Upcoming Events

Just a quick update on a few events that will take place during the next week.

Tonight (Thursday): Softball scrimmage, 6:00 @ the Softball Field

Tomorrow (8/17):  Booster Club BBQ, 5:00 @ Parking lot West of Football Stadium
                    Football Sport Drink Scrimmage, 6:00 @ Football Field (bring sports drinks to enter)

Tuesday (8/21): High School Open House, 6:00 - 7:30  (Bring your student and come tour the school and visit with teachers, refreshments will be available.)  Yearbooks will be available to be picked up for the first time during the Open House!

Friday (8/24): Home Football versus Alliance, 7:00     School dance will follow sponsored by the Europe Travel Club.

Meeting Tuesday Open to Community!

Community meeting Tuesday featuring an overview of Sparks (how to have meaningful conversations with young people to "spark" their interest).  

The meeting is open to everyone that works with young people including parents, grandparents, 4-H leaders, church youth leaders, boy & girl scouts, etc.  

It will be at 7 PM Tuesday night, August 14, in the High School Auditorium.

(Some notes from staff in-service)
Spark - that quality, skill, talent, or commitment that gives you joy, energy, and purposes. It is the internal anchor for our identity. It is our very essence, the thing about us that is “good, beautiful, and useful to the world.”

The seven essential questions:

1. What is your spark?
2. When and where do you live your spark?
3. Who knows your spark?
4. Who helps feed your spark?
5. What gets in your way?
6. How can I help?
7. How will you use your spark to make our world better?

Research - Teens generally named three types of sparks:

• something they are good at - a talent or a skill
• something they care deeply about - environment or serving their community
• a quality they know is special - caring for others or being a friend

When youth know their spark and have adult support, they are more likely to:

• have a sense of purpose
• be socially competent and physically healthy
• volunteer to help others
• have higher grades and better attendance

...are less likely to:

• experience depression
• engage in acts of violence towards others

31% of teenagers understand the concept but don’t think they have a spark.

CHS Receives $20,000 Grant!!!

We have received official notice that Chadron High School was selected as a 2012 College Access Grant recipient sponsored by the EucationQuest Foundation. Carolyn Hinrichs, our CHS Student Liaison, wrote and submitted this grant last spring in hopes of increasing our high school's college-going rate. We will be awarded $20,000 to be used during the next four years.

On behalf of our school district, I want to thank Mrs. Hinrichs for the training and hard work that she put in to this award for our school!

The following is a summary written by Mrs. Hinrichs outlining the primary uses for this grant:

From Mrs. Hinrichs:

The grant is called the EducationQuest College Access Grant and provides funding to Nebraska high schools that seek to increase their college-going rate.  High schools are funded for four years with a goal to increase their college-going rate by 10 percentage points.  We received a $20,000 award ($5,000 for each of the next four years).  They are awarded every two years through a competitive application process and we got one!

Certain activities are required:

• ·       Visit a college campus
• ·       Attend a College Fair or Educational Planning Program
• ·       Take the ACT, SAT or equivalent
• ·       Attend a financial aid presentation
• ·       Complete the FAFSA
• ·       Find and apply for scholarships
• ·       Apply to at least one college
• ·       Encourage family involvement
• ·       Develop community partnerships
• ·       Provide info about Advanced Placement and/or dual enrollment

We had to pick a “target” audience……I chose our Free/Reduced kids because I feel like they probably need the most support to get to college.  We can include other students as room/funding permits.

Some of the things I have planned:

1.         Take all sophomores up to CSC.  We will have brunch or breakfast, tour the dorms and have a faculty member discuss the benefits of continuing education.
2.        Develop community partnerships.  I’d like to start a formalized speaker series where students can eat lunch while listening to a community member.
3.        Continue field trips.  For example, we already take a trip to WNCC in Scottsbluff to visit their campus.  On the way down, we stop at Alliance to visit the Powerline Program.  If we have interest, I’d like to add a trip to Sidney for kids who are interested in Airframe Maintenance and Cosmetology.
4.       Continue our safety net, using Western Community Health Resources for students with additional challenges.
5.       Many of the things that are required are already in place – thank goodness!!!!

Parent Portal

All K-12 parents are encouraged to register for the Campus Portal to have access to Infinite Campus.

To register, stop at the office of the school where at least one of your children attend or, simply stop at the high school office where the district registrar, Tricia Berry, can provide you with the necessary form. Parents must bring a photo I.D. to register!

The Campus Portal (login located on our school website) provides parents with access to the following student and family information:

Home Screen:

• Messages - Receive district and school messages
• Calendar - View attendance and assignment due dates for each student in family
• Food Service - View account balances and recent transactions
• Account Management - Change password
• Contact Preferences - Change email

Select a Student Screen:

• Calendar - View attendance and assignment due dates for one student
• Schedule - View schedule and teacher contact info as well as assignment details and grades
• Attendance - View detailed attendance notes
• Behavior - View any behavior referral
• Reports - Print schedule or missing assignment list

Graduation Changed to Saturday, May 11th @ 10am

After surveying senior parents this summer, the results show great support to move graduation to Saturday, May 11th @ 10:00am.

Recommendation was made by a parent group last spring to see if we would consider moving graduation which has typically been held on the Sunday of Mother's Day. Parents suggested that moving the ceremony up one day would benefit those that travel by allowing them to spend more time after the ceremony celebrating with family and friends. Other benefits of the change would be gaining a day of rest before returning to work or school, especially to have the opportunity to show appreciation and celebrate Mother's Day.

Thank you to all who responded to the survey!

Survey results:   
     "Opinion to change graduation from Sunday (May 12th) to Saturday (May 11th)"
          67% - For
          7%  - Against
          26% - No Preference

      "In order to not conflict with other area graduations at 2pm, would you prefer...."
          61% - Change to 10:00am
          8%  - Leave at 2:00pm
          23% - Change to 4:00pm
          8%  - No Preference
   

School Website ... Temporarily Down!

Our district has created a new website under the direction of our Technology Department. The template has been submitted and the new design will be available during the first week of school. Access to the school calendar and a few other links are still available.

Thank you for your patience!