The Bird Call
News And Notes From Clever High School
OTC Sophomore Day
Pep Assembly
Apollo 11
It's A Learning Experience
Some of you may have noticed that it has been almost two months since our last newsletter went out. Unfortunately, our district was brought to a grinding halt during the third week of November when we were attacked by a ransomware virus. Thanks to our amazing technology department and the help of some experts in the field, we have recovered remarkably well given the circumstances. However, many of the "behind the scenes" operations are still in the works. Timing is everything and I set a goal at the start of the school year to send a newsletter on or very close to the 20th of each month. Apparently, the people responsible for the virus did not take into account my plan! Thanks for the patience and I hope you will find this was worth the wait.
One of the unintended consequences of the computer virus hitting our district was that it created an opportunity for our teachers and students to take a step back and simplify things a bit. As I walked through classrooms the day the virus was discovered, I was so impressed with the work of our teachers and students. It would have been very easy to play the victim card that day and simply cross our arms and feel sorry for ourselves. There was no time to plan for this and we were in full-blown crisis mode. While that is true, I am incredibly proud of the adaptability, resourcefulness, and flexibility displayed not only by the teachers but our students as well. Learning was taking place in every single classroom.
Further, this served as a valuable reminder that technology is and always will be a resource. Yes, we depend on technology to make life easier and more efficient. In many ways, we would all be a little (or a lot) lost without it. With that said, I refuse to believe that technology is the lone solution to any of the issues we face in educating our students. Simply put, there is nothing more valuable than an expert teacher in the classroom when it comes to having a positive impact on a student's achievement.
We are grateful for our access to technology and how quickly it was restored. We are equally grateful for the reminder of the importance each teacher holds each day.
Hickman's Happenings
Character Education in the HS
Our character word of the month for November was Trustworthy. A trustworthy Clever Bluejay tells the truth and is sincere - They say what they mean and mean what they say. These students keep their word and are reliable and dependable and also keep private information private and doesn’t spread rumors about others. Thank you to our teachers who are on the lookout for these positive character traits displayed by our students. We have reached 70 positive referrals for the year! Keep up the positivity and kindness Bluejays!
Our character word of the month for December is Perseverance. A Clever Bluejay that perseveres works hard and refuses to give up. They take responsibility for their own academic progress and think positively and believe they can achieve anything they set their mind to. They also show initiative in finding solutions for academic and learning problems.
A+ News:
Juniors: If you have not completed your A+ tutoring yet, there is still time to enroll in the A+ tutoring class for second semester. The A+ tutoring class is ½ unit elective credit that allows you to complete the 50 hours of unpaid tutoring that you need to be A+ eligible. Please see Mrs. Waisner to get that added to your schedule. If you cannot tutor in Spring 2020, you will need to take the A+ tutoring class in Summer 2020 or Fall 2020.
All A+ Students: A+ Status Reports will be put together at the end of the semester and emailed out to students in January. If a student is out of compliance, a report will be mailed home in January.
Seniors: Just a reminder to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). This is one of the requirements to be eligible for the A+ scholarship. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Hickman or Mrs. Waisner.
Students and parents should first set up a FSA ID: https://fsaid.ed.gov
File the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. This is a free website - beware of other sites which may charge a fee!!
Counselor's Corner
Schedule changes need to be finalized by January 8th, make sure to email me (waisnerr@cleverbluejays.org) or come to my office to make those requests.
Seniors, start looking out for scholarships on the counseling canvas page. Make sure you have applied to your school, or schools, of choice. Look for scholarships at your school of choice as well. Fill out your FAFSA, check your email often, and make sure to finish your senior year strong!
ACT Celebration
The ACT composite results are in, and we are celebrating! Last year the school district made a special effort to encourage student ACT readiness by providing four ACT prep sessions for our high school students. Reimbursement was given to any student who attended those sessions and scored above the state average. That incentive, along with the hard work of our students, resulted in scores we are proud to share!
Our students’ averages on the ACT increased significantly across the board. English scores improved by 13.3%, mathematics improved by 9.39%, reading was up 13.8%, and science showed an increase of 11.64%. When compared with the overall scores across the state, Clever students showed an increase of 12.97% compared to 4.0% statewide! Clever High School students had a composite score of 20.9 while the average composite score for the state was 20.8
Below are two charts showing the amount of financial aid available for students at the University of Missouri (top) and Missouri State University (bottom) based all or partly on ACT score The difference in a few points can easily amount to THOUSANDS of dollars over the course of a four-year degree program.
High School Parent 101 - Tips and Tricks
1. The student must be academically eligible at the time of the event.
2. The student must have no discipline referrals deemed as severe - anything resulting in more than three consecutive days of ISS or any amount of OSS will be considered severe - and must not have developed a pattern of chronic misbehavior as determined by the building administration.
3. The student must maintain a 90% or greater attendance rate.
Keep in mind that our goal is to always have as many students involved in extracurricular/enrichment activities as possible. Further, the school understands that extenuating circumstances may occur which impact a student's grades and/or attendance. Our hope is that through open communication we can work in the best interest of the student. To accomplish this, we need to know when such instances arise as quickly as possible. If you ever have questions or concerns in regards to this topic, do not hesitate to reach out to building administration!
Apollo 11 Showcase
Attendance Matters
Here at CHS, we want to help our students feel appreciated. One way we can do this is to recognize strong attendance and acting The Bluejay Way.
Another recent attendance incentive concluded and 80 students attended a trip to Zenith Climbing Center on November 26th. For this, students had to maintain a 95% attendance rate, stay academically eligible, and have no disciplinary infractions between September 3rd and October 31st.
Prom Guidelines
Clubs and Organizations
Future Teachers of America - Mrs. Neely
Fellowship of Christian Athletes - Coach Jones
Science History Club - Mr. Burry
Clever Student Alliance - Mrs. Money
Art Club - Mr. Schmidt
Future Business Leaders of America - Mrs. Lumpkin
National Honor Society - Ms. Lathem
Future Farmers of America - Ms. Miller
Student Council - Mrs. Grant and Mrs. Waisner
Yearbook - Mr. Boyles
Speech and Debate - Mrs. Scheibe and Mrs. Money
Academic Team - Mr. Walker and Mr. McGarry
Spirit Squad - Mrs. Neely
Theatre - Mrs. Scheibe
Math Club - Ms. Strickland
Upcoming Events
17th - Winter Choir Concert (7:00 pm)
18th - Blood Drive (8:00 am - 1:00 pm) at CHS
20th - Last Day of 1st Semester
23rd - Begin Christmas Vacation
January
6th - Start of 2nd Semester
8th - Sophomore Class Ring Order Day
20th - No School (MLK Day)
Alumni Spotlight
Class of: 2003
Hobbies & Interests: Hunting & Fishing
Family: Chelsey (wife), Parker (son), Ellie(daughter) I am related to most people from Clever with the last name Gilmore.
Current Job: Gainesville High School Principal. Recently selected as the Superintendent of the Gainesville School District beginning in the 2020-2021 school year.
College after CHS: Bachelor's Business Administration(College of the Ozarks), Master's of Education Secondary Teaching (Evangel University) Specialist in Education Educational Leadership (Arkansas State University)
Extracurricular Activities: Baseball, Basketball, FBLA
Favorite Class: Mrs. Henson Biology
Advice: Even if you think you are good enough, always give your best effort because there is always room for growth.
Clever High School
Email: caseyj@cleverbluejays.org
Website: www.cleverbluejays.org
Location: 6800 W. Veterans Bld., Clever, MO 65631
Phone: (417) 743-4830
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Community/Clever-High-School-107961380555502/
Twitter: @CleverJays