Ms. Simmons' Secondary Scoop

It's hard to believe we are already over half way through second quarter. The end of second quarter / first semester is Fri, 12/20. Please continue to check in with your student(s) and monitor grades via Parent Portal. Teachers are willing to set up time to work with your student(s) before and after school and during study hall to provide support. All grades will be submitted prior to staff leaving for winter break.

• Fall Awards Night is Tue, 11/26 @ 6:30 PM

• Seniors are taking the NCRC exam @ 8:30 AM on Wed, 11/27. All they need for testing is their laptop, a pencil, and a calculator. This is the National Career Readiness Certificate exam, which measures workplace readiness and demonstrated job skills in three areas: applied math, graphic literacy, and workplace documents. Students will earn certificates based on their demonstrated job skills in this assessment of Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze.

• School dismisses @ 1 PM on Wed, 11/27.

• Our next IXL Snapshot is 12/9-12/20.

• Elementary winter concert is Mon, 12/9 @ 6:30 PM; JH/HS winter concert is Tue, 12/10 @ 6:30 PM.

• School dismisses on Fri, 12/20 at 1 PM. Classes resume on Thur, 1/2.

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 (karla.denison@k12.sd.us) 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. Bonnie 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
• Link to spectator expectations for all home activities

As always, please let me know if there's anything I can do to serve you and our secondary students.

Sincerely in Education,