P a l at i n e H i g h S c h o o l NEWSLETTER A Recognized School of Excellence GARY STEIGER PRINCIPAL January/February 2015 From the principal: Welcome Parents of the Class of 2019! With the start of a new year, it is already time to start thinking ahead to next fall. For our veteran parents, this newsletter comes along with your sons’ or daughters’ first semester grades. For our new parents, this is the first issue of the newsletter you will be receiving approximately every 4 ½ weeks. I hope these provide you with some of the necessary information you need to keep up with what is going on at the high school. Welcome to Palatine! Hopefully you have already had a chance to review first semester grades with your student. Take a moment to congratulate successful efforts and encourage hard-earned progress. If grades were not quite what your student had hoped for, encourage him or her to remember that the new semester is a time for a fresh start. Remind them that there are many resources available here at PHS to help them be successful and that there are certain privileges tied to academic success. Work on setting both long-term and short-term goals for second semester; make sure the goals are clear, reasonable and achievable. Students will soon be working with their counselors to select courses for next year. Be sure to talk with your student about future educational plans and possible career goals. Keep these plans and goals in mind as you review the course selection sheets and curriculum guide together. Palatine has over 200 courses in its curriculum, with many new ones being offered this year. I encourage students to take advantage of the many elective classes PHS offers in addition to the required courses -- they are a great way to round out and enrich the educational experience. The elective classes are a great way for students to take a class that might help them pick out a possible future career or just learn more about something that interests them. Our Curriculum guide is available on-line at http://adc.d211.org/pdf/curriculum_guide.pdf. A new feature of the guide is the information on the last few pages about career clusters that may assist you and your student in planning and course selection. If you have any scheduling questions, please feel free to contact your child’s counselor or teachers. Gary Steiger Principal Guided Study Hall and the Student Success Center At Palatine High School, we have high expectations for all our students to succeed in reaching their academic potential. For those who are struggling, we offer a variety of programs to help them succeed. In the Student Success Center, math, English, and science teachers provide academic support to students every period of the day, as well as before and after school on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Students are encouraged to drop in for help with homework, test preparation, or for a little extra help with something they didn’t completely “get” in class. At PHS, students who failed an academic course in the previous quarter may be assigned to the Guided Study Hall program. Students have a Guided Study Hall during an open period in their schedule or the first half of their lunch hour. During the assigned Guided Study Hall, students have time to work on homework and study in an academically supportive environment. The Guided Study Hall teacher monitors the students’ academic progress and has regular grade check-ins. Students in Guided Study Hall may also visit the math, English, and science tutors in the Student Success Center during their study hall time. If you require assistance while visiting our school, please contact the principal’s office at (847) 755-1600. Scholarships Available Did you know that the High School District 211 Foundation awarded scholarships last year? Check the D211 website for a list of this year’s available awards. The applications will become available during second semester. Other scholarship applications, such as the VIP, Rotary, and other local awards are available through the PHS Student Services website which is accessible via the PHS homepage. Click on the “Academics” tab on the homepage, click on “Student Services”. Information pertaining to scholarships, financial aid and such is under the “College Planning” tab which also includes an up to date listing of scholarships. All scholarships on this link are posted in order of deadline date. Most scholarship applications must be submitted on-line, however if a paper application is required these will be available to print from the scholarship link or the through the student’s counselor. Please check the “Scholarship” link often throughout the school year as new postings are always added. It is essential that students meet all application requirements, deadlines and follow all directions carefully. Keep in mind that scholarship applications may require recommendation letters and a transcript. Transcript requests for scholarship applications are processed when the student completes & submits a transcript request form through the Registrar’s Office. Seniors planning to attend a college/university need to complete the online FAFSA form after January 1st of their senior year and before March 1st to best be able to access financial aid opportunities; the earlier the better. Financial Aid is a 3-tiered system, and colleges/universities use FAFSA application information to award campus merit-based awards as well as financial aid to students. The link to file your family’s FAFSA report is http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. Additionally, there are other national scholarship search websites that can be accessed from the “College Planning” tab on the Student Services website. Also under the “College Planning” tab is a financial aid link that gives a comprehensive overview of all things related to financial aid. Guidelines for Senior Final Examinations District 211 allows seniors who meet appropriate criteria to apply for exemptions from second semester examinations. To qualify, a senior student must have at least a “C” average in the class; have fewer than six absences from the class; have never been suspended or truant from the class, and not be incomplete on assignments required by the teacher. Seniors who qualify for exemption may elect to take final examinations to improve grades. Seniors wishing to take final examinations or those who do not qualify for exemption will take their examinations on June 3, 4, and 5 after graduation ceremonies scheduled for May 31, 2015. PARCC replaces ACT Exam as State Assessment The Illinois State Board of Education has determined that the ACT will no longer be used as the assessment to determine student growth. In place of the ACT, school districts will now administer the PARCC (Partnership of Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) test. PARCC is an interactive, computerbased benchmarked assessment of applied knowledge that is designed to measure students’ performance on the Illinois Learning Standards. As the State transitions to PARCC, District 211 will still offer the ACT Plus Writing free of charge to every junior at their high school on Tuesday, March 3, 2015. The March 3rd test will count as an official ACT score to use as part of future college and career plans. On March 3, while juniors are participating in the ACT, any student enrolled in E101 English, E102 English, and E108 English (almost entirely freshmen) will participate in the PARCC English Language Arts I tests. Junior students and English students (E101, E102 and E108) will be dismissed from school after the approximately 4-hour testing window. Bus transportation will be available to and from the test. Sophomore and senior students will not be in attendance on March 3, but should take this opportunity to pursue educational opportunities independently. After the March 3rd test, all other PARCC assessments will take place during the normal school day, and students who are participating in the tests will be excused from one to two periods of class to take the exam. This will include students enrolled in E101, E102, E108, M113 Algebra 1, M114 Algebra 1, M117 Algebra 1, or M147 Advanced Algebra 1. Details of the testing schedule will be available in early spring. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE & NEW AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL dates to remember Jan. 16 Jan. 19 Jan. 20 Jan. 22 Jan. 27 Feb. 10 Feb. 16 Feb. 20 Feb. 21 Feb. 24 Teacher Institute (No School) Martin Luther King Jr. (No School) 2nd Semester Report Cards Mailed LATE START LATE START Presidents’ Day (No School) Early Dismissal –State Girls’ Gymnastics Meet (dismissal 12:35 p.m.) State Girls’ Gymnastics Meet (6:30 p.m.) LATE START Mark your calendars ! Back by popular demand Friday, April 10 Ray Mills Trivia Night FUNdraiser Pirate Pride Shout Out Pirate Pride Winners 1st Semester - 2014-2015 School Year Zahraa Abbas, Jonatan Alanis, Juan Aldana-Tabares, Lizbeth Alvarez Mendoza, Roger Amelse, Karla Astudillo, Haley Azpuru, Morgan Balog, Ethan Banks, Brenden Banuelos, Sergio Bardesi-Texocotitla, Janie Becker, Jose Benitez, Philip Berlow, Timoteo Bonilla, Cristina Bravo, Taylor Brzezinski, Kenneth Buffo, Iqra Burney, Gilberto Bustamante, Ian Cabral De Barros, Giovanni Calderon, Ana Campa, Colin Campbell, Karen Campos, Brandon Cardenas, Maria Carmona, Jesse Carson, Jose Maria Cisneros-Martinez, Fegie D’great I Cruz, Renata Cruz, Karlee Darow, Anna Maria Decheva, Simmi Dhami, Amairani Diaz, Rhea D’Mello, Ryan Dowd, Victoria Drabik, Breena Easterling, Lisa Edwards, Terraya Edwards, Jamiel Eggleston, Mitchell Erickson, Erick Flores, Noe Flores, Karla Garcia, Yozelyn Garcia, Juana Iveth Garcia Guerrero, Jodi Garcia-Penalosa, Kelly Gimmler, Jesus Gonzalez, Ricardo Gonzalez, Martin Gorgonio, Armaan Grewal, Marissa Guzman, Hakem Habahbeh, Trevor Hallier, Robert Heintz, Crystal Hernandez, Diana Hernandez, Efrain Hernandez, Erick Hernandez, Lauren Hess, Cortez Hogans, Danesha Holland, Connor Howard, Ashley Jackson, Jennifer Jasso, Scott Johnson, Jayla Kackley, Alexandra Kalfas, Grace Killigrew, Lawson Kosulic, Katelyn Kurrie, Kate lahey, Elvin Lama Sosa, Samantha Lechowicz, Pedro Leyva, Abigail Lindert, Ethan Lloyd, Galilea Lujano, Jeffrey Luppino, Michael Mallory, Larry Martinez, Yoselin Martinez, Madeline Mathias, Thomas May, Alexander McDonald, Gabriela Medina Trujillo, Alejandro Mena, Eric Miranda, Fernando Miranda, Luis Miranda, Victor Morales, Christopher Munoz, Karly Muntz, Yamilen Navarrete, Quincy Nguyen, Stanley Ochwat, Kelly O’Kane, Brian O’Mahoney, Andrea Ori, Eduardo Orozco, Mathew Padgett, Cinthia Patino, Carla Pereyra, Andrea Perez, Christopher Perez, Michael Petrenko, Kenneth Piasecki, Diego Placencia, Spencer Poklop, Michelle Prochownik, John Puntos, Michael Quinones Rivera, Shakeel Raja, Gregory Jaye Reynolds, Isabella Rivera, Jenny Rodriguez, Victor Rodriguez, Cheyenne Rohland, Ana Romero, Stephanie Rouette, Catlyn Ruddle, Tyler Ryan, Andres Salinas, Evelyn Sanchez, Angel Serna, Ada Sieminski, Joseph Smearman, Jennifer Sobkowiak, Guadalupe Solano Valle, Raymond Soto, Emily Steinbrey, Thomas Stevens, Maricarmen Tamariz, Fabian Tovar, Emily Truong, Bianca Vargas, Guadalupe Vargas, Alyssa Wheat, Brianna Woodfork, Sydney Wynter, Abigail Zuercher, Jason Zych. Greetings from the Mathematics Department: What can you do as a parent or guardian if your child is struggling in math class? One of the most common phrases a Math teacher hears on the phone from parents is “I can’t help them”. That is simply not true. First talk positively about school and math. Math may not have been one of your favorite classes in school, but that should not give your child a reason not to try their best to succeed. This includes doing the assignments, asking questions and seeking help when necessary. Ask to see your child’s assignments and sit with them as they log onto Infinite Campus or Math XL to check grades and assignments. Some of our courses use a program called Math XL to assign homework to help prepare for tests, so having the student log into Math XL in front of you and asking them to show you what assignments are complete would be the digital version of checking their paper assignments. Just this action alone will signify that you think the assignments are important and can quickly prevent some problems. Math class is known for daily assignments. If your child consistently states, “I don’t have any homework,” this should be a signal to investigate more into the situation. Initiate contact with the teacher directly. A phone call or an email can go a long way to help a student increase their grade in math class. Communicating with the teacher directly prevents information from being filtered, and the classroom teacher will share their insight with you. It is better to be preventative verses reactionary. Take advantage of grades being posted on line on a regular basis. The sooner a problem can be encountered the less that student has to do to make up for the problem. Now, I want to take a moment to let you know about some of the services we offer at PHS to help your student be successful in math class. First we have 24 extremely dedicated teachers and 5 fully trained teacher assistants that are willing to answer any questions you or your child have. We staff our Student Success Center (SSC), in room 191, with a classroom teacher and a teacher assistant every period every day. In addition to meeting with their classroom teacher, a student can come to the SSC to check homework, ask clarifying questions, and get extra help as needed. Some students like to start their assignment in the SSC and ask questions as they arise. This is perfectly acceptable and is encouraged. This is a free service and a great alternative to hiring a private tutor. Students are expected to bring materials and class notes to the SSC and, at times must be patient, as in most cases there are multiple students using the SSC at the same time. This is a great opportunity for students to get some extra help as needed. The SSC also has math tutoring available Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays before and after school and Friday before school. What’s up with the Boosters? Happy New Year! With the holidays behind us and a new year upon us, consider a resolution to get more involved with the PHS Pirate Booster Club. Together, we can form friendships while working towards our goal of enhancing all PHS students’ school experience. To learn more please contact our volunteer coordinator, Joan Scovic, at [email protected], and she will find a role that suits your talents, interests and schedule. Donna Schneberger, our Ways and Means Chair, was busy during the holiday season arranging Dine and Share nights, Amizon/Fundico purchase rebates and other fundraising programs. In late November and early December your Pirate Boosters planned and executed a series of successful fundraisers for injured student athlete, Ryan Kissane. I’d like to thank our quick acting PHS Pirate Booster Board of Directors, our many volunteers, and the supportive PHS faculty. I’d also like to give a special “shout out” to Joan Scovic (publicity), Frank Vitucci (website) and Jerri Helms (Facebook) for spreading the word quickly and effectively. The boosters wish Ryan and his family well, as he continues to heal. Please mark your calendars for our February 27th PHS Pirate Booster Dinner Auction. This event takes place from 6:00 – 11:00 p.m. at the Cotillion Banquets in Palatine and will include a special appearance by Chicago Blackhawks’ national anthem singer, Jim Cornelison. Visit our website at www.phspirateboosters. com to learn more and purchase tickets! Starting this second half of the school year, I can’t help but reflect on all the good work we’ve done. This makes me hopeful and excited to see what the rest of this school year brings! GO PIRATES AND GO PIRATE BOOSTERS!! With pride and gratitude, Alissa DePue, President, PHS Pirate Booster Club PALATINE HIGH SCHOOL ILLINOIS STATE SCHOLARS 2015-2016 Aldag, Carl Anandan, Dhivyaa Anderson, Morgan Bank, Rachel Baran, Jacob Barrios, Tanya Beach, Megan Beck, Logan Bowman, Charles Braun, Evan Breytenbach, Alexander Breytenbach, Andrew Brucks, Samantha Burke, Kevin Burton, Kara Campbell, Ryan Cervenka, Nicholas Charlier, Maria Charlier, Natalie Choi, Joanne Chon, Lily Christiansen, Derek Chung, Nicole Conklin, Kaitlin Dela Pena, Jeremiah Dileo, Kathleen Dolen, Mitchell Ehrenstrom, Conor Eppley, Gabriella Erdmann, Rachel Esbrook, Eleanor Estes, Aliya Evtimov, Martin Fis, Michelle Gerdes, Quinn Gordon, Jacob Grana, Mary Hedrick, Logan Howell, Maria Jasionowski, Nathan Johnson, Thomas Judd, Thomas Kawiecki, Peter Kehe, Lisa Kerr, Zachary Killigrew, Patrick Kissane, Ryan Klein, Sean Koshy, Daniel Kossmann, Eva Kosulic, Lawson Lahey, Kate Lindert, Abigail Lundell, Jessica Mathias, Madeline Matthew, Jonathan McCall, Carter McCall, Taylor McHugh, Caitlin Mikkelsen, Alaina Mobille, Zachary Much, Jared Muck, Amanda O’Mahoney, Brian O’Meara, Casey Ocock, Kelly Oesterlein, Matthew Okamura, Kristina Paul, Jennifer Peters, John Piasecki, Kenneth Pisula, Victoria Plata, Laura Quiroga, Anamaria Raymond, Michelle Riedy, Caitlin Rilloraza, Rachel Robinson, Nicole Rola, Darshan Ruthe, Alexander Salas, Taylor Schlaiss, Ryan Scovic, Mark Shaler, Megan Shiro, Stephanie Smith, Michael Smith, Ian Smola, Karissa Sonderegger, Kristen Stagnito, Olivia Steinebrey, Allison Steinman, Katrina Stitt, Jenna Sund, Emily Thomas, Derek Villarama, Anacattleya Weatherton, Maryrose White, Colin Wilson, Crystal Wojtas, Caroline Zhao, Darien This Principal’s Newsletter is computer-designed and photocopied at school on recycled paper for Palatine High School parents. Palatine High School 1111 N. Rohlwing Road, Palatine, IL 60074-3797 • (847) 755-1600 PHS PIRATE BOOSTER CLUB 31st Annual Dinner & Auction Join us on Friday, February 27, 2015 to celebrate…….. ........and raise funds for ALL Palatine High School students. The Cotillion Banquets 360 S. Creekside Drive • Palatine, IL 6:00 p.m. Cocktails and Silent Auction Guest Appearances by: Jim Cornelison, Chicago Blackhawks anthem singer Burton L. Showers, WWII Veteran Fred C. Hall, WWII Veteran 7:30 - 11:00 p.m. Dinner, Live Auction and Raffle Drawings ** Casual patriotic or PHS spirit wear suggested ** Get your tickets at www.Events.Org/PirateDinner $55.00 per person through January 31, 2015 * ($60.00 per person beginning February 1) To learn more about the PHS Pirate Boosters, visit www.phspirateboosters.com How Can Cooking Your Family Dinner Help PHS? By Purchasing Market Day Food & Snacks ATTENTION: The next Market Day is Feb 6. You can either go to marketday.com or pick up an order form in the main office for your shopping pleasure. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Market Day chair people — Dawn Shepherd and Colleen Cannon at 847-755-1835
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