September News
Elkhorn High School
From the Desk of Mark Schroeder, Principal
Parents and Guardians of EHS Students,
I hope that your students and families are now starting to feel settled back into the routine of a school year. From my office, the year has started extremely well, and I believe this trend will continue. I am proud of our students, our parents, and our community for embracing the challenge of educating students throughout this pandemic. It is evident our students want to be here and have done a great job of helping us navigate our safety protocols. On behalf of our team, thank you for your continued support as we continue the march towards a more normal school experience.
My theme with our staff this year is a reinvigorated focus on what we are really good at: really challenging kids. We look weekly, sometimes daily, at student data to ensure our curriculum is appropriately challenging and meeting the needs of our students. Annually, we eagerly await the ACT Report and the Advanced Placement (AP) scores that are released in late summer to early fall. These measures are not the only feedback we study, but we believe these are important indicators in judging the effectiveness of our academic programs at the high school and are meaningful to our students.
We are waiting on full ACT Reports as of the moment I type this, and when the Graduating Class of 2021 Report is released, I will push that out to families.
Below I have listed our full work of AP Course offerings. Our goal is to do what other schools refuse to do - to blow the doors open to Honors and AP Coursework. Far too many schools put limits on what courses students can take because of the title of a class, which we refuse to do. Our goal is to push all students into four years of core and as many rigorous courses as possible. Certainly, EHS prides itself on strong ACT results but what is more important to me is the product that ACT score brings with it: open doors after high school. We know more than 90% of our graduates plan to attend a post-secondary institution - and I believe we have an obligation to make them ready to succeed at the next level.
AP Course Offerings:
AP Science Courses: AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics 1
AP Math Courses: AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, AP Computer Science A
AP English Courses: AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition
AP Social Science Courses: AP World History, AP US History, AP Psychology, AP US Government and Politics
AP World Language Courses: AP Spanish Language and Culture, AP French Language and Culture, AP Japanese Language and Culture
AP Courses are designed to give students college level experiences while in the supportive environment of high school and research clearly supports students taking the most appropriately rigorous courses in high school to prepare for college. In essence, one of EHS’s goals is for students to not only gain admittance into college, but to achieve at high levels once there. We believe there is a substantial difference between being college eligible and college ready!
Notes and Reminders:
-Picture retake day for LifeTouch - anyone who needs a retake or did not take one at the Back to School event - is Friday 9/17. Seniors, please take a picture for both powerschool as well as the DC Gazette.
-We are happy to introduce our new School Resource Officer Kevin Potter from OPD. He has worked as an Elkhorn Police Officer before the annexation and has strong ties in our community. He has already hit the ground running and we are lucky to have him!
Reminder - it is Homecoming week! The theme is ‘Netflix’:
- Monday: Tiger King (wear animal print)
- Tuesday: Outer Banks (wear Hawaiian)
- Wednesday: The Last Dance (wear a Sport/Jersey)
- Thursday: Antler Colors
- Friday: Stranger Things (80’s)
-We will have our annual Pep Rally on Wednesday Night from 6:30-7:30.
-Homecoming Dance on the Football Field from 8-11 on Saturday, 9/18.
-If bringing an outside date - those forms need to be submitted to Mr. Givens by Thursday 9/16
-Career Awareness message from Mrs. Buurman:
Annually EHS strives to have students ready for life after high school and we aim to have all kids college ready, even if they ultimately choose a different path. In recent years, Elkhorn has enhanced our Career Awareness Program and I'd like to share with parents what our students recently discussed in Teacher Advisor Period. Please see the message and video below from Mrs. Buurman, EPS Career Awareness Coordinator.
We figure out what our favorite foods are by experiencing them. The best way to figure out if we'll enjoy a career is also by experiencing it! To help your daughter/son make better informed decisions about their future, check-out this VIDEO to learn more about the opportunities your daughter/son has to explore careers while in high school!
Please contact Mrs. Buurman (dbuurman@epsne.org) or your student's guidance counselor with any questions.
-Finally - for those who want to know - HERE is the COVID-19 Dashboard with the most up-to-date information on case counts and quarantine information.
Thank you, we are off to a great start, and happy Homecoming Week!
Mr. Schroeder
Looking Ahead! Please mark your calendars.
September 16, Homecoming Football Game
September 18, Homecoming Dance, 8 - 11:00 p.m.
September 28 - 29, Early Dismissal and Parent Teacher Conferences
September 30, Teacher In-service, No School
October 1, No School
October 22, Teacher In-service, No School
EPS District CalendarPicture Retake Day is September 17, 2021
Caps and Gowns - 12th Graders
Ordering announcements and other memorabilia from Jostens is up to individual families.
- ALL seniors must purchase a cap/gown
- Order soon, as pricing will go up after October 25, 2021
Click the link below to get directly to the Jostens - Elkhorn High School page for cap/gown:
For quality assurance, Jostens recommends ordering online. If you would prefer to order by paper and not online, please email Judith Bustard @ jbustard@epsne.org to make arrangements for a paper order form.
Class Rings- 10th Graders
All 10th graders will receive a Jostens class ring packet at the end of September. If interested please go to jostens.com to design and order. If you have questions, please see Mrs. Bustard in the Main Office.
Safe 2 Help Information For Students and Parents
Google Classroom Summary Emails for Guardians
Check out the 2021 Bids 4 Kids Silent Auction Items!
- Teacher Assistants for the 2021-22 school year. If you're looking for a position with a family-friendly schedule that follows the school year calendar, a supportive work environment, and competitive pay starting at $15.65, apply today at https://bit.ly/3gJox9Q.
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION – EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Inquiries concerning the application of the Elkhorn Public Schools’ policy of nondiscrimination should be directed to the Executive Director of Personnel, 20650 Glenn Street, Elkhorn, NE 68022, (402)289-2579.