EHS Newsletter
January 2021
Dear Families
We hope that 2021 has started off well for you and your family. The Hybrid instructional setting is going well as it's been wonderful seeing our students daily. They bring so much joy to our school! Our safety mitigation is strong and students and staff are doing their best to help keep everyone safe and healthy. We are very proud of them!
Semester 1 ends January 22nd with grades finalized by January 25th. Please encourage your students to continue to do their best and work with teachers to complete any work they have. Semester 2 will begin January 25th. Student schedules are available on Infinite Campus and if they have questions, they should reach out to their counselor. There will be no schedule changes unless needed for credits to ensure graduation or by administrator approval.
We anticipate that at some point during Semester 2, we will have all students back 5 days a week. Communication will come from the district as well as East High School about expectations and changes to the school day that may occur due to enhanced safety mitigation.
This has been a year like no other and our students and teachers have risen above and beyond the challenge. We are proud of them and thank you for your support.
EHS Administration
Leslie Morris, Principal
Lyle Fedders, Activities Director
Anthony Gianaras, Associate Principal
Lisa Harrington, Associate Principal
Jill Versteeg, Associate Principal
Praveen Bannikatti, Associate Principal (Virtual Campus-COVID)
James Zabel, Associate Principal (Virtual Campus-COVID)
Exposure or Positive COVID test?
If your student is out of school on Quarantine Protocol, they will still be expected to participate in classes via Microsoft Teams and Canvas. Their teachers will help direct their learning time at home.
Activities Update
From the EHS Counseling Office
Scholarship Information!!
SENIORS and senior families! It's scholarship season and we don't want you to miss out. Check out the opportunities listed below.
Scholarships and links to applications are listed below. Be sure to click on the links, DOWNLOAD the applications to edit, note deadlines, and start working on asking for recommendation letters as needed!
East Scholarship Spreadsheet --BE SURE TO CLICK ON ALL OF THE TABS THAT APPLY TO YOU!!!
Lois Dale Scholarship INFO and APPLICATION
East Alumni Scholarship application
Prairie Meadows Scholarship application
HELPFUL WEBSITES AND SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DACA and/or UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS:
https://humanrights.iowa.gov/resources-latino-students-and-parents#overlay-context=cas/la
https://www.afsc.org/story/afsc-iowa-youth-video-scholarships/
https://www.hsf.net/en_US/scholarship
http://latinosunidosofiowa.org/
https://www.undocuscholars.com/scholarships
http://www.dreamersroadmap.com/ ---- THIS IS ALSO AN APP!!!
Simpson College has created a scholarship grant for DACA/undocumented students called the Access Grant. The grant would provide one first year students with a full tuition scholarship (meaning we would cover everything except room and board) and additional $$$ for some smaller scholarships ranging from $10,000-$15,000.
Here is the direct link to the Simpson College application: https://admissions.simpson.edu/register/access_grant
Questions? Reach out to your counselor for more information or assistance!
FAFSA INFORMATION FOR SENIORS
Seniors, now is the time to file your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). If you have not already done so, you need to complete this ASAP! It's how colleges determine how much money they can offer YOU to attend their school. Please refer to this document (FAFSA Step-by-Step 2021.pdf) for a step-by-step process on how to file. If you have ANY questions about this, please reach out to your students' counselor.
MYAPS Process Starting in February
AP Exam Information
In response to pandemic, the College Board will not charge a $40 fee to cancel exam orders. However, all AP Exam orders must be paid for by March 5, 2021.
Q: Where do I pay my fees?
A: All DMPS students pay their fees with the bookkeeper where they are primarily enrolled, no matter where they take the test. Out of District students pay where they will be testing (usually the Academy Office Manager, Kimberly Kinney). After fees are entered into Infinite Campus, you can pay online through RevTrack.
Q: What happens if I do not pay my fees by March 5, 2021?
A: You order will be cancelled, and you will not be able to take the exam.
Q: Do I get a refund if I pay for my AP exam order but then I cancel or do not take the exam?
A: Yes. You would get a full refund if you paid for your exam but then do not take it.
Q: How is this different if I qualify for a fee waiver?
A: Students who have fee waivers do not have to pay anything by March 5, 2021. And there is no cost if they do not take the exam.
Q: How do I cancel my exam order?
A: Let the School Administrator who ordered your exam know you want to cancel your order. The school administrator who ordered your exam is based on WHERE your exam was ordered. Usually that is your primary enrollment—we tried to ensure that your exams would be sent to your primary enrollment using the “Exam Only” join codes. But in some cases, your exams may be at Academy or, if you didn't use the exam only join codes for your Virtual Campus courses, your exam may have been ordered by your teacher’s school. A letter was mailed to your primary address that told you where all your exams were ordered and the name of the administrator for each of your exams.
Academy: Jessica.Gogerty@dmschools.org
The Administrator where your exam was ordered will cancel the exam with the College Board and will notify the bookkeeper to remove the fees from your Infinite Campus account.
Q: Can I still order an AP Exam?
A: Yes. The last day to place an order is March 5, 2021.
Sign into MyAP.collegeboard.org and join the class if you haven’t already.
Contact the Administrator where the exam will be given before March 5 so that they submit your order.
Pay the $40 late order fee by March 5. Everyone is charged the late order fee (fee waiver or not). If you get a fee waiver, you just pay the $40 late order fee. If you do not get a fee waiver you pay $95 for the exam + the $40 late order fee = $135.
Incompletes
This year, instead of an F on a report card, if a student fails a course it will be changed to an "I" for incomplete. This allows us to be more creative with credit recovery options and support for students to complete the work that may have been disrupted due to the pandemic. The "I" will stay on the report card until June 30th. If at that time, the student does not complete the work, it will transcribe to an F.
From DMPS Teaching and Learning Department:
"Two things were abundantly clear and confirmed during conversations: we believe that all students deserve high expectations and clear communication about their learning, and we believe that there are more barriers to accessing that learning than ever. For these reasons, for 20-21 DMPS will temporarily suspend the use of the letter grade "F" and use "Incomplete" in its place."
East High School
Email: east@dmschools.org
Website: east.dmschools.org
Location: 815 E 13th St, Des Moines, IA 50316
Phone: 515-242-7788
Twitter: @Dsmeast
