Cyclone Connect

It's different being in January and still in the first semester. Students have one more week of classes before their final exams begin. Please encourage your student to check their grades in Skyward and work with teachers as needed to improve grades before the conclusion of the semester.

We are continuing to enforce COVID-19 safety protocols. Our continued goal is to keep students learning in-person throughout the second semester. We will conduct contact tracing when needed and closely collaborate with the Franklin County Health Department to keep staff and students safe while learning at OHS.

Thank you for your continued support as we've navigated the school year. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to an administrator at OHS.

Students can contact their counselor regarding a schedule change for one of the following reasons only. Schedule change requests must be made by Friday, January 15th.

We are only making schedule changes for the following reasons:

• Class needed for graduation
• Class needed to fill an incomplete schedule
• Class needed to meet minimum Kansas Honors curriculum, pathway completer status, and OHS Honors designations
• Scheduled in a course for which the student already has credit
• Enrolled in a course for which the student does not have the prerequisite

Mrs. Buxton--- Last Names A-J buxtona@usd290.org

Mrs. Gearhart---Last Names K-Z gearhartk@usd290.org

Mrs. Tharp -----College & Career Specialist tharps@usd290.org

*Some student schedules will be dependent upon 1st-semester grades-counselors will be working with these students on an individual basis.

*Counselors will begin calling students to the office on January 11th to begin address schedule change requests

PLEASE NOTE WE DO OUR BEST TO MEET THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS WITH SCHEDULE CHANGE REQUESTS, BUT NOT ALL REQUESTS ARE GUARANTEED.

Below is our Final Exam schedule for the conclusion of semester one. Please note, we will have two half days on January 20th and 21st. Students will be dismissed at 12:15 pm and lunch will be served.

Students can stay to see teachers as needed after their lunch from 12:25-12:55 pm as needed. Busses will not run until normal time-- we'll ask students to remain in the Cyclone Room on these days if they are waiting for a bus.

If you are a remote learner, please check your email for information from Mr. Lancaster. He will be collaborating with you on your individual plan for final exams.

We've been asked about Senior Chromebooks several times over the past few weeks. Seniors will be expected to turn in their Chromebooks and chargers at the conclusion of the school year on a designated day.

"Parents - if you would like to change your child's enrollment from on-site to remote or vice versa for the start of the second semester (beginning January 25), please email or call assistant principal Mr. Lancaster at lancasterm@usd290.org or 785.229.8021 by Friday, January 15th. Making these changes ahead of time allows us to better prepare for the number of students in classrooms and maintain consistency for your child's academic success."

The Fastbridge assessment will be given to the following students during January:

• 9th-11th graders will take Reading and AUTO Reading during an English class period
• All students enrolled in Algebra 1 will take Math and AUTO Math during a math class period

This data is used during our Professional Learning Community time on Fridays to analyze where students are and determine how we can best meet their academic needs.

As our community is seeing a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases we want to ensure we are doing everything possible to mitigate risk at school. Therefore, we are going to split students into two groups for the month of January during Cyclone Hour.

9th/10th Graders-- Eat during the 1st portion of Cyclone Hour

Report to Advisory for Study Time during the 2nd portion of Cyclone Hour

11th/12th Graders- Report to Advisory for Study Time during the 1st portion of Cyclone Hour

Eat during the 2nd portion of Cyclone Hour

This will allow supervisors to reinforce safety protocol during this time. Students are expected to do the following:

1) Sit 6 feet away from their classmates while their masks are down and they are eating.

2) Put their masks up immediately after eating

3) Sanitize their space before leaving

4) Minimize movement during Cyclone Hour

5) Reporting to see teachers when requested through our Cyclone Hour Portal

Teachers will be available before/after school to provide assistance for students. We will monitor the behavior of students and make decisions regarding Cyclone Hour for the second semester.

We've instituted a pass system during Cyclone Hour for the month of January. This will allow students to see teachers during this time as needed for academic assistance. Students can talk with teachers to gain a pass or this process can be initiated by the teacher.

We want to ensure we are providing students access to teachers during Cyclone Hour even while we are spilt into grade-level groups.

This time is extremely valuable for our students. Our guidance department uses this time to schedule a variety of activities meeting the state expectations for social-emotional learning and individual plans of study.

Your student will engage in the following activities during Advisory in January:

• January 8th- Analyzing their transcript to update their Individual Plan of Study which will allow for optimal planning during enrollment for the 2021-2022 school year.
• January 15th- Taking a social-emotional screener called SABERS. The information collected on these screeners helps us identify future Advisory topics and best support individual students.
• January 29th- Virtual Winter Royalty Assembly. Please use this link to watch the LIVE event starting at 10:17 am. Link to Event Please note this will be a LIVE event only. The recording will not be saved due to streaming rights.

Students and all visitors are still required to wear double layered cloth, surgical, or gator mask when they entering the building. Bandanas are not acceptable forms of masks. Masks should cover both a person's nose and mouth when properly worn. For safety precautions, we recommend washing your mask daily.

At the conclusion of each class period, students work together to wipe down their desks, chairs and sanitize their hands before exiting the classroom. We've added a number of cleaning & sanitizing stations around the building for student use during Cyclone Hour.

Student-Led Conferences will be held on Tuesday, March 9th and Thursday, March 11th. More information will be sent to families in February.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook @ Ottawa High School or on Twitter @OHSActivities to keep up with our busy Cyclones their sponsors and for updated information regarding academics. We post information on our website as well. Click here to access OHS Website

Please remember all fees must be paid prior to Graduation and Prom. This includes fees owed to USD 290 as well as food services. Fees can be paid online through Family

Access or in person with Mrs. Stepp Gillett. We will be mailing reminders home and making phone calls this Spring. steppgillettp@usd290.org

Monday, January 18th No School, MLK Day

Wednesday, January 20th and Thursday, January 21st- 1/2 day for final exams, students will be dismissed at 12:15 pm

Friday, January 22nd- NO School, Teacher Work Day

Monday, January 25th- Start of Second Semester