#StayTRU
Truman High School Newsletter-November, 2023
An Attitude of Gratitude
November is a wonderful time-a time that can get lost in between the glow of autumn and the sparkle of the holidays.
November is a time of gratitude-Did you know that having an attitude of gratitude is proven to reduce stress and increase joy? It’s true! Try it-it’s difficult to be angry or stressed at the same time we are being grateful. At THS, we are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of our students' lives, grateful for all you do as parents to support them and us, grateful for an amazing staff who gives their all everyday for the growth and learning of kids, grateful for our school and community. We hope you and yours have a chance to take some time to express gratitude to one another as well as others.
Time is fascinating. We end Daylight Savings Time and return to Standard Time on Sunday Nov. 5th. We will all receive an extra hour, so to speak, will we spend it wisely? Time also seems simlutaneously infinite and finite. It never ends, and yet, because we mark our days, weeks, months and the time we spend within them, time eventually runs out for things like a project, a school term, paying our taxes, etc. We are charged with spending our time like our money-wisely.
For our students and staff, November is a time of focus and determination. With just over 7 weeks left before the end of 1st semester (Dec. 22nd) there is plenty of time for students to end the semester strong. Staff will be focused on designing lessons that prepare students for mid-terms and finals. Students will be determined to attend each day and focus on assignments, due dates, etc. You can partner with us by helping your students spend the remaining 7 weeks wisely-using class time wisely, using time after school to get extra help, using time at home to complete any homework, limiting time spent on social media, and encouraging some time to be spent attending school events. Helping our students prioritize and organize how they spend their time is an important lifelong skill.
Parents can also partner with us by spending some of your time at our special Parent Camp event on Tues. Nov. 7th with national speaker and author, Josh Varner from 6:30pm-7:30pm. Mr. Varner will share insights on how to best support our teens while managing our own stress. A light meal will be available beginning at 5:45. Please RSVP by completing this 1 item form or the event highlighted below. LINK TO FORM
November is a time to honor our Veterans. We will hold our annual Veterans Assembly on Fri. Nov. 10th from 2pm-2:55pm. We invite all veterans and their families to attend this very special event presented by our JROTC.
If you have the time, don't miss our fall musical, Mamma Mia! which plays evenings at 7pm Thurs. 11/2--Sat. 11/4 and Sun. 11/5 at 2pm. It will be well worth your time!
November is also a time to give. We will have several opportunities for students to donate to clothing & food drives hosted by student organizations & projects.Families can donate to ISD Holiday Helpers. Additionally, families can contribute to the ISD Foundation, which provides student scholarships for AP & Dual Credit fees & tuition, college tuition, and classroom grants for teachers.
Time is such a precious commodity. We are so grateful when you choose to spend some of it with us here at Truman from PTSA to Boosters to Volunteers to attending performances and games to reaching out via email or with a phone call or note. Your investment of your time in your child's life and our school will yield a high return.
Parent Camp with Josh Varner, National Speaker & Author
Josh Varner M.S. Ed. has worked with over 200 organizations all over the country to provide trauma informed care and manage increased stress. He uses a combination of storytelling and humor to make this challenging topic fun and engaging. Attendees will:
**Learn how children are impacted by trauma and how to support them.
**Learn how the brain and body respond to trauma and how that impacts children's
behavior.
**Leave equipped with many specific tools that are easy to use to support children.
Light meal will be available at 5:45 until 6:25 while supplies last.
Location-Truman High School Cafeteria
Parking/Entry: East Lot, East Entrance
Mr. Varner will be available for a short Q & A after his presentation
Tuesday, Nov 7, 2023, 06:30 PM
Truman High School, South Noland Road, Independence, MO, USA
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
MONDAY, 11/6 is a SCHOOL ATTENDANCE DAY. TUESDAY, 11/7 is a NON STUDENT ATTENDANCE DAY
Tuesday, 11/7 is a NOT STUDENT ATTENDANCE day due to voting and Staff Professional Development.
We appreciate you making sure your student is in attendance on Monday, Nov. 6th.
Mamma Mia!
Staff & Student of the Month for October
Elizabeth Dotson-Elizabeth Dotson has impressed with her upstanding morals and character. She is the definition of doing the right thing when nobody is watching. Elizabeth expects the best from her peers as she wants to see everyone make positive choices.
Kei Rogers- Kei Rogers is always willing to help all students but he is an advocate for the ELD students. He works tirelessly every day helping students after school, during class, and has meetings after school about our students on how to better help them.
Truman PTSA Mtg
We are very lucky to have such an active and committed PTSA at Truman HS-many high schools no longer have a PTSA!
Several studies show that students do better when parents are involved in their education and the life of the school.
Don't miss this opportunity to get connected and involved with a great group of parents who have our students' best interests at heart.
Haven't joined PTSA yet? No problem.
Visit and follow their Facebook Page at the following links: https://www.facebook.com/groups/297650478495369
Wednesday, Nov 15, 2023, 07:00 PM
Truman High School, South Noland Road, Independence, MO, USA
Junior Class Ring Ceremony-Monday Dec. 11th
Attendance Matters-UPDATE
All students continue to set an attendance goal, reflect on that goal each week, and have check-ins with their teacher to monitor their progress & identify barriers to attendance.
2nd QTR ATTENDANCE & ACADEMIC REWARDS & INCENTIVES
REWARD: All students who have 90% attendance or better AND are passing all 8 classes as of Dec. 8th will attend a special event during PAT on 12/14 designed by students for student.
INCENTIVE: All students receiving PATS on the BACK from 10/17-12/15 for Academics (no Fs, improving grades, etc.) and/or Determination (attendance-no absence streaks each week, on track for attendance goal, improved attendance) will have all of those PATS on the BACK entered into a variety of daily drawings the last four days of school. Must be present to win.
What can parents do to help students continue to have strong daily attendance?
--understand how the school calculates attendance
--recognize the important statistics below
--schedule appointments and vacations outside of the school day and school year
--set and maintain expectations of good attendance at home
--communicate with the school regarding every student absence
--reach out to the school for assistance with students who struggle to attend daily
Did you know that.....
*Research shows that students who miss fewer than the equivalent of two (2) full days in September continued to miss fewer than two days a month for the remainder of the school year.
*This year, we have 155 instructional days with students (140 at the time of this newsletter), so students who miss the equivalent of 15 full days of school or more for the year will be chronically absent?
*There are 72 instructional days in first semester, which means students missing the equivalent of 7 or more days 1st semester would be chronically absent.
Help your student Strive for Less Than 5
full day absences each semester.
Veteran's Day Assembly
Friday, Nov 10, 2023, 02:00 PM
Truman High School, South Noland Road, Independence, MO, USA
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
LITERACY FOCUS
We have also created our building's definition of literacy at Truman High School.
Each day during 5th block there is time built in specifically for literacy. During this time teachers and students may be involved in SSR (Silent Sustained Reading) or other literacy activities that involve visual literacy, writing, etc.
We appreciate your support at home to promote literacy with your student as we continue to focus on helping students become literate consumers and creators. Read with them & encourage reading at home-even digitally. Write with them & encourage writing at home. Practice listening and speaking skills. Explain how literacy is important for you in your work and in your life. Ask them to explain their understanding of literacy to you-what it means and looks like in their various classes. Doing these things can help reinforce what students are experiencing at school and validate their relevance and importance.
Testing Information
In high school, we have a number of assessments we give students. All assessments, be they a test, project, paper, or performance, are an opportunity for students to show what they know and can do. Additionally, they provide feedback to students, teachers, and families about student strengths to build upon as well as areas to focus on for improvement. In short, tests or assessments help teachers, students, and parents monitor a student's learning progress and growth.
As we wrap up the 1st quarter of the school year, many students will be taking Common Benchmark tests in core classes to see how they have progressed in their learning of the concepts covered in that first unit(s) of their courses.
You may also hear about the following tests:
ASVAB-Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. It measures strengths and weaknesses in four basic domains: verbal, math, science & technical, and spatial. It provides career information for various civilian and military occupations and is an indicator for success in future endeavors, such as college, career, vocational, or military. Students general take a baseline in 10th grade and then many students may take it again their senior year
ACT Work Keys-This test is written by the same group that creates the ACT. It is meant to measure a range of hard and soft skills relevant to any occupation, at any level, and across industries. Students take this test their junior and or senior year. Test results can qualify students to receive a National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), which can help inform potential employers about the skill level of the student and can help set the student apart in interviews for full or part-time work. Some 5,000 business in Missouri recognize this credential.
ACT-American College Testing. This test contains four multiple choice tests: English, Math, Science, and Reading as well as an optional Writing Test. The test measures skills that are most important in post-secondary education, but which are acquired in high school. Most colleges and universities use the scores to admit and place students in their coursework. Many dual credit courses at Truman require a certain score on the ACT to take the course for dual credit.
EOC-End of Course Exams. These are state required exams in Algebra I (or Algebra II for those who took Alg I in 8th grade), American Government, Biology, & English II. Students take the exam for the course when they have successfully completed the course. Taking these exams in these courses is a graduation requirement in the state of Missouri.
On March 12th, Extreme Test Day, all freshmen will attend a college visit, all sophomores will take either the ACT or Work Keys, and all juniors will take the ACT. See below for other ACT National Test dates. Students who take the ACT more than once have better college options and have better chances of improving their scores.
Our Testing Coordinators are Ms. Yvonne Rito (ASVAB, ACT Work Keys, & ACT) and Dr. Taisha Newcomer (EOC)
Market Day
Freshman Career Fair-Nov. 17th
Monday Schools
Monday Schools for High School left in November & December:
Nov. 13th
Nov. 27th
Dec. 11th
Dec. 18th
Why would/should a student attend a Monday School?
A student may be required to attend a Monday School as a disciplinary consequence.
A student may choose to attend a Monday School for any of the following:
-Tutoring/Credit Recovery
-Attendance Time Make-Up (for denial of credit due to 7 or more absences)
-Enrichment-Lessons taught by certified teachers.
-Select clubs- Click the following link to see options: https://www.isdschools.org/enrichment-opportunities/
Does my student have to sign up? No, they do not. But it is helpful to familiarize yourself with the options by visiting the website ahead of time.
Will the bus pick them up and bring them home? No. Transportation is not provided and is the responsibility of the family.
Are meals provided? Yes. There is a free breakfast and a free lunch provided.
Does my student have to attend the entire day? If they are there to serve discipline consequences, the answer is Yes. If they are not, the answer is No. Your student can attend as long or as little as they would like. The day is broken up into 3 sessions that are approximately 2 hours each. They can come for the entire day, an entire session, or just a portion of a session.
When does it start and end?
Student's day begins at 8:30 am and ends at 2:15pm.
Session times are as follows:
8:30-10:15
10:20-12:25 (includes lunch)
12:30-2:25
We encourage students and families to be aware of the resources and options provided to students on Mondays to support academic success and use them as you need and are able.
Again, you can find all the information regarding 4-day Week and 5th Day (Monday) opportunities at the following link: https://www.isdschools.org/isd-four-day-instructional-week/
Important Dates at a Glance-November & December
NOVEMBER:
Nov. 2nd-Josten's during lunch to accept Senior orders for announcements, cap & gown, and other senior products.
Nov. 2nd -5th-Fall Musical-Mamma Mia!
Mon. NOV. 6th-STUDENT ATTENDANCE DAY
Tues. NOV. 7th-NON STUDENT ATTENDANCE DAY, PD Day for Staff.
Nov. 9th-Market Day
Nov. 10th-Veteran's Day Assembly
Nov. 15th-PTSA Mtg.
MON. NOV. 20th-STUDENT & STAFF ATTENDANCE DAY
Wed. Nov. 22nd-Fri. Nov. 24-Thanksgiving Break.
DECEMBER:
Dec. 5th-End of Course Exam Window opens
Dec. 11th-Junior Class Ring Assembly
Dec. 12th-Choir Concert
Dec. 13th-Orchestra Concert
Dec. 14th-PACK THE HOUSE Game and Dance
Dec. 20th-Band Concert
Dec. 20 & 21st-Finals/Mid-Terms
Dec. 22nd-Last Day of 1st Semester
Mavericks Day Game-Tuesday, Nov. 7th
Gates open at 9am
Puck Drops at 10:35am
Sports Schedules, School Gear Store, and more
Need to know when your student is playing?
Want to order some Truman Gear?
Want score updates?
Interested in joining our Patriot Booster Club?
Click the link below for your one-stop for all things Sports and Activities at THS.
https://gotruman.com/Truman HIgh School Anti-Bullying Coordinator
taisha_newcomer@isdschools.org
816-521-5350
Are you following us?
Truman High School Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/THSPatriots Official Twitter: @THSPatriots Truman High School Official Sports Updates Twitter: @GoTrumanPats Truman High School PTSA -Truman Patriots Club Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/groups/297650478495369 Twitter: @THSPatriotsClub Truman High School Counseling Center Instagram: @counseling_ths Twitter: @Counseling_THS Truman Student Council Instagram: @trumanstuco1 Truman High School Library Media Center Twitter: @truman_library Independence School District Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ISDSchools/ Twitter: @ISDschools
Sporting Event Reminders
1. All students need to show a current year school ID to attend all home and away events or be accompanied by their parent or gaurdian.
2. All middle school schools students must also have a current year student ID AND be accompanied by a parent.
3. No backpacks are allowed in to any events.
4. No re-entry: once students or patrons leave the event, there is no re-entry permitted.
5. All school rules apply to porting events-home and away.
6. Activity passes are available for purchase from our Activities office. Otherwise, there is an entry fee for all events.