Shelby City Schools - Shelby Senior High

John Gies , Principal	Kevin Calver , Asst.Prin.
*419.342.5065 Phone*	*419.342.5065 Phone*
*419.342.5095 Fax*	*419.342.5095 Fax*
*(Click to email)*	*(Click to email)*

December 2009

SHELBY SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
PARENT NEWSLETTER.....

Upcoming Events:

Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009	Early Release SHS dismissed at 12:40
Monday, Dec. 14, 2009	Choir Concert 8:00 pm SMS
Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009	Student Council Dance 8-11 SHS Commons
Dec. 23, 2009-Jan.3, 2010	Christmas Break NO SCHOOL
Monday, Jan. 4, 2010	School resumes
Friday, Jan. 8, 2010	1st semester Final Exams End of 2nd quarter

TECHNOLOGY SURVEY
One of the major impacts in education is that we have to prepare students for the 21st Century, which means that schools need to change some of the ways we transfer information and work with students. We are trying to figure out just what technological resources our students, teachers, and parents have access to and a few other questions about technology. There is a survey that we are asking students, staff and parents to take. It does not take long and the results will be extremely helpful. The survey link is on the Shelby City Schools website at http://www.shelbyk12.org. You may also access the survey at http://www.speakup4schools.org/speakup2009/. The secret word to enter the survey is whippets2009. Please take a few minutes when you can to answer the questions. The survey is open until December 18th.

HOLIDAY BOOKFAIR
On Saturday, December 12, Shelby High School is celebrating literacy at our Barnes and Noble Bookfair. Families are invited to the Mansfield Barnes and Noble to shop for books, view an art show by SHS art students, and listen to songs from some of the Seussical Jr. cast. Throughout the day students, from the Teaching Professions class and the SHS Bookclub will be reading Christmas stories in the children’s section of Barnes and Noble and helping kids create a Christmas craft, so feel free to bring your kids while you shop!

Barnes and Noble will contribute a percentage of the sales from this day to our school library. This special offer includes all purchases in the store, including the coffee stand. All you have to do is bring the attached voucher when you go. If you forget it, just tell a cashier that you would like to support Shelby High School, and he or she will ensure that our school gets credit for your purchases. Remember, books make a wonderful Christmas gift!

SCARLET S YEARBOOK
Yearbooks can still be ordered at the price of $42.00 or $48.00 with name stamping until January 1st. After that date all books will increase to $47.00 or $53.00 with name stamping. As in the past, we will NOT order extra books. Please reserve your copy today!

A final reminder to all senior parents: senior and baby pictures need to be submitted via disk or email (no hard copies please) by January 1st. Please keep in mind that the last day of school before Christmas break is Tues. Dec. 22nd. You (or the photographer) can submit an email so she can respond to you. She will write you back with the procedure to forward your photos to her via email. Click on her name to send a form-based email to Amanda Mahon to initiate this process.

PDA's are still available for purchase to any senior parent. PDA's do make a nice gift for graduates! Contact Mrs. Mahon for more information.

GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT INFORMATION
Make sure that you are checking the Guidance Updates on the Shelby City Schools website. Mr. Grady does a tremendous job distributing information regarding scholarships and other types of financial aid. We will begin scheduling for the 2010-2011 school year sometime in February. The course description book that is on-line is in the process of being revised, but it could serve as a guideline if you are interested in looking at classes for next year. The career pathways section is also a good resource.

Attention Junior and Senior Parents - There will be a financial aid informational meeting on January 14 at 6:30 in the David A. Jones Little Theater. More information will follow, but please make plans to attend this very worthwhile and informative meeting.

ATTENDANCE CALLS
We have seen a steady number of students sick the past month. Please remember to keep your child at home if they are experiencing flu-like symptoms. If you are calling your son or daughter off school due to illness, please use the attendance phone line at 419-342-6584. This is a voice mail number, but Mrs. Kurtzman checks the messages several times a day. By using this number you are assured that your message will be taken by the person responsible for checking attendance.

SCHOOL CANCELLATION
Now that winter weather is upon us, it may be necessary to cancel school. Any school cancellation or delay will be posted first on the Shelby City Schools website at http://www.shelbyk12.org/ . You may also listen to the following radio stations:

WYHT- 105.3 FM	WMAN- 1400 AM	WSWR- 100.1 FM
WNCO- 101.3 FM	WNCO- 1340 AM	WVNO- 106.1 FM
(blank)	WRGM- 1440 AM	(blank)

You may also watch WMFD-TV Channel 15 or on the internet at
http://www.northcentralohio.com/ or http://www.am1400.com/ .
Remember also that there may be days where the road is slippery or there may be spots that are more dangerous than others. Please communicate with your child the importance of driving safely and leaving home early enough to make it safely to school.

END OF THE SEMESTER AND EXAMS
We will have final exams on January 8, which is the first Friday when we return from Christmas Break. Please make sure your child prepares for their final exams, which will count as 20% of their final grades. There is no special schedule for final exams since our block schedule allows ample time for testing. Some teachers may exempt students from the final exam if they earned an A in both the first and second quarter. There is a special form for parents to sign if a student is exempt from a final exam. These will be made available the week we return from break.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
On behalf of the staff and students at Shelby High School, we want to wish everyone a joyous holiday season. May your stockings be full of gifts and the time spent with your families be wonderful. Thank you for the opportunity to work with your children. Here’s to a happy 2010!

Sincerely,
John Gies, Principal

August 24, 2009
Welcome to the 2009-2010 school year! The start of a new year is always an exciting time. I especially love the first day of school. All of the planning and hard work that goes into each new year comes to fruition and we anxiously wait to see what surprises and challenges this year will bring.

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
-Wiliam Butler Yeats

These words may never be more true than today. Education in Ohio and in the United States is changing, and we are only beginning to scratch the surface. With the recent passage of the budget bill, the Governor and the Ohio General Assembly have made it clear that education in Ohio must improve. Many in education are resistant to change. We have been through a wide variety of new programs and policies and yet we see the same results. I am very proud of our success at Shelby Senior High School as well as the entire district, but sometimes success can make you less likely to embrace change. Nevertheless, these are exciting times in education and I am eager to work with our staff and students to continue the culture of excellence in the Shelby City Schools.

Yeats was right; education is about lighting the fire of knowledge. We know that students need to be more involved in their education and that they need to possess the ability to dig deeper and ask questions. Students in the near future will be able to earn credits by other means than sitting in the classroom. They will be expected to demonstrate their proficiency on a number of end of course exams instead of the Ohio Graduation Test. They will be required to prove that they are ready for college, and they will have to successfully complete a senior project before they will be allowed to graduate from high school. All of these things will require a concentrated effort among students, teachers, and parents.

I would like to challenge our parents again this year. Please become very involved in your child’s education. Many times we see close to one hundred percent attendance at elementary parent teacher conferences, yet we hardly see any parents at high school conferences. Even though you may be keeping up with your child’s grades on ProgressBook, please take the time and the opportunity to come in and meet with their teachers and find out what is going on in the classroom. We are doing some exciting things and we love to share our success with others.

As we take the next steps into the future of education, there will most certainly be some bumps along the way. We look forward to working with you to overcome any obstacle as we help prepare another generation of citizens.

Go Whippets!!

109 West Smiley Avenue Shelby, OH 44875 / 419.342.5065

109 West Smiley Avenue
Shelby, OH 44875 / 419.342.5065