THE PRINCIPAL'S NEWSLETTER

[SCHOOL YEAR 2005 - 2006]

NEWSLETTER # 1 -- 17 Sep 05

Kinnick High School-Yo-Hi Alumni,

Welcome to SY 2005 – 2006 at Nile C. Kinnick High School.  This has been an unusually busy and hectic opening, and I just haven’t had the time to go through the newsletter and cut and paste as I usually do.  I do hope, however, that you’ll enjoy the announcements exactly as they were sent to parents and students.

I think this is going to be a rebuilding year for football.  Our long-time coach, Robert Stovall, and assistant coach, Jim Davis, both received transfers to Europe.  We have a huge number of new students AND one of the largest turn outs ever for football.  Once they work as a team and get their act together,  they’ll be great, I think.  It may, though, be a “painful” year. J

Best to you all, and I’ll be in touch!

General Announcements

First of all, I want to apologize to all of you for not getting this limited-edition Student/Parent Newsletter out to you at the end of August for the KHS September news.  As you may have heard on “Commander’s Corner,” we have a new Student Management Computer System world-wide, and we haven’t received all of the reports, yet.  Therefore, we cannot import parent email addresses into an email distribution box.  We have been inputting the email addresses one at a time.   If you find other high school parents who have not received this newsletter, please pass on the information to them.  We hope to improve not only on the new Student Management System but on the number of email addresses we have in our distribution box within the next few days so that I can continue sending Kinnick information as I have done in the past.   For those of you who are not new to Kinnick, you know I’m in touch with all of you on a regular basis, so this situation is a bit unusual.  I know there is a good reason for this new computer system . . . there must be!  J

Master Calendar

Now, having said all of that, we, also, have a new Master Calendar.  It is crucial that you access this on a regular basis.  It’s easy to access.  I’m providing the links, student login, and student password information.   After you log on, you will click on SharePoint, and the Master Calendar will appear (if it isn’t already there).  You can see the entire year as you navigate from month to month.   As always, there will be changes throughout the year, so please keep this bookmarked so that you can get to it easily. 

http://login.kinnick.pac.dodea.edu    or

http://extranet.kinnick.pac.dodea.edu

Login name:  firstname.lastname

Password:      Last 4 of SSN

Open House

Right off the bat, we have a change for our annual Open House.  Instead of Thursday, September 15, we are having this event on Thursday, September 22, 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.  We do hope you will join us.  The agenda will be forthcoming.  We do hope to see you at our annual Open House.

Sayonara

As some of you may have noticed, we lost our Registrar, Ms. Michelle Penaranda, due to a PCS in August.  We will really miss Michelle and her efficiency.  Due to declining enrollment here at Kinnick, we were not able to replace Michelle; therefore, Mrs. Patty Huffer, Attendance Clerk, and Ms. Chiyuki Komiyama, Data Tech. will be assuming Michelle’s responsibilities.  Patty and Chiyuki (as well as our Minja) have been working hard, late into the evenings, to keep things moving forward.  J  We ask for your patience as we realign the duties of our front office staff as well as train them. 

School Pictures/Class Rings/Letter Jackets

School pictures are coming up on Thursday, September 8, and Friday, September 9.  Your teens know because it has been announced every day.  Packets were handed out in their English classes.  If you can volunteer to help out with students while they are having their pictures taken, please contact Ms. Mary VanDeventer by email at:

Mary.vandeventer@pac.dodea.edu

Our Josten’s Representative, Mr. Paul DeSantis, will be here during the week of September 22 – 23 to take class ring and letter jacket orders.  Information packets are available in the front office or from Ms. VanDe in Room 204.  Orders placed at this time should arrive before Thanksgiving.  Remember, you do not have to wait until your junior or senior year to order your ring or your jacket!    We’re hoping to have Mr. DeSantis available for our Open House.  If that is possible, I’ll send out a message letting you know.

School Bus Safety Information

In general, parents, please talk with your teens about safety when riding bikes AND when driving cars.  There are speed limits on base, and students need to be very aware of the speed limit in school zones!  When riding on the buses, students are expected to follow bus rules and to be polite and respectful of those around them. 

Home-to-Work Bus

Our teens are allowed to ride these buses on a space-available basis, meaning that adults going from home to work and vice versa have priority.  The expectation is that if adults get on the bus and there are no seats, students are expected to get up and give the seats to the adults.  Please communicate this to your teens.  (Besides, this is just good manners no matter where our teens are.)

Upcoming Events

Monday, September 12, 1:55 p.m. – 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony for KHS students and faculty; parents are invited

Monday, September 12, 4:00 p.m. – Boosters, Room 308 (Business Meeting begins at 3:30 p.m.)

Wednesday, September 14, 11:30 – 2:00 – SAC Training for principal, SAC Chairperson, SAC parent rep., SAC secretary, and teacher rep, only (Training to be held at Yokosuka Middle School); need parent representatives – Chairperson, Secretary, and Parent Rep

Monday, September 19, 3:30 p.m. – SAC (School Advisory Meeting, Room 308);

Thursday, September 22, 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. –  Annual KHS Open House, Little Theater

Friday, September 23 – Half-day In-Service for teachers; students dismissed at 11:15 a.m. 

Wednesday, September 28, 2:35 p.m. – CSI (Continuous School Improvement), Room 308 (Parents invited, please!!!)

The Fall Sports Calendar will be sent separately.

And . . . Back to School

The first day of school was Principal’s Spirit Day.  This is in addition to our Spirit (red) Fridays.  There will be three or four Principal’s Spirit Days each year, and the class that has the most students in red will receive ice cream treats after school within the week.  Our “Mighty Seniors” won this first competition.  In fact, the Junior Class (seniors, now) won all three competitions last year.  Please encourage your teens to wear their red on Fridays (and on Principal’s Spirit Day).

For those of you new to the Yokosuka community, please know that one of my goals is to have a student-oriented, effective school so that all students can be successful.   This goes right along with Goals 2 and 4 of our Community Strategic Plan.  One of the ways to accomplish that is to have strong, two-way communication.  Therefore, I have an open-door policy at all times, and I encourage all of you to come in for a visit and to communicate to me any concerns that you may have.   During the early mornings, I will be out on campus and in classrooms.  Should you need to see me or to talk to me, I would like to suggest calling or coming by mid-morning or early afternoon.  Please know, though, that you are always welcome!

Throughout this year, and as is always the case with high schools today, we will be facing many exciting challenges together as we move into the school year and continue with our Community Strategic Plan – high student achievement, an efficient management system, a highly motivated and diverse workforce, and stronger community partnership.   Our counselors will be sending information out to you soon giving our students’ test scores on the TerraNova, SAT, ACT, and other assessments in order to communicate and address our involvement and commitment to high student achievement. 

We will continue to work department by department to analyze test scores and teachers’ teaching strategies in order to continue improving these scores.  Simply put, our faculty here at Nile C. Kinnick High consists of outstanding teachers!  Many of our teachers were, again, attending workshops and seminars all over the world throughout the summer in order to expand their expertise in the curricular areas in which they teach.   I can say, for certain, that most teachers do attend school during the summer so that they can be the best for our students (your teens). 

We are continuing our School Improvement Plan (now called CSI – Continuous School Improvement). Continuous work on high student achievement through problem solving and reading comprehension will be at the forefront.  We feel that in addition to having two very strong goals, we are in keeping with Sullivan’s’ Elementary School and Yokosuka Middle School and can work as a complex on improving our students’ reading skills.  You will be hearing quite a bit this year from our CSI Leadership Team about our school improvement plan and how we’re progressing.  We have a very important data visit this year which is a part of our accreditation visit.   Additionally, we will be having in-service days to work on our CSI plan.  As always, you are invited to join us on these workdays.

We have fifteen (7) new teachers/staff members on board this school year!  They are as follows:

      Mr. Gary Boots                           Math

      Mr. Thomas Bugg                       French/Social Studies

      Mr. Gene Fendrick                     Information Specialist

      Mr. Ryan Goodfellow                Science

      Ms. Molly O’Donnell                  English

      Ms. Stephanie Rogstad               ESL

      Mr. Kyle Siftar                            Social Studies

I am very pleased to announce that we will have a new program that falls under our PTS (Professional Technical Studies) heading.  We will be offering a Culinary Arts program.  I have to thank Capt. Cornish for being instrumental in acquiring the industrial kitchen inside our Student Forum for our use.  Our Home Economics room is very old and outdated.  To convert it into an industrial kitchen would be extremely costly.  Some of our students have a definite interest in Culinary Arts as a career.  Mrs. Scherr, Culinary Arts teacher, attended very intense training this summer, working into the wee hours of the evening with fellow DoDDS' teachers.  

Mr. Mike Schoebinger, PPS Chairperson, and computer teacher, will be starting an advertising campaign for our PTS department.  We aren’t sure if parents are aware of all of the offerings we have and that we are now offering industry certification for many of the areas in our PTS Department, meaning that when students leave Kinnick, they will have a certified skill can continue training for a career or for a job prior to college, etc.

And, we are moving ahead in the areas of cosmetology, pre-engineering, robotics, LabVolt, auto mechanics, CISCO Networking, Microsoft certification, computer repair, and video classes just to name a few.

 We are still offering the Algebra/Geometry Support in conjunction with Algebra I and Geometry in order to provide math to these students on a daily basis.   The support classes are for elective credit only.  Parents whose teens have been selected to participate in these support classes have already received an introductory letter from me.  These are wonderful opportunities to help our teens improve and achieve.  We will, also, be offering a Math Lab this year for students who need help in Algebra II, Discrete Math, etc. 

We offer fourteen (14) AP classes and have, now added a combined 9^th grade honors English/World Regions in addition to the newly added (last year) combined 10^th grade honors English/World History for sophomores.  The honors classes will no longer be weighted; only AP classes.   However, please remember that to receive the weighted grade, our AP students must take the exam (which is now paid for by DoDDS). 

I will continue to keep you posted on our curriculum and all that is taking place academically at Kinnick.  We have a great high school with so much to offer to our students.

The faculty and staff at Kinnick High School have a true commitment to the education of the Nile C. Kinnick students.  We believe this can be achieved by setting clear expectations and by creating opportunities for parents to become active partners in what we do.  I encourage all of you to become involved and to make an individual commitment to making this the most successful school year ever.

Tari Wright, Principal

NEWSLETTER # 2 -- 1 Oct 05

Dear KHS/Yo-Hi Alumni,


Welcome, again, everyone to SY 2005 – 2006. Now with our “official” newsletter ready to go out, I feel like we’re back on track.

I would like for all of our alumni to know that we’re re-vamping our KHS official website, and it should be ready to go in about two more weeks. Mr. Mike Schoebinger, teacher extraordinaire and computer guru, is our new webmaster. He has done a great job. Also, there will be a link to the alum website.

We’re, also, opening Sparky’s Den, this year – our school store - where we hope to accumulate KHS t-shirts, shakers, spirit ribbons, etc. for student and alumni purchases. As soon as we open our store and get it stocked, I’ll let you know in case you’re interested in purchasing some KHS memorabilia.

As always, I thank you for your support and for keeping the wonderful Kinnick High/YoHi spirit alive!

And now to the October newsletter . . .

Once, again, I would like to thank all of our teachers, staff members, parents, and students for a very successful Open House on Thursday, September 22. I appreciated the very positive comments about the afternoon. I would like to extend a public thanks to our Student Council Officers and JROTC cadets and sponsors for their assistance at Open House. They all did a terrific job and worked hard to get schedules ready, food prepared, and hallways decorated – all to make Kinnick look good for you.

The month of October brings us to the mid-point of the first grading period. Progress Reports are due in on October 3 and will be mailed out around October 5. Parents, please talk with your sons and daughters regularly about their progress in school. Ask questions about their homework, projects, etc. If you have any concerns about their academic progress, please do not hesitate to contact Registrar Chiyuki Komiyama or Attendance Clerk, Patty Huffer, to make an appointment with the respective teachers and/or counselors.

Once again, I would like to take this opportunity to ask for your support with our dress code at Kinnick. I know that this probably sounds like a minor issue, but it really isn’t. We want our students to focus on their academics and course work, not clothes or lack of. Students are not to wear shower shoes (or anything that resemble shower shoes) to school. Accidents happen all too often with students wearing shower-type shoes. Students can very easily slip on wet stairs or pavements, etc. Also, the “teddy” lingerie tops are not appropriate for school. Please help us by not permitting your teens to wear these kinds of clothes to school. T-tops, bare midriffs, hip hugger pants, etc. are not permitted. We’re seeing lots of cleavage, bare tummies, and bottoms this year, and it isn’t appropriate for school. For boys, no bagging pants, t-shirts (underwear), and for all students, no t-shirts with inappropriate sayings. We have never allowed do-rags or bandannas of any kind. The dress code is spelled out in more detail in the Student-Parent Handbook which is in the front of your teen’s planner as well as on our Intranet. We have this dress code for safety as well as to help students maintain a focus on school and learning. Thank you for your help and assistance with our dress code.

We have added to our extra-curricular listing this year. Please encourage your teens to get involved in their high school. I have asked all of our students to let me know if there is some club or activity that they are interested in that we are not offering. In addition to what we offered last year, I have added (per our students): Children’s Coalition (a UNICEF organization), a KHS Dance Team, a KHS Step Team, three separate language clubs, and a GO Club. These are in addition to athletics, band, drama, student council, student newspaper, yearbook and all of the other offerings. As I often state, research shows that the more your teens are involved in school and the more involved you are in their education, the more successful your teens will be. We have so much to offer your teens here at Kinnick.

Please remember that if your teens’ absences are not cleared by the third day after their absences, your teens will receive an in-house suspension for truancy. You may clear absences by a phone call, by a note, or by an email. High school attendance is an enormous job. We need your assistance with this very important task.

I would, also, like to take this opportunity to ask for your support in limiting your vacations to the dates of our school vacations. There is a tremendous impact on student achievement when students miss a great deal of school. Our students need to be in school in order to achieve. Again, I would appreciate your support with this.

This year, Educators’ Day will be on Friday, October 14, at Zama American High School. For those of you new to the area, this is a day in which students are not in school and the rest of “go to school!” You are cordially invited to attend this wonderful event to see teachers teaching teachers. Come join us to learn more about our profession and enjoy what our outstanding teachers have to offer in terms of staff development. I will send out the workshop agenda as soon as I receive it.

We are constantly striving for excellence in many areas. Please do not hesitate to let us know how we can better serve you and your teens. And, as always, we appreciate your support.

Tari Wright, Principal

NEWSLETTER # 3 -- 8 Nov 05

Dear Yo-Hi/Kinnick Alumni,

Friday, October 28, 2005, was Homecoming. We played our arch-rivals, the Yokota Panthers. There is no getting around it – they have a good football team. Even though they beat us pretty badly, we did score three touchdowns against them which was a first for any team. We were so excited; the kids were elated. And, as I always say, I’ll take our KHS kids any day! My heartfelt thanks to our teams, to the various classes, Student Council, NJROTC, our KHS Band and Show Choir, and to our supportive parents who helped make this event possible. Homecoming always takes weeks of planning and is a huge event. Our students (and sponsors) worked so hard to make Kinnick shine. I can never thank them enough for all that they do. I have pictures of Homecoming which I’ll get to the alumni website this weekend.

We’re finishing up our Fall Sports Season and will soon be starting the Winter Sports Season. Thanks to the coaches, students, and parents for making this Fall Sports Season a terrific one. Our students have done well, and continue to exhibit a tremendous amount of spirit, determination, fun, good sportsmanship, and integrity. I deeply appreciate all of the hard work of all of the coaches who work with our student athletes. They spend hours with our students. And, now, we’re moving on to wrestling, cheerleading, and basketball. Cheerleading is a part of almost all of the seasons and is now revving up for the winter sports. I think we have one of the best cheerleading squads we’ve ever had. They are a truly talented group of girls AND boys this year. Their stunts are scary to me, but cheerleading is quite different than when I was in school. The boys on our squad help tremendously with the stunts (which make me very nervous)!! They are all to be commended for bringing spirit, energy, fun, excitement, dedication, and endless hours of practice to every, single event. Far East Tournaments are going on, and we always wish our students well in these competitions. Volleyball is in Korea, Cross Country is in Japan; Tennis is in Guam; Cheer is in Japan, and Journalism is traveling to Okinawa.

I, also, want to commend our NJROTC cadets and leaders for their continued support of the school. They are at almost every event, looking sharp, and representing us all so well. Show Choir is continuing with their superb performances as are our band students. Their presence at our games continues to add a whole new dimension to the fun and spirit. With our declining enrollment, our band is smaller, but I do appreciate their dedication and hours of practice.

In addition to the above, and because we know that involvement in school activities is important to the development of our students and to their overall success in school, we, also, offer the following activities: Japanese Club, French Club, Spanish Club, Go Club, Kinnick Community Service Club (KICS), a newly formed KHS Step Team, a newly formed KHS Dance Team, KTV Club, and Fine Arts/Photography Club, Children’s Aid Coalition Club, Film Club, Billiards Club, JROTC Armed Drill Team, JROTC Unarmed Drill Team, Color Guard, Honor Guard, and more. The teachers who sponsor these organizations work hard to ensure that your teens enjoy many fun events and still contribute to our community.

I always like to mention that I think any member of our community would be impressed with the involvement of our students. One needs only to stop by the high school on any given afternoon to see the many students involved in the many activities that are offered. I always enjoy saying, "This place never closes down." It takes a group of very dedicated teachers and sponsors to make these things happen.

We are continuing to make progress on our School Improvement Plan goals – reading comprehension and problem solving. This is an extremely important year for us because we have our Data visit in the February time frame. This visit determines our school accreditation. Thanks go to our CSI Chairs: Phil Ulmer and Stephanie Richardson and Co-Chairs: Scott Andrews and Gary Boots for all of their hard work. We continue to receive rave reviews for our Continuous School Improvement initiatives, and it is due to their leadership and hard work. I sincerely appreciate our teachers’ involvement and willingness to go the extra mile to ensure highest student achievement.

We want you to know that we have a new website. The address is the same, but the site has been completely redesigned. Mike Schoebinger has done a tremendous job as our new website sponsor. http://www.kinnick-hs.pac.dodea.edu/beta/

Tari Wright, Principal

NEWSLETTER # 4 -- 16 Jan 2006

Dear Yo-Hi/KHS Alumni,

I apologize for getting this December/January newsletter to you so late this year. I had intended getting it out prior to our Winter Break; however, I took some days off prior to the Break and didn’t get this out to you. I hope all of you had a great Christmas/holiday.

As always, we combined our December/January Newsletter and won’t be sending another one until the end of January.

Semester Exams will be the week of January 23 with normal release times of 2:20 p.m. However, on Thursday, January 26, there will be a half day of school for students; release time is 10:05 a.m. with buses leaving at 10:15 a.m. Friday, January 27, is a Teacher Workday, no school for students. Second semester begins on Monday, January 30, 2006!

On Wednesday, February 15, we will have our last Parent Conference day for the school year. The schedule will be the same as the November schedule in that we will have only a half day, and students will be released at 11:00 a.m. We will be requiring parents of seniors, not on track to graduate, to meet with the respective teachers and the senior counselor. Those seniors in danger of not graduating are being requested to attend our After-School Study Program, Wednesdays, 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., Information Center, beginning in January. (This program is for all students but is especially requested for any senior with an “F”). Parents of seniors, we need your help to keep our seniors on track!

Math Matters is the DoDEA theme, again, this year. Last year, Kinnick hosted a Math Symposium for all high school math teachers on the Kanto Plain. All principals and math teachers are continuing to receive valuable training in order to establish some best practices in math. However, the push for a standards-based education (SBE) is on going. I am including, again, some information about SBE, how to lead towards an SBE school, and how the SBE classroom looks (as opposed to the non-SBE classroom). This is very important in our school and important in how we “do business.” Some examples are as follows:

   CURRICULUM

I am very committed to moving our teachers “forward” with respect to SBE. We now have current standards for all of our subject areas, and all teachers have received binders with those standards so that they’re easily accessible. Additionally, all standards are located on our DoDEA website.

At our recent DoDDS Pacific Principals’ Conference, we spent almost the entire conference on technology - computers, SmartBoards, graphing calculators, science probes . . . learning about and putting into practice all of the new technology available to our teachers and students. It was the best conference I have ever attended – hands-on activities the entire week. Our students, your teens, are technology savvy, and we’re going to have to change how we teach if we’re going to “capture” our students. It is imperative that those of us in the teaching profession keep current on technology and how our students learn best. That will be the thrust of all future training. It is inspiring, fun, and sometimes bewildering. We must persevere if we’re going to keep up with and get ahead of our students.

I would like to congratulate all of our fall sports participants. We had a great season with stellar performances by all of our student athletes. Thanks to football, tennis, cross-country, volleyball, and cheer for a terrific season. Special kudos to our new cheerleading squad. The “guys” are a welcome addition, and we did very well at Far East. Tennis had a spectacular season, and our football players were awesome in scoring three touchdowns against . . . the Panthers at our Homecoming! We’ll get ‘em next year!!! And, volleyball had some terrific games against our very competitive international schools! Our coaches spend hours and hours with your teens to ensure that they play hard but that they, also, learn/maintain the traits of honesty, integrity, and good sportsmanship. Very important!

With respect to other activities, our choir continues to shine! Not only are they asked to perform at numerous base functions, but we have six participants selected to participate in the upcoming Honor Choir Festival. This is more than any other school! Thanks to Mr. Ulmer for giving our students free private voice lessons! Our students performed exceptionally well and received terrific accolades from judges at their competition last week. NJROTC continues to grow and represent Kinnick well. We are continually thankful to all of our cadets for their hours and hours of hard work. Individual clubs such as the Japanese Club, French Club, Spanish Club, Children’s Aid Coalition Club, Go Club, Film Club, etc. are, also, going full speed! (And, there are more!)

We will be hosting two Far East events this year: Far East Speech and Drama and Far East Wrestling. These Far East events will bring around 200 teens (for each event) from all over the Pacific to Kinnick for these competitions. These are huge events and will need the help of the base, in general, to make them successful! The events are back to back and will be in February. You’ll be receiving more information about these events! In addition to these two events, we are hosting the Kanto Plain Association of Secondary School Principals (KPASSP) Math Field Day for our Kanto Plain DoDDS schools and our international schools, and we’ll continue to host our annual Beast of the East Wrestling Invitational in January. Whew!

Now, we have begun our winter sports season: wrestling, girls’ basketball, and boys’ basketball. For those of you who are new to us, we have four basketball teams – varsity and JV for both boys and girls. NJROTC is getting ready for their leadership mini boot camp at Mt. Fuji. Drama and choir are starting rehearsal for our spring musical, MY FAIR LADY. Our students work so hard and are very talented! They need everyone’s support. All events are on our Master Calendar located on the Intranet. The links are always provided in this student/parent newsletter.

I am continually amazed at the energy, tireless dedication, and commitment of the high school teachers. They are a great group and work hard for your teens.

And, as always, I thank you for your support. It truly takes all of you (teachers, parents, and our terrific teens) to make a high school work. I sincerely appreciate each and every one of you.

We at Nile C. Kinnick High School wish you, your families, and friends a wonderful holiday season and a very Happy New Year!


Tari Wright, Principal

NEWSLETTER # 5 -- 12 Feb 2006

Dear Yo-Hi/Kinnick Alumni,

Here we are - already at the second semester! I don’t where the time has gone, but we’re on the down swing to the end of another school year! Semester Exams are over, and Second Semester has, once, again, started with the usual excitement among the students. I always see this as a fresh start for students and a time to buckle down even more as we head towards the end of another school year! Students are enjoying talking about their new schedules, and there is a sense of urgency as we begin this second and last semester of the school year. Graduation will be here before we know it! And, in case you were wondering, we will be having our KHS Graduation at the Yokosuka Theater. It is a beautiful and elegant location and one that is easy for us. The Theater enjoys having the Kinnick High School graduation there, and they keep our plans from year to year, so it is all very organized and easy to do. We’ll keep trying for the USS KITTY HAWK. That is the most special.

Speaking of graduation and our seniors, I, again, want our senior parents to know how very much I’m enjoying my “Senior Interviews.” I conduct a few every day or so, and am enjoying this group of upper classmen. I treasure our talks and honestly seek information from them as to how we can improve our high school. We, also, talk about goals and post-high school plans; I want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to make this year a successful one. Additionally, I’m asking our seniors for some lasting memories of Kinnick, and these memories will become part of my farewell to our seniors at graduation. If you happen to hear your seniors talking about their Senior Interviews, you know what’s going on.

This is an important time, as well, for me to ask all parents (but especially our parents of seniors) to ensure that your teens are focused on school. There is no reason in the world why every single student cannot graduate. Yet, I have some seniors who are just not working – not turning in work, skipping school, coming late to school, etc. Please help us by being involved in your teen’s high school education.

This was a very important year for us with respect to our School Improvement Plan and accreditation. There have been many changes in how schools are monitored for accreditation. This is the first year that accreditation will be determined by data collected on school improvement assessments. In the past, accreditation was determined solely by a week-long school visit by a team of stateside North Central Association augmenters and administrators who examine every facet of the school to include school improvement. We will still have that visit during SY 2007 – 2008; however, the Data Visit (also, called the Documentation Visit) determines accreditation.

On Tuesday, January 24, 2006, we had our Data/Documentation Visit. I am so pleased to report that we passed with flying colors. We are now accredited for the next five years. There is always room for improvement (called next steps), but ours, really, are minimal and deal mostly with next procedures for a new cycle. We were noted as an exemplary high school and many best practices were mentioned such as our learning communities and Junior CSI (students involved in school improvement). I sincerely thank all stakeholders: you, our teachers, our students, and our staff members. No one person or group can do this alone.

I would like to make a plea, again, about long absences from school. I know you hear this from me in almost every newsletter. However, it is my personal belief, as well as the belief of the KHS teachers, that students cannot achieve if they are not in school. We are provided with many breaks throughout the school year. Please plan your vacations during those breaks. We are trying to raise student achievement, and we need a solid commitment from each and every one of you that you are dedicated to and supportive of our mission – not just in words but in actions.

And speaking of absences from school, we really do go out of our way to communicate with parents. I do know that teachers are in touch with parents on a regular basis. If you need to get in touch with a particular teacher, though, and haven’t been able to do so, please let us know. Please, please, please know what your teens are doing in their classes. This is important for all of our teens but especially for our seniors. Some of our seniors are in danger of not graduating. We need you, parents of seniors, to monitor your teens’ work – it is crucial! Believe me, there is nothing worse than getting right down to the end of the year and having your teen not graduate. And, it happens. So, please double check with your teen’s teachers and counselors to ensure that your teen is on track for graduation.

Our Winter Extra-Curricular Program brings many Far East events as well as many Kanto Plains Association of Secondary School Principals (KPASSP) events. These KPASSP events are with our DoDDS and Kanto Plain international schools. Please check our school calendar for all events. They are numerous. As stated in an earlier email, we are hosting two major Far East events this year: Far East Speech and Drama – February 6 – 10, and Far East Wrestling – February 16 – 18. Please feel free to come and observe some of these events. The Speech and Drama will be in various locations, and we’ll send out that information as the time gets closer. The Wrestling will be at Thew Gym starting on the 16th.

It isn’t too early to start talking about/preparing for/gearing up for our TerraNova tests, which will be the second week in March. Please stress to your teens the importance of these tests. We’ve been trying to put many things in place to help your teens achieve such as department-wide initiatives focusing on areas of weakness, EBAT (Educational/Behavior Assistance Team), our After-School Study Program, our Kinnick Achievement Center to name a few. We need your support, also, though. Our students need to take these tests seriously. I am proud to report that we all pushed extra hard on the PSAT this year, and we saw an increase in student scores! We’re proud of all students who took the PSAT.

Remember our doors are always open to you. If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you, as always, for your support.


Tari Wright, Principal

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT -- 12 Feb 2006

Dear Yo Hi/Kinnick Alumni,

I would like for all of you to know that I will be retiring at the end of this school year. I'm very excited about it and ready to start a new chapter of my life.

I've been in education for 32 years, 22 overseas with the Department of Defense. These years have been wonderful, rewarding, and at times challenging. I have to say, though, that my years here at Kinnick will have been the best of my career. My father was a Navy man, so there has always been a special connection to the Navy. But of course, it's much more than that. We just happen to have the best kids in all of DoDDS and that's, of course, because of you.

Also, you have provided me with so many wonderful opportunities and experiences - things I could never have done in the US of A. How many principals can say that they have held their graduation aboard an aircraft carrier - the USS KITTY HAWK? That is just one of many, many memories that I'll have with me forever.

Your teens, my charges, have enriched my life tremendously. They are, also, "my kids" as most of you know. It is going to be very difficult to say goodbye to "my kids." Actually, it will be hard to say goodbye to all of you at the end of the year. I thank you for an amazing "tour" to Yokosuka, and I will be forever grateful to you for your never-ending support and kindness.

Tari

Tari Wright, Principal
Nile C. Kinnick High School
"Striving for Excellence"

NEWSLETTER # 6 -- 11 Mar 2006

Dear Yo-Hi/ Kinnick Alumni:

It’s very hard for me to believe that spring is almost here and that we’re on our way to the end of another school year! Although the entire school year is busy, spring gets particularly hectic. Please remember to check the school calendars so that you are aware of the many activities taking place. In this month's newsletter, I would like to focus on some especially important items.

TerraNova Test of Multiple Assessments The TerraNova will be given March 14, 15, 16. Mrs. Verdelle Joyner is our Assessment Coordinator and is working very hard in getting the test coordination accomplished. She will be sending more specific information to you very soon. Please assist us by ensuring that your teens are focused and ready to take these assessments. We are fully aware that there are many ways in which to assess our students in order to determine what they know; however, the TerraNova results are a central focus on student achievement, and we want our students to take these tests seriously and do their very best on them. We need your help to communicate this to your teens.

Additional Testing In order to have more than one way of assessing our students’ achievement, we will be conducting several additional assessments. Please take a look at the below schedule and respective grades. The dates for CAPA and the end-of-course exams are testing “windows.”

Progress Reports Progress grades from this point on will be posted on our Intranet (SharePoint). We will mail home only the semester report cards. Please continue to check on-line for your teen’s grades. You will note on the April calendar that the end of this third quarter is Thursday, April 6; Teacher Workday, April 7; and the 4th and last quarter of the school year begins on Monday, April 17! (Spring Break is late this year – April 10 – 14.) Please help your teens remain focused on their academics and achievement.

CSI (Continuous School Improvement) In-services We continue to stay very busy with school improvement. All teachers are involved in committees, working on our goals of problem solving and reading comprehension. I want you all to remember that we welcome you at any of our SILT meetings that are advertised on our calendars. Please see the below listed CSI Half-day in-services: There will be one additional CSI half-day. Please make note of this date:

    Friday, May 19 – Half-day SIP in-service; students dismissed at 11:05

We will be selecting new goals and interventions next school year as we have now completed this school improvement cycle. There will be no more cycles so to speak; there will be continuous re-evaluations of goals and interventions, and of course, the data!
   
AMI JROTC Inspection We had our annual JROTC inspection a bit earlier this school year – Tuesday, February 28. The students did very well as they always do. They are an outstanding group of individuals who can be seen practicing their drills on the courtyard late into the evenings. Thanks to CDR Mode and PO Hasan for their tireless dedication to our cadets. In addition to our annual invitation to the Black Ship Festival in Shimoda in May, our cadets have been invited to participate, again, in a St. Patrick’s Day Parade, hosted by the city of Yokohama, later on this month. We are all very proud of our NJROTC students at Kinnick.

Spring Drama Production Don’t forget that MY FAIR LADY will be March 30 – April 2. The dinner show will be on Saturday, April 1. And, for the first time, we will have a Sunday matinee. Stay tuned for advertisements on our spring musical. Rehearsals started quite awhile ago and will continue throughout the next month!

Congratulations!!! Congratulations to the Kinnick High School Red Devil Basketball Team, Red Devil ladies Basketball team, and the Red Devil Wrestling Team for their accomplishments during the Winter Sports Season. They’ve all played hard/wrestled hard throughout the season. Our Wrestling Team took second in the Individual Match and third in the Dual Match. Kadena High, from Okinawa, took first. I’ve already written the Kadena principal and coach to let them know that we’ll be working hard next year to beat them. And, we will!!! Our Boys’ Basketball team took 7th, and the Girls’ Basketball team took 5th. I am always proud of the good sportsmanship and integrity that our student athletes display!

Once, again, I commend our coaches and all activity sponsors for all of the endless hours that they spend with our students. They go above and beyond the hours of their contracts and truly are a dedicated bunch of professionals – committed to doing the best for your teens.

Meetings and tryouts for our spring sports (baseball, soccer, and track) have just started. There is our sports program as well as many other activities in which your teens can be involved. Please encourage your teens to get involved in school. It makes a tremendous difference in grades and attitude.

Remember our doors are always open to you. If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Tari Wright, Principal

NEWSLETTER # 7 -- 4 Apr 2006

Dear Yo-Hi/Kinnick Alumni:

Tari Wright, Principal

NEWSLETTER # 8 -- 1 MAY 2006

Dear Yo-Hi, Kinnick Alumni,

As most of you know, I had the most wonderful surprise on Thursday of last week. Dr. Jim Massey paid me a visit at school and presented me with so many lovely messages, cards, flowers, and a gorgeous Coach purse. I can’t begin to thank you enough for your generosity and kindness. It was a treat meeting Jim – what a talented individual! It’s hard to put into words what this meeting and presentation meant to me. I can never thank you enough for your warmth and kindness. I love keeping in touch and sending these newsletters. I just wish I had started it my first year at Kinnick; however, first years anywhere are a mystery, right? And, it takes a while to understand all of the details and complexities that make up a school. Regardless, I thank you for your support, kindness, generosity, and for the love of our wonderful Yo-Hi/Kinnick High School!

And, on to school business . . .

It’s hard to believe that our Spring Break is over, and we are now ready to “wind up” for the end of the school year. I know I always say this, but as other schools really are beginning to wind down, high schools are winding up. I really think this is the busiest time of the year. I believe all of our students had a good Spring Break and are now ready to focus on the many end-of-year activities as well as finals which will be here before we know it.

Also, this is our next to the last newsletter for this school year. I, also, cannot believe the year is almost over! As always, this is a time of reflection as to this tremendous, as well as very busy, school year and all that has been accomplished and all that is left to do. I feel so very fortunate to have had such terrific students, supportive parents, and a very dedicated, hard-working, and extremely professional teaching staff.

Some reminders as the year draws to an end:

Parents of seniors: I have some very serious concerns about the fact that some of our seniors may not graduate this year. This is our smallest graduating class since I started at Kinnick six years ago, and we have the largest number of seniors in danger of not graduating. Some students are simply not attending school. As you know, there is a base regulation that stipulates that all dependents must attend school. Other students are simply are not turning in class work. I have asked Mrs. Joyner, Senior Counselor, to schedule mandatory meetings for these parents and students with me in the next week so that we can discuss the problems and what we’re all going to do in order to ensure that these kids graduate. There is no excuse in the world for kids not to be in school or for kids not to be turning in class work – especially at this late date. Also, parents, that correspondence work must be completed and turned in by May 1. If your teen is not on track with correspondence courses, please let Mrs. Joyner know immediately.

Updated Calendar: Please be certain to frequently check the school calendar that is posted on our Intranet. As you know, that address/link is always in the newsletter. There is so much going on during this time of the year that we want to be sure to keep you up-to-date on everything. If you take a peek at next year’s master calendar, you’ll see that it is already packed! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call. We are trying very hard to keep you informed. Also, please spread the word to all Kinnick High School parents that we need current email addresses on everyone. This is part of the registration packet.

Re-registration: This is a reminder that every single student who is currently enrolled and planning on attending Kinnick High School next school year must be re-registered before next school year. Students who have not been re-registered will not be given a SY2006-2007 schedule of classes. This is a mandatory DoDEA procedure. Ms. Chiyuki Komiyama, Data Technician, and Mr. Divino Ranada, Kinnick High School Registrar, are committed to making this an easy and simple process for you. Please make sure your teens have been re-registered. Mr. Ranada can be reached at 243-7393.

Dress Code: Please remember that we do, indeed, have a dress code. We do not want to see females in short shorts and t-tops. Please help us with this. Our male students may not wear undershirts without shirts over them. I have seen many students wearing “shower shoes,” the rubber flip-flops as well as the shower shoes that have a Velcro strap across the top. These shoes are unacceptable. This is a safety concern especially during inclement weather when the stairs become slippery. Please assist us with this.

Early Departure/Withdrawal: Please remember that permission for the Early Departure program is for PCS moves only. All other students must remain in school for the remainder of the semester or take grades-to-date. Please refer to the Student/Parent Handbook (in your teens’ planners as well as on the Intranet) for specifics about this DoDDS policy.

Graduation: This is a very exciting part of the school year, as you know. We will be having our ceremony at the Yokosuka Theater this year on Thursday, June 15. The Yokosuka Theater, near the base and attached to the Prince Hotel, is a beautiful facility. This will be the fourth year that we have held graduation there. We will continue to try for the KITTY HAWK every year. That is always our first choice. This year, we are very fortunate to have Mr. Bruce Derr, Japan District Superintendent of Schools, as our guest speaker.

Final Exam Schedule: This will be sent to you within the couple of weeks via a separate attachment. I’ll be finalizing the schedule this week. This is a very intense time for our students, especially seniors. Please help us by ensuring that your teens are preparing for their exams and making them a priority.

Facilities Update: This summer, the final phase of the HVAC renovation will take place in the Band Room, Little Theater, and Vocational Technology Building. Additionally, the old “A” Building (as we called it) behind our main classroom building by the Chapel of Hope will be demolished this summer. We’re thankful that this didn’t take place during school due to the noise and commotion that the demolition process will cause.

Junior/Senior Prom: We’re all set for the Prom! Mrs. Ryan Goris and the Junior Class have been working diligently to get things ready. They’ve had numerous fundraisers in order to pay for everything. The decorations have arrived, rooms for families and chaperones have been reserved, and the evening has been planned. Once, again, our prom will be at the New Sanno, and will be held on Saturday, May 6. Please know that we are responsible for your teens during the prom. You must assume responsibility for them afterwards. Please know where they are at all times.

Things are really gearing up at Kinnick! Banquets, balls, awards assemblies, and Yo-Hi Day are coming up. Please check calendars and stay tuned.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support, and do not ever hesitate to contact me if you have questions or concerns. We are here to serve you and to make Nile C. Kinnick High School the very best for each and every student.

           
Tari Wright, Principal

NEWSLETTER # 9 -- JUNE 2006

Dear Yo-Hi/Kinnick Alumni:

With the school year almost over, I would like to, again, thank you for your kindness and support this school year. I have been so lucky and feel so honored to have not only had a visit by one of our alumni but was also a recipient of some very lovely retirement “presentos.” Thank all of you for keeping in touch and for your love of Yo-Hi! What a wonderful school, history, and, of course, those traditions that are still so strong!

My last letter to the community:

We, the Nile C. Kinnick High School faculty, staff, administrators, and students have sincerely appreciated the community involvement in so many of our initiatives and endeavors. Your words of support and encouragement throughout the year have been deeply and sincerely appreciated.

SAYONARA: With the end of the school year come many changes for the following school year. We will be bidding sayonara to the following Nile C. Kinnick High School teachers and staff members:

   
These staff members will be heading off to many different locations . . . most will be teaching at other schools within DoDDS or returning to the US of A, and Mr. Headley and Mr. Myers will be retiring. We will miss them all. Wherever their paths take them, they will be missed at Kinnick High School. We thank them all for their hard work, their devotion to students and to Kinnick High, and for their never-ending support.

Sayonara, also, to our community members who are leaving us. You know who you are. We can't thank you enough for all that you have done to make Kinnick High School a better school. Please don't lose touch.

NEW TEACHERS AND CURRENT PROGRAMS: I am currently interviewing prospective teachers and hope to have this very important task accomplished before I leave for good on July 8. The new principal will keep you posted as to the names and teaching assignments of our new teachers.

As you can see from the individuals leaving, there is much to do with respect to staffing. We lost three teaching positions, one counseling position, and another secretarial slot for this upcoming school year; however, we’ll still be okay with respect to our pupil/teacher ratio (PTR). We will continue our algebra, geometry, English Language Arts, and Read 180 support labs. We will, also, continue building our Culinary Arts program, and as I mentioned earlier, we won’t offer Cosmetology next school year. We hope to have an after-school club and thing bring Cosmetology back on board at a later date. As always, I won’t know how all of the staffing will work out until we finish the master schedule and see exactly what classes students have signed up for. Our first objective is to honor as many student requests as possible; we call this a student-generated schedule.

GRADUATION: Graduation for the Class of 2006 will be on Thursday, June 15, 2006, 1700, at the Yokosuka Arts Theater (next to the Prince Hotel) – within walking distance from the base. All guests must have tickets. Mrs. Paula Fielder and Mrs. Verdelle Joyner, Senior Class Sponsors, are the POC’s for tickets, and they will be happy to answer any questions you may have about graduation. Their email addresses are:

        paula.fielder@pac.dodea.edu

        verdelle.joyner@pac.dodea.edu

REGISTRATION: Every student must be re-registered each year. If you have not completed this process, please do so as soon as possible. Just because you went through our on-line course registration/selection process earlier does not mean your teens are registered. The course selection process and the re-registration process are two different things altogether. The re-registration process takes about five - ten minutes. All students must be registered or re-registered if they want a 2006 – 2007 schedule of classes. If you have any questions, please call Mr. Divino Ranada, Registrar at 243-7392. Mr. Ranada’s email address is:

        divino.ranada@pac.dodea.edu

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL: We thought you would want to know that the first day of school for next school year is Tuesday, August 29, 2006. More detailed information about next year will be sent to you in early August.

NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION: There will be a KHS New Student Orientation sponsored by the Nile C. Kinnick Student Council on Tuesday, August 22, 1100 in the Little Theater. We will make certain that more information about the orientation is out in advance. Please pass this information on to new high school community members as they arrive at Yokosuka.

NEW PARENT ORIENTATION: There will, also, be a KHS New Parent Orientation on Tuesday, August 22, at 1630, in the Little Theater. This is for all parents of high school students who are brand new to Yokosuka, and not, necessarily, for the parents of incoming 9th graders who have been living here for a while.

OPEN HOUSE: Our SY 2006 - 2007 Open House will be on Thursday, September 14, 2006, 1630, Little Theater. Please mark your calendars accordingly. The plan for the evening will be a brief welcome by your new principal in the Little Theater, an introduction of our new teachers, and then parents and students will be free to visit classes of their choice. Teachers will have handouts and talk, in general, about classroom expectations.

UPDATED CALENDAR: Please, please, please remember to access our school Intranet for the current Master Calendar, student bulletins, and a wealth of school information. The links to our Intranet are always featured in this electronic student/parent newsletter (towards the end). You will, also, receive an early – mid August newsletter giving updates on the beginning of the new school year.

If you want to email me about the newsletter, or anything else in particular, please do so at my email address on the front page of this newsletter. It is imperative that we have your correct and preferred email addresses. If you have fellow Kinnick parents who are not receiving messages, please remind them to give us correct email addresses. We really want our newsletters (and numerous other messages that I send out) to reach everyone.

And, so . . . this is my last official KHS Student/Parent Newsletter. Oh, my gosh! It is so hard to believe that I won’t be here next year. I have to say that it has been such an honor for me to be the principal of Nile C. Kinnick High School and a part of this community. Your wonderful teens, the many terrific experiences afforded me in this position, your friendship and support – are all things that I will remember and treasure forever. You know that your kids have been my kids. I have truly enjoyed every single one of them! I hope their experiences at
Kinnick – and yours – have been what you wanted and expected. This school year has, again, been wonderful in so many ways. As always, I thank you for your support and for your kindness. I feel so very fortunate to have had the best students in the world - students who are kind and caring and who have made my years here very special. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Fair winds and following seas to you all.

      
Tari Wright, Principal