New Semester!

Hello!

Well welcome to the new semester! With the start of the new semester brings new classes, and some new events here at Lakeland. In my world of Student Activities we are looking forward to our annual Winterfest! This year's theme is "Remember When..." and will feature many fun games, spirit days, assemblies, and of course a great dance on Feb 25th here at Lakeland High School. Tickets for the dance are on sale NOW through PaySchools. You can use the link at http://www.lakelandhs.com/ to go right to the page you need to get those tickets! Further in the future I am looking ahead to the 2012 Mock Car Crash to prevent drinking and driving dangers this prom and graduation season. That event will be held in May and is always a good event to help our juniors and seniors see what can really happen if a choice is made to drink and drive. Lakeland is also proud to host their first EVER student Dodgeball tournament sometime in mid to late March. This event has been a staple at Milford High School for many years and after looking at all the rules and the layout have decided to give it a try ourselves. We are also planning a MHS winner vs LHS winner dodgeball game sometime in the near future, combined with another charity event. Stay tuned for more details as they become available! In the end we also look ahead to all of the Senior only activities including the Prom/Yearbook Party 2012, the Prom Fashion Show, the 2012 Prom itself, Senior Honors Night, and of course Graduation 2012. This year's Graduation will be held here at Lakeland in the Fieldhouse on June 3rd at 4pm. The Senior All Night Party will be following that and look to the Lakeland Update emails for all of that information and some fundraisers to help them with the costs. Well I hope that the first semester was successful for your student. Good Luck in the second semester!

Mr. Scott Rolando
Lakeland High School Student Activities Director

The Weekend

This weekend is one of the rare times that our students will not have any homework in any class. This is a great opportunity for families to spend time together and discuss the successes and weaknesses for the student during the second semester. Furthermore, begin setting goals for second semester. Remember to discuss what it will be like starting with new teachers and putting the best foot forward to be successful during this semester. Also remind your student that there are several types of interventions if they are feeling overwhelmed or behind. They should talk with their teachers as communication is the best way to work on creating a successful intervention if there should be the need.

Our teachers are here to help our students both academically and in taking responsibility for their work and their decisions. It is important that parents talk with their student about acting responsibly and taking this responsibility when times get hard.

Second semester is coming and now is the time to work with your young adult and plan for their success.

Our Great Staff

In taking a survey recently, the first question posted was, what do you like MOST about the Huron Valley School District. When answering the survey, I started to think, "what thing do I like MOST about Lakeland High School." And as I reflect, there are so many items that make Lakeland High School a one of a kind place, so to pick just one wouldn’t be possible. Lakeland High School has a true sense of community. In responding to the amazing things about Lakeland, the Staff ranks number one. Every staff member of Lakeland High, regardless of their position, is always willing to help and build relationships with one of our best assets, our students. There is a genuine concern for every student. Our office staff is helping kids regularly whether they are feeling ill or need to talk with someone, the custodial staff often is helping with a locker and keeping a safe environment for our kids, the athletic department keeps kids involved, and teachers are continually helping students achieve at a higher level. The staff at LHS does an amazing job engaging students and aiding in the success of all students.

Tardies and Hall Sweeps

Beginning the 2nd semester we are implementing some changes to our tardy policy. Please note the following:

1. Students who come to school late MUST check in at the office to receive a pass to class. Teachers will not allow students into their classroom first hour without a pass.

2. For 2nd - 6th hours, students will be allowed to enter their class without going to the office. Teachers will mark the tardies and then report tardies to Mike Fray, Dean of Students.

3. Teachers will be reporting tardies when students accumulate them on the 4's. Consequences can include detentions, loss of parking, in school suspensions or out of school suspensions. Of course, suspension will occur after other consequences have not worked.

4. On weekly occasions, administrators will be conducting random Hall Sweeps. When these sweeps occur, teachers will close the door and students who are in the hallway will be taken to the office and given a detention.

The reason for re-looking at our tardy policies in midyear is to recognize that not all of them were working for the best of our students and teachers. The goal of these policies is to reduce the number of tardies students are receiving, make them responsible for their actions and for being to class on time and most importantly so that our teachers can utilize the most of their time for educational purposes.

Education is the key to our students achievement at Lakeland and we continue to look at our policies with that in mind.

STUDY TIME!!!

That's right, final exams are next week! On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday students will have the opportunity to display their mastery of the concepts on cumulative exams. These exams are very important as they carry 20% of a students overall course grade. Please encourage your students to start planning now. Most classes have already began to provide review materials and exam preparation. Also, while not all classes have the same expectations, many classes will be allowing the use of a "cheat sheet." Again, please check with your students to see if they are able to take advantage of such an opportunity. If you have any questions regarding an exam, please contact your student's teacher.

~Mr. Fray

Why Policies?

As administrators, we do not create policies just for the sake of having something on paper. In fact, we think long and hard about each policy that is enacted. These decisions often come after discussions with staff, students and parents. Whether policies are created for the beginning of a new school year or something that we need to improve on during the school year we take seriously our responsibility of making Lakeland a safe environment as well as one where academics is the most important idea so that each student has the ability and the opportunity to succeed in all aspects of high school life as well as when they move on to the next phase.

Administrators will be going into English classes over the next few days to talk with students about some policies that will be enacted next fall and some that will be revamped for second semester. Even though students think we create these policies to punish them this could not be further from the truth. As we unroll these plans we will be sending out listserves with the information as well as putting here on the blog.

Student Responsibility

At Lakeland, we find it important to teach our students the importance of responsibility. This responsibility may be in performing well academically, playing well in sports, band or drama, being kind to each other and the idea of creating employability skills. These employability skills incoroporate those things that are needed when our students move on to college, military or the job market.

One of the key employability skills is realizing that you cannot move on to another level of school, military or work without the prior knowledge needed. Huron Valley, for the last several years, has allowed our students to be less responsible in their academics by allowing student to progress to the next level of courses without passing the previous one. Yes, we allow students to go back and make up credits but are they truly able to do this proficiently if we do not insure that they have the knowledge neccessary?

We at Lakeland are beginning to rectify this situation this coming semester. Any student in Algebra 1 or Geometry who fail semester one will not be allowed to move on to semester 2. These students will be enrolled in our e-learning community to re-take their failed class so that they are prepared correctly for the next course. Once students have passed the class and earned the credit they will be able to move on to the next course. This could be done through more e-learning or by taking the course in the traditional manner next fall.

It is our goal to get our students to understand that it is their responsibility to attend classes and do the appropriate work to attain credits and thus attain a diploma that says Huron Valley Schools and Lakeland High School. Having a diploma from our school district and our school should say more than just you gained the credits. It should also say that we prepared you for the next chapter in your life.

We have some other plans which will roll out this school year and next but know that our goal is to make all of our students knowledgable, responsible and employable when they leave our care.

Caring Community... We C.A.R.E

As many of you know, Huron Valley Schools has made creating a Caring Community a priority. As part of this initiative, Lakeland High School has embraced a number of ideas to recognize our commitment to making school a positive environment. Through out the year, we have been recognizing students with a Caring Community Ticket when they do something to make the school a better place. These tickets enter the students into a weekly drawing for homemade chocolate eagles courtesy of Mrs. Skufca. In addition to the tickets, Lakeland students will soon be able to purchase an orange Caring Community wristband with the buildings adopted slogan of We C.A.R.E. (Creating A Respectful Environment). The wrist bands will be orange and resemble the Livestrong wristbands made famous by Lance Armstrong. Everyone wants to be a part of a safe and caring school community and Lakeland will continue to make every effort to promote this cause.

Mike Fray - Dean of Students

Athletic Department Code of Conduct

Overlooked and often Forgotten – Athletic Code of Conduct

Did you know the Huron Valley Schools Athletic Code of Conduct (ACOC) is enforced 365 days a year? Once an athlete signs the (ACOC) it’s valid throughout their athletic career. The primary purpose of the document is to provide parents and athletes with general information regarding the Athletic Department. This includes information pertaining to student expectations and rule violations.

At the start of each season, coaches review the (ACOC) with their athletes discussing the particulars of the document and other team rules. Each athlete is provided with their own copy of the (ACOC). Athletes are required to return a signed copy with a parent signature acknowledging they have read the (ACOC). Thus, accepting personal responsibility to follow the rules contained therein.

Unfortunately, there are times when the (ACOC) is used to administer penalties for athletes violating rules. More times than not, athletes and parents are not aware of the following:

The (ACOC) is enforced 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Consequences may include game suspensions, drug and alcohol testing, counseling, community service, and or loss of honors

Consequences are cumulative

The (ACOC) applies to an athlete’s entire career

Simply put, our athletes are held to higher behavioral and academic standards than non-athletes. We expect a great deal from our athletes and consider their participation in high school sports a privilege. (Parents) If you haven’t already done so…please take time to review the (ACOC) with your son/daughter. It’s a valuable resource to gain greater understanding of their athletic participation at LHS.

Greg Michaels – LHS Athletic Director / Oak Valley / White Lake

Have You Thanked a Teacher Today

The teaching staff is the backbone of our school. These people spend hours both in and out of the building. They spend their time after school working with students to insure their academic achievement. They spend their time grading papers and giving feedback so that students can improve. They spend time creating lesson plans that will be engaging, relevant and rigorous so that your student will be prepared for life after high school. They spend time playing psychologist helping your student with social problems. These people are creating the high school experience for your student.

Remember that they are doing the job asked of them by the district, the state and the federal government. They are working under great stress to see that your student is ready for class tests, state, tests and the real world.

As the semester winds down, remember to shoot your students teachers an email thanking them for choosing a profession whose profession is to make sure that your student is one day ready for the world in front of them.

New Year... Old Semester!!

Happy New year to everyone! For many people the new year brings with it an opportunity to pursue life improvements. This is also true with our students. I have already heard from a number of students whom have made New Year's resolutions to improve grades, get to school on time, become more involved at school, etc. All of these are great and I encourage all of our students to look for opportunities for self-improvement. However, I also remind them that we still have 3 weeks until the end of the 1st semester. This is important for many students as the work to achieve at the best of their abilities. Remember the only grade that stays with a student when they leave High School is these semester grades. These last few weeks are filled with semester ending projects, unit tests and papers. Please make sure to encourage your student as they push towards the 1st semester finish line. Finally, remember that final exams will take place on January 25th, 26th and 27th. It is never too early to start talking with your student about preparing for these important exams.

Happy New Year!

Mike Fray - Dean of Students

New Year’s Resolution and Fitness

Every year people make New Year’s resolutions to get fit. We know that being fit not only benefits us physically but emotionally and mentally as well. Samantha Mills, one of our energetic physical education teachers, is working hard to help others get fit. She has started and encourages fitness for our staff, by setting up a fit club. She sends out weekly reminders inspiring staff to get fit through walking and running. Many staff members have taken part in Mrs. Mills opportunities to be fit. This is another example of a Lakeland staff member dedicating their time and expertise to help others.

Welcome Back!

To all of the Lakeland Community Welcome Back! I hope that you had a great holiday break and that you and your family are doing excellent as we enter the new year of 2012. 2012 will bring a lot to Lakeland, just as 2011 did. As we enter 2012 our students start to think of not only the immediate things, final exams, the new semester, Winterfest, etc but also long term things such as Graduation, Prom, and Spring Break. All of us here at Lakeland hope that the rest of this school year is successful and promising for all of our students, and remember we are always ready to help with student needs as they arise. Please don't be afraid to ask a teacher, staff member, administrator for help or support. I know that I am looking forward to a great 2012 and I hope that you are also!

In other news, our Lakeland Lipdub is now finished and posted on YouTube! You can check it out by visiting the Lakeland HS webpage at www.lakelandhs.com and click on the link for it there.

Thank you for all the support in 2011 and here's to looking at a great 2012!

Scott Rolando
LHS Student Activities Director