Words from Secondary

Welcome back and Happy New Year!

The Secondary School is off and running this semester.  Students are back in the classroom and it is always a joy to have them back for another semester of learning.  

I am looking forward to seeing students and faculty this coming week after my family’s isolation and quarantine due to COVID.  Speaking of COVID and precautions, please continue to speak with your children about the importance of following guidelines, especially during this wave of Omicron variant.  The good news is that for those who are vaccinated, the symptoms are “mild” and tend to dissipate rather quickly.  Nonetheless, we still have students on campus not vaccinated and the more precautions we can take by properly wearing masks and distancing ourselves when we eat will continue to mitigate against any spread on campus.

I thank you all for your continued support and flexibility during this time of uncertainty.  

Below is our important information for the Secondary School.

Onward and upward,

JLM

Virtual School Option

For those of you who signed up for virtual classes, know that we will continue to offer virtual classes for those who are taking precautionary measures after traveling through the end of next week, January 28th.  After the 28th, students who are quarantined due to a positive test or isolated due to a family member testing positive will be able to access classes virtually either synchronously in the MS or asynchronously with teacher office hours in the high school.

E Week next week

We will begin next week with E Day.

Mask use

As we continue to deal with the COVID virus and the spread of this variant in our midst, it is extremely important that we continue to properly wear masks to cover the nose and mouth and to use multi-layer masks such as KN95, KF94, or 3-ply masks at minimum. Thank you for continuing to equip your child with the appropriate mask at school.

Feeling Sick?... Stay Home

If your child is not feeling well and has cold-like or flu-like symptoms, we ask that they stay home from school.  Please monitor them and, if necessary, get them tested for COVID. 

If they do test positive, please alert the school so we can contract trace.

Senior Speeches begin again this Wednesday

Our senior speeches will start again this coming Wednesday.  Seniors, be sure to look at when your speech day is scheduled.

Middle School Behavior Plan and Reflection Forms

Greetings Parents,

We are very excited to initiate a new behavior plan within the Middle School! Our plan centers student discipline directly on school principles, student accountability and reflection, and a preference for growth over punitive consequences.  This will be accomplished by identifying, monitoring, and intervening in behavioral needs characterized as conduct, social-emotional, and academic needs. 

Behavior and actions are rooted in living by or in violation of general principles.  When faculty mentor or intervene on student behavior, it is guided by the following principles:

Be responsible: hands in work on time, getting to class with materials, complying with responsible use policy. 

Be respectful: Not interrupting learning, following all instructions of adults with a good attitude, following classroom expectations, taking care of the property of yourself, others, and school. 

Be Kind: Despite personal differences treat community and visitors with kindness, respect, and empathy. 

Be honest: not cheating, lying, or taking things that are not yours. 

Overall we are EXTREMELY excited as a faculty because of the active and holistic monitoring that examines mental health along with academic support.  Students will be held accountable and required to reflect on their actions.  We will be evaluating our program as the semester moves forward to continually improve our process.  Thank you all for being a vital part of this process and helping our students grow!

You can access the entire document here.

Cell-phones in MS

This is a reminder that MS students are not allowed to have their cell phones on them during the school day.  Students should place their cell phones in their lockers or have them turned off in their backpacks.  

If teachers see students with their cell phones out, their phones will be turned into the office to be picked up at the end of the day.

Parents, if you need to contact your child, please call the office and refrain from calling or texting your child during the school day. 

Toy drive on MS last December

Thank you for your support last December on the Toy drive for the indigenous community organized by Mrs. Rodriguez, Mrs. Urrutia, together with the middle school student council, collected new toys for the indigenous community of Quitirrisí descendents of the Huetares, located in Mora, Santa Ana. Please see the pictures below.