Ms. Simmons' Secondary Scoop

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There's something about being back to school that fills me with excitement each year. Onboarding new staff, meeting new students, and filling backpacks with new school supplies are all sure signs we have arrived. Seeing the hallways full of staff and students, hearing the ring of the bell, and welcoming back our students are a few things I look forward to each August. Special thanks to our parents, guardians, and staff as we kick off the 23-24 school year.

Our district goal continues to center on student growth - the constant pursuit of gaining knowledge and skills and seeing it in measurable results. IXL will once again be utilized to monitor student progress and track student growth. IXL is a personalized learning platform tied to SD standards for English, math, & JH science.

Five times throughout this school year, students will be completing diagnostic testing (also called snapshots) to evaluate the progression of learning and inform instruction. The first round of diagnostic testing will be finished by Wed, 8/30. I encourage you to have your student(s) show you their scores and explain what it means. Teachers are actively reminding students that this first round of scores will likely be the lowest of the year, but not to get discouraged because improvement will be made throughout the year.

Students and staff will use these diagnostic scores to set growth goals throughout the year. Teachers will collaborate with students by engaging in one-on-one conferencing during class. It is my hope that these 60-90 second conversations will help students grow in their skills of setting, pursuing, and tracking academic goals.

It's a common question parents/guardians ask their student(s), and access to online lesson plans provides meaningful conversation concerning homework and what students are learning. Online lesson plans also open lines of communication when students miss school. Students can first check online to see the plan for each of their classes, and follow up with the teacher(s) to complete what was missed. I hope this continues to be a valuable resource for our families.

We are less than a month away from homecoming week! The student council and staff will have a busy couple of weeks with the planning process and will provide regular updates as details are finalized.

A couple items to note:

• Coronation is Mon, 9/11 at 6:30 PM
• The homecoming dance will be Sat, 9/16 from 7-10 PM in the lunchroom

We are looking forward to a wonderful school year and know homecoming week will be a highlight for our entire Herd community.

In an effort to cut down on injuries and other safety concerns, horseplay has been added to the discipline matrix at the secondary level as approved by the school board. Horseplay is defined in the student handbook as rough, rowdy, or boisterous play or pranks, such as pushing, shoving, putting someone in a headlock, jabs, pulling a chair out from someone, dunking, or other actions typically described as “just joking” or “messing around.” Consequences for horseplay will first be a verbal warning, then after school detention if it happens again, and then ISS if there is a third offense. As always, the secondary student handbook is linked at the bottom of this newsletter and available to view on our school website.

Secondary students are allowed 10 excused absences per semester. If your student needs to miss school for an appointment, please call the school or email Karla or Mirista in advance. All students will check out through the front office. Please remember, an absence due to a medical or dental appointment is excused, but it still counts towards students' total absences per semester. Please strive to make planned appointments on days off, Wednesday afternoons, or schedule the earliest or latest available appointments. Missing two days of school a month results in over 3.5 weeks missed during the school year. I sincerely appreciate your help in keeping our students in school as much as possible.

While junior high and high school students are striving towards independence, there are three important ways to stay connected to your student’s education:

1. Please make sure all current contact information (cell phone, mailing address, & email address) is provided to the school. All three of these communication outlets are used regularly throughout the school year.

2. Please login to the Parent Portal at a minimum of once per week to check your student’s grades and attendance. If you do not have an account, please contact Mrs. Mirista Bushman or Mrs. Bonnie Yackley by calling the school or emailing mirista.bushman@k12.sd.us / bonnie.yackley@k12.sd.us.

3. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and download our free app, “Elkton School District, SD” to stay up-to-date with school events and activities.

Website: https://www.elkton.k12.sd.us/
Phone: (605) 542-2541
Facebook: facebook.com/ElktonSchool53
Twitter: @ElktonSchool

A few back-to-school reminders as we head into our new year:

• Link to the JH/HS student handbook

• Link to online lesson plans

• Link to all school activities

As always, please let me know if there's anything I can do to serve you and our secondary students.

Sincerely in Education,