Solon High School

This is it.....the last month. We have many things to celebrate as we wind down this academic year. Enjoy this last month of school, and have a great summer!

-Zach

*8th grade families, you are receiving this communication as it will be the last one prior to August. (that's only 3 months away)

For ALL things Solon High School please remember to visit this page.

Summer will be here before we know it! Make sure you have the following dates down if you plan on taking a vacation when nothing is going on at SHS. Dead week this summer is July 23rd-31st. All district facilities will be closed and no practices/open gyms/anything will be allowed that week. Also, as a reminder the district calendars can be found HERE. The 2022/2023 school calendar is already published there as well.

All things assessment wise are added to this document every week so we are all on same page regarding when things are happening.

Schedules for our current 8th-11th graders will be available before the end of the month. We will be finalizing our master schedule this month and will begin loading student schedules. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out!

If you didn't get a chance earlier, check out THIS link to the WaMac Art show. Our kids did a great job representing Solon a couple of weeks ago.

On April 20th a busload of Solon's most talented student artists travelled to West Delaware High School this morning for the Annual WaMaC Art Exhibition, and in standard SpARTan form… We did it again. Our student artists represented our school and district in outstanding fashion and were recognized for their hard work with THIRTEEN awards, including SIX first place awards and a Best in Show award.

Please help me in congratulating the following participating students on another year of SpARTan Fine Art success:

1. Connor Shephard (First Place, Mixed Media 2D and Best In Show 2D)

2. Ava Yeries (First Place, Mixed Media 3D)

3. Lucas Kampman (First Place, Utilitarian Ceramics and Second Place, Non-Utilitarian Ceramics)

4. Addison Burden (First Place, Drawing)

5. Beatrice Fischer (Second Place, Printmaking and Second Place, Digital Photography)

6. Hattie Droll (Second Place, Opaque Painting and Second Place, Graphic Design)

7. Autumn Vang (First Place, Graphic Design and Second Place, Drawing)

8. Edgar Strozzi (First Place, Opaque Painting)

9. Jamison Grimm

10. Emily Suchomel

11. Isabel Paisley

12. Isabel Messenger

13. Cole Winders

A big thank you to everyone that has been so supportive of these artists and their work! All participants’ work will be on display outside the Counseling Suite.

If you have time or the resources, please find a way to acknowledge your child's teachers this week. They continue to give their very best day in and day out.

We will be having step up day on Wednesday, May 25. Next year's schedules and event information will be shared around that day in a couple of weeks.

Zoology students will facilitate a discussion over the book "Fuzz" by Mary Roach on May 12th. For this event, we rely on members of our community to participate! Please come to listen and engage in a discussion of themes and issues from the book. The event will be held at the high school in the CFA lobby. Thanks to the Solon Education Foundation for funding the purchase of multiple copies.

Books are currently available for check out at the Solon Public Library or by contacting Mrs. Posekany at the high school. Even if you don't get a chance to read the book, anyone is welcome to participate. Feel free to reach out with any questions by email as well. dposekany@solon.k12.ia.us

Any student that is planning on earning Silver Cord hours during the summer should plan on turning in their proposals before the last day of school. Proposals received after the project is completed may not be accepted. Check out suggested volunteer opportunities and other frequently asked questions here.

8th graders will receive more information regarding the Silver Cord program before the end of the school year.

As always, contact Mrs. Sutton in the Media Center with any questions msutton@solon.k12.ia.us

We all know how calendars can get filled, so please add the following dates to your to school calendar!

May 5th, 12th, 19th and the 26th- 1:45 Early dismissals

May 13th- Special Schedule for the Talent Show and Hiatus Day

May 18th- Senior Awards Night at 6:30 in the Auditorium: This will be live streamed via our YouTube channel if you cannot be there.

May 19th- Seniors last day as SHS students

May 22nd- Graduation at 2:00 pm in Spartan Stadium

May 25th- Step Up Day (1:45 Dismissal for students in grades 9-11)

May 26th- Last day of school (1:45 Dismissal)

May 27th-August 21st: Summer Vacation

From Mike Thompson, Solon HS Counselor

Contact Information:

• Phone: (319) 624-3401 extension 1117

• Email: mithompson@solon.k12.ia.us

• Website: Solon HS Counseling

• To Schedule an appointment: calendly.com/shscounselor/meeting-with-mr-thompson

From Kathleen McKean, College and Career Transition Coordinator

Contact Information:

• Phone: (319) 624-3401 extension 1116

• Email: kmckean@solon.k12.ia.us

• To Schedule an appointment: Calendly.com/kathleenmckean

SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL LEARNING:

Empathy

What is empathy? Psychologist Daniel Goleman describes empathy as the ability to understand another person’s thoughts and feelings in a situation from their point of view, rather than your own. Goleman describes three types of empathy.

(from takealtus.com)

1. Cognitive: “Simply knowing how the other person feels and what they might be thinking. Sometimes called perspective-taking.” If a friend tells you she, “bombed her Math Test” you imagine yourself in your friend’s shoes, you know she is likely to be feeling sad, as well as anxious because she feels pressure to get good grades. However, having only cognitive empathy keeps you at a distance from your friend. To truly connect with your friend, you need to share their feelings. This is where emotional empathy comes in.

1. Emotional: “When you feel physically along with the other person, as though their emotions were contagious.” This type of empathy can also extend to physical sensations, which is why we cringe when someone else stubs their toe. In this case, you would look inwards to identify a situation where you were similarly anxious about the future. The situation itself need not be identical, as each individual is different. What’s important is that the emotions resulting from the situation are the same. So, you’ve successfully understood what your friend is feeling, and put yourself in a similar emotional space. Now what? Well, you can use the insights gleaned from Cognitive and Emotional empathy to have Compassionate Empathy.

1. Compassionate: “With this kind of empathy we not only understand a person’s predicament and feel with them, but are spontaneously moved to help, if needed.” It is the balance between Cognitive and Emotional Empathy that enables us to act without being overcome with feeling or jumping straight into a problem solving process.

CAREER EXPLORATION and INFORMATION

POST SECONDARY INFORMATION

Planning

Service Academy Information

Have you ever considered attending a service academy? Four of the five academies – U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), U.S. Military Academy (USMA), U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) – require applicants to apply for and receive a congressional nomination from either a U.S. Representative or a U.S. Senator. In early May, U.S. Senators Ernst & Grassley will share some important information concerning congressional nominations to service academies.

U.S. Senators Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley will host a U.S. Service Academy Virtual Open House on the evenings of Monday, May 2 and Tuesday, May 3. This will be an opportunity for Iowa students and their families to learn more about the federal service academies including the application and nomination processes.

WHO: Academy Nomination Coordinators for Senators Ernst and Grassley, representatives from all five U.S. Service Academies

WHAT: U.S. Service Academy Virtual Open House

WHEN: Monday, May 2 and Tuesday, May 3 from 6-8 p.m. CT

WHERE: Connect via WebEx here: https://senate.webex.com/senate/j.php?MTID=ma3d9536090b34a262108aa4eebcd0478 with the password: PNtPnpPS468 or by calling 1-415-527-5035 and using the following access code: 2760 860 9078.

The Academy Nomination Coordinators for Ernst and Grassley will provide an overview of the congressional nomination process and application requirements. They will be available to answer questions throughout the open house. Representatives from the Air Force Academy and the Naval Academy will provide presentations on academy life and the application process on Monday, May 2. The Military Academy at West Point, Coast Guard Academy, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy will provide presentations on Tuesday, May 3. Representatives from all the academies will be present both nights to answer questions from Iowans in a live Q&A.

College Visits

The summer months can be a good time to coordinate college visits for students and their families. Many families incorporate college visits into their vacations. If you are interested in a college visit during the summer months reach out to the admissions office of the college(s) you are interested in attending.

Upcoming Visits

In the summer, we continue to offer daily visits and our Panther Visit Days. The Panther Visit Days registration will be released soon.

Panther Visit Days

Friday June 24

Friday, July 29

Friday, August 5

Friday, August 12

• Planning for your Future: ICAN Resources

Below you will find links to grade level post-secondary recommendations. You can sign-up to receive weekly/monthly alerts from ICAN.

• Freshmen

• Sophomores

• Juniors

• Seniors

• Parents

In addition to these great tips, visit the ICAN YouTube Channel and check out our video Tip of the Week. Each week ICAN releases a video tip for students preparing for life after high school. To receive the video tip each week, subscribe to the ICAN E-Alerts

Financial Aid: FAFSA

If you haven’t completed the FAFSA now is the time to do so! If you have any questions contact our Iowa College Access Network (ICAN) Representative, Lupe Hernandez. She has an office at the Kirkwood Regional Center in Coralville. To schedule a one-on-one appointment with ICAN visit www.icansucceed.org/apt

• Lupe Hernandez, Student Success Advisor

• Iowa College Access Network (ICAN)

• Eastern Iowa Student Success Center

• Direct: (319) 423-7702

• ghernandez@icansucceed.org

Financial Aid: Scholarships

• Check out the Scholarship Page on the Solon Counseling Website.

COLLEGE CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES IN HIGH SCHOOL

Kirkwood Academies: If your student signed up for an Academy next year they must have their online orientation completed by May 6th. The final step in the orientation is the parent and student signing and submitting a PDF Agreement document. If your student has not asked you to sign a form, they have not yet completed orientation. Please ask them to complete the Orientation ASAP. DEADLINE MAY 6th

Kirkwood Individual Online Classes: If your student is enrolled in a Kirkwood class online next year they have received an email from Kirkwood about completing an online Orientation. This must be completed prior to the start of the class, August 22nd. However, I would encourage students to get this done before the end of the school year so they can come see me if they have any questions.

Kirkwood Classes on Main Campus: If your student is enrolled in an in person class on Main Campus next school year please note the start date for Kirkwood classes is August 22nd. Mark your calendar as this is one day prior to the start of classes at Solon High school!

SOLON HS COUNSELING WEBSITE

Mr. Thompson is continuing to update his website. You can access the High School Website here.

Please help us create the best yearbook possible! Any of you can upload photos at any time all year long. Right now we are specifically looking for:

JV Football

Spring Play-Jungle Book

JV Boys BBall

Cheer (have FB)

Boys Soccer

Baseball

Softball

Golf

Trap

Archery

Here is the 21-22 Yearbook link: https://plicbooks.com/go/6FVFG5. Please add your photos here.

For all things activity related, please use this link to find schedules, locations, dates and times. The live streaming link for all of our events can be found HERE. Any questions can be directed to Casey Hack, district Activities Director. chack@solon.k12.ia.us

Thanks!

Email: zwigle@solon.k12.ia.us
Location: 600 West 5th Street, Solon, IA, USA
Phone: 319-624-3401
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SolonHighSchool/
Twitter: @wiglezac