Spain Park eNews
Spain Park High School 04/30/20
A Message from the Principal
Dear Parents,
Although everything seems to be done virtually, we had a very busy week here at Spain Park; the highlights are the Premiere Honor Societies' Induction Ceremony that went live on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, at 7:00 pm. The ceremony premiered on Youtube and is available by going to bit.ly/SPinductionceremony2020 or by searching "Spain Park High School's Honor Society Induction Ceremony 2020" on any Smart device or TV with the Youtube app. Congratulations to all new inductees and a special thanks to Ms. Hannah Joseph, the sponsors, and the student officers who produced this program. On Thursday, we celebrated Teacher Appreciation Day. Our SGA, led by Mrs. Candace Strickland, other class officers, and other student volunteers, cheered and waved as our teachers drove in front of the school entrance. The teachers received lunch, a tee-shirt, and a yard sign designed especially for them. It was great to see our students and our teachers on our campus once again!
I want to remind you of two important events coming up next week. On Wednesday, May 13, 2020, we will host our Teacher Awards for Student Excellence. Additionally, our Senior Scholarship Awards night will be held on Thursday, May 14, 2020. Links to both of these programs will be on the SPHS Main Website before the event.
We are entering our last two weeks of this school year, and final deadlines for assignments are coming due. I hope that our students will finish strong, and I ask you to please monitor your student's progress and communicate with your student's teachers if necessary.
Senior parents, we will send out information regarding our Class of 2020 Tribute and graduation ceremony information in the next few days.
Please refer to the information below as it contains important information for the closing of this school year.
Respectfully,
Peter L. Giangrosso
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PARENTS PLEASE READ
ALL students in grades 8-11 MUST verify their 2020-21 course requests by May 15, 2020. During this time, you may also request changes in your course requests with NO FEE (the $50 fee has been waived due to school closure). No requests for changes will be accepted after May 15.
If your student has not completed the course verification form for the 20-21 school year, please have them click HERE for directions on how to do this. The form can be found in Step 5. We have only received 634 responses out of about 1600 and we need 100% participation. If your student needs additional information, please have them check their grade-level Google classroom for the announcement that was posted on April 15th, 2020.
TEXTBOOK DROP OFF
AP Exam Information
Here are some links that might help AP students & parents prepare for AP exams which begin next week.
Taking the 2020 AP Exams Video
Required & Recommended Resource List
Taking the AP 2020 World Language & Culture Exams
On Exam Day
•AP students should click their e-ticket 30 minutes before exam start time.
•If something goes wrong during the exam, don't panic. If a student accidentally closes the browser, their device crashes, or they temporarily lose internet access, they can quickly click their exam e-ticket again to return to the exam. They should continue the exam, and if they feel at the end of the exam that the temporary disruption negatively impacted their performance, they can request approval to take the makeup exam at cb.org/requestmakeup. Students can also request a makeup exam if they've lost too much time due to a technical problem, can't connect to their exam, or experienced some other serious disruption.
Any questions about AP exams can be directed to Jim Reinsch jreinsch@hoover.k12.al.us.
Summer School Enhancement Program
Be sure to order your Yearbook!
Audition for the SP Jazz Band
Join the google classroom using code "sjeedww" for detailed instructions on how to audition.
Deadline for audition material is May 15!
Congrats to the 2021 Senior Class Officers
President – JR Lambert Vice President – Abby Byrd Secretary – Ella Thomas Treasurer – Harrison Holcomb Chaplain – Lily Kizzire Publicity Coordinator - Addison Cole Historian - Mekenzie Richardson Spirit Coordinators - Lola Waldrop, Camilla Coley, and Chloe Henry Event Coordinators - Bella Pretner, Tahj Peeples and Manasa Chintala Faculty Liaison - Cam Crawford and Niya Hewitt Community Liaison - Samad Gillani and Kaleigh Rice
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Cafeteria Accounts
Parents of graduating seniors can request a refund of Cafeteria accounts, use the attached refund request form and include the current address for the check to be mailed to:
email to: asargent@hoover.k12.al.us Anne Sargent, CNP Bookkeeper
If there is a sibling still attending any Hoover City School for 2020-2021, the funds can be transferred to their account.
All balances will roll over to next school year.
Also, if desired, the remaining balance can be donated into the discretionary account that is used when any student does not have money for breakfast or lunch during the school year.
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A note from our Nurse
A note from Hoover City Schools' Mental Health Specialist
Fostering Resiliency Dr. Tammy Davis provides thoughtful suggestions in her article Bouncing Back. Dr. Davis conducted an informal poll of students in a school in Virginia. She asked two questions. The first question - “What is the worst thing that has happened in the world?” Students responded with answers about 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, Terrorism, etc. Her second question - “What’s the best thing that has happened in the world?” Students responded; iPods, computers, cell phones, people who need help, can get help, etc. Our youth have amazing opportunities even in the midst of some of the worst events. How do we explain why things happen but more importantly how do we help them find a reason to be hopeful? Internal Assets: When you can identify your internal assets and strengths you can draw on them to cope during difficult times. Take a piece of paper, draw a line down the middle and on one side write “strengths” and on the other side write “ways this strength helps me cope.” Discuss those strengths with your child/adolescent and how they can transfer to various situations and events. External Support: It is difficult for many of us, especially youth to know when to and who to ask for help. Have your child/adolescent make a list of all the people they can talk to when they need assistance. Once the list is made have your child/adolescent go back and write next to each name the type of situation or problem that can discuss with that person. This will provide a framework of support. Hopefulness for the future: Focus on the future. Take a piece of paper and draw a horizontal line across the paper. Start with today and have them write what they would like to happen from today into their future. Their goals, their desired achievements, what they want their life to be. Then go back and with each and ask - identify who has control over whether or not these things happen. You may also want to discuss any potential barriers to reaching their goals and how ways you can minimize or overcome those barriers. Despite anything that has happened in the past, as they get older they have the ability to help control the things they want in the future. A few other tips suggested are: Acknowledge what has happened is not fair and tragic and it’s okay to feel bad or sad Allow yourself to feel your feeling. Our kids learn best by modeling what they see during times of difficulty Try to see the glass half full - talk about the positive Maintain a sense of normalcy Encourage students to “give back” It is our responsibility to help our children and students feel “hopeful and confident that the future is bright.” This is a summary of the article found in the American School Counselor Association’s Periodical School Counselor. Dr. Davis is a professor at Marymount University, Arlington, VA.
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PLEASE BE SURE ALL STUDENTS ARE CHECKING THEIR GOOGLE CLASSROOMS
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School Office Hours
Beginning, Monday, April 6, 2020, our office hours will be:
Mondays and Thursdays, 7:00 am-3:00 pm
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Spain Park High School
Email: hcsnotices@hoover.k12.al.us
Website: https://www.hoovercityschools.net/sphs
Location: 4700 Jaguar Drive, Birmingham, AL, USA
Phone: 205-439-1400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpainParkHS/
Twitter: @SpainPark