Michigan Youth in Government 2012

There are 10 Shepherd High School students in Lansing for the next four days participating in Michigan Youth in Government. This is a great learning experience as the students get to simulate all aspects of state government. Before the students began their work this morning, they heard from legislative leaders and Governor Snyder.

Driving Safety

I have a son who is just about to be able to drive.  That scares me.  I remember thinking when I first received my drivers license that I was skilled enough and was a good driver.  I never thought about my parents being worried or nervous about me being out on the roads.  However, I do know that I made some reckless decisions while driving that could have easily ended up tragically.  I came across a web site that is devoted to promoting driving safety by real people telling their stories about tragedy that struck them because of driving carelessness.  The one that was first brought to my attention was one on texting and driving.  There is another about wearing a seat belt.  I think one of the things that struck me in watching some of these videos was the impact the tragedy has on everyone after it's over.  The link below is to the Utah Safety Campaign web page.  Take a few minutes to visit this site and at least look at the videos.  As I write this, the featured video is about wearing a seat belt, but there is a very good one about texting and driving in the center of the page called "Texting and Driving Destroys Lives."  I know that as an educator my first thought is getting this message to the students, but these messages are good for everyone.  For many of us adults, we may not maneuver our vehicle recklessly, but we may be just as careless if we are distracted.  If I text and drive, am I any better than I was as a teen?  Click here to visit the site.

Instant Alert Communication System

At the school, we are always trying to find ways to better communicate with parents.  This has been a concern for decades.  We have parent/teacher conferences, Friday Folders, parent meetings, and mail information home.  With the increase of technology tools, we have tried to increase communication using technology.  Doing so provides more timely notification, and it saves the expense of several mailings.  To this end, we have implemented the Power School student management system, which allows parents instant access to student grades and attendance.  It also provides email links to teachers.  We are now adding another tool to help communicate better with parents.  It is the Honeywell Instant Alert for Schools.  This technology allows us to use the contact information parents/students provide to send an automated message of important school related information such as school closings or delays.  We are just getting started with this system so use will be limited at first.  Parents will receive a test call in mid January and the system will be up and running shortly thereafter.  The links below contain more information about this system. 
Parent Letter from Ms. Bunker, Superintendent   
Frequently Asked Questions for Parents          
                                                                                   

                                                                   

Dress Code Clarification

January 3, 2012

SHS Students and Parents:

We want to wish you all a Happy New Year!  We hope you had a wonderful holiday break and are eager to jump back in to school as we continue this second trimester.  We are writing to share with you some information and clarification about the SHS dress code as described in the student handbook.  Although our existing dress code covers the majority of what is deemed inappropriate for school attire, there are always new trends popping up, and currently there are a couple that do not meet the handbook language which states that clothing should be “modest” and not “suggestive or revealing”.  This is not a new policy, but new trends are requiring us to remind students and parents to ensure adherence to the existing one.  In the case that clothing is deemed too tight, too revealing of undergarments or the lack thereof, and/or drawing of attention as a result, it is not considered modest and can be disruptive to the educational process.

It is with this in mind, that we are sending clarification on the recent trends in our young ladies' attire that have increased the wearing of off-the-shoulder and one-shoulder tops and spandex pants, leggings, or tights worn as pants without being covered to mid-thigh.  We believe these items are not appropriate for school for the reasons stated above, and we will enforce the “dress code” accordingly.

Some have tried to label the issue as one with "yoga pants," and though some yoga pants do contain spandex and are inappropriate for students to wear to school, some are cotton without spandex and are acceptable to wear as pants. These are not the items of concern.  At this time and unless this becomes an issue of confusion, we do not foresee a blanket statement prohibiting "yoga pants," though through our research on this issue, we have found a number of schools that have.  Students should know that spandex, tights, spandex/form-fitting yoga pants, exercise pants or leggings may not be worn unless there is a garment worn over them that meets the mid-thigh length requirement.  In the case that a student's clothing does not meet the expectations, we will handle the situation the same way we do every question of clothing appropriateness: by pulling the student aside, privately indicating the issue with the clothing that does not meet code, and asking the student to change or call for a change of clothing before returning to class. This being said, students are expected to learn from such a situation and not have a repeat incident of this nature; therefore, repeated offenses against a reasonable request will be considered an act of insubordination.

We believe we live in an exceptional community with smart young people who come from families that value education.

Thank you for your continued support of our school and our efforts to ensure the best quality educational experience for your son/daughter.

Respectfully,

Mr. Bush and Ms. Bridges

Helping Parents Navigate Technology with Their Kids

I have two kids.  I know it can be very difficult to navigate the many issues related to the use of technology.  There is cyber-stalking, social networking drama, pornography, and other dangers related to technology.  It seems very difficult to keep kids from finding ways to get to inappropriate sites and using social technology irresponsibly.  My wife is the Media Specialist at Shepherd High School.  Consequently, she seeks information about media/technology resources.  She offers support to teachers, students, and parents.  She came across the article .xxx won’t make porn more accessible IF… .  I thought it might be a good one for parents to review.  I hope there is something in this article that you find helpful! Click the article to hyperlink to it.

New Single Parent Access For Power School

New Power School Parent Access Setup

Power school has had an upgrade that allows parents to have a single personal log-in for all of their students.  In the past, parents had to have a separate log-in and password for each student.  The link below is a tutorial on how to set up the new parent access.  The tutorial walks you through the entire process and is very good.  It is under five minutes, but will give you all that you need to set up this access.

You will need your old parent log-in and password.  This is now considered the “access key”.  This is what you will use to link your new account to your student.  If you have difficulty, please contact the office for assistance. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk9UBBJ4BP8

MACUL 2011

I am at the 2011 MACUL (Michigan Association of Computer Users in Learning) conference.  This is always a good conference.  Shepherd Public Schools has always placed a priority on the use of technology.  This conference helps provide ideas, tools, and connections that help promote the use the technology to enhance instruction.  SPS has high school teachers, elementary teachers, and building administrators here.  Thankfully, we are able to use federal Title IIa funds to send people to this conference.  It is very big.  There are over 4,000 participates at this conference!  It will be interesting to see what is brought back from this year's conference that will improve instruction back in the buildings.