The Cardinal Letter

I hope this letter finds everyone doing well and preparing for the holiday season ahead. I know many families will appreciate some much-needed downtime over vacation. We are almost halfway through the school year, and it’s time to reflect on the past year and push the reset button for round two.

The month of December was full of holiday spirit at Chippewa Falls Senior High School. We started off the month with the Orchestra and Madrigals entertaining the community at the annual Torte Theater at the Heyde Center. To kick off the holiday season here at Chi-Hi, our Jazz Band, Concert Band, Orchestra, and Choirs hosted the Encore Holiday Concert on the evening of Monday, December 19 for parents and families. Students and staff will attend the all-school holiday concert on Thursday, December 22 during the school day.

In our Principal Advisory Council this semester, we focused on three areas that we want to improve: Building a Culture of Belonging; Building Equitable and Inclusive Learning Environments; and Improving Student Mental Health. This group of students has given a voice to the student body at Chi-Hi. We partner together to make this school a great place to belong and to create a positive high school experience for all of our students.

We want to thank you for your support and partnership this year as we educate the students of Chippewa Falls. Know that we are doing our best at Chi-Hi to make our school a safe place to learn and grow. We look forward to working with all of you in 2023!

Respectfully yours,

Donna Goodman

Chippewa Falls Senior High School Principal

The Green Team, consisting of Isabella Biederman, Maddie Hunt, and Kam Glamann has been working incredibly hard on an Independent Study project. These students dedicated hours of work researching ways to reduce the energy consumption of the Chippewa Falls School District. Their initial focus was on ways to reduce heat loss in the district buildings. Using high-tech thermal imaging cameras and drones they created a map of each building to identify problem areas. They initially hoped to write a grant that would fund the repairs needed for those identified areas. After their initial study, these three were invited to attend the Wisconsin Climate Summit in Madison to discuss ways the state can reduce its carbon footprint.

During this process, they connected with experts from Focus on Energy, Xcel, and KEEP. The consensus among the experts was to switch projects from heat loss to lighting. These experts reasoned that replacing outdated incandescent, fluorescent, and halogen lights with modern energy-efficient LEDs would maximize the reduction in energy usage and save the district the most money. The students refocused their efforts on lighting while becoming experts in color temperature, light intensity, and energy usage. They partnered with Light Design Solutions (LDS) to create comprehensive lighting maps of the middle and high schools. In addition, Focus on Energy and the school district have begun a benchmarking process to accurately measure the energy and gas consumption in each building.

Armed with their data and expert support, the Green Team has applied for a massive $725,000 grant through the Public Service Commission’s Office of Energy Innovation. If awarded, this grant would fund the replacement of all the outdated lighting in the middle and high schools. Over 9,000 lamps would be replaced and recycled! The district would save over $70,000/year, reduce the district's carbon footprint, create youth apprenticeship opportunities for other students and help employ local electricians. Regardless of the grant outcome, these students deserve recognition for their hard work!

We've added links to Student Supply Lists for items that students may need if their classes change when a new quarter starts. These are items that would need to be purchased off-site. The list is divided by departments. The lists will be updated as needed.

Course scheduling for the 2023-2024 school began on Tuesday, December 13. Students watched a short video during their TA and course selection materials were made available.

This information can also be accessed on the Student Services website under Course Scheduling. Students will need to input their course selections into the Academic Planner in Infinite Campus by Friday, January 6.

As a teenager, being online or involved with social media accounts is part of your life. Many good things come from social media however, along with the good you will always have those who will take advantage of opportunities. Unfortunately, some individuals use social media with ill intent.

An area where Law Enforcement has seen a sharp increase among teens is Sextortion. Sextortion is defined as: “The practice of extorting money or sexual favors from someone by threatening to reveal evidence of their sexual activity.” So how does this fit in with teens and social media? Predators will often contact teens via some form of social media. The predator will then try to gain a relationship. Once the predator feels a relationship has been created, they often ask for inappropriate photos. If photos are shared, this is when the problems begin. The predator will threaten to “share” the photo publicly if the victim doesn’t send more photos. They may even start asking for videos. The predator may ask for money with the continued promise that they will not share the photos/videos if the victim cooperates. Victims often comply because they are embarrassed and don’t want their parents to find out.

Social media safety tips:

1) Make sure you know who you are communicating with! Don’t accept a “friend request”

from someone you don’t know.

2) NEVER share inappropriate photos, even if it is with someone you know. Once photos like

this are shared, you should assume that they may go public. Think before tapping send.

3) Parents, have an open discussion with your kids about their phones.

4) Watch for discarded gift cards which are the predator’s favorite form of payment.

5) Review and stay current on what social media platforms your kids are using. Look through

their phones. The phone ultimately belongs to the parents and is used by the child.

Taking some simple precautions can keep you safe from unwanted or undesired contacts on social media. If you or someone you know has been the victim of sextortion contact a trusted adult or your School Resource Officer immediately.

SRO Brian Flug

Please remember that if your student will be gone for an appointment during the school day that they are bringing in a medical note indicating that their absence was due to an appointment.

Additionally, if your student has been absent from school for more than 10 days, please read through this paragraph from the Student/Parent Handbook (page 6):

MEDICAL EXCUSE REQUIREMENT

"Excessive absences in excess of ten days may result in the student being placed “On Medical” by administration. Parents will receive a letter notifying them that their student has been placed “On Medical” and all future absences may require a medical excuse from a physician..."

There are two ways to order a yearbook this year. The first way is to pick up an order form located in the Main Office at Chi-Hi. Completed forms can be dropped off to Mr. Sikkink in room 139, the yearbook drop box outside room 132, or mailed to:

Chi-Hi Monocle

735 Terrill St.

Chippewa Falls, WI 54729

The second method is to place your order online through the web link below:

https://yearbookforever.com/schools/chippewa_falls_high_school_buy_yearbook_9821/I

RNdG45Kmro0W7N57ma138PG

Order your Yearbook before February 4th and save $10.00 off the distribution day price of $75.00! But you better hurry because at the time of printing there were only 300 books left available for purchase! Go online or get your order form and reserve your copy today! Once these remaining books are sold there is no guarantee that any will be available for sale on Distribution Day! It is important to pre-order your book as early as possible to ensure that your student will have their copy at the end of May!

Please feel free to email me (Mr. Sikkink) with any questions you may have!

Thanks,

Scott Sikkink

sikkinsr@chipfalls.org

Yearbook Advisor

715-726-2406 ext. 1327

Plan now and mark your calendars for our 3rd and 4th quarter Parent/Guardian-Teacher Conferences. Conferences are held from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM on the dates listed below:

3rd Quarter 1/23/23 - 3/31/23

• 3rd Quarter Conferences: Wednesday, March 1 (watch for an email on February 22)

4th Quarter 4/3/23 - 6/2/23 (5/26/23 for seniors)

• 4th Quarter Conferences: Wednesday, May 10 (watch for an email on May 3)

Scheduling links will be sent out to parents/guardians one week prior to conferences.

The high school attendance line is accessible 24 hours per day:

• 715-726-2406
• Press 2 for Attendance Options (listen for the prompt)
• If your student will be arriving late or needs to leave early: Press 1
• To report or excuse an absence: Press 2

Regular student attendance is required by law (State Statute 118.16) and is essential if students are to make satisfactory progress in school. Students are required to attend all class periods. It is the responsibility of the student and the parent to see that the student attends school each day school is in session. Excused absences include: illness or injury; medical, legal, DMV, or military appointments, college visits, funerals, school-related activities including sporting or competitive events and field trips, family vacations (please notify the school in advance), and family emergencies.

MEDICAL EXCUSE REQUIREMENT: Excessive student absences may result in the student being placed “On Medical”. Parents will receive a letter notifying them that their student has been placed “On Medical” and all future illness-related absences may require a medical excuse from a physician.

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES: Any absence that is not cleared by a parent or guardian within 5 school days of the absence (the day of the absence and 4 additional school days) may be listed permanently as unexcused, which will generate a major behavior referral.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions!

Patrina Gunderson

Chippewa Falls High School Attendance Office

715-726-2406, x1142

• Dorais Field Livestream
  
• Chi-Hi Main Gym Livestream
  
• Purchase an All-Season Pass that can be used at ALL regular season home events. Passes may be purchased (cash/check) at the Chi-Hi Main office by returning this form, or by purchasing it on ticketspicket.com
• Chi-Hi Athletics & Activities Website
• Photos of Events happening at Chi-Hi taken by Dan Loomis
• CFHS YouTube Channel