SLHS Pro Start Featured in DENVER POST today-

The amazing Pro Start culinary program at SLHS received some very good press today as they were featured in the Denver post- Listed below are the culinary results and a link to today's featured article.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_23128300/more-colorado-high-schools-cooking-up-recipe-culinary

Congratulations to the following FCCLA Food Event winners from the State FCCLA Conference:

Silver Medal Winners

Meghan Sheehan, Baking and Pastry

Annie Wong, Knife Skills

Gold Medal Winners

Alexx Blasczyk, Gourmet Sweet

Jacy Potter, Themematic Table Setting

Sabrina Nunez, Baking and Pastry

1st Place Gold Medal Winners and National Qualifiers

Danielle Benton, Culinary Star

Amber Harrison, Culinary Star

Brendan Underwood, Culinary Star

Day Without Hate- Friday April 26th

SLHS Community,

As many of you are aware, tomorrow is the annual Day without hate event not only at SLHS but across the district, state and has even taken off in some other states.  We have recently seen colleges take an active role in promoting this annual event as well.  What is DWOH? 

“A Day Without Hate is a student-led, grassroots organization that promotes nonviolence, respect, and unity within our schools.”

This annual event started right here at SLHS in 2007 after a group of students saw the massacre on the Virginia Tech campus.  The students in Mr. Ben Reed's class made a pact to inform, educate, and promote non-violence to the school and eventually to the state and across the nation.  The event has grown each and every year and has made it way across the state and into others as well. 

SLHS would like to encourge parents and community members to wear white tomorrow Friday April 26th in support of this tremendous event.  Below are some specific details and information regarding the 2013 event. 

1. The Rally is at Jeffco Stadium (6th Ave and Kipling). Gates open at 5:00. Admission is free to all Jeffco high school students and staff wearing any DWOH t-shirt. Shirts will also be sold at the gates for $8.

2. The Rally features music from Flobots and Zach Heckendorf and speakers from MTV's The Buried Life.

3. Governor Hickenlooper is proclaiming April 26 as a Day Without Hate for the state of Colorado. The State Senate has written a tribute to DWOH, as well. State Senator Andy Kerr will read the proclamation and the tribute at the rally.

4. The following City Councils are also proclaiming April 26 as a Day Without Hate for their cities: Golden, Lakewood, Westminster, and Wheat Ridge.

5. Over 13,000 shirts were sold across Jeffco, Colorado, and several states.

6. At least $4,000 in scholarships will be given away to students working to promote peace and nonviolence in Jeffco schools.

IB Art Presentation by Mirana Samon

I was extremely excited and proud to witness the mirage of art exhibits all completed by our IB art student Miranda Samon.  The timeline and process she worked through to accomplish these amazing pieces was powerful to witness.  The night was filled with classmates, teachers, mentors, community artists all showing up in support of the work Miranda accomplished.

Pictures below

Congratulations to the SLHS Poms Team!

The SLHS poms team recently returned from their trip to the national competition in Florida.  I am extremely proud to inform you that not only did they return to the Swamp, but they brought back some serious hardware with them! 
Their incredible 4th place finish out of more than 30 teams in the JAZZ competition was a first for any poms team in the history of SLHS.  They not only completed that top 5 finish in the JAZZ competition, but they topped the competition off with a top 10 (9th place) finish in the Pom competition!  What an amazing feat and trip for our talented young ladies and their coaches-   SEE THEIR PICTURE TO THE RIGHT

STUDENTS-

Ayla Schuetz 

Brittany Marks

Brandi Fenimore

Carrie Bumgardner 

Danielle Lombardi

Hailee Frazier

Jazlin Hanson

Julia Connolly

Mary Pankow

Morgan Kreiger

Taylor Frandsen

TCAP

SLHS Community,

Thank you very much for your support during the past two days with our annual TCAP testing.  Its important to know that we had a 98% plus attendance rate, the best since I have been at SLHS.  That shows me the message we are sending to both our students and community is being heard and is of significance.  As noted in last week's blog, we are now using a "portfolio" of information to help determine college and career readiness.  This portfolio helps staff and counselors in conjunction with parents find the "right"courses for students and will be used to determine enrollment in honors, AP, and IB courses.  We are half way home with TCAP testing, but the assessments will continue once again next Tuesday and Wednesday-  See the schedule below- 

Monady March 11- Regular Period 1-8

Tuesday March 12- TCAP Testing-  7:45 Start Time

Wednesday March 13- TCAP Testing-  7:45 Start Time

Thursday March 14- Wednesday Block Day- Periods 1,3,5,7

Friday March 15- Thursday Block Day- Periods 2,4,6,8

** We will once again serve breakfast to all students both Tuesday and Wednesday starting at 7:00am in the cafeteria- Please help support you son or daughter and encourage healthy eating and a good nights sleep on Sunday and Monday night for the best results. 

"Portfolio" The New SLHS Buzz Word

Parents,

We have recently begun discussing a new buzz word for our students at SLHS.  "PORTFOLIO"  We are using this term to engage students in learning the how and what is needed to be college and career ready over the course of their four years in HS.  With that said we as a staff have spent time and energy looking through data, discussing ways to determine what's the "right" course for students to take to include honors, AP, and possibly IB.  Here are some talking points we are using with our students-

- Students ability to take adanvced, honors, AP and IB courses can and will be reflective of his/her score on standardized tests.
- We can now utilize data from standardized assessments, GPA, other sources in both 9th and 10th grade to help determine what a student is projected to score on the ACT which is the PRIMARY entry exam for colleges across the nation.
- Our registration process now includes a portfolio of information on the registration card so teachers, counselors, parents, and students can make necessary and proper recommendations for selected courses.
- Data shows that remedation rates (college level courses required for students to take if they are not ready for college level material in an area which cost and does not count towards graduation) significantly decrease with the more college level courses taken in high school. 

We will continue communicating this important information to our student body but feel its also important that parents too understand the significance of student performance in ALL areas of their high school education. 

Jeff Pierson

Proud to be An AMERICAN Ceremony

SLHS Community,

I am very proud and honored to announce that SLHS was awarded the Proud to be An American Award by the Korean War Veterans Association at a ceremony that took place this morning in our Library.  Our staff, students, and community are recognized for our dedication to the recognition of veterans, patriotism, and the education of students about this great country!  We will display this recognition placque proudly.  In addition to the recognition, we too received a letter from Governor Hinkenlooper honoring our efforts as a staff, student body and as a community.   You can see pictures to the right of this post-

A special thanks to the teachers pictured Ms. Jennifer Brooks and Ms. Megan Madsen for their tireless efforts and work this past November as we hosted an all school assembly where students had the opportunity to meet and talk with veterans, learn about our nations history, and share stories from these past that helped shape our nation.