Start of the 2012-2013 School Year - Parent Letter

August 2, 2012

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s):

What seems like a short time ago, we eagerly entered into the summer by closing another school year.  The administrative and office staff members have been working hard during the summer to complete year-end reports and plan for the upcoming school year.  Now, as summer begins to give way to fall, it is time, once again, to provide information that will hopefully ensure that the beginning of the school year goes very smoothly.

Students should have their schedules and locker assignment with this mailing.  It is important to note that the drop and add process is the same as it was last year.  Meetings with a counselor are being arranged by appointment only.  Students/parents should call the high school office and sign up for an appointment time to speak with a counselor.  The appointments are being scheduled for Tuesday, August 21^st through Thursday, August 23^rd from 8:00 – 2:30.  Additional times may be added if needed.  More specific details can be found on the high school web site.  Students should be aware that they will not be able to change classes after these dates unless one of several criteria is met.  These criteria are in the student handbook.  Students should see a counselor during this time if they have any questions.  During that same time, new students can meet with a counselor for new student scheduling. 

The building will be open on the dates above for new students so they can pay their book deposit and check on their locker assignment.  Students should take care of their book deposit before school begins to ensure that they are able to receive all of their text books.  The book deposit is $10.00 and is refunded when a student graduates or leaves SHS.  Checks should be made out to Shepherd High School or you should have exact change.  If a student paid his/her deposit but has a media center fine, he/she needs to pay the fine before they will be able to check out a text.  This year we are not requiring a parking pass for the student lots.  Students may park in the lot on the west side of the building and the lot on the south-west corner of Hall and Fourth Street.

Parents with students who attended Shepherd High School or Middle School should remember that we have a student management system that has a Student/Parent Portal that allows parents/students to check student progress and attendance.  For those who do not have a user id and password, you should be able to click the link on the high school page and follow the prompts to create an account.  Power School has added a good feature that should help parents with more than one student in Shepherd schools.  Parents will be able to have a single “parent login” that is linked to all of their students so you will not have a separate login for each student.  If you have any trouble, please contact the office.  Enclosed with this letter is a “Request For Progress Report” form.  Because parents can access grades at any moment through Power School, we no longer send a hard copy progress report through the mail.  The new student management technology not only gives parents and students instant access, but it enables us to save postage cost by not sending progress cards through the mail.  However, some may wish to receive a hard copy or may not have access to the Internet (Power School).  In this case, please return the “Request For Progress Report” form so we know that you wish to have a hard copy mailed home.  We only send progress reports home for students who are achieving below a 70%.  We create a list of these students and compare that to those who want a hard copy that is then mailed.  We will also mail home report cards to everyone at the end of each trimester. 

The first day of school is a half day on September 4^th starting at 8:05 with a brief assembly.  The opening assembly will take place in the auditorium.  The first day is a half day for students, and there is a predesigned half day schedule that we will follow.  Students will be release at 11:05 on the first day.  Students should bring their enclosed schedule with them when they come to school on the first day as we will not have reprinted copies available.  Please be aware that students will receive a student handbook on the first day and the contents will be reviewed.  The student handbook will also be posted to the web site for your reference.

The athletics department is once again offering passes for 2012-2013 sports.  Family passes are $150 and includes immediate family, but excludes post high school children/siblings.  An individual pass is $90, and a student pass is $60.   Please be aware that these passes do not include tournaments including SHS invitational and state tournaments. These passes can be purchased in the high school counseling office between the hours of 7:00 - 2:30.  Please make checks payable to Shepherd Athletics or have the correct amount.  The office does not have money to make change. 

Daily student announcements and updates related to the building are posted by 9:30 a.m. on the high school web page, http://shepherd.edzone.net/hs/index.php.  Please use this resource to remain informed about building activities and important dates.  We have also added a Parent Resource Center link on our website.  The Parent Resource Center will have information that will help parents support their son/daughter’s educational and social development. There is also a link to my blog which will have information about school events and helpful information about the state of education at Shepherd High School and the state.  The blog link is http://shepherdhigh.blogspot.com/.  This blog has an RSS feed so if you utilize an RSS reader, you can have updates automatically post to your RSS reader. 

We look forward to another great school year and to having the school busy with students, parents and teachers once again.  Shepherd Public School is a great school in a great community.  Student, parents, community, and staff working together make the difference that ensures that students meet their highest potential.

Sincerely,

 

Douglas J. Bush

Principal

Smart Phone Alert

I received the following from one of my teachers.  I thought is was worth passing on, especially to parents!  Please take note of the following.  I know I have had this happen to me.


This is alarming!

As with all new gadgets, there is almost always a pitfall of some sort
and this one falls well into that category.

Apparently, makers of many smart phones decided it would be a really
neat idea to embed location information into the pictures you take
with your smart phones such as GPS coordinates of the location of the
picture.  It's called Geotagging and there are browser plug-in's and
web sites devoted to showing a map of where the picture was taken.
It's a really neat feature if you work for National Geographic and
need to know where that picture of the Lion was when you return to
your office.  However, when you randomly post things online and
someone with malicious intent decides they want to find you or your
children in the picture, they can get a very detailed map to your home
or wherever the picture was taken.

The average person should disable this feature on your phones to
eliminate the threat.

This is an interesting read on the subject from the Privacy Rights
Clearing house:
http://www.privacyrights.org/geotagging-privacy

Below is the warning I received and a news video also explaining the threat.

Warning" If you, your kids or grand kids take pics from your
phone---WATCH THIS!

This is truly alarming - please take the time to watch. At the end
they'll tell you how to set your phone so you don't run this risk!
I want everyone of you to watch this and then be sure to share with
all your family and friends. It's REALLY important info, about what
your posting things on your cell phones can do TO YOU!!!

PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO WATCH THIS VIDEO, AND TAKE THE RECOMMENDED PRECAUTIONS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2vARzvWxwY

PLEASE PASS THIS INFO TO ANYONE YOU KNOW WHO TAKES PICTURES WITH THEIR
CELL OR SMART PHONE AND POSTS THEM ONLINE.

Q&A With Representative Kevin Cotter

The Shepherd delegation to Youth In Government was pleased to have the opportunity to meet with Representative Kevin Cotter. Representative Cotter is a graduate of Shepherd High School. He offered to provide a pizza dinner for the Shepherd and Beal City students at the conference and to answer questions from the delegations. Everything went very well and the students had some great questions. It was very nice that Representative Cotter would take the time to meet with these students. It was a very good experience for them and it was much appreciated.

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