South St. Paul High School Weekly

Happy Friday Packer Families,

Are you ready for school to start? We are so ready for school to start! After an amazing week of adult learning we are so excited to see our students next week, get to know our students, and continue to support our students on their educational journey.

1st week of school reminders:

• Tuesday, 9.5.23, is the first day of school for all 9th graders and any new 10, 11, or 12th graders.

• Wednesday, 9.6.23, is a the first day of school for rest of our students. It is also a Late Start day so school will begin at 9:30. Doors will open at 9:15.

• When dropping off your student at the start of the school day, please drop the students off on 2nd Street (south side of SSP Secondary) or on 3rd Street (north side of SSP Secondary- by the auditorium). Do not drop students off in the parking lot or in the Central Square Parking lot. Those drop off locations are reserved for our Students with Special Needs and our senior citizens.

• Additionally, when picking up your student at the end of the day, please use 2nd Street (south side of SSP Secondary) or 3rd Street (north side of SSP Secondary- by the auditorium). Do not pick up students in the school parking lot or in the Central Square Parking lot. Those pick up locations are reserved for our Students with Special Needs and our senior citizens.

• Lasty, I heard you! I read the survey results from the district survey families completed last spring. Based on the survey results, SSP High School staff worked this summer to make some changes to our Classroom Pass /Bathroom practices and our W.I.N. Wednesday program. Additional information regarding these changes can be found below. I believe you will approve the changes we have made. More information can be found below.

Have a nice long 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.

First Days of Schools

• September 5, First day for grades 1-5, 6, 9, and students new to SSPPS
• September 6, First day for grades 7-8, and 10-12
• September 7, First day of Kindergarten
• September 11, First day of Preschool

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

•No Classroom Passes the first 30 minutes of each class period*

•Students will need to turn in their phone/device in to use the classroom pass

•All bathrooms will be open 30 minutes into each class period and will remain open until the start of the next class period.

Why 30 minutes? The first 30 minutes of class period is crucial. It is the time where yesterday's lesson is connect to the lesson of the day. It is when direct instruction from the teacher occurs and when the most important details of the lesson are shared. We want all students in class so that they do not miss a single minute of this important instruction.

*IEPs and 504 Plans will be followed and in case of emergencies, educators you use their best judgement.

Here are the changes that we are making to the Packer Plus: "What I Need" Wednesdays program:

• Students that have a C or lower will be coming in to school to get additional support in their classes. Students that have a C+ and above in their classes can complete their school work from home (with parent/guardian permission).

• All 9th graders will be attending school everyday in Trimester 1. Wednesday is still for additional support or extensions. We really want to teach the 9th grade students how to be high school students.

• 9th and 10th graders: If the student needs to come in for one class, they are attending all their classes. Students not needing additional support will be completing the extension assignment.

• Additional Support/Extension on Wednesday: Teachers will create 2 W.I.N. Wednesday folders for each week: C and lower (for Additional support), C+ and higher (extension). These folders will be placed in each of your student's Schoology courses.

• W.I.N. Wednesday will start after the 3rd week of each trimester and Late Starts will take place every Wednesday.

• Acceleration- We are looking at a way of allowing students to do a free online course through Coursera or Khan Academy to possibly earn an elective credit.

*What is Extension ? Extension is a term we are using to describe the work students will be doing during W.I.N. Wednesday, if the student is not receiving additional support. Extension exercises will allow our students to dive deeper into the topic that the class is currently studying. This will allow are students to gain a more complex understanding of the current topic of study.

This fall there are changes to the traffic flow near the Secondary Building. Due to the construction of the new library adjacent to the high school, traffic flow on 7th Ave N and 2nd St N will change. The 100 block of 7th Ave N between Marie Ave and 2nd Street N will change to one-way traffic. One-way traffic will continue on the curve to 2nd St N (yellow arrows). The one-way traffic will end when 2nd St N meets 8th Ave N (red arrows). See the diagram below.

Be cautious when traveling around the school due to an increase of pedestrian traffic, students and Central Square/library patrons. The City of South St. Paul says the road will reopen before school begins, with a tentative final completion date of September 15.

Want some new Packer Spirit Wear to wear at our events, around town, or just at home?

Here is the link: https://shop.game-one.com/minnesota/south-saint-paul/south-st-paul-packers

Password is: packers

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