From the desk of Principal Deborah Finn

February 8, 2024

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: 

1. Next Monday, February 12 is a Special Giant Schedule Day.  Classes begin at 8:35 am.
2. Next Friday, February 16 is a Staff Institute Day and there are no classes.
3. Next week is our last week of this year’s Charity Drive - don’t miss out on the great activities for such a great cause!

If you recall, last year we had the opportunity to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX and women in sports.  This year, some of us had the opportunity to attend the breakfast yesterday sponsored by our Giants Club in honor of National Women in Sports Day.  We appreciate all that Giants Club does to celebrate our athletes and our coaches throughout the year.  

This month has been filled with community building events in service of Cancer Wellness.  If you haven’t participated in a Charity Drive event yet, don’t miss out on the chance to do so - the fun continues through February 16.  I had Pieros for lunch on Tuesday, I am excited to scan the items on the silent auction, and I’m looking forward to skate  night this weekend!  How will you join in on the fun?

Monday, February 12 - Special Giant Schedule Day, Extended

Homeroom - 5 Essentials

Tuesday, February 13 - Giant Schedule Day

Wednesday, February 14 - Blue Schedule Day

Thursday, February 15 - White Schedule Day

Friday, February 16 - Staff Institute Day, No Classes

A few weeks ago, parent volunteers joined our School Community Liaison to welcome incoming Freshmen during our Giant Welcome Night for the Class of 2028. Mrs. Martha Sanchez, Claudia Suarez, and Caritina Patiño shared information about the Padre a Estudiante/BPAC Group, workshops, activities, and support available for Spanish-speaking parents at HPHS. We thank these remarkable parents for their commitment and valuable time. If you want to know more about these programs and how to get involved visit the HPHS website. 

ACTIVITIES



Charity Drive Past and upcoming activities/events click here for details and to donate!

Lots going on this week!

• 2/7 Silent Auction Opens - Click here!
• 2/9 Art Into Night
• 2/10 Skating at Centennial 8-9pm

This past weekend there was a LOT of excitement - the 24 hr. run, Taste of HP, Giants Got Talent, Cannonball Challenge and Sports Day.  Congratulations to Mr. Ford for winning the cannonball contest and special shout out to Ms. Otto for her fabulous mermaid showing!  Thank you to everyone who helped to make these events happen for our students - and the list is LONG.  A few pictures to share - Dodgeball, Giants Got Talent, Taste of HP, 3 on 3 BBall, Cannonball Challenge, and Poms/Jammers Clinic.

ATHLETICS

This past Friday was Hall of Fame Night.  We inducted three new members to the HPHS Athletic Hall of Fame.  A big thank you to HPTV for livestreaming the ceremony.

Congratulations to:

Norm Parker ‘60 - Wrestling, University of Iowa 

Josh Wexler ‘85 - Basketball, Cornell University

Emily Feldman ‘11 - Cross Country, Basketball, Soccer, Emory University

Congratulations to senior wrestler Dmitry Derbedyenyev.  Dmitry won the IHSA Regional Championship for his weight class on Saturday at Stevenson High School and advanced to next week’s Sectional Tournament.

Our Varsity Girls Basketball Team earned a share of the CSL North title with their Friday Night win over Niles North.  It was also Senior Night which made the victory even more special.  Congratulations to the athletes and coaches on this amazing accomplishment. 

We had some programs step up to support The Cancer Wellness Center this weekend. The Boys and Girls Track & Field Programs planned and organized the 24 Hour Run and our Poms and Jammers teams hosted a youth dance clinic on Friday night.  It was incredibly rewarding to see the community support for these events.

Two of our gymnasts, Maddyn Cohen and Amelie Gerber competed at the Glenbrook South Sectional on Tuesday night.

Deans

Beat the Bell Challenge

At the end of our first week of school in an all-school assembly, students were introduced to our GIANT values and the four non-negotiables that help us live our values in our House On Vine. Those non-negotiables include: 

• Show Up: the importance of being present and attending class
• Beat the Bell: the importance of being on time to you, your classmates, and your teacher
• Disconnect to Reconnect: the importance of disconnecting from our devices to more fully engage with each other and our classes
• And Taking Care of our Casa y Familia: the importance of treating each other with respect, kindness, and care, as we are all family members in this House on Vine.

In addition to being introduced to our non-negotiables and our commitment to timeliness, we also introduced automatic referrals that would be generated after 3 unauthorized tardies. These referrals are shared with students, parents, and deans.  While we observed some positive changes, there remains room for improvement.

In the first semester alone, we generated 1,708 tardy referrals for 473 students. We believe the importance of punctuality is not merely about being on time, but also a commitment to personal accountability, reducing disruptions, and optimizing learning opportunities. As we move into the current semester, we remain dedicated to our work on timely class arrival. 

From February 13-29, HPHS will hold its first ever “Beat the Bell Challenge!" This event encourages friendly competition among classes (freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors) to minimize tardiness while competing for a class prize. We would like to give a special thanks to Backyard Grill for providing each member of the winning class a $10 gift certificate and some delicious treats. 

To maintain student engagement this song will be played for a few seconds with one minute left of each passing period, in an effort to remind students to get to class on time. Daily updates on tardy totals will be shared with students, fostering a spirited atmosphere while addressing tardiness proactively. 

Homeroom @ Home

This week, students had the chance to take the Panorama survey if they missed their opportunity last week and learned more about all of the exciting events happening for Charity Drive before it winds down next Thursday!

Please remember to complete the 5 Essentials parent survey by visiting https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/. This is very valuable data that helps us ensure the voices of our community inform the decisions and considerations we make in the operation of our school. Your participation in the parent survey will help us understand the conditions at HPHS and guide improvement.

Your response will only be examined in aggregate. There is no way to connect a parent’s response to a particular student.