Schedule & Logistics: Career, College, and Life Readiness Day on October 17

Monday, September 23, 2019

Hi OHS Students, Staff, and Families!

As we continue to make intentional efforts to support our vision of having students become Career, College, and Life Ready, it’s important that we continue to provide authentic learning experiences to help students discover their interests and passions. Each year, we set aside several days to focus on providing these experiences and to assess the readiness of our students for various post-secondary pathways.

I am excited to share that on Thursday, October 17, we will be offering some incredibly beneficial grade-level-specific opportunities to support our students in this preparation process! Details for each grade are posted below. 

This is shaping up to be an exciting day at OHS, and is just one way we will continue to help each Raccoon become GROUNDED in their values, COMMITTED to their purpose, and ACCOUNTABLE to themselves and each other. Please feel free to reach out to me at CurtisJ@oasd.org if you have any questions.

Finally, please note there will be no school for all students and staff on Friday, October 18.

Go Raccoons!
Jason

Freshman: Jump-Start to Service

All freshmen will participate in a service learning project designed by various teachers and community members. The goal of this activity is to help our freshmen become aware of the importance of using academic interests to make our communities a better place and perhaps spark a career interest or pathway.

At OHS, we have so many opportunities for students to engage in service projects, and this day is designed to give students a taste of these options and an opportunity to participate in their first official project. 

Please click here for an important letter from one of our Spanish teachers, Danielle Chaussee, which outlines the various projects and details for the day.

All freshmen are required to report to OHS by 7:20am. Room assignments will be posted in the hallways and emailed to students during the week of October 14. Dismissal will occur at our regularly scheduled time of 2:40pm.

Sophomore: Career and College Visits

It’s important that our sophomores start to hone in on a career interest and discern the best way to support their goals. We have received funding to have each sophomore attend a day-long field trip where they will get the chance to visit various career-related job sites and tour a college. This is an incredibly exciting opportunity and will hopefully help students begin to think seriously about the opportunities that may exist at OHS in order to help them have a plan for life after graduation.

Please click here for an important letter from our School to Career Coordinator, Kyla Stefan, which outlines the details for the day.

All sophomores should report to Gale Douglas Field House by 7:20am and dress in business casual attire. More details on appropriate dress are explained in Kyla’s letter.

Juniors: Practice ACT Exam

In preparation for the ACT exam on March 3, we will give all juniors the opportunity to take a practice exam on October 17. The ACT exam assesses student readiness for college-level work in the areas of Reading, English, Math, Science, and Writing. After we receive the results in mid-November, we will use the data to create a personalized ACT preparation program for each junior as they get ready for the ACT exam in March. Students will have time set aside in Pride to complete these lessons throughout the winter months. 

Please click here for an important letter from Associate Principal Krista Werchowski, which outlines the details for the day and our new ACT preparation program.

All juniors are required to report to the Oconomowoc Arts Center by 7:30am and will be released at approximately 1:30pm. Buses will operate on their normal schedule, so juniors are welcome to come early or stay until 2:40pm and work in the library.

Seniors: Individual College Visits and Job Shadows

Seniors do not have to report to OHS on this day so they can work on post-high-school transition opportunities, including attending a college visit, arranging for a job shadow, or working on applications for financial aid, scholarships or college admissions. Our library will be open for any senior who needs a place to work.

September Student Services Newsletter

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Hey Raccoons!

At the beginning of every month, I will send out a newsletter from our Student Services team. You can click here to access the September newsletter.

This month's newsletter includes the following:

• Dates and details about Family and Teacher Conferences
• Our Safety Seminar video reviewed in our Pride Homeroom this past Monday
• Information about the Financial Aid Boot Camp

Thank you for a great start to the year!

Jason

A Community of Raccoons: Grounded, Committed, and Accountable!

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Hi OHS  Students, Staff, and Families!

What a start to the school year! The energy and excitement in our halls over the last few days has been invigorating! 

On Tuesday, more than 200 upperclassmen came together to welcome the 392 members of the class of 2023. Our freshmen had the chance to learn more about our school community as they began their journey at OHS, and today, every grade came together to launch the new year! Throughout the day, we all took time to reflect on the meaning of our new community norms of being GROUNDED in our values, vision and purpose, COMMITTED to our goals, and ACCOUNTABLE to ourselves and each other. This mantra of being Grounded, Committed, and Accountable will help us steer the course as we work to achieve our vision of having all of our Raccoons be Career, College, and Life Ready! 

GROUNDED in our values, vision, and purpose

Many of you have heard me reference that the high school experience is only 704 days long. That is an incredibly limited amount of time to help each Raccoon identify purpose and value in their life. As a community, we will work together to make sure students have time and experiences to discover their interests and learn about post-secondary options that will help them feel a sense of purpose in life. 

Our goal is that everyone finds a career, not just a job. At OHS, we have over 200 classes and dozens of programs and opportunities to help students identify what to do when their time at OHS is over. We have placed equal emphasis on preparing students to either join the workforce, commit to an apprenticeship program in the trades, answer the noble call to enlist in our armed services, or attend a 2-year or 4-year college of their choice. The infographic below is a representation of the various career pathways and the programs that OHS offers to support each area of interest. Please note that the infographic may not be viewed well from a cell phone.

COMMITTED to our goals

First and foremost, our Raccoons are students. We have to prioritize building a culture for learning that elevates academic expectations and allows our students to engage in a rigorous, yet relevant curriculum. Regardless if a student chooses to attend college, enlist in the military, or join the workforce, every Raccoon should have the academic skill set to think critically, analyze, and communicate. In addition, we have to ensure our students have the individual drive and determination to persevere through challenges and reject any temptations or avoidance behaviors that may derail them from their goal. 

This year, we will be launching a new study opportunity called Raccoon Study Hours on most Mondays and Wednesday throughout the school year. Study Hours will occur from 7:00pm-8:30pm and will be supervised by at least one administrator, two teachers, and one coach or co-curricular advisor.  This is an opportunity for students to develop good study habits and get some extra help in order to support academic success. You can click here to see a complete schedule. 

Also, parents and community members, if you would be willing to help supervise, tutor or support students during this time or on a particular date, please email me. Students enrolled in honor societies should meet with their advisor to discuss ways to earn service hours during these study sessions.

Accountable to ourselves and each other

Last year, we introduced our new community commitments that established common classroom expectations at OHS. This year, many of those commitments are the same, with a few modifications. These include:

• The cafe will no longer be open during class time.
• Students must turn cellphones into an established location in the classroom at the start of class.

You can view the entire presentation presented in our classes today by clicking here.

Finally, we will have a school-wide Pep Rally in honor of Raccoon Rally on Friday at 1:45pm. Parents are welcome to join us and should report to the entrance of the Gale Douglas Field House by 1:30pm. We would love to have you join us. 

Finally, check out the video below as we share what's new at OHS and how we will work to ensure everyone stays Grounded, Committed, and Accountable this year!

We made a lot of progress as a community last year, and it makes me so excited about what’s ahead! It’s going to be a great year!

Go Raccoons!
Jason