Dear Lancer Families:
As September arrives and we begin the new school year, we are thrilled to welcome back our returning students, extend a warm greeting to our new families, and stay connected to our fully remote learners. We are very proud that Londonderry High School continues to reach its goals and establish pathways for our entire student-body to maximize their potential. We want our student-body to continue using the College Board assessment suite and Futures Lab, to navigate resources and assist them in being College and Career Ready. We are also encouraging our 1,400 students to remain involved in everything Londonderry High School has to offer. We believe the more involved a student is, in and outside the classroom, the more positive experience he or she will have. We continue to promote a family atmosphere at Londonderry High School and try to foster a sense of belonging with all our students. The more comfortable students feel in their school experience, the better they will do academically.
The student and parent portal in our X2 Aspen Student Management System is an efficient way to monitor academic progress. All parents and students have log-in information and passwords to access the portal to view real time attendance, assignments, and grades. Our expectation for teachers is to update their grade books in a timely fashion (a minimum of every two weeks), so we ask that you be patient with the grading of assignments. The dates listed next to the assignment are due dates, not grading dates. This wonderful online feature will keep you and your student apprised of their progress, but we also encourage you to call or e-mail teachers if you have any questions, using our school website. If you need us to reissue your log-in and password information, please contact Maureen Hutchins (IT) at mhutchins@londonderry.org
A reminder, LHS students will need to pass all Competency Assessments in every course. We believe it is important for our students to not only acquire knowledge in their courses, but to be able to master a set of skills using that knowledge so they’re prepared to meet the demands of the 21st Century. Google Classroom is a secure online learning platform that teachers and students will use to access course materials, post information, participate in online discussions, and upload their work. This will provide each classroom a forum to collaborate and use educational applications throughout the school day. The teacher oversees each class, and students can only interact with that teacher and their classmates.
Continued upgrades in technology, including Wi-Fi across the district, have certainly made things much easier and faster to communicate. We recognize that and give our students autonomy, because we feel as young adults they are responsible enough to handle it. Students are allowed to use cell phones, iPads, and laptops that they may use with teacher permission for educational purposes, or in non-academic areas for personal use. If you need to contact your student during the day, please call his/her House Office and we will get them the message. We discourage the use of these devices for calls, texting, and e-mailing in classrooms, as it is a distraction to the educational process throughout the day. Your support towards that effort is greatly appreciated. For the protection of our students, it is important that you notify the school when your student will not be in attendance at school on a hybrid day. School Board policy requires the school offices to contact the homes of students whose absence has not been reported. The purpose of this policy is to avoid any delay in determining that the student is in your care. You should do this by calling your student’s House Office 432-6941 (H1 A- Gar x 2117, H2 Gas - Kn x 2217, H3 Ko – Moo x 2128, H4 Mop – Z x 2526) either the evening before or the morning of the absence. Please contact us by 7:10 AM if at all possible, and tell us the student’s name, your name & relationship to the student, and the reason for the absence. If you are coming to the school during any school day you must enter a security vestibule to report and sign in at the Welcome Center in the front foyer. This is the only entrance to the building for visitors. There will be a screening protocol you’ll have to complete for entrance. We ask for your cooperation and understanding for the health and safety of our students and staff.
Each year our learners take the PSAT and SAT as part of a comprehensive roll out plan to assist them in achieving their post-secondary pursuits. SAT’s will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 23rd for all seniors. PSAT’s will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 14th. Juniors and Sophomores will take the PSAT at LHS. Freshman will take the PSAT 9 at LMS with the eighth graders that day. Many students also use the Futures Lab for college and career exploration. These resources can be invaluable tools our staff, students, and parents can use to improve student achievement. Our learners will also complete College & Career Readiness Goals at each grade level and store all of their academic and school related information in a digital portfolio called Naviance.
The Class of 2021 Picture is going to be held on September 23rd at 7:30 am on the Track Field. It will precede the SAT. School Pictures are going to be held on October 8th & 9th at LHS.
You can also follow school news on Twitter using Londonderry_lhs
Our students have identification cards and are required to wear them in the building. They will receive updated school ID’s in early November. We supply lanyards or plastic clips for each student to hold their ID card, which can be used for cafeteria purchases, scanning attendance, taking out books and materials from our library media center, and for our security measures. The safety of our students is paramount, and we believe this is another positive aspect in maintaining safety in a division one high school. In working with the Londonderry Police Department, we have implemented our emergency operations plan and evacuation procedures. Our staff has been trained using the “Avoid, Deny, Defend” model, which allows for more flexibility and autonomy in making decisions to better protect our students and staff. This will be covered during the first few days in their homerooms, along with our goals and expectations for the school year.
This is the first of ten monthly newsletters I will be sharing at the beginning of each month. This newsletter will have some important information for you. You will also find an updated calendar of events for that month. I hope this will help keep parents informed about all the great things going on at Londonderry High School. Because there are so many daily events, we ask that you visit our school website and click the various tabs. Life of a Lancer is our Code of Conduct that emphasizes healthy living and making healthy choices throughout the entire school year. It has a restorative justice model for those students who violate our school policy on or off campus. Students and parents must sign this school-year commitment that applies to all students participating in co-curricular activities which includes music, athletics, and all clubs and organizations. This information can be found in our Student Handbook, which is on our website under the Information tab.
While this is a unique school re-opening, our staff remains energetic and embrace the school year with a lot of positivity. We are excited to re-open LHS is a safe and responsible manner. This includes wearing masks in the building, practicing good hygiene, and being respectful of one another. While some things may look different, we’re doing all we can to maintain the traditions of our storied high school, and we are seeking to find as much structure, normalcy and routine as we can. As I begin my thirteenth year as Principal of Londonderry High School, I continue to be immensely proud of our students, staff, and our school. I look forward to working with you during this school year. Please contact me anytime if you have any questions or concerns. I wish you all a wonderful school year, and welcome back!
Sincerely,
Jason Parent
Principal