January 9th COMMUNITY NEWS & UPDATES |
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Happy New Year
From Dr. Patrick Hardy, Principal
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Dear Hornet Families,
Let me begin by wishing you all a very Happy New Year. I hope your year will be filled with prosperity, joy, peace, and continued success in all the arenas where you live, work, relax and have fun. During what felt like the shortest-ever winter break, I hope you had time to connect or reconnect with family and friends and that you found moments to rest and recharge. Like many of you, my schedule was busy, but I did find time to reflect on the first part of the school year and the opportunities ahead.
Over the past few months, I have increasingly appreciated the work and commitment of the Hinsdale South Faculty and Staff. I have experienced firsthand how the team can come together to address concerns, successfully see an event through to the end, support students, and lean on each other. I have experienced the high value the faculty and staff place on seeing students succeed as they move through their academic journeys here at South. We also have a phenomenal and courageous student body, and we could not do anything without the support and partnership of our families and the broader community. Things are not perfect, for sure. The job and its various complexities are not new to me, but the location is, so I know I still have steps to take to bring down that learning curve. Still, I remain honored to do what I love here at Hinsdale South.
My reflection time also reawakened the truth of my discontentment. Admittedly, I am not yet satisfied with our work. We have much more to do, and I sincerely believe we can achieve a more lofty vision of South’s future together.
We are approaching the annual holiday on which we honor the iconic Dr. Martin Luther King’s life, legacy, and extraordinary achievements. During a speech on February 6, 1968, Dr. King delivered the following quote: “We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.” This year, an Illinois city invited me to deliver a speech during their upcoming celebration, and they selected this quote as their theme, so it is foremost on my mind these days. As I study and prepare, Dr. King’s words remind me that the mistakes, losses, failures, disappointments, and delays Hinsdale South experiences (past and future) are temporary. They must not deter us from the pursuit of grander goals. We must honor our tradition of excellence while striving to be the very definition of excellence. We can do both, and South can lead the way. I will accept some disappointments, but I will hold steadfastly to infinite hope. I hope you will too!
Please take advantage of the links throughout the document to athletics, booster club, activities, academics, etc. if you are passionate about good news in these areas.
Happy New Year, and Welcome Back.
Patrick Hardy, Ph.D., D.Min.
Principal
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Dear Parents/Guardians of District 86 Juniors,
As you may know, Illinois requires students to take the SAT in order to graduate. While participation in this process is mandatory, the scores that students receive on the test can open doors in terms of college admissions, scholarships and academic recognition.
As I reported to the board of education in October, one of our top academic priorities is to provide students with access to opportunities and resources that they can use to improve their SAT performance. Below are some of the ways in which we are helping our juniors prepare for the test, which we will be administering to them during school on April 12.
Test Prep Support
We have identified approximately 100 juniors who will be receiving SAT prep support on the early release Wednesdays that are scheduled to take place between January and the test date in April. All other juniors are being encouraged to utilize the Khan Academy’s free targeted SAT practice and support that are available to those with a College Board account.
We know that many of our students already have an account that they created in conjunction with taking an AP test, sitting for the SAT outside of the district, or checking a past PSAT score. However, if your child still needs to set one up, they can do so by visiting https://account.collegeboard.org/login/signUp. Please note that the creation of accounts can only be done by students and their families. District 86 does not have the access or ability to complete this process for our students.
Below are a couple of things to keep in mind when creating an account.
Make sure your child uses an email address that they check on a frequent basis. While using their school email address is an option, they will need to change/update it after their senior year if they want to continue receiving information from the College Board.
Include your email address on your child’s account so that you receive the same information that they do. Once you are logged in, you will be prompted to connect your account to your child’s school.
When your student logs in to their College Board account, they will have access to all previous SAT Suite assessments and AP scores. Even if they don’t use the free practice offered by Khan Academy, they can review their previous scores so they know their current performance level and can determine what work they need to do to reach their goals.
In addition to the SAT practice and support, Khan Academy has partnered with the College Board to provide free, targeted skill development activities for all students. This means that once you create and link your College Board account to a Khan Academy account, your child will have access to skill-building lessons and practice questions that are based specifically on questions they missed. Here is a link that provides great information about what Khan Academy can do to help your child “level up” on the SAT.
Dr. Chris Covino
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High School Readiness Survey
On Wednesday, January 11, we will be administering a High School Readiness Survey to our freshmen students at Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South.
The Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South area elementary school districts are working with the local high schools to collect feedback from our freshmen students. The elementary school districts want to know how prepared our freshmen felt they were for high school. The survey will ask our students to think about their overall middle school/junior high experience and give an honest rating for each of the questions in the survey. All responses will be anonymous and will help the elementary school districts continue to improve.
To opt your student out of this survey please fill out this form by Tuesday, January 10.
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Counseling Department
Course selection for the 2023-2024 school year will be taking place in late January and early February.
Here is a course selection timeline:
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Dec 5 - Jan 6
Current teachers recommend courses for the 23-24 school year. After speaking with the students, they enter the course recommendation in an online database.
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Jan 30 - Feb 9
Individual course selection meetings with school counselors during PE to finalize course selections. Students, check your school email in late January for the date & time of your meeting.
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Feb 10 - DEADLINE
All course requests are locked in place on February 10 and no changes can be made after this date.
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The master schedule of classes will be developed from the requests made through this course selection process. If a course is not requested during registration, a seat is not likely to be available later. The requests submitted at the counselor meeting are considered a commitment on the part of the students to take the classes they have asked the school to provide. Selections made at this time are for the entire 2023-2024 school year. Disappointment can be avoided if choices are based upon adequate preparation and forethought. The final deadline for course request changes in February 10. Please begin discussions with your student right away. |
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Protocols and Procedures for Inclement Weather
As we head into the winter months, we want to remind students, staff, families and community members about the protocols and procedures we will initiate and follow should we need to close our schools due to inclement weather.
Please visit http://bit.ly/3g8xyNK for information about how and when we will communicate weather-related updates. There are also details about the Emergency Weather Learning (E-learning) Days we will implement if we need to close our schools.
Please consider encouraging your students to bring their laptops and chargers home daily as a part of their routine in case of inclement weather.
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Attendance
Have questions about attendance? Need to complete a pre-arranged absence form?
You must report all absences, including late arrivals and early dismissals. Failure to report an absence within 24 hours of its occurrence will result in an unexcused absence. Any student who needs to leave school unexpectedly must be excused from the dean's office before they exit the building.
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Technology Help Desk
The Hinsdale South Tech Help Desk can assist students with a variety of technology-related issues and challenges (e.g., resetting passwords, repairing Chromebooks, etc.). Students can reach the Help Desk by calling 630-655-6180 or emailing helpdesk@hinsdale86.org.
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Tip Line
People can use the District 86 Tip Line to anonymously report any concerns they have about the well-being of our students, or make us aware of incidents or issues that threaten the safety of our schools or those we serve.
Please visit P3Campus.com or use the free P3 Campus mobile app to submit your tip. Both resources will also allow you to:
- Share photos, videos or other attachments when submitting a tip.
- Follow up on a tip you submitted to either check on its status or provide additional information.
Please contact the dean's office if you have questions or need more information about our
Tip Line.
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Early Release Wednesday
Based on feedback provided by the Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee during its meeting on Nov. 29, we want to remind families about the opportunities/resources that students can access on these days if they stay on campus following dismissal. They include:
- Using the Testing Center to make up or retake exams.
- Meeting with their counselor, a social worker or other student services staff.
- Meeting with their case manager (by appointment only).
- Working in a quiet study area.
- Planning group study activities such as study tables for athletic teams.
- Participating in activities or athletics programming.
- Working with a content area teacher (available 12:45-1:15 p.m.).
- Working with a peer tutor (available 12:45-3 p.m.).
- Working on credit recovery coursework.
- Buying/eating lunch in the cafeteria.
Please contact your child's school for additional information about the opportunities/resources mentioned above or early release Wednesdays in general.
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Final Exams - January 18, 19 and 20th
Semester Grades
First Semester Finals are January 18-20.
Infinite Campus Portal (for students and parents) to view grades will be turned off from January 18-29.
First Semester grades will be posted in Infinite Campus Portal (for students and parents) to view grades on January 30.
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Hinsdale South Speech Team:
At the December 10th Tournament of Roses, your Hornets brought home 4 medals, including a 3rd place result for next-in finals in Dramatic Duet Acting (Luiza Oliveira and Quinn Isberg), 5th place final result for Humorous Interpretation (Annina Garro), and 6th place result for next-in finals in Original Comedy (Tyler Hallman).
Excellent work everyone!
At the Willowbrook Winter Tournament, December 17th Black and Gold took silver! Annina Garro placed second in her event, Humorous Interpretation!. Destiny Prater placed 4th in Poetry Reading and Tyler Hallman continued to impress with his Original Comedy, bringing home 5th place.
Good work team!
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Carrie: The Musical!
Is hosting another performance prior to traveling to the Illinois High School Theatre Festival.
Come see it on Wednesday, January 11th at 7 PM.
Best of luck to Danny Yuska and our entire crew and cast as they travel to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to compete next week.
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Free Clinic Event for the Community |
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Check out the Darien Christmas Community Celebration |
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Celebrate
your graduating senior
with a
SENIOR TRIBUTE
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Hinsdale South Booster Club
The Boosters are the not-for-profit parent organization that partners with our administration, faculty, parents, students, and our community to enhance academic excellence and our students' overall high school experience. We contribute our time and resources to supplement and support programs while providing opportunities and activities for the sole benefit of our students. The Booster Club promotes Hornet Spirit, provides student scholarships, support.
Click HERE to be directed to website.
Hinsdale South Foundation
The mission of the Hinsdale South High School Foundation is to provide for the enrichment and enhancement of educational programs and opportunities through the establishment of partnerships with individuals, alumni, community organizations and corporate sponsors dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education.
Hinsdale South Athletic Club
The Hinsdale South Athletic Club is a nonprofit 501c(3) organization made up of a wonderful group of volunteer parents, staff, and alumni trying to make a difference for our school, our athletes and our community.
Our Goal
For Hinsdale South to continue to be a place that all students and all community members are proud to call home. By improving our facilities, we are improving our community. The Athletic Club is working with all coaches and the athletic department to fulfill all requests for improvements of our athletic facilities. We cannot do it without you. Please join the Athletic Club today as our membership drive is the most important fundraiser that we have. Support our athletes, become a volunteer and help us make a difference.
Click HERE to be directed to their website.
Hinsdale South Music Booster Club
The Music Boosters is a volunteer organization that supports all of the Hinsdale South High School music department classes and extracurricular activities, and also supplements the department and its students with financial support. Membership is encouraged to all parents of band, choral and orchestra students but is open to any who want to support the Hinsdale South Music Department.
Click HERE to be directed to their website.
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