How Do I Get In This Place?

We finally have our new security system in place, much like other buildings in the district. We will implement this plan when students return from the Holiday break on January 4th. The change concerns exterior doors and when they will be locked or unlocked.

Expect the doors to be unlocked in the morning until 8:15, or 15 minutes after the day begins. Obviously, PLC Mondays will be treated differently, but doors will still lock 15 minutes after school begins.

After that time, anyone wishing to enter the building will have to “buzz in” at one of three entrances. There are three spots where there are buzzers and cameras:
1) entrance A, which is the door to the main building under the bridge from the I.A. building
2) entrance E, the door near the old greenhouse closest to Grosse Pointe Blvd.
3) entrance S, the door to the Boll Center or new pool building.

These will be the only doors to enter once school has started and when classes are in session.

Other doors between buildings will be programmed to unlock one minute before class is dismissed, and up until two minutes after class starts. In other words, students will be able to go outside between buildings during regularly scheduled passing times.

The same will be true at lunch. The exterior doors will be unlocked during lunch, but only until two minutes after 5th period begins. If students are still outside after that time, they will have to “buzz” the office to be allowed back into the building.

There are two other changes…one temporary and one more permanent. The front doors to the building will remain locked until we get back to spring-time weather. We just cannot handle all of the snow and slush being dragged into the front entrances during the winter. That is the temporary change.

The permanent change is that entrance Q, the door nearest the choir room, will remain locked during the school day, including lunch periods. If students are moving from the I.A. building to the main building or S-building, they will have to use the bridge between buildings or enter through entrance A, located right below the bridge crossover.

If students arrive after classes are in session, and have to “buzz in” for entrance, they are to identify themselves giving name and grade. One of the secretaries will be able to allow entrance at that time. They are to then go to the Attendance office and sign in.

At the end of the day, all doors will lock at 4:00 except for students with practice schedules.

In short order, all of us will be used to these changes. In reality, we are one of the last schools to limit access in this manner so it’s probably long overdue.

In closing, I hope you are able to enjoy your time with friends and family while school is not in session, and wish you the best of the Holiday Season!

And Now, A Word From Our Parents

With the onset of the Holiday Season, we are getting very close to a full release of the parent data from the school survey. Although there isn't room in this spot for all of the details, I will provide a few of the highlights.

The Basics:
- 402 parent responses overall, with 72% being female
- 91% of those responding were white in regard to ethnicity
- the largest portion (33%) of those responding listed a senior as the oldest child
- when asked what they liked best, the most popular narrative responses were the curriculum, teachers, and high standards

The Good:
- 92% feel the school has a positive impact on property values
- 92% feel the education offered to students is of high quality
- 92% feel the school is clean and the grounds are well maintained
- 92% feel we have good textbooks and adequate supplies
- 89% believe the quality of schools influenced their decision to live in this community

The Bad:
- only 10% feel that substance abuse is NOT a problem, while 64% believe it IS a problem
- only 15% feel there are NO problems with bullies at school, however, 24% claim they do not know if it is a problem
- only 26% feel we are doing a good job teaching career/vocational courses, while 40% either did not know or the question did not apply to them
- only 45% of parents are confident students see a relationship between what they are studying and their everyday lives
- only 46% feel we are preparing students to deal with issues or problems they will deal with in the future

Our hope is to have the results ready to post on the website shortly after the Holiday break. We have been pleased with the number of responses as more than a third of our parents, well over half of our students, and nearly all of our staff members responded to the survey.

We thank you for taking the time to complete the survey and wish everyone the best of the Holiday Season!