Student IDs

School announcement just made: All student should have a school ID by now. If any student does not, they need to stop by the main office and ask about getting one as soon as possible (may need to make an appointment). No Ids will be made past Tuesday 12/8/09. Students will need Ids for dance 12/11/09 after home basketball game.

class ring pickup this week

Freshmen will be able to pick up their class rings this Friday at lunch. Herff Jones will be here from 10:17am-11:44am to deliver rings.

Last chance to purchase cap & Gown at HHS

November 25th during all 3 lunches only. 10:17am-11:44am.
If you have questions, see your senior class sponsors, Mrs Stecher or Mrs Pickett.

Cap & Gown orders for Seniors

Herff Jones met with our senior class on 10/19 to share information about cap & Gown orders. they will be back Nov 3rd during lunch (10:17-11:44am) or after school until 6pm in the main entrance to accept orders. Order packets were distributed and extras are available in the main office.

Mrs McCord, our principal, emailed out this statement to the staff and also included it in our daily announcements to the building: "a very nice compliment to our senior class today. The representatives from Herff Jones said the class was the most polite and attentive they had worked with in a long time." Great job seniors!



If you have missed Cap & Gown orders or need to talk to a Herff Jones Customer Service Rep, their number is: (800) 804-3733

Free college application week this week

The guidance office has been announcing numerous colleges in Indiana are waiving college application fees this week. There is a list outside the guidance office door.

View the list of participating Indiana colleges and universities that will be waiving Hoosier high school seniors' application fees this week.


All public colleges and nearly every private college in Indiana has agreed to waive college application fees for Hoosier
high school seniors during College GO! Week. Learn more online at www.learnmoreindiana.org/collegegoweek. You may also check with the specific school to see if application needs to be on-line, postmark deadline, etc. don't miss out on this great opportunity!

Ancilla College
Anderson University
Ball State University
Bethel College
Butler University
Calumet College of St. Joseph
DePauw University
Devry University
Earlham College
Franklin College
Goshen College
Grace College
Hanover College
Holy Cross College
Huntington University
Indiana State University
Indiana Tech
Indiana University (all campuses)
Indiana Wesleyan University
Ivy Tech Community College (all campuses)
Manchester College
Marian University
Oakland City University
Purdue University (all campuses)
Rose‐Hulman Institute of Technology
Saint Mary’s College
Saint Mary‐of‐the‐Woods College
Saint Joseph's College
Taylor University
Trine University
University of Evansville
University of Indianapolis
University of Saint Francis
University of Southern Indiana
Valparaiso University
Vincennes University
Wabash College

PSAT Oct 14, 2009 Wednesday

We are offering the PSAT to all sophomores (paid for by the state) and juniors who signed up and paid (sign up sheets went through the US History classes and numerous announcements have been made in school).
We are excited to see a high number of students who signed up to take the test.

student activities:
a) All freshmen will be in classrooms working on guided freshmen activities.

b) All sophomores will be in classrooms taking PSAT.

c) all testing juniors who have paid will be in cafeteria taking the PSAT.

d) All non testing juniors and all seniors will begin the morning in the gym for a presentation by Sgt. Branson about his police dog & the swat team. The Principal, Mrs McCord, will greet students at 7:45am. From 8-9am. Then students will get a restroom break and go to the auditorium. Madison County Community Foundation will meet for about ½ hour re: scholarships, etc. from 9:30-10am.

Students will report to their designated area immediately at the start of school tomorrow morning.
Testing should run through the end of 3rd period and the day should start with 4th period and run 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th.

announcement that is running Monday & Tuesday:
Attention all sophomores & those juniors who have chosen to participate in the PSAT testing. All sophomores will report to their assigned rooms. Room assignments are posted in the main atrium, across from guidance and in the cafeteria. Testing juniors should report to the cafeteria. Entrance at pop machines ONLY.

Students who are testing should bring a supply of number 2 pencils with erasers. Make sure they are sharpened. You may also bring a 4 function or scientific calculator.

For non-testing juniors and all seniors - if you are morning voc or co-op. Follow your schedule as usual. If you are typically in the building and a non-testing junior or senior, you will report to the gym.

All freshmen have been assigned to rooms for the morning for guided activities. Please see the list of room assignments in the cafeteria, atrium, or across from guidance.

senior meetings week of Sept 28, 2009

Counselors will be going into senior English classrooms this week to meet with seniors regarding important senior info. Counselors will hand out
1)a Senior To Do List,
2) a reference sheet for seniors outlining procedure for College app & transcript requests, Guidance counselor contact info, & useful websites.
3) a brief questionnaire for counselors to get some immediate feedback.

Counselors will discuss the timeline for the year. Counselors will be meeting individually with each senior in the next few weeks but wanted to meet with all seniors to get this basic and necessary info out to them.

Top entry on the senior list:
Attend the College fair at Kardatske Wellness Center Oct 6th 6-8pm
*meet with Murray and Associates re: affording college/what's the actual cost for the school you like. They will work free for you.
*Visit different schools and see what they have to offer
*Try to narrow down your top 5 list
*Ask about admissions requirements, cost, scholarships, majors, why you should go to their school.

Freshman meeting 9/24/09 'Making High School Count'

Each year we bring "Making it Count" to our school to meet with our students. 'Making it Count' is brought to us free of charge by monster.com & it's partners My College Options, The Apple, & Bank of America.
This presentation was geared to 9th graders as they prepare to meet with success in high school. The presenter handed out booklets of information, asked the students to follow along and participate.
He encouraged students to
1) have a clear plan of where they are headed. You are more likely to get where you are going if you know where you are headed.
2) Reviewed 4 resumes and they discussed which would be selected for a job and why
3) discussed GPA and how a poor start can make raising your GPA difficult. Also, college apps are made at end of Junior year, so colleges are really looking at 3 years of grades - make the most of them!
4) studetss took a quick assessment - what kind of learner are you? Students took a quiz, raised their hands based on answers given & were told tips of what to do to improve learning.
5) Reviewed how to take notes, improve test taking by 4 simple test-taking techniques, and improve grades by a) thinking beyond the week, grab 10 minutes to work when you can (on bus, before dinner, etc), c) get organized up front.
6) Climb your way to the top by a) getting involved, b) staying involved, c) Holding a leadership position d) meeting your obligations & e) doing great things

PSAT Wednesday October 14th

All sophomores wil be expected to test. The state is paying for the sophomore testing.
Any junior who would like to sign up will be allowed to test. The cost is $13. Tuesday 9/22 is the last day for juniors to signup to test PSAT and announcements are being made to students today.

2009 - start of the year

I do apologize for not posting yet. I had some difficulties getting back oon. Those should be resolved.

Beginning of the year meetings were held with all students. These were grade specific.
Deans reviewed attendance, discipline, and school rules. Guidance reviewed academics, etc.

Class rings have been ordered by the freshmen.

homecoming events are this current week.

Reistration dates

wow, can't believe it is time for a new school year to begin.

Registration for Highland High School students will be as follows:
Seniors Monday, August 10th 8:00 – 11:00 AM
Juniors Monday, August 10th 12:00 – 3:00 PM
Sophomores Tuesday, August 11th 8:00 – 11:00 AM
Freshman Wednesday, August 12th 8:00 – 11:00AM
Registration will be closed daily from 11AM – 12 Noon for lunch.
For those students who cannot attend their scheduled registration, Highland High School will have open registration as follows:
August 11th from 12:00 – 3PM
August 12th from 4PM – 7PM
August 13th from 12:00 – 3PM
Please plan to attend one of these scheduled registration times. Registration WILL NOT be allowed the first day of school.

The end is almost here & SAP

Wow, what a whirlwind of a year. As we settle down to the end of the year, we are looking forward to a wonderful graduation the evening of May 30th.

We had a great Student Appreciation Day last Friday. Students earned the right to participate through behavior and attendance. I guess another way & in my eyes the better way to look at it is that students lost the right to participate through negative attendance and behavior.
There were many activities in which students could participate and pizza, snow cones, soda, and water were served. What a fantastic celebration of our great students!!

senior dates to be aware of (from principal's office)

May 29th is the last day of school for seniors. commencement is Friday May 29th at 7:30pm
Senior picnic is May 12th 6pm at Mounds State Park
Awards Day is May 28th 8am in the Fuller Memorial Gym.
Commencement Practice May 28th 11am at Kardatske Wellness Center/Byrum Hall.
We travel by bus to AU, practice commencement, then travel back to HHS at end of school day.
Commencement is Friday May 29th at 7:30pm. Students are to be at Byrum Hall no later than 6:15pm.

(information from principal's office)

Sports Physicals $15 Sat 5/16/09

Central Indiana Orthopedics is offering sports physicals for the 2009-2010.
2610 Enterprise Drive
Anderson, IN 46013

Time 9-12pm cost $15.

forms available at http://www.ciocenter.com/

(information from athletic secretary).

Senior class meeting Thursday 4/23

The Seniors will have their version of Making It Count this week... "Making College and Career Count"
This will be at 12:00 on Thursday 4/23 and conclude at 1:00. Students will be dismissed shortly after 5th hour begins and return to class into 6th.

Junior meetings in US history classes 4/15 & 4/16

Mr Poyer & Ms Mullins are meeting with all juniors during US history classes.
Mr Poyer is having students get on the QuickStart page of the collegeboard. This was initialized with the PSAT this fall. Students are asked to begin registration process and complete up to the finialization of test date & payment. Students were told - if they are free/reduced lunch, please see Mrs Wicker for a fee waiver. If Twenty-First Century Scholar - contact the Scholars office for a waiver. If the cost is too much due to unforseen circumstance - see their counselor.
Ms Mullins handed out a Junior info Sheet with such topics as:
SAT/ACT info:
College apps:
College visits:
E-transcript:
Work-keys testing:
How do you transfer credits between colleges:
Scholarships:
FAFSA:
A junior survey was also done to begin gathering info from juniors for their senior year & to get an accurate assessment of how juniors expect to meet graduation requirements for Core 40 With honors (both technical & academic)

AP stats for Spring 2009 - left off last post

The number of students who signed up to take AP exams this spring increased by 23%(81 up to 105) from last year. Overall the number total tests being taking in 11 different subject areas have increased by 40% (112 up to 184).

AP testing is coming in the month of May

Mr Poyer has been in AP classes signing studsents up for Spring testing.
We are testing students in 11 subjects: Govt, Micro Econ, Macro Econ, Eng Lit, Eng Comp, US History, Physics, Human Geography, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology.
we have 105 students who are testing and 185 total tests being administered ( a number of students are taking multiple tests).
Percent increase over last year is:

college visits to Ivy Tech

Ivy Tech community college is offering College Day 2009 to juniors and seniors.
forms are available in the guidance office.
Manuel Hunt was at HHS twice before Spring break and met with interested students. This is a follow up to his callout meetings.
Pick an area of interest and attend an informational day filled with a 'behind the scenes' visit and then lunch and information at Ivy tech.
Pick up an application in the guidance office if interested.. .4 areas of focus are business, technology, public service, and health careers.
April 14th Business Career
April 16th Technology Career
april 21st Public Service Career
April 23rd Health Career

Return forms to Ms Mullins ASAP.

Summer School apps available

Summer school apps are available in he guidance office and on-line at www.acsc.net. $25 (for ACS students) per class is due at sign up and apps must be returned no later than 11am on May 9th to the bookkeeper in the Principal's office. (you will receive a receipt for payment).
The full year classes being offered (all courses subject to enrollment) are English 9,10,11,12, Algebra I, Biology - these are all summer. 1st summer session June 2-june 27, 2nd summer session is June 30-July 29.
The one semester classes are as follows: Government and PE offered 1st session - June 2-June 27.
Economics will be offered 2nd session June 30-July 29.
Questions? please direct to bookkeeper Mrs Dunn 641-2059 ext1013 or summer school coordinator Mrs Farley 641-2000 ext3023.

BSU College Awareness Day Tuesday 4/7/09

Ball State University hosts a College Awareness Day for monirity students. This is a great day for students to visit Ball State, meet with various depts., participate in a mock mini-class, tour campus, and eat in a campus dining hall. Permission slips went out before Spring Break and are due by noon Monday 4/6/09 to the guidance office.

Spring Break

The school is closed for Spring Break.
We will report back to HHS Monday April 6th, 2009

College Visits

Well, the visit to Indiana Tech on Tuesday was cancelled due to lack of sign ups but we had a fantastic visit to IUPUI with nearly 30 students in attendance.

Instructions for parents to receive a password for access to power school

Instructions for parents to receive a password for access to power school

On the internet:
1. WWW.acsc.net
2. Go to the parents (top right hand corner)
3. Left hand side of the screen
Power School Parent (in red)
4. Middle of the page
PowerSchoolParent@acsc.net (in purple)
5. Fill in the information asked for, ACS will mail you a password.


Once you are registered for online access, you will be able to see grades as the teachers post them to the online grade book.

If you click on the % grade, it will show you the complete breakdown of each class, of each grade earned.

This info will allow you to stay on top of assignments/grades as they are posted so you get pretty immediate feedback (at least that is my understanding of this system. looks pretty great in that you are not waiting for a report card & you can dig deeper into the why of the grade posted).

SAT at HHS 2009-2010

Beginning 2009-2010 school year, Highland High School will be the local ACSC test site for the SAT. Out test site # will be 15101.
We expect to be offering the SAT test on the following dates:
Nov 7, 2009
Dec 5, 2009
Jan 23, 2009
May 1, 2010
There will be tests on Oct 10th, March 13th, & June 5th that we opted not to offer at HHS. Students may still test on those dates, just outside if ACSC.

College visits next week

The guidance office (with a lot of help from our guidance intern) has scheduled some college visit field trips for next week. We have been announcing them all week in school. We will visit Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne on Tuesday3/24/09 ("A new school of thought, Indiana Tech" is their catch phrase. They are a four year college with a technology focus). IUPUI in Indy on 3/26/09. Announcements have been made during daily announcements and paperwork is available at the front guidance office desk.

Junior- Making it Count presentation March 19, 2009

We will have our annual Making it Count presentation for juniors on march 19, 2009 in the auditorium. Students will be called from 5th hour for the presentation. The presentation typically reminds students what they should be doing to prepare for the following schoool year & to prepare for their future.

I will send information to junior English or US history classes in the week following the presentation to reinforce ideas heard in the presentation. We will remind students to sign up for SAT/ACT tests the spring of thier junior year (so they will have scores to send to colleges). it is best to check with colleges of interest annd see if they have a preference of ACT/SAT.

FAFSA deadline was 3/10/09(financial aid for post high school)

We had a large push throughout the building regarding the FAFSA deadline. HHS hosted a financial aid night in January, distributed info on College Goal Sunday, FAFSA Friday, & we hosted Murray & Associates (3/5/09) who visited both high schools & assisted families in filling out & submitting electronic FAFSA's. HHS counselors visited senior English classes 3/3/09 and completed surveys of all seniors to assess post high school goals and to assess FAFSA status. We also handed out FAFSA worksheets & handed out fliers/info about the Murray & Associates assistance in house later that week. According to our surveys, we had a large number of students who had already filed their on-line FAFSAs. This (I believe) is thanks to Mr Poyer who visited all senior classes in December and had students file for their electronic PINs and reminded students of the importance of the FAFSA deadline.

Scheduling for 2009-2010

I must apologize, I was locked out for a while.

course fairs:
current 9, 10, 11 January 29th 6pm-8pm will provide info to parents and students about course offerings. will be in cafeteria. Doors open at 5:45pm. Teachers will set up an area & can provide info to students/parents (handouts/videos/ etc.). Suggested times will be: 6-6:30pm for 9th, 6:30-7:15pm for 10th, 7:15-8pm for 11th (to try and control volume of people coming thru). counselors will have handouts made available here: Recommendation sheets/worksheets /grad requirements/etc. these will be handed out Friday at HHS following meeting for anyone unable to attend. Our planning and information packets were delivered to all in house 9th & 10th grade English classes. Announcements went out over PA beginning January 30th for students to come pick up planning sheets. Financial aid night for seniors also scheduled for this night in library, 7pm.

Actual scheduling:
Feb 2-6 counselors will meet in English classrooms to schedule 9th graders for 10th grade year
Feb 9-13 counselors will meet in English classrooms to schedule 10th graders for 11th grade year
Feb 17-20 counselors will meet in US History classrooms to schedule 11th graders for 12th grade year

meetings with current 8th to schedule 6:30pm Sat Feb 21st at 9am Feb 25th Wed (early release day), and February 26th thurs. We will have a course fair and we will complete schedules at that time.