FOREST CITY HIGH SCHOOL
PRIDE TRIBE PULSE
Winter Issue 2020
Issue note: Different email clients have different displays. If you see a small box with dots in it, please click it and it will expand to view all of the articles .
 
PRINCIPAL UPDATE
Dear parents and guardians:

Happy New Year! It is always exciting to me when the calendar turns to the next year. One of the tasks I enjoy doing at this time of the year is planning for the upcoming school year. The faculty has been considering their course descriptions and whether or not a new class should be offered. 

When the 2020-2021 FCHS Course Registration Booklet is available, I'll distribute it to students and parents via SchoolMessenger. This will allow you an opportunity to consider as a family what academic choices are requested for 2020-2021. Combine this with the conversation you will have with your child’s advisor at the CAP (Career Action Planning) Conference and the most appropriate choices for your child academically should be completed. CAP Conferences will take place on February 25 and 27. 

Also coming in the near future is the annual FCHS Academic Banquet sponsored by the Forest City Education Foundation. The banquet will take place on March 26, 2020, at 6 p.m. For students to earn their Academic Letter, they will need to meet two of the following criteria: Top 7% of a class, 3.6 GPA or higher, 97% or higher attendance rate, has qualified both 1st & 2nd trimester for the finals opt-out, and/or an ACT Composite score of 27.

I'd also like to welcome Ms. Haley Hinrichs to the faculty. She will teach Ag Education and lead FFA. You can read more about Ms. Hinrichs below. We extend a big thanks to Mr. Larry Vold who came out of retirement to fill the vacated position late last summer.

Principal Ken Baker
As part of the Winnebago County Relay For Life fundraising effort, HyVee (the Forest City store only) is donating a percentage of sales. In each of the building offices, a can is present for anyone to turn in receipts. Thank you!
SOUTH AFRICA: A PERSONAL STORY
Pastor Les Green with students in the Geography of Africa class: Derek Froendt, Matthew Liviero and Brianna Preteroti (Absent: Xander Smith & Josh Vazquez)
On Monday, January 13, Pastor Les Green from the Forest City United Methodist Church visited Mrs. McInroy’s Geography of Africa class. He spoke about his life growing up in South Africa. Her students were learning about the system of apartheid that was in place in South Africa from 1948 to 1994, and how life has changed since that time.

Pastor Les spoke about growing up during apartheid, what life was like after apartheid and the differences between the two. He answered questions we had about the government and having three capitals, Nelson Mandela, history, culture, economy, and other challenges like crime, racism and housing issues. He also discussed how his family made their way from South Africa to Iowa.

Students really enjoyed having a personal connection to a place not well known by many people.
SPRING PLAY APRIL 3 & 4
Clue Based on the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn. Based on the Paramount Pictures motion picture. Based on the Hasbro board game Clue.
FCHS getting ready to put on a slap-stick comedy mystery
On a dark and stormy night, six unique guests, plus a butler and a maid, assemble for dinner party at the home of Mr. Boddy. When their host turns up dead, it is clear that no one is safe! Soon the guests are racing to find the killer and keep the body count from stacking up. Based on the popular board game and adapted from the cult classic film, Clue is the comedy whodunit that will keep you guessing (and laughing) to the very end.

FCHS Students are auditioning for roles this week and set design, props, costumes, and publicity are also underway according to director Mr. Sarasio-Meyer.

"This is a fun, slap-stick comedy mystery and I'm excited to see our students play these roles. If you're familiar with the game, you will see some of that in the play," said Sarasio-Meyer.

Don't miss the play on April 3 or 4! The students would love your support. Tickets will be available sometime mid-March.
STATE ANNOUNCES VAPING AWARENESS/PREVENTION CAMPAIGN
The State of Iowa is taking action to draw attention to the growing concerns about the increase in teen vaping.
 
A new vaping awareness and prevention campaign was launched in December. Governor Reynolds said, “As a mom, grandma and governor of Iowa, I believe we have an opportunity and a responsibility to combat the teen vaping epidemic,” said Gov. Reynolds. “By increasing awareness and education on the known risks of vaping, we can help prevent our young people from setting themselves up for a lifelong addiction to nicotine. Working together as a team we can address the issue holistically, and effectively reach teens and parents with the right information.”
 
Youth vaping has more than doubled nationally since 2017. Today, 1 in 4 high schoolers vapes, and 1 in 9 high school seniors reports vaping on a near-daily basis. In Iowa, the percentage of 11th graders who said they currently vaped went from 9% in 2016 to more than 22% in 2018. With some brands, using just one vaping pod is the equivalent of smoking 20 cigarettes. These statistics underscore the need for a coordinated, multi-pronged campaign to address the vaping epidemic.
 
Please view the resources on the left for additional information.

WELCOME TO FCHS!
FCHS welcomes Haley Hinrichs! Effective on January 2, she is the new Agriculture and Science teacher at FCHS and will serve as the FFA advisor.

Haley grew up on a small dairy farm in southeastern Minnesota and graduated from Iowa State in December.

This trimester, she is teaching the Ag classes and ecology. She said, "I look forward to getting to know everyone and being a part of this special community."
FROM MR. Z...
In today’s age technology seems to play a major role in young people’s lives with Snapchat, Tik Tok, Facebook, Instagram, to name a few. 

As parents, it can be difficult to know how to monitor and/or understand the in’s and out’s of these apps and the ways we can help our children use them in a safe way.

There is a new website www.westartnow.com that is focused on helping families develop healthy norms, values and training based around technology use that may be very useful for you. They use a "Driver’s Ed" approach to Social Media and have started with Snapchat and TikTok (click the red button below).

Feel free to contact Mr. Z if you would like any support with your child and social media.
SCHOOLMESSENGER NOTIFICATIONS
FAQ
App Notifications
If you're not receiving a notification (a sound, a banner message) from the SchoolMessenger app on your phone, do the following: Go to the app menu (upper left)<Settings<Turn notifications on. Also, check your phone notifications settings.
 
Text Notifications
Weather-related announcements are always sent via email and text (if you have provided permission to receive texts) and you will receive a notification from the SchoolMessenger app.
 
To authorize text messages (you have to have the SchoolMessenger app) text "Y" or "yes" to 67587. Also, in the app, go to preferences set your message preferences.
 
We encourage you to contact Kristin Heidemann, Communications Director, with any questions so we can ensure you are not missing important messages:
kheidemann@forestcity.k12.ia.us
641-585-2323 x2207

NEW! VIRTUAL BACKPACK
New "Virtual Backpack" icon added to the Forest City CSD app shares family-focused programs and events

We are fortunate to live in a community where there are so many programs and events for children and families. To help in sharing these opportunities, the district added a new icon called "Virtual Backpack" to our new Forest City CSD app.

Check the icon frequently so that you don't miss out on programming and event opportunities from organizations such as the Y, Park & Rec, Waldorf, Brickstreet Theater and others!

If you'd like to submit an event or program, please email Kristin Heidemann at kheidemann@forestcity.k12.ia.us.

Remember our new Forest City CSD works like a mobile website and has 3 pages (swipe left) of one-click icons such as a staff directory, daily calendar of events, news, announcements, handbooks and more! We also submit notifications through this app.

Existing students and families also need the SchoolMessenger app to receive updates from teachers, coaches, and administrators.

If you don't have this app yet, look for it in your app store. It's called "Forest City CSD."

GYM REMODEL UPDATE
Online Auction a Success!
Last Friday, the one-month online auction for pieces of the gym floor concluded and it was a success! Thank you to all that took part. There were 198 4'x6' pieces and then 2 larger side pieces that were available to bid on. Bidders picked their piece(s) from a drawing that divided the floor into the 200 sections. Proceeds from the auction (about $10,000) will be used toward the gymnasium remodel costs.
Gym Remodel Plans
At the January Board of Education meeting, bids were accepted and the remodel timeline was determined. At this point (subject to change as with any construction project), the timeline calls for bleacher removal beginning the week of March 18 and the flooring removal is projected to begin around March 25. From there, the gym will be painted and the new flooring and bleachers will be installed. Other pieces of the project include new doors, wall padding, wall wrap, conference standing boards, floor mats, scorers table, and chairs. The substantial pieces of the project are projected to wrap up at the end of June. KIOW's morning conversation with Mr. Lehmann shares more specifics if you are interested.