Field Kindley High School
Newsletter
March, 2009
Greetings, and
welcome to another installment of the FKHS newsletter. Each newsletter is
designed to describe recent happenings and make parents aware of upcoming
events. Responses or further questions are encouraged. Please email me at smithben@cvilleschools.com
Thanks to the efforts of teachers and students, Field Kindley High Schools was awarded accreditation for the next 5 years. To be accredited is significant because it allows our students to attend colleges and universities who require graduation from accredited institutions. It means that we have the type of rigor and preparation that institutes of higher learning are looking for. It also means that the focus on learning for all students, including job and career oriented graduates, is on the right path. The process for the accreditation visit lasted for just over a year and required many hours of dedication from many teachers in the building. In addition to meeting with teachers, the visitation team interviewed parents, students, support staff, and school leadership groups. As a building principal, this is perhaps the most significant item that I can highlight that relates to the effectiveness of our school, and ranks on a level equal to earning a standard of excellence from the Kansas State Department of Education or a state championship through the Activities Association.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Conferences this semester for FKHS students and parents are scheduled for Tuesday, March 17th from 4:00 – 7:30, and Thursday March 19th from 4:00 – 7:00 in the gymnasium. This is a great opportunity to (re)establish contact with your student’s teachers. This is also a time to ask questions that help you know what the expectations are for the year. Instead of asking a general question, such as, “How is she doing?” consider the five following questions during your visit:
1. What skills and knowledge will my child be expected to master this year?
2. How will my child be evaluated?
3. What can I do to stay more involved in my child's academic progress?
4. How do you accommodate differences in learning?
5. How are older students prepared for further learning after high school?
Spring Break this year will be from Friday, March 20th through Sunday, March 29th. The first day of break is the day after parent/teacher conferences conclude. Students need to be back in school ready to learn on Monday, March 30th.
State assessment time is here again! This is the most crucial element in how our school is judged by the public and by the department of education. Teachers have been working hard to prepare students by engaging them in meaningful course work dedicated to addressing a variety of learning styles. Juniors this year will take the state reading, writing, science, and social science assessments, and some will take the math assessment. Sophomores will be taking the state math assessment. It is important for parents to support teachers and the school by stressing to their students how important it is for students to do their best on the assessments. Lots of rest, healthy breakfasts, and preparation time are all necessary in creating an environment where students can be as successful as possible on these important assessments.
The Field Kindley Junior/Senior Prom will be held Saturday, April 25, 2009 at the Field Kindley gym. The theme for this year is “Here’s to the Night” with a color scheme of black, silver, lavender and pink. Cost will be $25.00 per couple or $15.00 for singles and tickets may be purchased beginning on April 13. Out of school guests must be pre-approved by the FKHS administration. No one twenty-one or older may attend, nor Roosevelt nor LINC students. School administration reserves the right to deny admittance to prom for any attire deemed inappropriate in a school setting.
The junior class has been working to raise funds, choose decorations and create an elegant, safe atmosphere for students to enjoy. The “Walk In” is scheduled to begin at 7:45 on the front lawn. Students will arrive in various means of transportation and walk up the front sidewalk to be admired in their formal attire. Names will be announced before entering the dance. There will also be an open house from 2:00 –4:00 for the public to view the decorations. Everyone is invited to attend.
An “After Prom” event is being planned for the students as well. More information will be handed out in April!
Congratulations to Mr. Jimmy Littleford on being selected as the FKHS teacher of the month for February! Mr. Littleford, who teaches PE and helps to coach football, basketball and track, was nominated by his fellow teachers and voted on by the students. The teacher of the month recognition was created by the building leadership team as a way to recognize teachers for their hard work, dedication to students, and their effect on student learning.
In a head
coaching career dating back to 1975, Coach Dan Wall has earned an astounding
500 victories. The magic number came in a victory at home on February 20th
against Parsons. Of these wins, 222 have come while leading
Indian
Education News
Coffeyville
Indian Education would like to invite the community to the last two Cherokee
Nation Learn and Serve Cherokee Heritage Festivals on April 4 and May
9, 2009. Cherokee Nation Learn and Serve Project is a service-learning project involving
Coffeyville Pre-K to 12th grade Native American students in USD
445. Our project is titled “Ga Du Gi” or Working
Together. These students are
participating in various service activities designed to develop a sense of
cultural identity and promote community collaboration. The project goal is to increase knowledge and
understanding of Cherokee history, culture, language and customs.
At the
April 4th Cherokee Heritage Festival, students will be demonstrating and
teaching various Cherokee crafts and games from 4:00 pm
until 5:15 pm at the Native American Fellowship Building, 215 Oklahoma
Street, South Coffeyville, OK. Free Indian Taco dinner will be served to
the first 200 people at 5:30 with a stomp dance demonstration following.
The May 9th
event will begin with a Cherokee Historical Sign dedication commemorating the
Cherokee Strip and the importance of the
In August
2009, Coffeyville Indian Education students will be displaying their art at the
Coffeyville
Indian Education has partnered with Native American Fellowship, Inc.,
Coffeyville Historical Society, and
Coffeyville
Indian Education is funded by three federal grants: Office of Indian
Education for $92,501, Johnson-O'Malley Cherokee Nation Co-Partner Program for
$7,900, and Cherokee Nation Learn and Serve for $15,000.
When your child
needs to miss school, please remember to call the school or provide a note
within 24 hours of your student returning to school. Please understand that absences
can only be excused by school administrators, and can only do so based on
proper documentation. The following is a list of acceptable reasons to miss
school:
Student illness Court
appearances or hearings
Doctor’s
appointment, including mental health
Family emergency Extenuating
circumstances
Please remember that a phone call from a
parent is not enough to excuse an absence, but is a necessary piece of
documentation for administrators to make the decision to excuse. The expectation from the school, the school
board, and the courts is that students come to school on time and attend every
class.
Students who need to leave the
building for any reason are required to sign out at the front desk with Mrs.
Rising or Ms. Lanning. This is done as a safety precaution that lets us know
what time a student left, and where they are going. Students leaving for
college classes or OJT are also required to sign out each time they leave, and
sign in when they return. If you need to pick up your student, school policy
requires that you enter the building to sign your student out. This is done to
make sure that students are leaving only with parents or designated
individuals. If you are physically unable to enter the building, a school official
will escort your student to your car to verify that they are leaving with a
legitimate adult. Again, please do not be surprised to receive a call from the
school to verify the request for a student to leave the building.
Seniors are reminded that the Senior Project Presentation is due April 3. Each student should be working with their advisor to complete their portfolio of information and to schedule a presentation time.
Community
Scholarship Applications have been dispersed to Community groups and results
will be announced May 1. Late
applications will still be accepted! The Senior Recognition program will be
held Wednesday May 6, 7:00 at the USD 445
Community Scholarships, CCC scholarships, outside scholarships, Career and Tech
Education Concentrator awards, Academic recognition and so on. We will celebrate the wonderful accomplishments achieved by the Field Kindley class of 2009!
Seniors who are
planning to attend
Each student must sign the offer form and return it to the college in order to have the scholarship in place. Enrollment for fall, 2009 CCC classes will begin mid April.
Seniors are encouraged to meet with their CCC Admissions representatives to enroll and to make a smooth transition. If you have any questions, please feel free to call the FKHS Guidance office or the CCC admissions office.
Alumni Baseball Game
The
Field Kindley High School Baseball program would like to invite any alum who
played baseball to our Alumni Baseball game.
This will take place on March 29th at 2:00 pm, at
FKHS Baseball “A
Whole New Tradition".
FKHS Career Awareness Day
Field Kindley High
School Guidance and Career and Technical Education Departments hosted a “Career
Awareness Day” on Thursday, Jan. 29. All
freshmen and sophomore students heard about classes and organizations available
highlighting the seven career pathways at
Field Kindley has embraced the nationally recognized sixteen career clusters model.
Currently, FKHS has seven of the sixteen career clusters developed
into student pathways with a sequence of classes available for each
pathway. The FKHS clusters are: Health Science; Marketing, Sales and Service;
Hospitality and Tourism; Education and Training; Agriculture, Food, and Natural
Resources; Arts, A/V Technology and Communications and Human Services. A
sequence of classes is provided for each pathway which leads to a possible On The Job Training capstone in their senior year. On The Job
Training students are placed in local
The Kansas Career
Cluster mission and vision is to use career cluster education to support
workforce preparation, economic development and educational reform. Students at
Cluster plan will provide seamless education for all students in pursuit of their academic and career goals.
Funding for the Career Cluster initiative is through the Carl D. Perkins federal grant of $28,820, the Perkins Reserve Federal Grant of $8,904 and the KSDE Career and Academic Education funds of $930,000. For more information on the sixteen Career Cluster initiatives, go to www.careerclusters.org. or the Kansas Department of Education website, www.ksde.org.