Highland Park Senior High Headliner
March 1, 2024
Message from Principal Dr. Winston Tucker
Highland Families,
I am excited to share that we are instituting a weekly club activity during the Advisory period which will occur each Thursday. This will be an opportunity for students to attend an existing club or attend a newly formed club. The club activities will give students a chance to pursue an activity that is of interest to them, have some fun while at school and socialize with existing friends and make new ones. This activity will start on Thursday, March 7 and occur weekly. The clubs that meet after school will still continue to do so. Please review the list of clubs located below.
Mark Your Calendars!
Friday, March 1, 2024
- BSU Ball 7:00-10:00
Monday, March 4, 2024
- PTSA Meeting via Zoom 7:00-8:30
PTSA Meeting: Monday, March 4
PTSA Meeting: Monday, March 4
7:00 - 8:00 PM (meeting) 8:00-8:30 (Q/A)
Zoom Invite: https://zoom.us/j/99422255765?pwd=VThsaDAvUk9FMW1jdVFYSGg4Yk8vZz09
Is your student considering IB (International Baccalaureate, PSEO (Post Secondary Educational Options) or the District Career Pathways Program? Come learn about these exciting options for our students from counselors and teachers - Ms Kurmis, Ms. Somerville and Mr Stagg. They will present an overview of each, pros and cons, and take any questions you may have. We will also have students and alumni share their experiences with these programs.
Hope to see you there!
Interested in joining a club?!?
Hello families!
Starting March 7th and every Thursday in advisory until the end of the year, students will be invited to attend club meetings.
Here is the list of clubs that are being offered. Please talk to your student about where they will be headed.
FFA Fundraiser
Support the Highland Park FFA Chapter by ordering from Panera from 4-8PM on March 4th! Enter promo code FUND4U at online checkout or show the image at checkout! Funds will be used to cover the cost of sending over 40 students to the Minnesota State FFA Convention in April.
Senior Class Meeting Recap
Hello!
Here is a recap of today's senior class meeting - there is a ton of information here. Save this email for reference 🙂
Slideshow from today: it has a lot of information that is helpful as we approach graduation (https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Jc3e2dwyOenIVAQga9SMqk3793LjcgMEUUDYi_YeI9s/edit?usp=sharing)
Voting for Staff Speaker for Graduation: Please fill out this form(https://forms.gle/rni5XKv2J7PN8qd18)You will not be able to change it once you've submitted it. You will need to be signed in to your stpaul.k12.mn.us account. If you haven't submitted your votes yet, do it now. The form closes at 3:00 pm tomorrow (Friday 3/1).
Graduation Stoles: If you're looking at ordering a stole for graduation, please see the guidelines shown here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KOuXPox6BataxVPDGAbw-AFFQfM41_ov6zY5VG9XyLc/edit?usp=sharing As we approach graduation, a form will be sent out for you to complete to have your stole/adornment approved. Be sure to check these guidelines before ordering your stole.
Student Commencement Speaker: If you're planning to be considered for the student speaker at graduation, this form is due by Monday, May 13th at 4:00 pm. https://forms.gle/vUathXxhdT5YDodFA
All night party: A fabulous group of parents are planning the HPSH Class of 2024 All Night Party. The All Night Party is the night of graduation. It is an overnight lock-in with SO MUCH FUN - Games, activities, food, fun. More details will follow. Tickets will be available in May. It is an event you don't want to miss. https://hpgradparty.weebly.com will have information as it becomes available. (Parents - volunteers are needed throughout the night! Please watch for details in the coming weeks! It's a great night and a fun way to help celebrate the graduates. Even if your student protests your presence....you should still do it 🙂)
A graduation web page is active on the highland web site. SPPS technology recently changed the way websites are presented - All of the information is here, but some of the titles aren't changed over from 2023, as access isn't available yet. Hopefully they will allow us editing access soon, but the links are active. https://highlandsr.spps.org/students5/graduation-information
Keep being awesome and working to wrap up your year well! I look forward to seeing all of you cross that stage on June 4th!
Ms. Hedwall
Lunar New Year Celebration
This past Friday, February 23rd here at Highland the Chinese language department celebrated the Lunar New Year through a beautiful program on stage. There were a total of 16 programs, many of which included small group traditional Chinese dances, some of which included large groups singing songs in Mandarin along with a modern adaptation of Mulan by Chinese Immersion 10 students. Anna Yang performed a peacock dance which was absolutely stunning. The show was hosted by Nica Johnson and Kiri Werner who made the evening very entertaining with their jokes! Considering this year is the year of the dragon, one of their most enjoyed jokes was why did the dragon lose the race? Because he was a dragon his feet! Overall the production was highly successful with high audience attendance. If you couldn’t make it to watch this year, make sure to come next year!
Happy Lunar New year,
HP’s Chinese Language Department
African Night Highlights
On Wednesday, Feb. 28th the Highland Park African Student Association hosted its 3rd Annual African Night. The show consisted of spoken word, dances, trivia, fashion show and more. Students did an amazing job at showcasing and celebrating African culture.
FFA News
On Tuesday, four FFA members attended the FFA Day at the Capitol. They met with the representatives of St. Paul. Additionally, they learned things about legislation as they toured the Capitol and watched bills being passed.
PTSA News
Thanks to Highland Community and Boca Chica for Teacher Appreciation
The Highland PTSA would like to thank the school community for their support of our teachers and staff with the lovely meal last night before conferences. If your family is in Boca Chica please thank them for their generous support as well. Many families contributed cash and Boca Chica gave us a very generous discount making this possible. We heard lots of appreciation from the teachers and staff yesterday and we wanted to share this with the entire community who made this possible! If you meant to contribute and didn't get to it, you still can by paypal or dropping cash or checks made out to Highland PTSA contributions in the office. (Please note conference meals in the memo).
Donations can now be made with credit or debit cards through PayPal:
This is our Username: @hpshsptsa
Kristin Hegg is our treasurer, so her name is attached to the paypal account:
ACT Information
The ACT will be offered to all juniors on Tuesday, March 12th. The test will take the majority of the school day. Students that choose to take the test will be marked out for the entire day and are not expected in class. Ms Esso will be going into English classes the weeks leading up to the test to have students prefill ACT test materials. PSEO students should contact Ms Esso to set up a time to come in and prefill materials.
2024-2025 Course Registration for current 9th - 11th Graders
Course registration for the 2024-2025 school year will begin on Monday, March 18th. On this day, students will review course options and learn about the registration process in Advisory.
Throughout Tuesday, March 19th and Wednesday, March 20th students will have the opportunity to talk with their current teachers about course level recommendations for next year. Students can begin entering their class preferences into Campus Portal on Tuesday, March 19th. Directions for entering classes into Campus Portal will be shared in Advisory. The last day for students to enter classes into Campus Portal is Thursday, March 21st.
All current 9th -11th grade students will review their 2024-2025 course selections with their counselor one-on-one throughout the month of April and early May. These meetings will be scheduled during students' English classes.
Health Start Clinic News
Spring sports are starting very soon! Does your child need an updated sports physical before the season starts? Your school’s Health Start clinic is the perfect place to get it done! We accept all insurance and there is never a copay. Students can stop by the clinic, located near the nurse’s office, anytime to get the necessary forms and make an appointment. If you have any questions, you can call the clinic directly at 651-690-7667.
Upcoming Athletic Schedule
Teacher Wish List
There are two ways to support our terrific Highland Park teachers and staff:
- By purchasing requested items from this Wish List This list is always being updated—check with individual teachers if you want more information.
- By purchasing general school supplies—Kleenex, hand sanitizer, pencils, pens, highlighters, dry erase markers, post-its and snacks. General supplies can be brought to the school office any time.
At this point in the school year, teachers are running low on Kleenex, hand sanitizer and other basic school supplies, and have to restock them with their own money or go without. Anything you can contribute will have a positive impact on our students, our teachers and our school!
Thank you from the Highland Park PTSA.
Library News
After School Hours
The HP school library is open after school Monday-Thursday until 4:30.
Homework Help Resources
Did you know? Homework help is available throughout the school year at the Saint Paul Public Library. Click here for information on their Homework Centers hours and locations as well as the Online Homework Help service.
Yearbook Ordering Information
CCRC News
Click here to see the 2/23/24 CCRC Newsletter! This newsletter highlights upcoming college and career-related opportunities.
Highland Park CCRC - The CCRC is here to help students with college and career planning! The CCRC provides the following resources to students:
- Interests and skills exploration tools
- Career Information
- Resume Help
- College and Post-Secondary exploration tools
- College Admission, Career and Military Representative Visits
- College Admission test information such as ACT and Accuplacer
- Scholarships
- Financial Aid
- Summer and Community Opportunities
- And more!
CLICK HERE to check out the new CCRC website! This site will be updated throughout the year with important information, resources, and opportunities.
HPSH Book Club
Read Brave 2024 - “Celebrating Identities”
Saint Paul Public Library has announced its 2024 Read Brave book selection - Man ‘o War by Cory McCarthy. Free copies are available in the library for students. Book Club is hosting a discussion of the book on Tuesday, March 19th after school in the library - all are welcome!
Genesys Works Internship Opportunity
Genesys Works, a non-profit youth development organization based out of downtown St. Paul, is currently accepting applications from eligible juniors for the 2025 internship program. Students who are accepted into the program can earn up to $16,000 over the course of their senior year while also earning school credit, developing a professional network, and gaining valuable work experience.
If accepted, students will participate in training over the summer before being placed in a paid internship at a company in the metro area—US Bank, 3M, Target, Medtronic, and many others—around the start of their senior year. If you have questions about the internship, you can check out the Genesys Works application and contact your Genesys Works School Champion, Mr. Carlson.
Application deadline: MARCH 4TH, 2024
Updated Grading & Assessment Policy
We have recently updated a portion of our Grading & Assessment Policy. The updated policy allows involves the reassessment policy related to summative assessments. The updates allow students an opportunity to retake more than one summative assessment in a quarter grading period. This change more closely aligns with the current trends in grading practices and allows students greater opportunities to demonstrate learning. I encourage you review the entire Grading & Assessment policy with your child so there is a full understanding of expectations and practices. Here is a link for easy reference.
ACT Test Prep with Xello!
FREE ACT Prep programming is offered to all Saint Paul Public School 11th graders! The Methodize ACT Prep program is available to students on Xello.
Methodize is a self-paced online ACT prep program that offers full length practice tests, vocabulary builders and evaluation tests. These resources allow students to better understand what areas they may need more practice with when taking the ACT.
Using Methodize can improve your ACT score and build your testing confidence. We highly encourage all students who are planning to take the ACT to do ACT prep through Methodize or other out of district programming.
Click here to view Ms. Baheriy’s ACT test prep and Methodize presentation.
New Social Media Connection
Check out what our awesome Scots are up to by following Highland Park Senior High on Facebook and highlandparksr.scots.pride on Instagram.
Nutrition Services
In-person students will receive free breakfast and lunch under the Minnesota Free School Meals program. All students are eligible to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day. Second meals, incomplete meals and single item purchases, such as milk only, must be purchased.
- Student Second Breakfast: $2.85
- Student Second Lunch: $5
- Milk Only: $0.50
- For a complete list of prices, visit spps.org/ns.
Visit schoolcafe.com/spps to manage your student’s meal account, view menus, ingredients and nutritional information, and complete the Application for Educational Benefits.
Parent Portal - Access Your Student's Progress
Use Parent Portal and see your child’s attendance, homework assignments, grades and more. Log on to spps.org/onestop and click on “parent portal”. This valuable tool will provide both information on your student and a means of communicating with your student’s teachers. Report cards are not mailed to homes.
For access please contact the main office at 651-293-8940.
MTC Unlimited Transit Pass Available for Purchase
MTC Bus Pass Quarter Dates
4/1/2024 to 6/14/2024 payment due by Monday, March 25, 2024
Highland Park Senior High School
Website: https://www.spps.org/highlandsr
Location: 1015 Snelling Avenue South, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: 651-293-8940