| ||||
|
October, 2005 PTSA Newsletter | ||||
|
||||
|
Message from the Principal Panther Parents: We are well on our way to a fantastic year at Colleyville Heritage. I have been so pleased to see the magnificent teaching and learning going on at our school. In addition, during just the past few weeks, our school has been filled with excitement with a very successful homecoming, great performances from our band, debate, choir, and sports teams, a very successful Greenback Night, meetings for our seniors and their parents, senior ring orders for our juniors, sophomores who are settling into a leadership role, and freshmen who already know how to navigate through our big building! I hope you will continue to encourage your students through the middle of the semester. Sometimes, we can lose sight of the important things like: 1) coming to school every day, 2) acting like a good student should, 3) doing homework on the day it is assigned, and 4) getting involved in the many activities offered at CHHS. Our four school goals this year are the following:
As always, we appreciate your cooperation and support. In a "Community of Excellence", |
||||
|
||||
|
PTSA President's Message Like many schools throughout Texas, Colleyville Heritage has come to the aid of the victims of Hurricane Katrina and Rita. We have several new students from Louisiana attending CHHS and although I know they would probably rather be back in their own homes, I hope their stay with us will be as pleasant as possible under the circumstances. I want to thank everyone who contributed items to our donation center in the CHHS Library. The relocated families who visited the donation center were appreciative of our help. On September 10th, the GCISD Bond Election was approved. Over the next couple years, the new bond package will provide some significant changes in the school's facilities plus many upgrades in technology. We will keep you informed of the proposed changes as soon as plans are finalized. Homecoming was a very special event this year. In consideration of our Ten-Year Anniversary, an Alumni Tent Party was held prior to the football game. Many CHHS alumni dropped by for a barbeque dinner and visited with former classmates and teachers. The evening was capped off with a convincing win over Arlington Martin by our football team. Congratulations to CHHS's seven National Merit Semi-Finalists. Check out the details in the article in this newsletter. For seniors, the fall is all about college applications. CHHS hosted the district College Night on September 26th which was well attended by students from CHHS and GHS. Coming on October 17th, the CHHS PTSA will sponsor the "Countdown to College" program presented by our Counseling Department. Look for details below in this newsletter. Dr. Kay Waggoner, GCISD Superintendent, will give her annual State of the District presentation on October 25th at 7:00 PM in the GHS Library. I encourage you to attend this meeting. Dr. Waggoner provides a very informative presentation and will undoubtedly comment about the impact of the bond election on the district. There will be no school on Halloween this year. No it is not a new Federal Holiday... just a district-wide Staff Development Day. Students will have a whole day off to prepare their costumes for the evening's Halloween parties. As a final note, the first six week grading period is complete. If your student has not offered to show you her/his report card, you may want to inquire. GO PANTHERS! Judy Davisson |
||||
|
||||
|
Pantera Booster Club Please join the Pantera Booster Club for dessert and entertainment on November 5th at 7:00 PM. The event will feature both live and silent auctions and performances by the Premier Panteras and Pantherettes. The Pantera Booster Club is currently selling $5 raffle tickets which offer a chance to win a KYMCO Super 9 scooter (which averages 90 miles to the gallon) or 2 Southwest Airlines round-trip tickets. Raffle winners will be drawn during the Pantera Auction on the evening of November 5th. Please direct questions to Sheila Gendron, Auction Chairperson, at 817/540-2817. |
||||
|
||||
|
Congratulations to the CHHS Drumline On Saturday, September 24th, the Panther Drumline brought home a championship trophy from the Plano Drumline Contest. Last year, the Drumline won the Class AA Standstill competition. This year they moved up to Class AAA Standstill and won again. In addition to winning the championship, the Panther Drumline won caption awards for Outstanding Front Ensemble, Outstanding Tenor Line and Outstanding Snare Line. Earlier in the day, Luke Budiardjo competed in the solo competition for the Marimba. Luke won second place among competitors representing all of north Texas. |
||||
|
||||
|
Scholarship Information Seniors, check the scholarship board outside the counseling center for up-to-date scholarship information and visit the Counselor's Corner of the CHHS website for links to scholarship opportunities: www.gcisd-chhs.org |
||||
|
||||
|
CHHS Debate Team is off to a Successful Start The Colleyville Heritage debate team has started out the year in their traditional fashion by placing well at early season tournaments. The team began the year with the team of seniors Andrew Pappas and Cliff Bielinski winning the Plano Senior tournament. Andrew and Cliff became one of the first teams in the state to qualify for the Texas Forensic Association state tournament. Competing in the second weekend in September at a very difficult regional tournament at Grapevine High School, sophomore Rahim Sayani debated his way to the top thirty-two competitors out of ninety-six Lincoln Douglas debaters. The following weekend found the debate team competing at both the Greenmail School and Southlake Carroll. At the nationally competitive Greenhill tournament, junior Tyler Levy was named the fifteenth best speaker out of over 200 competitors in policy debate. At Southlake Carroll, sophomores Evan DeFilippis and Jonathan Wang made their way to the quarterfinals in varsity policy debate. Rahim Sayani continued his successful performances by placing in the semifinals of Lincoln Douglas debate. The team finished their September by competing in the Newman Smith Invitational. Sophomores Zach Cruze and Jonathan Wang placed in the quarterfinals of varsity policy debate. In Student Congress, Husein Ebrahaim placed third, earning points towards TFA State qualification. In novice Lincoln Douglas debate, first year competitors Michael Sorenson and Rachel Stonecipher were in the octafinals and quarterfinals respectively. Three novice policy debate teams did very well at the tournament. First time competitors Virinchi Kanneganti and Keith Scharfenberg were in the quarterfinals of novice policy debate. Rebekah Boyer, teaming with Alex Nasr, closed out the tournament with the team of Andrew Murray and Derek Kelly in novice policy debate. Both teams remained undefeated for the tournament. Derek was named second speaker and Andrew was named first speaker in the novice policy debate division. "This is a good start to our season," said new head coach Dave Huston. "Our younger students are really setting the tone for continuing the tradition of this very strong program. Our more senior debaters are gaining valuable experience against some very difficult competition that will help them as the year progresses." The team will be competing in the St. Mark's Heart of Texas Invitational the third weekend in October. Other highlights include being invited to the University of Michigan Senior and Junior Round Robin tournaments in November. Seniors Pappas and Bielinski will travel to Ann Arbor with teammates Levy and James Hamraie for that competition. |
||||
|
||||
|
Seven CHHS Seniors are
2005-2006 Seven CHHS students have been named semifinalists in the 2005 National Merit Scholarship Program. The Semifinalists are: Jiyoon Chung, Colleyville, Christopher R. Ertel, Grapevine, Heather B. Manno, Grapevine, Mitchell S. Mom, Colleyville, Nicholas E. Moore, Colleyville, Alex R. Muller, Colleyville and Joe P. Muller, Colleyville. The semifinalists were recognized at a reception hosted by the Grapevine-Colleyville Education Foundation and during the regular GCISD Board of Trustees meeting on Sept. 26. The National Merit Program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies. An estimated 16,000 semifinalists -- less than one percent of high school seniors nationwide -- were announced September 14, by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, based on scores from the 2004 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Those students selected as finalists will compete for a total of $33 million in scholarships from the National Merit Corporation, corporate sponsors and college/university sponsors. Merit Scholarship winners will be announced beginning in April. |
||||
|
||||
|
Could your student be the
next Although freshmen and sophomore students cannot qualify for National Merit standing until their junior year, the GCISD provides this additional test taking opportunity in order that students can practice before their junior year. Sample questions and more information about the PSAT are available at www.collegeboard.com Due to the PSAT test, classes are on a special schedule on October 12 (A day). The details are in the parent mailing that was sent out the last week of September. |
||||
|
||||
|
Awesome Homecoming Celebration Kicks off 10th Anniversary Year Activities at CHHS Thank you to all the faculty, staff, student groups, parents, alumni and businesses that made Homecoming 2005 such a success! More special events are scheduled during the school year 2005-2006 to commemorate a decade of excellence at CHHS. Click on the special logo on the website and find out more. Encourage your CHHS alumni children and friends to visit the website and register for the upcoming Anniversary Ball. |
||||
|
||||
|
Imagine Your Name Looking for a fun way to celebrate your birthday? Announce your special day on the Heritage Avenue Marquee and help CHHS raise funds for the prom and the student activities fund! Contact Janice Brown at CHHS, 817-305-4700, or stop by the front office and pick up a form. The cost is only $20.00. Please give Ms. Brown a few days notice to get the announcement up in time. |
||||
|
||||
|
Website tip of the Month Did you know that daily announcements are posted on the school's website? That's right! You can find all the late-breaking school, sports, band, choir and club news at CHHS just by accessing the school site: http://www.gcisd-chhs.org Create a shortcut to your desktop and you're just one click away from all news at the campus. |
||||
|
||||
|
Calling all AP and pre-AP Students/Parents Are you interested in learning more about the Advanced Program curriculum and ways to support AP students and teachers at CHHS? Then contact Mary Alice Rippe for more information. Send an email to macrippe@comcast.net or call 817-571-4986. |
||||
|
||||
|
Community Ambassador Program Updates A new program at Colleyville Heritage High School is encouraging students to share their time, serve their community and shape the future. The Community Scholar Ambassadors program is a new initiative designed to foster a focus on academics and a sense of community in its participants. The program is voluntary and incorporates two components: a challenging curriculum, which includes on-level and advanced courses in math, science, social studies, language arts, foreign language and technology; and 100 hours of approved community service during high school. Students completing these standards who successfully maintain a semester average of 70 or higher will be recognized individually and as a group upon graduation. To receive recognition, students must complete all the requirements of the Recommended Program outlined in the GCISD Program of Studies as well as:
For more specifics, visit the Counselor's Corner at http://www.gcisd-chhs.org or click on this link: http://www.gcisd-chhs.org/academics/ambassador.html |
||||
|
||||
|
Keep track of those Community Hours! Don't forget to register your volunteer hours for the month of September. Each grade level needs 25 hours to be completed during the year. Pick up the yellow cards and info sheets and deposit completed cards in the counselor's office. What a great way to help our community and get recognition at graduation!!! |
||||
|
||||
|
Thanks for Making College Night a Success! Thank You to all who attended our GCISD College Night on September 26th. We had a huge turnout with over 120 colleges and universities represented, along with all branches of the military. Everyone I talked with was very impressed with our students and program. Your PTSA dollars helped feed all the representatives before the program. Thank You to Sonny Bryan's Barbeque in Grapevine for giving us a great discount on the meal!!! Carolyn Spann, CHHS PTSA Hospitality |
||||
|
||||
|
PTSA CHHS STUDENT
BOOKSTORE The CHHS Student Bookstore is a great way for students to save money and time. Students can purchase outside reading at discounted prices for English, Theatre I, Art, AP Economics, AP Government , AP American Studies and AP Psychology classes. If you have a class that requires a paperback book outside the class text, call me and I will try to get the book at reduced rates for everyone.
Return Policy: New unmarked books can be exchanged within 6 weeks of the semester due to schedule or curriculum changes (e.g. English I regular has switched to Chosen instead of Separate Peace). Please check with your teacher for appropriate outside reading lists. CONTACT: Jan Mogged at 817- 545-7111 The bookstore will close after September 30 and will reopen next semester. |
||||
|
||||
|
2005 -- 2006 PTA
REFLECTIONS PROGRAM The theme for this year's Reflections contest is "I wonder why...." All high school students are encouraged to participate in this program. Categories of entry are Literature, Music Composition, Photography, and Visual Arts. Entry forms with the rules of participation for each category are available in the school office. Stop by and pick one up. Entries are due in the high school office on October 31, 2005 by 4 p.m. NO LATE ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED!! The entry form requires both the student's signature and a parent's signature (unless the student is 18 years old) at the time the entry is turned into the office. Student's name and other requested information is to be placed on the backside of your entry. Students may submit an entry in each category if they wish. The submitted entries will be judged between November 1st and 4th. Winning entries from our school will advance to council level; those winners will then proceed on to district level. If your entry has advanced, I will notify you. Listen to your school announcements as well. Every attempt to return your entry will be made, but not guaranteed. A reception for all participants and winners will be held January 2006. Please call or email me for questions. I look forward to receiving many entries. Sandra Nasr, Cultural Arts Chairperson 2005 - 2006 |
||||
|
||||
|
CHHS Volunteers Join the other parent and community volunteers. Sign up on-line at the school PTSA web site: www.GCISD-CHHS.org Click on "PTSA" and then "Volunteer". Follow the instructions to send to the PTSA Volunteer Coordinator. This site gives you more details on all areas for volunteering. Email the Volunteer Coordinator (chhsptsavoluntr@yahoo.com) for more info. |
||||
|
||||
|
ODE TO GREENBACKS
p.s. As always, the faculty was instrumental in us achieving our goal -- and very much appreciated! Patti Irwin, CHHS PTSA Ways & Means VP |
||||
|
||||
|
SUBSCRIBE TO PANTHER PAWS AND RECEIVE THE NEWSLETTER BY EMAIL! The CHHS PTSA newsletter is published monthly and available on the school's website: www.gcisd-chhs.org. The newsletter is sent via email to all the subscribers of Panther Paws. To receive the newsletter in your email in-box, visit the website and click on "E-mail News" in the upper right-hand corner of the page and fill out the short registration form. News articles can be sent to the "Panther Paws" link on the website or directly to Mary Alice Rippe at macrippe@comcast.net. Submit your November articles by October 26, 2005. |
||||
|
||||
 WHEN'S THE PHONE DIRECTORY BEING SENT HOME?
That's the common question I hear all the time, and here's the scoop! By the time you get this newsletter, it's my intention to have the directory completed and off to the printer. If all goes as planned, the directory will then be able to get distributed to the students during their lunch hours about mid October. As in years past, the PTSA volunteers will distribute the directory during the students lunch hours for about 3-4 days and I promise you, the students can not miss us! Keep in mind, it's your student's responsibility to stop by the PTSA tables and pick up the directory so you might mention it to your teenager in advance. If you do NOT wish to have your teenager pick up the directory or you think you might never see it when they pick it up - then let me hear from you. If you would prefer to pick up the directory yourself, please drop me an email and I'll be happy to reply back to you when it's ready so that you can make arrangements to get it yourself! As we mentioned at the Open House meeting, and in the last newsletter, the phone numbers this year will be reflective of the home phone number - not the students phone numbers. Those kids all know how to get a hold of each other, but many times parents need to communicate with another parent and the high school student phone directory is their main resource. Diane Dunlap, PTSA Directory, dcdunlap@mac.com |
||||
|
||||
|
PTSA GENERAL MEETING &
PROGRAM NEWS: The PTSA sponsored "Countdown to College" will be presented on Monday, October 17th, in the auditorium. A short General PTSA Meeting will begin at 6:45 p.m. followed immediately by the presentation. Unlike the senior forum and the combined CHHS/GHS College Night which were held in September, this informative program by our counseling department will give an in-depth timeline for a successful college admissions process. Items to be addressed will include when to take the SAT; how soon to apply for housing; when to send in college applications, how to apply for scholarships, etc. Also speaking that night will be Samantha Stalnaker, the Director of Financial Aid and Scholarship at a local college campus. She will give specific information about obtaining the financing you will need for college. This evening will give under-classmen an advance look at the necessary steps for the college application process. For seniors, it will serve as an excellent checklist to make sure you are on target for a successful admission. Get a sneak preview of the information covered at the Countdown to College Night on the Counselor's Corner section of the website: www.gcisd-chhs.org You'll find
|
||||
|
||||
|
It's not too late to join CHHS PTSA! Just print out the form below to join the PTA and send it in to the front office or mail it to the school address. You will receive one student directory for each membership purchased. Teachers, staff, parents, students (especially the Class of 2006), grandparents, and interested community members are encouraged to show their support of CHHS PTSA! PTSA Membership Cards will be distributed with the student directories in mid-October during student lunch periods. If you have joined the PTSA, please be sure to remind your student to pick up the membership card(s) and directory(ies) for your family when they are distributed. Please send any PTSA membership questions to Dawn Generals Patterson at her email address: Dgenepatt@aol.com |
||||
|
