Golden Bear News: November 8, 2024

Dear UAHS students and families,

This Monday, we observe Veterans Day, a time to honor those who have served in the U.S. military. To all of our veterans within the UAHS community, we extend our heartfelt gratitude. Your service and sacrifice have safeguarded the freedoms we hold dear.

If you have a veteran in your life, please take a moment to reach out and express your thanks.

On behalf of the entire UAHS family—thank you for your dedication and service!

Sincerely,

Andrew C. Theado

Principal

Our Mission: Challenge and support every student, every step of the way.

• Nov 12 ~ PTO Meeting, 8:30am-9:30am in Conference Room 1308J
  

• Nov 13 ~ Early Signing Day, 7:15am-8:00am in the Competition Gym
  

• Nov 19 ~ Town Hall Meeting: Strategic Plan Update, 6:00pm-7:30pm at UAHS

• Nov 20 ~ Bear Essentials Community Shopping Hours, 3:30pm-4:30pm
  Note: No returns or exchanges.

• Nov 21 ~ Operation Street Smart, 6:00pm-8:00pm in the Black Box Theatre

• Nov 27-28 ~ Thanksgiving Break

• Dec 4 ~ Altered Schedule for Capstone Presentations (2 hr delay)
  Note: Periods are not in order.

  Capstone ~ 8:00-10:00
  Period 1 ~ 10:05-10:36
  Period 2 ~ 10:41-11:11
  *Period 4 ~ 11:16-11:58
  *Period 5 ~ 12:03-12:45
  *Period 3 ~ 12:50-1:20
  Period 6 ~ 1:25-1:55
  Period 7 ~ 2:00-2:30
  Period 8 ~ 2:35-3:05

• Dec 5 ~ Poetry Out Loud Competition, 5:00pm-7:00pm in the Black Box Theatre

Once again, the district is partnering with Tri-Village Packers (TVP) to provide grocery support during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend. This food distribution can offset some of the increased food expenses associated with an extended break from school. Groceries are distributed at no cost to families who sign up for the program. Volunteers work to honor dietary needs/restrictions, and delivery is available for those who experience transportation barriers.

If you would benefit from this assistance, please sign up by completing this Google Form by Friday, November 8.

We understand that illness or other excused absences can sometimes make it challenging to keep up with assessments.

To streamline the make-up process, we’d like to clarify our expectations: when a student misses an assessment due to an excused absence, the standard approach is to schedule a make-up session with their teacher after school from 3:15 to 4:00 p.m. While we know that many students have extracurricular commitments, academics take priority, and students should communicate with their coach or advisor to ensure they’re aware of this academic obligation.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping us keep this process consistent and effective. Our goal is to support students in managing their academic responsibilities smoothly alongside their other activities.

Students who are not enrolled in an AP course but feel that they can study on their own and would be able to successfully pass the exam are welcome to contact Mrs. Ballheim at cballheim@uaschools.org to receive a "join code" and register for the test. The last day to register for the exam, with the College Board is Friday, November 8. Encourage your student to think it over and make a wise decision.

ROX (Ruling Our Experiences) is an empowering program designed to support girls in their personal, social, and academic development. ROX focuses on building confidence, resilience, and leadership skills among girls across many ages. The program offers a range of activities in a small group setting that tackle important topics such as self-esteem, body image, healthy relationships, and effective communication.

If your 9th or 10th grade daughter is interested in joining, please complete the following form by Wednesday, November 13th: ROX Interest Form

If you have any questions, please reach out to Miss Keen (mkeen@uaschools.org). Thank you!

UAHS PTO has partnered with V/O Med Spa on Lane Ave and will host our first "parent appreciation" event with an open house on Thursday, November 14 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. Stop by, join us for a cocktail and learn more about V/O Med Spa. All guests will receive a free goodie bag just for showing up! You can also take advantage of 25% off ZO products, receive member pricing on any services, discounts on gift cards AND be entered into a raffle drawing valued up to $2000. Feel free to bring a friend! Click here to RSVP to attend.

Learn more about the strategic planning process by joining district leadership for a town hall meeting on Tuesday, November 19 from 6 until 7:30 p.m. at Upper Arlington High School. Attendees will hear a review of the research and work done to date and then break into smaller groups to learn about the steps planned to implement each strategy during the next five years.

The Hastings MS Counselors are excited to announce this year's first book talk, featuring The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. They are opening up the conversation to our high school families.

This Book Talk will take place on Tuesday, November 19 from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. It will be held in person at Hastings Middle School in the media center with the middle and high school counselors.

While we highly encourage you to read the book, please don’t feel any pressure if you cannot. You’ll still gain valuable insights from the discussions during the book talk.

On Thursday, November 21, Upper Arlington High School will be hosting Operation Street Smart at 6:00pm in the Black Box Theatre. The Franklin County Sheriff's Office created Operation Street Smart in July 2002 as a way to take community oriented policing to a new level. Street Smart is a collaborative effort between D.A.R.E. and the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), which is the Sheriff's Office undercover narcotics branch. The goal of Street Smart is to provide current and up-to-date narcotics information on trends, terminology, paraphernalia, and physiological effects to those individuals who deal with today's youth on a daily basis.

For families with students who have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), progress reports are available to view in PowerSchool. Please follow the outlined steps to access your student’s progress report:

• Once you are logged into PowerSchool, please click on the green box labeled “PR”

• The icon should be at the top of the screen, but if you do not see it, please check on the left-hand side under graduation requirements.

• If the green PR box is still not available, please reach out to your student's case manager.

• IMPORTANT: If the progress report refers to an attachment, you must change the dropdown in the top right-hand corner next to your student's name from the progress report form to the attachment form.

It’s time to join your friends and neighbors and get involved in phase two of facilities master planning! Serve as an expert and committed stakeholder for your school(s) of choice by signing up to volunteer for one or more building teams — Hastings, Jones or Burbank. Each team will have three meetings between December 2024 and April 2025. To sign up and learn more, visit the Building Teams page on our website.

We invite you to join us for regular conversations about key topics at Upper Arlington High School. Whether you choose to actively participate, listen in, or catch the recording later, it's a great way to stay connected and informed about what's happening at UAHS.

Family Connection Webinars 2024-2025 (Topics subject to change)

• September 18 - State Report Card Review (Recording)
• October 9 - Preparing Students to be Successful Post-High School (Recording)
• November 13 - Challenging and Supporting Students: Rigor and Interventions at UAHS (4:30 p.m. Link to join)
• December 11 - Innovation and Engagement
• January 15 - Academic Scheduling for 2025-2026
• February 12 - Program of Studies Review
• March 12 - Senior End-of-Year Information
• April 9 - Summer 2025 Academic Options

Submit your senior photos - “head shot” only - using this Senior Yearbook Photos Google Form. The deadline is Monday, December 16. Photos do not have to be from a professional photographer but should meet the requirements listed on this 2025 Senior Photo Flyer.

Link to order the yearbook: 2024-2025 Norwester Yearbook.

Use the following link to purchase senior Tribute Ads:
https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/1049738/Upper-Arlington-High-School/.

Norwester Staff will once again be featuring the senior destinations on their Instagram page: uahsnorwesteryearbook. Submissions will begin January 7, 2025.

Must earn a competency score (684) or higher on both the Algebra I and English Language Arts II state test once they have completed the course. In addition, the Class of 2024 is required to take the Geometry, American History, American Government and Biology state tests after taking the corresponding course.

The American Government, American History and Biology tests can be applied to earning the Ohio state Citizenship Seal and Science Seal respectively, if a score of proficient or higher is earned.

Please review this link for Class of 2024 requirements.

Attendance is a critical component to learning. Students need to show up in order to take full advantage of the education programs we offer. Student and parents/guardians will be notified of the unexcused absences. Consequences (detention) may be assigned for each unexcused absence. Be sure to check your attendance each day to ensure it is accurate.

In order to streamline the absence reporting process, we ask that parents/guardians leave a voicemail on the attendance line (614-487-5213), or complete the Absence Notification Form available on the high school website and on the Upper Arlington City Schools APP. We will no longer accept emails. By using the Absence Notification Form, we are able to organize and record absence requests in a more efficient manner. Note that the form will collect your email address, which we will use to verify the request, so please use an email address that is on file in PowerSchool. Additionally, parents/guardians should follow the instructions in the online form to submit Pre-Planned Absence Requests.

A Planned Absence Excuse Form should be printed, signed and turned in to the Attendance Secretary in the Main Office at least 10 days in advance, when possible.

If a parent/guardian submits an Absence Notification Form or calls Attendance at 614-487-5213 to inform the office that their student needs to be dismissed during the day, they will receive an e-hallpass (EHP) to leave class at the designated time. The student can use the EHP to notify their teacher of the dismissal and then should come to the Attendance Office to sign out before leaving.

Please submit your medical notes to uahsattendance@uaschools.org. In order for attendance hours to not accumulate towards habitual absence triggers, medical documentation is needed.

Announcements for the current week are available on the high school website.

Online form for absences (no longer accept emails)

Email if you’ve stopped receiving communication from us

The Daily Bell Schedule and Modified Bell Schedules (Early Dismissal & Two-Hour Delay)

Links to the District Calendars, the UAHS Calendar and the UAHS Athletic calendars

Our webpage with community service options and the link to enter hours

The website for school portraits, club photos, senior class photo

Use LightSpeed Parent Portal Support Page to monitor your student’s internet activity

2024-25 Program of Studies including courses descriptions, academic options, graduation requirements, awards, etc.

The form to report a concern related to safety, bullying, harassment, etc.

The link to purchase season passes for UAHS athletic events

How to Get Help at the high school and familytechhelp@uaschools.org for families with tech support questions or situations