SOPHOMORE NEWS
Gwen Belk, Counselor
Newsletter #1 gbelk@lubbockisd.org September, 2007
For Plainsmen and their parents……
The 2007 – 2008 school
year is off to a wonderful beginning !!
I hope your first day was
a great one, the days that have followed
have been rewarding, and that you are excited to see
what the
rest of the year has in store for you.
This graduating class of
2010 is an extraordinary group of students.
You are some of the
brightest and best young people that
has and we are thrilled that you chose to attend the
most wonderful
high school in
Congratulations on making
this a wonderful beginning of school !!
An evening with the
PTA and MHS Teachers
Monday,
September 17 is the first PTA meeting for this school year.
We will
begin in the auditorium at 6:30.
Then, we
will run a bell schedule and you will have the opportunity to
attend
your student’s classes and meet their teachers.
Please
ask your student to write down their schedule for you.
They
will need to write down the teacher name and the room number for you.
SOPHOMORE HANDBOOKS
The 2007
– 2008 Freshman / Sophomore Handbooks have arrived.
We will
begin distributing these to students the week of September 10.
We will
have extra copies available for parents on Monday,
September 17, following the PTA meeting.
ATTENDANCE The sophomore attendance clerks in
the main office are:
Ms. Watson for last names A –
L 766-0672
Ms. Hinojosa for last names M – Z
766-0504
PSAT INFORMATION
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, PSAT Test at MHS at 8:30 AM
for those sophomore and junior students who have
registered.
Registration begins on September 12 and ends on
October 10 at 5:00 pm.
You may sign up in the
Counselor’s Office with Mrs. Johnson,
the junior counselor. Cost is $ 13.00.
Make your
check payable to MHS or please have correct change if paying in cash.
Upon
registration, your student will be provided with the PSAT study brochure. THERE
IS A LIMITED NUMBER OF PSAT TESTS, SO PLEASE REGISTER EARLY. Only the first 550 10th and 11th
graders will receive registration confirmation.
What is the PSAT anyway ?
PSAT is
the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test that is administered each fall as a
practice test for sophomores and a practice test PLUS a qualifying test for
juniors for the National Merit Scholarship competition. The PSAT measures reading, math, and writing
skills needed for college, identifying areas where there are strengths as well as
weaknesses.
The PSAT
is the BEST preparation for the SAT
college entrance exam that is required by many colleges and is also an indicator
of how well a student might expect to score on the actual SAT.
Additionally,
LISD uses the sophomore PSAT test results to invite talented students to
participate in the Superintendent’s Scholars SAT preparation program.
The
Superintendent’s Scholars program is scheduled for the summer following the
sophomore year and before the all-important junior PSAT test.
COLLEGE AND CAREER
NIGHT
It is
never too early to begin thinking about your future choices.
Representatives
from colleges and universities from across the nation
will
be at the
September 24 beginning at 6:00 pm.
Representatives from the
Armed
Services will also be there.
NEW GPA AND RANK
INFORMATION
We will
make an announcement when the new gpa
and rank information arrives from Central Office. Students will complete a request form in our
office and we will give them their new gpa
/ rank information in writing.
TAKS TESTING
Our
principal, Mr. Griggs, informed all students in the sophomore M-Way Assembly
that satisfactory academic performance on all portions of the Grade 10 TAKS
test is expected.
Additionally,
your students schedule for their junior year, could be
affected by their performance on the Sophomore TAKS test. Students will be
automatically scheduled into TAKS classes if performance on the Grade 10 TAKS
is unsatisfactory.
ONLINE COURSES
Online
course registration began on August 27th and ends on September 14th
with late registration ending September 17th. Registration
information can be found at www.lubbockisd.org These courses
are designed for students who are self-motivated and wish to get ahead.
2007-2008 SCHOOL CALENDAR
September 17 Meet the Teachers Night
September 24 College
and Career Night
October 5 End of First 6 weeks
October 17 PSAT
October 19 Early Release Day
November 9 End of Second 6 weeks
November 21 -23 Thanksgiving Holidays
December 20 and 21 Semester Exams; End of Third 6 weeks
Dec 24 – January 4 Christmas Holidays
January 7 Classes resume
February 15 End of Fourth 6 weeks
March 4 – 7 TAKS Testing
March 17 – 21 Spring Break
April 5 End of Fifth 6 weeks
April 25 Campus Day / Snow Make-up
Day
April 29 and 30 TAKS Testing
May 26 Memorial Day / Snow
Make-up Day
May 28 – 29 Final Exams
HOW TO REACH YOUR
COUNSELOR
I keep a distribution list
that simplifies sending out information and
newsletters. I would
like to include you on my distribution list.
So, if you have an e-mail address
and would like to be on the
distribution list, please e-mail me at gbelk@lubbockisd.org
Please give me your e-mail
address, your name and your student’s name.
Also feel free to contact
me at 766-0719.
In closing, please allow
me to tell you how much I have already enjoyed meeting many of the class of
2010. I have heard such great
things about them. As parents, I hope you are proud of
your child
and their accomplishments thus far.
One of our future Plainsmen
was quoted in the Lubbock Avalanche Journal recently. I found her words to be very simple, yet very
profound. Miss Augusta Zuerker, first
grader at Murfee Elementary
and future MHS grad, class of 2019, was giving advice
to the
incoming Kindergarten students. She is quoted as saying the following wise
words: “ If you
don’t listen, you don’t know what is going to happen next.”
Thanks for sending your
students to MHS and for allowing me the opportunity to “listen” to them !!