Monday, August 25, 2025

Hello Wildcat Families!

We had a great first week of school last week and we are looking forward to having another great week this week.  During our Intervention and CAT Periods last week and this week, our focus has been on teaching procedures and expectations for students at MHS.  We believe for students to follow the expectations, they need to be taught them, so we set this time aside to be sure everyone is on the same page.

With last week being our first week back, things were a little lighter, you should expect to see school work ramp up this week.  If you or your student have questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to teachers.  Email is a great way to get in contact so you aren't trying to get ahold of them during their plan time which is different for each teacher.

As a reminder, we are in Year 2 of 4 of our CEP Grant that allows students to eat both breakfast and lunch for free all school year.  Make sure your student is getting to school by 7:30 so they can have breakfast before the day begins.  If your student wants a "second meal" or an extra milk/juice, those items do have to be paid for by the student, so it is possible that your Wildcat may still need/want some lunch money.  Our current menu has been fluid to start the year because we ordered a new oven over the summer and they have delivered damaged ovens twice.  We are expecting the new, mint-condition oven to be here any day now.  Our kitchen staff have been doing a fantastic job of navigating this obstacle and keeping everyone fed, but I know they're just as excited as the rest of us to get back to their scheduled menu.

This last week was our first week with the new cell phone policy per SB68 and it went much better than I had expected it to and in large part that was thanks to the support from many of our parents!  My staff and I heard several parents taking student cell phones from students as they were dropping them off for the day and we thought that was awesome!  I do understand there are some after school events that you'd like your student to have their phone for and that's perfectly fine.  As a reminder, our policy says phones are to be turned off and stored in student lockers if they are in the building and that students are not to access them during the school day.   So far, our students have done an excellent job of following the policy and students lockers are being used more than they have the last four years combined.

Tomorrow is our first TECH FREE Tuesday!  Before SB68, the High School Leadership Team had brainstormed ways to get students to do more in-person/face-to-face communication and this is what we landed on.  I am a technology lover, but my staff and I have noticed a decline in students' ability to do their own conflict resolution, carry conversations, etc. and we believe this is one small way we can work on developing those skills.  Technology is important and it's very likely they will need to be able to use it effectively upon graduation, but they will also need to be able to speak to their boss, resolve their own workplace conflicts, etc.  So, don't be surprised when you see more pencil/paper homework this year!

I have set a personal goal to do a better job of communicating with families throughout the school year and this is my first effort to meet that goal.   I have found that I pretty consistently communicated with Jr/Sr parents, but I want to open that door of communication with all of my Wildcat families.  If you every have a question, please don't hesitate to call us in the HSO (High School Office) or send me an email, we will do our best to get you an answer ASAP.

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” – Henry Ford

With Wildcat Pride,

Mrs. Dodson

HS Principal, Milan High School

bdodson@milan.k12.mo.us