MCHS Parent/Guardian(s):
It is my pleasure to welcome you to Mid-Carolina High School for the 2020-2021 school year. As we plan for a beginning like no other, our focus will still be to ensure our students are engaged in educational experiences that ensure success and life-long learning with a staff that is committed to providing rigorous instruction and academic success.
Our goal, whether online or in person, is to ensure each student is prepared to meet the academic rigor of the college and career readiness standards at their specific grade level in a safe and supportive learning environment. By working together and monitoring student progress daily, we can achieve the mutual goals we share for our students in regard to academic success and social development skills.
All students that have selected the hybrid schedule will be in either “Group 1” (Monday & Thursday face to face) or “Group 2” (Tuesday & Friday face to face). Only Group 1 students will report to school for face to face instruction on Monday, August 24th and Thursday, August 27th. Only Group 2 students will report to school on Tuesday, August 25th and Friday, August 28th.
All Hybrid students will report to their Homeroom (HR) on the first two days of school that their assigned “Group” is designated to come for face to face instruction. This will allow us to take accurate counts, distribute final updated student schedules, and disseminate important beginning of the year information. Students with PTC classes in the morning will not be required to report to school on these days. Updated student schedules will be sent to students with PTC classes via their school email account.
Homeroom rosters will be posted in multiple locations around our school and MC staff members will be present to direct students to their correct location on Monday, August 24th for Group 1 students and on August 25th for Group 2 students. Doors will open for students to enter the building at 7:35 AM, and school will officially begin at 7:55 AM. The school day will officially end at 3:15 PM.
We are still working through some adjustments and changes for the Newberry ONE Institute for eLearning student schedules. Final student schedules will be sent to students as soon as schedules are finalized. For students who will be attending the Newberry ONE Institute for eLearning, log on instructions can be found on the School District website by selecting the "Documents" icon and then by clicking the "1:1 Documents folder". Students participating with the Newberry ONE Institute have been asked to all log on at 8:00 AM Monday morning. Teachers will give you more information about what the remainder of the week will look like.
Any questions should be directed to the Newberry One eLearning Director, Mrs. Kim Hamilton. Her email address is khamilton@newberry.k12.sc.us.
Below is the link for the tutorial on how to login to Schoology: https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/856792/Schoology_-_Student_Guide.pdf.
If you have questions or concerns about schedules, please contact your student’s guidance counselor at the school, (803) 364-2134 or by email. If your student’s last name begins with the letters A-F, their counselor will be Ms. Sarah Wicker. Ms. Gwen McAllister will serve students with last names beginning with G-M. Mr. Durant will serve students with last names beginning with N-Z.
School Counselors
- Sarah Wicker (A-F) swicker@newberry.k12.sc.us
- Gwen McAllister, Lead Counselor, (G-M) gmcallister@newberry.k12.sc.us
- Kindred Durant (N-Z) Kdurant@newberry.k12.sc.us
Important Beginning of School Reminders:
- Students will be required to wear cloth face coverings on buses, during carpool/bus drop off or pickup, upon entering a school building, all transitions in hallways, in cafeterias, libraries, and in the classroom. Student face coverings may be removed for mask breaks for 5 minutes every 30 minutes upon teacher or administrator direction while in the classroom when seated and socially distanced or during outdoor activities with social distancing in place. All students will be given one cloth mask. Parents are strongly encouraged to send their child with a mask that their child prefers and is comfortable wearing. Parents are also encouraged to indicate their child’s name on the mask that is sent from home. If a student forgets his/her cloth mask, a disposable mask will be given to the student as supplies are available. All cloth masks must adhere to the dress code that can be found in student handbooks.
- We ask that you self-screen your child each day prior to coming to school. If your child has been in close contact with someone who has tested positive within the past 14 days or is experiencing COVID 19 symptoms (fever, shortness of breath, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, muscle aches, chills, new or worsening cough, fatigue, headache, congestion/runny nose, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting), please do not send them to school, and notify the school nurse. If your child is having symptoms, please contact your healthcare provider.
- Water fountains will be turned off. Drinking water will be available upon request. We encourage you to send your child to school with a clear water bottled filled with water to start the day.
Again, welcome back for the 2020-2021 school year. We look forward to working with each of you to ensure academic success for our students, as well as ensuring the safety and well-beginning of our students, faculty/staff, families, and community. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call the school at (803) 364-2134.
Sincerely,
Mr. Ray Cooper
Principal