HF FYI

Help us interview our next Superintendent! Nominate yourself or someone you know to serve on a community interview panel for the next HF Community High School Superintendent. Learn more and sign up here. Or click here to submit an interview question.

HF Superintendent Dr. Scott Wakeley announced his retirement during a faculty meeting this past school year. Effective at the end of the 2024-25 school year, Dr. Wakeley will conclude his education career that spans 34 years, including 20 years as a superintendent, with four of those leading Homewood-Flossmoor High School District 233.

VIP is our official school pictures and sports team photographer! Picture Day is back tomorrow, Friday, August 23. All photos will be posted online for you to view and order. After picture day, look for an email sent to you by “Visual Image Photography” or go to vipis.com. (A student ID number may be required.) All photos will be posted online shortly after picture days. All orders are delivered directly home.

Visit vipis.com to:

• Check photo dates

• Sign up for alerts when photos are ready to view online

• Order from multiple images, select from a variety of print packages and products

Questions? Contact VIP customer service at vipis.com or email support@vipis.com.

Show your Viking school spirit and get the chance to win some awesome prizes! Last year, the Red & White Spirit Days initiative was introduced to increase engagement and school spirit among both students and staff!

Here's how you can win:

• Must be wearing red and white gear if and when your name is called
• Minimal red and white will not count (i.e shoes, headband etc.)
• Students/ Staff can only WIN once. However, if your name is called and you are not able to collect your prize, you will be able to win again.

The names of students and staff will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win, weekly. Winners will be announced by Dr. Alexander during the Friday morning announcements. Prizes should be picked up from the Principal's office no later than the following school day. Go Vikings!

HF's Homecoming Dance is happening Saturday, September 21 at 7:30 p.m. Now is the chance to submit your nominations for Homecoming Court! The form is open now through Wednesday, August 28.

Here's how it works: Top nominations will make it to the HoCo Court. Nominees will be notified via email on Thursday, August 29! All students wishing to accept their nomination and run for Royalty must attend the mandatory Homecoming Court Meeting on Wednesday, September 4 at 3:30 P.M. in Room E25 (South Building). Learn more about voting for the official court when you complete the form. Please email or see Mrs. Clark with questions cclark@hf233.org.

Student Government is hard at work to prep and plan a fun year for the student body. They held their interest meeting this week and turnout was amazing! Thanks to the +140 of you that stopped by to make this year the best one yet.

Seniors and Senior Families: Join your Post-Secondary Counselors Mr. Coy and Mr. Kain Wednesday, August 28 at 6:30 p.m. for Virtual College Planning Night! Learn what to expect from the planning experience and things you can be doing now to become best prepared. This presentation will be held on Zoom--you can use the link here. Hope to see you there!

Juniors, this year's exam is scheduled for Wednesday, October 9. Also known as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, this exam provides an opportunity for high-scoring students to move on to the next round of the competition for national recognition.

The test will be digital and administered on Chromebooks. More information will be provided to registered students the week of September 23. Participation in the PSAT/NMSQT is optional, and there is no penalty for Juniors who choose not to take the exam. However, all Juniors will take the ACT during school this spring and receive a college-reportable score. To support their success, students will receive ACT preparation as part of their in-class instruction, and additional test prep courses will be offered after school hours later this school year.

To sign up for the PSAT:

1. Log into your HF student Gmail account.

2. Then, follow this link.

3. Complete the survey and click the Submit button by September 1, 2024.

Please contact cbucci@hf233.org if you have any questions.

We hope to see you in two weeks for Back to School Night! This is your chance to be formally welcomed to the new school year and walk in your student's shoes from class to class and meet their teachers. Mark your calendars for Thursday, September 5 at 6:30 p.m. Please enter Door 12 as we will start in the South Gym.

Are you an alumni of the HF Band? You're invited to take a trip down memory lane on Friday, September 20--during HF's Homecoming Game (versus Neuqua Valley). Be sure to register today. Once a Viking, Always a Viking!

We're happy to share that three of our Vikings, who were recognized by the DePaul Blue Book for Best American High School Writing! The DePaul Blue Book is an annual anthology featuring the best writing from high school students from across the country. Learn more here.

Congrats to:

Comfort Nmaemeka, '25

Mila Ponce, '25

Alaya Carnes, '26

We're excited to share that Engineering Teacher Mrs. Tiffany White is serving as a Women in Construction Ambassador for the Chicago Build Expo! The Chicago Build Expo is the leading construction and design show for the Midwest, happening October 22-23 at McCormick Place. Learn more here.

All parking permits have been sold out. The Ice Arena does sell permits for their lot; please call the HF Parks department to inquire about their permits (708-957-0100). If you do purchase an Ice Arena permit, it is only for that lot. You must have an HF High School Parking Permit to park on our campus during the school year. Parking on HF's campus without the proper permit will result in being ticketed at a cost of $50 per ticket and eventually lead to being towed at the owner's expense.

HF and Quest Food Management Services has partnered with My MealTime, a fast, secure online service for making credit or debit card deposits and monitoring your student’s lunch account. Learn more about navigating My MealTime here.

This school year, HF is implementing a classroom phone policy in accordance with Board Policy 7:190. The enforcement of this policy helps reinforce our students’ focus on academics, mental health, relationships and creativity. Below you can find the protocols in place when students do not abide by the policy.

Classroom Enforcement

1st offense: Phone is confiscated by the teacher and placed in the lockbox. The student can receive the phone back at the end of the class. Teacher should communicate with the parent regarding the incident.

2nd offense: Teacher sends student to the Dean’s office on a referral. Dean will lock the phone in the Dean’s office for the remainder of the day. The student can retrieve their phone after school in the Dean’s office. Consequences are outlined in Dean’s Office Enforcement. Parents will be notified.

In either situation, if the student refuses to comply with the teacher’s directive, this will escalate the incident to insubordination on the part of the student and be handled accordingly.

Deans’ Office Enforcement-Dean’s Referral

• Dean confiscates the phone for the remainder of the day, the parent is notified, and the student receives a 1-hour detention.
• Dean confiscates the phone for the remainder of the day, the parent is notified, and the student receives a 3-hour detention.
• Dean confiscates the phone for the remainder of the day. 5-hour Saturday detention is issued.
• Dean confiscates the phone for the remainder of the day. Student/parent/dean meeting is required. 5-hour Saturday detention is issued.

Student will receive 3 demerits for each incident. This will apply cumulatively to all classes, not per individual class. Step count will reset at the end of each semester.

Our Little Vikings Preschool is getting ready for the 2024-25 school year. If you have a 3-5 year old and are interested in enrolling them, please contact Dr. Kimberly Peterz kim.peterz@hf233.org or littlevikings@hf233.org.

HF families and students are in control of how HF communicates with them. HF uses Parent Square | Student Square to communicate with families and students.

The Homewood-Flossmoor Parents Association (HFPA) is hosting a back to school cookout on Friday, August 23 at 4 p.m. during the HF Football scrimmage game. Join the HFPA for some grilling, dunk tanking, and FUNdraising. Volunteers are needed for:

Grill Masters/Volunteer Cooks

Dunk'd Volunteers

Ticketing-Dunk and Snack Sales

Join the Village of Homewood and School District 153 for the ultimate back-to-school festival on Saturday, August 24 from 3-6 p.m. at the Homewood Village Hall (2020 Chestnut Rd). The day will be filled with big trucks, a DJ spinning the best kid friendly music, interactive games for all-ages, a rock-climbing wall, bubbles, balloons, face painting, community resources, and more! Food trucks will be on-site to serve you the best festival fare! Questions? Email Marla Youngblood at events@homewoodil.gov.

24-25 Academic Calendar

24-25 Handbook

Athletics

Bell Schedule

Bus Information

HF Directory

Lunch Information

Parents' Site

Student Resources

Students' Site