INDEPENDENCE HIGH SCHOOL Office of the Principal, Mr. William P. McGuinness No. 1 August, 2015 Dear Students and Parents, Welcome to the 2015-2016 school year. I hope that you have had an enjoyable summer. It has been a very busy summer at the High School. Our custodial staff and our student workers have put in long hours getting the building ready for the start of school. Our office staff has also been busy in preparing for the new year. I cannot thank them enough for all of their efforts during this summer. Both groups are the unsung heroes of our building, as our school could not function effectively without them. Freshman Orientation is on Wednesday, August 12th at 9:00 a.m. Packet pick up for 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students will be on the 12th from 12:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m., or on Thursday, August 13th/Friday, August 14th from 7:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. in the main office. The first day of school for students is Thursday, August 20th. Please also keep in mind that our Open House is scheduled for Wednesday, August 26th from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. I invite you to take this opportunity to meet our great teachers and learn more about our tremendous academic offerings. We are very excited to welcome four new staff members to I.H.S. Mrs. Connie Aquilano will be our new guidance counselor for grades 9 and 11. Mrs. Meg Popa will be our new American Sign Language teacher. Mrs. Jessica Crooks will be our new Health/Physical Education teacher. Finally, Mrs. Gretchen Obrovac will be our new vocal music teacher. We are very happy to welcome them to our I.H.S. family! I hope to see you soon at one of our athletic events. I have been very impressed with the level of professionalism and concern for our athletes on the part of our coaches. It makes me proud to see how many of our students are involved in extracurricular activities, and how much time and effort they invest in them. It is equally impressive to see the level of parent support of our students in their extracurricular endeavors. Again, I hope that you are excited about the new year as much as we all are. Independence High School is a thriving educational institution due to the efforts of the students and staff, along with an outstanding curriculum. As always, we are appreciative of the community s support. There is no other place like Independence, and I am sure that you feel the same way. Have a great school year! Sincerely, William McGuinness Principal, Independence High School
2. Independence High School Opening Day - CUYAHOGA VALLEY CAREER CENTER Wednesday, August 20, 2015-7:45 a.m. A.M. students will leave I.H.S. @ 7:30 a.m. and will return to I.H.S. @ 11:25 a.m. P.M. students will leave I.H.S. @ 10:55 a.m. and return to I.H.S. @ 3:00 p.m. Note: A.M. students must sign in on the sign-in sheets located in the Front Lobby (on bookstore ledge) when they return from the CVCC. AM and PM students will eat lunch at C.V.C.C. all year. OPENING DAY OF SCHOOL SCHEDULE - Thursday, August 20, 2015 Warning Bell 7:35 Homeroom 7:40-8:00 (20 minute extended homeroom) Period 1 8:05-8:42 Period 2 8:46-9:23 Period 3 9:27-10:04 Period 4 10:08-10:45 Period 5 Class 10:49-11:26 5 Class 10:49-11:26 5 Lunch 10:49-11:26 Period 6 Class 11:30-12:07 6 Lunch 11:30-12:07 6 Class 11:30-12:07 Period 7 Lunch 12:11-12:48 7 Class 12:11-12:48 7 Class 12:11-12:48 Period 8 12:52-1:29 Period 9 1:33-2:10 Pep Assembly 2:15-2:35 (Gym) ~ ATHLETIC NEWS ~ Ticket prices for the 2015-16 school year will be $6 for adult & student general admission at the gate. Students will be able to purchase pre-sale tickets for $4 for all home and away CVC contests. We will once again be offering ticket packages which will not only provide a savings to you and your family but will also give you a variety of options. Please look at the information sheet and Season Pass Application for more detailed information! This sheet can be found in the Main Office and also your students Opening Packets. Please contact Tim Skoczen, Athletic Director @ 216-642-5860, ext. 1240 with any questions. CAFETERIA LUNCH PRICES 2015-2016 SCHOOL YEAR Grades K-4 $3.00 Grades 5-12 $3.25 Adults $4.00 ~ GUIDANCE COUNSELORS ~ 2015-16 Mrs. Aquilano ~ Freshmen and Juniors Mrs. Dolejs ~ Sophomores and Seniors
August, 2015 3. Our Outstanding O.G.T. Results are in! The Class of 2018 took the Ohio Graduation Test in March 2015; here are the percentages of students who passed. Reading: 97% passed (30% advanced & 40% accelerated) Math: 95% passed (55% advanced & 24% accelerated) Writing: 94% passed (5% advanced & 49% accelerated) Science: 92% passed (29% advanced & 31% accelerated) Social Studies: 92% passed (53% advanced & 21% accelerated) 87% of all the sophomores passed all 5 subject area tests on the first attempt. Calendar of Events August 18 August 19 August 20 August 20 August 26 September 7 September September 18 September 25 September 26 September 29 TBA October 15 October 16 October 23 November 6 November 10 November 11 November 12 November 25 - November 27 December 16 - December 18 December 21 - January 1 January 14 January 15 January 18 Teacher In-Service Teacher In-Service CVCC - First Day of School IHS - Students First Day of School 6:30 p.m. - IHS Open House LABOR DAY - NO SCHOOL Music Department Entertainment Book Sale Begins Waiver Day - No school for students / Staff Development 7:00 p.m. - Homecoming Game 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. - Homecoming Dance 8:00 a.m. - Underclassman Picture Day Music Department Fruit & Butterbraid Sale 3:00 p.m. - 7:15 p.m. - Parent/Teacher Conferences NEOEA - NO SCHOOL End of 1st Grading Period Waiver Day - No school for students / Staff Development 11:30 a.m. - Underclassman Picture Retakes Sr. Mock Interviews - LMC 3:00 p.m. - 7:15 p.m. - Parent/Teacher Conferences THANKSGIVING BREAK - NO SCHOOL Semester Exams Winter Break - NO SCHOOL End of 2nd Quarter & 1st Semester In-Service Day - NO SCHOOL Martin Luther King Day - NO SCHOOL *NOTE: For all sporting events, please see attached High School and Middle School Sports Schedule. Also, check out the Independence High School Web site @ www.independence.k12.oh.us
4. Independence High School Boys Futbol... Picture this. Friday night at Alumni Stadium. The lights are on, the fans are in the stands, cheerleaders calling out for a Blue Devil victory and the band is providing the pulse of an electric evening of interscholastic competition. The only difference is the sport. On Friday, August 21st at 7 p.m. the Independence Blue Devils will battle the Trinity Trojans in futbol. Yes, you read that correctly FUTBOL, or as we call it soccer. This year the Ohio High School Athletic Association has granted a one day advance on soccer season to allow teams to play their season opener on Friday night. This has been afforded due to the fact that high school football season will not start until the 28th of August. A few select teams have chosen to take advantage and Independence will be one of them. Since the 2004 season the Blue Devils Boys Soccer team has only had 1 losing season, compiling over 138 wins in those years. This past season, the team had a record of 14-3-1. Any youth player, boy or girl who attends the game in their youth team jersey will be admitted free any game of the season, including Friday night. For team info and schedule head to: https://bluedevilunited.wordpress.com/ Welcome Back to the 2015-2016 School Year!!
August, 2015 5. IHS PTO Information is Now Just a Click Away! The IHS PTO would like to welcome all incoming freshmen and their parents as well as welcoming back the sophomore, junior and senior classes. We would also like to remind all parents that meetings are held every last Wednesday of the month in the Media Center at 6:30pm and all are welcome as we discuss and work towards enriching the educational experiences of all our students. Please support us in any way you can. Thank you!!! You can access the IHS PTO website by going to the home page on the district website, clicking <parents>, then clicking the IHS PTO logo. Please Support Support our school by purchasing your necessary school and personal items from the following stores. A precentage of each identified purchase will be returned to IHS! Here are the stores that are participating: Target, Giant Eagle, Heinen s. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! St. Michael s Parish Bulletin If you are a parishoner at St. Michael s and your student makes the Honor/Merit Roll at IHS, and you would like their name included in the parish bulletin, please email Ms. Lechman at hlechman@independence.k12.oh.us. COMMUNITY SERVICE... Attention Students!! Please turn in community service hour forms for hours performed over the summer to Mrs. Whitacre ASAP!!! ~ MEDICATION POLICY ~ It is the policy of the Independence Board of Eduation that except as otherwise specifically required by Federal Law 94-142, no employee of our district shall administer any drug prescribed by a physician to any student. Furthermore, employees are not permitted to dispense any medication unless the proper form has been completed and is on file in the main office. ~ VISION AND HEARING SCREENING ~ Vision and Hearing screening will be administered to all 9th grade students and any new students to the district during the 2015-2016 school year.
www.ihsboosters.com Please join Music Boosters in our mission to foster and encourage student development in the musical arts. JUNE Community Concert Refreshments JULY Marching Band Camp 2015-2016 Events AUGUST Home Days National Anthem by Vocal Dept. Home Days Parade Pop, Water, Pretzel, Shaved Ice Booths Football season begins SEPTEMBER Coupon Book Sale Fall Fest Kick off Marching Band Vocal Ensemble Kiwanis Performance OCTOBER Fruit and Butter Braid Sale NOVEMBER Sounds of the Stadium Concert CVC Honors Choir DECEMBER Vocal Community Holiday Performances Vocal & Wind ensemble Holiday concert JANUARY Music Booster Pasta Dinner Fundraiser FEBRUARY OMEA Solo and Ensemble Adjudication MARCH Spring Musical OMEA Large Group Adjudication APRIL CVC Honors Band Wind Ensemble Combined Band Concert MAY Music Awards Commencement Vocal and Wind Ensemble Memorial Day Parade Senior Awards Night Wind Ensemble JUNE Commencement Band/Vocal Performances Running The Show Mary Dolansky & Diana Manocchio, Co-Presidents Chris Grande, Vice-President Janis Kundmueller, Secretary James Halamek, Treasurer Music Booster Meeting Schedule - 2015-2016 School Year Date Time Location September 9 6:30 pm IHS Media Center October 7 6:30 pm IHS Media Center November 11 6:30 pm IHS Media Center December 9 6:30 pm IHS Media Center January 6 6:30 pm IHS Media Center February 10 6:30 pm IHS Media Center March 10 6:30 pm IHS Media Center April 6 6:30 pm IHS Media Center