family member is being tested. Parents/guardians must call their student’s absence in to Mrs. Seemann at 815-568-6511 x1302. All call-ins for illness will have a follow-up call from the school nurse. The nurse can be reached at 815-568-6511 extension 1102.
GUIDANCE NEWS
FINANCIAL AID PRESENTATION AT MCHS (No RSVP required)
Date: Thursday, September 23rd at 6:00-7:00PM for parents
Where: Marengo Community High School auditorium.
Who: Any parent/guardian and students wishing to gain more knowledge on Financial Aid
Topics: Federal and state grants, the work-study program, student loans, scholarship application process, financial literacy, financial aid advocacy, and FAFSA tips! FAFSA filing begins October 1, 2021! Contact your student’s counselor with questions.
**All Senior English classes will get this presentation on September 23rd as well.
FAFSA Application Available October 1, 2021
Description: FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Need help filling out your FAFSA? Participants will go line by line through the FAFSA form. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form used by the U.S. Department of Education to determine student’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC) by conducting a “need analysis” based on financial information, such as income, assets, and other household information. The form is submitted to and processed by a federal processor contracted by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The results are electronically transmitted to the financial aid offices of the schools listed on your application. FAFSA is the application used by nearly all colleges and universities to determine eligibility for federal, state, and college-sponsored financial aid, including grants, educational loans, and work-study programs.
Class of 2022:
Complete the FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov
Apply for a FSA ID (one for the student, one for the parent) at FSA ID link.
Have the following with you. Failure to do so may result in not being able to complete the application.
1. Student’s 2020 U.S. 1040 and W-2 forms
2. Parent’s 2020 U.S. 1040 and W-2 forms
3. Student’s driver’s license and social security card
4. Parent’s social security cards
5. Records of total untaxed income for 2020 (i.e. public aid, social security, Veteran's benefits, child support)
6. Student’s alien registration number, if a permanent resident
7. Records of current asset information (i.e. saving account, checking account)
8. Month and year of marriage, separation, divorce or other change in marital status
9. Records of net worth of investments for both parents and students
Note: Net Worth = Current Value minus Debt
Senior Post Secondary Meetings: Counselors are currently meeting with seniors one-on-one to discuss credits, post-secondary planning and “to do’s” for aligning goals and their final year of high school. Be sure to ask your students to share the information with you.
Upcoming testing at MCHS:
Illinois Science Assessment: Required for all Seniors on September 8, 2021
SAT: Optional for all Seniors on October 13, 2021. Email Mrs. Gorter at gorterd@mchs154.org by September 3, 2021.
PSAT 8/9: For Freshmen on October 26, 2021. This assessment test is evidence based reading, writing and language, mathematics, and essay writing. Scores are shared with students, parents, and teachers to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses. Students will be tested in the assigned Advisory groups unless there are pre-approved assessment accommodations.
PSAT/NMSQT For Juniors and Sophomores on October 13, 2021. This is a National test and may qualify students for scholarships. The results will be online through the students College Board account. The results will be online through the students College Board account.
College Visits: Please check the school website for College Reps visiting MCHS. More visits are being scheduled each day. Students can sit down with a representative from that college to review admissions criteria, majors, college life, scholarships, and much more.
ATHLETIC NEWS
Welcome back to high school sports and activities. Our fall sports of Football, Soccer, Volleyball, Boys and Girls Cross Country, Boys and Girls Golf, and Girls Tennis are competing on a normal timeline this fall. Indoor sports will follow the current Illinois Mask Mandate for schools. All players, coaches, officials, workers, and fans must wear a mask in the building with the exception of when eating and drinking. Outdoor sports do not have mask mandates, but all unvaccinated individuals should wear a mask and maintain social distancing. We will continue to update you with changes to any sports or guidelines as we are made aware. At this time, there are no limitations on capacity at games so come out and see our students compete this fall.
Important Fall Athletic Dates:
Friday, September 17th: Homecoming and First National Challenge Football Game vs Harvard
October 18th: Winter Sports Parent Meeting via Google Meets
October 22nd: Fall Senior Night at the Football Game
CROSS COUNTRY
The XC team is rebuilding after losing 13 seniors. This year’s squad features 11 new runners, 6 of whom are freshmen. Pictured below is most of the team after the traditional first Wednesday water fight at Marengo Ridge.
BOYS SOCCER
Boys Soccer started the season with a 2nd place finish at the Stillman Valley "Colin Smith Memorial" tournament. Goals were scored by Tyler Bittenbender, Tyler Meesak, Jacob McCarthy and Fynn Huart. Goalie Matthew Burley had big saves to help the Indians reach the championship for the first time. Great work boys!