Highlander Happenings

McKean School Community,

We hope this message finds you well and that you are enjoying the autumn season. October is here, and the Highlanders are "Pushing Forward." First and foremost, we want to thank everyone who attended our recent Open House. Your presence and active participation mean the world to us, and we're thrilled to have you as part of our school community. At McKean High School, the weather is not the only thing that is hot in October. Our clubs, activities, and athletic teams have been heating up. We pride ourselves on having an active calendar, and it is amazing how much we accomplished in just one month. However, the year is young, and we must keep our focus on the big picture. We have many more goals and objectives we want to reach this year. And we all must continue to work together and have collective accountability to get there. We A.R.E McKean!

Spread the word! Tell your friends and family members! We provide childcare and real-life work experience for our students!

• Thursday, October 10th: 2025 Group Picture on the Football Field
• Friday, October 11th: No School For Students- Staff In-service
• Wednesday, October 16th: Fall Choir Concert
• Friday, October 18 - Senior Picture Opportunity
• October 14-19- Spirit Week
• Friday, October 18- Homecoming Football Game
• Saturday October 19- Homecoming Dance
• October 21-25th: Launch Your Future Week for 12th grade students
• Wednesday, October 23rd: Penn State University @930am
• Wednesday, October 23rd: ASVAB test
• Thursday, October 24th: PTO Fundraiser
• Thursday October 24th: The Red Clay College Fair will be held @ AI High School from 6-8p

• Friday, October 31- Senior Picture Opportunity

• Friday, October 31- End of Marking Period One

The McKean PTO is organized for the purpose of supporting the education of students at Thomas McKean High School by fostering relationships among the school, parents/guardians, and building-level faculty. The organization also strives to promote community engagement. Fundraising efforts go towards supporting the staff, assisting with or donating towards school events for students, and building level projects per administrative request.

Everyone who joins the PTO will get a McKean water bottle!

• Students can sign-up for an appointment with their school counselor in their "Class of 202_" page on Schoology. If a student does not have a Class of 202_ page, please see the front desk to be added.

• Launch Your Future Week for 12th grade students will be October 21st-25th.

• The Red Clay College Fair will be held at AI DuPont High School from 6-8pm on October 24th. CLICK HERE for more information.

• This year’s FAFSA for students attending college next year will open on December 1st.

Hello McKean Highlanders!

We are pleased to introduce Naviance Student – a mobile-friendly website that you can use to plan for college and a career. Naviance Student is linked with Naviance™, a service we use in our office to track and analyze data about college and career plans, so it provides up-to-date information specific to our school.

Naviance Student allows you to:

• Get involved in the planning and advising process – Build a resume, complete online surveys, and manage timelines and deadlines for making decisions about colleges and careers

• Research colleges – Compare GPA, standardized test scores, and other statistics to actual historical data from our school for students who have applied and been admitted in the past

• Research careers – Research hundreds of careers and career clusters, and take career assessments

• Create future plans – Create goals and to-dos, and complete tasks assigned to you by the school to better prepare yourself for your future college and career goals

Naviance Student also lets us share information with you about upcoming meetings and events, local scholarship opportunities, and other resources for college and career information. You can also use the site to stay in communication with the counseling

Office.

You have access to your Naviance account on ClassLink.

We hope that you will find this resource helpful. If you have questions about Naviance

Student, please contact us.

~McKean School Counseling Team

"AVID stands for 'Advancement via Individual Determination.' AVID is a comprehensive program that assists underrepresented students in applying to, and prepares them for, the rigors of four-year colleges and is available to 9th through 12th graders at McKean. Students in AVID live by the WICOR strategies; WICOR stands for Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading. Students are assisted in their high-level classes through tutorials, given help with organization by keeping a binder, and supported in their time management. Additionally, the program provides opportunities for personal growth through guest speakers, college field trips, tutoring, and community service, all of which contribute to building a competitive college application. AVID graduates enroll in college at higher rates than the national average and persist into year 2 of college at higher rates. In 2016, 88% of AVID seniors applied to and were accepted to a four-year college. Why is this important? According to a study completed by the Economic Policy Institute, college graduates annually earned 56% more than someone with only a high school diploma.

Here is a link to a video clip that was created when our AVID program earned a SuperStars in Education Award from the DE Chamber of Commerce in the spring of 2018. The video shows our students and teachers in action and offers their perspectives about the program.

Football - Avery McMullin

Boys Soccer - Mike Freccia

Cheerleading - Anya McKenzie

Cross Country - Gavin Coates

Field Hockey- Layla Marchak

Unified Flag Football - Jaxon Brown

Volleyball- Nettie Choice

Marching Band - Kevin Reeves

Please visit HighlandersSports.com for information about Highlander Athletics!

Please be advised that for all sports events, no tickets will be sold after the conclusion of halftime. We encourage you to purchase your tickets early to ensure entry and to avoid any inconvenience.

1) McKean Sportsmanship Policy

• Students must attend a presentation on Sportsmanship with Ms. Dukuray
• All students must sign McKean Sportsmanship Contract prior to competing in games/practices. Form can be found on the bottom left of the Highlanderssports.com page under Forms.

2) DIAA Physical

• Students must have a DIAA physical on file with the school to be eligible for practices, scrimmages, and games.
• Physicals must be completed on the approved DIAA Physical Forms.
• Physicals must be completed after April 1st of the year that the school year begins.
• Physicals may be uploaded to Family ID or submitted to the school nurse.

3) Academic Eligibility

• Academic eligibility is determined each marking period.
• Students must be passing 5 classes to be eligible to participate in athletic activities.
• 2 of the 5 classes must be in the core subject areas: Math, Science, English, or Social Studies.
• Seniors must also be passing all classes needed for graduation.

Athletic Director Dorda would like to share the following information regarding Fall Sports:

• After-school buses are reserved for active roster student-athletes only. NO STUDENT FANS PERMITTED
• Highlander Sportsmanship is expected from all athletes, student fans, and family fans at all sporting events. All Highlanders are expected to adhere to the codes of conduct set forth by Thomas McKean High School, Red Clay Consolidated School District, and the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Questions - Contact Mr. Dorda - Athletic Director

October 14-19

Highlander Family,

It’s hard to believe that the end of this month also brings us to the close of the first marking period – time truly flies!

As the weather cools down, I’d like to remind everyone that hats, hoods, and ski masks are not permitted inside the building. Parents, please take a moment this weekend to speak with your students about following this policy while at school. We will continue to enforce this rule daily and begin giving students consequences if they do not comply.

I hope everyone is feeling healthy, happy, and motivated as we continue the school year on a strong note. Our climate and culture team is here to support every student daily. Should you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact Mr. Quig at the school or via email.

Warm regards,

Mr. Quig

Assistant Principal

Cody.Quig@redclay.k12.de.us

We would like to stress the importance of on time arrival to both school and every class this year. As a team, we are ramping up interventions and supports, as well as consequences and celebrations, for students around on time arrival to class. Attendance interventions have been designed to help all students maximize their learning time by incentivizing being on time, and we have a team dedicated to addressing any challenges students face with tardiness to school and class. Students that arrive to class late will not be eligible for hall/bathroom passes during the period.

University of Delaware Field Trip

HBCUs have offered over 8,000 admissions to local students and awarded more than $87 million in scholarships, creating remarkable opportunities for our community’s youth. At the eighth annual HBCU Week college fair, over 100 Red Clay students participated, and many received on-the-spot acceptances and scholarships, making it a day of extraordinary achievements.

🎵

Congratulations to Dr. Chrystal Haas and the Thomas McKean High School Special Event Ensemble!!!

Their vocal entry for the 2024 WHYY Lifting Voices in Praise sponsored by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has qualified the singers to advance to the semi-final round!

Our choir entry was one of 12 contestants that advanced to the semi-final round.

Tomorrow they will compete live for their chance go to the finals on Oct. 26th!!!

Please wish the members of the McKean HS Special Event Ensemble good luck as they compete in Philly tomorrow! All singers who are part of the Special event ensemble please report to E106 during Advisory today for a final rehearsal and final instructions.

Thank you to all of our families for joining us at Open House!