Olivet Community Schools

Olivet High School Parent Newsletter

Olivet High School Parent Newsletter

Randal Van Dyke-Principal

14 November 2008

 

Olivet High School Mission Statement: To create a positive, proud, comfortable place where students choose to develop the knowledge and skills needed to succeed within school and throughout life.

Attached is your student’s progress report.  You will receive three of these reports per semester, culminating in a report card at the end of the semester.  Remember:  Progress reports are only indicators of student’s academic performance thus far in the school year.  The report card reflects the final grade, which is a compilation of all their work over the course of the semester, combined with their final exam grade, which is 20% of their final grade. Your student’s next progress report will be mailed to you prior to Christmas break.

 

PARENT ADVISORY MEETING

Our next Parent Advisory Meeting is scheduled for December 8th at 7 PM in the high school conference room.  This is an opportunity for parents to bring questions to the table, provide parental insight into the issues of public education and the opportunity for me to provide you with the most current information with regards to your child’s education at Olivet High School.  If you have a desire to attend this meeting, of which there are four scheduled throughout the school year, please contact Michelle Fisk, high school secretary at (269) 749-3671.

MEDICATIONS

It is the policy of the district not to distribute any medications, to include aspirin, to any student without parental permission.  If your child has a requirement to receive any medication, to include over-the-counter medications, it must be on-hand in the high school office and written parental permission to be provided for any medication while at school or during an extracurricular activity.  The medication must be in the original container.  (Please see page 11 of your student handbook)

MICHIGAN MERIT EXAM (MME)

The United States Department of Education has approved a request by the Michigan Department of Education to replace the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) with the Michigan Merit Exam (MME).  The dates have been established statewide to begin to conduct this assessment on the 10th of March 2008.  This assessment will take portions of three school days to complete and the final schedule will be announced in the near future.  You can anticipate all students to be assessed at some capacity during this timeframe, with only juniors required to take the MME. Freshmen will take the EXPLORE assessment while sophomores will take the PLAN assessment during the timeframe juniors will be assessed with the MME. Seniors are being scheduled for a series of presentations designed to better prepare them for life after school, be it the work force, technical or higher education.

Improving Communication Between School and Home

One of the goals selected by the staff of Olivet High School this year is to improve the relationships between the school community and the families of students.   We believe a good basis for any relationship is communication.   We are committed to communicating information to you in several ways.  We provide progress reports 3 times a semester to give you a picture of your student’s progress as well as the report card at the end of the semester.   One of those progress reports accompanies a Parent Conference Night early in the semester so teachers and parents can talk about any issues before they become more troublesome.   Progress reports are issued on a monthly basis, but parents can check in any time using our online resources.   The Parent Internet Viewer (PIV) allows you to check student grades and attendance in real time.  The last saved grades in the grade books are what are available for viewing.   Parents can view summary grades or drill down to see progress on individual assignments.    The same information can also be delivered to an e-mail of your choice using our E-Mail Notification System (ENS).  ENS allows you to request either summary or individual assignment reports on any delivery schedule you choose, from daily to once every two weeks.   ENS also allows you to set a “threshold” level for a report.   If any grade drops below a numeric level that you choose, you are notified that same day.   You can sign up for ENS online through a link in the Parent Internet Viewer.   Information concerning PIV and ENS was sent to you with the last progress report.   If you would like to participate in either of these programs at this time, please call the high school office (269) 749-3671 to obtain the necessary login information.

Senior Scholarship information

There will be a Senior Scholarship Newsletter published monthly by high school counselor, Mrs. Evans.  This newsletter will contain the name of the scholarship, the amount of the scholarship, the deadline date and what criteria may be required to apply.  The newsletters will be in the high school office and available to be picked up at anytime.

Mark your calendar with these important dates:

  • Thanksgiving Break will be observed on November 27th and 28th.
  • Reminder seniors: All college applications should be in the mail no later than 1 December.
  • The Olivet Varsity Basketball team will hold their annual “Meet the Team” on December 6th at 5pm.
  • 3rd Annual Snow Ball Formal Dance sponsored by the FFA will be held on Saturday, December 6th from 7:00-11pm in the middle school gym.
  • Parent Advisory Meeting on Monday, December 8th at 7:00pm in the high school conference room.
  • The Coin Drive will take place from December 8th-12th.
  • 9th – 11th Grade Career Fair will be held December 10th from 1-2:30pm in the high school gym.
  • The Band will present a holiday concert at 3pm on December 14th.  Students should report at 1:00pm.
  • The Can Drive will take place from December 15th-19th.       
  • Senior Military Day will be held at Olivet College on December 16th.*
  • The High School Choir holiday concert will be conducted at 8pm on December 17th.
  • Christmas Break will be observed from the end of the day on December 19th to the start of class again

 at 7:40am on January 5th.

  • The Financial Aide Night will be held for parents of Seniors on January 7th at 5:45pm in the HS Library.

*As per the Student Handbook, page 12:

As part of our Career Prep program, Olivet High School conducts the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) with all seniors in the fall of their senior year.  Parents who do not want their student tested must notify the principal.