Good afternoon, this is Rick Parker, Principal of Indian Land High School, calling with a Sunday Weekly Update. I hope everyone had a little fun in the snow. Or just got to see it falling! We did not get as much as we anticipated. Maybe more to come! I started the Grade Level Reset Assemblies last week with freshman and sophomores and will finish this week with the Junior and Senior Classes. As I said last week, we are in the second half of the school year keeping that W.A.R.R.I.O.R. Mindset of turning up of the volume, pushing through and rising to the top by putting these three words into action: PLAN-WORK-WIN. Our students had a great first week of the second semester.
Next Sunday, I will release the first edition of the new Monthly Newsletter “From the Land”. Each month we will share all the upcoming cool opportunities and events for students and parents as well as showcase past events and accomplishments. My goal is to help keep everyone in constant communication of what’s happening. I firmly believe we are stronger together! We are a TEAM - Together Everyone Achieves More!
Here is What’s Important Now for next week:
· Monday, we will continue the Grade Level “Reset” Assemblies during FLEX time. Monday, 1/13 - Juniors; Tuesday, 1/14 - Seniors.
· Spring '25 semester course change form: The last day to submit is Monday, 1/13. Here is the link for the Spring 25 Course Change Form with the guidelines: https://forms.gle/wFwwJwpNp2skEKfk8
This is for any student who wishes to make changes to their spring semester courses- Please be sure to read the form, as not all course changes will be honored- there is criteria. We have your course requests from your last year's IGP on PS, and verify your request.
Attendance Protocol Updates
· To notify ILHS of your student's absence, please send an email, with any necessary doctor's notes attached, to the following address:
ilhs.attendance@lcsd.k12.sc.us
· You may also include the student's teachers' email addresses in the same email to let them know of their absence, but we must be notified at the above email address to properly code their absence. We do not receive attendance changes over the phone.
A few reminders:
· Students are given 10 "parent notes" per year. Missed class time excused with parent notes will need to be recovered.
· If you have a doctor's note, dental note, etc. to provide, we can code the absence as "Medical" to help reserve your parent notes.
o While you may send in hard copies of these notes, you can also simply scan/take a photo/screenshot them and email them to the attendance email address.
· Please allow up to 48 hours for attendance changes to be put into PowerSchool.
· For tardiness or early dismissals due to medical appointments, please scan/take a photo/screenshot and send in the medical note so we can excuse the tardy or early dismissal.
· Students that need to dismiss early must bring a handwritten note from the parent or guardian to the main office with time and parent signature. Students will be given a pass to leave class at the indicated time (Phones nor emails will be accepted for early dismissal).
Important Student Information:
· There are still many DE (Dual Enrollment) students at USCL, Winthrop and YTC that have not turned in their concise schedule in PDF format, their Student Disclaimer, and the list of ILHS courses to drop. Students will be marked absent in the ILHS courses and not getting credit for the dual credit courses. Please check PowerSchool and get your student’s assigned counselor the required paperwork ASAP. We only have until Monday to make changes.
Save the date for all January Warrior University topics:
1/23 6-7pm- Trafficking presentation by LightHouse For Life
1/28- Lancaster County Career Center- 5:30-7pm- 8th & 9th grade family night @ LCCC
1/30- 6pm- Rising Junior (Sophomore) Family IGP Night- this will prepare you for your student's upcoming IGP meeting where, among other topics, they will choose courses for their Junior year- come hear about the new SC Math Pathway that will be in effect next academic year
1/31-4th block- Rising Junior (Sophomore) IGP Workshop for all sophomore students
Cell Phone Policy: As you all know, beginning second semester, 1/7/25, Lancaster County School District will enforce the state mandate of no cell phones allowed to be used during the school day. Students may bring a phone and keep on their person, but will only be allowed to use it before school or after school. No cell phones will be allowed to be used in class, during class transitions or lunchtime. Consequences on the Behavioral Student Matrix will begin with warnings and lead to Refuse to Obey. The attached video on the Cell Phone Policy was sent out December 18th to the District and all school websites.
I leave you with this quote from Dean Smith, former coach of UNC Tar Heels 1961-1997: “What do you do with a mistake? Recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it!”
Have a great weekend!