Good afternoon!

It's been 2 weeks since the last Wednesday Weekly. I did not have much information share at this time last week, but it's a different story today. This week's edition is packed full of new information; some that requires action on the part of students. Student supply drop-off and pick-up, senior cap/gown distribution, and other topics are covered below.

We finished handing out yard signs to all of the seniors today, and it was wonderful to see the smiling faces of at least a few of our students! For the last several weeks we have been working very hard on graduation plans for the Class of 2020.

Just today, the Health Department and KCS approved a plan for a students-only ceremony on the football field in late July or early August. You should have received word from Superintendent Thomas this evening. I will be sending more detailed plans at a later time, but I'm very excited that we get to celebrate these students!

Students who chose to continue working on KCS@Home should be in communication with their teachers about what they can do to raise their grades. The deadline to submit those assignments is May 18th.

As always, feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns.

Best regards,

Mr. Long

We will distribute caps, gowns, and other senior supplies during two windows of time on Thursday and Friday next week. We ask that all seniors/families attempt to arrive during your scheduled window of time to help avoid long lines and speed up the process. Balfour will be on site to help distribute supplies and collect payment from those who still owe money. Because of factory shut-downs, some of the supplies may not be available at this date, but all students will receive caps/gowns upon payment.

This will be a drive-through process, set up in the bus lane at the main entrance of the school. We ask that you remain in your vehicles. Please see the schedule below:

Thursday afternoon, May 14th, 1pm-3pm

• 1:00-1:20 - Seniors last name A-C

• 1:20-1:40 - last name D-G

• 1:40-2:00 - last name H-K

• 2:00-2:20 - last name L-N

• 2:20-2:40 - last name O-S

• 2:40-3:00 - last name T-Z

Friday afternoon, May 15th, 1pm-2pm

• Any student who is unable to pick up senior supplies on Thursday may come between 1pm and 2pm on Friday.

We will be offering opportunities for students to retrieve personal belongings and return school materials beginning next week. We have cleaned out lockers and bagged items that were left by students so that those items can be returned to students. Students will be required to return any items that are property of the school, or they will be charged for the items. This includes textbooks, library books, Chromebooks, calculators, etc...

We have arranged a schedule based upon the student’s last name which can be seen below. If you are not able to attend on your scheduled time, we have another opportunity the following Monday, May 18th. Please abide by the schedule as closely as possible to avoid long lines and speed up the process. 12th grade students will do this during their cap/gown times. This will be a drive-through process, so please remain in your vehicles.

Group Times (9th-11th grade):

Thursday May 14th:

• 1-2PM - Last Names A-G

• 2-3PM - Last Names H-N

Friday May 15th

• 1-2PM - Last Names O-Z

Monday May 18th

• 1-3PM - Make-up times for all students

Due to COVID-19, our yearbook production company was temporarily shut down; therefore, yearbook distribution will be delayed. The company has given us a projected completion date of sometime in June. Once we have received yearbooks, we will send out information on pick-up times.

We have received notification that the DMV will open up driver's permit tests on May 18th; therefore, we will begin issuing permit forms from the school beginning the week of May 11th. To request a form, either visit the Announcements section of the Halls High School website, or fill out this Google form: https://forms.gle/61bckXDnb8L5f2Kg8.

Laura.Kindle@knoxschools.org will be in touch soon about when you may pick up the form. Forms are processed once per week and are typically available the next week during food distribution times on Monday and Wednesday mornings.

For the remainder of the school year, the school office will be staffed from 8:30-3:30 Monday-Friday; however, the school building is still closed to the public. Office access will be by appointment only. You may call the school office to schedule an appointment, or email the staff member with whom you need to meet.

Beginning the week of May 25th, the school office will be open each Wednesday morning throughout the summer from 9AM-12PM.

From May 4-10, rising seniors will have the opportunity to enroll in two five-week summer ACT Preparation Courses. The courses are ACT Math, ACT English/Reading, ACT Science Reasoning, and an ACT General Course, which focuses on general improvement and test-taking strategies. The courses will be delivered through Canvas from May 11-June 12 and from June 15-July 17 with a certified teacher.

Check out our HHS Valedictorian & Co-Salutatorians featured here: https://www.knoxschools.org/Page/21933

As a reminder, all athletic fields are to be used by reservation only through HHS/KCS. This includes the football field and football/soccer equipment. We appreciate your cooperation.

We will continue to serve food from 10-12AM on Monday and Wednesday next week. New "KCS at Home" packets for PreK-8 students will be distributed on Monday and Wednesday next week following the same traffic pattern that was used today.

Any high school student still needing a Chromebook should email Mr. Long at spencer.long@knoxschools.org.

Exam Dates

• Exams will be given from May 11–22.
• Makeup test dates will be available for each subject from June 1–5.
• Students can take exams at home or in schools, if they reopen.
• Each subject's exam will be taken on the same day at the same time, worldwide.

Exam Format

• Most exams will have one or two free-response questions, and each question will be timed separately. Students will need to write and submit their responses within the allotted time for each question.
• Students will be able to take exams on any device they have access to—computer, tablet, or smartphone. They'll be able to type and upload their responses or write responses by hand and submit a photo via their cell phones.
• For most subjects, the exams will be 45 minutes long, plus an additional 5 minutes for uploading. Students will need to access the online testing system 30 minutes early to get set up.
• Certain courses—Art and Design: 2D; Art and Design: 3D; Computer Science Principles; Drawing; Research; and Seminar—will use portfolio submissions and will not have a separate online exam. All deadlines for these submissions have been extended to May 26, 2020, 11:59 p.m. ET. Teachers and students may receive separate course-specific communications.
• Students taking world language and culture exams will complete two spoken tasks consistent with free-response questions 3 and 4 on the current AP Exam. Written responses will not be required. We'll provide additional details in the coming weeks to help students prepare.