News and events from Field Kindley

 

 

 

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

 

Accreditation Successful!

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

            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 Assessments

            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.

 

Prom

   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!

 

Teacher of the Month

            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.

 

500 Wins!

            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 Field Kindley High School.

 

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 Verdigris River to local tribes, traders, and trappers at 3:00 pm at the Brown Mansion, Eldridge and Walnut.  The festival will continue at 4:00 pm until 8:00 pm at the Native American Fellowship Building in South Coffeyville with a free hog fry and Cherokee dance demonstration by the Red Clay Society youth dance group from Jay, OK.  The first 300 people will receive a ticket for the dinner.  

In August 2009, Coffeyville Indian Education students will be displaying their art at the Coffeyville Cultural Arts Center, 912 South Walnut.

Coffeyville Indian Education has partnered with Native American Fellowship, Inc., Coffeyville Historical Society, and Coffeyville Cultural Arts Center to make these events possible.  Please come join the fun! 

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.   

 

 

Excused Absences

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.

 

Sign Out Procedures

            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.

 

FKHS SENIOR INFORMATION

     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 Student Nutrition Center behind Roosevelt.    A wide variety of awards will be recognized from

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 Coffeyville Community College next year are encouraged to speak with a CCC advisor about sports and activity scholarships.

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 LeClere Park, in Coffeyville, KS.  This will be a good time for you to catch up with all of the former players and to see the program as it is today.  If you would like to contact Coach Ed Raschen his number to the school is 620-252-6410 ext 14209.  He can be reached by email at raschene@cvilleschools.com. 

        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 High School from senior club members, and toured the Career and Tech Education classrooms.  A luncheon was held for all Field Kindley staff from 11:00 – 1:00 in the FKHS library.

    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 Coffeyville businesses as one of their FKHS classes.  Students completing the pathway requirements are called “Concentrators” and receive recognition for their course work at senior recognition programs and graduation.  Decorated tables of these corresponding cluster organizations were highlighted on Jan. 29  with representatives available for information: HOSA (Health Occupations of America), DECA (Distributive Education of America), FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America), FACS (Family and Consumer Science) FFA (Future Farmers of America), and SKILLS USA.

     The Kansas Career Cluster mission and vision is to use career cluster education to support workforce preparation, economic development and educational reform.  Students at Field Kindley High School are exposed to regular career awareness activities in each grade level.  Each student completes three career inventories through the Kansas Career Pipeline program provided as a free service to schools.  With the help of the inventories and interest preference, students declare one of the sixteen pathways as their focus each spring to assist enrollment in elective classes for the next year.  Advisors and instructors work with each student to create an academic and career focused plan of study which will enhance the student’s education for future endeavors.  Mastery of core academic skills and career competencies are structured within an area of interest.  The key to this approach is to provide students with relevant contexts for learning and link what students learn in school with the knowledge and skills they need for success in college and future careers.  With this extra career focus Field Kindley students will remain engaged and be encouraged to remain in school, help them to understand how academics can be applied to “real-world” situations and employment as well as provide the gateway to postsecondary education preparing students for further study and careers.   The Career

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.