We had a busy, fun, and productive first week back to school. Our new freshmen Owls had their first day of school this past Thursday and sophomores joined us on this past Friday. Juniors and seniors will both have their own back-to-school information sessions this upcoming week, where we will talk about everything needed for a successful year and transition to life after OECHS. Both sessions will be recorded and posted on the Class of 2025 and Class of 2026 Teams.

This upcoming week, our freshmen and sophomores will start to settle into a routine, while getting to know each other. Our juniors and seniors will be able to stop by and get their logins and any physical textbooks that they need for the semester.

We are looking forward to a successful year!--Mr. Strope

From time-to-time, there will be inclement weather that impacts our area (and OECHS). Our students, parents, and staff have to monitor communications on closures and delays from both Onslow County Schools and Coastal Carolina Community College. Our school follows all delays or closures from Onslow County Schools for 9th and 10th grade classes, as OCS supplies us with lunches and hub transportation. Our 11th and 12th graders follow the delay and closure announcements from Coastal Carolina Community College as they are primarily in college classes.

For the possible impacts of the hurricane this week, we will send out any possible delay or closure information via Blackboard Messenger (telephone message), Remind, Teams (students have access), website, and social media.

Drivers Ed will begin on September 3rd and end on September 24th. Students must be 14.5 years of age by the start of the class and attendance is mandatory. We will begin signups for class on Wednesday, August 7th. Students can stop by the office to sign up or parents can call our front office, beginning on Wednesday (at 8:00 am). There is space for 25 students!

Hello Parents and Guardians,

We are having our first PTO meeting of the year on Wednesday, August 7th at 6:00 PM in the Big Room (Ragsdale 105). Our PTO supports our students and staff to make it the special place that it is. They also sponsor school dances and other activities, to help our students enjoy some of those typical high school activities. Please consider joining and supporting our PTO!

OECHS is once again using Lifetouch/Prestige Studios for the senior portraits (tux/drapes). The photographers will be on campus on August 30st. All seniors need to use the attached flyer below to sign up for a photo session!

Please wear appropriate undergarments under these outfits. We suggest a white t-shirt for the tux and something strapless to wear under the drape. Also, don’t forget to bring up to two outfits for your casual pictures (if applicable)!

In addition to the events at OECHS, seniors can also schedule to have their images done at one of the Prestige senior portrait studios by going to prestigeportraits.com/studio.

We are using Lifetouch for 9th-11th grade fall school photos once again. Students will have photos on September 11th in R105 (The Big Room) all morning long. Juniors are required to stop by before, between, or after classes to get their yearbook photo.

--There is a back-to-school meeting for senior parents/guardians at 5:30 PM on August 8th in the CCCC Auditorium (Fine Arts Building).

--Students should be able to view their college schedules in My CCCC and their seminar schedule in Teams. New OCS login sheets are available in the office.

*If you are missing a class, odds are it was dropped by CCCC due to low registration numbers. Contact Mr. Strope immediately if this occurs so we can try to find another section or another class!

-You will have your final high school class, Economics and Personal Finance Honors/Senior Seminar two times per week. Our focus during the first semester will be on macro and microeconomics in class and college applications and admissions in seminar. Students will also be encouraged to be active in OECHS Clubs/Teams, CCCC organizations, and outside activities for a well-rounded college admission application. We will also have a daily sign-in sheet in the main office (R102A) for all Juniors and Seniors this year for daily attendance.

--Senior CCCC classes begin August 15th

**Since 2020, all North Carolina 12th graders have been required to have the Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (two doses). Please see the attached flyer and get the vaccine prior to the start of the school year!

--There is a back-to-school meeting for junior parents/guardians at 5:30 PM on August 6th in the CCCC Auditorium (Fine Arts Building).

--Students should be able to view their college schedules in My CCCC and their seminar schedule in Teams. New OCS login sheets are available in the office.

*If you are missing a class, odds are it was dropped by CCCC due to low registration numbers. Contact Mr. Strope immediately if this occurs so we can try to find another section or another class!

--Juniors will have mandatory seminar two times per week where we will spend over half of the year preparing for the ACT and PSAT. Both are important exams that are used for college admissions and scholarships. We will also spend time researching different colleges and universities, as well as beginning the college application process. Students will also be encouraged to be active in OECHS Clubs/Teams, CCCC organizations, and outside activities for a well-rounded college admission application. We will also have a daily sign-in sheet for all Juniors and Seniors in the main office (R102A) for daily attendance.

--Junior CCCC classes begin August 15th

For the first time ever, all OECHS students are allowed to take MUS135 (Jazz Ensemble) through CCCC. If this is a class that interests to you, email james.strope@onslow.k12.nc.us to schedule for the Fall 2024 semester!

English I Honors (Ms. Hendrix)- Welcome to Honors English I at OECHS! We have enjoyed a great start to our semester (and year) together!

A detailed daily lesson plan is provided to each student every day within the course. These agendas also include links to most all materials referenced in class. Parents and students alike can, at any time, access the following link to view all the details of the course in the following link:

Daily Lesson Plans: Honors I English

All student due dates, deadlines, and other important dates can be viewed by accessing the following link at any time:

Honors I English Calendar

Parents can view any extra details about the assignment (its location for turning in, the websites used to complete the assignment, etc.) by clicking into each event within this calendar.

English III Honors (Ms. Meyer)-Welcome back! I hope you have had a restful summer and are ready to begin Sophomore year! We're jumping right in next week with Unit 1: Unheard Voices. This is the shortest unit of the semester, and our first Quest will be next Friday, August 9. Have a fabulous weekend! 🌞

Civics Honors (Mr. Marsh)- Welcome to OUR Civics Honors class! We are off to a great start and I look forward to a fun semester as we explore this crazy political climate.

AP World History (Ms. York)- We had a great introduction day in AP World; students were introduced to the expectations of an AP Classroom, did a scavenger hunt of the CED (Course Exam Description) and were first assignment on the Foundations of History. These assignments will be due on August 13, 2024. This week students will be introduced to Interactive notebooks and Document Analysis. They will begin working Skill building and sourcing documents, using the Foundations Unit they worked on over the summer. Their major assignment this week will be History’s Biggest Mistake and answering Yali’s Question and the development of human settlements on other Continents at different rates.

American History Honors (Ms. York)- We had a great class Friday; the students learned class expectations and received their first assignment on Peopling of the Americas. This week they will learn about interactive notebooks and receive their first project about Creating their own Colonies.

Biology Honors (Mr. Springfield)- This week in Honors Biology we were introduced into the field of Biology. We went over safety procedures for Lab day, so when we do our first lab next Friday the students will know what is expected of them. Next week we will start Chapter 1 Biology in the 21st Century and Chapter 2 The Chemistry of Life. Have a great weekend!

Chemistry Honors (Mr. Stallard)-We are off and started on another great year and semester at OECHS. Students have a Lab Safety Contract and Syllabus that needs to be signed and returned. We are beginning Unit 1 Thinking Like a Scientist on Monday and will conclude our week with our first lab.

AP Environmental Science (Mr. Stallard)-We are off and started on another great year and semester at OECHS. Students have a Lab Safety Contract and Syllabus that needs to be signed and returned. We are beginning Unit 1 The Living Planet: Ecosystems this coming week.

Math II Honors (Ms. Seaman)- Thank you students for a great start to the school semester! We will finish reviewing distance and midpoint and start the Geometry Unit. In the Geometry Unit we will cover Transformations in the Coordinate plane.

Name Dilation project (will be assigned on Tuesday):

• small project
• about one day
• worth 30 points
• due Friday, August 9

Precalculus Honors (Mrs. Walsh)-It was a great start to the new school year! Students will be reviewing topics they learned in Math 2 and Math 3 this week. They have a deltamath due on Thursday/Friday depending on what day they began class.

School Cash Online is an easy to use and safe way to pay for your children’s school fees from your own home. All you have to do is register an account, attach your children and in no time you will be able to make payments online. We accept many different payment forms so come on and check us out! https://onslow.schoolcashonline.com/

Along with Blackboard, emails, the OECHS website, and social media, our school uses Remind to inform parents of weather bulletins, weekly newsletters, and more. If you are the parent or guardian of an OECHS Owl, please join the appropriate Remind group!

Class of 2025: https://www.remind.com/join/bf83fg

Class of 2026: https://www.remind.com/join/fkf7d67

Class of 2027: https://www.remind.com/join/7ag9b99

Class of 2028: https://www.remind.com/join/3944fh

During the Governor's emergency declaration during the pandemic, many rules, and regulations were waived. Now many of those same regulations have returned. One of those deals with high school GPAs, driving permits, and drivers licenses.

"North Carolina House Bill 769 became effective December 1, 1997 and reflects a coordinated statewide effort to motivate and encourage students to complete high school. This legislation requires that a student's driving permit or license be revoked if a student is unable to maintain adequate progress or drops out of school. Adequate progress is defined as passing 70% of all courses and is determined by first semester grades and second semester grades for schools on block scheduling. For schools on a traditional six-period day schedule, grades are determined by first semester grades and end-of-year grades."

Students need to maintain "adequate progress" to remain eligible for permits and licenses while in high school. Each semester, we are to notify students (and the district) when any students are not making adequate progress at the end of a semester/year. Students will then have to earn back the ability to have a permit or license after the next semester's grades are complete (and pay $50 to the DMV to have their permit or license reinstated). Bottom line: Keep your grades up in your high school and college classes or you will lose your driver's permit or license!

August 6th- Junior (Class of 2026) Student and Parent Meeting in the Auditorium (5:30 PM)

August 7th- 1st PTO Meeting/Election of Officers (6:00PM in Ragsdale 105)

August 8th- Senior (Class of 2025) Student and Parent Meeting in the Auditorium (5:30 PM)

August 15th- CCCC Fall 2024 classes begin

August 30th- Senior Portraits

September 2nd- Labor Day (no school)

September 11th- Yearbook Photos (9th-11th grade)

October 11th-15th- No Homework Weekend (high school classes)

October 11th-15th OECHS Fall Break (no high school classes)

October 14th-15th CCCC Fall Break (no college classes)

October 8th-10th: PSAT (Juniors)

October 22--24th: PreACT (Sophomores)

November 11th- Veterans Day

November 27th-December 1st: Thanksgiving Break

December 19th-January 5th- OECHS Christmas Break

January: SAT Inc volunteer hours due for Class of 2025

February 28th- OECHS Workday (no high school classes)

February 28th--March 2nd- No Homework Weekend (high school classes)

March 15th- Tentative Prom Date (Juniors/Seniors)

March 18th-20th- ACT (Juniors)

April 14th-21st- Spring Break

May 16th- OECHS Graduation (7:00 pm at WOHS Auditorium)

May 17th- CCCC Graduation (at CCCC)

Email: james.strope@onslow.k12.nc.us
Website: https://oec.onslow.k12.nc.us/
Location: CE109, 444 Western Blvd., Jacksonville, NC 28546
Phone: 910-938-6702
Twitter: @OnslowECHS