Hinckley-Big Rock High School

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1 Hinckley-Big Rock High School Volume 7, Issue 4 DECEMBER 2016 First Semester Dec. 16 Period 1 8:45 10:15 Period 2 10:45 12:15 LUNCH 12:20 1:15 Period 3 1:20 2:50 Dec. 19 Period 4 8:45 10:15 Period 5 10:45 12:15 LUNCH 12:20 1:15 Period 6 1:20 2:50 Dec. 20 Period 7 8:45 10:15 *See Page 4 for more details in regards to finals. UPCOMING EVENTS December 12/16, 19, 20 First Semester Finals 12/20 End of First Semester 12/21-1/3 Winter Break - No School January 1/4 School Resumes 1/16 MLK Jr. Day No School 1/18 SAT Prep Reading 3:30p 1/27 Library Club Lock-In 8:00p February 2/8 SAT Prep Writing 3:30p 2/10 SIP Day 12:00 Dismissal 2/15 SAT Prep Essay 3:30p 2/20 Presidents Day No school Wishing you a Safe and Happy Holiday Season! From the H-BR HS Staff Please note that if you are in need of bus transportation on Tuesday the 20th you must sign up in the office no later than 3:15 on Thursday the 15th.

2 VOLUME 7, ISSUE 4 Tauer s Tips PAGE 2 As first semester is coming to a close, there are a few things to keep in mind for winter break and the upcoming semester. Final Exams will be Friday, December 16 th through Tuesday, December 20 th. It is important that students start preparing for these exams as early as possible so they can perform to the best of their ability during the exams. Please note that grades on HomeLogic will be unavailable until we get back from break as teachers continue to update and determine final semester grades. If you don t have your parent login to HomeLogic, feel free to call the main office to gain access: Second Semester Courses Copies of second semester schedules are available for students to pick up the entire week of final exams. 9 th Grade Driver s Ed GPA requirement: This is just a reminder that any freshmen intending to take Driver s Ed in the spring semester must earn a 2.5 GPA for the first semester to be eligible. If not, Driver s Ed will be removed from their schedule and PE will be added instead. Spanish Requirement: If your student received a failing grade in Spanish during first semester, they will be removed from the course for second semester. Reminder: Winter Break is not a time to take a break from college planning! *College Applications Seniors planning to attend 4-year colleges should be completing college applications ASAP. Be sure to check with each college for its application due date. *FAFSA: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form is available online at Filing a FAFSA form is the only way to receive state aid. It s given out on a first come, first served basis. By now you should have filled this out. Feel free to contact me with any questions. *Many Scholarships Available Seniors intending to apply for scholarships can pick up a copy of any scholarships available in the counseling office. Make sure your students stop by before break to pick some up! Quite often, application questions can be tweaked and used in a number of applications. Be sure to pay attention to due dates and specific requirements. Keep in contact with your school of choice and its financial aid department to find out about school-specific scholarships that are offered. (Please note that many meritbased scholarships at school require students to apply early!) It s also a great idea to check in with some of the following reputable scholarship search engines:

3 VOLUME 7, ISSUE 4 more Tips from Tauer PAGE 3 *Local Scholarships in the counseling office and online: Waubonsee Foundation Scholarships I encourage students to fill out applications as soon as possible. the deadline is Feb. 6 th, Above is the link to the page where you will find the one application for scholarships to Waubonsee. Here are the steps students need to follow: 1. Click on the link. 2. Find the section labeled New Students. Follow all directions listed there. **Students must complete a New Student Information Form and get an x-number before you can access the scholarship application: Gustafson Scholarship Must be in the top 20% of the graduating class, have a 3.0 GPA or higher, and/or have scored at least a 23 on the ACT. Up to three students can be selected by HBR to be interviewed by staff from WCC who will then choose a recipient. The scholarship covers the full cost of tuition for two academic years. All applications are due to the counseling office by Monday, January 25, IAA Foundation Scholarship Program Announcement The 2017 IAA Foundation Scholarship Application Period is now open! This year s lineup includes 71 scholarships totaling $143,400 in tuition support. Scholarships offered and eligibility details can be found in the attached program overview. ] Apply Online Application link and all supporting materials can be found at Please read all instructions carefully and refer to the FAQ document on the website to help answer any questions. Watch that Deadline Students can apply between now and February 1 st, All required information must be submitted by that date, no exceptions. STUDY ABROAD: Study abroad in Spain, France, Italy, Costa Rica, Mexico, or China this summer for college credit. With SPI Study Abroad, traditional classrooms take a backseat to exciting activities around the city, conversations with locals, and journeys where history, art, and culture come to life! College credit possible. For more information, visit spiabroad.com or call Early Enrollment Deadline: December 15, 2016 *Coming up next semester, we will discuss the school year with your students! Course Selection: During English classes on January 18-20, I will be talking to all freshmen, sophomores, and juniors about their course options for next year. They will receive a new course catalog at that time and we will create or edit their 4-year plans. They will also be sent home with course selection forms that they are encouraged to discuss with their families. Students should select electives that will best prepare them for what they would like to do after graduation and/or to help them explore various interests. It s extremely important that students are thoughtful about their course selection, including the selection of alternate electives, as schedule changes after it is made are not permitted.

4 VOLUME 7, ISSUE 4 more Tips from Tauer PAGE 4 National ACT Test Dates: For any senior who would like to retake the ACT or any junior who would like to take it outside of school, below are the remaining national test dates for the 2016/2017 school year. The ACT with Writing is $58.50 and the ACT without Writing is $ Students who receive free and/or reduced lunch are eligible for an ACT fee waiver. Fee waivers do not cover the cost of the late fee if you register past the deadline. See Ms. Tauer for a waiver. Practice questions are always available on Test Date Registration Deadline (Late Fee Required) February 11, 2017 January 13, 2017 January 14-20, 2017 April 8, 2017 March 3, 2017 March 4-17, 2017 June 10, 2017 May 5, 2017 May 6-19, 2017 *The Northern Illinois University Spring ACT and SAT Test preparation program provides individualized attention in a small classroom setting and offers students a chance to best prepare themselves for the ACT or SAT. NIU parking is free on Saturdays and Sundays but students must not park in spaces marked Reserved at all times. Enrollment is limited and registration is now open at or Cost is $250 ($275 after February 24) which includes instruction, book, website access, and retired SAT tests. It does not include registration to take the actual SAT test. For more information contact the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences External Programming at or LASEP@niu.edu. *On Sunday, December 18th at 4PM CT, Kaplan will host a free, interactive, live online PSAT score interpretation workshop for parents, presented by Terry McMullen, Director of Kaplan Pre-College Programs. Terry will also discuss next steps in the testing and college admissions process. Parents can register for this free event by visiting In addition, Kaplan is offering significant savings on SAT and ACT classroom courses and private tutoring through December 19th. Families can visit or call KAP-TEST ( ) to enroll or for more information. Have a wonderful winter break! Gina Tauer School Counselor gtauer@hbr429.org

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6 VOLUME 7, ISSUE 4 PAGE 6 Sambrookes on Sports Holiday Basketball tournaments The basketball teams will be playing in Christmas Holiday tournaments. The girls varsity team will be playing again in Lisle, the girls sophomore team will be playing in Rochelle and the boys varsity and sophomore teams will continue to play in Plano. Please check the school website or 8to18.com for tournament information. Special Thanks Thanks to all of you who attended the Blue and White night. We had a great turnout and as a result sent many boxes of canned goods, and cash to the Hinckley Area Food Pantry. Since we began Blue and White Night in 2009, we have been utilizing it as an avenue to provide help to our community. Thanks to all of you for helping to give back to the community in such a generous, thoughtful way. The administration, coaches, athletic programs and Hinckley-Big Rock High School hope everyone has a joyous and wonderful holiday season! Sponsor thanks! Athletics would like to thank all of the businesses that sponsor ads on WSPY and in the various tournament programs which are put together for the events the boys and girls participate in.

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16 VOLUME 7, ISSUE 4 PAGE 16 District 429 News CUSTOMIZING YOUR HBR WEBSITE CALENDAR Our new website design gives parents the opportunity to customize the calendar events that they see when they log-in at hbr429.org. Parents can choose to have only specific building-related events (HBRES,HBRMS, or HBRHS) show up on their custom calendar or add in Community Events taking place in one of our buildings as well as District-wide events. Users can go as big or small as they wish by adding and deleting calendar categories You can view a short Schoolwires how-to video at the link below. CustomEndUserCalView/index.html

17 VOLUME 7, ISSUE 4 PAGE 17 Let s be safe while enjoying the Holidays. 86% of the American population decorates their home for the winter holidays. Did you know that 50% of home decoration fires are started by candles? Here are some helpful things to be aware of. Overloaded outlets can cause electrical fires. Outdoor lights and decorations need to be plugged into GFCI s to prevent electrocution hazard. When purchasing a live Christmas tree, a fresh tree will stay greener longer and be less of a fire hazard. Cut 1 to 2 inches off the base of the tree immediately before placing in stand and filling with water to ensure water absorption. Refill water daily as a heated room dries out the tree faster. Keep live tree at least 3 feet from all heat sources such as fireplaces, space heater or radiator type heaters. Artificial trees should have label stating it is fire retardant. Try to avoid using lighted strings or lighted ornaments on artificial trees that have metallic leaves or branches as this can cause an electrical hazard. Check all light cords for broken, loose lights, exposed wiring, cracked wire insulation, cracked or damaged sockets and plugs. Always unplug light string from power source before replacing fuse or bulbs. Manufacturers recommend no more than 3 light cords together because it puts too much strain on the first cord fuse. It could cause the fuse to pop. Consider using LED s lights instead of incandescent lights they use less power and run cooler. Turn off all indoor and outdoor electrical decorations before leaving the house or going to sleep. Keep child safety in mind, according to the Consumer Products Safety Commission 7 children are treated daily in hospital emergency rooms for electrical shock and burn injuries caused by tampering with outlets. Childproof outlets should be considered if young children are around. Eliminate potential danger spots for younger children such as fireplaces, candles, electrical outlets and ornaments that might be close to the ground where the child might be prone to grab and then having the tree possible tipping over. Having young children around it is best to have adult supervision present. These are just some helpful hints to having safe holidays. As always have a Great and Wonderful Merry Christmas and Happy New year and be safe. Thanks, - J Smid H-BR Mission Statement Hinckley-Big Rock High School is committed to excellence in teaching and learning for all students. The administration and staff will provide effective instructional leadership, promote quality learning environments, and monitor high academic expectations for all students while maintaining responsible fiscal management. We share with our community the responsibility for the education of our students in preparation for living and working in a