Achievement

Courage

Caring

Excellence

Perseverance

Teamwork

Pilot -- Mr. Smith (Principal)

Co-Pilot -- Mr. Latino (Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction)

Bombardier -- Mr. Blanc (Assistant Principal of Discipline)

Navigator -- Ms. Blackwell (Principal Secretary)

Air Marshal -- Ms. Lavery (Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction)

Gunner -- Mrs. Wermers (Athletic Director)

Control Tower Operator -- Mrs. Spiller (Discipline Secretary)

Radio Operator -- Mrs. Jordan (Project Manager)

Greetings, Marauders Families,

Last week, we welcomed our new staff to Mitchell High School. We familiarized them with the Marauders family by integrating them into our culture that strives to build, maintain, and restore trust as defined by sincerity, competence, reliability, and care to offer a first-class school to our community that prepares all students for post-secondary readiness, college and career. Heading into the 2024-25 school year, I am happy to report that our staff retention rate is 80%, and we are 94% staffed, our best staffing number since my tenure began in 2021. Last week, the palpable positive energy of our staff was a testament to their dedication and commitment to providing the best education for our students.

To best prepare for the 2024-25 school year, we engaged in several targeted professional learning sessions to improve instructional practices that help us achieve student-centered success. As Principal, I am encouraged by the positivity, dedication, focus, and intentionality that I have observed from district leadership and among our staff at Mitchell High School, and there is no doubt that we are ready to welcome students back this week.

For students, it is tough to return to school and get back into the daily routine of waking up on time, having a nutritious breakfast, and ensuring that all the necessary assignments and materials are well-prepared. Parents and guardians, please support your child's learning by guiding them to get to bed at a reasonable hour, practicing good study habits, completing all assignments, demonstrating consistent attendance and punctuality, and remaining ON-TRACK FOR GRADUATION. Doing so will make the transition back to school much smoother for them.

Ninth graders, in particular, are exposed to more challenging material that requires higher levels of critical thinking and problem-solving. Ninth-grade course performance strongly predicts their future academic success and grades later in high school. With that in mind, August 12 is for incoming 9th graders only. We have a full day planned out, during which our freshmen will have our undivided attention to ensure they get off on the right foot. In addition to our ON-TRACK FOR GRADUATION focus, our mantra for all of Marauders Nation this year is Bs OR BETTER!

In 2024, Mitchell High School was one of four District 11 secondary schools to exceed the district math median growth percentile average of 52, earning a 55, and was one of seven District 11 secondary schools to exceed the district English Language Arts median growth percentile average of 58 by earning a 67, the highest growth recorded for all D11 secondary schools. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students and staff. I would be remiss if I failed to mention that this time last year (2023), as a school community, we pulled out of turnaround status on the Colorado School Performance Frameworks (SPF) and moved into priority improvement. However, the monkey is off our back once we achieve improvement or performance status for two consecutive years.

Education transforms lives, strengthens families, and improves communities. The staff at Mitchell High School knows that our success is contingent upon solid and productive parental and guardian partnerships.

This school year has great potential to build upon the momentum we have generated since 2021, and we look forward to partnering with you to provide all our students with the best possible learning experience to meet their aspirations for a fulfilling, meaningful life. With your support and our collective efforts, we are confident that this year will be a successful and inspiring one for all.

Mitchell High School is on the rise. Go Marauders!

Class of 2028 Freshman Launch

The Class of 2028 started the year off in grand style August 12, 2024. Students anxiously awaited their flights by checking in, receiving their Yondr pouches, and cool class of 2028 gear. Each Freshman received a Mitchell Marauder, Class of 2028 drawstring bag and a journal to prepare them for the 9th grade launch and flight. The Class of 2028 had the entire campus to themselves and were provided with the flight plan and layout of Mitchell High School. This class will help Mitchell usher in the B or Better mantra and will be the test pilots for the program. All Freshman will be asked to sign a pledge to work at achieving a B or Better grade point average. At the end of each quarter, students who have a B or Better grade point average will receive cool gear to include pens, pencils, lapel pins and a B or Better T-shirt. Students who achieve the goal will also be recognized at the ACCEPT awards ceremony in January.

Students will be provided support to achieve this academic goal in the classroom during regular instruction but also through intervention activities such as Read Theory (reading intervention) and Ed Ready (math intervention), after school tutoring, PSAT and SAT prep sessions, Kid Café and through partnership with a trusted adult in the building. Data indicates that students who have a successful Freshman year. College and Career Readiness Blocks will be utilized to check on academic progress and help our Freshman class plan for success. The 9th grade success team is ready to support this inaugural B or Better class. We are ready to soar to unbelievable heights.

Questions regarding this Program can be directed to Valerie Jordan, Project Manager and 9th grade success team co-lead at 719-328-6608 or via email at valerie.jordan@d11.org.

Student Schedules are ready to view in PowerSchool. All students will also receive a paper copy of their schedule on the first day of school. (Monday, August 12th for 9th graders, and Tuesday, August 13th for all students)

Schedules change requests can be made for the first two weeks of school. Last day to make changes to schedules is Monday, August 26, 2024. Changes will only be made if it is to meet a requirement for graduation. For example: you are enrolled in a class that you have already taken and passed. OR you are a senior and need a math credit, but you do not have a math class on your schedule.

Schedules will NOT be changed for reasons such as: you want to be in a different section because that is where your friends are. OR you don't like the elective you were given.

If you feel you need to have a change made to your schedule, please make an appointment with your counselor. All appointments are confirmed through your email and an E-Hallpass appointment is sent to you. It is important that students monitor emails daily.

Extracurricular activities provide a channel for reinforcing the lessons learned in the classroom, offering students the opportunity to apply academic skills in a real-world context, and are thus considered part of a well-rounded education. Recent research suggests that participation in extracurricular activities may increase students' sense of engagement or attachment to their school, and thereby decrease the likelihood of school failure and dropping out.

We are so excited to announce the completion of the new Outdoor Athletic and Physical Education Facility!! Come out on August 29, 2024 for our first home soccer game against Harrison HS and see our athletes in action on the new field! Also, please join us on September 17th for our Field Celebration and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony!

Tryouts/Practice for Fall Sports 2024 start on Monday, August 12th for the following sports:

• Football – Joshua Browning (joshua.browning@d11.org)
• Boys Soccer – Adam Palmer (adam.palmer@d11.org)
• Cross Country – Dorian Watson (dorian.watson@d11.org)
• Girls Volleyball – Mike Garcia (michael.garcia@d11.org)
• Softball – Edwin Olan (edwin.olan@d11.org)
• Cheer – Eboni Tubbs (eboni.tubbs@d11.org)
• Unified Bowling - Michelle Dreiling (Michelle.dreiling@d11.org)

If you have any questions regarding individual fall sports or want to know about pre-season training, please email the coach associated with the sport your student would like to participate in.

Prior to the first day of practice all athletes are required to complete the registration process to include an updated physical. Online Registration for the 2024-2025 school year is officially open. We are using the Rschool Athletic Online Registration Platform. https://mitchellhs-ar.rschooltoday.com/home.

Make sure when registering your child for sports for the 2024-2025 school year, you click on the 2024-2025 school year in the drop-down box. Otherwise, they will not get registered for the correct year.

**All registration paperwork, including an updated physical, must be submitted and uploaded online in the rschooltoday.com platform prior to the first day of practice, Monday, August 12th.

To Register Online:

STEP #1 - RSchool Registration

• Go to https://mitchellhs-ar.rschooltoday.com/home, click on Mitchell Activity & Athletic Registration tab
• If you already have created an account, just login, click on the 2024-2025 school year, update your information and follow the instructions.
• If you have never created an RSchooltoday.com account and/or have more than one child participating in sports at Mitchell, all you will need is one account per family. Follow instructions to create account, wait for a confirmation email and then continue with registration from the confirmation email link.

STEP #2 – Sports Physical

• Upload a current physical in your Rschool.com account. If you have trouble, please bring the physical to the Athletic Office and we will upload it for you. Please use the attached physical form for all physicals.
• All athletes are required to use the CHSAA physical form: https://tinyurl.com/mt3afnnk

STEP #3- Sports Fee Payment

• Once the online portion is 100% complete:

Come to Business Office to pay the Sports Fee.

Fees:

• Full Fee: $41
• Reduced Lunch Fee: $28
• Free Lunch Fee: $14

Once the online portion is 100% complete:

• Once both steps are completed, athlete will be issued their BLUE CARD from the business/athletics office which needs to be filled out and signed by parent/guardian. Once signed, athlete will bring back to business/athletics office to receive an CLEARED stamp. They will then turn their CLEARED BLUE CARD in to their coach on day one of practice/tryouts. Athletes will NOT be permitted to practice until they have been cleared through the business/athletics office.

Please contact the Athletic Office at 719-328-6648 if you have any questions.

It's cold outside stop by the Business Office to buy your class color t-shirts for just $15.00 and your MHS Hoodie for $28.00.

Freshmen: Orange

Sophomore: White

Junior: Gray

Senior: Blue

Ask about the $15.00 Student Activity Pass and $30.00 Parent Punch Pass while you're there.

The afterschool tutoring program will start for 2024-25 school year on August 20th. From 3:15 to 4:45 in the media center. Transportation is available for eligible students. Please contact Valerie Jordan, Project Manager for more information and to verify your student's eligibility for transportation at 719-328-6608 or via email at valerie.jordan@d11.org.

All students throughout the district will continue to receive FREE breakfast and lunch. We still need all families to complete the "Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and Free & Reduce" documentation in order for Mitchell High School to continue to receive Title 1 status with the Colorado Department of Education. The CEP also allows families who qualify to pay reduced fees for athletics and activities.

Please take a few minutes to complete the CEP form using the link below. You only need to complete this once per household. https://linqconnect.com/public/meal-application/new?identifier=JX9G3Q

Thank you for taking time to complete this form and continually supporting our school.

The Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education has released a new cell phone policy. It is important that everyone becomes familiar with this policy as we head into the new school year.

Please take the time to visit the link below to review the policy.

Student Cell Phone Policy - Colorado Springs Schools District 11 (d11.org)

Gain access to relevant student information and keep track of your child's progress by creating a parent portal account. By creating a PowerSchool parent portal account, parents have direct access to updated information like student attendance and academic standing. Call the D11 Parent Portal Assistance Line at (719) 520-2487, Monday – Friday, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm or visit https://www.d11.org/PSLanding

If your student was not able to attend the Check In Days held last week, they will need to go to the library on Tuesday, August 13th to get their technology devices checked out to them. In order to check out a device, all students must first have the Technology User Agreement signed by a parent or guardian. Attached below is the user agreement, please print out the document, sign, and send to school with your student. Parents/guardians may also come to the school to sign the document.

https://mitchell.d11.org/family-resources/student-electronic-device-letter-of-agreement

Students, staff, parents/guardians, and community members play a significant role as active participants in school governance through the School Accountability Committee (SAC) and other subcommittees. Join us on the 2nd Thursday of every month. Lite food and drinks provided.