Dear Viking Families,

It is important to remember that our information, procedures, and protocols may change weekly as we receive local, state, or federal requirements or recommendations.  We will make sure to update this Blog on a weekly basis to reflect these changes, so please stay in the loop by making sure we always have accurate contact information (cell phone & email preferred).  We also have a high volume of families with "voice mailboxes not set up" or "full voicemail inboxes."  While you might miss out on important updates, more importantly, this could potentially create a very unsafe situation for your child this year should there be an emergency.  

Updated info as of 2/13/2023

• February 13th is Late Start Monday. 1st hour starts at 9:20am. 

• No school Friday, February 17th and Monday the 20th. 

• This past Saturday at the HS MSBOA District 1 Solo & Ensemble Festival, every single CHS Band and Orchestra student that participated in Solo & Ensemble on Saturday earned a medal (some got 2 or 3!). That's a total of 75 medals and 44 that earned Division I ratings that qualify them for State S&E! Congratulations to the Band and Orchestra!  

• February 13-16 is Random Acts of Kindness week! Be kind to fellow students and staff. 

• Parents, please discuss with your student(s) the importance of charging their chomebooks nightly before school!

Old information as of 2/6/2022

• Phone change! A new auto attendant message is being implemented Monday morning (1/23). All calls, including attendence, please use (231)-876-5800.  

• If you are absent for medical reasons make sure to get a doctors note to ensure your absence is excused. 

• Honor roll is not showing up properly. We are aware of the situation and are working with our tech department to resolve the issue.  

• The Wexford Missaukee Career Technical Center will be offering your son/daughter the opportunity to take the ASVAB Career Exploration Program on Thursday, February 23, 2023. The test will be held in the Lake Superior Room at the CTC building at 9:00 a.m.  There is no cost to participate in this program. Have your student see their counselor for a sign up form.

• Announcing the fifth annual NPR Student Podcast Challenge! The national podcasting contest for middle and high school students will return in January and run through April 2023. More details can be found here

• Attention:10th, 11th, and 12th graders! If you are interested in a dual enrollment opportunity on CHS's campus during trimester three, Baker College will be offering the dual enrollment course, Environmental Science. Students will have the opportunity to earn three college credits by taking this class. Please see the attachment for a description of the course. Please see the  Environmental Science Form for eligibility requirements and to sign up. If you have additional questions, see your counselor. 

• The Michigan Youth Challenge Academy offers at-risk males and females ages 16 through18 an opportunity to graduate high school and realize positive life changes through an intensive five and a half month residential and 12-month post-residential program. More information can be found on the flyer below. 

• Teen drivers are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than drivers over 20 years-old, and ten times more likely to be involved in a non-fatal crash. With the help of involved parents, teens can become safer, smarter drivers. Teen drivers with actively involved parents are half as likely to be involved in a crash. To help parents manage their teens’ driving and keep them safe, the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) has created a Parent Toolkit and video. 

• We are no longer using the online absentee form. You need to call the high school office to excuse students.  Phone: 231-876-5800 

• Flu shots are in stock at the Wellness Center! Students can receive their flu shot, COVID19 vaccine or booster, or any other recommended vaccines, during or after school at the Wellness Center. Call (231) 306-4900 to schedule an appointment.

• This is a link from  the DEA on Brightly Colored Fentanyl Used to Target Young Americans - "Rainbow Fentanyl." The trend appears to be a new method used by drug cartels to sell highly addictive and potentially deadly fentanyl, made to look like candy, to children and young people.  

• Preorder the 2022-23 yearbook at https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/productBrowse/1064901/Cadillac-High-School/2023-Yearbook/2022060714150695780/CATALOG_SHOP/

• If your student needs to leave during the school day please send them with a note in the morning to receive a pass.  This will help alleviate interruptions into the classrooms. 

• The National Honor Society is tutoring this year. Every Monday afternoon from 2:50-3:50 and Thursday mornings from 7:00-7:40 there will be 2-4 NHS students in the media center waiting for students to tutor. Please encourage your student(s) to take advantage of this free tutoring! 

• This year we are putting an emphasis on developing students social emotional learning (SEL) through the Habits of Mind program. More information about habits of mind can be found here. This is a list of departments and which habits of mind they will be focusing on. Here is a Habits of Mind  explanation for parents guide. 

Here are a couple of very important links to information that we hope will answer most of your questions or concerns:

Parent/Guardian Recommendations 

Sincerely,

Your CHS Team