MENDOTA – A two-year co-op agreement with LaMoille High School for baseball and softball was approved at the Oct. 21 Mendota High School Board of Education meeting.
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MENDOTA – A two-year co-op agreement with LaMoille High School for baseball and softball was approved at the Oct. 21 Mendota High School Board of Education meeting. Superintendent Jeff Prusator said MHS has had a difficult time fielding three teams for baseball and softball the past few years, so this agreement would benefit both schools. “Mendota will be the host school with all games and practices held here,” Prusator said. “LaMoille may send an assistant coach but the current MHS head coaches will remain.”
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
Principal Denise Aughenbaugh discussed several upcoming events including Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences, which are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 23 and 24 from 4 to 7 p.m. on both days. Parents are asked to use the high school’s main entrance doors and pick up their student’s progress reports in the gym foyer. They can then meet with teachers, who will be located in the gym. Translation services will be available.
FAFSA
Representatives from ISAC and IVCC will provide FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) completion in English and Spanish during both conference nights, Oct. 23 and 24 in the cafeteria. Aughenbaugh said the state of Illinois now requires that students must complete the FAFSA during their senior year or submit a guardian-signed state waiver form in order to graduate.
Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee meeting
A Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 30 in the media center. Speaker/author Ferney Ramirez Hernandez will give a presentation and each attendee will receive a copy of “Padres Exitosos,” which Hernandez authored. All BPAC and bilingual community members are invited to attend.
SAT and Test Prep
The School Improvement Team and staff have reviewed the assessment needs of MHS students and decided to expand the SAT Suite of Assessments.
Aughenbaugh explained that the PSAT 8/9 is the foundation for understanding students’ progress as they enter high school or complete the first year of high school. The PSAT 10 is a check-in and focus test that gauges students’ preparation for the SAT. The grade 11 SAT connects to college readiness. The SAT suite of assessments can provide grade-Ievel benchmarks and the tests show the 75 percent likelihood of a student achieving a “C” grade in a first-semester credit bearing college course in a related subject.
On Dec. 19, MHS will test Northbrook and Holy Cross 8th grade students on the PSAT 8. This test will be the first baseline measure. Freshman will take the PSAT 9, sophomores PSAT 10 and juniors the PSAT 11 all on the same day, April 14, 2020.
Khan Academy and College Board (owner of SAT) have partnered to provide online SAT test preparation programs and resources free of charge. Students have access to thousands of practice problems, personalized tutorials, official SAT practice questions and full-length tests, comprehensive reporting for students with access anytime, anywhere.
On Oct. 8 and 9, MHS counselor Rachel Tarr spent the entire time in the U.S. history classes to provide juniors with the test-prep resources. She gave students their PSAT 10 results and helped them log onto their College Board Account and Khan Academy. Students have their Khan Academy test prep tied directly to how they performed on the PSAT 10 for two more individualized test preps. Juniors may earn several exam exemptions by completing practice SAT tests and Khan Academy minutes. In addition, Mr. Artman created a junior grade level Khan Academy class to assess the students’ performance on the software. Aughenbaugh thanked Tarr, Artman and the U.S. history teachers for allowing this instruction during their class time.
New Student Club, GSA
The board approved a new student club, the Mendota High School Gender and Sexuality Alliance Club (GSA). Aughenbaugh said the students interested in creating the formalized club have been meeting under her supervision for the last two years with approximately 8-12 students who regularly attend the 7:30 a.m. meetings. She said the group organizes informational events, supports circles and lunches and tries to focus on identifying ways MHS can be an ally to students who identify as LGBTQ.
“We have to be aware that there is a definite need to support these students,” Aughenbaugh told the board. “There are statistics available from reputable sources, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, that have verified the higher levels of attempted suicide among transgender youth and students struggling with some of these issues. We want to make sure we can build a welcoming and safe environment for all of our students and especially for those who identify as LGBTQ, particularly for transgender youth. Many of these students face or experience rejection, bullying, and harassment. They shared that they often feel unsafe for being who they are. As a school, we should provide and promote an environment that shows inclusivity and diversity.”
Commendations
Aughenbaugh congratulated the boys soccer team for being the outright BNC Conference title champs and regional title holders, going undefeated, 8-0, in the BNC conference.
She also congratulated 30 MHS music students who were selected at the ILMEA district auditions on Oct. 5. This included students in Junior Mixed Chorus, Senior Chorus, Senior Band, Senior Jazz Band, and Senior Vocal Jazz Ensemble.
Students selected for Jazz Ensembles will work with guest clinicians and perform at Sherrard High School on Nov. 2. Students selected for all other ensembles will work with clinicians and perform on Nov. 9 at Augustana College.
Upcoming Events
Nov. 6 - MHS Parent Night - Youth Mental Health First Aid, 6 p.m., MHS Media Center. This program is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis. Youth mental health first aid is primarily designed for adults who regularly interact with young people. The presentation will introduce common mental health challenges for youth, review typical adolescent development and teach a 5-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Topics include anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders including ADHD and eating disorders.
OTHER BUSINESS
The next regular board of education meeting will be held at the high school on Monday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m.