Henry Ford II High School OCT 2015

THE
Henry Ford II High School
A Blue Ribbon Exemplary High School
11911 Clinton River Road, Sterling Heights MI 48313
Kenneth L. Cucchi III - Principal
Heather Blum - Associate Principal
Cheryl Cunningham-Associate Principal
Mark McLoughlin - Associate Principal
Main Office (586) 797-1600
Attendance (586) 797-1699
OCT 2015
October 2
Homecoming Game
7 pm
October 3
Homecoming Dance
7 pm
October 8
Picture Re-takes
October 9
Falcon Advisory Meeting 9 am
October 13
Financial Aid
Oct 14
PSAT - 11th graders
6:60 pm
A—Look—Ahead
Nov 3
No School
Staff Development
Nov 12, 13, 14
Play David and Lisa
7 pm
Nov 18
Parent/Teacher Conferences
4:30—7:30 pm
Nov 19
1/2 Day Parent/Teacher Conferences
11:30—2:30 and
4:00—7:00 pm
Nov 25, 26, 27
No School
Thanksgiving Break
http://ford.uticak12.org
From The Principal . . .
Dear Parents and Friends of Henry Ford
II:
It is hard to believe that Open House is already a distant memory and
Homecoming is fast approaching. Progress Reports will be distributed
to the students to bring home on Friday, October 16, 2015. Please
know that if you have a PowerSchool log in you have access to an updated Progress Report for your student 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
In PowerSchool you also have up-to-date attendance for your student
and the ability to email a teacher directly with questions about grades
and attendance. If you do not already have a PowerSchool log in or
have forgotten your log in from last year, please contact Denise in the
front office to get an updated password. In November when Report
Cards come out, with a PowerSchool log in, you will have access to
your student’s report card the minute they are posted – rather than
wait in the long line at the Counseling Office the night of Parent/
Teacher Conferences.
If your student has fallen below a C- in a class, please consider using
STRIVE tutoring as a free resource to help your student improve.
STRIVE tutoring is available to all students Tuesday through Thursday from 2:15 – 3:15 in the Media Center. We have teachers available
to assist your student and at least ten student tutors to serve students
who need support. On Mondays, STRIVE is available with computers
only. If your student wants a safe place to study after school with access to all of the technology in the Media Center, they are welcome to
attend STRIVE.
I would like to take the time to welcome all of our new staff to Ford
this fall beginning with a word from our new associate principal.
Hello, my name is Cheryl Cunningham and I am the new Associate Principal at Henry Ford II High School this year. I
come to you from Davis Junior High. My time is split between Ford and the IRC where I serve as the building administrator. I was honored to hear that I was going to be a
member of the Ford family. I'm looking forward to getting
to know the students, staff and parents. Go Falcons!
The mission of Henry Ford II High School is to involve family, school, and community to educate our
students through a supportive environment and a stimulating curriculum.
From the principal (continued)
New teaching staff and what they teach:
dent college ready as they graduate.
Julie Kuznicki - Business
Edward Wessel - Social Studies
Ulrike Lamb - World Languages
Jessica Cowells - Math
Angela Cady - World Languages
Olga Afanassieva – EL
Kirsten Carolin - Theater
Patrick Smith - Science
Marvin Carter - Social Studies
Warren Day - Business
Darlene Schultz - Special Education
PSAT test date for juniors is October 14, 2015.
Please welcome our new teachers to Ford and the
teachers who are changing their assignment this year,
yet remain committed to our vision of improving student achievement through delivering quality daily instruction.
I am proud to announce that Henry Ford II High
School is still among the highest performing schools
in Macomb County. Our ACT composite score was a
21. I am proud of the hard work of our students and
dedication of our staff to make this score grow from
last year.
Our goal is to make every student college ready by
earning a score of 21 or higher on the ACT. We are
half-way to our goal and as a staff we are always
looking for new strategies and activities to help all
students learn.
Last year we had 595 students take AP tests. I am
pleased to announce that we had more students taking
AP classes than the previous year and 354 of our students earned college credit by scoring a 3, 4, or 5 on
the test. This score is also up from the previous year.
More students taking AP, means more students earning college credit, showing that we are moving forward with our expectation that every student takes an
AP class before they graduate from Ford. Students
who take an AP class and earn a 3, 4, or 5 are five
times more likely to graduate from college than their
counter parts who didn’t take an AP class.
The data is clear, if we push kids to take an AP class,
they can pass it and earn college credit making a stu-
Fall Parent Teacher Conferences will be on Wednesday evening, November 18, 2015 from 4:30 -7:30
p.m. and Thursday, November 19, 2015 from 11:30 –
2:30 in the afternoon and 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. in the evening. Please, plan to attend conferences. Also, print
your student’s Report Card from PowerSchool before
you come to avoid the lines.
Friday, October 9th at 9:00 a.m. is our monthly
Parent/Principal Advisory meetings. Please, plan to
join us in the Principal’s conference room. This is a
time to get updates on the happenings here at school
and a time to share information with me. The meetings are kept to one hour.
We are off to a great start. We are focused on our
vision of improving student achievement so we keep
our place as one of the top high schools in the State of
Michigan.
Kenneth L Cucchi III
Principal
PRINCIPALS FALCON ADVISORY MEETINGS
Parents are always encouraged and welcome to join the
principal at his Falcon Advisory meetings held each
month. Hear firsthand the issues and ideas that define the
high school environment at Ford II. Meeting time is 9 am.
October 9 November 13
December 11 February 5
March 4 May 13
Are you ready to STRIVE??
TUESDAY - THURSDAY 2:15 to 3:15
In the Media Center
OUR VISION:
All students will be college ready as measured by the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks
by the time they graduate.
HENRY FORD II THEATRE PRESENTS:
David and Lisa
By James Reach
November 12-14 at 7:00. The box office opens 1 hour before the show.
Ticket prices:
Adults $10
Senior Citizens and Students $8
On Thursday, November 12 ONLY there will be $5 tickets for Ford and Bemis students with a valid student id.
If you are interested in placing an ad in the program or have questions, please contact
kirstin.carolin@uticak12.org
Story of the Play:
First a much-admired novel by the eminent psychiatrist Theordore Isaac Rubin, then a
screenplay by Eleanor Perry which was made into the award-winning indie film David
and Lisa, and finally a play adaptation by James Reach.
This is the strange, appealing, and unusual love story of two mentally-disturbed adolescents: David, the only son of wealthy parents, over-protected by a dominating mother, who is tortured by his mania against being touched; and Lisa, who has never known
parental love, who has developed a "split personality," and is, in effect, two different
girls, one of whom will speak only in childish rhymes and insists on being spoken to in
the same manner. The play follows them through a year at Berkley School, where they
have come under the sympathetic guidance of psychiatrist Elaine Swinford and her
staff; follows them and their fellow students through exhilarating progress and depressing regression.
ff
Free or Reduced meal applications online
Take advantage of Utica Community School’s
PaySchools to make payments on-line. PaySchools is
a system which allows you to make payments on-line
using credit card or e-checks at your convenience 24
hours a day, seven days a week.
Please consider using this service to eliminate the need
to carry cash or checks as well as having the ability to
view account history of purchases and the assurance of
private and secure transactions. If you haven’t tried it
yet, this might be the time.
Applications for Free or Reduced Meals are available online
at www.lunchapp.com. Parents are encouraged to fill out
and submit the application found there to request this benefit for their children.
Online Lunch Payment Service
The district’s online depositing web site is:
www.sendmoneytoschool.com
For further information, visit the district website
www.uticak12.org or contact the district Food Service
department directly at 586-797-1185.
ATTENDANCE IN POWERSCHOOL
2015-2016
Aug 20
Henry Ford II Calendar
Registration –12th grade 8 am
Registration—11th grade Noon
Aug 21
Registration—10th grade 8 am
Registration - 9th grade Noon
Aug 25
Freshmen Orientation
7 pm
Sep 8
First Day of School
Sep 10
Open House
7 pm
Oct 2
Homecoming Game
Oct 3
Homecoming Dance
7 pm
Nov 3
No School –Professional Development
Nov TBD
Parent/Teacher Conferences
4:30—7:30 pm
Nov 19
1/2 Day—Parent/Teacher Conferences
11:30 am—2:30 pm
4:30—7:30pm
Nov 25-27
No School—Thanksgiving Break
Dec 23—Jan 1 No School—Holiday Break
Jan 4
School Resumes
Jan 18
No School—MLK Observance
Jan 20
1/2 Day—Exams
Jan 21
1/2 Day—Exams
Jan 22
1/2 Day—Exams
Feb 15—19
No School—Mid-Winter Break
Mar 25
No School—Good Friday
Apr 4—8
No School—Spring Break
April 131
School Resumes
May 27-30
No School—Memorial Weekend
Jun TBD
Prom
Jun TBD
Graduation Practice
Jun
Commencement Ceremony 1 pm
Jun 14
1/2 Day—Exams
Jun 15
1/2 Day—Exams
Jun 16
1/2 Day—Exams
Attendance is recorded in PowerSchool
late in the school day. Our goal is to have
call ins recorded by the end of the school
day. However, if you have any questions
regarding your students attendance, please
wait 24 hours to insure that all records are
complete and up to date.
EARLY DISMISSALS AND PROPER ATTENDANCE
PROCEEDURES
Please call 586-797-1699 and follow the prompts:
1 = Early Dismissals
2 = Late Arrival
3 = All Day Absences
When an Early Dismissal is necessary it is recommended
that you submit a note to the office with your student before
the start of the day. Students will receive their passes at this
time. If a request is left on the attendance line, your student
must PICK UP their pass in the Main Office any time
throughout the day.
PowerSchool is now generating automated phone calls to
parents informing them of any absences for their students on
a daily basis. Please use your Parent Portal to view your
student’s attendance. If you have any concerns, email the
individual teacher directly through the staff tab of the
school’s web site: http://ford.uticak12.org or through the
PowerSchool access. If a correction is warranted, the teacher will request one.
Financial Aid Night
Financial Aid Night will be held on Tuesday, October 13, 2014 at Henry Ford II at
6:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center. A
representative from Oakland University
will be there to give a very informative
presentation for both parents and students.
You are very strongly encouraged to attend. Contact Mr. Jesko at 586-797-1672
if you have any questions.
SAVE THIS DATE!!
FINANCIAL AID WORKSHOP
Ford II will be having a FAFSA Workshop
on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 from 6
pm to 9 pm in our Performing Arts Center.
The information given will be extremely
useful in assisting you in understanding
financial aid. Contact Mr. Jesko if you
have any questions.
Ford II School Jacket
Jacket orders will be taken
During lunch hours on October 23rd or
by contacting Mike at 248-318-6401.
Basic jacket price includes:

Small through extra large wool jacket
with quilted lining. Genuine leather
sleeve with a two piece leather shoulder insert.

Varsity letter sewn on front, three inch high "Ford
II" chain stitched and Falcon outline on the back.
Student's name on the front and graduation chenille
year patches on shoulder.
All for the price of $251.50 plus Tax
$10.00 of each jacket sold is donated back to
the school fund
Custom chenille icon patches and embroidery are also
available. Samples and pricing will be on display.
A $100.00 deposit is required at the time of your order,
with the balance due at delivery. Please allow 4 weeks or
less for completion.
M I C Phone: (248) 318-6401
INFORMATIONAL WEB SITES
*PaySchool – Pre-pay your registration fees on-line using
PaySchool. The link to www.PaySchools.com is located on
the HFII home page.
*Food Service Accounts – Visit the UCS website at
www.uticak12.org to learn about lunch services and deposit
funds into your child’s lunch account. Use the School
Lunch and Payments tab.
KEEP INFORMED WITH
POWERSCHOOL E-MAIL
We are pleased to announce an e-mail system that will allow us to regularly send important school notices and newsletters directly to you. To register for these updates, please
log on to your PowerSchool account and sign up under the
“E-Mail Notifications” tab. Our goal is to have 100 percent
of our parents enrolled in this system so that
we can keep you better informed and reduce the use of paper in our school. Your help with this effort is greatly ap-
*Senior All Night Party – Visit the HFII website http://
ford.uticak12.org for information and pricing. A check is
required, payable to HFII Senior All Night Party.
*Athletic Passes - Visit the UCS website
www.uticak12.org “Athletics” tab for pricing information.
*Parking Permits – Permits are available on a first come/
first served basis beginning with seniors then juniors at a
cost of $30, cash or check payable to Henry Ford II High
School.
CHECK YOUR CHILD’S LUNCH BALANCE
Parents! Your PowerSchool Parent Portal
login and password registrations are
processed in our Main Office. You will
have access to view online attendance and
detailed grade information regarding your
student’s classes. Registering your E-mail
address through the Parent Portal will
allow us to send school notices and
newsletters directly to you. Homework
requests during a student’s absence may
also be arranged through this portal. Please
bring photo identification to expedite
processing your registration for the
system..
IMPORTANT NUMBERS TO KNOW
Attendance:
(586) 797-1699
Counseling:
(586) 797-1690
Athletics:
(586) 797-1608
Main Office:
(586) 797-1600
This Newsletter is available online at www.uticaford.com