Highlander Happenings

McKean School Community,

It's hard to believe that the first 9 weeks of school have passed, but I am happy to report that our students have adjusted well to their classes and the positive vibes can still be seen throughout our building! It was amazing to see so much support for our fall sports and our student-athletes. Along those lines, I encourage every family to sign up for Parent Teacher Conferences, which will take place on Monday, November 25th, and Tuesday, November 26th. This is an important step in understanding your child(ren)'s progress in his/her classes. Instructions for setting up conferences will be sent out via the Remind App or on your email. If you cannot schedule a conference during these times, please contact your child(ren)'s teachers to discuss an alternative meeting.

Finally, I am excited to announce Mr. Gavin Coates will be joining our McKean Admin team. Mr. Coates will primarily oversee academics. He has been a Highlander for over 10 years and was most recently our Student Advisor. He is replacing Dr. Caputo who is retiring after several years in Red Clay and 16 years at McKean. We wish her well in her retirement. Once a Highlander always a Highlander! We A.R.E McKean!

• Friday, November 1: No School for students (PD for staff)
• Monday, November 4: No School for students (grading day for staff)
• Tuesday, November 5: No School (Election Day)
• Wednesday, November 6th 10am Towson University visit
• Thursday, November 7: Picture makeup day 9-11th grade
• Thursday, November 7: Choice Open House
• Thursday, November 7: Fall Fest Celebration
• Monday, November 11: No School (Veterans Day)
• Wednesday, November 13: 8am – 12 pm FSA ID work shop for parents
• Wednesday, November 20: Report Card Distribution
• Wednesday, November 20: 10am Cecil County Community College
• Friday, November 22: Honor Roll Celebration
• November 25-26: Parent Teacher Conferences in person or on zoom
• November 25-29: Thanksgiving Break (No School for Students)

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!

NEW LOCATION!

• 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.

• 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.

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

Winter Sports begin November 12

Boys Basketball: Stephon Johnson

Girls Basketball: Ricky Brown

Swimming: Aleecia King (G) & Jaxon Brown (B)

Cheerleading: Sienna Nelson

Indoor Track: Lakayla Williams (B) & Shakir Ali (G)

Wrestling: Nick Dorda

Unified Basketball: Ryan Mayville

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

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

On 10/18/2024, our EmpowerHER group, alongside Born4Brothers(B4B) welcomed the first African-American female judge in Kent County to McKean Commissioner Gretchen Gilchrist as she spoke to a group of students about the dangers of social media use in dating. Commissioner Gilchrist brought along her cohort, whose name is also Gretchen, who is in the field of cybersecurity

Pumpkin Painting!

Hispanic Heritage Month at McKean!