October 15, 2019

Dear Parents and Guardians of Todd Beamer High School Scholars,

The 2019-2020 school year is in full swing!  In the six weeks since the start of school we have had at least ten Advisory periods, two Assemblies, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) lessons to promote organizational and critical thinking skills, an Open House to welcome scholars, four professional development and learning days for teachers, at least a half-dozen football games and just as many girls soccer an volleyball games! We have been busy!

Additionally, we have managed to lower the class sizes of 85% of those classrooms with more than 32 students; we have instituted a school-wide Scholar Success Citation system to remind scholars of behavioral expectations; the number of discipline referrals has been cut in half compared to this time last year, and our after-school ASB Clubs are growing! New this year are the LatinoX Club and (through our Black Student Union) the Step Club; all joining our COLOUR (LGBTQ) group, the Principal’s Advisory Board, Chess Club, National Honor Society, Key Club, and a girls-only, after-school group sponsored by Communities-In-Schools called “Women Spoke”.  Still in the planning stage is also a boys-only, after-school club to help our scholars navigate the challenges and successes of high school. If your scholar is wanting to belong, please have him/her/them come to the office to see the complete list.  If your child seeks an adult mentor, our district has a Mentor and Me program that pairs a caring adult who will meet with your child weekly, biweekly or monthly. We believe we can help find the right fit for them!

As I write this, our school is in the midst of Spirit Week!  Homecoming Dance is coming up and already we have record numbers of students who have bought tickets wanting to celebrate high school.  This yearly dance is special because our scholars can experience the social aspects of school in a safe setting.  With more than 1300 scholars attending Todd Beamer High School, we need to create opportunities for them to feel like they belong to a community.

Scholar Led Conferences are just around the corner, November 7^th and 8^th.  We are looking to increase participation to above 95%.  We hope everyone has already signed up for ParentVue online.  This allows you to see your child’s academic progress in every class period.  Every scholar should have received feedback by now.  If you do not see a grade in one or more of your child’s class, please contact the teacher and any administrator.  At this juncture, if your child has earned less than a “3” in any class, he/she/they may need extra support.  Please consider enrolling them in our after-school homework center called Titan Quest.  This support is held every Monday-Thursday from 2:00-3:45 in the library.  Additionally, many teachers provide after-school office hours.  Do not hesitate to contact them personally.

Finally, we have some other great news to share with you:  Todd Beamer High School’s graduation rate continues to climb.  Last year’s rate is now at 88%.  Congratulations to the Class of 2019!! 

The Titan Way is moving forward and upward!  Thank you for supporting the school in our efforts to build a learning environment that values student voice and collectively helps ALL students become respectful, responsible, and safe scholars!

Let’s roll!!!