Dear Phoenix Families,

October has been a busy and exciting month at Initial Point! We kicked things off with Parent-Teacher Conferences, and I want to extend a sincere thank-you to all the families who were able to attend. Your partnership plays such an important role in our students’ success — when school and home work together, our students feel supported, seen, and motivated to reach their goals.

As we wrapped up Quarter 1, it was wonderful to see so many students passing their classes and feeling proud of their progress. The first few months of school are always a time of adjustment, and it’s been great to see things really start to “gel.” Students are getting to know one another, building positive relationships with staff, and settling into the routines that make our school community thrive.

The start of Quarter 2 has already been a success! Spirit Week brought a lot of energy and laughter to our halls, and we capped it off with today’s Halloween costume contest — a fun reminder of how creative and spirited our students can be.

Quarter 2 always seems to fly by — we have just three weeks until Thanksgiving Break, followed by another three weeks before Christmas Break, and then the final two weeks of the quarter. It’s hard to believe we’ll be halfway through the year before we know it!

Thank you for continuing to support your students and our school. We’re looking forward to keeping the momentum going strong into the second quarter!

Warmly,

Jessica Griswold

Principal, Initial Point High School

Friday Intervention begins again next Friday, November 7th, and will continue throughout the quarter on the following dates:

11/7, 11/14, 11/21, 12/5, 12/12, 12/19, and 1/9.

Teachers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. to work individually with students.

If your student is failing a class (grade below 70%), they are expected to attend Friday Intervention until their grades improve. Families can check Schoology at any time for up-to-date grade information.

Courtesy reminder messages are sent out on Thursdays to families of students who are expected to attend; however, any student is welcome to come in for extra help, to make up missing work, or simply to use the quiet, focused environment to stay caught up.

Happy November! Many of you have heard the news by now, but I wanted to share that I am pregnant and due with a baby girl in February. I will be taking the rest of this school year off starting in mid-late February (but popping in for some visits of course!). In my absence, we will have a couple of counselor subs and I have their contact information below.

Akaysha Chavez: Reed Social Work Intern covering on Monday’s and Tuesday’s (officially starting this schedule when I take leave, but she will be here Monday’s so that everyone can get to know her first) aschavez@kunaschools.org 

Katherine Acevedo: IPHS Social Work Intern covering on Wednesday’s and Thursday’s (started at the beginning of this school year) kacevedosalazar@kunaschools.org 

Akaysha and Katherine will mainly be here for student issues/concerns and can assist with schedule/credit questions.

If students have college/career related questions they can ask Angelie Bauer, the College and Career counselor at KHS, and/or Tia Short, our TRIO representative. Their emails are below:

Angelie Bauer: abauer@kunaschools.org 

Tia Short: tshort@boisestate.edu 

If anyone has questions or concerns about support while I am out, please do not hesitate to reach out in the meantime. I am happy to discuss what things will look like and who to reach out to for what kinds of questions.

If you are in need of any resources over the holidays, please reach out to me as well as we are gearing up for that too. 

Kyra Brown, klbrown@kunaschools.org

During Quarter 2, Advisory will continue to play an important role in helping students build academic skills, strengthen character, and stay connected. Our schoolwide writing initiative will be a major focus this quarter, with lessons taught in Advisory and reinforced across all content areas.

By the end of Quarter 2, students will be able to produce clear and coherent writing appropriate to task, purpose, and audience (Idaho ELA Standard 9-10.W.4). Specifically, they’ll practice composing a three-paragraph essay that includes:

Progress will be measured using our schoolwide writing rubric, with a goal of at least 2% growth in overall proficiency from the Quarter 1 baseline to the Quarter 2 final assessment. Advisory lessons will also continue our Integrity theme, encouraging students to reflect on honesty, accountability, and character in both their work and relationships.

11/4 NO SCHOOL- KSD Closed for election day

11/6 IPHS College and Career Fair

11/20 IPHS Thanksgiving Feast 11 to 12:30

11/24-11/28 NO SCHOOL- Thanksgiving Break