Bulldog Bark

As we begin the last few weeks of the trimester Fall term, I wanted to provide you with some additional information regarding the process that ultimately led to our decision to eliminate core 9th grade exams for the Fall term this year. We are treating this as a "pilot" program for the Fall term and will be following up with faculty, students and parents to obtain additional feedback regarding this decision. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact myself or Dr. Strong.

How did we arrive at this decision?

Over the past 1 ½ years, our School Improvement Team has focused efforts on our 9th grade students' transition from middle school to high school. We determined through this work, our collective professional experience and surveys directed towards our current 10th graders, that final exams were a major cause of stress and anxiety during their 9th grade year.

Additional clarity for this decision came in April 2019, when Chelsea High School went through our school accreditation process, which occurs once every five years. The goals of the accreditation team are to:

· Gather first-hand evidence and information pertinent to evaluating an institution’s performance against the research-based AdvancED Performance Standards.

· Using the Standards, assess the quality of learning environments to gain valuable insights and target improvements in teaching and learning.

· Provide valuable feedback to institutions that helps to focus and guide each institution’s improvement journey.

During this review by five independent school officials their findings and recommendations were based on the following information:

· 120 student interviews

· 41 staff interviews

· 20 parent interviews

· Stakeholder survey data regarding the culture and climate of CHS.

Ultimately, this process elicited two recommendations for our continued school improvement journey: (1) Focus on 9th grade transitions (2) Reduce the overall stress of our students (and staff).

We then processed this information as a full-faculty and then again with our School Improvement Team towards the end of the last academic school year as well as the beginning of this school year.

Moving forward for the end of the Fall 2019 Term for our 9th graders:

• Freshman core classes will not give a final exam.
• English 9 & Honors English 9
• Algebra 1 & Honors Geometry
• Civics
• Biology
• Freshmen in elective courses will take exams during their regularly scheduled time on exam days in November.
• Instead of the 80% classwork / 20% exam grading system, freshmen in these core areas will be graded at 100% of their work during T1.
• Freshman core teachers have the option of continuing instruction, creating a project, creating a culminating learning experience or giving a unit test instead of administering a final exam.
• Students will take exams in 10th, 11th & 12th grade classes.

Additional Clarifying Questions & Answers:

• Will a 9th grader that is borderline failing be allowed to take the exam to try and pass the class if they choose to do so?
• Yes. Admin will proctor those exams in the Flex Lab on the day of their scheduled exam time. Students would then be grades on the 80%/20% scale.

• Can any 9th grader that wants to take the exam because they want a higher grade be allowed to take the exam?
• Yes. Admin will proctor those exams in the Flex Lab on the day of their scheduled exam time. Students would then be grades on the 80%/20% scale.

Michael Kapolka

mkapolka@chelsea.k12.mi.us

Applications for Brass Pass will be available in the main office on Monday, December 2.

Brass Pass recipients receive discounts to local businesses (Biggby, Zou Zou's, Thompsons, etc).

To be eligible for a Brass Pass, students must fill out an application in which they have met 3 criteria:

1. A GPA of 3.5 or better or by increasing your GPA by .10 from the previous term.

2. 4 or fewer absences

3. No disciplinary referrals.

Have your students stop by the office for an application if they meet the criteria so they can take advantage of the local discounts!

Any questions can be directed at Shandra Bremer mailto:sbremer@chelsea.k12.mi.us

Key Club was busy this past weekend leaf raking for senior citizens!

Key Club, as part of project unify will be bowling once per month with students from our Independence Hall program. The next outing will be on Wednesday, November 13 from 3:30-5pm.

Key Club will be holding our annual food drive for Faith in Action in mid-December. Save those canned goods for this annual important student driven event.

Any questions can be directed to Key Club Advisor Marlene Segal msegal@chelsea.k12.mi.us

CHS welcomes Courtney Haroney the newest member of the CHS Support Services team. Ms. Haroney started with CHS in October 2019 as the School Social Worker. She earned her Bachelor of Science with a focus on Family Studies from Western Michigan University, followed by her Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan. In her free time, Ms. Haroney enjoys hiking, backpacking, and canoeing. She has visited 30 of 61 National Parks to date with favorites including Big Bend, Great Smoky Mountains, and Pinnacles. Ms. Haroney is a Chelsea native and looking forward to returning to her roots.

• Students will be able to change their Term 2 and 3 schedules beginning November 18th. Deadline to submit the online request form is Wednesday, November 20th at 3:30 p.m. After that date, students will need to wait until the actual start of Term 2. Schedule change request forms will be available online beginning Friday November 15th via the student Haiku or Naviance portals or on the Counseling Office webpage. Parent permission is required. Please note that there will be no window of opportunity to change Term 3 schedules in March.

• The deadline to register for the December 8th ACT test was November 8th. The deadline for late registration is November 22nd. Students can register at www.act.org.

• The deadline to register for the December 7th SAT test was November 7th. The deadline for late registration is November 25th. Students can register at www. collegeboard.org

• On November 12th, there will be a sophomore meeting in which the South and West Washtenaw Consortium will give an overview of the programs they will offer next year. If your student expresses an interest in these classes, please encourage him or her to sign up to visit the consortium with the counselors in December.

• If your senior has not yet applied for college, he/she should begin doing so now!

• Many junior parents are inquiring when their student should start taking the SAT test. Juniors will take the SAT test in March during the school day. We will be registering your student in class and there is no fee. Students may wish to re-take the test in June but will need to register on-line and there is a fee.

• Juniors and seniors should begin checking their Naviance, Haiku portals or Counseling Office webpage for scholarship information. Scholarship information is updated every Friday as opportunities come in.

• As a reminder, the National Honor Society students offer tutoring services to high school students. A list is available in the Counseling Office and on the Haiku portal.

If it is necessary to drop items off in the office, please know that we will wait until a class is over to call a student. Please note many students do not always respond to the name paging system and item will be kept in the main office. If item is unclaimed they go into the lost & found.

Please have items properly labeled with the student’s name.

All money should be sealed in an envelope with the student's name prior to dropping off.

Disrespect of staff:

CHS students are expected to show respect at all times to our staff members. The use of obscenity directed toward a staff member would be considered a severe form of

disrespect. Threats or implied threats will be treated as verbal assaults. Students who do show disrespect may face suspension as a result.

The trip includes a 3-day city stay in Athens and a 5-day cruise of the Greek Islands. This trip offers an educational opportunity to learn the historical significance and culture of Greece including a visit to the Acropolis, a Greek Cooking Class, and a traditional Greek culture night.

Students in grades 9 - 12 can also earn 3 college credits through Southern New Hampshire State University by traveling on this tour.

Both students and parents are welcome. If you would like more information, please visit an informational meeting on Monday, November 18th at 5:30 PM in room 232. To sign up, for pricing, and to view the itinerary visit http://www.eftours.com/2223913wn

Fall sports are winding down. Many of our teams have had great years. SEC championships and playoff berths highlight many of the great accomplishments this fall sports seasons.

We would like to congratulate the teams and athletes on a great fall season.

• Boys Cross Country won the Regional Championship. This title included a 4th place finish at the state meet.
• Football went undefeated and won the SEC Championship. This marks the 20th playoff appearance in the past 21 seasons.
• Boys Tennis won the SEC and Regional Championships.
• Girls Swim qualified many girls for the upcoming state meet.
• Field Hockey lost a close 2-1 match in the state finals played at Chelsea High School.

The winter sports season is beginning for many of our sports. This is a reminder to all athletes that they must have a sports physical on file in the athletic office before they can begin practice. All athletes must complete a Final Forms account as well to participate. The link to create an account is on our website at chelseabulldogs.net.

Please mark your calendar for Friday December 13. On this evening the championship teams of the past year will be honored before and during our basketball games against Stockbridge. Our sixth annual “Champions Night” will be a great event. We look forward to seeing lots of student athletes, fans, and parents at this event.

Students who drive to school must register their car. The cost of a parking pass is $20.00 (money collected from parking passes goes towards student activities such as the Thanks for Being You luncheon).

Via the link below, students can submit their information.

https://www.chelsea.k12.mi.us/chs/chs-information/ipark

Parking Rules/Regulations.

For the safety of our students and staff, all vehicles parked on school grounds must display a current year’s parking permit. The permit must be displayed from the rearview mirror. The cost to register a vehicle is $20 for the year. This must be done every year. Students may register every vehicle they will drive to school, and transfer their permit accordingly. Additional permits may be purchased for $5.

All vehicles must be parked in the designated student lot between the hours of 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. This lot is only accessible from the Freer Road entrance during the school day. Students may not be parked in the following areas: Visitor lots, staff lots, neighboring residential streets, or the WSEC lot. Students may park in the “marching band” lot, but ONLY during the Spring term.

Once students enter the parking lot they are not allowed to leave without administrative permission.

Students who drive to school and park on school property agree to the search of their vehicles by administrators who have “reasonable suspicion” that the student’s vehicle contains drugs, alcohol, weapons, or other items not permissible at school.

The parking lots are monitored and tickets will be issued on a regular basis. The following infractions will result in a ticket:

• Failure to display a current year’s permit
• Parking in prohibited parking lots
• Any driving violation (speeding, reckless driving, etc.)
• Improper parking (vehicle must be parked within the lines)

Two unpaid fines will result in a student losing his/her driving and parking privileges until the fines are paid. Continued violations may result in the vehicle being towed at the owner’s expense.

Any parking questions can be directed to Jennifer Grim: jgrim@chelsea.k12.mi.us

“The Pride of Chelsea”C.H.S. Bulldog Marching Band

Earns First Division Rating at District Festival

The CHS Marching Band earned a first division superior rating at the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association (MSBOA) District 12 Marching Band Festival on Monday October 14, 2019. Special thanks go out to all of our parent volunteers, and supporters for travelling with the band and for their support throughout the fall season.

Arrangements are already underway for the 2020 CHS MB season

Marching Band Camp dates are set for August 3-7, 2020.

CHS Marching Band Banquet

Monday Nov. 11 – 6pm CHS Commons

The CHS Marching Band will celebrate the 2019 season with a banquet on Monday November 11 starting at 6pm in the CHS Commons. The evening starts with a pot-luck style dinner, followed by a brief awards ceremony and student presentations. All CHS Band Members and their families are invited to attend.

Wednesday December 11, 2019

The date of our December Concert is Wednesday December 11, 2019 at 7:00pm in the CHS auditorium. This concert will feature the High School Wind Symphony, the High School Concert Band, and the CHS Orchestras. The program will include traditional band and orchestra repertoire, as well as some holiday music! The concert is free and open to the public.

Save the date: Sunday, December 8th, at 3 pm and 7 pm. We hope to see you there!

Chelsea High School will be moving to an online report card system starting at the end of the Fall term this November. In regards to the report cards themselves, aesthetically, they will have a cleaner look and are easier to decipher. The process of accessing report cards will be as simple as using your PowerSchool parent portal credentials and selecting report cards on the left to view and then print a copy of your student’s report card if you choose to do so. Report cards will not show up as “available” until they have been released by the office.

By switching to an online system, this mirrors how most of our parents in the Chelsea School District access their student’s academic information.

If you do not have parent access to PowerSchool, or if you have forgotten your credentials, please contact Mrs. Shannon Krug skrug@chelsea.k12.mi.us and she will be able to assist in getting you this information.

Important to Note: Report cards are not available until the portal is open to parents by administration. In the meantime, you will see a message stating “No report cards available at this time”.

The "beginning of the year" special ends on November 29th.

Yearbooks are only $60 if purchased before this date. If you would like to purchase a yearbook, please visit https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/1064855/Chelsea-High-School/.

Yearbooks will be delivered to students in May.

Interact, the Arbor Club and several student volunteers spent the morning of October 19 working in the Alumni Arbor. Students removed weeds, added mulch and created a new outdoor seating area for class use. We plan to install a Peace Pole in conjunction with Chelsea Rotary this spring. We also lined the side of the building with mulch in order to prepare a site for wild flowers to grow. These flowers will add character and beauty to the space, as well as support populations of native pollinating insects and birds.

Arbor Club will be collecting plastic film from November 15-April 15th as we compete in the Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge. There will be a drop off box for CHS students near the main office, and there will be a drop off box for community members at the WSEC

It’s not too late for kids to join Arbor Club! Our club plants and takes care of trees, composts cafeteria waste, recycles markers and plastic film, and works to reduce waste in our school.

See Mrs. Reiser or Mrs. Sinacola to join!

Email ssinacola@chelsea.k12.mi.us

Special Thanksgiving lunch @ CHS

The CHS cafeteria will be serving up a special Thanksgiving Holiday Lunch on

Thursday, November 14.

Cost is $3.35 per student $4.35 per Adult

It's time to order the Graduation cap, gown, announcements and tassles!

• Order form packets are distributed to all seniors in the class meeting on Thursday, November 14 @ 1:15PM.
• Orders need to be turned into Jostens Representative during lunches on November 21 & 22.
• Delay in ordering may effect price and availability of some items.

Did you know that you can purchase a section of the yearbook to recognize your senior student?

Senior recognition ads allow you to include your own photographs and a personal message to your student in the yearbook. The recognition ads vary in size and price. Visit https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/1064855/Chelsea-High-School/ for more information.

Mike Kapolka, Principal

Brad Bush, Assistant Principal/Athletic Director

Luman Strong, Assistant Principal

Jason Morris, Dean of Students/Assistant Athletic Director

• Shelley Weber, Counseling Secretary
  
• Judee Lonnemo, Attendance Secretary & Asst. Principal’s Secretary
• Gretchen Steele, Principal's Secretary
  
• Tracie Stoffer, Athletic Secretary
  
• Shandra Bremer, Bookkeeper & Asst. Principal’s Secretary

Email: gsteele@chelsea.k12.mi.us
Website: http://www.chelsea.k12.mi.us/
Location: 740 North Freer Road, Chelsea, MI, USA
Phone: (734) 433-2201
Twitter: @Chelsea_HS