Fort Dodge Senior High NewsletterTOGETHER WE RISE: Raising the Bar, Closing the Gap, Believing Kids Do Well If They Can January 2017 Attention Senior Parents MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL FAFSA applications need to be filled out for college financial aid Goodbye 2016— Hello 2017! Hard to believe that we are in January of hen either working on FAFSA or 2017 already. Time is definitely W when a student receives their going by fast. We have set in financial aid award letter, here is a link motion a few items that will put Fort to calculate cost of student debt. And, Dodge Senior High as a school of calculate the potential long term choice. On Monday, December 12, savings of reducing the amount of student debt used to pay for college. 2016, the school board approved our We hope these calculators help families 1 to 1 Program. What this means is think about the costs of college, before every student at Fort Dodge Senior debt. The link is Financial Aid High will be given a Chromebook Calculators. Please note: LendEDU is next fall to use as a learning tool in all classes. Teachers a marketplace for student loans and student loan refinance. FDSH is in no received their Chromebook on December 22, 2016, and way supporting LendEDU only the fact will begin this year preparing to integrate technology into that there are Financial Aid Calculators their instruction and student learning. Much of our available free for your use that may be teacher professional development this winter and spring of value in making decisions on will be devoted to learning and implementing the use of a acceptance of financial aid awards. Chromebook into lesson plans. More information about how the 1:1 Program will be coming out over the next Stay Connected for School Information: few months, so keep your eyes and ears open on this Follow us on Facebook at Fort Dodge exciting adventure! Community School District Talking about exciting adventures, Fort Dodge Senior Follow us on Twitter at @FDCSD High is re-inventing its Freshmen Academy for next fall. With teachers and administration looking into the latest Check the Virtual Backpack under research on the effectiveness of a Freshmen Academy, we events at www.fdschools.org -continue page 4 FORT DODGE COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT Fort Dodge Senior High Newsletter TOGETHER WE RISE: Raising the Bar, Closing the Gap, Believing Kids Do Well If They Can Page 2 January 2017 Virtual Learning Offered in Student Achievement Center he Student Achievement Center (SAC) is option of taking a pretest, which, if passed, allows them T located in the north west section of the LMC. to skip to the next section. Students who do not pass the The purpose and goal of the SAC is to provide pretest are directed to that section’s lecture and students with an alternative setting to meet their activities. At the end of each unit, students complete a educational needs. The services that are test review and take a cumulative test, which must be provided include, but are not limited to: unlocked by a supervising teacher once the student’s assistance on homework, a quiet setting for a work has been reviewed. Students are allowed one test, a setting for students to make up retake for each quiz and test; retakes beyond this point homework or complete tests if they were absent, must be approved by a supervising teacher. and finally a virtual classroom. Student’s taking a regular scheduled class in the SAC The virtual classroom is performed through a through Edgenuity meet daily and can progress through computer based website called Edgenuity or their online course at their own speed. Some students E2020. Edgenuity offers numerous courses that are able to complete several classes and receive multiple students can select from to satisfy their credits in one trimester. The harder a student works the individual needs. Each course is broken down more they can achieve. The progress of each student is and contains a pretest, a video lecture given by monitored and recorded daily and a weekly progress a qualified teacher, skills practice and a quiz. report from the SAC is emailed to parents on Fridays. Before each section begins, students have the Volunteers Needed for FDSH Robotics League Championship DSH will host a First Tech Challenge F Robotics League Championship on January 14th. Volunteers are needed to help judge and perform other administrative duties. Volunteers will receive a free t-shirt and lunch that day. The championship is an all-day event and offers a great opportunity to see STEM at its finest. FDSH will have two teams competing that day. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Ed Birkey at [email protected]. OUR SCHOOLS. OUR COMMUNITY. OUR PRIDE. Fort Dodge Senior High Newsletter TOGETHER WE RISE: Raising the Bar, Closing the Gap, Believing Kids Do Well If They Can Page 3 January 2017 TOGETHER WE RISE! Current education positions for 2017-18 year in- FDCSD is Hiring and We clude: Need YOUR Help! • Multiple paraeducator positions nd Please consider becoming part of * 2 grade instructor at Feelhaver • 4th grade instructor at Butler our Dodger team and/or helping • Instructional Strategist I at Cooper spread the word! • Spanish instructor at FDSH • French instructor at FDSH e’re looking for: paraeducators, • Instructional Strategist I at FDSH W custodians and maintenance • Industrial Technology instructor at FDSH specialists, principals, secretaries, teach- • Lead Principal at FDMS ers and substitutes. Often you know * Substitutes (teacher & paraeducator) someone who is aspiring to be a teacher or supporting educator. There is nothing Additional positions will be posted in the near future. Please visit the Job Vacancies page of our better than bragging about our schools website for specific details or contact Shari John- and community, while encouraging others son at [email protected] or 515.574.5653 to return home or to move to Fort Dodge. with questions. 2017-18 Class Registration Registration for the 2017-18 school year will begin soon! 8th grade Parent Night is January 26 at 7:00 pm at FDSH. Upcoming ACT Testing Dates: Registration Nights for 9th-10th-11th February 6 Registration deadline January 8 grades will be February 21 and April 9 Registration deadline March 4 23. Dodger Time Teachers will be Register at ACTstudent.org contacting parents to set up a conference with student and parents to review Upcoming SAT Testing Dates: (FDSH only tests course selections, review current SAT during November, December, June) progress in 2nd term, discuss career June 3 Registration deadline April 25 Register at SAT.org/register goals, etc. OUR SCHOOLS. OUR COMMUNITY. OUR PRIDE. Fort Dodge Senior High Newsletter TOGETHER WE RISE: Raising the Bar, Closing the Gap, Believing Kids Do Well If They Can Page 4 January 2017 DODGER PROUD! have redesigned our mission statement and philosophy. Know Someone Who Wants to Be a Dodger? PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT: "In the Fort Dodge ur mission at the FDCSD is to provide quality Freshman Academy, failure is not an option for any of O learning experiences and build relationships that our students. Our teachers are dedicated to assisting develop productive citizens ready for their futures. A students in becoming problem-solvers and self- child’s educational experiences including coursework, advocates. We challenge our students to reach their activities and relationships, will prepare him for his full academic and social potential through ownership future; what his post- of actions and learning, high expectations, rigorous secondary experience instruction, and positive behavioral support. We will be and the career foster a sense of community and tolerance." choice he will make. MISSION STATEMENT: "The Fort Dodge Senior With our variety of High Freshman Academy will work in partnership classes and activities, with parents, teachers, and community members to we truly offer provide an environment focused on successful student something for transitions to high school, appropriate social everyone! development, and future academic success If you know throughout high school." someone whose child currently does not attend our Now that instructors have been selected for the schools but who could benefit from what we have to Academy, they will be meeting throughout the rest of offer, please share this information with them. The open this year to collaborate on common expectations, enrollment deadline for the 2017-18 school year is instructional strategies, assessments, learning targets, March 1st, 2017. The application can be found at http:// grading, response to struggling learners, challenging www.fdschools.org/en/student_registration/ or is talented and gifted learners, and effective available in the superintendent’s office at the Central communications. In a nut shell, our goal is to “adopt” Administration Building. our freshmen so that 100% enter 10th grade on target to graduate and have a post-secondary goal that guides them throughout the rest of their high school career toward a high school diploma. And these are just two BIG things to be watching for at Fort Dodge Senior High. With a new year, we are looking forward to a year of quality instruction that produces higher achievement for our students! Happy New Year Dodger Nation! Santa spent a day in the Student Center prior to break. OUR SCHOOLS. OUR COMMUNITY. OUR PRIDE. Fort Dodge Senior High Newsletter TOGETHER WE RISE: Raising the Bar, Closing the Gap, Believing Kids Do Well If They Can Page 5 January 2017 The Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) Model is returning to FDSH for its 2nd Year! he Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) model was developed in the early 1990s by Jackson Katz and T colleagues at Northeastern University in Boston Massachusetts. MVP is based on a peer leadership model that focuses on the role of the “bystander” when confronting behaviors that may be potentially harmful and/or abusive to others.