Early College September Newsletter

It's hard to believe we are only a few weeks from the end of first quarter! The staff and students enjoyed spirit days last week, and we took our very first "road trip" to Elyria High School so our students could participate in the pep rally. Many of our students attended the Elyria homecoming dance and other students will be attending homecoming dances with friends in other schools; I love to see our kids participating in extracurricular activities because these memories will last into adulthood.

As we draw nearer to the end of the quarter, it is imperative that students keep up with their academics. We will begin to look at grades every Friday to see what we can implement now to get students back on track. In this newsletter I discuss the need for Wednesday schools to help students stay on top of their classes, as well as using it to motivate them to come to school on-time every day.

Since our high school is located on LCCC's campus, we will strive to ensure our students benefit from all that the college has to offer--from fun activities in the college center, to academic exhibits, student mentoring, as well as participating in programs such as Flex Factor. We want our students to graduate as well-rounded adults; I am excited to see what we can bring to our students!

Please join me in congratulating the following students:(back row L-R: Noor Deif, Mallory Alvarez, Tatiana Fuentes) (front row L-R: Aiden Pride, Mariana Heru) who have been working with Dr. Kestler to research the effects of gene therapy to cure HIV. Under Dr. Kestler's guidance, we have the ONLY ASM (American Society for Microbiology) chapter on a community college, and we have the ONLY chapter with high school students in leadership roles. The official title of their research study is "Determining the Ability of ccr5 delta 32 to Influence Expression of Cell Surface Co-receptors in vivo HIV-1 Infection" and Tatiana Fuentes presented their study at the OBASM (Ohio Branch American Society for Microbiology) meeting where she was awarded the Pre-College Research Excellence Certificate.

Dr. Kestler and these students also attended the American Society of Virology summer institute in Wisconsin to attend workshops, visit different companies and learn about careers in virology. Dr. Kestler is an amazing professor, and helped these students learn that high school students can do research, they can collaborate as a group, and they can become leaders.

To say we are proud of these students and Dr. Kestler is an understatement!

The safety of our students and staff is our number one priority. Last week I met with Ken Collins, Director of Campus Security, to review our safety plan. Please note one change in the plan on page 9, under "Reunification." If our students need to evacuate the campus, we will meet in parking lot 6 (near the child center) to be transported to Northwood Campus (570 Abbe Road North) where parents can pick up their students.

Our staff and students are going to participate in drills each month, so in the event of an actual emergency, we will be prepared. These drills include: fire drills, tornado drills, lockdowns, and campus evacuations. Please click on the manual below to view our current emergency procedures:

Early College High School Emergency Procedures Manual

Please remember to download the Rave Guardian app to your cell phone. LCCC uses this app to alert you of any emergencies on campus. After you download the app, LCCC security will need to enter you into their system so you can view notifications. You must send an email to: safe@lorainccc.edu and include your name, phone number, and preferred email address.

Early College juniors in Mrs. Phillips' Spanish class participated in a workshop to kick off Hispanic Heritage month. Mr. William Cepeda presented an interactive workshop that explained Puerto Rican music, melodies, forms/styles and genres. Mr. Cepeda is known as a cultural icon of Puerto Rico and a four-time Grammy nominee and composer. He welcomed participation, which included teaching them to play/sing parts of a song.

Our students will also have opportunities to participate in events on campus. On October 12th they can participate in learning the merengue, salsa, and the cha cha in the student center all while enjoying some Hispanic food. They may also participate in viewing the "Celebrating 100 Years: Latino History in Lorain" exhibit located in the Stocker Arts main lobby October 10th - 31st. Finally, our teachers will be incorporating contributions made by the LatinX community into their daily lessons. Click here for more Hispanic Heritage Month activities here on campus.

Celebremos!

Early College High School 9th grade students are participating in a mentoring program under the guidance of our own Coach Marty. Coach Marty has been the head men's basketball coach since 2012. Also during this time, Coach Eggleston founded Activating Responsible Men (A.R.M.), an organization with the goal of empowering and educating men on the importance of their influence in the lives of their children. He has been in the field of education for over 20 years and is a certified Parent Educator and certified trainer of Trainers National Fatherhood Initiative.

Activities for 9th grade mentoring are planned for every other Monday. Some of the activities planned are field day games and snacks (see images below), email etiquette/social etiquette tips, a Halloween obstacle race in the gym, and financial planning, just to name a few.

If students are interested in pairing up with a one-on-one mentor, they should see Mrs. Duffy in the main office.

What is Wednesday school? Wednesday school will start October 5th. Students may be assigned Wednesday school for: having grades below 65% or in lieu of suspension for a disciplinary infraction.

When do you view grades? We view grades every other Friday at the end of the school day, so we are hoping this motivates students to get their grades up/turn in assignments weekly. No more waiting until the end of the quarter and playing "catch up"! We will check grades on the following Fridays at 2:40 p.m. October 7, October 21, November 4, November 18, December 2, December 16, and January 6. This will take us to midterms.

What time does Wednesday school start/end? Wednesday School is held each Wednesday from 2:50 - 3:50 p.m. starting October 5th.

Is there transportation? No, there isn't school facilitated transportation for Wednesday School. In order to establish transportation arrangements, students are given two options of Wednesday dates so they can pick which works best for them.

What should students bring to Wednesday school? Students are expected to be engaged in academic work to improve their grades or prepare for an upcoming assessment. Students are not permitted to sleep or use electronic devices.

Is Wednesday school mandatory? Yes. Failure to attend Wednesday school will lead to further disciplinary consequences such as lunch detention to make up the time

Who monitors Wednesday school? Staff volunteer to monitor Wednesday school.

Where is Wednesday school located? EC 111

How will I know if my son/daughter has Wednesday school? Your child will bring home a "Notice of Wednesday School Placement" paper that states the reasons for Wednesday school. We will then send you an email asking for your electronic signature stating you have been informed of your child's Wednesday school placement.

Starting this year, ALL students will have the same requirements for graduation. Our counselors, Mrs. Duffy and Mrs. Naymik, track all of the testing scores and graduation seals needed to earn a high school diploma. We will be emailing home a graduation report to all families, so you can view your child's test scores and graduation seal progress. It can be a confusing process, so the Ohio Department of Education has created an easy-to-understand explanation of requirements here

What tests will my child take in 9th grade? Your child will take the Algebra I test in the spring. They must earn a competency score of 684 in order to graduate. If they do not test at 684, they will be given opportunities to keep taking the test (in December and typically March) every year until they reach 12th grade. Your child will also take the Biology test in order to earn a graduation seal. They must score a "3" on the test to earn the seal.

What tests will my child take in 10th grade? Your child will take the English Language Arts II test in the spring. They must earn a competency score of 684 in order to graduate. If they do not test at 684, they will be given opportunities to keep taking the test (in December and typically March) every year until they reach 12th grade. Your child will also take the American History test in order to earn the Citizenship graduation seal. They must earn a "3" on this test as well as the American Government test when they are juniors in order to earn the seal. Students are also required to take the Geometry test, however this test does not effect graduation.

What tests will my child take their junior year? Your child will take the ACT in February.

**Please note: our counselors and teachers are aware of the requirements for graduation, and will meet with your child individually to go over their progress yearly. If we see any issues, we will reach out to you, or you can all Mrs. Naymik at 440-366-4715 or Mrs. Duffy at 440-366-4734 with any questions.

We have finalized plans for all 9th graders to participate in a program entitled "Flex Factor" This program runs for 7-8 weeks, and students will participate in groups of 20-25. They will get .25 in elective credit, and it will be held in place of their 9th period Success Labs. The 9th grade teachers are currently putting together a list of 25 students to be our first group, so your child may be discussing this new class that will be on their schedules.

What is Flex Factor? It is a special entrepreneurship and technology program focused on engaging students with education and career pathways in the advanced manufacturing sector. Students work in teams of five to identify a problem that, if solved, would benefit humanity; conceptualize a flexible hybrid electronic (FHE)-based advanced hardware product to address it; develop a business model around the product; and pitch it to a panel of representatives. Parents are invited to attend the Final Pitch.

The program involves two field trips or virtual visits from local partners. The first engagement is with a local manufacturing company where your child will be shown the cutting-edge technology, innovation processes, and careers involved in the advanced manufacturing sector. The second is college day, where students will see the campus and learn about the opportunities at a college institution. In addition to the industry and college engagements, FlexFactor incorporates training on business communication and etiquette, career mapping, building a professional digital presence, and effective networking. During this program students will be exposed to a variety of professional environments where they will be expected to implement these techniques and guidelines. Unless otherwise noted, all FlexFactor events/activities will take place at the high school during the regular class period.

Class of 2023: send a text to 81010 with the message: @jowca

Class of 2024: send a text to 81010 with the message: @6hfdkh

Class of 2025: send a text to 81010 with the message: @3263c9f

Class of 2026: send a text to 81010 with the message: @f88h64

Link Crew is sponsoring a Halloween Dance for all Early College High School students on Friday October 28th from 1:00 - 2:40 in the gym.

Students are permitted to wear their Halloween costumes during the school day; we just ask that costumes do not include weapons or anything messy like fake dripping blood. Students are also asked not to wear their masks during the school day, but they can bring a mask to wear to the dance. Link crew will be providing the snacks and drinks as well as our own DJ Mr. Toth!

This dance is free!

Any student that chooses not to attend the dance may elect to stay in the reading/studying room if they choose.

**since we are allowing students to wear costumes on October 28th for the dance, we ask that students DO NOT wear costumes again on Monday, October 31st.

Since Early HS is also a college program, all of our students are not on the same schedule for future days off. It can be confusing, so please read carefully. **Buses will run during their normal times on ALL of these days.

October 14th- High School NEOEA Day

All 9th graders are off- no school

All 10th graders are off

All 11th and 12th graders report to all classes that are in session

October 24th- High School Records Day

All 9th graders are off- no school

All 10th graders enrolled in college classes must attend their college classes--BUT individual professors may cancel classes. 10th graders MUST check with their professors

11th and 12th graders report to school

November 8th- High School Teacher Professional Development

All 9th graders are off- no school

All 10th graders enrolled in college classes must attend their college classes--BUT individual professors may cancel classes. 10th graders MUST check with their professors

11th and 12th graders report to school

November 11th- Veterans Day. Campus is closed. ALL STUDENTS are off

November 23rd- High School Thanksgiving Break Starts

All 9th graders are off- no school

All 10th graders are off- no school

11th and 12th graders report to any classes that are in session

November 24th and 25th- Thanksgiving Break. Campus is closed. ALL STUDENTS are off

Early College High School – A Unique Opportunity!

The Early College High School is an exciting opportunity for students beginning ninth grade to participate in a combined high school and college experience with the goal of earning a high school diploma and college associate degree at the same time.

If you want to learn more about this unique opportunity for students transitioning from eighth grade to high school, please call for more information (440) 366-7689.

Email: jowca@lorainccc.edu
Website: https://www.lorainccc.edu/early-college/
Phone: 440-366-7689
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LCCCEarlyCollege/