MHS Monthly Magazine

Mr. Nick Seibert, Principal

Mr. Morio Montgomery, Asst. Principal

Mr. Zachary Bilyeu, Asst. Principal

Mrs. Julie Hazzard, Asst. Principal

Mr. Scott Battas, Athletic/Activities Director

School Telephone: 618-566-8523

Office Hours: 7:00 am - 4:00 pm

Welcome to the start of another fantastic school year at Mascoutah High School! Seeing our halls filled with energy, optimism, and the bright smiles of our students this past week was incredible. Our students stepped up immediately showing kindness, curiosity, and a readiness to learn that reminded all of us why MHS is such a special place to be.

Before our doors opened to students, I shared a message with our teachers and staff about our shared vision for the year. I wanted to take a moment to share a piece of that message with you as well. Our driving motto for this school year.

"Don’t Let the Hard Days Win"

A school year is a journey. There will be high energy, joyful weeks, but there will also be hard days and times when the workload feels heavy, life outside of school is challenging, or stress starts to pile up for both students and staff. Our goal this year isn't to pretend those difficult days won't happen, but it's to commit to facing them together.

We want MHS to be a place where no student, staff member, or family ever feels like they have to carry a heavy burden alone. The true strength of our school isn't measured by how smoothly we run on the easy days, but by how we show up for each other on the hardest days.

We are looking forward to an extraordinary year ahead!

Mr. Seibert

Sep 7: Labor Day No School

Sep 16: FAFSA/Financial Aid Presentation 6pm MHS Auditorium

Oct 1: PSAT/NMSQT 7:30 am Small Gym (9-11, optional)

Oct 1: 2027-2028 FAFSA application opens for seniors

Oct 5: Anxious Generation Parent/Staff Workshop

Oct 7: Jostens on site for Junior Class ring/Senior Cap and Gown Presentations

Oct 7: Progress Learning Testing (9-11)

Oct 7: ASVAB Testing (12)

Oct 9: Teacher In-Service (No Student attendance)

Oct 12: Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day No School

Oct 14: Homecoming Parade/Movie

Oct 15: Jostens on site to pick up Junior Class ring orders

Oct 16: Homecoming Assembly

October 17: MHS Homecoming Dance

October 21: Parent-Teacher Conferences

Oct 22: Parent-Teacher Conferences, No student attendance

Oct 23: No School

*** Visit the District Nurse page for health forms and information. ***

The Food Service Department is excited to welcome you back for an amazing school year! This year brings more choices, new serving lines, exciting promotions, and great-tasting meals designed just for you.

Celebrate National School Lunch Week!

Join us as we celebrate with a Carnival-themed menu, fun activities, and chances to win:

• Lucky Ice Cream Ticket giveaways
• VIPizza Lunch—win pizza and enjoy lunch with a friend each month!
• Fun events and special promotions throughout the year

More Choices Than Ever!

This year, we’ve redesigned our cafeteria with dedicated serving lines to help you get exactly what you’re craving.

Choose from:
Hot Sandwich Line – featuring delicious hot sandwich favorites

Taco & Nacho Line – loaded with tacos, nachos, and other Tex-Mex favorites

Pizza Line – because pizza is always a good choice!

Grab & Go Line – perfect when you’re on the move, with fresh-made salads, wraps, subs, protein boxes, and other convenient options.

Plus, be sure to check out exciting new menu items like:
Breakfast Chicken Minis
Nacho Totchos
Burrito Bowls
Hushpuppies
Fun-Shaped Chicken Nuggets
…and more new favorites throughout the year!

A Special Treat!

Keep an eye out for Poppi as they visit MHS with a fun Root Beer Float Bar—a refreshing event you won’t want to miss!

Important Information for Families

Healthy meals help students stay focused, energized, and ready to succeed. Your family may qualify for free or reduced-price school meals. Household Eligibility Applications are available online through the District website or can be picked up in the school office.

If your student has a food allergy, please provide a doctor’s note to the school nurse so we can safely accommodate their meal needs.

Questions? Contact Brandy Goodwin, Director of Food Service, at goodwinb@msd19.org.

We’re excited to serve you this year with more variety, more flavor, and more fun than ever before. Have a fantastic school year, and we’ll see you in the cafeteria!

Mascoutah High School is excited to announce the launch of our new Academic Behavior Academy, a program designed to help students build essential skills for success. This targeted, 4-week intervention is for students who may be struggling with turning in homework and could benefit from support in areas like time management, organization, and focus. The academy's goal is to equip students with practical executive functioning skills that will boost their academic motivation, improve their grades, and build their confidence for future challenges both in and out of the classroom.

The Academic Behavior Academy will take place four days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday) during the student's regular 48-minute Advisory and Lunch period . Each session will begin with 15 minutes of direct instruction on key organizational strategies, followed by 33 minutes of supervised time for students to complete missing homework from any of their classes. To maximize this productive period, students will have the option to order a school lunch for delivery to the classroom, or they may bring their own lunch. Students will work toward personalized goals, with the aim of exiting the program in four weeks with stronger habits and improved academic standing.

MSD19 is partnering with Varsity Tutors, a free resource that offers various tutoring services for K-12 students. All MHS students now have access to Varsity Tutors learning resources and more by clicking on the Varsity Tutors app in Clever/Google.

Varsity Tutors states, “Every student in the district can take advantage of powerful learning resources, at no cost, including weekly Live Online Classes, On Demand 24/7 Chat Tutoring, Essay Editing, Celebrity-Led StarCourses, and Self Study resources like recorded content, practice problems, and adaptive diagnostic tests.”

Moreover, this service allows families to sign up for paid additional private tutoring for their students at a discounted rate! Please visit the Varsity Tutors site for additional details: Varsity Tutors: Academic Support Launchpad. #19EveryStudent

Mascoutah Weekend Meals is an all-volunteer program whose mission is to combat food

insecurity among the students in the Mascoutah Community School District. The meals program

offers a supply of food items that are sufficient to feed a child for six nutritious meals one

weekend a month. Once a month, beginning in September, usually on the third Thursday, a bag

with the items will be sent home with the students for the weekend. The program is free and

available to students in Pre-K through 12th grade.

If you believe your child would benefit from this program and would like him/her to participate,

please contact school social worker, Bandy Bryant, at bryantb@msd19.org.

Each year, we work to make sure every student in our school receives the support they need to achieve success and experience positive outcomes on our campus. Ongoing screening in both academic and social, emotional, and behavioral functioning can identify students that need additional support to increase their academic performance and improve overall well-being.

Screening tools help school staff develop effective plans and allocate resources at the school, class, and individual levels. This fall and spring, we will administer the Youth Needs Screener. The Youth Needs Screener is completed by all students and is available at the school for your review. Please reach out to your school social worker for more information.

AnnMarie’s Law and Suicide Awareness & Prevention

AnnMarie’s Law, Public Act of 99-0443, requires all Illinois public schools to provide suicide awareness and prevention education to students. MHS has partnered with Erika’s Lighthouse to educate students during their health class. Presentations will take place late September/ early October for students enrolled in health this semester. The program focuses on:

• Raising awareness of good mental health.

• Raising awareness of the signs of depression and risk and warning signs of suicide.

• Reducing the stigma surrounding mental health issues.

• Encouraging help-seeking skills and, if necessary, additional support services.

For more information, please refer to the Erika's Lighthouse website. Erika’s Lighthouse has provided us with a Family Workbook Series to assist you in discussing these topics as a family.

Our school social workers are available to answer questions or connect you with resources to support your child.

If your student will not be returning this school year, please contact Ms. Huber at 566-8523 ext 5189 or email hubert@msd19.org.

2026-2027 MHS Student Handbook

• Vaping devices, e-cigarettes, tobacco products of any kind are not allowed on campus.

• Please remind your child to arrive to school on time. We have seen a much larger amount of 1st hour tardies. First hour class begins at 7:30am.

• Cell phones are to be turned off and remain out of sight the entire day.

• As always thank you for your support!

FAMILIES MAY VIEW UP TO DATE NEWSLETTERS AND WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS

ON THE MASCOUTAH HIGH SCHOOL WEBSITE:

mhs.msd19.org

REPORTING ABSENCES

Student absences need to be called in to the attendance line (618-566-8523) no later than 8:45 am. If you have not reported your student as absent, an automated email will generate to inform you that your student is absent and their absence is unexcused. In order for a student's absence to be excused we must be notified from a parent or guardian within 24 hours of the absence. If your student has an appointment please provide a doctor's note for their file.

Please review the attendance Policies as stated in the 26-27 student handbook located here.

COLLEGE VISITS

Students and their parents are encouraged to visit colleges during the second semester of their junior year and first semester of their senior year. We suggest that these visits be made during school holidays.

SCHOOL MESSAGING SYSTEM

Mascoutah Schools notify parents through phone calls, text alerts, and emails about important issues and information. Please keep the Counseling Office updated with changes to your contact information.

MHS: The High School Of Choice

• Point out the positives about high school, such as choosing your own courses, meeting new people, and having more challenging classes.

• Keep communication lines open so your teen knows he or she has your love and understanding.

• Ask questions about the school day, the friends your child is making, the things they are interested in.

• Pay close attention to your teen’s social media involvement

• If academic or social problems arise that you can’t help with, suggest your teen talk to school counselors, social workers, or teachers.

• Set and enforce limits. Involve your teen in coming up with family rules and assigning consequences if rules are broken.

• Balance discipline and structure with a sensitivity to your teen’s need for privacy and independence.

• Keep alert to distractions so that new activities, relationships, and experiences don’t interfere with your teen’s academic record.

• Help your student get involved in school activities. This is a commitment for both parent and student.

• Work with your teen to find his or her strengths. This can lead your teen to joining appropriate clubs and sports that will bring new friends, confidence, and skills.

• BE FAIR-----BE FIRM-----BE CONSISTENT.

• DO NOT defend your student when they are wrong.

MHS Principal: @M19_MHS

MHS Athletics: @MHS19_Athletics

Janelle Kozsdiy: School Counselor- Last Names A-F

Brett Kolweier: School Counselor- Last Names G-L

Caitie Morrell: School Counselor- Last Names M-P

Christine Renth: School Counselor- Last Names Q-Z

Rachel Stellhorn - School Social Worker- Last Names A-L

Brandy Bryant: School Social Worker- Last Names M-Z

Rachael Martell - Success Academy & Attendance

SCHEDULE CHANGES

General schedule changes can no longer be made for the 2026-2027 school year.

Please review the schedule change policy in the MHS Handbook.

Rising Senior Updates and Planning for the Future

Please check out the Senior Planning Guide, for potential College and Career questions. We will be meeting with seniors early this semester to discuss post-high school career plans. Seniors will be utilizing SchooLinks to help organize the college application process. Schoolinks is a comprehensive college and career readiness platform designed to support students, educators, and families in planning for life after high school.

PSAT/NMSQT

The PSAT/NMSQT is an optional exam offered to 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students who opt to take it on Thursday October 1, 2026 at MHS. Students take the PSAT/NMSQT in order to receive feedback about strengths and weaknesses, enter the competition for the National Merit Scholar Scholarship, and to help prepare for the SAT. This test is optional and seats are limited. Online registration can be found HERE and registration closes September 18 at 4pm.

SWIC Dual Credit

Students enrolled in MHS Fall courses that qualify for SWIC Dual Credit will have the option to register for dual credit on August 31, with makeup registration taking place on September 18. Students enrolled in Yearlong classes that qualify for SWIC Dual Credit will have the option to register for dual credit on October 14, with makeup registration on November 2.

SWIC Dual Credit is FREE for students. Before registering on the above dates, students need to complete their applications to SWIC in order to obtain a SWIC ID number. A list of both fall and yearlong courses that qualify for SWIC Dual Credit is included below. If a student is taking any of the following semester courses in the spring semester, registration will take place in January.

Fall Courses

Spanish 3

Foundations of Teaching

Cultural Anthropology

Entrepreneurship

German 3

Audio/Video Production I

Personal Finance

Yearlong Courses

Spanish 4

Spanish 5

Welding I

Building Trades

1818 SLU Dual Credit

SLU 1818 Dual Credit registration is open. Students in the below courses that choose to participate in the SLU dual credit need to register between August 24-September 25 on slu.dualenroll.com. SLU Dual Credit has a cost of $85/credit hour. Information about the amount of credits per course is included on a permission slip sent home with students on Tuesday, August 25. That permission slip MUST be returned regardless of participation. Instructions on how to register have been posted on each class's Google Classroom by the teachers as well as each grade level Google Classroom. Extensions will be available for students to sign up for, if assistance is needed, starting September 2 and going through September 23.

Courses Eligible for SLU 1818 Dual Credit

AP US History

AP Chemistry

AP English Language/Composition

AP English Literature/Composition

AP Statistics

AP Calculus

AP PreCalculus

PreCalculus

AP Exam Registration Information

AP Registration opens up on Total Registration August 28th at 4pm and is paid online with a credit or debit card. Students are responsible for registering themselves for the AP exams they want to take in May of 2027. The AP exam schedule is on the registration form and shared in google classes by grade level. Registration for AP exams closes October 30th.

National ACT & SAT Dates

Please find the attached dates for the SAT and ACT, if your students is looking to take either of tests outside of school. ACT/SAT National Test Dates

Please visit www.act.org or www.collegeboard.org to register.

ACT SCHOOL DAY

The State of Illinois now requires all 11th-grade students to take the ACT as part of the state’s required high school assessment. Students will be registered for the School Day ACT through Mascoutah School District and will take the assessment during the spring semester.

• ACT – 11th Grade: April 6–7, 2027
• PreACT Secure – 10th Grade: April 6, 2027
• PreACT 9 Secure – 9th Grade: April 6, 2027

Students do not need to register individually for these school-day assessments. Additional information about these assessments and all testing opportunities offered at Mascoutah High School can be found on our website HERE.

Transcripts

All students can download a copy of their transcript from schoolinks.com. If you are a senior requesting an official transcript they should access their Parchment account. If you have not set up your parchment account, please search your email for the registration link. Please contact the registrar, Mrs. Huber (hubert@msd19.org), with any transcript concerns, questions, needs, or issues.

FAFSA

As of 2020-21, to receive a diploma from a public high school a student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA for 2027-2028 opens October 1, 2026. Every senior will need to complete the FAFSA or submit a non-participation waiver.

More information about the non-participation waiver can be found HERE.

We are holding a FAFSA /Financial Aid Presentation in September 16th at 6pm in the MHS Auditorium. You can also reach out to our ISAC representative, Carmen Wilder, regarding any FAFSA questions:

Carmen Wilder
Illinois Student Assistance Commission
Southwestern Illinois College District (Region 6)
Work cell: (618) 381-1494 – Carmen.Wilder@illinois.gov

Do You Want to Play Sports in College?

Check out the NCAA Eligibility Center website for previously recorded webinars for college-bound student-athletes and your families. The webinars will include the requirements you must meet to pursue your dreams of studying and competing at an NCAA Division I, II or III school. Please click here to view more information.

Social/Emotional Needs

Happy summer! We hope that all of our students and families are able to find some time over the break to rest, recharge, and enjoy the summer! Even as the school year concludes, please remember that support is always available.

If you or someone you know needs support, please see the resources listed below.

Emergency: 911

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988

Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-25ABUSE (252-2873)

Mental health and community resources can be found here.