Chipotle Night for GOFA!

Chipotle Night for GOFA is Tuesday, December 2, 2014!  Stop by Chipotle between 5:00-8:00 pm and bring in the flyer or show it on your phone and 50% of the proceeds will go to the Dorothy Day House and the Women's Shelter!

GOFA--Give One For All

I just wanted to pass on a little background about an exciting event that will be taking place during the month of December at Mayo High School.

Give one for all, or GOFA, as it is commonly known around the halls of Mayo High School, is an annual fundraiser coordinated by Mayo Student Government. The funds raised benefit the Rochester Dorothy Day House and the Women's Shelter. Mayo High School is one of the largest donors to both of these organizations. In years past Mayo students and teachers helped raise over $20,000 for these two charitable organizations. GOFA 2014 begins at the kickoff pep fest on December 2nd and concludes with the final pep fest on Dec 23rd. Between the pep fests many other activities will add some excitement to the days. Some of the exciting activities planned for this year are power-puff volleyball, eating contests at the pep fests, penny wars, which is a grade by grade fundraising competition, and many other fun activities. Members of Mayo High School's National Honor Society and Student Government will even be collecting donations outside of Hy-Vee South.  If you are interested in donating to GOFA, there are many ways you can get involved. Students can donate loose change to their grade for Penny Wars, raise money to enter one of the food eating contests, or even go door to door in your own neighborhood to raise money. There will also be a Chipotle night on December 2nd so make sure you stop by.

Parent's if you are interested in helping out, or work in a business that wants to help out with GOFA there are many ways to chip in. We will of course accept cash donations, but are also looking for small gift cards to student friendly restaurants or business that we can award as prizes to winners of our various contests. Any donations can be mailed or brought in to Mayo High School and given to Mr. Trimble our Student Government Advisor.

Thanks for your unending support,

Mayo High School

Student Government

Academic Resources

Is your child struggling or needing extra help in Math, English (Writing) or Science?
Mayo offers a lot of resources throughout the day.

English Writing Lab
Where you can get help with writing or submit a paper you have written for review.

Math
There is a math teacher available to assist with all levels of math

Science

Quiet Study Environments
Media center, structured study halls or peer tutoring homework help across from the cafeteria during lunch which is staffed with upperclassmen and a resource teacher.

You should start by speaking with your instructor about your specific needs, together you can decide if extra time with them would work or if your should try a resource lab.
You can take advantage of these resources by getting a pass from your teacher to the resources lab during a lunch or study hall. Your teacher could even coordinate specific instructions with the resource teacher so you can get the help you need.

These resources are offered during the school day and there is additional extra help for math after school.

Writing Lab
Help is available every hour during school except 5th daily, for a paper review you just drop off your paper and pick it up at a later date.

Math
Help is available every hour during school except 5th daily and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday after school from 3:10-4:10.

Science
Help is available 2nd and 7th hour daily

Quiet Study Environment
Students can go to the media center during lunch to work on homework, use the computer lab or do research. The homework help across from the cafeteria is available to anyone who wants help or just a quiet environment to get homework done.

REMEMBER TO GET A PASS FROM YOUR TEACHER TO UTILIZE THESE RESOURCES
AND TO FIND OUT WHERE THEY ARE LOCATED. ( The homework help across from the cafeteria during lunch does not require a pass)

Mayo High School also has other resources if you are struggling with issues outside of academics such as a minority liaison, social worker and guidance counselors. Please contact the office and they will be able to direct you to the appropriate resource.

Attendance

Due to my past experiences and feedback from the attendance office I am going to review the procedure to use when you need to pick up your student during the school day.

Please send a note with your student on the day they need to be picked up or earlier.
The student needs to bring the note to the attendance office to obtain a pass out of class.
The student needs to keep that pass and present it to the teacher he has during that hour to be excused from class. They can then leave their class at the designated time and go to their locker if necessary and meet you at a predetermined place. You need to write what the appointment is for and approximately how long they will be gone or if you are taking them out for the rest of the day.

It is IMPORTANT that your student goes to the attendance office office when they return to school to get a pass to return to class, even if it is between periods because they need to be marked as returned to school.

A sample note would be:

Attendance Office:

     Please excuse John Brown from class today, October 10th at 12:15pm for an orthodontist appointment. He will be returning to school at approximately 1:30pm (or he will not be returning to school today).


Mrs.Brown

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

-allow for time when indicating the excused time for them to leave class and go to their lockers
-decide on a place to meet
-have your student check back in with the attendance office when the return to school

If you forget to send a note you can call the attendance office and your student can go down and obtain a pass.

Other attendance policies are outlined in the student planner on pages 7-13.
You can always call the office directly if you have any further questions:
328-5454

Conferences

Well we are one month into school and Fall conferences will be coming up this month.

Conferences

Mayo High School holds parent/student/teacher conferences twice a year, in the Fall and the Spring.
Conferences will be held on two different days this month, Monday, 10/13 & Thursday, 10/23 from 5-7pm.There are two types of conferences. One is semi-private in an arena style setting where all the teachers are in the cafeteria sitting at tables in alphabetical order by last name. You come in, locate the teacher that you would like to see first and wait for your turn, it is on a first come first served basis. You will have 5 minutes to visit with each teacher. It is great way to meet the individual teachers and check in and make sure your child is not having any issues with a class.
The other type of conference is by appointment. If needed, you will be notified by your students teacher in the next two weeks about scheduling an appointment for a specific time between 4-5pm on the scheduled conference days.These 10 minute conferences will also be in the cafeteria but will be less crowded allowing for more privacy and time allotted to visit with the teacher. These are usually scheduled when the teacher feels they need to speak to you about specific concerns about your child. ***If you are not contacted in advance just attend the open arena conferences.***

What to bring:

1-Bringing a copy of your students schedule with the subject, teachers name and hour to reference
2-It is very helpful when the student can attend and be an active participant in the conference
3-It is beneficial to look at Skyward for current grades and missing assignments prior to attending the   conference, in case you would have any concerns.
4-Any questions that you may have for the teacher.

It is also important to mention that if your child is struggling you don't need to wait until conferences to communicate with a teacher. All the teachers can be emailed through Skyward. You can also communicate with your child's guidance counselor. The one assigned to your child is listed on their schedule. The number to the Guidance office is 328-5570. If your child is struggling make these contacts right away so they can get the help they need as soon as possible. The work load in high school can be overwhelming and even the best students will occasionally need some help.

Dates to Remember
10/1-10/31 Winter Sports registration is open, to access use the "athletic" tab on the Mayo website or   go directly to <www.mayospartans.org>
10/8 7pm--Band Booster Club meeting in the band room
10/9 11:30am --Brown Bag Lunch meeting with Mr. Olson
10/13, 10/23--CONFERENCES-- 4-5pm appointment only, 5-7pm general arena conferences
10/15 9th grade testing--OLSAT
10/20 7pm--Booster Club meeting in the main office conference room.
10/28 7pm Band Concert
10/31 No Homework night

MHS Clubs for Students and Parents

A good way to meet new people, make friends and get involved is to join clubs.
(They also help round out the college applications!)
Mayo offers opportunities for both students and parents.

Opportunities for students:

There are a lot of opportunities so it is hard to keep all the postings up-to-date but this will give you a few good places to start looking for contact information:
1-under the "Activities" tab on the Mayo website which lists some of the clubs alphabetically
2-Stop by the office and pick up the "Clubs, Electives and Organizations" brochure
3-Informational flyers in the hallways, teacher's classrooms and during Spartan Scene
A few examples are:
Key Club- a school and community service club
Operation Hometown Gratitude
Mountain Bike Team
Science Olympiad
Southtown Singers
Spanish Club
Ukulele Society

Opportunites for parents are:

Band Boosters- for parents with children participating in band-- Contact Lynn Swensen <lynnswensen@msn.com>

Booster Club-supports all forms of school activities, including sports, clubs, arts, as well as building and improving on-site structures--contact Rika Essig <rika@essigfamily.com>

PTSA- Speaks out on behalf of MHS students and staff, and helps parents and teachers work together
--contact Kristin Sorenson <mayoptsa@gmail.com>

ViE-Volunteers in Education, MHS values parent involvement, and has many volunteer opportunities for those interested.  Contact Laurie Laudon <mayohsvie@gmail.com>

As always please feel free to comment on the blog --to post comments you need to go to the actual blog site at <http://mayoclassof2018.blogspot.com>
or email me with any questions and let me know if there are any topics that you would like me to cover.
Carolyn Sedlack <csedlack@charter.net>

Newsletter/PTSA/Winter Sports

I hope you had a chance to take advantage of the opportunity to meet the teachers at the open house.
If not you can always email them to ask any questions that you may have. You can usually find their email addresses on their home page on the Mayo website under Academics-- Department--Teachers name. FYI the school district is in the process of switching the format of the website so the teachers have not been able to update their sites since the middle of the summer, but you can access any information that was put in before then. The new system is scheduled to start on October 1st.

Newsletter
The September newsletter is available on the website under Quick Links--Parent Tab. This is put out monthly and contains a lot of useful information on what is happening at the school. You will usually receive a Skyward notice when the new issue has been posted.

PTSA
Another good resources to learn about what is happening at the school and to meet other parents is to attend the PTSA meetings.The principal Tom Olson usually attends and provides updates and is available to answer questions.You do not need to be a member to attend the meetings. The meetings are usually held the 3rd Monday at 6pm in the conference room in the main office every other month.
(this month it is the 4th Monday due to the Open House) On the alternating months PTSA sponsors a Brown Bag Lunch meeting usually on the 2nd Thursday at 11:30am. This meeting is usually a discussion with the principal about what is current at the school.

Winter Sports
Time to start thinking about whether your child would like to be involved in a winter sport?
Registration opens online on October 1st and goes through October 31st.
The season runs from approximately October 27th-March15th depending on the sport, be sure to inquire about your particular sport on <www.mayospartans.org> to find out exact starting dates. You need to be registered a least one week prior to the start date.
Choices for girls include: basketball, hockey, adaptive floor hockey, alpine skiing, gymnastics, cheer and dance line.
Choices for boys include: basketball, hockey, adaptive floor hockey, swimming/diving, wrestling and alpine skiing.
Nordic skiing registration will be separate since it is an "All City" sport and registration will be closer to November.

Dates to Remember
9/19 4pm--Homecoming Parade, 7pm--Football game
9/20 8-11:30pm--Homecoming Dance
9/22 6pm-- Mayo PTSA meeting, lg. conference room in main office
10/1-10/31  Winter sports registration is open
10/9  11:30am Brown Bag Lunch Meeting with Mr. Olson
10/13, 10/23 approximately 4-7pm Parent Teacher conferences in the cafeteria
10/15  9th grade testing--OLSAT

Mayo Open House/Homecoming/No Homework Nights

Curious about what your student's day is like at Mayo?
You can get a sneak peak by attending the "Open House" at Mayo on
Monday, September 15th from 6:30-8:30pm.

My advice would be to bring a copy of your students schedule that lists the order of the classes and classrooms.
You will get to experience following their schedule including bells and 5 minute passing times.
Each teacher will have about 10 minutes to share a brief presentation and answer a few questions before sending you to your next classroom. It is a great opportunity to meet the teacher and find out about the class and classroom policies.

It will be very beneficial to arrive a little early to the open house to grab a map and locate where all the classes are ahead of time.
Getting around.... Mayo High School is basically a big circle. On the first floor, the gymnasium is in the center of the circle, flanked by the auditorium towards the front of the building and the pool at the back end. Also within this inner circle are the music classrooms, locker rooms, planetarium and TV studio. On the outer circle of the first floor are the main office, the nurse's office, the guidance office, and the library to the right of the main entrance, and the cafeteria and kitchens to the left. There are also fine arts and industrial tech classrooms on the first floor. These classroom numbers begin with the number 1 (i.e.1-109)
Most classrooms are on the second floor and begin with the number 2 (i.e. 2-213). The second floor is divided into 3 concentric circles with room numbers 2-101 through 2-133 located on the outer circle and room numbers 2-202 through 2-260 in the inner two circles. Short hallways exist between the inner two circles and there are signs to help you choose the right one. An additional semi-circular section tacked onto the outside of the outer circle contains rooms 2-301 through 2-312.

Confused yet?? Don't worry you will figure it out, it will make more sense once you get there.

Friday, September 19th is Homecoming!
There is a lot of excitement at school that day, classes will be shortened and  students will attend the Pepfest and the coronation of the Homecoming King and Queen at 1pm.
There will be a parade down 16th Street from approximately the railroad tracks to the parking lot entrance of Mayo High School that starts at 4pm.
There will be tailgating with food and entertainment prior to the football game which is scheduled to start at 7pm that night against Northfield. This is a fun event for both parents and students to attend.
The Spartan Shack will be open at the stadium if you need to purchase any spirit wear.
Tickets to the game are $6 for adults and $4 for students/children. There are 5 and 10 event punch cards available for a reduced rate. Students can get in free of charge if they prepaid for a student yearly sports pass which would be stamped on the back of their ID card.
There is also a "Homecoming Dance" on Saturday night that will be held in the Mayo gym from 8:00-11:30pm. Tickets are $15 per person/$30 per couple. There has been an increase in price due to the selection of a more expensive DJ that the students requested. Tickets will be sold in the cafeteria during lunch next week. If students would like to bring a guest from another school they will need to fill out the form that is found on the Mayo High School Website under Quick Links/Student Tab/ Mayo High School Homecoming Dance 2014 and turn it in before Friday, September 19th.

Last but not least Mayo implemented a "No Homework" night once a month and this month it lands on 9/19 the night of the Homecoming Game. Each month there will be a different night where no homework is to be assigned allowing students to enjoy different events without the pressure of having to do homework. It also is a good time for parents to be able to schedule appointments or activities knowing that there will be no homework that night. They are listed in the calendar in your students planner.

Wow this one was long......... so much information to share! I hope it is helpful.
Please comment or email <csedlack@charter.net> with any questions.

Collaboration/Advisory and Schedule Changes

I hope students and parents have had a successful transition to high school. Please let me know if you have any questions by commenting on this blog, see below, since someone else will probably have the same question or you can email me directly Carolyn Sedlack <csedlack@charter.net>.

Rather than overload you with new information I am going to try and break it into small pieces each week in a timely manner. Please share any suggestions you may have since this is our first attempt at creating this blog.

Pearls of the week:
Collaboration/Advisory
If you look in the planner on pg. 5, you will see a Collaboration/Advisory Schedule which takes place  on Tuesdays. In order for the teachers to have a regularly scheduled time to meet, the students are not required to be at school until 8:10am on Tuesdays.
Buses will run at their normally scheduled time getting students to school at their regular time, where they can meet with friends or get homework done. Some students will take advantage of sleeping in and get a ride to school since they do not have to be there until 8:10.
They also have "Advisory" on Tuesdays right after 2nd hour for 15 minutes in their advisory class room. This is similar to a homeroom where they will receive hand outs and stay caught up with what is happening at Mayo. The advisory teacher and classroom are listed on their schedule, students will have the same advisory teacher all four years at Mayo.
With the later start time and advisory, classes are shortened on Tuesdays which is why there is a different time schedule listed.

Schedule Changes?
If your student needs to make a schedule change Monday, September 8th is the last day to add a class and the last day to drop is Monday, September 15th.  They will need to go to the guidance office and get an add/drop slip, fill it out and bring it back with a parent's signature (there will be parent volunteers sitting outside the guidance office to explain how to fill out the form) and submit it for review by the guidance department. Basic guidelines for schedule change requests are listed at the bottom of their schedule. Notification of schedule changes are posted outside of the guidance office and through Skyward.

Mark Your Calendar
9/10, 9/11   3:30-5:30pm--play auditions for fall musical in November see calendar in planner
9/15   6:30-8:30--Mayo Open House (more details to follow next week)
9/19, 9/20  Homecoming festivities (more details to follow next week)
9/22  6pm--Mayo PTA meeting in large conference room in main office

First Day of School

School for the freshman starts at 7:40am on Tuesday, September 2nd.
Only the freshman attend a full day of school on the first day. In the morning, they will be meeting with older students in "The Link Crew" for orientation  and participating in "getting acquainted" activities. All students including the upper class men then report to school for a lunch cookout, before attending shortened classes for the rest of the day.
The students can eat at the cookout by getting a ticket with their lunch pin number ( this number is on their schedule) which will be charged to their account. Please note that all students were issued new lunch pins this year. They also have the option of bringing in a bagged lunch from home. The PTA will be providing a dessert.

Welcome, school supplies

Introduction/School Supplies

Welcome to Mayo High School- Class of 2018
My name is Carolyn Sedlack, I have three children one just graduated Mayo this past Spring, one will be a senior this year and an incoming freshman. I am one of the parents that will be contributing to this blog. This blog is being created to ease the transition from middle school to high school for the parents and students. Please be sure to let us know if there are topics that you would like us to address, by simply using the comments section.

Here are today's pearls of wisdom:

There is no school supply list at the high school level.
The students usually only need pens, pencils, and a notebook and folder for each class.
The teachers will notify them on the first day of school of any other items that they may need.

Calculators??
From the newsletter...It is suggested that students in Geometry have a scientific calculator.
Students in Intermediate Algebra, Algebra 2, Math Analysis, Statistics, Math 4 College and Calculus will need a graphing calculator, a TI-84 or TI-84 Plus is suggested. Please refer to newsletter for further details, p. 11. (you can access the current newsletter on the Mayo website under the parent tab at the bottom of the home page)

Make a copy of your students schedule for future reference (it will be helpful at open houses and conferences) or you can always access it on Skyward.

Don't forget to read through the first 50 pages of the planner your student received at schedule pick up. It contains the contact numbers for Mayo High School,daily schedule times, school calendar with events marked and a lot of other useful information.

Welcome!

Welcome to this new adventure!  Whether this is your first child or you have lots of experience with students in high school, we hope that this online newsletter will help you.  A shout-out to MHS parent Dotti Loutfi, who did a tremendous amount of work a few years ago to pull together an Unofficial Guide to MHS.  We will use this guide as a resource to determine what information to share on this page.