A welcome back message from HS Principal Chandler

Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians,

I hope that all of our students have enjoyed a restful and relaxing summer! I know for me it has been nice to be outside in the fresh air, and not spending as much time behind a computer screen. As I am sure you know, Gov. Hochul ordered the state Department of Health to issue a mask mandate for all individuals inside schools. However, I am excited to know that we can and will invite all of our students back to school, in person, everyday! We have been very busy here at the high school getting ready for the return of our students, so I have a bunch of updates to share with you. Stay well, enjoy what’s left of the summer, and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Best,

Mr. Chandler

Freshmen and New Student Orientation
Student ambassadors from our Media Arts and Live Production program have been hard at work creating a video introduction to the high school that is fun and kid-friendly. This video will be found on the school website early next week and will be shared directly with our incoming 9th grade students. In addition, any students wishing to become acclimated or reacclimated to the high school buildings are welcome to attend on 8/25 between the hours of 9-11AM and 1-3 PM. Student tour guides will be available, but you can also feel free to explore on your own.

Lockers
We will not be assigning lockers to high school students this year. However, any student wishing to have a locker can complete this form to request a locker within a preferred location. Our goal here is to make the lockers that are used more useful to students by allowing students to choose where the locker is located within the building. I would recommend that any student who thinks s/he will use a locker to complete the request form AFTER they have experienced their full schedule, which will help them to determine the most optimal location for a locker assignment.

Homeroom
There will only be homeroom on the first day of school. Outside of that, there are no homerooms this year. Our school day begins at 7:35 with Period 1 (Block 1/2). Attendance will be taken each class period/ block which we refer to as “Period Attendance.” “Daily Attendance” will be taken during Period 3 each day, and electronically makes a determination as to whether a student is Present or Absent for the day.

Task Force
For the last two years we have been happy to lead a “Task Force” that includes students, parents, and staff members for the purpose of identifying what events and activities we can and should run, and what those events will look like in light of any restrictions in place due to Covid-19. Parents who are a part of this group are expected to actively participate and may lead sub-committees and/or volunteer to complete associated tasks. If you are interested in being a part of this group, please contact me via email. If you are interested in just sharing your perspective and opinion, please do that via email as well, or feel free to give me a call anytime. I have been proud of the work of this group over the past two years. With the help of the Task Force we have been able to really celebrate the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021 with some new traditions that we may wish to continue.

Google
As a Grow with Google partner school, we are excited to offer Google training for parents and community members. Our Back to School training series will take place on 8/30-9/2 with a variety of training options for parents including in-person and remote strands. Click here for the schedule and registration links.

Communication Tools
Most of our building-wide communication at the high school is done electronically, using SchoolTool and School Messenger. Please make sure that you have access to the SchoolTool portal. Please also make sure that you are receiving email and text message communications through School Messenger. If you already receive my emails, you should be all set. If you are reading this on the website, and did not receive an email, you should probably look into it further. You can learn more about setting up your accounts for both of these services here (School Messenger) and here (SchoolTool).

What to Expect on the First Day
Our first day of classes will be on September 8, and the school day begins at 7:35. Our bell schedule for the first day ONLY, looks like this. Upon arrival, students will find their homeroom via the alphabetical lists posted in the various lobbies. In Homeroom, students will receive a class schedule, and their school-issued Chromebook.

Late Arrival/ Early Dismissal
Students in any grade who meet basic academic, attendance, and behavioral expectations, and whose schedules permit, may apply for late arrival or early dismissal privileges. Students interested can check in the Main Office. Privileges will not be granted until 9/13 at the earliest. Privileges require parental permission and may be revoked at any time at the discretion of school administration.

Important Dates*
Sept 8: First Day of Classes for all High School Students
Sept. 20 to 24: Spirit Week
Sept. 24: Homecoming Game
Oct 7: Open House
*all events/dates are subject to change