Fridley High School Newsletter

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year at Fridley High School. I am incredibly proud to be named interim Principal of Fridley High School. I am entering my 14th year as an administrator in Fridley Public Schools. For the last 2 years, I was the Principal of Alternative Services overseeing the Fridley ALC and Preschool. Prior to that I was the Assistant Principal at Fridley High School for 11 years.

I am excited to lead a school centered on the student experience. At FHS our students have many pathways through our IB continuum (Diploma Program and Career-related Program), AVID, concurrent enrollment (earning college credit by taking classes at Fridley High School) as well as strong fine arts and athletic programming. FHS is a welcoming community. My goal is for all students to have access to a variety of opportunities to help them feel a sense of belonging at FHS.

I am looking forward to welcoming you to Fridley High School. Below is all of the back to school information. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions by email or phone at 763-502-5601 or kelly.mcconville@fridley.k12.mn.us

September 15, 2023- Start of Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month

September 22, 2023- Movie Night 7 pm (District Auditorium)

September 23, 2023-FHS Homecoming Dance 7pm (FHS)

September 25-29, 2023-FHS Homecoming Week

September 27, 2023-FHS Powder Puff Game 6pm (FHS Stadium)

September 29, 2023-FHS Homecoming Game 6pm (FHS Stadium)

12th Grade Parents/Guardians: The FAFSA will open in December 2023. There will be a new FAFSA form this year and they are promising that it will be easier to complete! To prepare for the FAFSA, every 12th grade student and one parent/guardian will need to create an FSA ID. The FSA ID is basically a FAFSA username that is used to login and sign/submit the FAFSA. If parents are divorced or separated, the parent who provided the most financial support in the last calendar year will now need to create an FSA ID and complete the FAFSA. You can create your FSA ID HERE.

Questions on the FSA ID, the FAFSA, or anything college and career related? Please contact Matt Kiefer at 763-502-5790 or kiefer@isd14.org

As we focus this year on Rigor with Support there are a few updates when it comes to final grades for the term. To earn course credit, there needs to be a calculated score of 3 or greater. This is a change from prior years where the minimum score needed to pass was a 1. Please monitor in-progress scores throughout the semester through Parent Portal. There will also be grading sessions for questions at our MEA conference times. More information will be coming in the October newsletter.

Kelly McConville, FHS Principal

Fridley Public Schools uses a variety of digital tools to support student learning. Depending upon the particular educational technology being used, our district may need to collect different types of student data, which is then shared with educational technology vendors through their online sites, services, and/or applications. Under Minnesota’s Student Data Privacy Act, educational technology vendors are prohibited from selling or renting a student's information or from engaging in targeted advertising using a student's information. Such vendors may only disclose student data for K-12 school purposes and other limited purposes permitted under the law. This act also requires districts to provide timely notice of the tool used, data collected, and contact information.

Download a spreadsheet that catalogs the full library of evaluated resources. If you have any questions or concerns about any digital resources used by your child, please contact your child’s teacher.

Access your students grades and attendance online!

All parents/guardians will need to have a Parent Portal account in Campus. The Parent Portal provides secure access to your child/children’s information such as class assignments, attendance, calendar, and grades. You can also use Parent Portal to pay for meals, fees, or school supplies.

There are many advantages of signing up for and using your Parent Portal account. It is convenient and easy to use, and gives you instant access to important information:

· Nutritional Services: Manage your child/children’s meal accounts

· Meal Benefits Application: Annual renewal made easier

· Activities & Athletics & School Store: Now includes shopping for school supplies

· Transportation: Access important updates and information

How to Activate your Parent Portal Account:

1. Go to Fridley Public Schools Home Page: www.fridleyschools.org

2. Select the Campus Parent Portal Login link in the top right-hand corner of the webpage.

3. On the Parent Portal login page, select New User.

4. Enter the Campus Portal Activation Key provided here: <this is the GUID>

5. Choose SUBMIT.

6. You will be asked to create a Username and Password.

7. Choose SUBMIT.

8. Your Campus Portal account will be activated.

Class of 2024 - Senior Credit Update & Senior Checklist:

The deans will mail out credit check letters to graduating seniors in the fall. These letters will inform families of how many credits their student has and if an action plan is needed for credit recovery. Along with this letter, we will include a checklist of items to complete and watch for during the student’s senior year.

Dean Alpha Split

There is a temporary alpha-split for deans; Mr. Cummings works with students with last names A-L, Ms. Miller-Johnson works with students with last names M-Z.

A third dean will start at FHS in September.

Class Meetings

The deans will be meeting with students during grade-level class meetings. These meetings will take place during advisory during the month of September and possibly early October. There is very important information shared with students during these meetings. We will also share information on grade-level Google Classrooms.

Schedules for 1st Semester

When students request courses during the registration process in February, they agree to pursue the chosen courses to completion. Since schedule changes have a serious impact on class sizes, teacher assignments and the overall master schedule, they need to be kept to a minimum. Please use the following list below as a guide to whether or not a student needs a schedule change:

- The student does not have the prerequisite(s)

- The student failed the class in a previous year (grade 9, 10, 11)

- There is an obvious error (two classes at the same time)

- To add a class that is needed to graduate

- The schedule is unbalanced (a course is missing)

Schedule changes will NOT be made for:

- Request a specific teacher

- Request a specific trimester

- Change lunch periods

- Have a class with a friend

- Leave to attend non-school sanctioned occupational activity

We appreciate your understanding on this matter.

ACT Exams

Fridley High School will NOT offer the ACT this fall. Stay tuned for more information as we offer the ACT later in the spring. Students are always welcome to take the ACT outside of the assigned district testing day. The ACT test does have a fee ranging from $50-$67. Fee waivers are available in the SSS office for students who qualify for free/reduced lunch. Please see your dean with questions.

Upcoming ACT tests/registration deadlines:

Test: October 28 Deadline: September 22

Test: December 9 Deadline: November 3

ACT Test Information for juniors and seniors:

In the past, it has been recommended that students who plan on attending a four-year college or university take the ACT exam in the spring of their junior year. As of today, two thirds of the colleges/universities in the United States are test optional for admissions. This means that an ACT score is no longer required for admission at those colleges. This is a permanent change at some colleges and a temporary change for some colleges for students applying in fall 2021. With that being said, there may still be some advantages to submitting an ACT score. Here are some things to consider:

• Does the college/university use ACT scores for scholarship or honors consideration?

• Are you a good standardized test taker?

• Is your ACT score a good reflection of your academic ability and potential?

If the answer is yes to any of those questions, you may want to submit an ACT score regardless of test optional admissions. Register to take the ACT at www.actstudent.org

To see if a college/university is test optional, check the individual college website or www.fairtest.org for a list of test optional colleges.

Fridley High School has made the difficult, but necessary decision to move the 2024 graduation ceremony off-site to Bethel University's Great Hall on Friday, May, 31st. This change was due to the ever-increasing variables that hosting a graduation ceremony outdoors brings, and the potential for weather to force us into our auditorium without adequate seating. We are excited to share all of the amenities that Bethel University offers at a future date.

Welcome back! Fall Sports are in full swing.

Fridley High School has lots of opportunities for all levels of participants!

Our desire is to provide the best opportunities we can for students at FHS. Because we are a small school with a big school attitude we are able to provide students with multiple opportunities to participate in extracurricular athletics. Our Vision is to build character strong citizens who use their sport experiences for positive personal growth. Our Mission is To Inspire and Develop Excellence. Whether this is your first experience in a sport or you are continuing on in your participation, we hope you will find the sport or sports that you participate in enjoyable and worthy of your time and effort. Contact one of the below to get signed up.

Justin Reese

Fridley High Schools Activities Director

763-502-5605

Kayla Bryson-Rivera

Fridley High School Activities Assistant

763-502-5606

Student Spectators

• Only student spectators who attend FHS and the visiting school will be allowed to attend. All high school students are required to present a student ID (either physical ID or via Infinite Campus on their mobile device) to purchase a ticket.

• No backpacks are allowed. Fridley event workers are not responsible for backpacks and will NOT hold backpacks at the front entrance. Do NOT bring backpacks to the game.

• All bags/purses are subject to being searched, clear bags recommended.

• Elementary and Middle school students will not be able to purchase a ticket without their paid parent or guardian present. These students must sit with their parents or guardian and be supervised at all times.

All Spectators

• The game will be live streamed for other fans at fan.hudl.com.

• Persons leaving the stadium during the game will not be allowed re-entry.

• All gates will close at the end of halftime and no one will be allowed to enter.

All Spectators are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance using this Link.

Ticket Sales/Prices: All tickets are general admission - $6 for adults and $4 for students. Gates will open at 5:15pm. We will check the student's ID with ticket. There will be no re-entry once fans leave the stadium. Additionally, no one will be allowed entry into the stadium after halftime.

Fridley Tigers will celebrate homecoming the week of September 25 -29. The Fridley Tigers Varsity Football team will take on the Minneapolis South Tigers on Friday, September 29th at 6pm.

We will be selling homecoming t-shirts for middle school students during lunch this week- Tuesday - Friday (September 12 -15). Students will pre-order them and they will be delivered to advisory classes the week before homecoming. T-shirts are $10.00 and cash only. If you would like to order a t-shirt, students should visit the homecoming t-shirt table during their lunch this week. T-shirts will be gray and have the attached image on the front.

National Hispanic Heritage Month is annually celebrated from September 15 to October 15 in the United States for recognizing the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements for the United States.

Family movie night will be held Fri. Sept 22 in the District Auditorium at 7pm. The movie playing is CoCo and will be in Spanish. This is a FREE event.