Hello Schalmont High School Students and Families,

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer until this point. It is hard to believe that August is already here. Included you will find some updates and information for the school year that you will certainly find helpful once we welcome back students in September.

School Counselors

We are pleased to welcome Mrs. Kate Choi to the High School as a School Counselor. Coming with many years of experience as a counselor, Mrs. Choi joins the School Counseling Department as the School Counselor for Grade 10 and Grade 11 (M-Z). Mrs. Choi plans to spend the first part of the year getting to know her students and families in order to provide the best academic counseling possible, while taking a holistic approach to meeting her students’ needs.

The freshmen are assigned to Mr. Greg Loiacono as they enter high school. With many years of experience working at Schalmont High School, Mr. Loiacono is excited to meet the freshman class in order to provide academic guidance and support as they begin to navigate the high school program of studies.

Below you will find the school counseling caseloads.

• Mr. Loiacano – Grade 9 & Grade 11 (A through L)
• Mrs. Choi – Grade 10 & Grade 11 (M through Z)
• Ms. Kaufman – Grade 12

Our school counselors are eager to assist our students in any way possible. Please contact them with any questions you may have.

Student Schedules

We have been working all summer on the building schedule. Please note that student schedules will be accessible on Schoology and the eSchool Parent Portal on Friday, August 26 at 3:00 p.m. We will provide printed schedules to students on the first day of school in their first period/homeroom class. It is important that students are aware of their first period/homeroom location for the first day of school, which will be listed on the class schedules. Once again, student schedules will be available on August 26th on Schoology and eSchool Parent Portal.

Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

Beginning in September, we will move back to the arrival and drop-off procedures that were in place prior to the 2020-21 school year. For morning arrival, all buses will unload in the front loop of the Middle and High School. Buses will begin unloading at 7:20 a.m. to allow for students to enter the building and have breakfast if they wish to do so. Upon entering the building, students are asked to report to the cafeteria and remain there until they begin moving to their first period class.

First period will begin at 7:40 a.m. with the homeroom period attached to first period at 8:25 a.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance and morning announcements. The warning bell will signal at 7:38 a.m., alerting students they should begin moving to their first period class.

Student drop-off by families will be moved back to the rear loop by the athletic stadium and the gym 1 entrance. Students will enter door 13 and should report to the cafeteria until the warning bell sounds at 7:38 a.m. Door 13 will be open for family drop- off at 7:15 a.m.

Student drivers will continue to park in their assigned parking spots in the designated student lot. Students may enter through door 4 which will be opened at 7:20 a.m. More information regarding parking permits will be sent home and posted on the website the week of August 22.

Please be mindful that arriving on time to school each day is very important in order to maximize instructional and teacher contact time. Research, and our experience working with young adults, has proven that good attendance and learning go hand-in-hand. First period and classroom instruction will begin promptly at 7:40 a.m. each day.

Freshmen and New Student Orientation

The Freshmen and New Student Orientation is scheduled for Thursday, September 1 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. All 9th grade students and new students to our school, along with their families, are invited to attend the orientation program. We will provide a presentation for students and families, distribute student schedules, provide guided tours of the high school, and have student mentors facilitating breakout groups for the students in attendance.

More information regarding the orientation program will be sent home in early August.

First Day of School Orientation Program

In addition to the Freshman and New Student Orientation, we will be providing a brief orientation for all students grades 9 through 12 during the first full week of classes. Some of the topics to be covered will be academic integrity, digital citizenship and etiquette, and school wide expectations just to name a few.

As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Have a great rest of your summer.

Thank you,

Matthew Heckman
Principal
Schalmont High School
518-355-6110