Bloomer High School Newsletter Bloomer School District website: www.bloomer.k12.wi.us Chad Steinmetz, High School Principal From the Principal s Desk December, 2017 Second Trimester On Monday, December 4 our students begin courses in the second trimester. Our second trimester will conclude on Thursday, March 1. Over the past three years, our staff and students have made a successful transition from a traditional semester schedule to our current trimester schedule, and they should be commended for doing so. Our seniors, the graduating Class of 2018, will be the first group of students to have this schedule all throughout high school. Change is not easy, and we have encountered some challenges along our way, but both staff and students have embraced the challenges and change. Our building is quieter and the pace of the day is much more comfortable. We now also have data to support the change. I am proud to tell you that we have reduced our failure rate by over 35%! In other words, the number of courses that students are failing has been reduced significantly. Our school-wide goal is to continue to show improvement in this area. Inside this issue: Principal s Desk...1-2 Activities...3 Student Service.4 English Dept...5-6 Senior Class News 6 Choir Thrift Sale....7 Art News. 8 High School Years..9-10 December Menus...11 December Calendar...12 Report Cards Report cards from first trimester will be mailed home during the first week of December, and the 15 school-day ineligibility period will begin on Tuesday, December 5. This impacts any students who received a failing or incomplete grade during first trimester, and it applies to all extra-curricular activities, not just athletics. Such students can regain eligibility on Wednesday, January 3, provided they are passing all second trimester courses. Challenge Empower Achieve
Blackhawk Notes 2 Pre-ACT Test for Juniors On Wednesday, December 13, all juniors will be taking the Pre-ACT test, which is a multiple-choice assessment that will give them a preview of the ACT test. The Pre-ACT simulates the ACT testing experience within a shorter test window on all four ACT test subjects English, math, reading and science. Results predict future success on the ACT test and provide both current achievement and projected future ACT test scores on the familiar 1-36 ACT score table. To help students achieve success, accommodations offered include locally assigned accommodations and available Braille, large print, reader script and audio. The benefits of taking the Pre-ACT are summarized below: Early practice for the ACT test Pre-ACT score and predicted ACT score ranges align to the ACT 1-36 scale Students may opt to share their information with colleges and scholarship agencies ACT Interest Inventory results provide students with a personalized view of interests with college and career alignment Valuable results provide actionable insights to help educators, parents and students make decisions for the future Rapid reporting turnaround within 5-10 days of receipt of answer documents allows for early and effective planning to ensure students can attain the future and career success they envision Holiday Break Friday, December 22 nd is the last day of classes for Bloomer students prior to the holiday break. Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 2 nd. It is our sincere hope that all of you have a wonderful holiday season and are able to spend quality time with both family and friends. Challenge Empower Achieve
Blackhawk Notes 3 Jason Steinmetz, Activities Director Winter Sports Underway As we head into December, our winter sports teams are a few weeks into practice. Our girls basketball teams opened with a game against Elk Mound on November 21st in non-conference play. Heart O North play begins on Friday, December 1st when the girls host Cumberland. Our boys basketball team has their season opener on December 7th when they travel to Cumberland. The wrestling squad jumps right into conference action as they will wrestle Spooner at the Glenwood City Invite on Saturday, December 2nd. I encourage you to come out and support our winter sports teams, as the student-athletes appreciate your support. Listed below are the home events for the month of December. Wrestling. Tuesday, December 19 Thursday, December 21 Northwestern Quad (Amery, Cameron, Unity) Girls Basketball Friday, December 1 Friday, December 2 Friday, December 8 Friday, December 15 Cumberland Cameron Chetek-Weyerhaeuser - Parent s Night Northwestern Boys Basketball Thursday, December 14 Tuesday, December 22 Ladysmith - Parent s Night Spooner Challenge Empower Achieve
Blackhawk Notes 4 From the Student Services Office Community Information The Open Door Clinic is a free medical clinic open on Tuesdays from 5:00pm-7:30pm at First Presbyterian Church at 130 West Central Street in Chippewa Falls. For more information call 720-1443. For more information, visit http://www.chippewaopendoor.org/. Dental Care Available The Open Door Clinic will pay $100 per patient per year for dental care. Patients presenting to Marshfield Clinic Dental may also qualify for reduced fees and the Family Health Center (FHC) program. FHC is a federally-funded program that covers dental, vision, doctor's visits and medications for low-income Chippewa Valley residents. Thanks to the Chippewa Valley Dental Association for providing funds to help pay for dental care for our patients. The Bloomer Food Pantry is open to families in the Bloomer and New Auburn school districts on Fridays from 1pm 4pm and is located 808 Jackson Street in Bloomer. For more information on these and other community resources, feel free to contact Mrs. Seibel at 568-2800 ext. 4214. Scheduling for 2018-19 Starting in December we will be forecasting schedules with all freshman, sophomores, and juniors. They will be receiving information about the scheduling process and requirements that need to be met for graduation. Their course request sheets will be due on Thursday, December 14 th to their advisors. Students will then build their schedules sometime in January or February. PreACT On December 13 th, all juniors will be taking the PreACT. The PreACT includes multiple choice questions in English, reading, math and science. Test results will show students strengths and where more high school course work is needed. All student will receive a copy of their test booklet and results so they may review the questions and compare their submitted responses to the correct answers. This will help students prepare for the state mandated ACT test that all juniors will take on February 27 th. If you have additional questions or would like to learn more about this assessment, visit the ACT website at http://www.act.org/preact.
Class of 2018 Information The seniors have voted and here are the results: Class Song: Five More Minutes by Scotty McCreery Class Flower: Black and orange tipped rose Class Colors: Black and orange Class Motto: Today is the tomorrow we dreamed about yesterday. Graduation is set for Friday, May 25th at 7 p.m. in the high school gym. The seniors have also voted to go to Valleyfair for their class trip. More details will be coming home in a separate mailing in December with information about class trip, shirt order, and cap/gown order. The seniors will meet with the Josten s representative on December 8th during advisee for the purpose of cap and gown orders and other graduation related items that can be ordered. If you have any graduation or senior related questions, please contact Mrs. Warren at lisa.warren@bloomer.k12.wi.us or 715-568-2800.