The USD 499 Christmas Break will be from December 23rd- January 6th. Classes will resume on Monday, January 7th. We would like to wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season.

As a reminder, there will not be any junior varsity basketball games at St. Paul on Tuesday.

Galena High School Students will have an early dismissal on Friday, December 20th, with classes being dismissed at 11:00 AM. There will not be a lunch service on that day.

Galena High School will have finals during the last week of school. For the students that have to take finals, this is a portion of their semester grade, so it is very important that the students attend to take their finals, unless they earned a finals exemption. The finals' schedule is the following:

• December 18th- PM Finals
• December 19th- Finals
• December 20th- AM Finals

Congratulations to Galena High School Football Players for earning Honorable Mention in the 2024 Sports in Kansas 2A Football All-State- Jack Perry, Caleb Burkhart, Thatcher Botkin and Peyton Fields.

Congratulations to our GHS Students that recently performed at the District Honor Choir.

Congratulations to Hoyt, Kamden, and Olivia for a remarkable performance recently with the SEKMEA All-District Concert Band! They played under the baton of Mr. Kyle Hopkins, Director of Bands at McPherson College, alongside many fantastic musicians from our southeast Kansas schools.

The GHS Culinary Arts Students have been busy learning new recipes. Recently the students baked frittatas and after completing the cooking project, the students shared the delicious meal with staff throughout the district.

Even our GHS Staff have been busy getting into the holiday spirit!

Note- Game times and schedules are subject to change. Those changes will be announced via our school social media applications.

Galena High School Senior Students that plan on participating in the GHS Spring Graduation need to order their cap and gown at the link that is listed below. For any assistance needed, please contact Mrs. Martin in the high school office.

https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/catalogBrowse/1070942/Galena-High-School/Graduation-Packages/2492628030/CATALOG_REPOSITORY/

Our Dog House Design Program is currently selling Bulldog Caps. Both designs can be purchased for $20 a cap, These caps, as well as other Bulldog Gear, may be purchased at the Bulldog Merchandise Link Below, or by contacting Mrs. Daniel or Mr. Bailey.

Senior Students and Families! Mrs. Daniel needs three baby pictures from every senior student. These pictures are used for the GHS Graduation Video. Please forward these baby pictures to Mrs. Daniel- ddaniel@galena499.org

If you are unable to attend the home Galena High School Athletic Events, the events can be viewed at the following link:

https://fan.hudl.com/usa/ks/galena/organization/28016/galena-high-school

After school tutoring opportunities are available for Galena High School Students, Monday-Thursday. For more information, please contact Mr. Sarwinski or Mr. Francis.

Battle of the Bulldogs Friday, will be every Friday, for high school students. Students are encouraged to wear Bulldog Gear (navy/white/grey) in order to get points for their class contest. The class with the most participants each week will get points toward their class rankings. Congratulations to the freshmen class for winning the first week's contest!

Galena High School Students are assigned to take semester finals, but students can earn the right to be exempt from these finals and get out of school two days earlier! The exemption policy for Galena High School Students is listed below:

GHS 1st Semester Final Exemption Criteria

• Students must have all semester A’s or B’s
• Students must not be chronically absent
• Can't miss 9 or more days

Galena High School has a student reward and incentive program that we will be using this year, with a variety of rewards and incentives throughout the school year. The criteria for the GHS Student Reward Incentive Program is listed below:

Gold Level

Criteria

• 3.7-4.0 GPA (current term)
• No discipline referrals
• No more than 1 tardy
• No more than 1 absence

Rewards

• Free admission to athletic events
• First 10 gold level holders to homecoming dance get in free - must have level during that quarter
• 1 free tardy pass
• Pizza one day during seminar - Gold only

Blue Level

Criteria

• 3.3-4.0 GPA (current term)
• No discipline referrals
• No more than 2 tardies
• No more than 2 absences

Rewards

• $1.00 admission to athletic events
• First 5 blue card holders to homecoming dance get in free - must have level during that quarter
• 1 free tardy pass
• Nachos during seminar - Gold & Blue

Silver Level

Criteria

• 3.0-4.0 GPA (current term)
• No more than 1 discipline referral
• No more than 2 tardies
• No more than 3 absences

Rewards

• $1.00 admission to athletic events
• First 3 silver level holders to homecoming dance get in free - must have level during that quarter
• 1 free tardy pass
• Ice Cream Floats during seminar - Gold, Blue, & Silver

White Level

Criteria

• 3.0-4.0 GPA or increase GPA by .25
• No more than 2 discipline referrals
• No more than 2 tardies
• No more than 3 absences

Reward -

• Real Deal Pop during seminar - Gold, Blue, Silver, & White

Note- First Quarter Reward Trip- October 16th- Up to thirty students, based on academic, attendance and discipline criteria will be given the opportunity to attend our first reward trip of the year.

Note- Additional reward activities will be included throughout the year based on attendance, academic and behavior criteria. We want to reward students for doing well!

The Galena School District has started the Galena Virtual School, for the 2024-2025 School Year. This program will provide exciting new opportunities for both high school students and adults that are looking for a virtual opportunity to earn their high school diploma!

The Galena Virtual School Learning Platform will be through an online curriculum that meets or exceeds the Kansas Standards and is approved and accredited by the Kansas State Department of Education. All Galena Virtual School students that meet the requirements for graduation will receive a Galena High School Diploma.

For more information, contact Noah Francis, Galena Virtual School Director at noah.francis@galena499.org or 620-783-4499 ext. 1402.

White Day

Christmas Pajama Day

IPS Monday- Seminar

JV Boys vs. C Boys- 5:30 PM

Breakfast- Sausage Breakfast Pizza or Cereal

Lunch- Bird Dog or Mozzarella Dunkers or Salad Bar

Blue Day

Wear Something Blingy Day

HS Basketball @ St. Paul- 6:00 PM

V Girls- 6:00 PM, V Boys- 7:30 PM

Breakfast- Ginger Bread Cinnamon Roll or Cereal

Lunch- Tatchos or Chicken Tenders or Salad Bar

White Day

Christmas Cowboy Day

PM Finals

Breakfast- Breakfast Bowl or Cereal

Lunch- Chicken Patty or Glazed Ham or Salad Bar

Blue Day

Finals Day

Holiday Day- Wear Santa Hats, Elf Ears, Reindeer Antlers, etc.

HS Basketball @ Baxter Springs- 4:30 PM

JV Girls- 4:30 PM, JV Boys- 5:30 PM, V Girls- 6:00 PM, V Boys- 7:30 PM

Breakfast- Donut or Cereal

Lunch- Nardone's Pizza or Cheeseburger or Salad Bar

White Day

Ugly Sweater Day

PM Finals

Schools dismissed at 11:00 AM

1st Semester Ends

Breakfast- Biscuits and Gravy with Sausage

Lunch- No Lunch Served on This Day

12.20 End of Q2/S1

12.20 Christmas Break

1.7 School reconvenes

1.20 Teacher Inservice Day

2.5 Progress Reports

2.17 Teacher Inservice Day

3.7 End of Q3

3.11 Parent/Student TC 3:30-6:30

3.13 Parent/Student TC 3:30-6:30

3.14 No School

3.17-21 Spring Break

4.2 NHS Induction Ceremony

4.12 Prom

4.15 Spring STAR Math and Reading Testing

4.17 Progress Reports

4.18 Good Friday no school

5.2 Senior Trip

5.9 Senior Awards 9:30 PAC

5.12 Senior Finals

5.13 Senior Finals

5.18 1:00 Cruise, 2:00 Baccalaureate, 4:00 Commencement

5.20 PM Finals

5.21 Finals

5.22 AM Finals

USD 499 Mission Statement

"Provide a safe environment while preparing students for success"