And just like that, a whole month of school has already flown by! This month included the start of outreach experiences like Vision Screening Training, EMT, and SUPREMES, student-led advisory conferences, and three “Green day” Wednesdays, where students had the opportunity to participate in fun activities and classes where they could have extra work time on anything they needed to complete.

Each year the HS^2 Staff takes time at the end of the school year and over the summer to reflect on the year, analyze survey data, and make plans for the future. This data led to the following goals for the school year:

• Community Relations & Communication: Increase student and parent understanding of progress and achievement.

• Citizenship & Personal Development: Increase evidence collection of Graduate Profile components and connections to progress, engagement, and achievement.

• Academic Achievement: All students will set academic goals with teachers and reflect on and monitor with instructors and advisors.

Key action steps for the school goals include:

Over the summer, parents were invited to join the newly formed HS^2 Family Collaboration Group. Members of this group are invited to monthly meetings in which they explore data, problem solve, and provide feedback. New this year, we will be sending Mid-Term Progress Reports halfway through each term. These reports will include the student’s current grade in each course, as well as feedback from the instructor. We are also adding a Capstone Portfolio to our graduation requirements. Students will work on their portfolio all four years of high school and reflect on their growth and development. This will include collecting evidence of the KM Graduate Profile components.

Parent and student feedback informs changes we make in the school. Over the past couple years, we have heard that parents struggle to monitor their child’s progress. Friday emails are one way in which we hope to keep parents informed.

Additionally, this year the High School Campus will be implementing Mid-Term Progress Reports. About halfway through each term, teachers will input in-progress grades and comments for each student in each course. Students and parents can access these reports via Infinite Campus under the Grades section.

Today, September 30th, staff are preparing the first set of progress reports. These are in-progress grades, not final grades, which means students still have the ability to make changes to improve their scores. Students will be asked to view their progress reports, reflect on them, and email them home to parents during advisory on Monday.

Thank you to everyone that completed feedback surveys last year! We value this feedback and use it to reflect and make improvements to the school. This year, one of our goals is to increase understanding of students’ progress and achievement in classes. In an effort to collect data on the impact of our changes, we’d like to collect baseline data from families. Returning parents, please complete this survey to help inform staff of how often and effective different tools were in monitoring student progress and achievement during the 21-22 school year. Near the end of the year we will collect additional data for comparison.

We were excited to welcome students and families to meet in person on September 22nd and 27th for our student-led conferences! During conferences, we discussed school year goals and plans for success, a brief update on school progress so far, and some discussion topics on general school updates.

If you happened to miss conferences but would still like to meet (face-to-face or virtually) please contact your student’s advisor through the “staff contact” link found at the bottom of this newsletter!

Why do you plan on doing after High School?

I plan on attending a 4 year university majoring in animal science. My school of choice is UW Madison or UW La Crosse, and after that I would like to  attend vet school for 4 years

What do you like about HS^2?

I love the classes that are offered, and I like how you can be very independent but also collaborate and communicate with your peers. I also enjoy having the same teachers for 4 years and the overall feeling within HS^2.

What outreach have you done in HS^2?

My junior year I created my own outreach at a local vet. This gave me the opportunity to shadow my desired career.

Currently I am doing outreach at Aurora Summit, assisting in the pacu.

What should people know about HS^2?

HS^2 is a small community, but this gives a lot of advantages to student as they really get to know their peers and teachers

What do you do outside of school?

I work at Aurora in food service, and I volunteer at HAWS. I enjoy going to the gym, and have been in Key Club throughout High School. In the winter, I really like skiing and snowboarding. I also like to hang out with friends and family.

Join us on October 5th from 9:30 - 10:15 am at HS^2 for our first Parent Coffee! This informal opportunity will allow current and future Parents and Guardians to learn more about the school, with a focus on the 2022 - 2023 school year goals and communication. Please complete this google form if you are interested in joining us on October 5th!

Next parent coffee: November 2, 2022

HS^2 will be hosting 8th Grade Parent Information Nights on the dates listed above. These meetings are for students and families who are interested in attending HS^2 for the 2023-2024 school year. Please spread the word if you know anyone who is interested in learning more about our school. For more information click HERE.

In this issue of HS^2 Counseling News, you will find information about:

• Mental Health Updates
• Post High School Planning Checklist
• College Application Tips
• ... and more