South St. Paul High School Weekly

Happy St. Patrick's Day Packer Families,

Just in case you missed the communication from SSP Schools regarding Pathway to Packer Promise I want to take this time to highlight that communication.

At Monday’s SSPPS School Board meeting, district leaders brought forth a Pathway to Packer Promise plan to address the district’s achievement concerns. As a part of this plan, the School Board approved a recommendation to sunset the Primary Years and Middle Years components of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme during the 2023-24 school year. However, the district will maintain the IB Diploma programme for students in grades 11-12.

Read the whole Pathway to Packer Promise Plan here

Why do I want highlight our Pathway to Packer Promise? Thanks to the generous support of our community in approving both operating levy questions that were on the ballot last fall, I am excited to share the beginning of our Pathway to Packer Promise work that will:

• Take strides in addressing our achievement concerns

• Help us deliver the promise of investing additional funds in academic and mental health support

• Expand programming opportunities for students

I am so excited about the plan and the direction in which we are moving. Please take the time to read it over and please let me know if you have any questions.

Have a fantastic 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.

March 22- Late start, Not a Packer Plus W.I.N. Wednesday- ALL STUDENTS IN ATTENDANCE

March 26-March 31- No School-Spring Break

Women’s Society is collecting gently used formal clothing for our Dress-Up Drives for Prom. If you have any gently used prom dresses, suits, ties, dress shoes, etc. please help us collect formal clothing for students in need at the Secondary! Donations can be turned in to the high school front office, to Ms. Ritzer (A271), or Ms. Demmings (A275).

MEMORIES: EVEN SMALL ONES COUNT

The friends. The classes. The teachers. Safeguard the memories, big and small, by ordering a yearbook for $60.00 before May 13, 2023. BUY A YEARBOOK

Current South St. Paul High School Sophomores & Juniors, and Parents,

There is still time to apply for TriDistrict CAPS!

In our Healthcare, Transportation & Trades, Business & Entrepreneurship, and Computer Science/IT programs, students have:

• Opportunities to earn college credit and/or industry certifications

• Courses and/or internships hosted at partner sites (off-site)

• A 130+ hour internship (many are paid and/or can lead to employment)

• Extensive career exploration, mentorship, and interaction with industry professionals, including field trips and site visits.

• Project-based, hands-on learning experiences

• Professional skill development, including resume & cover letter development, interviewing skills, digital & non-digital networking, and more.

This is all part of the school day, so after school clubs, activities, arts, and athletics are still possible!

Students: apply online at https://bit.ly/TriDCAPS-App-23-24.

Questions? Go to www.careercollegeready.org or contact TriDistrict CAPS Director, Ben Kusch, at bkusch@tridistrictce.org with any questions.

Work with a volunteer tutor for help with homework assignments in any subject. Open to K–12 students, no appointment necessary. For more information click on the link:

Homework Help

Every day, over 3,500 youths start vaping. In 2018 alone, the number of high school students who vape nearly doubled. There is a vaping epidemic in this country, especially among teens.

To help all of us better understand vaping, I have created a 4 part series about vaping called Vaping 101: What Parents/Guardians Need to Know. Please check out the first three 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

Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) is a program that allows 10th-, 11th- and 12th-grade students to earn college credit tuition free while still in high school, through enrollment in and successful completion of college courses. With traditional PSEO, these courses are generally offered on the campus of the postsecondary institution; some courses are offered online.

Want more information about PSEO at SSP High School? Please check out this video: PSEO Video

Open Door Mobile Pantry: Free food distribution once per month at Kaposia. Open to all residents, No appointment or personal information is required to receive food. The next distribution is February 13 from 4:00 - 6:00 pm.

Saturday Food Distribution: Neighbors Inc is hosting Saturday food distributions for anyone in need. The third Saturday every month from 10:00 am - 11:30 am at Neighbors Inc in South St. Paul.

Free Take ‘n Bake Meals: Free meals are available to residents each week at Central Square. Meals are available Mondays after 3:00 pm and can be picked up anytime before Saturday at 2:00 pm while supplies last.

Every Meal: Every Meal is FREE for all families. Meals are placed discreetly in student’s backpacks before going home each weekend to help fill weekend food gaps. Families with multiple students can sign up for a bag for each student. Click here to apply.

With the holidays coming up, stay healthy and safe! Test for COVID before visiting family and before coming back to school. Pick up a free COVID test from any school health office or fill out this link to get a test kit sent home with your student. Free tests for staff and students. All positive test results for students and staff should be reported to Nurse Shawne at skrueger@sspps.org.

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