THE PROUD PANTHER
Quakertown Community High School - March 2021
We are approaching the end of the third marking period, and are getting ready to support our students in finishing strong. Please take some time with your child to review their progress to date as we move into this crucial part of the school year. Please know that we have many supports available at the school, and encourage you to connect with your child's counselor should you wish to seek academic or other support for your child.
In this newsletter you will find some exciting updates for your review.
In Partnership,
Mattias van 't Hoenderdaal
Principal
Graduation 2021
The administrative team at QCHS is gathering feedback from our seniors and their parents regarding their preference for graduation. We have the ability to hold a ceremony of the entire graduating class with one ceremony in the evening, or to hold two separate ceremonies during the day. A larger ceremony would allow for each graduate to receive two tickets, while two smaller ceremonies would allow for 4 tickets per graduate. To better target this audience we have sent a separate email with the survey link via SchoolMessenger.
Parade
Last year's Parade of Graduates became an instant tradition, and we will be doing this again. The parade is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, June 15, 2021. Cars will start lining up in the parking lot at 5 pm, and the parade will start moving at 5:30 pm. The rain dates for this event are Wednesday, June 16 and Thursday, June 17. Additional information will follow.
Ceremony
The graduation ceremony will take place on Friday, June 18, 2021 at Alumni Field. There will either be one ceremony at 7:30 pm, or two separate ceremonies during the day. These would take place at 10 am and 4 pm in an attempt to avoid the hottest part of the day. The senior class would be split into two even groups. A survey has been sent to our seniors and their parents to capture their wishes. The event will be live streamed for free for those unable to be in attendance.
Please note that this reflects the current capacity limitations and changes will be made should there be further restrictions and/or permissions.
Other Senior Celebrations
A committee of senior student leaders is actively planning other end-of-year activities and more information will follow.
QCHS Pathways
We are excited to report that the implementation of Career Pathways at QCHS continues! Through our monthly Pathways Advisory period, students are beginning to build relationships with their faculty advisor, think about their post secondary plans, and receive lessons and guidance on growing employability skills. As we develop these monthly lessons, we continue to reflect on the required pieces of CCR evidence. Our internal committee of teachers led by our Career Pathways team is in the process of evaluating that evidence. By the start of next school year, we will introduce revisions to CCR that will provide students with additional knowledge and skills to help them be successful as they transition out of high school.
During the course selection process, we had over 100 rising juniors and seniors express an interest in completing a field study next year in a career field of interest. The Pathways team is working with students to help them find placements in the community and to complete the necessary field study paperwork. We anticipate meaningful experiential learning opportunities will result from these placements and we look forward to hearing about all the ways in which our students will grow during their field study semester!
This year the annual QCHS College Fair will be rebranded as a College AND Career Fair. In April, students will be able to participate in sessions representing a variety of post secondary options and different career fields. This virtual event will take place during the school day and all students will have access. We are thrilled to continue to grow this already successful event organized every year by our school counselors! More information about the sessions will be posted as the date gets closer.
QROCK News
This year we revamped our building-wide PBIS (positive behavior intervention and supports) program known as QROCK at QCHS. We believe that every student-teacher relationship is built on mutual trust and respect, shows intrinsic value and worth of students and teachers, and encourages student growth and achievement.
The purpose of QROCK is to build a positive culture throughout the building by clarifying expectations for students, creating consistency among staff, reducing miscommunication, sharing our building-wide values, and focusing on prosocial behavior. A team of students developed the acronym QROCK which stands for Quakertown - Resilience, Ownership, Community, and Kindness. TV News & Video Editing teacher Lincoln Kaar designed this logo that is displayed on posters throughout the school.
Each week our teachers recognize hundreds of students who demonstrate these traits and winners are entered into a weekly drawing for prizes including QROCK water bottles, string bags, gift cards, and more. Students also have an opportunity to recognize teachers or staff members who have made an impact on them and this has been a wonderful source of inspiration for our teachers. We hope that you will also stress the importance of being resilient, taking ownership, community involvement, and kindness at home with your children. Thank you for your support!
Safety Protocols
Title IV 2020-2021 Parent Survey
Title IV, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 is intended to improve students’ academic achievement by increasing the capacity of states, local educational agencies (LEAs), schools, and local communities to provide all students with access to a well-rounded education, improve school conditions for student learning, and improve the use of technology in order to improve the academic achievement and digital literacy of all students.
The purpose of this form is to consult with stakeholders to improve the activities it conducts. Based on feedback from stakeholders, QCSD purchased Canvas Studio to provide teacher tools for blended learning. Further, we have provided informative presentations focused on supporting the health of families and students.
Please click here to access the Title 4 Parents Survey.
SPARK Talks
QCHS Social Justice Alliance sponsored another Spark Talk last month on black history. Freshman Emily Parker was the student emcee and guest speakers included QCSD Curriculum Supervisor, Chad Evans, QCHS Instructional Aide for English learners, David Rocha, as well as Forrest Evans, research librarian from the Auburn Avenue Research Library (one of few research libraries in the U.S. dedicated to African American culture, history, and literature), and Shaykh Anwar Muhammad, owner of Black Reserve Bookstore in Lansdale. We encourage you to view this lively and informative 22-minute talk with your family and would like to thank our Social Justice Alliance students and club advisers, Bethany Fuller and Helena Li, for organizing this important presentation. Please reach out to us if you have ideas for a future talk: bfuller@qcsd.org or hli@qcsd.org.
Yearbooks
Intergenerationals
Honor your entire family that graduated from Quakertown! Your senior portrait will appear beside the relative(s) you list in the special intergenerational section. We look up and copy the relative’s picture from past yearbooks.
Fill out the form HERE and send it with payment (checks made out to QCSD Yearbook) Please drop checks and order forms off at the Main Office.
Cost: 1 family member=$25, each additional family member = $10
Unfortunately, no photos available from 1927 or earlier
All Classes Are Live
All students continue to be expected to attend their classes live every day, whether in-person or online, following the usual bell schedule. If there is an extenuating circumstance that prevents your child from participating in the live Google Meets at their scheduled time, please contact their School Counselor to discuss the situation.
SafeArrival
As a reminder, the school has switched to SafeArrival to report absences. With SafeArrival, you are asked to report your child’s absence in advance using any of these 3 convenient methods:
- Using your mobile device, download and install the SchoolMessenger app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store (or from the links at https://go.schoolmessenger.com). The first time you use the app, select Sign Up to create your account. Select Attendance then Report an Absence.
- Use the SafeArrival website, https://go.schoolmessenger.com. The first time you use the website, select Sign Up to create your account. Select Attendance then Report an Absence.
- Call the toll-free number 1-833-834-4911 to report an absence using the automated phone system.
If your child is scheduled to be live and stays home, please utilize SafeArrival as this is considered an absence from school.
Become a Substitute Teacher!
Attached you will find the flyer for our March Hiring Events, as well as our Art Contest flyer. I have included some details below about the Art Contest as well. Please encourage your students to participate! I’d love to see a winner from QCSD!!
Quick Facts About the Contest
- The contest information is located at ArtContest.ess.com.
- To enter, students must submit a drawing or painting with an image representing “What would it be like to go to school for superheroes?”
- The contest ends on March 21st, 8:00 pm Eastern Time.
- The top five finalists in each Grade Group will be featured on ESS’ Facebook and Instagram during the week of April12th for public voting.
- Voting ends on April 18th, 8:00 pm Eastern Time.
- Winners will be announced on April 21st.
- Winning students will receive a $500 gift card, plus a $500 gift card for their school.
Quakertown Community High School
Email: hs@qcsd.org
Website: hs.qcsd.org
Location: 600 Park Avenue, Quakertown, PA, USA
Phone: (215) 529-2060
Facebook: facebook.com/OfficialQCHS
Twitter: @OfficialQCHS