Volume 18/Issue 3 January-March 2015

Transcription

1 Cardinal Letter Volume 18/Issue 3 January-March 2015 Greetings! As I write this, we are heading into the Holiday Season. It is always a time filled with many emotions and much to get done. It is also frequently a time when each of us stops to remember and to reflect upon the memories and the people who have mattered in our lives. In some instances, this prompts us to share with others the things we should be saying on a regular basis, but, in the hurried pace of life seem to forget. I get to be with our students every day. I consider myself so lucky to be working with such an extraordinary group of young adults, I know they are special. At the same time, I think I do not share often enough the positive comments and feedback that we receive here about our students with all of you. This year we have welcomed a number of new staff members who came to us from high schools in the area. To a person, one of their first comments is about our great kids. They are surprised and impressed with how friendly and respectful all of our students are on an everyday basis. It is not what they have seen in other high schools. Additionally, it is not uncommon for us to be contacted by coaches, officials, and/or administrators from other schools to acknowledge the sportsmanship, kindness, and respect shown by our students when performing in or attending a game or event. Visitors and guests that we have in our building offer the same feedback. A good share of our communication is framed around grades, schedules, and/or upcoming changes. This is important and necessary, however, I believe it is also extremely important to let you know, that in school, we see the fruits of your labor. The students that come to Chippewa Falls High School are great people. Thank you. As we approach a new year, I am excited to continue working together to prepare the best students in the world for futures that are happy and successful here we come...go Cardinals! The very best to you and your family in the year ahead, ASK THE PRINCIPAL Do you have a question or issue that you want to discuss? If so, call Ms. Davis at , ext. 1182, or her at: davisrr@chipfalls.org

2 NURSES CORNER Is it a Cold or the Flu? The flu (influenza) and the common cold are both respiratory illnesses but they are caused by different viruses. Some of the symptoms of a cold and flu are similar, but unlike a cold the fatigue and cough caused by the flu can last more than 2 weeks long after other symptoms subside. Typically, colds begin slowly, two to three days after infection with the virus. The first symptoms are usually a scratchy, sore throat, followed by sneezing and a runny nose. Temperature is usually normal or only slightly elevated. A mild cough can develop several days later. Cold symptoms usually last from 2 days to a week. Signs of the flu include sudden onset with a headache, dry cough, and chills. The symptoms quickly become more severe than those of a cold. The flu sufferer often experiences a knocked-offyour-feet feeling, with muscle aches in the back and legs. Fever of up to 104 F is common. The fever usually begins to decrease on the second or third day, then respiratory symptoms like nasal congestion and sore throat appear. Fatigue and weakness may continue for days or even weeks. Cold and flu symptoms can sometimes imitate more serious illnesses like strep throat, measles, and chicken pox. Allergies, too, can resemble colds with their runny noses, sneezing, and general miserable feeling. If symptoms become severe, or persist always consult your physician. How Do I Avoid the Flu? Most colds and flu s strike in the fall and winter, not due to the cold weather, but due to the amount of time spent indoors around other people. Viruses spread in respiratory droplets from coughing and sneezing and some flu viruses can live for up to 3 hours on surfaces and things like door knobs. Some ways to prevent the spread of cold and flu are: Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze throw the tissue away after you use it. Wash your hands often with soap and water. If you are not near water, use an alcohol based hand cleaner. Stay away as much as you can from people who are sick. If you have the flu or a cold, stay home to prevent spreading it to others. Try not to touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. These are the main entry routes for germs. Get plenty of rest and eat a variety of healthy foods. What to do if you get sick There is no cure for a cold or the flu, but there are some things you can do to help yourself feel better. For example, there are many over the counter medications available to help relieve symptoms. Some of these include: Decongestants to relieve nasal congestion. Antihistamines to control sneezing and nasal drip. Cough suppressants to quiet a cough Expectorants to break up mucus in the chest, this makes it easier to cough up. Analgesics which work to relieve pain and lower fever. Always remember to read the labels carefully to make sure the medication will treat the symptoms you or your child have. Consult your physician or healthcare provider for the best course or treatment. Never give a child adult strength medication or medication not labeled for children. Get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids. - Nurse Julie and Nurse Kerrie SPRING SEASON ( ) COMPETITIVE ACTIVITIES CODE MEETING Monday, March 2 nd, 2015 (in the Auditorium) at 6:30 p.m. If you have not previously attended a high school competitive code meeting, and would like to participate in a spring activity listed below be sure to attend this meeting. All spring athletes should be sure and attend the individual team meetings which begin at 7:15pm. Fees can be paid in Student Services from 6:15-8:15 p.m. Individual Team Meetings 7:15 p.m. It is important that athletes attend the team meeting in order to meet with coaches/advisors and to receive important information. Spring sports include: Women s Soccer, Softball, Baseball, Men s Golf, Men s Tennis, Men s & Women s Track & Field.

3 LUNCH DEPARTMENT NEWS Breakfast and Lunch menus for all schools are posted monthly at STEAM NIGHT Connecting Students and the Community We are excited to invite you to attend our 3 rd annual S.T.E.A.M. Night which will be held at Chippewa Falls High School on Tuesday, March 10, 2015 from 5:00-8:00 p.m. What is our purpose? To promote what Chi-Hi is doing in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math courses to enhance post-secondary readiness and to showcase S.T.E.A.M. related post-secondary options and careers in the Chippewa Valley. We hope to have 40+ presenters representing businesses, universities, hospitals and the military, as well as student projects and presentations. The 2013 physics breakthrough of the year, project ICECUBE, will be this year s keynote presentation. This amazing Wisconsin lead project is responsible for a new era of astronomy, searching for ghost particles known as neutrinos! This is a great opportunity for everyone in the community to connect with students, parents and teachers, and other S.T.E.A.M related business people in the Chippewa Valley. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please call , or gagnonnd@chipfalls.org. CHIPPEWA MENTOR PROGRAM Become a mentor and you ll find the start to a story. What happens next could be merry, spirited, or completely unexpected. It s all up to you! Contact the Chippewa Area Mentor Program to add your twist to the story. Call Ashley at ext or visit for more information. Breakfast is available at all schools. Elementary is $0.35/day, Middle School is $0.85 and High School is $1.00. Additional items can be purchased at the Middle School and High School and each item will be charged individually. Lunch cost for January per child: (19 meal days) Elementary $2.00/meal and $38/month. MS and HS $2.25/meal and $42.75/month. Milk is available for purchase at any school for $0.35 for all students. If you send a lunch from home, you may want to consider sending a beverage if you do not want to incur a milk charge on your account. Additional items can be purchased at the MS and HS and each item will be charged individually. Students on free or reduced price meals will also be charged for items purchased in addition to the meal. HS has a la carte available for purchase. There must be money in the account to purchase these items. Limiting meal purchases/expense: At the Middle and High School level, students are allowed to purchase items individually or in addition to the traditional lunch and breakfast meal. Restrictions can be placed on an individual student s account to not allow a la carte purchases. It does not mean the student cannot have it, but rather they must provide cash at the time of purchase. Additionally, a dollar limit can be set per student. Free and Reduced Price School Meals: All students on free or reduced price meals are entitled to one breakfast and lunch per day. Milk only or extra items are charged at full price. Meal applications are accepted any time throughout the school year. They are available at any school office, at the Administration Office or online. All meal account inquiries/questions can be directed to

4 THE CARDINAL BEAT A Message from Our School Resource Officer I have noticed many parents dropping off their students in the bus drop off area in front of Chi-Hi, while the buses are present. There are two signs posted at the entry to this bus drop off area, which prohibit any vehicles while buses are present. Please obey the signs. By driving regular passenger vehicles and dropping students off in the bus drop off area, the buses are unable to park close to the doors. This also causes a safety issue with added traffic congestion to the bus lane. Please drop off your children on the Chi-Hi side of Terrill Street and they can use the sidewalk to enter the school as they are supposed to. Thank you for your consideration with this matter. I realize that some of you who use the bus drop off area do not even realize the hazard that this creates. As always, please feel free to call me with any questions or concerns. SRO Mark Johnson Phone: , extension johnsonmj@chipfalls.org ADVANCED PLACEMENT NIGHT Faculty at Chippewa Falls Senior High will host the school s annual AP Night on Monday, January 19th at 6:00 PM in the Chi-Hi auditorium, prior to Junior Parent Night events. Advanced Placement (AP) courses are college-level courses taught at the high school for which students can earn college credit. Students considering enrolling in an AP course for the school year, current AP students, and their parents are encouraged to attend. Information will be presented about course offerings and requirements, schedule planning, and the testing process. Current AP students may register and pay for 2015 exams. Students and parents will have the opportunity to meet with AP teachers to inquire about specific courses and/or tests. MONOCLE UPDATE Order your 2015 Chi-Hi Yearbook There are two ways to order a yearbook this year. The first way is to pick up an order form located in the Main Office at Chi-Hi. Completed forms can be dropped off to Mr. Sikkink in room 139 or mailed to: Chi Hi Monocle 735 Terrill St. Chippewa Falls, WI The second method is to place your order on-line through the web link below: spx?sid=1-5h-2954 Order your Yearbook before January 30th and save $10.00 off of the distribution day price of $75.00! But you better hurry because at the time of printing there were only 500 books left available for purchase! Go online or get your order form and reserve your copy today! Once these remaining books are sold there is no guarantee that any will be available for sale on Distribution Day! It is important to pre-order your book as early as possible to ensure that your student will have their copy at the end of May! Senior Farewells All Senior Parents have been mailed a Senior Farewell order form to commemorate the accomplishments and memories of their student. If you have not received one or need another copy there are two ways to get another one. 1. Pick up a form in the main office 2. Mr. Sikkink If there are any questions on the order form please contact Mr. Sikkink. All orders have a firm deadline of January 9th, Any orders placed after that day will not be processed. Please feel free to call or with any questions you may have! Scott Sikkink Yearbook Advisor sikkinsr@chipfalls.org ext Amanda Hill Yearbook Co-Advisor hillal@chipfalls.org ext. 1201

5 WRESTLING CLUB The Chippewa Falls Youth Wrestling Club's 2015 season gets underway on Monday, January 5th. Registration will be in Gym A at Chippewa Falls Middle School from 5:30pm - 7:30pm on the 5th. Practices will begin on Tuesday, January 6th. All practices will be held in Gym A at CFMS and practice times are the same as previous years: 0-2 years of experience - Mondays and Tuesdays from 6-7pm 3+ years of experience - Mondays and Tuesdays from 7-8pm and Thursdays from 6-7:30pm The coaches for the youth this year are Steve Anderson, CFMS wrestling coach and Tom Pomietlo, Chi-Hi wrestling coach. The Chippewa Falls Youth Tournament will be Sunday, February 15th. For more information, please check out our website: rdinal-wrestling and our Facebook page: Chippewa Falls Area Youth Wrestling Club. FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District Foundation scholarship applications will be available online at: tml beginning February 1st, Many scholarships are available for students wishing to pursue technical college or 4 year college degrees. Some scholarships are specific for academic achievement (GPA range 2.5 to 4.0), some for community, school and/or sport involvement, and some are for specific intended programs of study or specific post-graduate institutions. PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES March 5 & 12, 2015 Parent/Teacher conferences will be held on March 5 th for families with last names A-L and March 12 th for last names M-Z. These sessions are a walk-in type format, allowing parents the freedom to see teachers of their choice. If the evening you are scheduled does not work for you, please attend the session that works best. PLAN NOW FOR FIRST SEMESTER FINALS January 21-23, 2015 First semester ends Friday, January 23, Finals will take place Wednesday, January 21 for periods 1-3; Thursday, January 22 for periods 4-6; and Friday, January 23 for periods 7 and early bird/make up. It is important for parents/guardians and students to be aware of the following information prior to final testing. Your cooperation with our policies is appreciated. No passes are issued during finals. This includes Tardy Passes and Passes to Leave the Building for appointments. No work release privileges will be honored. Students need to inform their employer that they are not available for work during finals. No study halls during finals. Students may use the library or resource rooms during study halls. Students need not be in the building during study hall class periods. No visiting the Middle School (or grade schools). Please do not visit other schools during finals without prior approval. Lunch will be served on Wednesday (1/21) and Thursday (1/22) only. School lunch will not be served on Friday (1/23). A full list of available scholarships along with any special requirements will be posted on the web site with the application at the beginning of February. CFAUSDF also welcomes donations by individuals or groups interested in helping deserving Chippewa Falls graduates pursue their goals through higher education. Visit our website or e- mail: cfausdfoundation@yahoo.com to receive further information regarding donating to a general scholarship fund or establishing a donor specific scholarship. CRISIS HELP LINE Please make sure that your son/daughter is aware that there is help available any time day or night if they need to talk. The Chippewa County Crisis Line is This toll free number is available 24/7 and not only provides support professionals to talk to, but free resources available for persons and families in crisis.

6

7