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February 2015 Newsletter

LAVACA HIGH SCHOOL


311 Holly Street - Lavaca, AR 72941
479-674-5612

A Note from the Principal


With the spring semester, we have state testing. This year will be different as we
embark upon PARCC testing for grades 9-11. We have a trial run of the testing software
Wednesday, February 18. The students will complete the test electronically for the first
time in Arkansas. We will also have the biology exam and AP exams this spring.
Attendance is crucial this time of year. I am in hopes the flu season is almost behind us
and we can all work toward preparation of the upcoming exams. The teachers are
diligently preparing the students with an increased focus on using the technology and we
are adding practice test items in the core classrooms. Please partner with us and
encourage your student to do his or her best on all the upcoming assessments.
~Mrs. Owen

Upcoming Events:
Thursday, February 12
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Health Fair
Friday, February 13
No School for Students
Monday, February 16
Power Make-up Day
Monday, February 23
PowderPuff Games 6pm
Tuesday, February 24
CAP Conferences Teachers
Saturday, February 28
Miss LHS 7pm
Tuesday, March 3
Talent Show
Thursday, March 5
LHS Drama Performance
March 23 - 27
Spring Break

ACT Testing:
The ACT test is a required test for college
admission and the scores received from the
ACT can help qualify for scholarships, including
the Academic Challenge Scholarship. The
registration deadline for the April test is
March 13.
ACT Testing Dates:
April 18 ~ June 13
www.actstudent.org
ACT ID Reminder
All students who are taking the ACT must bring
a picture ID (drivers license or other form of
government issued ID) and their admission
ticket to be admitted into the testing room.

Parent involvement:
By Sarah Lott
Parental Involvement in School:
Research Says Teens with Involved
Parents Learn Better
As children get older and advance
to high school, talking about their school life
can be more difficult. When a child is
younger parents have parties and field trips
that they can be involved in. However, in
High School, there are no more parties
which means little to no involvement at the
school.
Sherri Wilson from the National
Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
notes, from a survey that she and her
institute conducted, that parental
involvement is critical for a positive
academic experience and correlates with a
higher grade point average and test
scores. One of the easiest ways for
parents to get involved with their students,
is talk to them about their day and what
their student learned that day.
Involvement usually tapers off as
children get older. Parents may not be able
to help with school parties anymore but
parents can help with getting pre-college
activities, such as filling out the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid
(FAFSA). Wilson also notes that working
with your child on their college plans shows
that your child can leave school and be
successful in their own education and
careers.
Families should work with the
school too, specifically by communicating
with teachers.

The Day of Romance


-Raven Dunn
Every year, there is a celebration thats most known
as Valentines Day. This is a romantic celebration where
people exchange cards, candy, gifts, and/or flowers with a
loved one. It has been said by some that Valentines Day was
created by card companies, but that is not true. Valentines
Day is the celebration of the Catholic priest St. Valentine, who
died on February 14. The story is told that during the reign of
Emperor Claudius II, Rome was involved in many bloody and
unpopular campaigns. Claudius thought that men would not
want to join the legion if they were married. This led to
Claudiuss decree that men in the legion could not get marry.
St. Valentine began to secretly marry couples. When
it was discovered what the men were doing, St. Valentine was
brutally beaten and sentenced to be execution.
Legend also explains one of the most used
Valentines secret signatures. It is said that while in jail, St.
Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had
become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine."
There are many different ways to say I love
you. Here are some examples:
Chinese- Wo ie ni (Manderin)
French- Je Taime or Jaimez vous
Japanese- Kimi o ai shiteru sukiyo
Philipino- Mahal Kita or Iniibig Kita
German- Lch libe Dich, Lmog di ganz arg!
(suebian: south German dialekt.)
Valentine's Day is close! It is time to break out the
chocolates, candles, roses, and young love. You could find
that special someone with whom to share the day.

World Events
-Karrie Maney
2015 kicked off to a noisy start. A year that many
held high hopes for has had an almost terrifying and tragic air
within the first month alone.
PARIS, France On the morning of January 7th,
twelve people were killed in a terrorist attack aimed at the
controversial newspaper Charlie Hebdo. The attack was
brought on by a group of Muslim extremists; Al-Qaeda. The
terrorists led the French authorities on a manhunt for two days
which ended in a shootout and deaths of the terrorists.
After the attack on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper,
Parisians took to the streets and vandalized nearly sixteen
Muslim mosques as a sort of payback for the assault and
murder on Parisians rights.
Passengers from an Air Asia flight died from a plane
crash that happened back in December of 2014. There were
not many clues as to why the plane crashed, but investigators
are close to finding an explanation.

LHS Testing Schedule


Spring 2015
March 31

PARCC

April 1

PARCC

April 2

PARCC

April 28-29

Biology EOC

May 4

AP Environmental Science

May 5

AP Calculus

May 6

AP English IV

May 7

AP Spanish

May 8

AP US History

May 11

AP Biology / AP Music Theory

May 12

PARCC

May 13

PARCC / AP English III

May 14

PARCC

Resolutions
- Aleah Hill
New Years Day is a time to celebrate the New
Year, but lets be honest, the real party is on New Years
Eve. So what do you actually do on the first day of the year?
Most people make resolutions. A lot of people make a list of
goals that they want to achieve within the year, or they at
least had a few expectations in mind. I interviewed a few of
our school staff to find out what their top 2015 resolutions
were.
Mrs. Prater kept her number one resolution simple.
This year I plan to meditate for five minutes a day- you
know, center myself? Thats my resolution. Some other
resolutions from the teachers include, getting more
exercise, from Mrs. Cooper, and, being healthier, from Mr.
Gray. Mrs. Owen said her resolution was, to spend more
time at home with my children. I work A LOT.
Some people do things in a different way. Rather
than making a list of things that she knows she probably
wont complete, Mrs. Todaro picks a single word that she
centers her life around. For 2015, her word is wisdom. She
wants to be wise, and have wisdom for her children. She
said, Wisdom impacts people...It impacts everyone around
you.
Resolutions are a great way to line up your annual
goals. Not everybody makes resolutions though, like Mrs.
Morgan or myself. Some people have different traditions
that they do. No matter how you celebrate the New Years,
the overall goal is to celebrate, set goals, and think about
what lies ahead.

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