The Knightly News
Parent Newsletter for Kellam High School - May 2018
Many Moving Parts
The month of May signals the final stretch of the school year. It seems like just a short time ago we sent out the very first edition of The Knightly News - and that was AUGUST! Here we are in May, and it is time to start preparing for testing season. During this time, there are many moving parts, and I wanted to take a moment to organize them for you.
In this edition, you will find information on Advanced Placement (AP) Exams. I am excited to announce that for the first time ever, we are hosting ALL AP exams for Kellam students right here in the Castle. This is a tremendous benefit for our students, because they know exactly where they need to be, will be in familiar surroundings, and students who ride the bus will not need additional transportation. AP Exams are from May 4-May 18.
From May 21-May 31, we will operate on an adjusted bell schedule to accommodate our SOL testing window. More information about this period, including the calendar, schedule, and bus information is included in this edition.
From June 4-June 7, our Seniors will take their final exams. Wow! Our Class of 2018 will be graduates soon! Our Senior Scoop Sheet, shared in this edition, provides valuable information regarding the many moving parts for our seniors. From June 12-June 15, all other students will take their final exams. Information regarding our final exam exemption policy is shared in this edition.
To support our students in preparation for this time of year, we offer multiple opportunities for tutoring, remediation, and targeted re-teaching. In classes, after-school boot camps, One Lunch Tutoring with Your Teacher, Peer Tutoring, and tutors during Academic Support, our faculty and staff work tirelessly to provide ALL students with the necessary time, resources, and supports needed for their success.
Although we are close to the end, we are more excited than ever to provide our students with personalized, authentic learning experiences that allow students to engage in opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to be successful in whatever path they choose!
Don't forget to follow us on Twitter: @KellamHigh and Facebook: KellamHS. Our website is updated regularly for more information: http://www.kellamhs.vbschools.com/.
Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA)
The PTSA is always looking forward and still working hard even with just 34 more days until the end of the school year. You can still sign up to be a member of the PTSA or donate with our Floyd’s Funds-Stress Free Fundraising Drive. Our students deserve an enriched high school life and the Parent Teacher Student Association is a large part of that.
Please make sure your Harris Teeter VIC Card is attached to Kellam. On the Harris Teeter website, under About Us and Resources there is a link to re-linking or initially attaching your Harris Teeter VIC Card to provide funds for the Kellam High School PTSA.
We also always need volunteers who are able to help with things such as advertising activities online or at-school activities too, and this is something you can work on from home! Please come to our next meeting at 5:30 p.m., Monday May 7th at Kellam High School to learn lots more information regarding the PTSA and information about Floyd E. Kellam High School.
Please check out the Kellam All Knight Gradfest 2018 Facebook Page for all kinds of good information regarding All Knight Gradfest and other Senior Information. Presently Holly Thornton, the head of the All Knight Gradfest, has Class of 2018 Yard Signs that you can order, and there is an attachment on the Facebook Page. There is also a new senior information page In The News on the front of the Kellam High School Website, so check it out for all kinds of fun things for the rest of your child’s senior year.
Advanced Placement (AP) Testing
AP Testing will take place May 7-18. Please see below for important information.
All tests will be administered at Kellam in the auxiliary (gymnastics) gym with the exception of World Languages, which will test in the School Counseling office. G105 will also be used for the largest exams. You can access the testing calendar with locations HERE. Please check back for the G105 placements and in case of any changes.
Students are excused from school the day they are testing.
Students should arrive for morning exams at 7:15am and for afternoon exams at 12:00pm.
Students should use the gym entrance between the fitness room and auxiliary gym when they arrive for testing. Click HERE to locate the entrance.
Students should bring their student pack, multiple pencils, and multiple blue or black pens to all exams. Students should bring calculators to the AP Biology, Calculus, Chemistry, Physics, and Statistics exams. Rulers are allowed for the AP Physics exam.
Cell phones are not permitted in the testing room. All cell phones will be collected and stored outside of the testing room for the duration of testing.
While a regular watch with no alarm is encouraged, students are encouraged NOT to wear a smartwatch. They will also be be collected and tend to be harder to distinguish during pick-up.
If you are picking up your child, please allow adequate time for testing. While it is difficult to determine an exact end time, please allow for about 30 minutes more than the actual testing time.
Community Engagement
At Kellam High School, we have engaged our students in a Job Shadow Day for two years now. We intentionally target Juniors for this event, because they are on the verge of committing to a pathway. We ask them what field they are interested in, and we find a partner to match them with for a day. Of about 500 Juniors, 140 of them completed the application. A small steering committee worked tirelessly over several months to find matches, and we found 36 community partners to engage our students. Yes, 140 of our Juniors, in the field, with 36 different partners to spend about 4 hours learning about their various careers of interest.
To say the day was successful would be an understatement. The energy from the day was amazing, and the feedback forms we collected confirm the level of success of the day. We encourage you to check out #JobShadow on Twitter to catch some of the action. Our Juniors went to a tattoo parlor, oyster farm, engineering-in-progress sites, court, Naval Air Station Oceana, Navy SEALs base, a photography studio, a music production studio, just to name a few. In talking with the students during our reflection luncheon, almost all were certain they have chosen the right pathway. On Job Shadow Day, a passion was lit that they would not want to nor be able to extinguish. For some, they changed their minds about their pathway - which is just as important as confirming. One student came back with a $10/hour internship job beginning soon, increasing to $13/hour when he turns 18!
Experiences like these at Kellam High School engage our students in Real, Authentic, and Personalized learning - they matter. Exploring what they believe to be their passion, their genius. And doing so in a way that builds and applies the knowledge (K-12 curriculum), skills (Creativity, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication, Citizenship), and dispositions (adaptability, flexibility, grit, resilience, risk taking, gratitude, service, humility, compassion) they need to be successful when they walk across our graduation stages and move their tassels from the right to the left of their caps.
On Friday, June 1, 2018, we will engage our Seniors in our first Community Service Day. The purpose of this experience is to provide our students with an opportunity to give back to the community. We value service and believe so deeply in giving back that we are dedicating a day for our Seniors to do so before they say good-bye to Kellam.
From the SCA
Congratulations to the new SCA and Class Officers for 2018-2019!
SCA
President: Katilyn Gattano
VP: Hanna Lynch
Secretary: Abby Bruce
Treasurer: Rylee Bruno
Historian: Kennedy Farmer
Special programs: Reed Williams
Senior Class of 2019
President: Eric Guilfoyle
VP: Ireland Miller
Secretary: Sydney Scott
Treasurer: Olivia Rose
Historian: Grace Harwell
Junior Class of 2020
President: Ali Czarnecki
VP: Savannah Eppley
Secretary: Caroline Blaha
Treasurer: Brooke Cannon
Sophomore Class of 2021
President: Juliana Conza
VP: Emily Ashcraft
Secretary: Sophia Ackerman
Treasurer: Katie Farmer
Leadership Workshop will hold an Emerging Leaders Camp here at Kellam from June 25-28th. Registration is available from Abbie McGee, Katelyn Taliaferro, or the Kellam Website.
Sunday Knights.
Each Sunday, our SCA will publish events and activities for the upcoming week via social media. This platform is called "Sunday Knights." Give our SCA a follow and stay connected to weekly happenings at the Castle!
Twitter: @KHS_SCA (Kellam HS SCA 17-18)
Instagram: @kellamsca (Kellam High School SCA)
Facebook: KellamHS (Floyd E Kellam High School)
Announcements
- Gifted. Now that we have One Lunch every day, there are lots of opportunities for students to attend tutoring, SOL, or AP prep sessions, conference with their teachers, check out any club or activity meetings, or take a brain break and dine with their friends. If any students need to speak with me during this time, they can always come to B120 and we can chat.
Please follow me on twitter @TurnersKnights and subscribe to my newsletter at www.kellyturnergifted.weebly.com where I post classroom updates, announcements, and opportunities for enrichment outside of the classroom. In my recent newsletter blog post “Spring is in the Air” I have posted information about a cool summer opportunity at William and Mary as well as information about our newest Brickell Scholars and students who have been accepted into the Summer Residential Governor’s School. Check it out! - Senior Awards Night. This year, we are excited to offer our Senior Awards Program in the evening on June 4 at 6:30pm. More information will be shared as the date approaches.
- Graduation. The Kellam High School Class of 2018 graduation is scheduled for Saturday, June 16, 1pm, at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Click here for a copy of the Senior Scoop Sheet which was distributed to all Seniors in early April and contains a ton of important information. If you have any questions about graduation or other end of the year activities, please email Katie Cosimano at Kathryn.cosimano@vbschools.com.
- Class of 2018 Yard Signs. Click here for ordering information for Senior Yard Signs.
- Ring Dance. Ring dance will held May 19th at the MOCA from 7:00 - 11:00pm. Tickets will be on sale in the Cafe Commons during lunches for $65 each. The last day for ticket sales will be May 4th.
- Summer Camps. Please see THIS form to access information regarding Kellam's summer camps.
Upcoming Events
For all Beach District and VHSL sporting events involving YOUR Kellam Knights, click HERE.
For sports results and standings, click HERE.
May 1 - Principal's List Celebration
May 3 - Pops Concert (Band and Orchestra)
May 7-18 - AP Testing
May 10 - Chorus Concert
May 21-May 31 - SOL Testing
May 16 - A Night of One Acts
May 17 - Jazz Band Concert
May 19 - Ring Dance
May 25 - June edition of The Knightly News
May 28 - Memorial Day (Schools Closed)
June 1 - Community Service Day (for Seniors)
Stay in-the-know: There have been over 10,300 views of The Knightly News! Access prior issues by clicking on the month below and stay in-the-know:
The Knightly News
Email: dwsmith@vbschools.com
Website: http://www.kellamhs.vbschools.com/
Location: 2665 West Neck Road, Virginia Beach, VA, United States
Phone: (757) 648-5100
Facebook: facebook.com/KellamHS
Twitter: @KellamHigh