Author: YACOUMAKIS

AstrosNews

Alan B. Shepard High School

Volume 1, Issue 1

December 18, 2007

Students Ready For Final Exams

Inside this issue:

Today Shepard students begin the last steps to completing the semester. Final exams begin at 8;00 a.m. Not everyone had to arrive in time for the first session. Some had the alternative of staying home until the second session if they had non-testing activities such as lunch or study hall, that correlate with the period number (3) of the first session.
Buses arrive at the usual time and again two hours later for those who don’t need to take a test during the first session. After the three one hundred minute testing periods, students leave the building at 1:10 p.m. Of course activities take place after school, even on exam days. The activity bus leaves at 4:00 p.m.
Testing periods are not in sequential order, but are arranged so that periods that students do not need to attend are either at the beginning of the school day or at the end. For instance, the first day is as such: third period tests are taken during the first session.; second period tests during the second session; fourth period tests during the third session. The first and third sessions are for the periods during which lunch takes place. Students don’t have to stay past the second session if their lunch is during the last period of that day. This holds true for Wednesday, too, which has testing for periods 5, 7 and 6, in that order. On Thursday, periods 1 and 8 are during the first two sessions and the third session is for anyone who needs to makeup an exam that was missed.
Final exams take place at this time before the winter break so that students may relax during their time off from school. When they resume classes in January, they will start a new semester.
Good luck to all of our students during exam week!

Ready or not, final exams begin today from 8:00 a.m. to 1:10 p.m. Tomorrow and Thursday testing will continue with periods 5, 7, 6 then 1, 8 and a make-up session. The winter break will begin immediately following the completion of the make-ups on Thursday.

Girls’ Basketball On the Rise	2
The Water Main Break	2
Announcements	2
Building Access Over the Break	3
New Cafeteria is Center of Activity / heerleaders Chosen to Go to State / Comitiop	3
Academic schedule for the second semester	3
Adopt-A-Family for the Holidays	4

January Starts the Test Prep Season

Practice tests will take place the week following the resumption of classes after the winter break. As a rehearsal for the high stakes standardized tests that will take place April 23rd and 24th, these will afford students an opportunity to get an idea of what they will face.
Juniors, freshman and sophomores will take ACT and PLAN prep tests. The results will assist teachers in planning further preparation activities for the standardized tests.
Students are encouraged to treat these practice opportunities like the actual tests so that they will get a valid outcome.

Special points of interest:
Final exams start today.
Test prep season begins in January.
Building access over the winter break
Academic schedule for the second semester

Page #

AstrosNews

Girls’ Basketball on the Rise

After a disappointing one and three start the Lady Astros have taken the rallying cry of “Never underestimate the heart of a champion” to be their own. They have rebounded to reach a five and five record.
Junior player, Demetria “Princess” Ward is described by her team mates as the leader and key to their success. Despite the praise, she insists that team effort has resulted in the turn around. Coach Patrick O’Connor describes Ward as too nice. “She is very talented and athletic,” he says, “however she just isn’t mean enough to take the ball away from the other girl.”
Another positive for the team is freshman guard Kayla McKinney. While scoring often, Kayla is also a brilliant defender. Coach O’Connor said about McKinney, “She’s doing what we hoped she would be doing. We weren’t originally planning on having her. From everything we heard she was heading to McAuley. I actually found out she was coming here from Athletic Director Gwaine Perkins. We planned for her to do camp with varsity and then send her down, but at the end of camp I just couldn’t send her back down. The game is completely different down in the lower levels, the experience will be great for her.”
That “family” feeling is helping the team to succeed.
“We had a rough patch early on, but we worked hard and came together as a team. In the beginning we were playing like strangers, not really trusting each other, an it cost us,” said junior, Rachel Pierce. “They seemed like a dysfunctional family rather than a loving one,” said O’Connor. “They have a lot of talent and are really starting to mature.”

Announcements

Take note of any changes to schedules or other important information in the announcements.

Game and Simulation Programming (GSP)
DeVry will be holding a game and simulation programming program on December 26, 27, 28 and January 2, 3, and 4, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. See Mrs. Mankowski for registration information.
Wrestling
Wrestling meet for Friday, December 14, 2007, with Coal City has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled. Direct all questions to Mr. Perkins.
Scholastic Bowl
Meeting 12/12/07 at 3:20-4:00 in room 330. See Mr. Sparenberg with any questions.
January Grads, Students with Semester Classes
Return all textbooks you no longer need to the LRC before winter break to avoid late fees. A replacement cost will be assessed for lost books.

Water Main Break as Finals Start

Finals today and the buses that normally line up outside of the cafeteria entrance to deposit students are not there. Instead, teachers and students who drive to school were blocked from accessing the parking spaces directly behind the building and a new hole is dug into the well worn pavement and water is being pumped out onto the frozen surface. Alternate parking had to be found for those whose assigned spots were blocked by the operation.
Emails regarding the water main break flew out to the staff throughout the day until it was decided that school would close at the end of the third testing session.
All student activities and practices are cancelled and the building is closed to all including teachers. “Go home or go shopping , but leave the building,” said Mr. Harting. According to reports the water main should be repaired in plenty of time for the start of another day of testing tomorrow.

“Go home or go shopping, but don’t stay in the building.”
—Mr. Ty Harting

Volume 1, Issue 1

Page #

New Cafeteria is Center of Activity

The new cafeteria opened at the end of last year just in time for graduation. It has added several hundred square feet of needed space to the school. It has not only provided a more spacious area for student lunches, but it offers additional room for activities such as club meetings and practice space.
On a recent evening, the stomp team worked out its moves in the bright, roomy floor. Students expressed their pleasure of having a spacious, modern facility that can be used for so many purposes.
Along with additional space, the room has other accoutrements such as flat screen monitors on the walls, a seating area for relaxing and café tables and chairs near the coffee bar. Four food lines including a snack bar serve the lunch crowds.
Accommodating after show groups from the FAC is easier than ever with the improved facility. Concessions are set up after musicals, plays and concerts.
During report card distribution, parents filed into the new cafeteria to pick up their students’ grades which was conveniently close to the gym where teachers were located for conferences. Many parents were pleased with the new construction.

Freshman gets a warm welcome from upperclassmen in the new cafeteria.

Second Semester Academic Schedule

Here is the academic schedule for the next semester beginning in January.
January 7 Teacher Institute-No School
January 7 Board of Education Meeting 7 p.m.
January 8 Second Semester Begins for All Students
January 21 Martin Luther King Holiday
February 8 Resource Hour Classes Begin at 9 a.m.
February 11 Board of Education Meeting 7p.m.
February 15-18 Mid-winter Break
March 3 Teacher Institute
March 7 Resource Hour Classes Begin at 9 a.m.
March 7 End of 3rd Quarter
March 10 Board of Education Meeting 7p.m.
March 13 Students dismissed at 12 noon
March 21-28 Spring Break
March 31 Classes Resume
April 4 Resource Hour Classes Begin at 9 a.m.
April 7 Board of Education Meeting 7p.m.

April 17 School Improvement Day Student Dismissal at 11:15
May 8 Senior Honors Night 6pm
May 9 Resource Hour Classes begin at 9 a.m.
May 12 Board of Ed Meeting 7pm
May 20-22 Final Exams
May Graduation
May 23 End of Second Semester

Building Access Over the Winter Break

Athletic Director Gwaine Perkins said in an email notice, “As we take off for Christmas break, I know many of you just will not get away. Some of you have already asked about building hours. I have attached a schedule of building hours during the break. Don’t spend all the time here. Take some needed time off.”
Shepard Building Hours
December 17-January 5
Week of December 17, 2007:
Monday (12/17) regular hours
Tuesday (12/18) regular hours
Wednesday (12/19) “
Thursday (12/20) regular hours
Friday (12/21) regular hours
Saturday (12/22) 7a.m.-3p.m.
Week of December 24, 2007
Monday (12/24) building closed
Tuesday (12/25) building closed
Wednesday (12/26) building
closed-gym open
Thursday (12/27) regular hours
Friday (12/28) regular hours
Saturday (12/29) 7a.m.-3p.m.
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day we are closed.

“Don’t spend all the time here. Take some needed time off.”
— Gwaine Perkins, Athletic Director

Alan B. Shepard High School

13049 South Ridgeland Avenue
Palos Heights, IL 60463

708-371-1111

Providing quality education for today and tomorrow

A.B. Shepard High School

We’re on the Web!
www.chsd218.org/shepard

Alan B. Shepard High School was constructed and dedicated in 1976. At that time freshmen attended the facility located at 115th and Ridgeland Avenue then called Shepard North. Over the years, freshmen were relocated to the main campus which consists of roughly 1900 students.
This year, the Small Learning Community model was instituted to assist the incoming freshmen whose test scores indicated support was needed. This model is a form of response to intervention. Students not yet identified for special services are immediately provided intervention rather than placed in the queue for identification for services in the special education department.
Shepard has strong music, speech, mathletes, athletics, scholastic bowl and many other programs that attract students from the feeder schools in District 218.

Adopt-A-Family

Teacher, Erin Granato emailed to the staff the following message regarding the Adopt-A-Family Holiday event this year, ”Thank you to everyone who participated in Adopt a Family yesterday! We were able to make a difference this Christmas for almost 200 children! I was amazed at the outpour of generosity I witnessed by the students, families and teachers at ABS.
I thought I would share a short story concerning one of the families I spoke with last night. His wife has multiple brain tumors and he is raising four children. He was so grateful for our program. He had said “You people really inspire me to be a better person, you make me realize there is good in the world.’ “
The Jerry Lemon Fund was started by teacher Jerry Lemon to assist families in our community who are experiencing difficulties and who may not have enough to have a good meal much less presents to put under the tree. The Alan B. Shepard Community should be proud of its students and staff for its yearly effort to make their part of the world a little better.
Have a Happy Holiday and a Safe New Year!
Mr. T. Harting
Principal
Mr. M. Ryan
Associate Principal