Florida High Happenings
Grades 9-12: September 2024
Principal's Message
Dear High School Families,
As we embark on a new school year, I hope this message finds you well and enjoying the early days of autumn. September marks a fresh start and a time of renewed energy for our students and staff alike.
This month, we are excited to continue building on our achievements from last year and to introduce new initiatives designed to support the growth and success of every student. We have a range of engaging activities and academic opportunities planned, including upcoming parent-teacher conferences, extracurricular events, and special programs aimed at fostering both academic and personal development.
I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for your continued support and involvement in our school community. Your engagement plays a crucial role in our students' success, and together, we can make this year an exceptional one.
As we navigate the school year, please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns. We value open communication and are here to support you and your child every step of the way.
Wishing you and your family a productive and enjoyable September. Here’s to a fantastic start to the school year!
Warm regards,
Megan Brink
High School Principal
September Dates to Remember
September 18- Club Rush- 9th grade @ 10:50-11:30
September 18- Early Release, 11:45 a.m.- classes 4-7
September 19- FSU School of Nursing Field Trip (CNA)
September 21 and 28- Painting of Senior Parking Spaces (contact Whetstone)
September 25-26- Herff Jones (juniors and seniors), Front of Library
September 25- Wellness Wednesday Announcements
September 26-28- Jacksonville Sings, Chorus
September 28- Dance Marathon Fundraiser Dinner
October 1- College Fair
October 2- PSAT (all sophomores and registered juniors)
October 3- Health Science 2 trip to College of Nursing
October 4- Press the Chest event
October 4- SGA Leadership Team Building Retreat
October 4- Who We Play for EKG Screening
October 5- Big Bend Marching Band Showcase
Progress Reports Released 9/11
Progress reports were released on 9/11. Please review grades and attendance for your student(s). If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your student's teacher. For high school students, please model and mentor students on how to contact his/her teacher through email to get clarifications on any information or to set up a meeting with his/her teacher. Remember to check FOCUS for any comments or grades in the gradebook before reaching out.
SAT Words of the Week
Each week, Mrs. Brink and Mrs. Wilkinson announce an SAT word of the week (sponsored by National English Honor Society). Secondary families. please practice these words with your students, so we can build our vocabulary for the SAT and college! Each month, we will update the list below with words announced during the prior month.
Undulate: to move as ripples or in a wavy pattern
Propensity: noun, tendency to behave in a particular way
Supplant: supersede and replace
Benevolent: a person who is well-meaning, kind, and generous.
STAR STUDENTS!
Congratulations to our high school Star Students for September!!! These students are recognized by their teachers as exceptional students based on grades, behavior, athletics, and/or service. (Recognized by SGA)
Senior- Landyn Hallmark
Junior- Nile Burke
Sophomore- Ian Arroyo
Freshman- Jaydan Walker
Exam Exemptions
New this year for high school, we are implementing an exam exemption policy:
"For any high school class, a student may be exempt from the final exam when the student has earned a grade of a "B" or better in that course for both fall and spring semesters. In addition, the student must have five or less unexcused absences for the school year for all courses regardless of grades. Advanced Placement (AP), End Of Course (EOC), Industry Certification, and Dual Enrollment exams cannot be exempted. The statewide, standardized EOC assessments, required by statute, are not eligible for exemption. Midterm and/or final exams cannot be retroactively exempted once the student takes the exam. All exam exemptions require student and parent signature."- 24-25 Progression Plan
PROS Award- Celebrating our Teachers and Staff!
Our students nominate superstar teachers for the PROS Award. One teacher or staff member is selected by Mrs. Wilkinson and Mrs. Brink from those nominations every week and featured on the announcements. Our PROS awards so far have gone to.....
Other Important Information
- Safety is a priority- please read Dr. Small's email "Campus Safety" sent 9/9/24 and 9/13/24 "Campus Safety Update."
- Free online SAT/ACT through Varsity Tutors. Students can access this through their Clever accounts. (We've received a lot of positive feedback from students regarding this program).
- Club Rush is September 18th- PLEASE JOIN A CLUB!
- Senior Parent Night information is posted on the senior Google Classroom account.
- Interested in being a business partner? Contact Ms. Bickel (rbickel@fsu.edu) for more information.
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Helpful Parent Resources from American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP): More Than Sad: Parent Education is an approximately 90-minute program that teaches parents how to recognize signs of depression and other mental health problems; initiate a conversation about mental health with their child; and get help. This program focuses on parents and guardians of teen youth. https://afsp.org/chapter/florida-panhandle
Club Sponsors- Club Rush is September 18th- PLEASE JOIN A CLUB!
Every Kid, Every Day!
Open House was a success, thanks SGA for helping!
We love our SROs Officer Hartley, Officer Sloan, and Officer McLeod!
Our Introduction to the Teaching Profession class took a creative twist with a Color Personality test! After discovering their unique traits, students teamed up to design their ideal school, reflecting their personalities. The results were as diverse and inspiring as they are, way to go future educators!
Budding scientists in Dr. Mehta's Honors Experimental Science class designed methods and data collection strategies to test the hypothesis "All colors of Skittles taste the same." Pick up a bag and try this at home! We would love to see your results!
We welcome Florida's Teacher of the Year, Jaime Suarez, to our campus!
AP Biology students dove into the world of statistics and animal behavior with an exciting Pill Bug Lab! From digging up bugs to counting and analyzing data, it was a fantastic hands-on experience. A great day in science, full of discovery and learning!
FSUS Athletics
HOMETOWN TICKETING
The fall sports season has begun. If you are interested in coming out to support our teams, please go to the following link to purchase tickets on line https://fsus.hometownticketing.com/embed/all
See Something, Hear Something, Say Something
As we have discussed with our students, it's important to notify a teacher, counselor, administrator, or police officer if a student is in need of help, if there is a concerning behavior, or a student is in crisis. Sometimes as parents, we hear concerns from our students at home. Please contact us immediately if you hear any concerning reports. Besides reaching out to an administrator, we have an online anonymous reporting tool on our website at the bottom of the home page (fsus.school).
Fortify Florida (https://getfortifyfl.com/) is also a tool available for reporting. Fortify Florida is a suspicious activity reporting tool that allows you to instantly relay information to appropriate law enforcement agencies and school officials across the state. Please note that someone who knowingly submits a false tip through FortifyFL may be subject to further investigation by law enforcement and may be subject to criminal penalties under section 837.05, F.S.
Join PTSA!
Donate to FSUS! (Through FSU Foundation)
Research that Makes a Difference!
Save the Date!
October 2- PSAT
October 3- Health Science Field trip
October 4- SGA Leadership and Team Building Retreat
October 4- Who We Play for EKG Screening
October 5- Big Bend Marching Band Showcase
October 8- CNA Fieldtrip to Ghazvini
October 8- Florida Folklife Assembly, 1:15-2:00 p.m. (music students only)
October 10- NJHS Induction Ceremony
October 11- End of 1st 9 weeks
October 11- Homecoming PowWow Pep Rally, morning
October 14- Teacher Planning Day, no students
October 14- Homecoming Week
October 14- National English Honor Society Induction
October 16/17- 11th Grade Field Trip to FSU
October 17- Fall Chorus Concert
October 18- Homecoming Pep Rally (5th Period)
October 23- Fall Picture Retake
October 23/24/25- Field Trip to FAMU (juniors)
October 25- Journalism FSPA District 2 Workshop
October 26- Orchestra District Solo and Ensemble
October 28-31 Red Ribbon Week
October 28- SewFSUS/NAHS Art Field Trip
October 31- Early Release Day
October 31- Carnival
November 1- Teacher planning, no students
Your Student Services Team
Questions for our student services team? Please see contact information below:
Academic Dean for 9th/10th Grade- Ms. April McGriff, amcgriff@fsu.edu
Academic Dean for 11th Grade/Dual Enrollment- Mr. Todd McNeil, tmcneil@fsu.edu
Academic Dean for 12th Grade/9-12 Counselor- Ms. Jennifer Kinney, jkinney@fsu.edu
Dean of Discipline Grades 9-12, Mr. Kevin Helms, khelms@fsu.edu
Attendance Dean, Mr. Danny Bailey, wbailey@fsu.edu
Testing Coordinator, Ms. Lisa Kelley, lkelley@fsu.edu
CollegeBoard and AP Testing, Ms. Megan Crombie, mcrombie@fsu.edu
We have many different supportive resources for our students. Please note the following and reach out as needed:
- Bullying/Anonymous Reporting- (https://airtable.com/appSnRUYeEyLL2Cb7/pagqaSyuclVKoCUit/form)
- Counseling Services- https://www.fsus.school/health
- ESE/504 Information- Matt McCloskey and Monica Broome, mbroome@fsu.edu
- Free & Reduced Lunch- Click cafeteria and set up through PayPams (https://www.fsus.school/payment)
- Title I Coordinator- The goal of the FSUS Title I program is to increase student achievement by supporting students, families, and teachers.- Monica Broome, mbroome@fsu.edu
- Title IX Deputy Coordinator (Harassment)- Monica Broome, mbroome@fsu.edu (https://www.fsus.school/parent2)
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