August 15, 2010
Dear Parents/Guardians and all LHS students:
The start of school is upon us and what an exciting time for both students,
teachers and even parents. It is a great opportunity to start anew and outline
a set of goals that will help us stay focused and successful throughout the
year.
As the new principal of LHS, I am looking forward to doing my part to ensure
our students are properly being prepared for the 21st century. This includes
providing a positive, safe and rigorous learning environment that integrates
the most innovative and effective instructional strategies that help maximum
student engagement.
This enormous, yet rewarding task will need the support of all who are involved
in our learning community. In the short time I have been here, I have witnessed
a great commitment by our staff to bring out the best in your children. As
parents and guardians, we will look to you to help support the mission, goals
and policies we have in place that foster an effective educational setting.
With our school focus on reading comprehension and written response, we will
be looking to further improve how we deliver instruction in these areas.
I have been fortunate to see the benefits of integrating technology into instruction
in ways many of us never dreamed possible. I hope you all will join me in
the quest to give our students more access to these exciting and relevant
tools that will give them the competitive edge once they leave our high school
doors. Now for some important logistical information...
OPEN HOUSE INFORMATION:
In order to establish the important relationship between home and school,
I would like to ask that you make it a priority to attend our Open House on
Wednesday, September 8th at 6:30pm. This will give you the opportunity to
meet your student's teacher and get a good understanding of the course requirements
and expectations. We will begin the evening in the auditorium. Please make
every effort to attend.
IMPORTANT SCHOOL FORMS INFORMATION:
Please note that there are a series of forms that were sent home that need
to be completed and returned no later than Friday, September 10, 2010. 9th
and 10th grade forms should go to Mr. Halpin's office and 11th and 12th grade
forms should be returned to Mrs. Kurty's office. If there are any issues regarding
your student's schedule, please do not hesitate to call the guidance department
at 589-9001, ext. 2407.
TRAFFIC INFORMATION:
For the safety of our students, please be reminded and adhere to our traffic
procedures. The access road (next to the tennis courts and connected to our
student parking lot) will be used as an ENTRANCE ONLY from 6:45a.m to 7:30am.
Student and parents may use this road in order to get to the student lot.
There are two student entrances to the building from this parking lot. All
vehicles must exit the back of the building during the morning rush hour by
going through to the bus loop and use the road leading out from Veteran's
Park Elementary School. In the afternoon, the procedure reverses, the access
road becomes an EXIT ONLY for the student cars leaving at the 1:55 dismissal
times. If you choose to drop your student off in front of the building, please
honor the crosswalk as individuals will be entering the building from the
front lot.
CLASS MEETINGS:
During the 1st week of school, we will be meeting with each class to review
school policies and procedures as defined in our student handbook. Some important
areas of emphasis will be the school dress code and our bullying policy. We
take the responsibility of preparing our student for the workforce very seriously.
Dressing appropriately in the school setting will help our students practice
a level of professionalism and decorum that are essential to whatever occupation
they choose. I ask that parents and guardians help us enforce this policy
by monitoring students prior to the school day and supporting any blatant
violations. Lastly, the tragic incidents involving school bullying in the
last few years has put this issue to the forefront where it should be. It
is critical that we monitor and effectively deal with students who unfortunately
use intimidation towards others. Please make sure to report any incidents
in which you are the victim of bullying or know someone who is being victimized.
All matters will be handled on the strictest level of confidentiality.
WELCOME NEW STAFF & CHANGES TO STAFFING:
Mrs. Rebecca Scibelli- Main Office Secretary
Ms. Michelle Edbert- Paraprofessional in our Autism Program
Ms. Natalie Gebo- Paraprofessional for SIP & former LHS student
Mr. Bill Moge- Physical Education teacher (Mr. Moge is coming from Baird)
Ms. Teresa Poteat- moving to LLD classes
SCHOOL UPDATES & INFORMATION
At LHS, we are committed to providing you the most up-to-date and complete
information regarding our events and programs. To that end, please note that
we will be posting important information on our school website throughout
the year. You can access the site by visiting: www.ludlowhighschool.org. Additionally,
we will be messaging out important information via our ConnectEd system.
BACK TO SCHOOL FORM CHECKLIST (Due- Friday, September 10th):