Hey Cougars! Welcome back to school. The 2019-2020 school has now officially started and it’s time to get back in the swing of things. As y’all know, there have been a few changes to the campus and switching of classrooms.  

Here are a few reminders of how the school works.

For the first three weeks of school, we will be on a normal schedule, meaning no Cougar Block.  When block starts, the lunches will be split between freshman A lunch and the two blocks for the upperclassmen. Be sure to sign in on QR codes wherever you go so we get to keep the block schedule. We have more on that on Page 6.

When we are on Cougar Block, use your time wisely. These are free periods to work on homework, go to tutorials, and go to extracurriculars.  Administrators can and will take Cougar Block away if we don’t sign in and show proper use of the system.

A new change to the Cougar Block schedule is that all students will have advisory on Mondays.  Video announcements will also be shown during this time, and will feature activities and events for the upcoming week.

The tardy system will be the same as last year. Don’t panic if you can’t find your classes before the bell the first week, tardies will not be counted the first couple of days.

After that, three tardies will get you a warning, seven is when you start getting detention or lunch detention and finally after 10 tardies you lose the ability to exempt finals in the spring. Tardies do not reset. If you get 10 tardies first semester you will have to take all your finals in the spring. Be sure to plan out your time during passing periods.

There a few changes this year, including the move of the foreign language classes to upstairs.  For those classes, there is only one entrance up (see the map on pages 4-5). In addition, there are no bathrooms on that level. Students should use the restroom before going to their language class unless they want to take an extra 20 minutes to get to the nearest bathroom (the cafeteria).

The day care is also a new feature of the school.  The old CTE building is now being used as a day care, including a new playground built for the kids. Please do not go bother the kids or try to get into the playground. The day care is for teachers in the district to use for their younger children.

The CTE classes have moved into the main building, including HOSA and the technology classes. ROTC and Ag remain outside.

As you begin the year, don’t forget that the Cougar Claw welcomes letters to the editor. It’s a great chance to make your voice heard or get answers to questions. Drop off your letters in Room 1201, near the front of the school.

Have a great school year!