Ms. Simmons' Secondary Scoop

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The end of Q2/S1 is Fri, 12/19 and report cards will be printed and sent home with students before students leave for winter break. Q3/S2 begins on Mon, 1/5. Wishing you and yours a warm and enjoyable break!

Students in grades 7 and 8 will take Smarter Balance assessments in the spring as determined by the assessment coordinator, Bonnie Yackley, and administrator input. Both grades will take the math & ELA assessment, and 8th grade students will also take the science assessment.

Prior to spring testing, ELA and math teachers will administer ICA testing for practice. Unfortunately, there are no science ICA assessments available for state testing practice.

Math – December 16-18

• 7th grade students will stay in math for periods 1 & 2

• 8th grade students will stay in math for periods 5 & 6

ELA – January 5-8 (January 9th as a makeup if needed)

• 7th grade students will stay in ELA for periods 1 & 2

• 8th grade students will stay in ELA for periods 5 & 6

Please encourage your JH student(s) to do their very best!

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.

• 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.

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,