H-BC Secondary Families:
Thank you to everyone who made it to Secondary Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday, Feb. 17th. We appreciate partnering with you in your student(s)’ education! If you missed conferences, you can always contact your teacher via email/phone if you have any questions on your student(s)’ progress. Here is a LINK to the staff directory. As we near midterm, Wednesday, February 23rd, it is important to continue to check JMC to see if your student is working to his/her fullest potential. See below to learn how to log onto the JMC Family App. (If you forgot your JMC password, please call the school.)
Finally, next week is FFA Week! This is a fun week to celebrate our FFA Chapter and a very important aspect to our community - farming! Here are some of the fun events and dress up days for next week. We will also be having our FFA Chapter ‘Driver Your Tractor to School’ Parade on Friday, February 25th at 12 PM. The parade will be similar to last year. See the parade route below.
Go FFA!
‘Driver Your Tractor to School’ Parade
Friday, February 25th at 12 PM
Parade Route Below (Note: Route will also be posted to Facebook/Twitter/Website later next week)
It’s also School Board Appreciation Week next week! Please make sure to thank our wonderful school board members who are committed to HBC Public Schools, our students and staff! They are invested at creating a top-rated school system. Thank you HBC Board of Education Members.
Arlyn Gehrke, Chairman
Harley Fransman, Vice-Chairman
Tim Bosch--Treasurer
Tami Rauk, Secretary
Renae Knobloch, Director
Ethan Rozeboom, Director
Chris Harnack, Director
Also, if you have not done so, please make sure you also look at the HBC Newsletter to see all the happenings at HBC. February Newsletter LINK
Wellness and Well Being (Repeat)
Please continue to pay close attention to your student’s health and symptoms daily. Use the screener that is listed below and when in doubt call the school office with questions. This is also a great time to remind your student(s) about good hygiene/health - washing hands regularly, proper way to sneeze and cough, getting good rest and drinking plenty of water.
SCREENER - Continue to SCREEN your students daily.
Stay Updated (Repeat)
Please follow us on Facebook - @hbcpatriots1 or Twitter - @hbcpatriots
This is a great way to see all the amazing happenings at HBC Public Schools!
Important Dates Ahead (New)
Friday, February 18 & Monday, February 21 - No School Presidents Day/Weekend
Saturday, February 19 - 6th Grade Boys & Girls Basketball Tournament at Hills
Tuesday, February 22 - Friday, February 25th - FFA Week (See Details Above)
Wednesday, February 23 - Midterm for Quarter 3
Friday, February 25 12 PM - Driver Your Tractor to School Parade (See Details Above)
Monday, February 28 - Driver’s Education Class Begins
Wednesday, March 2 - Early Release for Students at 12:30 PM
Friday, March 25 - No School for Students (Staff Workshop Day)
Driver’s Education Starting Monday, February 28th (Repeat)
Students interested in the Driver’s Education Course will be starting on Monday, February 28th. The class will mostly be held after school for a duration of three weeks ending on March 16th. The class is a total of 30 hours of coursework. The cost of the course is $350.00 and will be due before you attend the first class (payable to HBC Schools). There will be a sign up sheet in the office starting on Monday, February 7th. Here is a LINK to the Letter sent home to students who signed up.
Academics First - OntoCollege & Preparing Our Students for Colleges & Careers (Repeat)
Our high school seeks to create two- and four-year college graduates with minimal debt. Thus, we are bringing proven, entertaining ACT preparation—OnToCollege (OTC)-- to students. Each student will experience the course in school over the next few months leading up to the ACT or MCAs (ACT for Juniors is on April 5th, 2022 Test Date).
Students will also have online access at home to further prepare and work through many of the Additional Prep and Solution Video resources that are available to them. If your student is struggling with a specific subject area or concept on the ACT, OTC’s Additional Prep and Solution Video resources can help.
Higher ACT scores can mean larger college scholarships. The average score increase from OnToCollege is 2-3 points for the ACT, which can save your family thousands in college costs and increase your child’s college choices. Click here to watch a short video where John Baylor discusses the importance of the ACT, even at test-optional schools.
We will be offering valuable instruction time during the school day (during College & Career Ready and Patriot Prep) to complete the course. All students are expected to attend the classes to prepare for their test (ACT/MCA).
You are invited to follow OnToCollege’s Twitter feed, Facebook page, and use resources, read blogs, or watch videos/podcasts available for free at OnToCollege.com.
We are excited to be doing even more to maximize your child’s chances to get into his or her best-fit college or technical school at the lowest cost and to become a college graduate with minimal debt. Thanks for helping us ensure students prioritize this course and the upcoming test.
Information for Families Regarding MCA III Assessments: (Repeat)
MCA Statewide Assessments Dear Families,
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) requires that statewide assessments are annually administered in reading, mathematics, and science. They are designed to provide the state, districts, and schools with a snapshot of student learning of the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards.
When will HBC Students take the MCA Tests? What Grades will take the MCA Tests?
MCA Reading - (3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 10th) - Tuesday, April 12th and Wednesday, April 13th
MCA Math - (3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 11th) - Tuesday, April 19th and Wednesday, April 20th
MCA Science - (5th, 8th and 10th) - Tuesday, April 26th or Wednesday, April 27th
What are the MCA Tests? The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) and Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS) are reading, mathematics, and science standards-based assessments that measure student learning of the Minnesota Academic Standards. These assessments are used meet federal and state legislative requirements. Most students take the MCA, but students who receive special education services and meet the MTAS eligibility requirements may take the MTAS instead.
Why do we give these assessments? MCA results provide valuable information for the school, district and MDE about how well students have learned concepts and skills from the academic standards. Educators and schools can use the results to plan instruction and evaluate their curriculum. Families can also use the results as one way to measure how students are doing on the content that is part of their daily instruction. School- and district-level test results are used in federal and state accountability measurements.
How are the MCA administered? The MCAs must be taken in person, even if your student is enrolled in an online program. For students temporarily learning online, they will take statewide assessments when they return to school. Your school can provide more specific information about the health and safety measures they are taking to ensure students and staff stay safe and healthy during test administration. Most students take the MCA online, but some eligible students take the assessment in a paper test book instead. For the MTAS, teachers work with each student individually using paper test materials.
How can I get more information?Contact your school for more information on how these test results are used to support your student’s learning. The MCA and MTAS Parent Fact Sheets are available on the MDE website (under Students and Families > Programs and Initiatives > Statewide Testing) in several languages.
If you have any questions, please contact Andrew Kellenberger, District Assessment Coordinator - a.kellenberger@isd671.net
Spring Assessments Coming Soon (New)
Spring Testing is an important time to check progress for our students. As we get closer to March and April, we will enter Spring Assessment season. Please click this LINK to see our HBC Assessment Calendar. This will give you an idea when each assessment is scheduled for ACTs, MCAs and NWEAs.
Jr. Class Fundraiser - PIZZA! (Repeat)
Support our Jr. Class and HBC Prom by ordering Pizza! Order between Now - Feb. 25th! Options: Breakfast, Sausage, Pepperoni, 4-Cheese & Supreme! All proceeds go to HBC Prom! Place your order by contacting an HBC Junior Student or Ms. Erickson.
2022 HBC TRAP TEAM Sign-Up (New)
8th - 12th grade students who are interested in being part of the HBC Trap Shooting team. Please sign-up in the office. A student/parent meeting will be held at a later date.
Order HBC Secondary Yearbooks Now (Repeat)
Early Bird Offer for the Yearbook! Save $10 if you order by March 11th. Order today at only $35. After March 11th, the yearbook will cost $45.
3-6 Grade Girls On The Run: (Repeat)
We are excited to have GOTR back at H-BC! Please see the flyer attached to this newsletter. Registration opens February 7th at 8:30 am! Visit www.EmBe.org/gotr to register. Additional information will be sent home next week. The program will run Monday & Wednesday, 3:30-4:15pm starting Monday, March 7, and ending Monday, May 16. Thank you Mrs. Tollefson for leading the program!
Free and Reduced Lunch (Repeat)
If your family’s income has changed since the start of the school year it is still possible to complete an application for free and reduced lunch. With all meals currently free, this application can also provide additional program and activity benefits. Forms are available online or at the secondary school office.
E-Learning Days (Repeat)
E-learning days...if school is cancelled because of inclement weather or any other reason. Here is the procedure for E-Learning Days (Link).
Look at Student(s)’ Grades, Progress, Attendance, Lunch Bill, ETC on JMC App - Smart Phone (Repeat)
Open Gym Sundays - Hugo Goehle Gym - Hills (Repeat)
Deficiency Lists for the Start of 3rd Quarter- (Repeat)
As we emphasize the importance of academics and being well-rounded students, athletes and participants of co-curricular activities, please be reminded that we have continued to utilize the Deficiency List.
The Deficiency List / Academic Eligibility is located in Section 9 of the Secondary Student Handbook (LINK).
This slide explains the different levels of deficiencies. Parents and students will receive an emailed letter notifying them if their student is on the deficiency list. Please continue to support your student who may be struggling with completing school work.
The picture below shows the different levels of the Deficiency List.
HBC Athletics Updates (Repeat)
For the most updated information about sporting events, please download the HBC App or the HBC School Website
Children’s Dental Services: See the attached is Rock/Nobles County Dental Service information. (New)
School Lunch (Repeat) -- With current food availability our menus do change. Our Food Service Director does keep the menu on the H-BC App current- https://www.hbcpatriots.com/dining Remember to refer to the App and not the newsletter for the most current menu.
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AM BUS CHANGES--For morning bus changes please call or text the bus line--make sure to identify your student and the bus number they are riding: 507-962-3240 Ext. 4.
Please reach out to me if you have any needs. Phone- 507-962-3240 or email a.kellenberger@isd671.net