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 21st through Thursday, August 23rd 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 4th 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
