volume 13, number 7 from the desk of the ... - mcas.k12.in.us
TRANSCRIPT
Page 1 March 2021
Volume 13, Number 7
In This Issue
From the Interim Principal
Counselors’ Corner
From the Treasurer
Open Door
Students of the Month
Rising Stars
Honor Roll
FACS Department
Art Department
Music Department
Early College
Science Department
JROTC
Club Inspire
Dates to Remember
Contact Us
Comments? Suggestions?
Contact Joyce Westphal
Welcome to March, Wolves! We had a successful end to February and are finally back in school 5 days a week! We are grateful for the hard work our teachers and support staff do everyday to ensure that we can remain in the classroom through the end of the school year! While February was full of transitions, March is full of activities all around MCHS! Starting March 2nd, current freshman, sophomores and juniors will complete the course request process for next school year. Counselors will meet with freshman and sophomores during Wolf Pack Hours and juniors during English classes. We invite our families to review our Course Guide Book, located on MCHS website, to explore all the great course offerings MCHS has to offer. Students will be scheduling on the following dates:
Freshman: March 2nd & 3rd
Sophomores: March 4th & 5th
Juniors: March 8th & 9th
Current 8th Graders at BMS/KMS: March 10th MCAS Online Students: March 10th & 11th Students will be scheduling on our new student information system, Pow-erSchool! Additionally, March brings us the final stretch of our winter athletic season. Josiah Miller competed at the diving state final the last weekend in Febru-ary. Starting on March 2nd, MCHS will host the boy’s basketball sectional series, with MCHS Wolves taking on Plymouth in the opening round on Tuesday, March 2nd. MCHS will also host the regional boys basketball event on Saturday, March 13th. Be sure to check out all of the great athlet-ic events happening on our MC athletic webpage. MCHS will be starting an after school acceleration program on March 8th for students who did not earn credit in courses during the 2020 fall semester. Students are being invited to stay after school Monday-Thursday, 2:30-5pm to work with teachers on completing coursework and demonstrating content proficiency to earn the academic credit. Students that participate in the program will receive prizes for each credit earned March 8th-June 9th and will be entered into a grand prize drawing. Students and parents will receive invitations to the program via email. Please contact your school counselor or assistant principal for more information.
As a reminder, the third quarter of the 2020-21 school year ends March 19th. Progress reports will be available in Parent Access the following week.
Lastly, as the warm weather dawns, we want to remind everyone that daily school attendance is essential to sustained academic success. Whether online or in-person, students achieve at higher levels when they have con-sistent access to teachers and peers. If your student needs to be absent for any reason, please contact our attendance secretary, Kelli Kelly, within 24 hours of the absence by calling the main office. Please also note that early
From the Desk of the Interim Principal...
March 2021
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dismissals will not be granted during the last 30 minutes of the school day, starting at 1:45pm. Please be sure to call early in the day if you need your child released early from school. Julie Fregien, Interim Principal
Counselors’ Corner
March is going to be a very busy month in the Guidance Of-fice. Scheduling for the 21-22 school year will begin this month for both in person and online students. Counselors will be meet-ing with all in person students to guide them through the process and will meet by zoom in English classes with our online stu-dents. Students will be asked to select 7 classes as well as 3 al-ternative courses. The course guide book for the 21-22 school year is available on the high school website. Please start to pe-ruse the courses available and discuss these with your child. All schedules must be entered into the computer by March 15. The state of Indiana now requires the Class of 21 and the Class of 22 to either pass ISTEP or complete the requirements of the Graduation Pathway. The class of 23 and beyond have to com-plete the Graduation Pathway in order to graduate in Indiana. Be sure to refer to the requirements of the Graduation Pathway as you and your student discuss course options for next year. March 17 is the ASVAB for juniors and seniors who have not passed ISTEP or have not completed Bucket 3 of the Graduation Pathway. The test will be held the morning of March 17 in the gymnasium. Speaking of tests….March 13 MCHS will be hosting the SAT test. Students must have registered with the College Board previ-ously in order to attend. Students may go to www.collegeboard.org to check for upcoming opportunities. The ACT will be administered April 17. Students can go to www.actstudent. Org for information on testing dates, sites, and deadlines. The end of the 3rd quarter is quickly approaching. Please encour-age your student to attend all classes and complete all assign-ments on time. Please feel free to reach out to the teachers or your child’s school counselor if you have any questions.
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From the Treasurer
The 2020/2021 Textbook Rental Fees statements for 2nd semes-ter have been mailed out. REMINDER: You are able to view your fees and pay by credit/debit in your Parent Access. When you log in, you will select the “pay here” located under your child's photo/name. Be sure to enter your correct billing info when you enter your credit/debit. Other payment options are to mail a check or money order to MCHS/TEXTBOOK RENTAL or by check, cash, or money order at the treasurer's office. IMPORTANT INFORMATION CONCERNING TEXTBOOK RENTAL ASSISTANCE! All students at Michigan City Area Schools will receive meals at no charge because of the Community Eligibility Program (CEP)! Stu-dents still need funds in their cafeteria account for extra milk or a la carte items. Because of this program, parents no longer need to apply for meal assistance. However, parents MUST still apply for Textbook Rental Assistance. The Textbook/Curricular Materials Assistance application is part of the online registration for all students. If you did not com-plete the form for this when registering your child, you can com-plete an application at any time. To apply for Textbook assis-tance: log in to Parent Access, select your child, and choose the Registration tab at the top of the screen. Click on the link for Textbook Assistance to enter your information. Parents must apply for textbook rental assistance EACH school year. Because situations change, families may apply at any time during the year. If you receive Food Stamps or TANF you may al-ready be pre-approved for Textbook Assistance. New students to Michigan City Area Schools must complete an application even if they were approved in their old school corporation. SENIOR PARENTS-IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR 2020/2021 Information for past due Textbook Rental and Chromebook fees was mailed home at the beginning of the school year. If you have past due fees please pay these as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please call the treasurer at 219-873-2044 ext 4305.
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Students of the Month
LEADERS OF THE PACK - JANUARY
Art Department - Cheyenne Stepanovich Business Department - Eusebio Ramos Credit Recovery - Kirsten Schimnoski English Department - Antona Hernandez FACS Department - Connor Waltz JROTC - William Parsley-Tate Math Department - Michelle Ramirez Music Department - Nevaeh Briggs PE/Health Department - Tyler Bush Science Department - Aryanna Hartsburg Social Studies Department - Christian Messenger Student Support Services - Lukas Charles Tech.Ed./Voc.Ed. Department - Lukas Swistek World Languages Department - Julia Zerbes
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Rising Stars of Indiana
The Indiana Association of School Principals recognized 1,146 juniors from 291 schools in Indiana as Rising Stars of Indiana - Class of 2022!
CONGRATULATIONS on this achievement to the following:
L to R: Savannah Holley, Charlotte Bartlett, Alyssa Shaia and Kaylee Shank - pictured with Ms. Fregien, Interim Principal
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Principal’s Honor Roll
Congratulations to the 100 students that made the Principal’s Honor Roll for the grading period. To qualify for the principal’s honor roll you must have all A’s in every subject.
Check our website for the listing of names.
33 - Freshmen
15 - Sophomores
30 - Juniors
22 - Seniors
Academic Honor Roll
Congratulations to the 284 students that made the Academic Honor Roll for the grading period. To qualify for the academic honor roll students must have a 3.0 grade point average. A student will not be eligible for the academic honor roll if they earn a grade of below a C on their report card.
Check our website for the listing of names.
70 - Freshmen
87 - Sophomores
57 - Juniors
70 - Seniors
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FACS Department
Nutrition and Wellness are currently learning about the Nu-trition Guidelines. They will learn how to use the MyPlate food guidance system to make healthy eating choices. Also, equivalent amounts are used to estimate portion size for each of the five food groups. Did you know that one pack of Maruchan Chicken Ramen Noodles Soup is two servings? Most of the students were amazed to find out this information. Many of them state that they eat two packs at a time which is equivalent to four servings.
Advanced Nutrition and Wellness They have just complete Chapter 3, which is about Basic Skills and Equipment. They learned the correct way to measure liquid, dry and moist ingredients for use in recipes. They can identify some small kitch-en utensils and know their functions, and demonstrate necessary knife skills. They cut up potatoes, onions, carrots, lettuce, and tomatoes. They used most of the vegetables to make a healthy salad. Advanced N&W Online Class Cutting Vegetables Intro to Culinary They have been learning about meats and poultry and how to in-spect them, and the cuts and grades. The students disjointed a whole chicken.
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Art Department
The Photo III students have been working on Abstract Reflection photography. Abstract art is art that does not attempt to repre-sent an accurate depiction of a visual reality but instead reduces the subject to shapes, colors, forms and gestural marks to achieve its effect. Students used mirrors, glasses of water, crystal balls, textured glass, and Christmas ornaments to reflect the sub-ject to help make it abstract. It's a challenging assignment but the students did a great job. Photos by Jenna Bilek:
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Music Department
The Music Department is currently selling their SUPER SAVING CARDS. For $10 the pur-chaser receives discounts at many local restau-rants and stores throughout Michigan City and LaPorte for an entire year. Please see a mem-ber of the choir or band department to purchase your card. Due to Covid, all sales will take place online this year through a website and the cards will be mailed directly to the purchaser. If you
have any questions, please contact Michelle Howisen (High School Choir Director) at 873-2044 x4401. The choir and band departments submitted 30 student auditions for the Virtual ISSMA District Solo and Ensemble Competition. Results will be forthcoming. Good luck to all of these perform-ers!
Early College
Each Grading Period, the Michigan City Early College freshmen team selects outstanding students for the ALPHA and WOLF Awards. The ALPHA Award goes to the student who had the high-est grade out of all of the freshmen in the four core Early College classes. The WOLF Award goes to the student who not only has shown academic success but also integrity, grit, kindness, helpful-ness, and is an all-around exemplary Early College student. Congratulations to the following students: ALPHA Award Recipients WOLF Award Algebra - Lamaryia Havis Gavin Baldwin Biology - Dion Smith Quinn Folino English - Emilie Rice Janelys Fonseca AP Human Geography - Derrick Coleman Natalie Herbert Gerzey Lewalski Kamar Scully
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Science Department
With the return to in-person school, Science Club meetings have begun again. Science Club is a place where students who share a love of experimenting and experiencing science can get together to socialize. Our numbers are usually small due to transportation issues, but we have a lot of fun together. On February 25, 2021 four of us burned charcoal, steel wool, sul-phur, and magnesium ribbon in pure oxygen. The oxygen gas was a product of a manganese dioxide catalyzed potassium chlo-rate decomposition. Needless to say we experienced white light with our eyes closed and more. Future adventures this year may include, and are not limited to: building electronic kits, kite flying, rocket building and launching, making ice cream, a paper airplane contest, and much more. Join us. We meet Thursdays after school. Listen for the an-nouncements. Any questions, stop by Room A248 and see Mr. Marz.
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JROTC
MCHS MCJROTC STRIVES FOR NORMALCY
The cadets of the Michigan City High School (MCHS) Marine Corps Junior Re-serve Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC) have strove to regain a sense of normalcy since the return to in-person school. The routine of weekly uniform inspections, physical training and military drill are now back in place in addition to academics. “It was great to get back into the usual swing of things,” said Cadet Captain Jessica Wilhelm, the program’s commanding of-
ficer. “I really missed the hands-on activ-ities like drill and PT (physical training) that I was used to my first three years.” Wilhelm plans on enlisting in the Air Force for welding. She would receive a significant pay increase by virtue of her JROTC experience. Cadets on the Military Drill Team are also refamiliarizing themselves to the 5:45 am
practices. “It is tough waking up early af-ter the much-later routine of being on-line,” said cadet First Lieutenant Declan Rice, the unit’s executive officer. “But once you are here, it gets the blood going, and is a great way to start the day.” MCHS will host a Military Drill Meet on March 20th. It is be-lieved to be the first such competition in Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland since the pandemic started last March. The cadets continue to support MCHS ac-tivities. In February, cadets provided Color
Guards for home basketball games and helped set-up gymnastics meets. In March, cadets will provide Color Guards for the four Sectional Boys Basketball nights and for the Regional Boys Basketball semi-finals and finals, as well as support for parking for the many spectators expected for that tourna-ment.
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Dates to Remember
03/01 E-learning Day
03/09 Honor Society Induction - 6pm
03/13 SAT testing
03/14 Daylight Saving Time Starts
3/17 ASVAB Testing
03/19 End of Grading Period 3
04/02 Spring break begins
04/09 Spring break ends
04/17 ACT testing