USC January Newsletter

January has arrived and many are working at keeping their new year resolutions. We often see the new year as a time of hope and new beginnings. It is certainly an easy time to reflect on how we want our lives to transform in the upcoming year.

January is also a time for reinvesting in our goals for the school year. Our students are working hard as we approach the end of quarter 2, marking the end of the first half of the school year. They are learning in their classes, working together to gain information from one another, and finding joy each day in their lives. The students are working to fulfill graduation credit requirements while learning in other classes that fit their interests. They invest time in activities, sports, and work. They manage busy schedules and homework all while being the best learners they can be.

As we approach the second half of the school year, students continue to work on Social Emotional Learning at USC. We are using the Be Good People curriculum to help students learn to be more self regulated, solve relationship problems, and to learn ways to manage themselves in stressful situations. Students engage in these lessons with their teachers and contribute to discussions to help each other learn and grow while talking about self-regulation, goal setting, and stress management.

One other goal that USC continues to emphasize is to improve reading comprehension in all our grade levels. Reading is the gateway to success in all classes for our students. Reading efficiently opens career pathways for our students as they leave USC and become self-sufficient adult members of our community. As our students learn to become efficient, reflective readers, they find more success in all their classes. Our students in grades 7 and 8 engage in a curriculum called Power Up three times per week to improve their reading skills. Additionally, all of our students in grades 7-12 have a daily English class where they continue to learn strategies to become better readers.

USC students are also encouraged to weekly set academic goals for themselves and to monitor their grades. Students fill out grade check sheets each Friday, which facilitates these goals. Students are learning to be responsible for the goals they set and work daily to make those goals a success.

As parents, encourage your child to talk about the goals they are setting each week. Knowing that they have your support will help them achieve their goals. You are an important part of your child's success in all they do. Thank you for being supportive and an encourager of your child's growth at USC.

Enjoy the rest of your month as you look for joy in each day.

Jen Bye

High School Principal

jbye@unitedsouthcentral.org

The USC Mock Trial students achieved a victory in the first round of competition on January 10th against Albert Lea High School at the Freeborn County Courthouse. The trial ended with USC prevailing with a score of 213 to 193. In Mock Trial, students review a case, prepare questions and answers for their witnesses, practice delivery of the story of the trial, and write opening statements and closing arguments for their court case. Lawyers learn to make objections and answer objections as they navigate the court case. Last week the USC Mock Trial Team competed as the defense team in the trial. Next week, students will compete as the prosecution team on the same case. Mock Trial helps students develop skills in public speaking, reasoning, and decision making. This year's team has worked efficiently together to build a strong case.

Students in grades 9-12 will take semester final exams and complete final projects for classes on January 18th and 19th. All students in grades 7-12 will follow the Final Exam Schedule on January 18th and 19th as seen below.

Congratulations to Kiera Schultz, the January Renaissance Student of the Month. Kiera will enjoy a reserved parking spot and first in the lunch line privileges for the month of January. Her dedication to her studies, hard work, and commitment to helping others is a positive example for our students. USC is proud to celebrate Kiera!

State Representative Peggy Bennett participated in the Principal for a Day visit at USC on January 9th, spending the day with Mrs. Bye and Mrs.Taylor. Representative Bennett has a special connection to USC since she taught one year for the district as a third grade teacher in 1983. She continued her teaching career in Albert Lea, serving their district for 32 more years. She shared that she is passionate about education and serves on education committees at the state capitol during legislative sessions.

Rep. Bennett shared that she enjoyed her day at USC and was very impressed with USC staff and our students. She stated that she learned so much about our building and what we do each day to help students grow and learn. Thank you to Mr. Scruggs, Mrs. Feist, and Mr. Huiras for allowing her to visit their high school classrooms to see learning in action. She also was able to visit several elementary classrooms and attend the elementary Student Assistance Team meeting during her visit. She stated that it was very enjoyable to interact with the students and see how students learn in classes at USC. One of her favorite parts of the day was visiting with USC high school students in a round table discussions where she gathered a plethora of knowledge about our students' views on education. Later that afternoon, she had the chance to visit with members of the school board and the USC education association. Thank you to the High School and Elementary principal's associations for sponsoring the Principal for a Day event. It was a memorable day for everyone involved.

Mrs. Feist's baking class often tries new recipes while learning skills in the Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) kitchen. Students recently learned to make pavlova, an egg white based dessert which is a sweet meringue topped with whipped cream and fruit. Students used a pastry bag to form the pavlova base, made a homemade whipped topping, and used fruit to create this eye-pleasing dessert.

Mrs. Christianson's students demonstrate their drawing skills on the interactive electronic board in her classroom in an afternoon learning session. Technology has been an important part of how students learn and interact with new content in the classroom. All USC students have access to their own Chromebook during the student day and often interact with different technologies and digital programs as they learn new content. This is just one example of opportunities that USC provides to prepare students for real world situations with the technology they will use in careers as adults.

The USC Junior class held their 60 minute pizza fundraiser on Wednesday, January 10th. Students competed as teams to sell pizza in various categories for prizes as they raised money for prom which will be held on May 4th. This is the only fundraiser that the junior class holds to raise money for prom. The students had a successful fundraising hour filled with friendly competition amongst fundraising teams.

Thank you to the USC student fan section for their support at events for our USC Rebels. Our students are often complimented on positive behavior by the referees. Keep up the good work Rebels!

All Seniors who plan on attending any type of schooling after graduation should apply for the FAFSA. Each student, along with a parent/guardian will need a FSA ID to sign in and electronically sign. This will take 3-5 business days to verify, so please complete this as soon as possible.

FSA ID: https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch

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

Senior Scholarships Many local scholarships will become available in February and March. Any opportunities that come through the counseling office will be emailed to Seniors, as well as updated on the counseling website. Seniors should be checking their email at least every day for information from teachers, as well as any announcements from the counseling office. Counseling Website

Our Little Rebels from the elementary enjoyed a holiday party with their Big Rebel mentor before the break. They had a snack, arts & crafts and gym time!

February 2: Grades 8-11 Registration Forms due

February 12: ASVAB (11th grade)

February 23: 9th grade Career Navigator Field trip to South Central College

April 3: 10th grade Career Expo Field Trip in Mankato

April 9: 10th grade Pre-ACT test, 11th grade ACT test, 12th grade Work Keys assessment