Welcome everyone. I'm Frank Sanchez. I'm uh the proud principal here at Colombia High School. Um and so we're very excited about today's meeting, especially it's about our freshman, our newest students. We've done a lot of work um over the summer. I believe Miss
Banner is somewhere. She's I think coming or she'll be saying hello very soon. She's our assistant principal. And then of course we have from our counseling department our new director of counseling, Dr. Jen and Tone.
And we also have our two excellent freshman counselors, Miss Yoli Fleming and also Miss Kelly Murphy. And they'll be doing the presentation today. Um let's let's make sure we're we're
focused on that. We also will be answering some of the questions in the chat as we go. And I don't have a screenshot here, but I do want to say this to parents because I didn't want to put it out there on the our daily canvas announcements, but I love our freshman.
They are very cute. However, couple of them have decided to lock their bicycles on these little like 4 foot tall poles um by the freshman door, which I guess makes sense. And and now there's like 10
to 12 bicycles. Again, I stress they're 4 foot tall poles and you could just move the bicycle above the pole. So, uh, for security reasons, I do want to highlight, ask your child if they're if they're locking their their bikes. Tell
them there are bike racks all across the front of the school. Um, especially to the right of the main doors. Uh, and there are more secure ways to to lock their doors. But we we do love our our young freshmen. Um, so without further
ado, uh, let's start with Dr. Anton, and she can introduce her team. Wonderful. Thank you for that warm welcome, Mr. Sanchez. Parents, I just want to say good evening to all of you. Thank you so much for um joining us in
one of our counseling nights that are specific to your um your children and that that is our freshmen. Um okay, go ahead, Miss Murphy. Let's go to the next slide.
All right. So, just in case you have um some children that are um other grades as well as your freshmen, we wanted to preview the rest of our um nights for the fall season um coming up in the next
few weeks. All right. So, just a reminder, some important names for you as you are acclimating to Columbia High School. Um, uh, of course, our principal, Mr. Sanchez, vice principal, Miss Banner.
Um, and I see Miss Banner, um, uh, on, um, Miss Banner, would you want to say anything to say hello? Sorry to put you on the spot, Miss Banner. Take your time.
>> Can everyone hear me? >> Yes. >> Perfect. I was trying to unmute. Hello everyone. Good evening. Thank you um for inviting in Miss Anton uh to this meeting. I'm really excited to connect with our parents. We haven't connected since the orientation, so I'm sure they have lots of questions in regards to
graduation and things like that. So yes, thank you. >> Thank you so much. And of course, um, a couple of other important names, Miss Dearis Taylor, um, is the secretary, um, for Miss Banner and for grade nine. Um,
our school counselors once again, the wonderful Mrs. Yolan Fleming, who is the school counselor for both the Onyx and Pearl um, uh, freshman houses. And last but never least, Miss Kelly Murphy, who
um is our school counselor for both the Ruby and Diamond Houses. Okay, so what do our CHS counselors do? Um it might be easier to ask what don't they do? Um just a little counselor humor there. They do plenty to support
students. Um we are working on student planning throughout the year which includes academic college and career counseling. Um and as Miss Banner just just mentioned graduation progress monitoring and planning. We respond to
what comes up in the school day. Um very early on in my career I learned no day is exactly like the last. a lot comes up in in a busy high school such as Columbia High School and in the counseling department uh specifically
and so that is what we do. We also um respond through not just individual counseling but small groupoup counseling as well and then we're a part of some of the indirect services that benefit the wellness um and progress of our
children. And most importantly and and maybe the the simplest way to think about it, we advocate for your children. Okay. So, we have many different layers of support. This is um one of the visuals to just kind of give an idea to
you as to um all of the different um trusted adults that we want to make sure your child has access to. Um, of course at the foundation is you, the family, the parents and caretakers uh for your children. We have
um classroom teachers that um want to make sure that your your child has everything that they need. Um, of course, the peers are an important part of your child's experience at Columbia High School. um and developmentally that that makes sense that um your children
really want to make sure um they are feeling that sense of belonging with with peers and and throughout uh high school. We also have our school counselors, our student assistance counselor that can help with some specialized student wellness and mental
health um uh considerations. And we have a wonderful uh we have two social workers and we have area interns from some of our partnering universities that help to support uh our tier one and tier
2 programs. Um in addition to this we have many other resources. Um if families are in need we can connect you with agencies like perform care. We have ESS right at Columbia High School. Um,
we have the loft, which is another, um, mental health and wellness, uh, you know, program that's housed right here at Columbia High School. We have our CHS nurses. Um, and then last but not least, um, towards the right of that slide,
period 9 is a conference time where students can seek out additional supports. Um, they can see their teachers. Um so that really uh students are have ever every support they need to
do well academically in the class. Uh achieve tutoring is available throughout um for all students 9 through 12. Uh if students are experiencing a difficulty in in the classroom, teachers are able to tap into the intervention and
referral services team um also known as NJTSS where we problem solve. it's a group of problem-solving individuals to help work on whatever it is that is needed for for your child. And certainly um if you if
um children have a medical need um that is impacting something that's going on in their life, a section 504 plan is available. And um of course we have child study team for um uh children with
any kind of specialized learning or health needs. And we have our wonderful administrators, two of which are on this call. Um and uh so we have plenty of supports. Okay, I'm going to hand this off to Miss
Murphy who's going to start us off with some of the a little bit more in-depth information. >> Hi everyone, I'm Miss Murphy. Um I'm excited to talk to you a little bit more about what we have to offer to support you and your student here at Columbia
High School. Um so first of all, first place to start, a one-stop shop would be your school counselor. So Miss Fleming and myself are always a great place to stop. We tell students even if you don't know um if we might know the answer, we'll always help you find it. Um so
we're a good place to stop first. We also have our counseling annex which I'll go over their programming on the next slide. Um something I really want to emphasize and I talked to some of our freshman teachers today about what they wanted us to share with you all is
definitely conference period. We cannot emphasize that enough. We have conference period on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays during 9th period. Um, and your student can find their teacher typically in the classroom that they're taught in, but that's something good to establish with a
particular teacher um, in case they meet for conference somewhere else. So, that's a great question to ask. Um, maybe when you come and meet the teachers on back to school night. Um, we cannot emphasize enough, we also have our sack and our social workers. Um, we
have a brand new wellness suite this year where they are housed. It's off the beautiful alumni commons. Um, and we're happy to walk any students over there who need um, some extra extra emotional and mental health support. And we also have our loft which is located down by
the cafeteria. I know some of our students are already utilizing it. It's a nice smaller space to spend the lunch period. Um, if students are having any difficulty in the big cafeteria situation, they can go to the loft and meet with a smaller group of students
for lunch. Um, and they have video games and a pool table and lots of cool things for students to engage with. Um, so we cannot emphasize the loft enough. We also have our CHS counseling annex programming. Um, this is near and dear to my heart because I started at
Columbia High School as an intern um, working in the counseling annex. It's run by our interns um and Miss Hicks. It's located in the library um primarily with now some programming also branching out into that beautiful new alumni
common space. We provide academic and social emotional support through the counseling annex. Some of our programming includes eyes on the fries which is an executive functioning lunch group. So students come to lunch to work on some study skills and executive
functioning skills like time management, planning, utilizing a planner or some sort of calendar system um managing their time and responsibilities and they're led by interns and upperassman tutors um in these groups.
So that's a really awesome opportunity to just get your freshman to build those skills. Um, if you need to reach out and get that programming for your student, reach out to Miss Fleming or myself and we're happy to connect them. We also have wellness Wednesdays run by our
social work interns. Um, these are Wednesday lunch activities where they focus on things like meditation and mindfulness. They do lots of awesome crafts like macra and coloring. Um, as well as some social activities. Just anything generally centering around
wellness. We make that a focus once a week on Wednesdays in the cafeteria. They meet in a nice little quiet corner and you can't miss them. We also have slam lab which is our um tutoring by teachers during lunch periods. So we
have science, language arts, and math teachers who are in the slam lab during all of the lunch periods. Um, freshmen just have period 5 lunch, but even as they grow up in their time at Columbia, they can access SLAM throughout all of the three lunch periods as needed. Um,
and if your student would prefer tutoring by a peer, um, an upper classman, we have achieve tutoring. So, this is an awesome advantage because they can access achieve tutoring not only during lunch periods, but also during period 9, after school, and even
on Saturdays. Um, so if you're looking to get connected with any of these great programs, just reach us, reach out to us as the counselors and we will help connect you. Our HSA, which we are so grateful to, um, just provided a slide to kind of
give you an idea of some of the things they do. Hopefully, you're getting their weekly newsletter. If not, um, on the next slide, we'll give you some information about how to connect with them. But our HSA is here to keep you posted on any of the need to know things
um as parents joining our school community. So if you want to take a second maybe with your phones to take a quick screenshot of this slide, this is how you can reach out to them or follow them on social media just so you can stay a breast of all of the um important
updates that they share. All right. And then we just wanted to include a quick slide about our CHS library. We are so grateful to have Miss Esther Anderson working in our library this year. Um she's been really helpful with getting students connected to
Canvas Powers School, their Gmails, um and anything else you could think of related to technology. She's been an awesome resource. She only started recently. So, if your student is not connected yet, um hopefully we can get them there soon.
Through our library services, we have um some databases that our students can access through Mac and VIA. So, if they're asked to do a research paper for any of their classes or maybe their biology class, um we wanted you to know that they have this awesome resource that they can access outside of our
library just on their school Chromebooks through their Canvas login. and powers school questions. I know there are probably so many P school questions out there. Um we wanted to give you some important context for P school. So for students if they are
having P school difficulties and need their username or password, they can see Miss Anderson in the library or email her at the email there. Please note that there's no N at the end of Anderson in her email. Um, for parents who need
Power School support, there's a separate email um, run by our technology department next door and they monitor the parent portal help email. So, please take a picture of that in case you might need some help getting back into P school
and we have a brand new CHS counseling website this year. Um, so we wanted to include some information about how to access that. Um, if you go on to our main district page, you go to the upper right corner and look for Columbia High School. If you click Columbia High
School and then go down to click on the counseling tab, it'll bring you to our amazing new CHS counseling page. Um, we're really happy to debut that this year. It has lots of great information for you, including our college prep visits. We'll include a recording um and
the slides of the presentation this evening. We post our counseling newsletter there where you can find the September edition and plenty more valuable resources related to CHS counseling. And I'm going to transfer things over to
Miss Fleming for this next slide. >> Thank you, Miss Murphy. That was so helpful. So, here's um here's some helpful tips for the survival kit here at CHS. So, number one is Canvas. That's
where the students will access all of their assignments that the teachers will post and you and I believe the teachers posted on the calendar. So, that's where they can find a list of anything that's due. Um, of course, Powers School, Miss Murphy's already talked about that. if
there are any issues, please, please, please go see our wonderful new librarian that's going to help um the kids figure that out because although I like to say that as counselors, we're like guest services, we just can't do it
all. So, powers school is all for Miss Anderson and in the library. And again, for the parents, she can't help you, but you can go to the parent portal help. again, that CHS counseling website, that's where I go to get a lot of my
answers. So, that's a really helpful resource to um browse through, you know, one of these lovely nights that you're just, you know, relaxing, enjoying these last dog days of summer. Check it out. There's a lot of information there.
Score. This is going to be the flat platform that your students will use um your your kids will use when they are upper classmen more so. But we do we always have our very eager freshmen that are already know what they're ready to
do in 2029 or after 2029. And I've even had a couple of them come and ask me already about dual enrollment and you know what other college classes can they take. So this is the platform we use where students are um privy to looking
at colleges virtually and then just getting all the stats about them like what the acceptance rates are, what the GPA are. Um just tons of information about all of the colleges nationwide.
Um and of course lastly, please please encourage your your student your kids to check their email. um they should check it once a day really because that's our that's our really number one way of reaching out to them. Okay. Yes, we can
call up to the classrooms um to get them if we need to pull them out for some, you know, if we have a concern, we have something we want to straighten out before they head to lunch. Um we can call to the classrooms, but checking their email would be um definitely recommended.
>> Yes. And just Canvas as well. they should definitely be checking Canvas and we send out a daily uh email to all students in the more I just sent out actually tomorrow's today uh for just a couple minutes ago. So they should
definitely be checking that every day to find out about clubs about all different um you know things that are happening in the school day. Um we even I think are starting to showcase you know things about like the handbook like what's the
dress code and and things like that. So um it's always uh teeming with important information. Okay. >> Absolutely. >> And parents can get those day >> the word of the day. I'm not telling you what the word is but I I believe it's pensive tomorrow. I think it's pretty
easy though. But >> anyway, >> thanks Mr. Sanchez. Okay. So, as I said, we are planning ahead. We are um these are our CHS graduation requirements. Um so, to get across that stage in June of
2029, all is it 500 freshmen or about almost 500 um freshmen need to meet all of these requirements. So, there's four years of English. They have to take English every year they're at Columbia
High School. and four years of PE, health, and of course, driver's ed during their sophomore year. Um, that that becomes very like that's a very surprising thing to some of them. They're like, "What do you mean PE and I'm like, believe me, it's a graduation
requirement." And I've seen so many sad cases in the summer when seniors are like, "Oh, I didn't take it seriously. I didn't attend." Please take physical education seriously. They need it. Um the next category is math, science and social studies are only three years um
to make um to meet the graduation requirements. And although we are just requiring one year of a world language, if your child is considering college after um Colombia, then we would recommend two to three years in one
language. Okay? Not like a like taking French and then Spanish and then Chinese. They I think colleges most colleges would like you to see the consistency of you sticking with one for two to three years. We also um need for all students to have a year of of fine
arts and a year of 21st century life and careers which are like our business courses or our very very popular TV production course courses and then a half a year of a financial literacy course. Now here's where I'm going to
put Mr. Sanchez on the spot cuz rumor has it there may be an online option for this. Right, Mr. Sanchez. He's muted. Come on, >> Mr. Sanchez. You're muted. We're missing it.
>> Oh my god, it was so funny. No, the online financial literacy signup email will be coming out tomorrow, so be on the lookout for that. That will be wonderful because I know there are some of our freshmen that uh were not able to get all of the
electives they wanted but so they have a study hall but as Mr. Sanchez says once we get information about the online course they will be all set to um get those 2.5 credits I think they will have until January to complete the course and
then um there you go that graduation requirement is done nice and early. So the um >> there was a question Lydia asked about um something called option two and I don't want to confuse people with option two PE but basically they're asking
about a world language offering. So we offer here just so you know right Spanish, Mandarin and French uh for a new language, right? That's what a freshman wants to start. Those are the three languages. We have some students who might want to learn Japanese or we
have students learning Hebrew and another student learning Dutch. >> German. Oh, Dutch. Oh, a German. Yeah, I think. >> Well, we might have a German student. I don't know. But I do know that I sometimes let my office be used for the Dutch student. So, well, the student who's learning Dutch, not the Dutch
student. But in any case, the point is if there's a student who wants to learn a different language from what we offer and then also pay the the online course offerings, our supervisor of world languages, Dr. Rammon Robles, will
probably approve this request, but it is a process. You could ask your guidance counselor about the process. Um, that could be done at home, although sometimes it's done usually during the day. Um, and so that can happen. So, I just want to answer that question. It's
too long to type. So, sorry about that. >> We also have a student doing ASL. >> Oh, yes. >> Addition to those languages. >> Yes. Yes. >> That's true. >> State of New Jersey like like four years ago approved ASL as a world language. So, yes,
>> but but I would say not every college accepts that as a world language. So, it's tough. So, you have to just make sure. But we have a list of over 200 schools that do accept ASL as a colleges. I'm saying that accept ASL as a world language. So we we can guide you
on that as well. >> Very good. Okay. So again, all of all of those requirements will add up to a lovely number of 120 credits and that's the number we need for them to get across that stage in June of 2029.
Okay, next slide. All right. So, let's do a little math here. Planning ahead. How do we know that our our our um students are going to progress to the next grade level? The minimum requirement will be 30 credits
each year. So, if we do the math, 30 each year for four years equals 120. What's wonderful about the way we schedule our students is we actually give them a little cushion. So, they actually have 35 credits. They all start
off with 35 credits. Um, and then some sophomores and juniors do choose to take a full day with no conference period and the 40 credits, which gives them a little like heads. um they get a little bit more ahead with credits and they can be a little more flexible during their
senior year and have some other like privileges like arriving period 2 or leaving period 8. Um so there there are a lot of kids that want to you know make that happen. Um and then some kids just like sticking with the 35 every year. Um
so next so our goal for our freshmen is to earn their 35 credits. um to make sure that they all become sophomores next year in grade 10. Okay, 35. That's the number we want.
>> Just to chime in really quickly, if your freshman is signed up for 32.5 credits, um you doing the online personal finance course is a great way to make up the other 2.5 to still hit that 35 for freshman year. So, don't
panic if you have a child who's doing drawing for half the year, TV production for half the year with a study hall for the other half. >> Right. You got it, Miss Murphy. Thank you. All right. All right. My favorite slide, GPA.
So, um if we look at this chart, you can see um we have two ways of reporting our GPA, right? At the end of the year on their transcripts, they will have an unweighted GPA as well as a weighted GPA.
And this chart simply shows you what an A+ would look like as you advance. Like the if you move further to the right, you'll see the unweighted courses would start at a 4.33 for A+, then it goes up
by a third of a percentage each time you move to the right. So academic would be 4.67. Honors if the course if they take the course as an honors course it would be worth five for the weighted GPA score. And then of course um for an AP
course which they will all get a chance to do next year. Um it will be weighted 5.33. So it progresses a third of a percentage every time they move up a level.
Okay. Um, just know though that the GPA, don't get excited after quarter one when they all got their A's in PE and you're thinking, "Oh, they're good. They're 4.0." Um, the GPA will not be calculated. It's a cumulative
calculation. So, it it does not get um finalized until all grades have been captured for that school year. So, you won't see your final um GPA until the end of the school year, which hopefully
is before July 1st. Um, which counts more for colleges. We report the weighted GPA, right? Um, but they'll see on the transcripts both weighted and unweighted. I know a lot of colleges have their own way of you know
addressing that with schools but um for us we we report the weighted um in our score platform. Okay. Of course they are way more than just their GPA. Um we have so many other
reasons to motivate your kids to come to high school and and do good things and get involved. So, please um don't let the conversations just be about that like, oh, I have to take all honors classes to get this certain GPA. Like, there's there's so much more at a high
school than um than making that just the major goal. All right. So, planning ahead decisions definitely. Um, we will be starting course selection
hopefully in January, not till January, February, right, Dr. Anton. >> I would plan for the after the new year, Miss Fleming in January. >> The program of studies will be out in January, but freshmen probably won't
register till February, but yes, we'll be starting very soon. >> Very good. So, some things that we're going to um encourage your children to think about is what they where they want to where they see themselves when they when they start their courses in 2028
29. Um we offer math advancement courses in the summer. So, if a child does want to get to calculus before junior or senior year, they can do that by taking um courses in the summer. Information
about that usually comes out in May. Um, I don't know if that will be earlier this year, but that's usually about when I see, you know, the um the offerings for all our summer programs. Pre-erequisites. Some courses, um, some
of our electives, they might need to take another course before they can get to that course. Um, an example would be, um, TV production. You can't take TV production two before you take TV production one.
um our photography course, you can't take digital photography until you take traditional photography. Um I believe some of the business classes, uh if you the earlier you take personal finance, the more classes will be
available for you sophomore and junior year. Um, we also offer um a dual enrollment or shared programming with VOTE, Union County VOTE, where some of our school, some of our students spend half the day at Columbia High School and
then the other half um at VOTE. And sometimes it depending on what program they register for, automotive, um, carpentry, cosmetology, um, it depends on when that program is being offered and we will find that
information out. And usually kids will apply to those programs in Jul in January. So that's those are conversations. If your kids are thinking like, you know, I want to do a trade. I don't think I'm going to go to college. Make sure they come and meet with myself
or Miss Murphy during um December before we leave for break so that we can start, you know, making our list and making sure um they get all the application work done. Option two. Option two. Wow, this is a big one. Um
Mr. Sanchez, Dr. town, feel free to chime in to help explain this. >> Sure. Option two is so there's different types of option two. Option two is um what the state of New Jersey allows us to um for a student to do a school
course outside of the school day as long as it hits the standards of the subject. So again what we've been talking about with world language is that in lie of a world language that we offer you can take an option two right another course.
Well we have so many students who are taking um uh who do play sports whether it's within the school or it's outside of the school. If it's a competitive sport, um we've allowed our students,
including freshmen, okay, including freshmen this year, uh to do option two, uh to in lie of two marking periods of PE. So, it won't be the fourth marking period of either freshman year when all
freshmen take health, unfortunately. So, it would only be either um for the fall, which was marking period one, um or if your child plays a winter sport, they could either take off the second marking period or the third
marking period. Um Miss Manfasani, who is the supervisor of the PE, will send out an option two request form. I will remind students and I'll remind parents with various emails because there is a hard deadline for that. Um, and so
that's what it is. So basically your child can be I don't want to say exempt from PE but basically can go into a study hall instead of PE where they would you know spend four days of the week studying and one day of the week
they'll have to fill out a log and um uh a Google form for the supervisor to illustrate what um they're doing in in their extracurricular activity. But again, that is for option 2 PE which we've
we've thought to keep for freshmen as well. >> Very good. Thank you. Um again, just just making sure. I know that that information I know that some families missed the deadline um due to maybe they
were away for the summer or just for whatever reason. That's why it's it's really so important to check those emails. Um when we visited the middle schools, we we reminded them too. I you know I had my students raise their hand. Who's a football player? Who's a soccer
player? Like just remember check your email in August so that you don't miss that deadline. For next year um their quarter one will be driver's ed probably I think still. Um so just know they wouldn't be able to opt out for quarter
one. So the fall sports would be no. They have to take their driver's ed during that that quarter. Okay. Is that it? Is are those Oh, no. Another slide. Miss Murphy, is that it? Is that No. Is
that the last slide? No, this is the last slide. Okay, Dr. Anton. Yes. Um, and we just wanted to once again underscore what I think Miss Fleming shared so beautifully um, a couple of slides ago is that um, we we
want the very best for your children over the next four years. Um, what really matters at the core is that your children feel safe, supported, um, they feel like they are excited to
come to school. what really matters is that social connections, being able to um have that self-care piece and that our student wellness that that is what at the end of the day is very very important. Um I hope that um you will
reach out if you have any questions whatsoever um and you need to you know even if you just need a refresher on how to connect with some of the many resources that our team was able to present to you tonight. Um there have been some wonderful questions in the
chat that we've uh Mr. Sanchez and I have tried to um uh keep up with. Um Mr. Sanchez, there were a couple of questions on how parents can connect with the clubs if
they were not if this if their students did not originally um express interest and now they want to express that interest. where would be the best place to look for meeting information and links and that sort of thing. >> Yeah. So, a couple things I'm going to
address. So, the clubs first. Yeah. Clubs um the interest thing at the at the club fair was just, you know, just to show interest, but um clubs are starting. So you could see them on Instagram being posted on Canvas once CL
clubs have been starting to meet. But we'll have a more formal schedule out there on Canvas for students to follow students. I just want to make sure everyone understands clubs are for every student grades 9 through 12. They can join any club and they can join clubs
throughout the year. So, for example, I mean, I run a Smithsonian local history club, for example, and it it it runs on Wednesdays, right? Um, a lot of my students who I were in my club last year can't be in it this year, this
beginning, because they play a fall sport. That's fine. We will welcome those students in May, in in the middle of the year, and at the end of the year. The only clubs where that's an issue by the way would be something like um and
it's very few but something like uh mock trial which spec is really like a team right and it meets specifically like um I think it meets like uh December through like February and they
practice during that time and then perform right and compete with other schools but other than that they can meet you know other clubs meet all the time all throughout the time it's a welcoming environment and they should feel free to join any club there's no
cost there now there might be a do dues to very few clubs uh hosa for example which is a healthc care um club that's mandatory national honor society that's mandatory by the national level so very
few. I mean, and we're talking about 20 $25. Um, but there aren't dues to join like, you know, the improv club or or anything to to that. >> Hall of Fame. Hall of Fame. >> Hall of Fame is a great club. Um,
um, let's see. So, Mock Trial did not start yet. Mark Trial, I think, starts in the middle of the year. You'll get information on on that. Um, >> Spectrum on Mondays with Miss Murphy. Spectrum Club. Yes, we have we have so many clubs. Um, and then what was the
other question you said, Dr. Anton? I'm sorry. You said clubs and >> I forget. >> I think it was just what what to do if your child has not um gotten a chance to sign up for clubs and is it too late? And we are saying no, it is not too late to sign up for clubs.
>> And we have bathrooms uh uh bathroom questions. Um, we do have bathroom. We did install um, vape detectors at the end of last year. We're just waiting to get them online with our new uh, system, which I know I've been saying that for I felt like I feel like four months. And
so hopefully that will be done very very soon. Um, so uh, that will be a key thing. I mean, I I feel like I I walk into the bathroom almost every every period. So, um I I I hear you. Um
the boys bathroom doors are open, propped open for for that reason. We we can't do that with the girls bathrooms because of just the way they're set up. You would then be able to see into the bathrooms, which is not the way the boys bathroom is set up. When we have the
door propped open, you can only see a sink. So, that's the only reason why we do that. Um but yes, that's something. there is a no smoking policy. Um, you know, I visit when we talk with all the the county principles in the in in the
in the county and we talk about issues that is always the number one issue that we have seen. I I said something home with about pouches as well. I I feel like um we got this smoking thing kicked like 10 15 years ago uh where we didn't
see smoking at all. Uh kids were grossed out by it, the way it smelt, things like that. But unfortunately, it's a real societal issue um with the availability of vapes and also the way the flavors
and things like that. So um students do realize though, I hope that if they are caught vaping and we've had a couple students already this year, um they are sent home for drug test and then we also put them in our counseling program. um
our our interest is to um get them to be uh taken care of their their problem and their issue more than you know a punitive thing but we do still want to have some deterrent. Um >> but yeah, it's not like when I was in school where smoking was allowed outside
and teachers and high school kids would share a pack of cigarettes. So um we don't allow that here at all. um >> football uh football games based on last week's incidents. Yes, we are trying to
get a a formal uh agreement with our other two schools or three schools that we are playing to move them to Saturdays and uh I you know unfortunately when the schedules are made we we make them and we're basically I don't want to say signing a contract but we're agreeing that we're going to have these games on
a Friday night. So, uh, Montlair Kimberly Academy has denied our request to move it to a Saturday, but I'm trying to get Livingston and Union City to agree and and then as soon as that we hear from them, we'll be able to speak to our students again about their
expectations. So, um, we do we do believe that's an that's an important thing. >> Um, Mr. Sanchez, one more question about the dress code. Um, and yeah, what what we can say about that. Oh yes. I don't I don't know the address
code. I I because it was some it was an issue. Someone mentioned it to me uh homeschool parent at the meeting yesterday. I put it out there today as a reminder on Canvas. So not only did I send a reminder of our policy to our teachers, I sent out a policy to our
students so they understand what our policy is. Um we have a pretty progressive policy uh for dress code. my three daughters would never allow me not to have that. I will say I I think it may have been said in a class here or there, but it definitely was an address
where a student was ne was not sent to the office for anything um in that regard. But we will remind staff about our our policies and and we're looking at you know body positivity um is is what we believe in. So we'll we'll
remind everyone and eyes on the fries schedule. Will that be communicated? That's I think I've seen that twice, that comment. I don't know what the answer is. Counselors, do we know? >> I can answer that. Um, in regards to the freshman academy specifically, the eyes
of the fries is going to be scheduled for every single student. Uh, we're going to start with our most vulnerable students, which are the students with the 504s and IEPs first. That starts in October. I've been working with the counseling annex, specifically Miss Hicks, uh to figure out which students we're going to register for first and
then we're going to work our way through. However, if we find out that any student needs additional time more than the 3 weeks, we'll just register them for the amount of time that they need. So, it starts in October. Um it starts with students with uh special needs or special circumstances first or if the teacher has identified that they
do have a need. So if a teacher or counselor reaches out to us and says, you know, I really want my student or I do see that this would be something that would benefit the student, then they will be registered early on. But all students in the freshman academy will have the opportunity to participate in
this 3-week executive functioning workshop. >> Okay. All right. Well, thank you everybody. Okay, I think if that's it, we can um so I think there was a question that came up quickly. I'm sorry, Mr. Sanchez.
>> Um about how to know how many credits your um student is registered for. I am thinking that is visible on the parent portal. Um, if for some reason it is
not, I am going to add my um email to the chat here and you are more than welcome to send me a quick email tonight um or tomorrow or whenever you have a moment and I will send that out to you.
The majority of our grade nine students, however, are not scheduled for study hall. they carry a full load which would be 35 credits. Um there's some students may have a semester study hall in which
case they are carrying 32.5 and um our counselors have encouraged um using that study hall uh for the personal finance class which is 2.5 and that would bring them up to 35 credits upon completion.
Um, so, uh, but if anybody has any questions whatsoever about how many credits their their child has, please do not hesitate to send me a quick email and um, I'd be happy to look that up for you and answer any qu other questions
you may have about your child's schedule. >> All right. Well, thanks everybody. Um, and have a great have a great day, I guess. And this will be recorded. Tell your friends. We'll send it out. >> Thank you all. >> Have a great night.
>> Have a good night. Good luck.