Family Bulletin, September 29, 2023

Posted Date: 12/12/2023

Churchill Families,

Welcome to October!  Crazy that the first month of school has already come and gone.  Time flies when your are having fun and getting back into the school routine.

I wanted to give you a little update and reminder around safety, which is a huge priority here at school – when you are picking up your student(s) from school, please come to the front office, and make sure you have an ID ready to show our secretaries.  We want to make sure we are releasing students to the proper people, and keeping everyone safe.

Testing day for all 10th graders (Pre-ACT), and those 11th graders who want to take the PSAT, will be happening next Thursday, Oct. 12th from 8:30 am – 12:30 pm.   Please see additional information below.  These tests are free for all students who want to test, and are required by some colleges and universities.  If you have questions, please connect with the appropriate counselor below – 10th graders/Pre-ACT = Joy DeMoss, 11th graders/PSAT = Laura Martin.

Open House is also coming up next week on Thursday, Oct. 12th from 5:30 pm – 7 pm.  From 5:30 pm – 6 pm we will have some hot dogs and salad for the first 300 people, and then from 6 pm – 7 pm, please join us in the Gym to meet with and asking questions of teachers, counselors, College and Career staff, Administration and others staff.  This is a night to discuss your student’s schedule, find out how to get involved, and also see some of the exiting things that are happening in our classrooms here at Churchill High School.  All are welcome!

Go, Lancers!

Missy Cole, Principal

Calendar

• 4J High School ABC Days 2023 – 2024

OCTOBER 2 – 6		Homecoming Week
Monday, October 2		Monochrome Monday
	4:00 PM	Homecoming Dance Guest Forms due
Tuesday, October 3		Anything but a Backpack
Wednesday, October 4		Barbie   Office closes at 2:45 pm for a staff meeting
Thursday, October 5		Thrifty Thursday
Friday, October 6		Homecoming Assembly
		Lancer Day Freshman: white Sophomores: red Juniors: blue Seniors: black
	7:00 PM	Homecoming Game vs. Springfield
Saturday, October 7	7:30 PM	Homecoming Dance
OCTOBER 9 – 13		4-day school week: ABAB
Monday, October 9		A Day
Tuesday, October 10		B Day
Wednesday, October 11		C Day, 2:30 PM release
Thursday, October 12		Pre-ACT Testing Day, Modified C Day, 12:30 PM release (bell schedule coming soon)
	5:30 PM	Open House Dinner
	6:00 PM	Open House
Friday, October 13		NO SCHOOL — PD/Planning Day

Churchill Student News

Homecoming Dance Guest Forms

Dance Guest Request Forms are required for any guest who is not enrolled at Churchill High School. Guest forms are due by Monday, October 2 at 4:00 p.m.

Testing Day, Oct. 12th for 10th Graders: Pre-ACT Information and Resources

All 10th grader students will be given the opportunity to take the Pre-ACT test here at Churchill High School.  We share a responsibility to ensure your child is on-track for college and career readiness, hence why we take a school day to offer this test for free to all 10th graders.  If you would like to Opt your student OUT of taking the test, please fill out this Google Form.

If you have questions about the Pre-ACT test, please contact Joy DeMoss, at: demoss_j@4j.lane.edu, or (541) 790-5136.

• Why take the PreACT (PDF)

With PreACT®, you can get useful information to help your child choose the right high school courses, think about ways to work on areas for improvement, and even begin discussions about their college and career interests. This year, we’ve chosen to administer the PreACT® as one of the first actionable steps your sophomores can take to become ready for college and plan for the future.

At no cost to you, we are providing your child with the PreACT on October 12 during regular school hours. (8:30 am – 12:30 pm)

We’re confident your child will do their best. This is an opportunity to see your student’s potential performance on the ACT® test. To learn more about the test, visit act.org/preact.

P.S. Your child may choose to have their information shared with colleges and scholarship agencies when they take PreACT, which can help them get discovered for college recruitment and scholarship possibilities.

11th grader students on Testing Day, Thursday, Oct. 12th have the opportunity to take the PSAT.  This is not a mandatory test, but optional.  If you would like to Opt your student IN to taking the test of taking the test, please fill out this Google Form.

If you have questions about the PSAT test, please contact Laura Martin, at: martin_m@4j.lane.edu, or (541) 790-5116.

IHS Parent Information Night – Monday, Oct. 2nd

Our Eugene IHS Parent Information Night has been rescheduled for Monday, October 2 from 7-8 p.m. at the Ed Center Auditorium located at 200 N. Monroe Street in Eugene. We hope to see you all there!

We will post the informational slides from the presentation on our IHS website for anyone who cannot attend in person. As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions at any time.

Open House = Thursday, Oct. 12th from 5:30 pm – 7 pm

Come join us for our Open House next week on Thursday, Oct. 12th from 5:30 pm – 7 pm.  From 5:30 pm – 6 pm we will have some hot dogs and salad for the first 300 people, and then from 6 pm – 7 pm, please join us in the Gym to meet with and asking questions of teachers, counselors, College and Career staff, Administration and others staff.  This is a night to discuss your student’s schedule, find out how to get involved, and also see some of the exiting things that are happening in our classrooms here at Churchill High School.  All are welcome!

Information from the CHS Registrar

Have you accessed ParentVUE/CANVAS yet?

If you have no idea what these words mean, chances are you have never activated your parent accounts. These accounts give you access to your student’s attendance, grades, class schedule and more! Both accounts should be accessed from the CHS or 4J websites, do not download the apps as they do not always work. For assistance, please reach out to our registrar, Dorothy Catanese, and she can send you your own unique codes along with easy-to-follow steps to activate your accounts. The best way for her to share this information is via email so please send requests to catanese_d@4j.lane.edu . If you are needing assistance in person, please call he at 541-790-5108 to make an appointment before coming to the school.

Incomplete (I) Grades Update

Please have your students check their 4J emails for an “Incomplete” (I) grade update from our registrar. All students who earned an “Incomplete” (I) during Tri 2 or Tri 3 of last year as a high schooler must complete all course work by November 9th at 4 p.m. All Incompletes that are not completed by the deadline will be changed to an “F” grade, and that grade cannot be changed after the fact. Make sure your students connect with their teachers to see what work they need to turn in to change their “Incomplete” (I) to a letter grade ASAP.

Withdrawal Update

The last day to drop a class without a WD/WF and withdrawal paperwork is October 4. If your student still need to drop a class, they must connect with their counselor ASAP in order to get their schedule changed. Until the change happens, your student must attend the classes on their current schedule. All students who drop a class will have either a WD or a WF on their transcript once the class has been leave dated.

From the College & Career Center

The College & Career Center is off and running scheduling events to help students succeed. Each week we will publish events we sponsor as well as community-based events and resources.

Upcoming college visits:

October:

• Tuesday, 3rd – Oregon Army National Guard
• Friday, 6th – Syracuse University
• Monday, 9th – Willamette University
• Thursday, 12th – University of Arizona
• Monday, 16th – Oberlin College
• Tuesday, 17th – Grand Canyon University
• Wednesday, 25th – University of Puget Sound

**All visits are at lunch in room F36

Students – Watch your 4j email for notifications, listen to or read the announcements, and check out the TV screens in the College & Career Center and the student lounge near the coffee cart for important information about visits and other College & Career happenings.

SAVE THE DATE! 

College & Career Extravaganza is coming!!

• When: Wednesday, November 15, 2023
• What time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
• Where: Churchill High School Campus
• What is the Extravaganza? Your opportunity to attend workshops on financial Aid, scholarships, options beyond high school, essay writing, resume building, getting hired for your future, job search strategies, understanding the trades and apprenticeships, financial literacy for high school students, and a whole lot more.

All grades and families are welcome.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR SENIOR FAMILIES: THE APPLICATIONS TO APPLY FOR FEDERAL AND STATE FINANCIAL AID ARE CHANGING

You may have heard that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and Oregon Student Aid Application (ORSAA) will be changing for 2024-25. Due to the intense behind-the-scenes programming, the FAFSA will not open until sometime in December. ORSAA will open as soon as possible, but most likely in December as well. Stay tuned as we will share further information and details as we get them.

You can still create your FSA ID (username and password) now so you are prepared once the FAFSA opens in December. It’s very important to create an FSA ID for each FAFSA contributor PRIOR TO completing the FAFSA. Families who attempt to create FSA IDs at the time of FAFSA completion will not experience the benefits of the simplified FAFSA. It takes three days to verify the identity of FSA ID applicants, which means that individuals who have yet to be verified will have to complete additional questions by hand.

• CREATE AN FSA ID HERE

Student Attendance: Reporting an Absence

Is your student missing school today? Make sure to contact us to let us know. If your student is coming to school late or needs to be pulled from class early, call the front office at 541-790-5100. If your student is going to be out for the whole day, make sure to call our attendance line at 541-790-5102.

Call anytime day or night: 541-790-5102

To excuse by email: chs_attendance@4j.lane.edu

• Please inform the attendance office each day that your student is absent.
• Absences need to be excused within 2 school days.
• Pre-planned absences of 3 or more days may be excused if arranged in advance by filling out the pre-arranged absence form available in our front office or on our website at chs.4j.lane.edu/forms.

When a student needs to leave school during the day for an appointment or other reason: Parents should send a note with the student on the morning of the absence. The student should turn in the note at the front office. Office staff will send a note to the classroom teacher to excuse the student from class at the appropriate time.

We know that appointments and illness can come up unexpectedly. For these unexpected events, please call the front office before coming to the school to pick up your student. This gives us time to send a note to the classroom so that the student is ready to leave when you arrive. Please understand that there may be a delay if you do not notify us in advance.

ParentVUE and CANVAS

These two accounts collectively give you access to your student’s attendance, grades, class schedule, homework assignments, and more! If you need help with setting up these parent accounts, please reach out to our registrar, Dorothy Catanese, and she can send you your unique codes along with easy-to-follow steps to activate each account. The best way for her to share this information is via email so please send requests to catanese_d@4j.lane.edu. If you need assistance in person, please call her at 541-790-5108 to make an appointment before coming to the school.

Canvas for Parents

Visit https://www.4j.lane.edu/canvas/ for links and tutorials to help you create your Canvas account and connect to your student’s classes.

Canvas is an online classroom platform where teachers share lessons, materials, and assignments for their students. Parents can see student grades and progress on class assignments.

ParentVUE

Login at https://pv.4j.lane.edu/. Parents receive an activation key from the school registrar to set up this account. If you are having trouble signing in to ParentVUE, please email Dorothy at catanese_d@4j.lane.edu.

In ParentVUE, parents can see student schedules, attendance history, and grades.

Grading Policy Change: No ‘Pass/No-Pass’ Option for Core Classes

Starting this school year, all core-credit classes will not be eligible for a Pass/No Pass grade. Teachers will only give out the following letter grades: A, B, C, D, and F. The only exceptions are the following classes: Advisory, Aides, Access Center, Academics Unlimited, Work Experience, Life Skills, and Algebra Success. These classes are only eligible for a Pass/No Pass grade. If this changes, we will share this information with families as soon as possible.

Student Computer Upgrades

This upgrade is not optional. Please upgrade your student computer if you haven’t already.

Students who checked out computers at Back-to-School Days do not need to perform this upgrade task. The computer you received has already been upgraded.

Before you start: If you haven’t been using your student computer over the summer, the computer battery may have drained, and you will need to charge it and turn it on to allow the clock to update before the operating system upgrade will work. You may need to restart the computer a few times.

Follow these instructions carefully: 

• Quicksheet – Upgrade macOS 2023

This big upgrade may take several hours to complete. Do not attempt to complete this update using a cellular signal or hotspot. Make sure your computer is in a safe place where it can remain plugged in and will not be disturbed during the upgrade.

If you are unable to complete the upgrade at home, please exchange your student computer at the Technology Office, Room F40. 

4J Community News

Good Trouble

Good Trouble Poster

EEF 5K for 4J: Saturday, October 14

Peer-to-Peer Registration

Individual Registration 5k Toolkit

FAQ for Schools and Parent Groups 2023 Final.docx

Eugene Parent Support Space

Eugene Parent Support Space (PDF): A peer-support space for caregivers and parents of LGBTQ2SIA+ and questioning kids in the Eugene area.

Community News

Sing with the Oregon Children’s Choir!

The Oregon Children’s Choir welcomes 1st – 12th graders to join one of our fun and inspiring choirs for the 2023-2024 school year! Develop new singing techniques,  learn new songs, and make new friends. Choirs meet once per week and perform four concerts per year. Scholarships and sibling discounts are available. Registration and information at www.oregonchildrenschoir.org.