August 16, 2022 (Updated letter)

 

Parents/Guardians and Students,

Welcome back to school! Whether you and your student are new to or returning to the High School, I am looking forward to seeing you and working together this year again. I truly believe that together everyone achieves more. Please join the staff and faculty on September 7 from 2 pm to 3 pm to go through your student’s schedule and meet and greet his/her teachers and see rooms. A folder will have all your student’s information and can be picked up at the welcoming table in the front hallway just prior to the event. Chromebooks will be distributed in homeroom on the first day of school on September 8.

The teachers have been participating in professional development this summer and the building growth team is planning our focus areas for the upcoming year. One major area we need to address is the student’s daily attendance rate. After analyzing data, nearly half of our students last year in grades 9-12 missed eighteen or more school days. According to the NYS Education Department this is considered chronically absent and we must develop a plan to address this need. Our school social worker will be key in reaching out to parents and students to provide assistance and resources around this specific area. The negative effects of absenteeism in a student’s education can be profound and can carry into adulthood. Students who attend school learn more, have less learning gaps, have a higher vocabulary and reading level, and are more successful on local and state tests. Helping make school attendance a habit carries over when he/she seeks scholarship opportunities, trade school, military, and college admissions, and employment. The good news is that students can reverse their academic performance if they make steps to improving their attendance. Attendance truly does matter!

The building is getting ready by our custodians and we are getting a newly painted gym floor and wall mats. Our STEAM Academy and Theatre and Media Expressionism camp were successful. I continue to expect the word to get out and our numbers to grow. These experiences and opportunities only enhance our classes and help student engagement and areas of interest grow.

We will have a new schedule for 2022-2023 with 9 periods and an enrichment period at the end of the day before sports. This does not lengthen the school day or cut services. The first dismissal and bus run will be at 2:23 pm with enrichment starting at 2:30 pm until 3:06 pm. The second dismissal and bus run will directly follow the enrichment period at 3:06 pm. The enrichment time will be a time for teacher directed assistance, time to better study and understand class concepts, grade level classes can meet with their advisors, and clubs and organizations to meet and do their work. Students can work on homework, make up class work or labs, and personalize their learning with the assistance of our teachers and staff. Sports will begin at 3:15 pm. All students staying after, even for sports, are expected to be with a teacher in an enrichment class. 

Please note the following moves that have recently occurred since the last time I communicated with you. Much has been happening in the region with people moving to different positions and us filling vacancies. Mrs. Elly Powers Leech has taken an administrative position at the Norwich Middle School. We wish her all the best in her new position and thank her for her years of service to our school and students in the science department and as an advisor. We are in the process of posting and interviewing candidates for her immediate replacement. Mr. Shawn Magrath is coming to the high school this year and will be teaching English for freshmen and seniors. Mr. Magrath is not new to the district but is new to the high school. Ms. Teresa Titus is a new special education teacher at the high school. Ms. Titus comes to us with decades of experience from schools such as Deposit and GMU. Mr. Joe Nelson will be a long term substitute in the English department for Mrs. Scaturro and will be guided by her as he teaches English 11, SAT prep, and AIS English. Lastly, we are awaiting a new social worker from the Children’s Home of the Wyoming Conference. Mrs. Jillian Birtch will be placed at DCMO BOCES for the coming year instead of being here with us. Welcome to all the new teachers and staff and we look forward to a great year where we can be better together and soar like Blackhawks.

We will be on an extended homeroom schedule for the first day of school on September 8, 2022 so that Chromebooks can be distributed so please make sure your student has their forms and mobile device form and insurance payment. Additional copies will be in all student’s folders for the meet and greet on September 7 at 2 pm or will be handed out to any student that does not come to that event on September 8.

I look forward to this year and the opportunities we have here to share with your student and your support. Let’s Go Blackhawks!

 

Sincerely,

Dawn A. Hover, Principal