Utica High School

Happy Winter Break Chieftain Families!

Though we are still a couple weeks from the start of the next decade, the 20’s are almost upon us!  I’ll begin by wishing everyone a very happy holiday!  It’s a busy weekend with Hanukkah starting on Sunday night, Christmas on Wednesday, Kwanza on Thursday and of course New Years the following Tuesday.  We have a lot to celebrate!  I hope you are all able to spend time with loved ones and find enjoyment.  As we enter what is a joyful holiday season, I ask that we all remember the holidays are not always a time of celebration and some of our Chieftain community struggle through this time of year. Be an open door and open mind to those who may need it over the holiday season.  

As we wrap up 2019 and excitedly enter 2020, we have a great deal to be proud of at Utica High!  As we leave December on a high note with athletic victories, thousands of dollars raised for charities, families adopted for the holiday and incredible performances from our band, choir and thespian troupes, we are truly grateful for our talented students and supportive families.  Last month our award-winning journalists traveled to a national conference in Washington DC and just this past weekend, our Thespians showed their prowess as they earned 15 superior and excellent ratings and brought home over $1.1 million dollars in scholarships from the state festival! 

We look ahead to a semester that’s coming quickly to an end.  Exams will be on January 15^th – 17^th and during those days, shared time classes will run on an alternative schedule and UCSI and UCMST students will not travel to their programs on those days.  The half-day exam schedule follows the following week with:

Wednesday Jan. 15^th:  1^st and 2^nd Hour Exams
Thursday Jan. 16^th: 3^rd and 4^th Hour Exams
Friday Jan 17^th: 5^th and 6^th Hour Exams

Students must pass two of three segments to receive a passing Semester 1 grade.  Specifically, the Student Handbook says, “beginning in 9^th grade, any combination of two failing marks within the semester will result in a failing grade regardless of the mathematical average.”  You must pass with a high enough percentage to earn an overall passing grade based on 40%/40%/20% weighting of the two quarters and the exams respectively.  As such, it’s incredibly important that students make the most out of these last few weeks and take advantage of our Chieftain Writing Center and Tutoring during lunch hours!

As we come back on Monday, January 6, the race to those exams will play out quickly, just over two weeks from our return to exam day! In addition, Superintendent Scholarship applications are due Monday, January 6, the day we come back to school.  The week after exams is shortened by Martin Luther King Jr. Day, on Monday, January 20.  Utica will continue its tradition of our Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.  This year’s team of student leadership follows the lead of its predecessors and has grown more ambitious with their projects!  We hope to have a larger turn out than ever!  Students wishing to sign up for the Day of Service can at the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0548abaa2ba13-2020

On the week we return from break, we will be providing UCS HelpDesk support to students and parents who are struggling with the updates that PowerSchool has made to its App and login process.  Our UCS HelpDesk will be onsite at Utica High School’s main office from 10:15am – 3:30pm on Wednesday January 8.  Our tech team will be able to answer questions and help you successfully access the app. 

As we start 2020, we begin to sprint toward our culminating events.  We have Midwinter and Spring Breaks to look forward to in the coming months. The Tuesday after Spring Break begins our testing week and starts with the Junior SAT and is followed by the Workkeys (11^th grade) and PSAT10 (10^th) on Wednesday.  A schedule with that adjustment will be released in March.  From there, it’s a short ride to the year’s end and Commencement at Oakland University’s O’rena on Saturday, June 6^th.  As we end Semester 1 and barrel toward Semester 2, it’s important to hang onto our hats.  It moves fast!

I wish you and your family a very happy holidays and wish you the best for 2020! See you next year!

Sincerely,