Family Newsletter

This new year has certainly been a frigid one so far! I want to give a HUGE thank you to the CVSD maintenance, custodial, transportation, and food service folks for all of their hard work to make sure buildings were open and running, busses made it on time, and food was served! It has not been easy. Also, thank you families for your understanding, patience, and flexibility as we all navigated this cold weather. We always make decisions based on what we think is best for our students, their families, and our wonderful staff. Here's hoping for some relief from this polar vortex! Spring is coming!

As usual there is a lot going on at NOHS. Winter sports are wrapping up and the beginning of spring sports is just around the corner. Our various school clubs are active in both school and the community. The musical cast is working hard to prepare what we all know will be an outstanding performance of Les Miserable. Music ensembles have performed at festivals and continue to prepare for spring events. And of course, the second semester began which gave students a chance to start fresh with new courses and new teachers. It is an awesome time to be a Colonial!

Stay warm everyone!

Dr. Nancy Herb

Principal

Can you believe it…we are halfway through the school year! NOHS would like to take this opportunity to thank families for their diligence and support of attendance for their students so far this year. Attendance is not only mandatory according to Board Policy 204, but it is a major indicator for student success, academically and socially. Good attendance matters!

By way of reminders, here are a few things we wanted to continue to share with you as we all help manage NOHS student attendance for the remainder of the school year.

• When your student misses school, please provide an excuse for that absence within 5 days after the last missed day.

• If your student misses 3 consecutive days, they will be required to submit a doctor's note for those days.

• For pre-arranged absence requests, attendance percentage and academic performance matter! As per policy and our form, students must maintain at least a 90% attendance rate and be in good academic standing with passing grades for the absence to be approved.

• Prearranged absence requests must be made 2 days prior to being out of school. The request will be denied, or if your student still misses school, those days will be recorded as unlawful. Please make every effort to submit pre-arranged absences within 2 days prior to leaving to ensure approval by building administration.

• If you request an early dismissal for your student for a medical/dental appointment, you will be required to provide a note from your healthcare provider the next time your student returns to school, for the time missed during the appointment, to avoid recording the absence as unlawful.

• Please note that email messages regarding absences are not considered acceptable means for excusing a student’s absence.

• We recommend submitting excuses through Sapphire by going to: Student Data Form → On Demand Forms → Absence Excusal Form 9-12. Doctor’s notes may also be uploaded in this section.

• You may also complete a paper Absence Excuse form or send a written note directly to the office. Please be sure to include your child’s name and date(s) absent on the note.

• We strongly encourage you to check Sapphire to confirm that your child submitted the note to the office.

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We understand that students may get sick several times during the school year, and that one illness—or a needed surgery—may result in several days away from school at once. First and foremost, we are looking for communication, and for absences to be “excused”.

Attendance Letters…Why am I getting this?

It can be alarming to receive an attendance letter in the mail from NOHS for your student. We are required to send letters when your student's attendance record reaches key thresholds to document and inform you, and help manage the student’s attendance during the school year.

In most cases, letters are simply a reminder or “courtesy” letter letting families know their student has reached a certain number of absences and no further action is needed beyond closer monitoring of their student’s attendance. However, after a certain number of absences have been reached during a school year, further action by the school or outside agencies may be necessary to support and manage student attendance.

Here is a quick “cheat sheet” on attendance letters and a brief explanation for each one.

Pre-Fine Warning Letter - received when a student reaches 3 unlawful absences (no excuse notes were provided for those absences within 5 days after the last day of school they missed). This letter is not a penalty - only a courtesy.

6 Day AIP Letter - student has accumulated 6 unlawful absences, indicating that, by school policy, an Attendance Improvement Plan (AIP) meeting will be scheduled to help understand why students are missing school and what we can do together to support better attendance. This letter is not a penalty - only a courtesy. Families will be notified directly by NOHS of date/time.

Fine Warning 7 Unlawful - a courtesy letter alerting families that their student has reached a key threshold of 7 unlawful absences and identified as “truant”, as per policy, Children and Youth Services may be asked to get involved in helping manage attendance with the school and family.

Doctor Warning Letter - received when a student reaches a combined total of 10 absences (excused and/or unlawful). This is a warning letter to inform families that student attendance is approaching the point where any further absences will require a doctor’s note to be excused. This letter is not a penalty but a reminder to families that the need for medical notes is coming.

Doctor Note Required Letter - Student attendance has reached a total combined 15 absences (excused and/or unlawful), and any further absences will require a doctor’s note to be excused.

Fine Letter #1 - Issued when student attendance reaches 10 total unlawful absences, and your student's attendance record will be shared with Children and Youth Services. The 10 absences are all unlawful, therefore, the student or the student's family may be fined as a result.

Act 47

There has been a recent change in the law related to student attendance. Act 47 of 2025 amended the School Code to prohibit a student who is habitually truant from transferring during the school year to a cyber charter school, unless a judge determines that the transfer is in the best interests of the student. The term “habitually truant” is defined as six (6) or more unexcused absences. A student becomes truant after three (3) or more unexcused absences. This new law was effective on December 12.

The District is implementing the new procedures and will notify individual families as needed. Regular attendance is an important factor in the educational success of your child. Please refer to Board Policy 204, Attendance, for additional information.

This is a reminder of the eligibility requirements for participation in school-sponsored activities and privileges, which were reviewed during the beginning-of-the-year class meetings, and emailed to students in January. These requirements are also outlined on page 72 of the Student-Parent Handbook.

School-Sponsored Activities and Privileges

The opportunity to maintain privileges and participate in school-sponsored activities is influenced by a student’s attendance, academic performance, and discipline record. Academic success is a core component of school engagement and preparation for future opportunities. Poor academic standing may reflect a lack of effort, missed instructional time, or behavioral concerns that need to be addressed. Irregular or poor attendance, misconduct, and low academic performance are inconsistent with the employability traits expected in the workforce and hinder overall student success. To promote consistent attendance, punctuality, academic responsibility, and respectful behavior, the following guidelines may be used to determine eligibility for school privileges and participation in extracurricular or co-curricular activities.

Requirements to be in good standing:

• Less than 10 unlawful/unexcused absences

• No Out-of School Suspensions

• 5 Days or fewer of In-School Suspension

• No Saturday School obligations

• No more than 1 failing grade

PSAT Administration – March 25, 2026

New Oxford High School will administer the PSAT on March 25, 2026, during regular school hours from 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The exam is available to all interested 10th-grade students.

Students will report to school at their normal arrival time and will resume their regular class schedule upon completion of the test.

A Google sign-up form will be distributed to students via email. Please complete the form by March 4th. The cost to take the PSAT is $15.00 per student. Payment is due no later than March 18, 2026. Students must submit payment by this date in order to participate in the exam.

SCHOLARSHIPS

• Don’t forget to check our scholarship bulletin for new local scholarship opportunities. Please check weekly!!

FAFSA/PHEAA

• FAFSA application: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

• Opportunities to receive information on FAFSA and PHEAA.

We are excited to launch a new software platform, JobReady 360. This will provide the CCTC programs with a streamlined, student-centered platform to support 11th and 12th grade learners in Applied Technology, Agriculture, Business, and Family and Consumer Sciences. The software helps students clearly define and complete the Pennsylvania State Career Objective Form while connecting their coursework to postsecondary goals, industry expectations, and career pathways. For instructors and administrators, JobReady 360 offers consistent tools to monitor progress, document student growth, and ensure academic accountability across student cohorts. By centralizing career planning and progress tracking, we will strengthen career readiness, improve alignment with CCTC program outcomes, and support data-informed decision-making for students and staff.

The Pennsylvania State Career Objective Form is a required component of Career and Technical Education programs and is completed by students to formally identify their intended career goal. It is typically completed during 11th grade and updated as needed. We will complete the form digitally this year using JobReady 360.

UPMC is hosting a Healthcare Career Night this Spring at UPMC Memorial Hospital on Tuesday, March 10th, from 6 PM- 8 PM. This event is designed for high school students and their parents/guardians to visit UPMC and speak with healthcare professionals about their day-to-day activities through hands-on displays.

Students can sign up for the event using the QR code or type in the link on the flyer.