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CHS NEWS
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May/June News for Challenger High School
Posted by JEFFREY JOHNSON on 5/17/2019 8:00:00 AMHere is an update on our schedule for the next few weeks. We hope to see all of you on campus for a student-led conference or senior culminating project presentation--it is expected that every student participates in a conference this week. If you have not yet scheduled a conference please call the main office at 253.683.6891 to reserve a conference time with your student’s advisor.
Monday, May 20th: School is in session, regular schedule
Tuesday, May 21st: No scheduled classes* and no busing. Conferences 8:00 - 11:00 am; Open Labs 11:30 - 2:30 pm
Wednesday, May 22nd: No scheduled classes or busing; Conferences 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Thursday,May 23rd: No scheduled classes or busing. Open Labs 8:00 - 11:00 am; Conferences 11:30 - 3:00 pm
Friday May 24th: School is in session, regular schedule
*Students are encouraged to work on assignments using their iPads and their teachers’ Canvas courses if they cannot make it to campus.
Here are some other important dates as we move towards graduation and the end of the school year. Please mark your calendars!
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Monday, May 27th: Memorial Day, no school
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Wednesday, May 29th: Senior Awards Ceremony. 5:30 pm at Spanaway Lake High School Commons
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Thursday, June 6th: Senior finals and last day of classes. iPad turn in day for seniors. All fines and fees must be paid, all courses completed for graduation.
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Friday, June 7th: Senior Check Out. All seniors must come to Challenger and go through the check-out process to be certified for graduation. 8:00 am - 3:00 pm in the Bethel Family Center
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Tuesday, June 11th: Graduation! 2:00 pm at Pacific Lutheran University, Olson Auditorium
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May News for Challenger High School
Posted by JEFFREY JOHNSON on 4/30/2019 9:00:00 AMWe are entering the last stages of the school year and May is going to be a very busy month! Please read over the following events and make note of the many events and schedule changes. If you have any questions please feel free to rcall the main office at Challenger 253.683.6891. Have a great month!
We Need Your Feedback!
Parents/Guardians, please complete an online survey that will help us improve Challenger High School. We have asked YouthTruth – a nonprofit organization that supports hundreds of schools and districts across the county – to conduct an anonymous survey on our behalf. Please take the survey by clicking this link: ytsurvey.org/bsdfamily19. We sincerely thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. Your response is incredibly valuable to us and we use your feedback to improve Challenger High School.
Late Arrival Day: May 1
Wednesday, May 1st is a 2-hour late arrival day for the Bethel School District. There will be no scheduled classes or busing to CHS on this day. Teachers will be available for Open Labs from 11:30 - 2:30 if students can get to campus. If students can’t get to Challenger they are encouraged to work on their assignments at home using their iPads and their teachers’ Canvas courses.
Prom
The Challenger High School Prom will take place on Saturday, May 11th at the Pierce County Skills Center from 7:00 - 10:00 pm. Tickets are on sale now online or in the office at CHS:
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Presale: $15 per person, $25 per couple
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At the Door: $20 per person
Smarter Balanced Testing
Important state testing is just around the corner! All sophomores and any juniors and seniors who have not passed the SBA for Math and/or ELA will be testing this month. Testing will take place during students’ normal schedule on the dates listed below. Students who are testing will be notified this week with a letter that explains what test(s) they need to take, when and where. Ninth grade students and students who are not testing are expected to be at school on these days working on classwork, preparing for student-led conferences and Senior Culminating Project presentations.
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Math: May 7th and 8th
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ELA: May 14th and 15th
As always, students should get a good night’s sleep, eat a good breakfast and charge their iPads in preparation for testing. Good luck students!
WCAS Science Testing
All 11th grade students will take the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS) on Thursday, May 16th during their normally scheduled session at CHS. Students will take this exam using their iPad.
Student-Led Conferences and Senior Culminating Project Presentations: May 21 - 23
We hope to see all students along with a parent or guardian for Student-Led Conferences or Senior Culminating Project Presentations on May 21, 22 or 23rd. All students are expected to participate in a conference this spring and conference times will be scheduled with your through your students’ advisor. We will not have scheduled classes or busing to CHS on these dates; teachers will be available for Open Labs if students can get to campus. Here is a daily schedule of conferences and Open Lab times:
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Tuesday: Conferences 8:00 - 11:00 am, Open Labs 11:30 - 2:30pm
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Wednesday: Conferences 10:00 am - 5:00 pm, No Open Labs
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Thursday: Open Labs 8:00 - 11:00 am, Conferences 11:30 - 3:00 pm
Memorial Day Weekend
School will be in session on Friday, May 24th as a snow make-up day. There will be no school on Monday, May 27th in observance of Memorial Day. Enjoy your long weekend!
Senior Awards Night
The Challenger High School Senior Awards night will happen on Wednesday, May 29th from 5:30 - 7:00 pm at the Spanaway Lake High School commons. Students receiving awards and honors will be personally invited to the event.
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April News for Challenger High School
Posted by JEFFREY JOHNSON on 4/1/2019 9:00:00 AMWe Need Your Feedback!
Parents/Guardians, please complete an online survey that will help us improve Challenger High School. We have asked YouthTruth – a nonprofit organization that supports hundreds of schools and districts across the county – to conduct an anonymous survey on our behalf. Please take the survey by clicking this link: ytsurvey.org/bsdfamily19. We sincerely thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. Your response is incredibly valuable to us and we use your feedback to improve Challenger High School.
Spring Break
Spring Break is April 1st - 5th and school will resume on Monday, April 8th. Graduating Seniors, this is a great opportunity for you to complete your job shadow or volunteer work for your Culminating Project! We hope all of you have a great week off! Rest up, recharge and get ready for the last 10 weeks of the school year!
New Challenger Construction Update
Construction on Phase 1 of the new Challenger will begin in early April! You will notice the construction area being fenced off and building equipment will begin to arrive in the field near A Street. For a virtual ‘walk through’ of the new building please click this link: https://www.bethelsd.org/chs
We will begin designing Phase 2 of the new building next spring and the new building and grounds remodel we be completed by Fall of 2022. Thank you voters for approving the bond so we can have this wonderful new facility for our students, staff and community!
End of Third Term
The last day of Third Term is Friday, April 12th. This is a half day, grading day for high schools in the Bethel School District. We will not have schedule classes or busing at Challenger on this day. We will have Open Labs from 8:00 - 11:00 am if students can get themselves to campus.
Start of Fourth Term
Monday, April 15th is the first day of Fourth Term at Challenger. We will not be printing student schedules, students need to use their iPads and the Skyward App to see their schedule for 4th term. We will begin with Advisory on Monday, April 15th so students can get their schedules for the term.
Important Upcoming Dates: Mark Your Calendars!
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Math Smarter Balanced Testing: May 7 and 8 (all sophomores, and any juniors and seniors who have not passed)
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Challenger Prom: May 11th at Pierce County Skills Center
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ELA Smarter Balanced Testing: May 14 and 15 (all sophomores, and any juniors and seniors who have not passed)
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WCAS (Science) Testing: May 17 (juniors only)
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By Month
Graduating Senior Parent Meetings
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Friday
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Monday
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June 4, 2019
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM District Orchestra Festival – PLU
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June 5, 2019
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June 7, 2019
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June 11, 2019
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June 12, 2019
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June 20, 2019
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August 13, 2019
Principal's Message
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Welome to Challenger High School!
We are looking forward to working with all of you during the 2018-19 school year. Our goal is to ensure that every student attends school regularly (fewer than 1 absence a month) at Challenger High School. Challenger students who have regular attendance are very successful at our school and we want students to be at school each and every day.
Showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic success starting in high school and continuing through graduation. Even as students grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and in life.
We realize some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. But, we also know that when students miss too much school— regardless of the reason – it can cause them to fall behind academically. Your student is less likely to succeed if he or she is chronically absent—which means missing 18 or more days over the course of an entire school year. Research shows:
- Children chronically absent in kindergarten and 1st grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the end of 3rd grade.
- By 6th grade, chronic absence is a proven early warning sign for students at risk for dropping out of school.
- By 9th grade good attendance can predict graduation rates even better than 8th grade test scores.
Absences can add up quickly. A student is chronically absent if he or she misses just two days every month!! Clearly going to school regularly matters!
We don’t want your student to fall behind in school and get discouraged. Please ensure that your student attends school every day and arrives on time (7:55 for the AM session, 11:25 for the PM session). Here are a few practical tips to help support regular attendance:
- Make sure your student keeps a regular bedtime and establishes a morning routine.
- Ensure your student goes to school every day unless they are truly sick (fever, throwing up, etc).
- Avoid scheduling vacations or doctor’s appointments when school is in session.
- Talk to teachers and counselors for advice if your student feels anxious about going to school. Our academic counselor (Alison VonStein) and school social worker (Patti Bunnel) are on hand to support students in getting to school every day, on time.
- Develop back up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, neighbor, or another parent to take your student to school.
Let us know how we can best support you and your student so that they can show up for school on time every day. We want your student to be successful at Challenger High School! If you have any questions or need more information please contact us at Challenger 253.683.6800.
Sincerely,
Jeff Johnson
Principal
