Mr. Rich Blonigan, Principal 3725 52Nd St

Mr. Rich Blonigan, Principal 3725 52nd St. Mr. Mike Cameron, School Improvement Leader DES MOINES, IOWA 50310 Amanda Dunsky, School Improvement Leader PHONE: 242-7589 FAX: 242-7591 Gerald Heisterman, Student Support Leader WEBSITE: www.dmschools.org/schools Ms. Lisa Olson, Executive Secretary EMAIL: [email protected] TWITTER: @ScavoHS

Mission EDUCATE ADVOCATE GRADUATE December, 2014 UPCOMING EVENTS December 18-19- Early Dismissal, 1:20 p.m. December 22- January 2 Winter Break January 5-6 - NO SCHOOL, Moving in days for staff January 6 - Open House, 3:30-6:00 p.m. January 15 - Senior Meeting, 9:45 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. January 19 - NO CLASSES, Staff In-service January 21 - Parent/Teacher Conferences, 3:30- 8:00 p.m. 1:15 p.m. dismissal for afternoon students March 14 - NO SCHOOL March 16-20 – NO SCHOOL, Spring Break

Principals Note:

I want to take a moment and update parents on a few important items. First, I want to acknowledge the work our students are performing in their classes on a daily basis as well as our staff who are providing instruction that is challenging and engaging for our students. Attendance continues to be a key component of student progress and achievement. Advocates will be contacting parents/guardians to set up conferences on Wednesday, January 21st.

Second, the move to Central Campus 4th floor is upon us. Scavo will be moved during the winter break. Students will return on Wednesday, January 7th. On Tuesday, January 6th there will be an open house for students and families to attend. This is a great opportunity to get an idea of where classrooms, cafeteria, gymnasium, and parking are located. With Scavo moving to Central Campus there are many advantages. Information regarding the Health Center and support services will be available this spring. Students will have greater access to Central Campus classes due to location. The centralized location also allows greater access to Scavo programming.

Finally, I want to emphasize the importance of parent/guardian support in the process of educating students. Our goal is to keep the communication lines open to support the learning process of our students. You are an important partner in the academic success of your student. We welcome any questions or input you may have. I look forward to seeing you at open house on the 6th. Have a Happy New Year!

Rich Blonigan Principal Attention Students and Parents:

Below is some information regarding Scavo’s upcoming move to Central Campus. Scavo will follow the early out schedule Wednesday, December 17-19. Students will return to school on Wednesday January 7, 2015. There will be an open house for students and parents on Tuesday, January 6 from 3:30-6:00 p.m. at our new location.

Open House: January 6, 2015 from 3:30-6:00 p.m. Families may park in lot across from Central Campus. Enter main doors from Grand Ave and follow the signs to the 4th floor. Students and families will be able to tour the 4th floor. Teachers’ names will be posted by their classrooms.

Attention Students: Below is some important information about our new building. When entering Central Campus - students should enter thru the main doors of Central Campus from Grand Ave. There is a person at the front desk that students will need to show their student ID's to gain entrance. This allows for a safe environment for our students and faculty. If students do not have their ID's they will be given a temporary ID and students will be charged $1 each time. If you lost your ID, please see Lisa in the Scavo office on 4th floor for a New ID which costs $5.

Students will continue thru the lobby area to the 2nd floor. Continue to the stairs by the cafeteria and travel to the 4th floor.

Parking- There are two student parking lots West of Central Campus off of Grand Ave on the South side of the street. Signs designate these lots.

Cafeteria: The cafeteria is located on the 2nd floor. Breakfast- served till 8:25 a.m. Lunch- served 11:30-11:55; 10:40-11:05 on Wednesdays Students at Scavo will continue to receive free breakfast and lunch. If students choose to take additional items not covered by the basic meal they will need to pay for items or use their meal accounts. Food service staff will work with students to clarify what is part of the basic meal and which items have additional costs. Food should stay in the cafeteria and be eaten there.

Gymnasium is located on 1st floor

Dart- the #11 bus drops and picks up on the corner of 18th and Ingersoll. Please contact Dart at 283-8100 to check times. There is also a Trolley that circles downtown approximately every 10 minutes. The pick up and drop off for the Trolley is located by Meredith on 17th street.

Please contact the office at 242-7589 if you have any questions. CONGRATULATIONS!!! Congratulations to Jackie Alarcon and Zach Hunt!! Des Moines Metro Area Youth Optimist Award Recipients!! These students were chosen by Scavo staff to be recognized for their contributions to their communities.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Congratulations to these seniors who have completed the requirements for graduation during first semester: Amanda Boatwright Rebekah Boehm Rajaa Camp-Bey Erica Davey Justice Grannan Joshua Kraber Julie Shafer DeBryan Smith Mishayla Watson Jorge Zepeda

ATTENTION ALL SENIORS!!! February 6th is a very important senior meeting for those students who are graduating in May! Herff Jones will be here to measure you for your cap and gown during the February senior meeting! If you want a cap and gown for graduation, you must attend one of the senior meetings on the 6th to get measured. They will also have items that you can order such as extra tassels, Class of 2015 t-shirts, memory photo books, etc.

SCHOOL IDS Students are required to have ID’s visibly on them when at school. A lanyard is given to students for free and must be worn at all times. This is a change due to moving to Central Campus for safety and security of all students and staff. All students will got their pictures taken and received a school ID with a DART bus sticker on it.

ATTENDANCE CHALLENGE Don't forget the Attendance Challenge begins October 6th. Maintain 80% attendance each week and be entered to win various prizes. 100% attendance gets you entered into the drawing twice as many times. Prizes include Televisions, gift cards, and Scavo gear! BUS PASSES Students who ride the bus will use their school ID to get on the bus. Every student is issued a school ID with a DART sticker at no cost. If your student loses his/her ID then they will need to purchase a new one at the cost of $5.00. Tokens will not be available, so if your student loses their ID they will need to bring $5.00 to get a new one. If they don’t bring $5.00, the cost of a bus ride is $2.00 each way. So they would need $4.00 to get back and forth from school daily until they purchase a new ID. If you have any questions, please contact Lisa in the office.

TEXTBOOK FEES Textbook fees are $65.00. All Des Moines Public School students must pay this fee or fill out an application to get it waived. If you qualified for a fee waiver in 2013-2014 then you automatically qualify for a fee waiver this year. If you did not qualify in 2013-2014 and you feel you qualify for a fee waiver or a reduced fee, please fill out a 2014-2015 Iowa Eligibility Application and Waiver of Confidentiality application on the Des Moines Public School’s website. This application will waive and/or reduce your textbook fee.

The application for free/reduced meals for 2014-2015 is now available on-line at www.applyforlunch.com. There is also a quick link on the dmschools.org website for parents. You may also pay your schools fees here.

If you have moved, please notify the office.

PARENT PORTAL What is the parent portal? It is part of our Infinite Campus program which allows parents to look at their students’ vital information. It allows parents to go in and look at attendance, grades, schedule, etc. It also allows parents to change their contact information without contacting the school. In order to access the parent portal you MUST have an email address. If you do not have an email address, please contact the school office and we can assist parents in signing up for a free email account. If you have an email address, please make sure you contact the office if we don’t have it in Infinite Campus yet. If you have any questions regarding the parent portal, please feel free to contact us at 242-7589.

SMART GOALS SMART goals are vital to any schools success. They help focus the staff and students on attainable goals. Over the summer the leadership team decided Scavo needed to better involve and inform our students of our SMART goals. The leadership team came up with the slogan of 4, 10, 80, 125. Posters are displayed in every room and throughout the building. The 4 stands for a 10% increase in Math and Literacy Iowa Assessment scores, 10 stands for 10% reduction in behavioral referrals, 80 stands for 80% overall student attendance, and 125 is our goal for total number of Scavo graduates this year. Staff and students know the SMART goals and are working together to achieve them. The Des Moines Public Schools prohibits discrimination in educational and employment programs and activities based on age, race, creed, color, sex, marital status, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. Complaints of discrimination may be filed with Mike Munoz, the District’s Compliance Officer, Title IX Coordinator, and 504 Coordinator at 901 Walnut Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50309, (515) 242-7781. ACADEMIC SUPPORT LAB All students are eligible to attend the Academic Support Lab Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 3:00-6:00 p.m. The lab is located in room 131. Sarai Tillinghast, Jane Kalyagina, Beth Erickson and Denise Behling are the teachers during this time. Students may work on any class they choose. E2020 is also available for students to work on courses. Students that need additional support or time to work on course work are encouraged to attend.

Please encourage your student to take advantage of these opportunities. You may contact the office or your students advocate for more information.

ATTENDANCE POLICY Students must maintain 80% attendance each six week period to continue their enrollment at Scavo. Students who do not meet this requirement will receive a letter stating the number of days missed. Administration and support staff at Scavo will meet with students to develop a plan to improve their attendance. Students will have six weeks to bring their attendance to 80% or above. Students that fall below 80% attendance for 12 weeks may have their schedules changed, moved to the after school Academic support Lab or dropped from classes at Scavo HS. Students that are dropped will need to return to their home high schools and attend for six weeks then go through the interview process and accepted to return to Scavo.

It is important for academic progress that students attend and make progress in their classes to stay on track to graduate. Please contact the office with any questions you may have.

IMPORTANT ATTENDANCE POLICY Reminder about Excused Student Absences Parent(s)/guardian(s) are expected to notify the school regarding a student’s absence on the day of the absence. An absence must be reported within 24 hours of the date of absence.

Parents MUST contact the school within 24 hours of the student's absence and if that is not done, the absence is considered unexcused. If your student is marked absent unexcused you will receive a phone call from our attendance calling system. Scavo High School 3725 52nd St. Des Moines, Iowa 50310

EARLY DISMISSAL December 17, 18 & 19 AM students – 8:30 a.m. – 10:40 a.m. PM students – 11:10 a.m.-1:20 p.m. NO NIGHT SCHOOL Educate Advocate Graduate