High School News – July, 2012

Bored with summer routine? All that sun and fun getting you down? Well, a great solution is to start planning for SCHOOL! Registration is August 8 and 9. The first day of classes will be August 20.

We have had some changes in personnel for next year. John Calahan will be directing our vocal music program. We are already excited about his plans and enthusiasm. We will miss Kayla Schmitz as she continues her teaching career closer to her hometown.

Mr. Dana Holm retired last spring. We wish him the best in his well-deserved leisure. Mrs. Danielle Norman will be taking over the Math PD and Consumer Math classes as well as JH Social Studies. Mrs. Mindy Oswald will be teaching the upper level math classes.

Ms. Kayti Kralicek who was an invaluable associate last year, is returning as Mrs. Kayti Jeter and will be teaching HS reading.

We are fortunate to be able to increase the number of people working with our kids this fall! Mrs. Lauren (Flaherty) Harrison has agreed to work with our K-12 At-Risk Program. She will be helping us make sure that kids are getting to school and getting the education they need and deserve.

Mrs. Danielle Flores will be teaching JH Reading in the afternoons. We are sharing her with Creston so she will be working there in the mornings. Sharing teachers is a good way to get extra personnel to help kids while accessing state sharing funding.

Welcome to all these new faces! Be sure to introduce yourself when you see them at school functions. I know they will all be great additions to our school community.

There are not many changes to the JH/HS Handbook this year. We are continuously concerned with student attendance so attention has been given to language concerning notification to parents and attendance officers regarding absences. Students missing more than 5 classes for a particular subject will be required to make up the time at school before work will be accepted.

Cell phones may no longer be used during lunch time, but can be checked/used during homeroom which will immediately follow lunch this year.

Don’t forget to review the dress code policy before you back-to-school shop: 3” shoulders, mid-thigh hemlines, modest necklines and no torso skin!

Credit recovery is no longer available free of charge from the school. We believe the student has every opportunity to gain credit the traditional way by attending classes, asking for and receiving help from the teacher or other school personnel, and completing homework. If a student fails a class needed for graduation credit, he/she may repeat the class (as always) or pay to earn the credit through an online or correspondence course. The fees will vary depending on the delivery method. Students should plan for a charge of at least $200.

Students who are not proficient (according to their ITBS/ITED scores) and could not attend summer school will need to be sure to sign up for a skillbuilding class. We believe that our first priority as a school is to prepare our students for their future. Therefore, we want them to have all the skills necessary to be successful. If students are not proficient, they will be required to attend all core (English, Math, Science, History) classes. If an extracurricular event occurs during a student’s core class, the student will not be allowed to the event unless it is a result of a successful competition such as band or vocal auditions.

I think it will be a great year for School! I enjoy coming to school in the morning and interacting with our young people. I’m looking forward to watching them stretch, grow and mature into wonderful productive citizens. I am always available to talk with you about your student. Please call anytime (641-447-2517; cell 641-414-1065) to chat or schedule a visit. Email bbrown@murraycsd.org Bev Brown, 7-12 Principal