www.Sibley.isd197.

org
Attendance: 651.403.7107

ASSESSMENT SEASON
As we leave the winter season and all the excitement of
state athletic tournaments, we begin to enter into spring.
Daylight time is extending and we are only left with remnants
of snow on the north side of buildings. (I call it snirt
snow/dirt).
Along with the start of spring sports and clubs season, we greet the spring assessment season.
As you will read in this volume of the Sibley Times, we have included the schedule, along with
the new state mandate that all high school juniors will take the ACT. Measuring growth and
verifying achievement is a standard of educational practice. These assessments provide
powerful results, giving each student and their parents/guardians accurate feedback on student
progress. The results provide recognition for the areas where students have achieved high
success and insights into areas that need further development. Assessments are important,
although they are not the only indicators of student successes.
As educators, we use the results to understand where individual students are on their journey in
learning. They also provide us with areas where we can improve our curricular and instructional
practice. We use the results to inform our school-wide practices in ensuring that our Henry
Sibley students are learning, growing and achieving at the highest levels. We want to know how
well our students are learning and are able to access and utilize what is being taught.
What can adults do to support their student as he/she approaches these assessments?
Remain engaged with your student and what is being learned.
Make sure that the student is well-rested and has eaten well.
State your interest in the student doing well, and calmly encourage.
Assessments are an important part of our school year as we measure aspects of growth and
achievement. Please encourage your student to do their best on any and all assessments that
he/she takes, because the results are important.
Sincerely,

Ron Monson
Principal ~ Henry Sibley High School

Henry Sibley High School - Warrior Points of Pride

. . Mr. Bob Guinn, Business Teacher, named a BestPrep Teacher of Excellence.
. . Garrett Beaman and Sakai Kelly competed in the state wrestling meet. Garrett earned
third place.
. . Sophie Redding competed in the state gymnastics meet and earned sixth place in vault.

March 2015

ATTENDANCE GUILDLINES
VACATION SLIPS
If a student is going to miss school due to a vacation during the school calendar they will need
to complete a Vacation Form. The form is available in the main office.
Students have teachers and parents complete the form and return it to the main office before
the trip.
DOCTOR / DENTAL / ORTHO APPOINTMENTS:
Please to try to make appointments before or after school hours when possible. If a student is
coming in late or leaving during the day send a note with them for the front office to process. If a
student is leaving school during the day we need the note to the office by 8:30am.
ABSENT FROM SCHOOL:
Call the Absent Line 651-403-7107 by 11am to report a student missing school.
Please spell the students name and report the reason.
LAST MINUTE CALLS or PICK UPS:
If you call or come to pick up a student without prior notice you may have to wait until the end of
the period. It is very important to not interrupt the classroom environment.

INTERNET ESSENTIALS
Parents: If you have a student who qualifies for the National School Lunch Program, you may
be eligible for the Comcast program that provides internet in your home for about $10 per month
AND a computer for about $150.
Go to https://www.internetessentials.com/ for more information.

NOT MY KID
Know the facts, take a stand and say Not My Kid. A Dakota County community forum to
provide parents and guardians with the substance abuse information and resources they need
to keep their kids safe.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=668c9cb95e&view=att&th=14bdffcdf621cab9&attid=0
.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_i6tdnafn0&safe=1&zw

1897 Delaware Avenue

Mendota Heights, Minn. 55118
Principal: Ron Monson

www.Sibley.isd197.org
Attendance: 651.403.7107
Office: 651.403.7100

March 2015

MCA TESTING
The MCA Reading (Gr 10) and Math (Gr 11) tests will be April 14 & 15. They are High Stakes
testsmust be passed to graduate. It is vital that students are present both days! They should
get a good night's sleep and eat a balanced breakfast. Room assignments will be posted in the
hallways the week prior to testing. Please bring a #2 pencil, calculator, homework or a book to
read on April 15.
Freshman and seniors will attend all of their classes each day.
All students (9-12) will need to turn off their cell phones to protect the wifi coverage in
the building.
Testing schedule:
Tuesday.............Hours 1 & 2 (Gr 10)
Wednesday........Hours 1 & 2 (Gr 11)

Hours 4 & 6 (Gr 11)

Hours 4 & 6 (Gr 10)

The class schedule for April 14 & 15:

1, 2, 3, 5, 4, 6, 7 (Lunch will occur during hour 5)
All sophomore students will take the MCA science test in their Biology class the week of May
11.

ACT TEST and WRITING

All juniors in the state of Minnesota are required to take the ACT + Writing on Tuesday, April 28.
Room assignments will be posted in the hallways the week prior to testing. It is vital that
students are present! They should get a good night's sleep and eat a balanced breakfast.
Please bring #2 pencils and a calculator. Juniors will not be allowed to access their phones until
end of the testing period.
Freshman and sophomores will attend all of their classes. Seniors will have digital, on-line
assignments that may be completed off site.

SPRING SPORTS UPDATE

Spring will "officially" begin at Henry Sibley with the start of spring sports on Monday, March 9.
Boy's Track and Field, Girl's Track and Field and Softball will be starting practice on Monday,
March 9th. Baseball, Boy's Golf and Girl's Golf will be starting on Monday, March 16. Boy's
Tennis will round out the start of spring sports and start practice on Monday, March 23.

1897 Delaware Avenue

Mendota Heights, Minn. 55118
Principal: Ron Monson

www.Sibley.isd197.org
Attendance: 651.403.7107
Office: 651.403.7100

March 2015

COUNSELORS CORNER
The Henry Sibley School Counselors work with students on post-high school planning, advise
students regarding academic concerns and academic planning, and support students
social/emotional growth. Our office provides information about careers, colleges, and technical
and vocational schools. We look forward to working with all students on educational and career
planning, decision-making, personal and social development, individual and/or small group
counseling, parent and teacher consultation, referral assistance to other programs, and test
interpretation. Call our Guidance Secretary (651-403-7208), stop by the Guidance Office, or
email your counselor to make an appointment. By student last names:
Counselor Contact Information
A-Do

Beth Gjerde

elizabeth.gjerde@isd197.org

651-403-7203

Dp-J

Ann Henry

ann.henry@isd197.org

651-403-7192

K-Per

Margaret Nigro

margaret.nigro@isd197.org

651-403-7202

Pes-Z

James Winkoski

james.winkoski@isd197.org

651-403-7204

Free Practice ACT, SAT, and test prep available on MCIS!Each student can now access
three free practice tests and a test prep course through MCIS in their personal accountnote:
these tests cannot be accessed with the generic login (username: sibleyhs password: warriors),
but only with an individual account. Students should look under My Portfolio to What practice
tests can I take? and select the College Entrance/GED/ASVAB Tests.
AP Testing RegistrationStudents in AP courses need to turn in their registration for AP tests
by March 13th.
Junior Classroom GuidanceSchool counselors will be going into junior language arts
classes on March 18th and 19th for a college and career presentation.
Middle School ToursMiddle school students at Heritage and Friendly Hills will be touring
Henry Sibley on March 10th and 11th.
Night SchoolSeniors who need to make up classes to graduate should sign up for the third
session of night school credit recovery. Registration forms are in the Guidance Office. Students
should talk to their counselor about which courses they need to complete. The class will fill, so
students should register as soon as possible.
Summer School 2015Summer school registration is available online on the Henry Sibley
website, under the Academics tab. Any students who failed a course and need to make up the
credit should register for credit recovery summer school.

1897 Delaware Avenue

Mendota Heights, Minn. 55118
Principal: Ron Monson

www.Sibley.isd197.org
Attendance: 651.403.7107
Office: 651.403.7100

March 2015

Parent Power
The Importance of Sleep for Students
According to several recent studies, todays teenagers are not getting enough sleep. One of
these studies asserts that only 20% of teens get the amount of sleep recommended by experts
(9 hours). Teenagers schedules are dominated not only by school, homework, and extracurricular activities but also social media, video games, and Netflix. In fact, sometimes getting
just a few hours of sleep is seen as a badge of honor for teens. It serves as proof of their
dedication to their school work. But research shows that sleep is vital for young people who
want to achieve academically. Below are just a few reasons UC Berkeley sleep researcher Matt
Walker gives for why students should get more sleep.
1. Lack of sleep makes it hard to learn According to Walker, sleep seems to refresh and
restore the learning circuits within your brain. He recently performed a study in which he taught
a group of students some new information and then deprived half of them of sleep. A few days
later the students were tested on the learned material. The students who got more sleep
performed better on the assessment. Adequate sleep is essential for learning and retaining
material.
2. Lack of sleep makes it hard to understand concepts Walker points to slow wave sleep
as a process in which knowledge turns into wisdom. According to the sleep researcher, slow
wave sleep helps to connect pieces of information in different parts of the brain, strengthen
them, relate them together, and build big tapestry frameworks of understanding. Therefore, it is
slow wave sleep that helps us move from knowing something to being able to relate it to a larger
context.
3. Lack of sleep makes it hard to fight off illness As we all know, being able to be at school
is a major factor in being successful academically. Therefore, it is important for students to get
the sleep they need to stay healthy. According to Walker, if I give you just four hours of sleep
for one night, your immune system function is impaired by about 70%. Recently the American
Academy of Pediatrics linked lack of sleep with numerous physical and emotional ailments.
4. Lack of sleep impairs our judgment Due to a lack of development in the prefrontal cortex,
the ability to make sound choices is often difficult for teens. A lack of sleep compounds this
problem. In fact, when teens claim they dont need more than a few hours sleep, they may be
showing the effects of lack of rest. Walker asserts that your subjective sense of how well
youre doing under conditions of sleep deprivation is a miserable predictor of objectively how
you are actually doing. Ironically, their lack of sleep convinces them that they are getting
enough sleep!
Parents, please do what you can to help your child balance the many demands placed on
their time and their need for adequate sleep.

1897 Delaware Avenue

Mendota Heights, Minn. 55118
Principal: Ron Monson

www.Sibley.isd197.org
Attendance: 651.403.7107
Office: 651.403.7100

March 2015

MARIJUANA IS RISKIER THAN YOU THINK

Ever wonder why kids get the idea that marijuana is harmless? Just take a look around. Its in blockbuster
teen movies, popular songs and jokes on late night television. Its in magazines, on clothing, and even on
the Internet. Its no surprise that despite the accumulating scientific evidence of the harm that marijuana
can do, kids and many parents still see the drug as no big deal.
Nationwide, kids use marijuana more than all other illegal drugs combined. Many parents are surprised
to learn that kids as young as 12 or 13 are using the drug. In fact, between 1991 and 2001, the number
th
of 8 graders who used marijuana doubled from one in ten to one in five.
Marijuana is riskier than people think, especially for kids. Research shows that the drug can lead to a host
of significant health, social, learning and behavioral problems in young users.
Kids who use marijuana are more likely to struggle in school. Marijuana impairs the ability of young
people to concentrate and retain information during their peak learning years, when their brains are still
developing. Even short-term use can cause problems with memory, learning, cognitive development and
problem solving. Research also shows a link between adolescent marijuana use and a decrease in
academic achievement.
Marijuana is addictive. Its news to many parents that more teens go into drug treatment with a primary
diagnosis of marijuana dependency each year than any other illicit drug. Among drug treatment facility
admissions for marijuana in 1999, more than half first used marijuana by the age of 14, and 92 percent by
the age of 18. Marijuana use is also three times more likely to lead to dependence among adolescents
than adults. New research tells us that early marijuana use can also lead to other drug addictions later in
life.
What can parents and other adults do to help educate children? First of all, they need to become
educated themselves.
Some adults may have used a less potent form of marijuana in their youth. They may think that if they
survived just fine, so will their children. But that isnt necessarily the case. Marijuana is more potent now
and there is much better science today about its harmful effects. Adults in our community need to take
marijuana seriously and learn about the dangers of the drug, says Ann Lindberg, Chemical Health
Coordinator for Independent School District #197.
Parents should talk to their kids about the risks of marijuana use and become more involved in their
childrens lives. While they may feel there is nothing they can do to overcome the influence of their
childrens peers and popular culture, the truth is far different.
And we have to let kids know that marijuana can be as dangerous as so-called hard drugs and can have
many of the same consequences. Young people need to know that despite popular images of marijuana
around them every day, marijuana use is not cool or a laughing matter.
If you would like further information or assistance in gaining knowledge on todays alcohol, tobacco and
drug use, please feel free to contact me.
Ann L. Lindberg, B.A. LADC
ann.lindberg@isd197.org
District #197 Chemical Health Coordinator

1897 Delaware Avenue

Mendota Heights, Minn. 55118
Principal: Ron Monson

www.Sibley.isd197.org
Attendance: 651.403.7107
Office: 651.403.7100

March 2015

ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) TEST DATES 2015

Monday, May 4
Chemistry 8:00 a.m.

Monday, May 11
Biology 8:00 a.m.

Psychology 12:00 p.m.

Physics C Mechanics 12:00 p.m.

Tuesday, May 5
Calculus AB 8:00 a.m.

Wednesday, May 13
English and Language Composition 8:00
a.m.

Calculus BC 8:00 a.m.

Statistics 12:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 6
Physics 1: Algebra Based 12:00 p.m.
Thursday, May 7
Computer Science A 8:00 a.m.

Thursday, May 14
Macroeconomics 12:00 p.m.
Friday, May 15
Microeconomics 8:00 a.m.

Friday, May 8
US History 8:00 a.m.

DATES TO REMEMBER
March
19
20
24
26
27

Band Concert, 7:30 p.m.

Father Daughter Dance, 7:00 p.m.
Choir Concert, 7:30 p.m.
Model UN Conference
No School, End of Quarter 3

March 30 April 6 Spring Break

April
7
16
17
18

School resumes
Spring Musical, 7:30 p.m.
Spring Musical, 7:30 p.m.
Spring Musical, 2:30 p.m.

1897 Delaware Avenue

Mendota Heights, Minn. 55118
Principal: Ron Monson

www.Sibley.isd197.org
Attendance: 651.403.7107
Office: 651.403.7100