Ms. Simmons' Secondary Scoop

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Spring family conferences are Mon, 2/2 from 2:30-8 PM and Wed, 2/4 from 2:30-4 PM. School will dismiss at 2:15 PM both days. Conferences will be held in the N gym in an open house format. Mrs. Yackley, Mrs. Worth, Mrs. Wold, and Mrs. Krog will conduct conferences in their office/classrooms for translation and confidentiality purposes. Q3 midterm is Thur, 2/5.

Students in grades 7 and 8 will take Smarter Balance assessments this spring. Both grades will take the math & ELA assessment, and 8th grade students will also take the science assessment.

Students have finished ELA and math ICA testing for practice. Unfortunately, there are no science ICA assessments available for state testing practice. Math, ELA, and reading teachers have reviewed testing data and made a plan for review and extra practice prior to spring testing.

Starting this spring, the SD DOE state assessment for 11th grade students is the ACT test. We have been working diligently to outline a meaningful practice experience for students in grades 9-11 leading up to spring testing.

Important Dates

• Tue, 2/3 - Practice ACT test for all juniors

• Tue, 2/10 - Makeup Practice ACT test for all juniors (in case of inclement weather on 2/3)

• Tue, 3/10 - ACT Testing for all juniors - this is the actual state test; PreACT testing for all 9th & 10th graders

• Tue, 3/17 - ACT Testing makeup (if needed)

Logistics

• Both ACT testing & practice ACT testing will take priority over any scheduled school activities. We did the best we could in terms of scheduling these dates around the school calendar.

• We’ve scheduled all ACT testing (whether practice or not) to be conducted from ~8 AM-2 PM. 8-8:30 AM will be reserved for student arrival, getting them to the correct classroom, ensuring test security measures are in place, putting away cell phones & smart watches, having correct headphones, etc.

• Students must finish all breakfast BEFORE reporting for testing. Food and drinks are not allowed in the testing areas. Please encourage your student(s) to arrive at school promptly at 8 AM if they plan on eating breakfast.

• Students will take the first three portions of the test (English, mathematics, & reading) before an extended lunch break. Students will stay on campus during lunch and the extended break.

• After an extended lunch break, students will take the last two portions of the test (science & writing)

• We estimate testing will take until ~2 PM. It may take longer. This is our first time conducting this testing so we appreciate your grace if testing goes longer.

• Students will be dismissed from school once their respective group finishes testing. Those that need to ride the bus home, or need to wait for their siblings before leaving, will be directed to a specific classroom to relax and wait until the end of the day. We hope this encourages students to be at school on our designated testing days. Important note: Every section of the ACT is a timed test. Students begin each tested subject as a group, and students cannot move on to other subjects if they finish a test early. The entire group will start the next subject together once time has ended. It is not possible for a student to skip through all the tests to get out of school earlier than planned.

• Seniors: Seniors who are passing all classes, have the majority of their assignments turned in, and have turned in their senior photo and senior spotlight to Mrs. Yackley will receive an "exempt absence" from school on Tue, 3/10. This means they will not be required to attend school that day and this absence will not count toward their semester total.

Call to Freedom is a nonprofit organization based in Sioux Falls, and their goal is to end human trafficking and provide support to survivors. In recent years, they have developed a youth prevention program. I've been wanting to bring them in for a student presentation for some time now, and have set it up for February.

Goals of the student and staff trainings: "The Call To Freedom Youth Team educates youth of all ages, from children to young adults. The goal of Call To Freedom is to stop human trafficking before it starts, and we believe that in our classrooms, that begins with Empathy, Responsibility, and Safety. With age-appropriate, interactive presentations, humor, engagement, and fun, our speakers teach the importance of understanding and being sensitive to the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of others, how to know who a trustworthy person is, and how to stay safe in the real world and online. Our goal is that everyone who hears a presentation from Call To Freedom walks away feeling more informed and empowered to stay safe and healthy."

On Wed, 2/11 during in-service, two Call to Freedom staff members will be leading us through critical understanding and awareness of online safety topics. Many times, educators are the first point of contact for reporting, so this will educate and equip us with meaningful information. Our School Resource Officer, Officer Kriese, will join us for this session.

On Thur, 2/12, the Call to Freedom staff members will lead separate student presentations for 7th & 8th grade, 9th and 10th grade, and 11th & 12th grade. We are planning on having another Brookings County Deputy with us this day as Officer Kriese has prior commitments.

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.

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 Jill 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. Yackley by calling the school or emailing 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,