Students urged to get work done on time
By Donnie A. Lucas
With the end of the school year quickly approaching, school officials are asking parents and students to stay the course as the final week of assignments approaches.
Students at both the elementary and secondary campuses are due to turn in all work by Friday, May 15 so that grades can all be finalized by the last day of the semester on Wednesday, May 20.
Although students have not attended local classes since early March due to spring break and the coronavirus pandemic, teachers at both campuses have been busy delivering instruction by both online methods and with printed packets of work that are physically picked up each week.
The final pickup day for elementary students is Friday, May 8, giving them a week to complete all assignments and return them on Friday, May 15.
Secondary students for the most part have been receiving instruction over Google Classroom, with all assignments coming due by May 15 as well. A few students at the secondary campus have been picking up printed packets once each week if they do not have reliable internet service at home.
“We are still urging students to get the work completed and turned in by next Friday,” secondary counselor Jenny Scott said. “We are especially watching that all seniors have completed assignments necessary to receive the credits they need to graduate.”
Seniors have been asked to complete all work by tomorrow, May 8, as a sort of an incentive to finish early so school staff can concentrate on the seniors who may still be lacking required credits.
“We are looking at about four or five seniors who are still attempting to recover credits from previous semesters on Edgenuity, as well as keeping up with their current assignments,” Scott said. “There are also other seniors who are cutting it close on getting their credits for this semester and who we will probably start being in contact with on a daily basis. There will definitely be a more intensive effort next week once we determine who has not completed all of their work.”
Secondary principal Edward Morales said that his staff will doing everything possible to push the seniors who have not completed all work by Friday.
“Things have gone pretty well at our campus overall,” Morales said. “We do have some, including a handful of seniors, who haven’t completed everything they should, and time is running out.”
Morales said that seniors who haven’t completed work for a class or on the computerized credit recovery system will have the extra days before graduation to finish the work.
“Any senior who isn’t finished will have to do the work one way or another, even if that means coming to summer school before they get their diploma,” said Morales. “They must complete all work to participate in graduation activities.”
Parents of secondary students are urged to look for progress reports that were mailed Monday for all students who have failing grades, which probably indicates that not all assignments have been completed.
“We are asking parents to heed the progress reports and letters that we have sent out,” Scott said. “We need parents’ help getting some of this work completed, especially if they have a senior who is in jeopardy of not graduating.”
Final Turn-in Days
The school has set specific days, and in some case times, for students to turn in their final packets of work along with school computers and other school property.
The turn-in day for the elementary campus is Friday, May 15 from 10:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
“This will be our final turn-in date for all work,” principal John Gallagher said. “We have made a few changes depending on grade levels this time.”
All students in K-4 will use the front parking circle as usual to deliver the last packets of assignments, along with other school property such as library books.
However, fifth and sixth grade students will enter into the bus lane at the north end of the building to turn in Chromebooks and other materials such as library books to their teachers.
Gallagher said that instructions for a voluntary summer reading program for each grade level will be handed out on May 15.
“We want everyone to enjoy the summer while continuing to read through the summer break and dive into some good books,” he said. “We will have some type of rewards or incentives when school starts again in August for students who complete the challenge.”
Details about summer school classes may also be handed out if all plans are finalized.
“We are still working on summer school plans, which we hope will be ready by May 15 so we can notify students who will need to attend,” Gallagher said.
Secondary
Turn-in Schedule
Senior students will come to the high school at specifically designed times on Thursday, May 14, pick up caps and gowns, and return school property including laptops.
Students will follow allotted time slots that will range from 9:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. to receive their graduation items, as well as return all textbooks, laptops, calculators, athletic uniforms and equipment, and library books.
Recipients of the Athletic Memorial Awards, as well as high SAT and ACT scores, will be scheduled first so that pictures can be taken at that time. Students given a 9:00 a.m. time slot are urged to be on time and dressed appropriately for pictures.
Students will be required to clean out their lockers during the same time window, along with picking up any academic or athletic awards they may have received.
Students in grades 7-11 will also follow specific time slots on Monday through Wednesday, May 18-20.
Juniors will be scheduled for 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. on Monday, followed by the sophomores at 12:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m.
Freshmen will come on Tuesday, May 19 from 8:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m., followed by eighth grades in the afternoon from 12:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m.
Seventh graders will come from 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, and those who missed their regularly scheduled times are allowed to come Wednesday afternoon.
Baccalaureate and the senior Bible presentation will be held at 8:00 p.m. Sunday, May 17 at Robert Nail Stadium.
Graduation is tentatively set for 10:00 a.m. Saturday, May 23 at the football field.
Summer school students will use the Edgenuity computer system to recover credits, with laptop pickup and login information set for Monday, June 8 and continuing through June 26. Summer courses will be conducted by remote learning online.
