Dear Bulldog Students, Families, and Friends,

Welcome to November and the last week of the first quarter. I hope all of you have enjoyed this beautiful autumn. As we wrap up Q1 this week, I want to extend a warm welcome to visit with your student’s teachers during conferences on November 15 th and 16th. This is an opportunity to have face to face communication with the educators who spend their days with your young adult. We have planned events during these two days to showcase the talents of some of our SHS students as well. I also have a few tips as we move into November and as we prepare for the remainder of the school year ahead.

Parents - talk to your kids about school. I know this may seem unnecessary for some families now that kids are in HS, but I can tell you from experience that it is one of the single most impactful things you can do to keep them engaged and motivated in school.

• Attend conferences - Students, parents, and teachers who take time to discuss academic progress, attendance, and other expectations are better able to set goals and meet them.

• Talk about grades - and follow up by reviewing their grades with them frequently in Schoology.

• Talk about attendance & tardies - and again, follow up by reviewing their attendance.

• Talk to them about getting involved in clubs, sports, organizations, class opportunities, the college and career center and more - kids who are involved in school beyond their classrooms are typically more successful.

• Talk about their mental health - ask them “How are you feeling?” “What is going well and what is not?” “What things have you stressed, and how do you manage that stress?” “What can I help you with as your parent?”

• Talk about your expectations of them at school - believe it or not, sometimes kids act one way at home and another way at school (or the movies, or Walmart, or the park, etc.). Talk to them about how you want them to behave and engage in class. Simple things such as asking questions when you need help, using in-school Bulldog Time, going to Access* with your teachers, getting to class on time, being kind to others, etc. *Access, in case you did not know, is when students may access their teachers M-Th 2:50-3:20 to get additional help. Use it!

• Talk to them about their future - high school is an amazing time in their lives and ends in the culmination of their K-12 educational career. What’s next? College? Career? Military? It is never too early to start talking to them about it and recommending they visit our Counseling Center to answer any questions they/you may have.

I look forward to seeing you at conferences November 15th and 16th from 4-7 pm.

Sincerely,

Principal Jacki Crossingham

Sandpoint High School Athletics have been on fire this month. As we near the end of the fall season, there has been a lot of hardware handed out to each team. Teams performed well in our IEL district league and we brought some trophies back from the state championship. Our girls won 1st place for Idaho 4A, and the boys soccer took 2nd overall in the 4A Idaho division. Individuals played hard, committed themselves to the team, and faced adversity in life and yet they overcame all of it. I am so grateful for everyone who was able to experience winning on and off the field. We are bringing back Bulldog Pride and I thank you for your support.

Our girls golf team won 3rd place in the state 4A division and Taylor Mire placed 3rd overall in the state. Great job ladies!

Cross Country continues to grind out personal records and they won the district championship as well. Swim will be on the road to the state this weekend. Football is making a name for themselves and we hope to continue the 16 game playoffs each Friday. Cheer continues to support our teams and their competition season is on the horizon.

Believe it or not, basketball and wrestling are right around the corner. Parent meetings are being scheduled and I look forward to meeting each of you there. We will discuss expectations both on and off the field. I am super excited to see you cheering on your athletes.

Please join me in supporting your coaches. They work hard and give their everything. I believe the more we can work together, the better our teams become. See you at the games!

Here are a few of the things that students are saying about him:

"His female strength and conditioning is so much fun and he's a great motivator."

"He pushes his classes very hard but also encourages and motivates us to do our best."

"Yarno helps students to become their best selves. Not only does he help varsity athletes, but he also helps those who want to become better."

The esports team is trying to stream all games on Twitch and would like to remind anyone with an Amazon Prime account that they can subscribe at no cost to themselves, while the team gets $2.50 for each subscriber each month. You can check out https://sh.lposd.org/clubs-activities/esports for a how-to.