Principal's Newsletter

Happy Winter Break Packer Families!

I hope that you have a wonderful Winter Break. I want you to know that the high school office will be closed the entire Winter Break because we are taking this time off to reconnect with our families and friends.

All students will return to school on Wednesday, January 3rd, 2024. Please remember that:

• Starting January 3 school will start each and every day at 7:50 AM (no Late Starts)
• Starting January 10 our W.I.N. Wednesdays program will begin. Students that come to school will come in at 7:50 AM. The students will follow the same bell schedule as they would on Monday, Thursday, and Friday (the new bell schedule can be found below). This additional classroom time on Wednesday will give our students and teachers even more time to work together to ensure academic growth.
• I will be sending more information about the e-learning day on January 26 for our 9-12 students at a later date.
• If you have a senior at the high school please mark your calendar. The seniors last official day of school will be Monday, June 3rd.

Happy Holidays! I hope you have an fantastic Winter Break, Happy New Year, and we will see you next year! Go Packers!

Sincerely,

Chuck

Mr. Chuck Ochocki

South St. Paul High School Principal

700 2nd Street North

South St. Paul, MN 55075

(651) 457-9402

cochocki@sspps.org

Packer Pride: Today. Tomorrow. Forever.

As part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring a meaningful and holistic educational experience for our students, staff spent the day on Wednesday, December 20 interviewing groups of middle and high school students to:

• understand their perspectives on current educational practices

• gather suggestions and ideas for improvement; and

• foster a collaborative environment where students feel empowered to share their insights

More than 250 students participated in one of 30 groups throughout the school day to help us dive deeper and build on their Desired Daily Experience at SSPPS. We believe that our students are not just learners but also valuable contributors to our educational community. These student interviews are just one component of this collective work. Visit our website to learn more about the process underway to Sunrise Our New SSPPS Curriculum as we sunset the International Baccalaureate Primary Years and Middle Years Programs at the end of this school year.

Kaposia Boulevard will closed to traffic from 3rd Street N to Wentworth starting on Tuesday, January 2nd–January 5th. The closure is necessary for watermain work as part of the Water Treatment Plant at Well No. 3. Detour signage will be posted.

CDLU is a Student Affinity Group open to all students grades 6-12. In CDLU, we celebrate our many different cultures as we strive for high academic success through education, real world discussion, and participation in a collaboration of community events. Want more information? Please check out this slideshow: CDLU 2024

January 3- School starts at 7:50 AM, NO W.I.N .WEDNESDAY-all students are in the building

January 10- W.I.N .WEDNESDAY starts

January 15- No School- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 17- W.I.N .WEDNESDAY

January 24- W.I.N .WEDNESDAY

January 25- Student-Family Connect (conferences) from 3:30-7:30

January 26- E- Learning day for grades 9-12

Want to see our students and staff in action? Come watch them at a home event. Here is the link to this weeks schedule: Weekly Home Schedule

We are looking for some Parent/Guardians to representative the greater school community on the Calendar Committee and our Family Advisory Committee. If you are interested please reach out to Principal Ochocki at cochocki@sspps.org. Thanks for volunteering!

There are thirteen categories from which to choose. Some involve writing a speech, while for others you work on interpreting an already published play, poem, or story—much like participating in theater! There’s even a category called Discussion in which you work as a member of a group.

… fits in well with other activities! Speech works well with most other activities because we don’t have daily mandatory group practices. We have a “kick-off” informational meeting scheduled for Thursday, January 4 at 3:30 in the Lecture Hall.

• We know our speech team members tend to be involved in multiple activities and build in flexibility so that students can schedule practice times that fit around their other activities. Just sign up for a practice time that fits your schedule with the coach!
• For the month of January, all team members should schedule individual twice-weekly 30-minute to get their speech picked and ready for competition which starts in February. Signup for appointment times will be available on a Google Doc between 3:15-6:45 pm M-F.
• Starting February, each team member will maintain one 30-minute weekly coaching time, as well as a weekly team meeting on Tuesday evenings from 4:30-6:30, Team members who cannot make the all-team meeting/practice will sign up for two individual practice sessions.

… competitions are mostly on SATURDAYS! Again, unlike other activities, team members are not required to attend every competition, though we do encourage team members to commit to at least six competitions from the invitationals we offer that are held on Saturdays beginning Feb 3 through March 23. We generally leave around 7 a.m. and return by 4 p.m. There are also a few MIDDLE-SCHOOL ONLY meets on Thursday evenings in February. It is not necessary to compete every weekend, but the more experience you get, the more you learn. The section tournament is held in mid-March and the state tournament will be held in April.

Give Speech a Try!

While we seem to be in a nice fall weather pattern these last few weeks, it’s still important for you to review the information listed below so you are prepared in the event an emergency closing is declared for South St. Paul Public Schools. All this information can also be found on our website at www.sspps.org/newsroom/emergency-closing. If you have any questions, please contact your school office.

• Policy 307 - Emergency Closing of Schools - Every effort will be made to make school closing or late start decisions by 5:30 a.m. with communication to staff and families following shortly after. All unscheduled school closings, late starts and early dismissals due to severe weather or other emergencies, will be communicated with staff and families through the district’s:

• Messaging system (email, text, and voice if necessary);

• Website (sspps.org);

• Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)

• WCCO-AM Radio (830)

• WCCO (Channel 4)

• KSTP (Channel 5)

• FOX 9 KMSP; and

• KARE 11

To ensure your family is receiving important messages from SSPPS, please login to your Campus Parent Portal to review and update your contact information (phone number, email address, etc.) and other preferences (i.e. primary language). Families needing to create a Campus Parent Portal Account, click here. Families having trouble accessing their Campus Parent Portal Account, contact the SSPPS Tech Help Department at ParentTechHelp@sspps.org or (651) 457-9458.

Flexible Learning Plans - South St. Paul Public Schools will utilize Flexible Learning Days to provide continuity of learning in the event of inclement weather, emergency closings and other preplanned circumstances. When an emergency closing occurs, your child’s school will communicate specific details around the learning plan for that given day

Emergency Flexible Learning Days will occur when the district or a specific school must close due to inclement weather. Students will learn from home through a variety of lessons posted and communicated through the student’s teacher(s).

If an Emergency Flexible Learning Day is called, SSP High School will do the following:

1. Teachers will have assignments ready and released at 9:00 AM.

2. Emergency Flexible Learning day assignments will be linked in the agenda/in a folder/on calendar.

• Assignment needs to be completed by the end of day (3:00 PM)
• Attendance will be determined based on the assignments completed by 3:00 PM

3. Teachers will hold office hours 10:00- 12:00 PM and monitoring/responding to emails and Schoology messages until 3:00 PM

If we need to call three or more consecutive Emergency Flexible Learning Days students will attend school virtually via Google Meet (details below).

• Google Meets Code: Can be found in the Schoology folders for each class
• Day 1/Day 2: Classes will continue to be every other day
• Attendance: will be taken by teachers in the Google Meet
• Google Meet schedule can be found below.

1. Senior baby photos are open until January 20th!
1. These are an additional $40.00 and include:
1. A baby photo of your senior published in the yearbook
2. A personalized note to your senior to be published alongside the baby photo
2. Yearbook orders are open until January 26th!
1. Each book is $65.00
2. For an additional cost, families can personalize their yearbooks and purchase additional accessories to help commemorate the school year.
3. Athletics and Activities Photo submissions open!
1. There is now a drop-box for families, coaches, and advisors to submit photos for the yearbook
2. Have a great photo of your student participating in a school activity? Submit it to our dropbox and we may feature it on one of our pages!
4. Links: Links are also available on the district website under the yearbook tab
1. Purchase the 23-24 yearbook
2. Submit Senior Photos
3. Submit Baby Photos
4. Submit Activities and Athletics Photos for the 23-24 Yearbook

Please reach out to Hannah O’Brien with any questions at hobrien@sspps.org

There is a vaping epidemic in this country, especially among teens. This is not only an SSP High School problem, but in every high school in America. I believe it is such an issue because our youth do not understand the true dangers of vaping. In fact, every day over 3,500 youth start vaping. In 2018 alone, the number of high school students who vape nearly doubled.

Please check out the videos (they are short).

Vaping 101: What Parents/Guardians Need to Know- part 1

Vaping 101 What Parents/Guardians Need to Know- part 2

Vaping 101 for Parents/Guardians Need to Know- part 3

Vaping 101 for Parents/Guardians Need to Know- part 4

If your family is experiencing homelessness, such as staying in a shelter, hotel or temporarily with others, we can help make sure your child has stability in their education through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Act. For help in accessing these services, please contact Candace Burckhardt, Special School District #6 Homeless Liaison/Local Coordinator.

For more information please look at the resources at the following link: https://www.sspps.org/departments/student-services/special-education

Additional resources can also be found at https://www.co.dakota.mn.us/HealthFamily/PublicAssistance/Housing/Pages/default.aspx or MDE's website: https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/ESEA/home/

We're looking for people interested in part-time work with the school district. Flexible, daytime hours for you to work while your student is in school. We are currently hiring for a variety of positions including, but not limited to: Lunch room, maintenance, student supervisors, paraprofessionals, and more. Click on the link below to view all openings and to apply.

View Open Positions and Apply

Email: cochocki@sspps.org
Website: https://www.sspps.org
Location: 700 2nd Street North, South Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: 651-457-9402