Congratulations on completing the first semester. We will be hosting an Awards assembly for all schools the week of January 21st.

Why do we track attendance? What if a high school student misses too much school?

According to Idaho law, students cannot receive a credit for a class without at least 60 hours in class. In addition, Idaho law says that "chronically absent" students cannot receive credit for a class unless "extenuating circumstances" occur. This is not a local Shoshone School District policy or decision; it is the law. We are bound to follow the law.

Several times over the last few years, students have lost credit due to not meeting the minimum requirements in the law. It is our hope and desire that all students will attend class enough to meet the minimum requirements, as regular attendance is highly correlated to school success.

We also want our students to obtain enough credits to graduate. In order to offer a lifeline to students who have exhibited spotty school attendance, we have analyzed what some other districts are doing. We have decided to implement an option for students to help them meet the minimum hour requirements to receive the credit by adding an opportunity to "make up" time missed in class.

Every Friday, with the exception of holidays, we will offer staffed Friday school as an option for students to "make up" missed class time if needed to meet the minimum requirements. Friday school will be on campus from 8:00-12:00. Make up time is an hour to hour proposition. For example, if you have missed 4 hours of school, you should attend 4 hours of Friday school to "make up the time."

It is the student's responsibility to make up the hours. Little can be done to receive the credit without making up the hours, as again, it is the State law that they must meet the minimum hour requirement. This is an opportunity to help students meet the minimum requirements.

Students will be notified when they have met the 90% threshold. Attending the Friday school opportunity to work towards making up the time to meet the minimum requirement is strongly suggested.

We want to inform you that PowerSchool recently notified our Information Technology Department about a cybersecurity incident affecting thousands of organizations worldwide, including Shoshone School District. Our Technology Department has been actively involved in updates and communications regarding this incident since they were notified.

PowerSchool is a widely used platform for managing student records, including attendance, grades, and other educational information. The data accessed in this incident includes student demographic information and staff data, such as names, dates of birth, email addresses, and phone numbers.

Here are some things to remember:

*NO SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS STORED: Shoshone School District does not store Social Security numbers in PowerSchool.

*SECURITY MEASURES IN PLACE: PowerSchool is actively investigating the breach, has secured the compromised data, and is working to ensure the system is fully protected.

*NATIONAL INCIDENT: This breach occurred on the vendor's platform, not at the local level, and has impacted clients nationwide.

*PRIVACY IS OUR PRIORITY: The privacy and safety of our students and staff are of the utmost importance to us.

We understand the concerns this situation may raise and appreciate your patience as we work through it. More information on this incident can be found at: https://tcrn.ch/4j6t5Xl. Thank you for your continued support and understanding. We will continue to update you as relevant additional information becomes available.

All students qualifying for the English Language Program (EL program) will be assessed starting the week of January 27th. The students will be tested in four areas: Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing. Tests are given in small groups or individually; results will be received in April or May. The data from the assessment guides us in providing the necessary support to the students; common support includes extra time, small group instruction, and English language instruction. If you have any questions about the program, please contact Mrs. Chapman or Ms. Schroeder.

Middle School -January 31st- Skateland

High School- February 2nd- Hamilton at the Morrison Center (Boise)

Enrichment permission forms are available at the office. If a student wants to attend an event but something is standing in their way, please get in touch with Mrs. Chapman or Ms. Schroeder. We encourage students to participate in activities outside of the classroom.

Does your student need a quiet place to get caught up? On Fridays from 8:00-12:00, a classroom will be opened as a study hall. Teachers do supervision. Progress reports are given to students every two weeks. Any student with a failing grade will have a progress report mailed. Have you downloaded the PowerSchool app? You can follow your student's grades and attendance live.