On school matters…

Hi, I’m Vice-Principal Steve Wilder. I’ll be posting thoughts and information related to school policies and things going on at U-High. If you have a question please click on “Leave a Comment” and I’ll do my best to answer!

In the past, grades were not as accessible as they are now through such means as Family Access and Student Access. As a result, schools regularly sent grades home every 4-5 weeks to provide parents/guardians with a means to track their student’s progress. In our system based on semesters (as opposed to a Block schedule or trimesters), that means sending home progress reports 4-5 weeks after the quarter has started, quarter grades at the mid-term of the semester, progress reports again midway through the 2nd and 4th quarters, and then the grades at the end of the semester which are the only grades that end up on a student transcript. All progress reports, mid-term grades, and quarter grades are provided to parents to allow them to follow their students progress and are not included on official transcripts. Again, parents/guardians and students now have the ability to check grades whenever they wish using Family and Student Access.

Great question, especially for those of you who are new at this (thanks for the question on the blog!). All of our teachers will be in the Lounge or Large Gym arranged by Department (with the exception of the Freshman Program teachers who will be in the gym together). Teachers are available on a first-come, first-served basis. It looks a little like college registration before computers, but it works well and allows parents to talk with the teachers they need to see and not set up a conference with all the teachers at once (which can be difficult to accommodate for all our students). Conferences will be held this Wednesday (November 4) starting at 3:00. There will be a one hour dinner break at 5:00, then conference will resume at 6:00 and end at 8:00. We will be available to point you in the right direction throughout the evening. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact us in the Main Office.

We are working to expedite the arrival of the 2008-2009 yearbooks as best we can; as of today we do not have a delivery date. We appreciate everyone’s patience and we will announce when they can be picked up as soon as they have arrived.

Absolutely, the work in the large gym was finished ahead of schedule and it was used for the first time this school year on Tuesday (Oct. 20). Because of the nice weather on Tuesday, the P.E. classes were outside, but the Girls volleyball team celebrated Senior Night with a win over Eureka on their home floor.

Yes, students are allowed to wear hats in school, provided the hat is appropriate. There are occasions where a faculty member or administrator may ask you to remove it temporarily (during the Pledge of Allegiance or singing of the National Anthem), but as long as it is appropriate, wearing hats is perfectly acceptable.

The tailgate held in Horton Fieldhouse on the evening of the varsity football game of Homecoming week is sponsored by the U-High Alumni Association. All are welcome to attend, there is plenty of food to go around (tickets for food can be purchased at the tailgate), U-High apparel to purchase, and friends to socialize with.

Beginning this week, work began in the Large Gym. The first task entailed removing all the damaged portions of the floor, both the surface layers of maple and the underlying layer as needed. That is complete. The next phase entailed replacement of the areas that were removed which is complete as well. The next phase will entail sanding the entire floor in preparation to repaint all of the lines and graphics, then apply the final finish. They hope to begin preparations for sanding the floor today and completed the sanding by Monday (October 5). Our expectation is that we will be ready to use the floor by November 1, and this progress is very positive. Stay tuned for more updates!

Game jerseys are purchased by the school to be worn by athletes for athletic contests. Wearing a uniform is an honor reserved for athletes who have earned their position on a particular team. While we appreciate the interest of our students in supporting their peers by “wearing their number” or wearing their jersey at a different event, there are other ways that we are asking fans and friends to show their support for a team or particular athlete. For example, our Booster Club offers a wide variety of U-High apparel that can be worn to show support for our school and our teams.

In addition to the privilege given to athletes, replacing uniforms that are lost, stolen, or damaged can be costly. Often the cost of replacing a single uniform is significantly higher than buying a single uniform when a set of them is replaced. Because of that higher cost, we are taking steps to make sure that the uniforms we have will last us as long as possible.

Again, we appreciate your interest in cheering on the Pioneers and encourage you to contact the Booster Club if you wish to purchase  other U-High apparel to wear at games.

Go U!

In an effort to help us fight the spread of germs which can cause illness, ISU has installed hand sanitizer stations around the building, primarily close to entrances. Washing your hands, or using hand sanitizer, is one of the most effective means of stopping the spread of germs from person to person. If you notice a station is empty, please notify the Main Office so we can ensure it is refilled as soon as possible.

If you ever experience a problem with Blackboard, you can notify our Technology Director, Jim Kurz. You may also want to contact any of your instructors that may have posted an assignment on Blackboard to be proactive in informing them that you have been having trouble accessing the site. There are times when Blackboard is ianctive for maintenance or updates. We will try to communicate those “outages” as best we can using the website.