Ms. Simmons' Secondary Scoop

Second semester is in full swing! This means attendance, tardies, and horseplay warnings all reset. Here are some reminders from the student handbook:

• 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.
• When students reach 5 tardies, they will serve one hour of after school detention. Students need to arrive to their classes on time with their materials as this is an important life skill. Tardies were very lax first semester due to the restroom construction.
• Students will receive one warning for horseplay, and if a second incident happens, one hour of after school detention will be assigned. Students have done a much better job this year of minding others' personal space and not engaging in actions that cause avoidable injuries.

The annual FAFSA fill out night for seniors and parents/guardians is Mon, 1/22 at 6:30 PM in the school computer lab. Mrs. Yackley will be available to help with general questions and guidance as students and parents fill out the FAFSA.

Interim Assessments (IAs) were administered last week. On Wed, grades 3-11 staff members of testing subjects met to finish scoring the IAs with state-provided rubrics. Over the next week, we will answer the question, “What now?” and look at what standards students performed proficient, and identify areas needing further review prior to spring SBAC tests. We have until the end of February / first part of March to utilize the IAs as the IAs close just prior to the SBAC testing window opening.

SDSU graduate student, Ms. MaKayla Griffin, has officially started with us this semester. Ms. Griffin is finishing her Master's degree in school administration and joining us in Elkton for her 7-12 principal internship. Ms. Griffin will be with us about 13 hours per week, primarily on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Welcome to the Herd, Ms. Griffin!

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.

As fall activities are now underway, please take a moment to read through our expectations for spectators at Elkton events. By adhering to these expectations, students and fans can contribute to a supportive and spirited environment that enhances the overall enjoyment of the game. Go Elks!

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.

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,