Gulf High School
5355 School Road
New Port Richey, FL 34652Office of the Principal
September 2003
Dear Parents,
The first quarter of the school year is already half over. It hardly seems possible!
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the Class of 2007 and also the many other new students who have arrived at GHS this year. Our enrollment is constantly growing. We are now at 1,563 students and have a faculty and staff of about 130!
I have been very busy this year trying to get out into the building, visiting classrooms and seeing students and teachers interacting. I am very impressed with many of the activities I am seeing. Not every day is filled with new and exciting events ... but I can assure you the GHS faculty is working hard to provide your child with the very best education possible. I do hope your child is finding school challenging and will end the year a different person than when the year started - knowing more, being more tolerant, taking on additional responsibilities and growing academically as well as socially.
The following items are important and I encourage you to take the time to learn more about Gulf High School.
RECOGNITION FOR ACADEMIC IMPROVEMENT
I am happy to report that the school's grade for 2002-2003 was a "C". This grade allowed the school to receive $140,543 in recognition money from the state. This money must be spent according to specific guidelines. The process for spending must include the school staff and the School Advisory Council. During September and October there will be a series of discussions about where the money will be spent. It is our hope that all decisions about the use of this money will be made by November 1.For those who had freshmen and sophomore students at GHS last year, I want to thank you for the support of your child. It was because the students knew the importance of the FCAT and the teachers worked hard to follow the Sunshine State Standards that such progress was made. I do hope the efforts will continue through this year! Parental support is essential to have an increase in learning!
PROGRESS REPORTS
All students received a progress report on September 10. This should give the student and parent a general idea of what academic progress the student has made. If you are concerned about the report, please do not hesitate to contact the guidance department (774-3330) to schedule a parent/teacher conference. Please remember that each counselor has a case load of approximately 500 students which may mean you might have to wait for an available date. Sometime a phone call to a specific teacher will be helpful.REPORT CARDS
The first quarter will end on Friday, October 10. First quarter report cards will be distributed on Thursday, October 23. Note: Students do not have school on Monday, October 13 - This is a faculty plan day.OFFICE HOURS
Beginning on September 29 the administrative office will open at 7:00 A.M. Prior to 7:00 A.M. the doors will be locked. This will allow 30 minutes of uninterrupted work time for the secretarial staff as they prepare for the school day. Phone calls will be accepted after 6:45 A.M.OPEN HOUSE
We will have our annual Open House on Monday, September 22. We will begin with a general meeting in the cafeteria at 7:00 P.M. From about 7:30 P.M. 'til 8:45 you will be free to visit classrooms and to meet the teachers. Because of the number in attendance, this is not the time for private individual conferences with the teachers. However, the guidance office will be open if you would like to schedule a conference. Please refer to the enclosed flyer about the Open House. PARENTS SHOULD HAVE THEIR CHILD'S SCHEDULE WITH THEM - INCLUDING CLASSES, TEACHERS AND ROOMS. We look forward to a fantastic turn out!ACADEMIC IMPROVEMENT PLANS
Students who are not meeting district expectations in reading, writing, math and/or science have been identified and their parents have been/or soon will be notified. For those in this group, please remember the parent meeting to be held on Monday, September 22 at 6:00 P.M. in the Activity Center. (Note: The AIP meeting will be held prior to the school's Open House which begins at 7:00 P.M. in the cafeteria.)HOMECOMING
Student Council is working diligently under the direction of their sponsor, Mrs. Riddle, and the Assistant Principal for Student Activities, Mr. Brochu, to make this year's homecoming the best ever. The theme will be the 50's! The events will take place during the week of October 6. Students will receive information as the date draws nearer. At this time we know the following:Homecoming Week: October 6-11
Wednesday - Night Games at 6:00 P.M. ($3.00 Admission)
Friday -1/2 day-dismissal at 12:10 with parade at 2:00
Saturday - Dance - ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK - 8:00-12:00 (Students are to be picked up promptly by 12:15 A.M.)
As we have indicated since last April, if a student's name is on the NoGo List, he/she will not be allowed to purchase tickets to the dance.
Dress for the dance is semi-formal. GUYS: Shirt with tie or mandarin style semi-formal collar, dress shoes, dress slacks. Jackets are strongly suggested. No tennis shoes, T-shirts, jeans, or other non semi-formal attire will be permitted. LADIES: Semi-formal dress or gown and/or pant outfit, dress shoes. No tennis shoes, T-shirts, jeans, or other non semi-formal attire will be permitted. Bare midriffs are not acceptable. Dress length - even dresses with slits - must be appropriate (as outlined in the school dress code).
ATOMIC LEARNING
Enclosed is a brochure about this on-line service which is being provided through Pasco County Schools for all students, teachers and parents. It consists of short Quick Time screen movie tutorials delivered over the internet via a web browser. This is another way students can use technology to extend the classroom to home.ASBESTOS
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a final rule, 40 CFR Part 763, Asbestos Containing Material in schools, commonly referred to as AHERA. This rule requires all Local Education Agencies (LEA's) to identify asbestos containing materials (ACM) in their school buildings and to take appropriate actions to control the release of asbestos fibers.All inspections for Gulf High School have been completed and a Management Plan describing the results of the inspection and the action plan to control any asbestos found during the inspection, where applicable, has been submitted to the Governor for approval. A copy of this plan is located in the administrative office of Gulf High School and at the District School Board of Pasco County Maintenance/Facilities Operations Department and is available for review upon request.
Through the year we will try to have two mailings each quarter. The first will be a newsletter from the Principal and the second will be the Gulf High Gazette which will include academic concerns and athletic news. Additionally, from time-to-time you will receive mailings to special groups of parents. For example, the parents of 10th graders will be receiving a mailing about the upcoming PLAN test. Additionally, I encourage families to check the GHS web site (gulfhigh.org) frequently. It is a goal of mine to have exemplary communication between home and school.
On behalf of the entire GHS faculty and staff we thank so many of you for your fantastic support of GHS!
Sincerely,
Thomas E. Imerson
Principal
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