March News

CALENDAR OF EVENTS:

March 1st-Late Start for High School (Classes begin at 9:00)

March 10-Practice SAT for Juniors 

March 13-March 17 Spring Vacation

March 20-School resumes at 8:05

March 24-SIP Day-High School dismisses at 11:33

March 31-MHS Spring Play 7:00 PM Fellheimer Auditorium

April 1st-MHS Spring Play 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM Fellheimer Auditorium

WELLNESS GROUPS

MHS is pleased to announce that we are partnering with McGruder Wellness Initiative, LLC to offer Wellness groups to students beginning in March.  

This semester we will be providing groups geared towards Wellness, Wellness 2.0, Social Media Addiction, and Anger Management. Groups will be offered during school hours on Tuesdays. Students will be given permission to be excused from that class during that time but will also be responsible for missed information. Groups will begin on Tuesday, February 28 and last for six weeks.

Wellness - Will focus on a variety of topics that are geared towards overall student wellness, including effective communication, reduction of shame/guilt, navigating social situations, anxiety & stress symptom identification and reduction practices. This is for students who have not participated in a Wellness or Anxiety/Stress Reduction group in the past.

 Wellness 2.0 - Is a continuation of the Wellness and Anxiety/Stress Reduction group. This is for students who have participated in a Wellness or Anxiety/Stress Reduction group in the past. 

Anger Management - Anger is not a bad emotion, but can be displayed in an unhealthy way. This group will focus on identifying earlier signs of anger, reducing the impact of triggers, increasing communication, and reducing the shame/guilt associated with past anger based reactions.

Social Media Addiction (Highly Requested Group by Students) - Do you have trouble putting your phone down? Navigating one of the main forms of communication can be difficult especially in a world geared towards constant connection. This group will explore why it is difficult to put it down, assist with finding a balance with utilization and what is needed to be done in your day-to-day, develop skills used to reduce utilization, and increase communication skills overall. 

While we will be covering a variety of topics in the groups, including signs that students are in need of support, better identifying situations that cause reactionary behavior to students, and most importantly, healthy and productive ways to handle these situations, we are consistently promoting and supporting effective communication with their support system, including you.

You play a pivotal role in your students' life and you are invited to participate in the workshop "Talking to Your Teens" on Tuesday, March 7th at 6pm, in the CT Vivian Library at MHS. During this event, we will be discussing barriers to communication and what to do about them. Again, one of the main purposes of this group is to encourage your students to communicate their needs in a productive and healthy manner. This will help you do the same. We scheduled it the week before spring break since there may be an opportunity for more communication during that time.

5-Essentials Survey

https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/

Beginning late January students and teachers across Illinois had an opportunity to participate in the 11th annual statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child’s school. As a parent, this opportunity will allow you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness in a survey about your child’s school.

On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago. The survey gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains. These five indicators that affect and predict school success are:

• Effective Leaders
• Collaborative Teachers
• Involved Families
• Supportive Environments
• Ambitious Instruction

Prior research in more than 400 schools has shown that schools that were strong on at least three of these “5Essential” indicators were 10 times more likely to improve student learning gains in math and reading than those that were weak on three or more Essentials. 

All teachers and 4th through 12th grade students will be responding to this survey. 5Essentials Reports will be generated for schools if their teachers and/or students meet the response rate threshold of 50 percent. These reports will be sent to schools and districts in May 2021 and will also be included in the State School Report Card. 

Additionally, your district has chosen to provide the optional Parent Supplement survey. If at least 20 percent of Macomb parents complete this survey, a parent supplement report will also be generated. The parent data will not be reported on the State Report Card.

Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child. 

The Illinois 5Essentials Survey for students and teachers will be conducted through March 31, 2023. The Parent Survey Supplement will be conducted during that same timeframe. To take the survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin.

For more information about the Illinois 5Essentials Survey, or to view previous years’ Reports, please visit https://www.5-essentials.org/illinois. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or impact-surveys@uchicago.edu. 

Sincerely,

Scott Sullivan
MHS Principal

Senior of the Month-February

Congratulations to Shelby Baker, daughter of Andy and Cheryl Baker, for being selected as the February Senior of the Month. Shelby participates in Macomb Youth Leadership Organization, Student Council, National Honor Society, volleyball, and girls’ soccer. She serves as Vice President of Student Council, and her community activities include donating blood with Impact Life and volunteering for the high school blood drive. She raises money for American Foundation of Suicide Prevention and has led groups that have participated in the local walk for the past two years. Shelby loves being with children and babysits for several families and sometimes for St. Paul School. She has also tutored children from ages 7-10. She works at the Macomb Country Club and Farm King during the summer. During the school year, she works at The Study. After graduation, Shelby plans to attend Western Illinois University to major in Speech Pathology and Audiology. 

PROM

GRADUATION

The graduation ceremony is set for May 20 at 7:30 at Western Hall, WIU. 

FINAL EXAMS

Final exams are scheduled for the week of May 22-26. The schedule will be as follows: