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Hawks Happenings Monthly Newsletter

October 2020 Edition

Hawks HappeningsMonthly NewsletterOctober 2020 Edition

Principal Message: Welcome to our first edition of the 2020-2021 Hawk Happenings monthly newsletter!

Good morning Hawks and Hawk families,


The 2020-2021 start to the school has been one for the history books! Despite the challenges that distance learning has posed for teachers, students, and parents, these first few weeks have been nothing short of incredible. Lots of successes and celebrations to highlight; higher numbers of students attending classes than we had in spring, more and more students reporting enjoyment in the virtual setting than we had in the spring, and more evidence of engagement and learning than we had in the spring.


We've been able to reconnect virtually with our students, and have set the stage for a year of academic progress. We intentionally "went slow to go fast." Meaning, our teachers built in time to review prior year work, to teach how to use the technology tools, and to establish relationships and connection with their students in the first weeks of school, and now we are ready for the next phase of increased academic content.


We also continue to learn ourselves about how best to teach in this remote and fully virtual setting. With our Google Classrooms as the foundational platform for delivering instruction, and the live learning sessions through Google Meets and Zoom as our way to teach and interact, we feel very confident in our ability to deliver high quality teaching and learning. But, we also cannot wait for in-person opportunities and remain hopeful that we will be able to offer in-person instruction shortly. Until then, we will continue to learn and grow, make mistakes, take risks, and get better at our fully remote distance learning environment.


If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out me at raguilar@cpps.org


Thank you,


Robert Aguilar, Principal

College Place High School

Mr. Trop invites industry guest presenters to Computer Science class
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Dream Lab Teacher, Mr. Trop, reaches out to Industry for Virtual Guest Presentation

Industrial Light and Magic is a world-renowned leader in digital graphics for Hollywood movies. Mr. Trop was able to secure a guest presenter to talk for 45 minutes directly with our Computer Science students the first week of school. Her presentation was inspiring and the level of engagement out of the students who attended this opportunity was fantastic. We plan to hold more of these virtual networking sessions for our students throughout the year!
Mr. Goeden has students "build" their math skills!
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Geometry students create fun and engaging Algebra review tools

As students in Ms. Hockersmith and Mr. Goeden's Geometry class, wrap up their first two weeks of Algebra review, students were asked to create their own artifacts that demonstrated what they knew/remembered from Algebra. Well, our Hawks delivered and showed their creativity in full force! Here are some examples of their creations:


  • Zombie math (math during the zombie apocalypse)
  • Corn Hole math (answer the question or make the shot)
  • A variation of truth or dare (math style, answer the question or do something silly)
  • Two genuinely unique card games and two genuinely unique dice games that bear no reasonable resemblance to games on the market.
  • Two different coded games (Python and a WYSIWYG) using coding skills that are in genuine need in the marketplace right now
  • Brochures that speak to the Algebra I skills they got from their prior math knowledge.
Gear-UP Bitmoji Classroom for the Class of 2020 & 2023
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Gear-UP for the Class of 2022 &2023

If you are a student in the Class of 2022 or 2023 (current 10th/11th graders) you are part of the Washington State University Gear-UP program! This program is designed to expose and prepare students for post-high school success. For the 2020-2021 school year, Ms. Sarah Wik is returning as a Math Tutor and this year we'd like to welcome Ms. Ginger Case to the GEAR UP team, tutoring Science.

You can check out the Gear Up Google Classroom here! or our Bitmoji Virtual Classroom with all kinds of helpful links for preparing for college applications. Students: please take some to revisit Virtual Job Shadow and explore career options. Directions to accessing your account will be emailed to you or click on the link on the first page of the Bitmoji classroom.This site is maintained regularly by Gear-UP coordinator Ms. Anabrenda Blethen.

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Teacher/Parent Virtual Fall Conferences

Information on the Fall October Teacher/Parent conferences is now available. See this link to a flyer with information, and expect an outreach scheduling attempt by your student's 1st period teacher. Also, an email was sent to all of our parents/guardians on Sept. 25th with detailed information.


Our conference dates and times are: Monday, October 5th from 4:00-8:00pm; Wednesday, October 7th from 4:00-8:00pm; and Thursday, October 8th from 8:00am-3:00pm.


For families that would like to come into the school for the virtual teacher/parent conferences, we can arrange that. We have reliable technology, can help with the troubleshooting and ensure you're set-up virtually, and provide Spanish translation.


Please reach out to your student's 1st period teach to schedule your conference today.

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Reminder: October 5th is a Half Day Early Release Bell Schedule

Students will be asked to attend a 6 period live learning rotation bell schedule starting at 8:00am.
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Hawks On-Campus Assistance Program

For some of our students, we have been inviting them to attend a limited in-person learning opportunity from 12:30-3:00pm. These students may require some individualized academic support, or be enrolled in one of our CTE lab courses that replicating at home is near impossible. Thank you to our assistant principal, Ms. Bryant, for leading this work, and ensuring that staff and students are safe and following our health guidelines. If you have questions about on-site learning, please feel free to contact Ms. Bryant at abryant@cpps.org
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Financial Aid Advising Day & SAT Exam Dates

CPHS is planning to host two virtual Financial Aid Advising Days on October 15th from 4:00-6:30 pm and on October 16th from 12:30-3:00 pm.


Financial Aid representatives from Walla Walla Community College will be available to answer questions and walk students through their applications for financial aid. These will be held virtually via Zoom. More information and links will be sent out as we get closer to these dates.


Juniors and Seniors who are interested in signing up to take the SAT, should have already received information from either Ms. Schumate or Mr. Derting. Our SAT date on Wednesday, October 14th is currently full. However, there is still time and opportunity to sign up for the October 27th make-up date.


You can find more information on the SAT by having your student visit their Grade Level Google Classroom.

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How can I get involved as a parent/guardian here at CPHS?

There are three main ways you can stay active and involved as a parent/guardian here at CPHS:


1. Join our Parent Advisory Council


Please consider joining our Parent Advisory Council for the 2020-2021 school year. This group of parents helps provide feedback and direction to school administration on various school wide topics. Our team meets monthly at 5:00pm. Our first meeting of the year will be on Wednesday, October 14th at 5:00pm. We will meet virtually for this event.


Zoom Details Below:

https://zoom.us/j/95250908028?pwd=SUdpdHlZRmhWc2dRbnZtdm9yWi8wdz09 Meeting ID: 952 5090 8028 Passcode: 5LYyFB



2. Become a Member of the Natural Leaders (Spanish speaking Latino family outreach group)


We are excited to announce a new parent involvement group called Natural Leaders. Our aim will be to include our Spanish speaking Latino families through regular meetings to help increase awareness for parents to support student learning, but also to find ways that the school can best support our Hispanic community. If interested to learn more, please call the main office and speak with Ms. Martinez at 509-522-3312.


Link to our Natural Leaders flyer.



3. Become a member of the College Place Boosters.


Our College Place Boosters organization not only supports our clubs and athletics programs, but also is active in supporting the school at large. Whether through scholarships, funding academic supplemental programming, or helping to foster student recognitions and faculty celebrations, the CPHS Boosters has always been a proud supporter for promoting Hawk life!


You can find their membership information on the College Place Boosters Facebook page.

Curious about Bell Schedules?
This link to our bell schedules page on the school website, includes bell schedules for our Distance Learning and Distance Learning half-day/early release schedule. Also, our hybrid AM/PM bell schedule.
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About Us

College Place High School contact information and ways to reach us.

Email: raguilar@cpps.org
Website: https://www.cpps.org/o/high-school
Location: 1755 South College Avenue, College Place, WA, USA
Phone: (509) 522-3312
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CollegePlaceSchoolDistrict/