Principal's Newsletter

Happy Friday Packer Families!

Earlier today you should have received the following message:

Middle and High School Families and Staff,

As a result of a change in legislation, we are making an adjustment to our daily schedule at SSP Secondary to ensure we are meeting the number of required instructional hours in a school year. Beginning on January 3, 2024, we are eliminating all late starts for the remainder of the 2023-24 school year for our grade 6-12 students at the secondary building.

This means, school at SSP Secondary will start at 7:50 AM Monday through Friday. However, the What I Need Wednesday (W.I.N. Wednesday) concept will still apply for grades 9-12. Grades 6-8 will run a regular school day. Students and families should watch for further communication from their school on what Wednesday will now look like in their building.

One additional change is that students in grade 9-12 will also now have a full e-learning day instead of a non-student day on Friday, January 26, 2024. More information on the structure for this day will be shared with students and families as we get closer to the date.

We understand that these changes may have an impact on your routines, and we appreciate your understanding as we navigate the change in this legislation. We appreciate your ongoing support in ensuring the success of our students. Please reach out to your building principal if you have questions about this change.

So, what does this mean for high school students?

• Starting January 3 school will start each and every day at 7:50 AM.
• 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.

I understand that these changes will impact your daily routines and I truly appreciate your understanding. I hope you have a great weekend! 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.

Just to let you know, winter break will be a No Homework Break. Our teachers are planning on having their classes complete all necessary tasks/assignments/assessments on or before December 22. Like us, our students also need a break. A time to rest, recharge, and re-energize.

December 20: Late Start (the last Late Start of the school year), NO W.I.N .WEDNESDAY-all students are in the building

December 25-January 2- Winter Break- No School

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 (more information will be coming at a later date)

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