October 6 Newsletter

We currently have many students who are failing one or more academic courses. Research shows that 30% of students who fail one class in 9th grade do not graduate on time. We do not want that for any of our students. In addition, students who do not earn at least five credits their 9th grade year will be retained and not move on to Habersham Central.

In an effort to keep all of our students on track we will be instituting Mandatory Academic Study Hall for any student who is failing one or more academic classes.

If you have questions about your students' grades, please refer to PowerSchool. If you do not have PowerSchool access, please call us at 706-778-0830 or email Ms. Penny at PRineheart@habershamschools.com.

Listed below are specific details regarding Mandatory Academic Study Hall. If you have questions, please reach out to us as soon as possible. We value your support as we work hard to ensure your students complete their freshman year successfully and graduate on time.

HNGA Mandatory Academic Study Hall

Beginning Wednesday, October 18, we will begin providing a mandatory opportunity for students to bring up any grades that are below passing (less than 70%) in their academic classes. During all lunches, we will host Mandatory Lunch Study Hall where students will eat their lunch while working on classwork to improve their grades in English, math, science and/or social studies. It is our hope that this mandatory opportunity will help students get caught up and ultimately pass all of their classes. Students will also have an opportunity to serve their mandatory study hall from 7:30 – 7:55 am on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Students who attend a morning study hall will not have to serve Mandatory Study Hall at lunch on those days.

Mandatory Study Hall Facts

• Students who are failing one or more academic class (English, science, math, or history) will be required to attend one session of Mandatory Study Hall every day to improve their grade(s).
• Mandatory Study Hall will be held at the following times: 1) Monday – Friday during each lunch shift (students should go to the front of the line, get their lunch, and report immediately to the study hall location). 2) Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 7:30 – 7:55 am (students must arrive by 7:30 am in order to be counted present for Mandatory Study Hall in the morning)
• Students will be required to attend Mandatory Study Hall until they are passing all academic classes.
• Students who skip their Mandatory Study Hall will receive school consequences.
• All assignments for Mandatory Study Hall will be posted in Google Classroom.
• Students who are assigned Mandatory Study Hall will be assigned and released from it by a teacher or school administrator once the student is passing all academic courses.

In an effort to create and maintain exceptional schools, the Georgia Department of Education has created a Georgia Parent Survey that is available for all parents and guardians of HNGA students. Survey responses will be anonymous and submitted directly to the Georgia Department of Education.

The Georgia Parent Survey is also available in Spanish. Parents may select the Spanish version within the survey. The Georgia Parent Survey link is posted below.

Your feedback on the survey is greatly appreciated and will be used to ensure HNGA continues to be a high-performing school.

Habersham Ninth Grade Academy will provide a positive, safe learning community, equipping and empowering students with skills necessary for graduation and post-secondary pursuits.

Email: Dleenman@habershamschools.com
Website: https://hnga.habershamschools.com/
Location: 171 Raider Circle, Mount Airy, GA, USA
Phone: 706-778-0830
Facebook: facebook.com/HabershamNinthGradeAcademy

HNGA is pleased to announce that we will begin our after-school Math tutoring program on Monday, October 2. The math tutoring program will operate each Monday from 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm for the remainder of the school year.

We hope that your child will take advantage of this opportunity. During tutoring hours, students can receive additional help on difficult concepts or homework assignments. There is no cost for this service and transportation will be provided.

We are excited to be able to offer this program to our students and want to assist in making this school year the best ever! Good behavior is vital to the success of our program. Students will be required to follow the same behavioral policy and guidelines of the regular school day. Misbehavior will not be tolerated and may result in removal from the program.

Students can sign up for afterschool tutoring and transportation with their math teacher.