Dear Mohonasen Families,
We are so close to the end! As we inch closer to the end of the school year, I wanted to share some reminders and updated information.
June 4, Regents Exam and Regular School day
Tuesday, June 4 is the date of the administration of the new Regents exam in Algebra. Any student enrolled in Algebra (Algebra R, Algebra Rx, Algebra Rl, Algebra Re) will be taking this exam on June 4. As such, those students (primarily all students in grade 9) will NOT have regular classes that day. For anyone taking the exam, they will arrive to school, take the exam, and then be dismissed. We will have mid day buses to take students home. All other students (those primarily in grades 10-12) will have a regular school day.
Last Day of Classes
The last day of classes for seniors is June 11. The last day of classes for students in grades 9-11 is June 12.
In Class Final Exams
In many cases students will be expected to take final exams within their classes during the last several days of school. For seniors these days are June 6-11, and for underclassmen they are June 7-12.
Senior Send Off
Senior Send Off takes place on June 12, for seniors only. Details will be shared with seniors and their families but events include walking through the other school buildings in cap and gown, a breakfast reception, completing the senior mural, signing yearbooks, and more.
Commencement
Our commencement exercises are scheduled for June 26, at 2 p.m., at Proctors Theatre. Graduating seniors will need to be sure to resolve any outstanding fees and return all school-issued items in order to collect their diplomas. More details about our commencement exercises will be shared soon.
Regents Exams and Lab Requirements
As we get closer to end-of-year exams, please be reminded that satisfactory Regents exam scores are required by New York State for graduation. While there remain multiple pathways to a diploma, students are generally required to pass five Regents exams: Global History, US History, English Language Arts, one Mathematics (usually Algebra), and one science (usually Living Environment). Students enrolled in other courses that terminate in Regents exams are required to take those exams as well. For science courses, New York State requires satisfactory completion of labs in order to take the requisite exam. If your child is enrolled in a Regents Science course (particularly Living Environment), please make sure they are on track to successfully complete the lab requirement. Students not meeting the lab requirement will not be permitted to take the required Regents exam, nor attend summer school, and thus will have to repeat the course next school year.
Regents and Local Exam Days
A more detailed schedule will be shared in the coming days, but local exams are scheduled for June 13, and Regents exams begin on June 14, and run until June 25. On these days, only students taking exams are permitted in the building(s). Our security protocols on those days involve procedures to ensure that students do not have cell phones as they are prohibited in testing locations by New York State. Similarly, no backpacks, bags or other electronic devices are permitted into the building on those days.
School Attendance
Please know that regardless of the reason (excused or unexcused), absences from school are still counted as such. This is different from perhaps when you or I were in high school, when only unexcused absences were counted. When New York State measures what is considered “chronic absenteeism” they are including all days/times children are not in attendance. Chronic absenteeism is a concern at Mohonasen, but also nationwide.
New(er) Security Protocols
We are still planning a shift to requiring all students to display school IDs, starting in the fall. First, we are making sure we have the infrastructure in place to quickly and easily create new IDs. As a good first step, please ask your child if they have their ID or help them to locate it. Before we make the transition, we will be sure everyone has a good opportunity to secure an ID and we will provide lanyards and badge holders. It is a practice that is common for employees in the workplace, including here, and ubiquitous across college campuses.
We have also started a soft shift to requesting that visitors, when possible, time their visit so as not to coincide with arrival or dismissal. Kindly, and when possible, please refrain from arriving on campus without first calling for an appointment. In an emergency, we will continue to do our best to accommodate parents seeking assistance. When you are able, and need to stop by, please visit between the hours of 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., or after 2:30 p.m. We will continue to expect visitors to have photo identification.
Securly Pass
Some staff members are currently piloting a new, digital student hall pass system. We are planning for a full implementation next fall. Securly Pass allows students to sign out electronically, and travel hands free when needing to leave class for any reason. The system allows administration to set limits on numbers of students who can sign out to locations such as the library. Security staff and hall monitors will receive a real-time, electronic list of students out on passes. This should help us keep better track of students, and provide the opportunity for more positive interactions with students in the hallways rather than asking them for passes.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call or email.
Sincerely, Craig Chandler
Principal