January 22, 2015

By Elizabeth Castillo and Courtney Baker

 

Phoenix High School still has a little more time until the first semester is in the books. The weeks leading up to the end of a quarter can be an immensely stressful time of the school year for many. This quarter’s grades will be added onto every student’s transcript and affect overall GPA. However, there are steps students may be taking to prevent holding off until the last day to improve grades.

The last day of Quarter Two will be next Friday, January 29th. Students should note that there is no school on Friday to compensate for all the grading teachers must do, so work must be turned in by Thursday unless prior arrangements have been made with teachers. Next week should be utilized to makeup any missing assignments or tests to make some final improvements on grades. As always, all students are welcome to ASAP, which is available after school in the library to help students catch up on assignments Tuesdays through Thursdays.

Students taking SOU courses through Phoenix should keep in mind that grades will be sent to the university on the 29th, so all grades are final and any changes made following that Friday will only reflect onto high school transcripts, not college transcripts. Those taking year-long AP or honors classes should remember to sign up for the Spring credits through SOU.

There are still many things to look forward to in the second half of the school year here at Phoenix. Conference play for all basketball teams has only just begun, so make sure to come out and support them the whole way through! Beside that, Spring sports will be taking off soon, so be on the lookout for dates to open gyms and practices. Academically, students (Juniors especially) who missed the deadline to sign up for the SATs taking place tomorrow should look to take the test on March 5th- signup deadline by February 5th. Also, students taking AP courses at PHS should plan on taking AP exams this Spring. Visit the College Corner in the library for more information on what academic steps can be taken in the second half of this year.

The administration at Phoenix wants every student to succeed, but they are stressing that it is becoming very hard to do so if students do not show up to school. The second semester is an opportunity to turn the school year around, so show up and finish off the year on a good note! The beginning of the second semester starts on February 1st, so those wanting to make schedule changes must arrange a time to do so with either Mr. Koekkoek or Mrs. Ingwerson by February 11th.