Highland Park Senior High Headliner

Highland Families,

Third quarter parent conferences are coming up soon. The date is Thursday, February 29 from 4-8pm. Just like the previous conferences, the first two hours from 4-6pm will be only virtual and the last two hours from 6-8pm will be only in-person. Information will be coming shortly on how to sign up for the virtual appointments. The in-person session does not require any advance sign up. We appreciate your support and involvement in your child's education.

Monday, February 19, 2024

• President's Day - No School

Friday, February 23, 2024

• Lunar New Year Celebration (see below for details)

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

• African Night Performance in Auditorium 6:00-7:00 (doors open at 5:30)

Thursday, February 29, 2024

• Parent Teacher Conferences 4:00-8:00 (signup link will be emailed 2/23 at 3pm)

Friday, March 1, 2024

• BSU Ball 7:00-10:00

On February 13th, 9th grade Highland Park students got the opportunity to meet with their Cloud Coach mentor at Ecolab in downtown St. Paul. Over the course of eight weeks, students and mentors engage in email conversations to help students begin to think about their future aspirations and what they can do today to realize their goals and dreams. Highland Park and Ecolab have partnered through BestPrep’s Cloud Coach program for more than five years in a commitment to helping students prepare for their future.

A fun couple of days up at the State Tournament. The relay team (Addie Corbett and Ingrid Harland) popped off an amazing performance and vaulted the girls squad to a fairytale finish (3rd place). Lots of smiles.

All State Skiers: Hanna Koch (2nd), Tim Tzuetschler (13th) and Alex Pundsack (21th).

Full results https://my.raceresult.com/276769/

The Math team is returning to the State Tournament. We had our last meet of the season on Monday and received our invitation today to the State Tournament which will be held on March 11th. We are currently ranked 4th in class AA. Two members of the team, Ian Witthoft and Bodie Zwank also qualified as individuals and will compete for a place in the Math Bowl and the Individual Championship.

On Monday, February 12th, Highland Park Senior celebrated National African American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID). NAAPID is an event that takes place in schools across the country, which bring together African American students and families for a celebration of Black history and culture and the important contribution of Black families in our school communities. Student leaders in Black Student Union put together a program that included dance, spoken word, and Black History trivia, as well as keynote speech from BSU parent and South Washington County Assistant Superintendent Tyrone Brookins.

You are cordially invited to join us in celebration of the student-led 2024 Lunar New Year on Friday, February 23rd! This year is the Year of the Dragon. The Year of the Dragon is a significant year in the zodiac full of rich culture and history that we would love to share with you! The celebration will include a performance, cultural booths, and Chinese dinner. The performance includes plays, songs, and dances. In addition, cultural booths are a great way to experience Chinese culture! Some of the booths planned include Chinese calligraphy, Chinese yo-yo, Chinese handkerchiefs, and face painting!

Time for family performance: Friday, February 23rd @ 5:00pm

Dinner: 6:10–7:00pm

Cultural Booths: 6:30–8:00pm

Ticket Price: $10 for adults, $8 for students/kids.

On Tuesday, February 6th, 15 Highland Park students traveled to Foley, MN to compete in two FFA competitions: Fish and Wildlife and Meats. Students in the Meats competition spent their morning in a local butcher shop where they identified and evaluated various types of meat. The Fish and Wildlife team stayed at Foley High School, where they competed in a written exam with an ID portion. While neither team qualified for state, everyone had an excellent day. Participants on both teams are looking forward to their next chance at an FFA competition.

Course registration for the 2024-2025 school year will begin on Monday, March 18th. On this day, students will review course options and learn about the registration process in Advisory.

Throughout Tuesday, March 19th and Wednesday, March 20th students will have the opportunity to talk with their current teachers about course level recommendations for next year. Students can begin entering their class preferences into Campus Portal on Tuesday, March 19th. Directions for entering classes into Campus Portal will be shared in Advisory. The last day for students to enter classes into Campus Portal is Thursday, March 21st.

All current 9th -11th grade students will review their 2024-2025 course selections with their counselor one-on-one throughout the month of April and early May. These meetings will be scheduled during students' English classes.

The Highland-Park Instrumental Music department had an amazing fundraising event on Sunday, February 4. Scotapalooza was held at Mancini's Char House in Saint Paul. It featured Highland Students, Alumni, and special guests in a concert to benefit the music department. Not only was it a great fundraiser, it was an amazing showcase of our talented musicians. Special thanks to Mancini's for donating their facility, The Gentlebrass for their performance, and the Minnesota Vikings for supplying the Skol Line to perform at our event. Look for Scotapalooza 2025 next February!

Friday, February 9th, Scot Squad Leaders hosted Shananabang! for our freshmen. About 100 freshmen took part in activities planned and delivered by Scot Squad. Students played spoons and bingo in the library, raced carts in the link, played big base in the field house, followed clues in the auditorium "escape room" sang and danced in the choir and dance rooms, and cheered each other on as they bowled in the hallways. The evening concluded with pizza in the field house lobby. Thank you to staff chaperones and Scot Squad Leaders for a fun, laughter filled event!

You are invited to the 2024 Thinking Career and College Early Fair on Saturday, Feb. 17 from 10:30-1:30. Families will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from colleges -- state, community, private and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Please see the attached flyer for more information.

In past years, Highland's PTSA has shown appreciation for our teachers by hosting a potluck where parents contributed homemade dishes. However, recognizing time constraints faced by many busy parents and volunteers, we have shifted to having a light meal catered for teachers. Teachers only have an hour between the end of the school day and conferences, so having a meal provided from 3:00-4:00 is important to their well-being.

In December we learned that our largest fundraising opportunity, working at Allianz Field, is no longer available. Because of this we need to reexamine recurring expenses, including these conference meals. We definitely want to continue to provide these meals for the staff, and they really appreciate it!

This is where we're asking for your help. We are seeking monetary donations to help cover the cost of food for our hard-working teachers. Your contribution, regardless of the amount, will go a long way in expressing our gratitude for their continuous commitment to our students.

Conferences are February 29. If you are able to make a donation, please do so by February 22nd, if possible.

Our treasurer, Kristin Hegg was able to set up PayPal for Parent Teacher Student Association Bank account, and so the Paypal button has her name on it. (And yes, we wanted to do Venmo but it didn't let us).

Donations can now be made with credit or debit cards through PayPal:

This is our Username: @hpshsptsa

Kristin Hegg is our treasurer, so her name is attached to the paypal account

We welcome Cash or Check - made out to Highland PTSA and dropped off or mailed to the office: 1015 Snelling Ave S, St Paul, MN 55116. Please label all donations with "Teacher Conference Meals."

We are always looking for help with setting up and cleaning up as well. If you're interested, please contact us at hpshptsa@gmail.com

Thank you so much for your consideration and continued support!

Spring sports are starting very soon! Does your child need an updated sports physical before the season starts? Your school’s Health Start clinic is the perfect place to get it done! We accept all insurance and there is never a copay. Students can stop by the clinic, located near the nurse’s office, anytime to get the necessary forms and make an appointment. If you have any questions, you can call the clinic directly at 651-690-7667.

There are two ways to support our terrific Highland Park teachers and staff:

• By purchasing requested items from this Wish List This list is always being updated—check with individual teachers if you want more information.
• By purchasing general school supplies—Kleenex, hand sanitizer, pencils, pens, highlighters, dry erase markers, post-its and snacks. General supplies can be brought to the school office any time.

At this point in the school year, teachers are running low on Kleenex, hand sanitizer and other basic school supplies, and have to restock them with their own money or go without. Anything you can contribute will have a positive impact on our students, our teachers and our school!

Thank you from the Highland Park PTSA.

After School Hours

The HP school library is open after school Monday-Thursday until 4:30.

Homework Help Resources

Did you know? Homework help is available throughout the school year at the Saint Paul Public Library. Click here for information on their Homework Centers hours and locations as well as the Online Homework Help service.

https://www.balfour.com/minnesota/saint-paul/highland-park-senior-high-school

Read Brave 2024 - “Celebrating Identities”

Saint Paul Public Library has announced its 2024 Read Brave book selection - Man ‘o War by Cory McCarthy. Free copies are available in the library for students. Book Club is hosting a discussion of the book on Tuesday, March 19th after school in the library - all are welcome!

Click here to see the 2/9/24 CCRC Newsletter! This newsletter highlights upcoming college and career-related opportunities.

Highland Park CCRC - The CCRC is here to help students with college and career planning! The CCRC provides the following resources to students:

• Interests and skills exploration tools
• Career Information
• Resume Help
• College and Post-Secondary exploration tools
• College Admission, Career and Military Representative Visits
• College Admission test information such as ACT and Accuplacer
• Scholarships
• Financial Aid
• Summer and Community Opportunities
• And more!

CLICK HERE to check out the new CCRC website! This site will be updated throughout the year with important information, resources, and opportunities.

Genesys Works, a non-profit youth development organization based out of downtown St. Paul, is currently accepting applications from eligible juniors for the 2025 internship program. Students who are accepted into the program can earn up to $16,000 over the course of their senior year while also earning school credit, developing a professional network, and gaining valuable work experience.

If accepted, students will participate in training over the summer before being placed in a paid internship at a company in the metro area—US Bank, 3M, Target, Medtronic, and many others—around the start of their senior year. If you have questions about the internship, you can check out the Genesys Works application and contact your Genesys Works School Champion, Mr. Carlson.

Application deadline: MARCH 4TH, 2024

We have recently updated a portion of our Grading & Assessment Policy. The updated policy allows involves the reassessment policy related to summative assessments. The updates allow students an opportunity to retake more than one summative assessment in a quarter grading period. This change more closely aligns with the current trends in grading practices and allows students greater opportunities to demonstrate learning. I encourage you review the entire Grading & Assessment policy with your child so there is a full understanding of expectations and practices. Here is a link for easy reference.

Grading & Assessment Policy

Helping the community, painting, cooking, exercising, sewing, creating games, exploring music, researching... So many great IB MYP Personal Projects are in process!

I wanted to send a quick message to remind students to keep working on their journals and projects, and to start writing their Personal Project Papers in February. This will allow plenty of time to write, process/reflect, edit, and ask questions before the paper is due on 3/1. (Students will also meet with their Personal Project Advisors on 2/6 and have work time scheduled during advisory).

Please see the Personal Project Course on Schoology for Paper Details (requirements, directions, outline, and sample papers).

Students earn a credit for successfully completing their Personal Project Paper. By doing the Personal Project Paper and earning a score of 3 or higher, a score of "P" (pass) is recorded on the student transcript. If a student chooses to not do it, or earns a score of 2 or less, then a "N" (no pass) is recorded on the transcript. Earning this credit is super possible, and if your student has any concerns, please have them reach out to me.

Please let me know if you have any questions! I am enjoying hearing about all the fun projects!

Marissa Bonk

IB MYP Coordinator

marissa.bonk@spps.org

FREE ACT Prep programming is offered to all Saint Paul Public School 11th graders! The Methodize ACT Prep program is available to students on Xello.

Methodize is a self-paced online ACT prep program that offers full length practice tests, vocabulary builders and evaluation tests. These resources allow students to better understand what areas they may need more practice with when taking the ACT.

Using Methodize can improve your ACT score and build your testing confidence. We highly encourage all students who are planning to take the ACT to do ACT prep through Methodize or other out of district programming.

Click here to view Ms. Baheriy’s ACT test prep and Methodize presentation.

Check out what our awesome Scots are up to by following Highland Park Senior High on Facebook and highlandparksr.scots.pride on Instagram.

There will be some positive changes to grading practices at all SPPS high schools beginning in the 2023-24 school year. SPPS is shifting to more consistent and equitable grading practices across all high schools to ensure that students’ grades truly reflect what they’ve learned. Visit the Grading Practices FAQ webpage for more information. More details will be provided this fall, including information sessions with language support for families.

In-person students will receive free breakfast and lunch under the Minnesota Free School Meals program. All students are eligible to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day. Second meals, incomplete meals and single item purchases, such as milk only, must be purchased.

• Student Second Breakfast: $2.85
• Student Second Lunch: $5
• Milk Only: $0.50
• For a complete list of prices, visit spps.org/ns.

Visit schoolcafe.com/spps to manage your student’s meal account, view menus, ingredients and nutritional information, and complete the Application for Educational Benefits.

• While all in-person students will receive free breakfast and lunch under Minnesota’s Free School Meals program, it remains critical that all families complete an Application for Educational Benefits each school year. These applications determine how much funding your child’s school receives for educational programs and supports. Additionally, eligible families can qualify for other benefits. The application can be completed online at schoolcafe.com/spps. Paper applications are available at your child's school.

Use Parent Portal and see your child’s attendance, homework assignments, grades and more. Log on to spps.org/onestop and click on “parent portal”. This valuable tool will provide both information on your student and a means of communicating with your student’s teachers. Report cards are not mailed to homes.

For access please contact the main office at 651-293-8940.

The MTC Unlimited Pass is available to purchase for $97.00 per quarter. Bring the payment to Shawn Vennemann in the main office (checks payable to Highland Park Senior High School). When the first payment is made, the bus pass will be ordered. When the quarter ends the bus pass will need to be renewed by submitting a payment for the next quarter (schedule is below). If payment is not received by the due date the card will be de-activated. The card will be re-activated when payment is received it will take 24 hours after payment is made to be active again.

MTC Bus Pass Quarter Dates

1/15/2024 to 3/31/2024 payment due by Monday, January 8, 2024

4/1/2024 to 6/14/2024 payment due by Monday, March 25, 2024

Website: https://www.spps.org/highlandsr
Location: 1015 Snelling Avenue South, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: 651-293-8940