Kickapoo announcements Sept. 30 - Oct. 4, 2024

Hello Kickapoo families!

We have made it to October and with that means the end of first quarter (Thursday, Oct. 17th) is quickly approaching! As a reminder students earn credits toward graduation each quarter.

Also, our Fall parent teacher conference night is Thursday, Oct. 10th. We will have more information on how to sign up in next weeks announcements.

* School Safety - Over the past few weeks, school safety has been a topic of discussion in Springfield and across the country. Nationwide, rumors have continued to circulate related to social media posts. I want to assure you that we take every report seriously and follow specific procedures to thoroughly investigate them. We are thankful that our school police were able to determine that all reported social media posts were related to the nationwide trend and were not credible threats to any Springfield school.
Please remember, it is important to directly report concerns to those who can investigate rather than sharing on social media, which can cause confusion and impede the investigation. It is important to remind students that there are serious consequences for making any statement that could be interpreted as threatening. It is also inappropriate to joke about safety issues. Discipline, up to and including out of school suspension, could result.
If you are aware of a safety concern, please report it to us in one of the following ways:

• Contact me, another school administrator, or our site police officers.
• Call School Police at (417) 523-2911.
• Text or call the anonymous Tip Line at (417) 319-2901.

Working together, we can ensure that our school is a safe place for everyone.

Sincerely,
Dr. Powers

* Announcements - I send these announcements via Connect 5 text & email and Canvas inbox each weekend during the course of the school year. These announcements include several important items, however, they are not all inclusive. Please remember to check our social media and website for the most up to date information about clubs, athletics, and other important announcements.

* Stay connected with Kickapoo in the following ways:

Facebook - Kickapoo High School

X - @KickapooChiefs

Instagram - @KickapooHighSchool

Website - kickapoochiefs.org

Daily Announcements are on our website and linked HERE. Please check these frequently as they are updated daily.

* KHS 24 - 25 Bell Schedule 

* Student Grades - eSchool Home Access Center is the official gradebook. You can login here to check student grades. After logging in click Classes to see the most up to date grades entered. 

* D & F Phone Calls - I make phone calls home for students with a D and/or F in any of their classes each Tuesday after school. These phone calls will began on Tuesday, Sept. 10th and continue through the end of the quarter. These grades come from a report run at 6:30 a.m. each Tuesday morning. 

If you have questions or concerns please contact your students teachers or counselor. Thank you!

* FREE Tutoring available every day after school in the Kickapoo library from 3:25 - 4:25. Students will check in and must stay the full time unless a parent or guardian signs them out.

* School Pictures Are Available to Purchase Online - To order, log in to your account on mylifetouch.com or create an account using your student's student ID number.
All families can also log on and order a FREE Digital SmileSafe card.
More about the SmileSafe program here.
Thank you!

* Wednesday Late Start - Once students arrive on Kickapoo's campus they are required to remain. Students who leave campus are subject to school discipline.

* Student Parking - We have NO spots remaining for the Fall semester. See Mrs. Liston in the Financial Office to be placed on the waiting list. We will have a few spots open after winter break due to early graduates.

* Student Parking - If someone parks in your assigned spot DO NOT park in another numbered spot, (that becomes a domino effect) but park in a visitor spot. Students will then report the issue by filling out the sheet in the attendance office (door 18).
Students must have an SPS parking decal and KHS hang tag to park on campus. No decal? Park on Jefferson Street in front of the baseball/practice field.
* Student Parking - If you have NOT purchased a parking decal do NOT park in STAFF, VISITOR, or HANDICAPPED SPOTS at KHS. Also, do NOT park at Gillenwaters tennis courts, Birch Pointe across the street OR any of our local businesses. You may be fined or towed.

* Counseling Corner - Check this link for all things from the Counselors. 

* 2024-2025 School Calendar: The last day of school is Friday, May 23, 2025.

* Class of 2025 Kickapoo Graduation will be Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 7 p.m. at Great Southern Bank Arena

* Scholarship Bulletin - Seniors review this list for a list of scholarship opportunities!

* College & Career FAQ's - This is a great resource for all high school students and families. 

* SPS College Career Fair - Tuesday, Oct. 1st from 5 - 7 p.m. at Kickapoo High School. There will be college representatives from all over the country here to talk about what their schools have to offer. There will be many local workforce and military branches as well. One lucky Kickapoo student who attends will win a brand new Chromebook just for attending, but you can’t win if you don’t attend! We hope to see you there!

* Senior Quotes & Headshots - Senior headshots should be sent digitally in a jpeg or png format to kickapooyearbook@gmail.com no later than Oct. 24th. Seniors may use the school picture day photo in place of a studio photo. Photo should be portrait style, mid stomach and above. No full body, horizontal or selfies. Senior quotes MUST be school appropriate and is subject to omission if it goes against school guidelines.

* SPS High School Attendance Requirement for Dances. In order to attend a SPS dance students must meet the following requirements: 

• 90% overall attendance (school-sponsored activities do not count as absences) by a determined date prior to the dance set by the high school site administration. Kickapoo's next dance is Friday, Feb.7th. Students must have 90% or better attendance by end of day Thursday, Feb. 6th.

• Must be in attendance the entire school day the day of the dance

• Must not be serving ISS or OSS on the day of the dance

• Major discipline infractions (OSS) will result in non-admittance to the school dance

• Pay ALL fines & fees in Financial office or library before purchasing a ticket

* SPS High School Final Exam Exemption Requirements. Students are eligible for finals exemption by meeting the following criteria: 

• 90% overall attendance (school-sponsored activities do not count as absences) per semester

• Received no ISS or OSS for the semester

• Passing the class with an 80% or greater prior to the final exam

• Exempt students may take the final to improve their grade in a class; in this case, the final grade cannot hurt the student’s overall grade

• Required to attend class during the final exam

block and complete optional enrichment tasks

provided Dual credit, AP, IB, and virtual classes

are not eligible for final exemptions.

* Student Attendance for Week 6 - Our yearly goal is 95% and we have now dropped to 94.40% for the year. Great job by our 9th graders as they led the way last week AND they improved by 0.85% over the previous week!

* CANVAS HELP - Need help accessing and checking online learning with your student? Click here for a list of resources from SPS. You can also click here for a guide for “how-to” items for parents. Please be sure to reach out with questions as we navigate online learning.

* Reminders:

• Any students needing WiFi can request a Kajeet hotspot through our library.
• Kickapoo will open our doors at 7:40 a.m. and first block begins at 8:10 a.m. every day Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday. 
• Wednesday is late start for students so staff may participate in professional learning. Classes begin at 8:40 a.m. ALL BUSSES WILL RUN AT NORMAL TIMES.
• Classes end at 3:10 p.m. every day.
• All students should leave school/campus by 3:45 p.m. unless directly supervised by a teacher, coach, or sponsor.
• Students should take home Chromebooks every day and charge them each night.
• Deliveries to school - Parents/guardians may deliver food and other items to school. We ask that you label and leave them on the table. Please communicate with your student to let them know items have been dropped off for them as we do not contact them. 
• NO FOOD or DRINK DELIVERIES FROM OUTSIDE VENDORS. Thank you! 
• ID badges and dress code - ALL students must have an ID every day. Follow all dress code expectations. Cover ALL B's!
• ALL students will receive a NEW ID & Lanyard on the first day of school. IF they do not please have your student request one from a teacher.

Again, the items I have listed above are NOT all inclusive.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to reach out to me. I will respond as soon as possible.

Thank you again for your patience, grace, and flexibility. Take care and as always #GoChiefs!

Dr. Bill Powers
Principal
Kickapoo High School