Manitou Springs High School

Dear MSHS Students and Families,

I hope you are all thoroughly enjoying your summer! We are thrilled to start another great school year at Manitou Springs High School. Please review the information below about back-to-school events, MSHS Blended Learning opportunity, info about supplies, and more.

Our office staff will return on Thursday, August 1st. Feel free to contact us with any questions as the school year approaches. You can reach us at 719-685-2074 or via email at calbanese@mssd14.org. For more detailed information, please visit our website.

We warmly welcome all new and returning students and families joining us this year and look forward to seeing everyone soon. Have a wonderful last couple weeks of summer!

Sincerely,

Anna Conrad

Principal

August 1st: Office staff return

August 5th: Boys Golf official practice starts

August 12th: Cheerleading, Cross Country, Boys Soccer, Football and Volleyball official practice start

August 12th: Teachers return

August 13th: MSHS Student Check In (info below)

August 15th: Freshmen Orientation from 8:00 am - 1:30 pm (info below)

August 16th: First Day of School -- Students will report to their Advisory classes when school starts at 8:05 am

August 28th: Late Start Wednesday: school starts at 10:05 am

*If you are interested in learning more about Athletics & Activities, please visit the website for SportsYou codes and online registration. All athletes must have their registration completed to receive a Pass to Practice in order to participate. If you have more questions, please contact Cameron Jones: cajones@mssd14.org/719-685-2058 or Georgianna Derziotis: gderziotis@mssd14.org/719-685-2053.

We are excited to invite all 9th grade students to MSHS on Thursday, August 15th from 8:00 am until 1:30 pm for our annual 9th Grade Orientation. Students will have a chance to connect with fellow 9th graders, Advisory teachers (who they will have all four years at MSHS), and Student Council representatives. Please complete the required permission slip ASAP.

If you have any questions about 9th Grade Orientation, please contact our Student Council Faculty Advisors: Liz Tindall (etindall@mssd14.org) or Ingrid Perez (iperez@mssd14.org).

Students can review their class schedules by logging into their Power School accounts. As students' schedules and corresponding materials vary significantly, we do not have grade specific supply lists. Teachers will communicate with students directly on the first day of class about any necessary supplies.

If a student would like to change their schedule, they can reach out to their counselor directly:

Students with Last Names A-K: Chris Lewis (clewis@mssd14.org)

Students with Last Names L-Z: Alisha Strupp (astrupp@mssd14.org)

We are excited to announce a new MSHS Blended Learning Program for juniors

and seniors starting in the upcoming 24-25 school year. We are pleased to be opening an additional

application window for the 24-25 School Year, which will close on Tuesday, August 13th at 3:30 pm.

Starting with the 2024-2025 school year, student access to and usage of cell phones and personal electronic devices during class time will be prohibited (including airpods/headphones/etc). Students will still be allowed to carry their devices and utilize them during passing periods and lunch time.

While we recognize the potential benefits of using cell phones/personal electronic devices in the classroom, our experience shows that the drawbacks outweigh the advantages. We want our students to focus on our core values of relationships, deep learning, and opportunities. This decision was made after extensive discussions across our staff and our community on how to best support our students' social-emotional and academic success to prepare them effectively for their post-secondary pathways.

We appreciate your support in making Manitou Springs High School a more distraction-free environment and protecting our learning atmosphere. Our goal is your student's success, and we believe this policy change is a significant step in the right direction based on our research, observations, and daily interactions with students. Thank you for your continued support.

Hello Mustangs! Your 6-12 Parent Action Committee (PAC) is gearing up to start the school year strong and want to hear from YOU! For those who aren't familiar with the PAC, our mission is to promote meaningful parent involvement and support in school activities by encouraging participation, communication and the sharing of ideas/resources with parents, staff, students, and the community.

We would LOVE to have you involved in whatever way you are able but recognize that means we need YOUR INPUT to best accommodate everyone’s busy schedules. If you could take a few minutes to fill out this short PAC Involvement Survey so we know what works best for a majority of those interested, we would greatly appreciate it! Once we’ve looked over your feedback, we will schedule our initial meeting for the day/time that works best for all respondents.

Until then, should you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to reach out to us at ms612pac@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you and hope you have an amazing end of summer!

Sincerely - Misty Berry, PAC Chair