William T. McFatter Technical High

WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE: 9/30/2024 TO 10/04/2024

UPCOMING DATES

September 30: Career Champions Summer Mandatory Internship Parent Meetings

October 10^th Magnet programs EXPO at Nova Southeastern University

October 18: Homecoming Dance

October 22: Construction Career Fair (forms due to 309 by 10/1)

ATTACHMENTS

11-12 Grade Parent FOCUS Account Directions

24-25 Intern Parent Information Session Flyer

Fall 2024 Midterm Exam Exemption Form Rules

High School FOCUS Parent Portal Directions

Inner Explorer Flyer 2024-2025

Mindfulness BCPS Community Guidelines

Post-secondary Student Advisement 2024-2025

Magnet Expo Flyer – 10/10

McFatter Lunch

Resiliency Education – State Requirements

Resiliency Education – High School Family Connection

UPDATES

BRACE NEWS:

Each week, Ms. Lynn sends out updates on events, scholarships, and much more to students through Xello. If you would like to see the most up-to-date message, it will also be posted on the BrACE site of the high school webpage for your review.

To access it, you will be able to go into SCHOOL COUNSELING at the top of the page and click BRACE on the drop-down menu. Each week the BrACE News will appear on the left side of the page. For the most up to date information, please go to https://www.browardschools.com/Page/80743.

CAREER CHAMPIONS MEETING:

Parents, if your student signed up the Career Champions Summer Internship program, the one-hour information sessions are being offered online on Monday September 30^th at 3 times: 8:30, 12:00, and 6:00pm. (you can choose whichever works best for your schedule). (see flyer, 24-25 Intern Parent Information Session Flyer, above)

The BCPS CTACE Summer Internship Program offers hands-on learning and skill development through real-world experience, under the guidance and supervision of supportive adults who possess relevant knowledge and expertise in their fields. This program is available to currently enrolled high school juniors.

Internships are critically important for young people as they prepare for life beyond high school. Universities and employers are in search of well-prepared high school graduates who are ready to embrace the challenges and responsibilities of higher education and the workforce.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SYMPOSIUM (EVENT AND VOLUNTEER OPORTUNITY):

The 2nd Annual Domestic Violence Symposium, being held in partnership with the City of Lauderhill and the Lauderhill Police Department’s Domestic Violence Taskforce, on October 10^th at 5:30pm. This is a crucial event that offers both knowledge and actionable solutions to combat these issues.

This is more than just another event—it's a movement. We are on a mission to save our youth from the pervasive cycle of violence, and this movement is gaining significant momentum. Collaboration is not just encouraged—it’s necessary. We need you to join us in this effort.

Here’s how you can take action:

1. Attend and Share: We strongly encourage you to attend. This symposium will equip you and your colleagues with essential tools and insights to better understand and address DV and Teen Dating Violence within our schools. Registration information below.

2. Empower Your Students: High school students are encouraged to volunteer at the event. Not only will they earn the required service hours, but they will also gain valuable education and empowerment to stand against violence in their own lives and communities. *Unmute Yourself, Inc. is an approved School Board vendor. * Volunteer link below.

3. Act Now: This is not an opportunity to pass up. Register today, secure your spot, and ensure your students are part of this transformative experience. The time to act is now, and the need for your collaboration has never been greater.
- Register here: Symposium Registration (https://tinyurl.com/2ndDVsymposium)
- Volunteer application: Volunteer Sign-Up (https://tinyurl.com/UYvolunteer)

HOMECOMING DANCE:

Tickets for Homecoming will be sold until October 16, unless they sell out before. The Dance will take place on October 18th… Ticket sales are not yet available on the eStore but can be purchased with cash at lunch time in room 370 by students.

HOMECOMING ROYALTY:

Recognizing students as King, Queen, Prince, and Princess is a tradition in high schools across the nation. If you would like to be considered or to nominate someone else (with their permission of course), please see Mrs. Dieguez in room 370 at lunch time. The king and queen will be selected from the eleventh and twelfth grade nominees… prince and princess from ninth and tenth grade.

INNER EXPLORER:

Inner Explorer is a plug-and-play mindfulness program available to all Broward educators and families. 

Inner Explorer offers daily, transitional, sound, and school safety mindfulness practices. Research has found that school-based mindfulness programs can help students face high levels of stress or trauma. See the flyers above.

MAGNET PROGRAMS EXPO:

Are you looking for a School Choice for your student for the 2025/26 School Year? Your family is invited to the Magnet Programs Expo on October 10, 2024, from 6-8 p.m. at Nova Southeastern University in the Rick Case Arena at Don Taft University Center. During this FREE educational expo, there will be representatives from more than 80 magnet programs to share the wonderful opportunities available with magnet programs. Magnet Programs are available in Broward County Public Schools for elementary, middle, and high school students.

Join us at this free, exciting event. Bring your entire family. Stop by anytime between 6-8 p.m. There will be displays and interactive activities available. Explore your options and discover if a magnet program may be the right school choice for your child. For more information, go to browardschools.com/magnetexpo.

McFatter will be represented at this event. Current students do not need to re-apply. This is for families looking for a new school for their students grades Kindergarten to Eleventh.

MIDTERM EXAM EXEMPTIONS:

Fall 2024 Exam Exemptions have gone digital… the deadline for the documents to be submitted by families is 10/1 by 1pm. Parents must submit the form with the student. For all of the rule exemptions, please see the attachment titled Fall 2024 Midterm Exam Exemption Form Rules above. Two demo videos have been created based on student grade level to assist with the process:

Demo Video grades 9 and 10: https://www.browardschools.com/cms/lib/FL01803656/Centricity//Domain/231/9th%20and%2010th%20Exam%20Exemption%20Demo.mp4

Demo Video grades 11 and 12: https://www.browardschools.com/cms/lib/FL01803656/Centricity/Domain/231/11th%20and%2012th%20Grade%20Fall%202024%20Midterm%20Exam%20Demo.mp4

To submit the form, select the appropriate grade level:

9th Grade Link: https://forms.office.com/r/3gwXcPUPsh

10th Grade Link: https://forms.office.com/r/da86SDmNqD

11th Grade Link: https://forms.office.com/r/81fYB42MAc

12th Grade Link: https://forms.office.com/r/X3uQNYAkZn

RESILIENCY EDUCATION:

McFatter has started our Resiliency Education. These are the state mandated lessons. Each of our students will complete these listens with a designated teacher. See the flyers in the attachment section.

REMINDERS

2024-2025 SCHOOL CALENDAR:

For the High School Calendar, events will be added on the McFatter Calendar as we receive them from various stakeholders.

AFTER SCHOOL TUTORING PROGRAM:

The McFatter After School Tutoring Program became available to students beginning Tuesday, September 10^th.

Parent Permission is required to participate in FALL tutoring. The form is available at https://tinyurl.com/PPFFallAST24. Additionally, Back to School forms must be up to date, and students will bring the district After-School Activity form home to be signed as well.

By 1:00pm on the day of tutoring, students will have to let us know that they are staying by completing the form found at https://tinyurl.com/RSVPFallAST24. (NOTE: Teachers are only authorized to stay if students are signed up for that day. Forgetting to sign-up MAY result in no tutoring available for that session).

Classes currently being tutored on Tuesdays and Thursdays, unless otherwise noted:

• Algebra 1 Honors
• Algebra 2 Honors
• AP Calculus AB
• AP English Language
• AP Pre-Calculus
• AP US History
• Biology Honors
• Calculus Honors
• English 1 Honors (Tuesdays)
• English 3 Honors
• Geometry
• Pre-Calculus Honors
• Marine Science Honors
• Reading (Tuesdays)
• US History Honors

**Additional, AP Classes will have tutoring in the spring for the test review; Also, some subjects have tutoring available at lunch time. Contact the instructor directly for the details.

ATTENDANCE/ REPORT AN ABSENCE

Parents must notify the school of student absences. Any absence is unexcused until the school receives a call, email via the school website or a note to excuse the absence. Per Broward County Public Schools Code of Student Conduct, parents must report the absence the day before, the day of, or within 2 school days or the absence will be considered unexcused.

 A reason for the absence must be provided and absences can only be excused for one of the eight School Board allowed reasons. Allow up to 48 hours for unexcused absences to be updated in the system to excused once notification has been made.

Notification can be done by calling 754-321-5702, going to www.browardschools.com/domain/16505 or sending a written note to the attendance desk located in High School Student Services.

Signing In/Out of School: Parents and students may sign-in and out in High School Student Services. Per McFatter's policy, whoever is picking up the student MUST come into the High School Student Services office with identification. No sign-outs are permitted after 3:40PM per School Board Policy.

BACK TO SCHOOL FORMS:

Student back to school forms were due for the 2024-2025 school year. If you have not yet done so, please follow the directions below under GET FOCUS (ed) PARENTS. Students will not be able to participate in activities unless the forms are submitted. If you need help accessing online, please reach out to the grade level counselor. Thank you to the families who have been able to complete their documents, McFatter staff will be reviewing them for approval in the next week or two.

BASIC SKILLS TESTING:

Broward Technical Colleges (BTC), of which McFatter is a part, requires students to take a Basic Skills Test to take any technical program. The test is a state-regulated assessment of a student's basic skills in reading, language, and math, and the level of the test and required score varies based on the state requirements. Students (post-secondary and high school) must complete the test to take the program and pass it to receive the technical certificate at the end. This week we will continue testing students in their technical program.

FREE UNIVERSAL LUNCH PILOT PROGRAM:
The Food and Nutrition Service Department is providing all students with breakfast and lunch at no cost under the Universal Free Breakfast and Universal Free Lunch Program Pilot for the 2024-2025 school year.

As this is a Program Pilot, it is vital that households continue to apply online at www.myschoolapps.com  to secure the Universal Free Lunch Program Pilot for the next school year along with additional district opportunities.

To qualify for additional programs, complete the Free and Reduced-Price Meal application along with the Disclosure Form. Attached is the list of the district programs your student may qualify for if approved for free or reduced-price meals.

Second Meals will be charged at the adult meal prices.

For more information on Meal Benefits contact Food and Nutrition Services at 754-321-0250.

NOTE: Students wishing to eat the school lunch will still need to order each morning before the deadline. The link opens at 6:00 am and closes at 9:45 each morning.

The site to order lunch is https://tinyurl.com/MTCLunch. Food must be picked up in the cafeteria by 12:30.

GET FOCUS (ed) PARENTS:

If you have not done so already, create an account at Browardschools.com/Focus

To create a new Parent Portal account and then attach each student, parents will need the following:

Parent/Guardian information:

• A valid email address associated on file with the school(s) for the student(s)
• If a parent has multiple students (no matter the school), each student must have the same email address associated with the parent.
• The name must be an exact match to the name on file with the school(s) for the student(s)
• FOR BCPS STAFF ONLY: You cannot use your @browardschools.com email address.
• If that is the email address you have on file for your student(s), please contact your student’s school to update the email address on file to a non-BCPS email address.

Student’s information needed:

1. Student's full name  
2. Student's ID number (begins with ‘06')  
3. Student's date of birth 

If you still need help, please go to https://www.browardschools.com/Page/80578 for step-by-step video help. The Focus Parent Portal account gives families convenient and secure access to their student's school information, including school grades, attendance, interim reports, report cards, and more, anytime, and anywhere. Register for the Focus Parent Portal at browardschools.com/focus.

All parents/guardians of new and/or returning students need to register for the Focus Parent Portal. Follow the directions at browardschools.com/focus. This is also where the annual “Back to School” forms are located.

GRADE LEVEL COUNSELORS 2024-2025:

For the current school year, there are 3 school counselors. They are the place to start with any questions outside of the classroom. Counselors are assigned as follows:

MEAL BENEFIT DISCLOSURE FORM:

Are you aware that qualifying for free and reduced lunch entitles McFatter students to free SAT/ACT testing, free score reports, free college application waivers, free and reduced test preparation, reduced price AP testing, and sometimes discounts in other school activities?

To qualify for these benefits, families must not only apply for free and reduced lunch, but must complete the Meal Benefits Disclosure form (https://scaweb.browardschools.com/otherPrograms), which gives us access to the free and reduced status to pass the additional opportunities to families.

Help us help you save money by completing the meal benefits disclosure form  www.browardschools.com/free-lunch if you qualify for the free/ reduced lunch program. Please note, we can only see the information for the programs that you allow, so review all categories (including special programs, scholarships, and field trips) and check off all that apply.

HERE COMES THE BUS:

The BCPS Transportation Services Department is excited to announce that we once again have Here Comes the Bus (HCTB), a free and easy-to-use website and application that allows parents to view the location of their child’s school bus in real-time on a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer. 

Here Comes the Bus will make knowing when your child’s school bus is arriving easier. The system uses global positioning system (GPS) technology to locate and track your child’s school bus.

To register, visit the Here Comes the Bus website (https://herecomesthebus.com/) or download the Here Comes the Bus app by visiting the Google Play or Apple Store.

Use school code 87599 to locate Broward County Public Schools.

If you have any questions, please email at herecomesthebus@browardschools.com or call 754-321-4373.

MEDIA CENTER OPT-OUT FORMS:

As a parent, you always have the right to opt your child out of any library material. Please complete the Opt-Out Form if you wish to do so. The forms are available in multiple languages.

Upon submission of the Opt-Out Form, please discuss this decision with your child to ensure they are aware before visiting the library. Upon the Opt-Out Form submission, your child’s account will be updated in the library checkout system. It is our goal to make this process easy for parents.

Please contact your student’s counselor if you have questions or need additional information.

MRS. JOHNSON ON TWITTER:

Are you looking for a place to stay up to date on happenings at McFatter?

Our Director/Principal at McFatter, Mrs. Celeste Johnson is on Twitter. Follow her @MTCprincipal. This is a great place to stay abreast of information as it is released.

PARENTS OF JUNIORS AND SENIORS ONLY:

You may or may not realize that there are TWO instances of FOCUS. One for all things about the K-12 system (transcripts, gradebook for academics, attendance, etc.) and the other for the TECHNICAL COLLEGE (workforce) gradebook. In order to see the day-by-day grades for students in their technical programs, you need to create a profile (or use the one you had last year before we adopted FOCUS as a school district).

The website to access your student’s 11^th/12^th grade WORKFORCE gradebook is https://broward.focusschoolsoftware.com/focus/. If you need to make an account to see your student’s grades in their technical program, please go to https://broward.focusschoolsoftware.com/focus/auth. Directions are attached above.

This is not to be confused by the K12 instance found at www.browardschools.com/focus.

SOCIAL WORKER UPDATE:

Karrah Fort tasked with assisting you and your family through each school year until you graduate from McFatter Technical College and High School. As barriers arise, she hopes to support you in achieving academic and social emotional success by connecting the home, school, and community.

The goal is to work collaboratively with parents, students, and teachers to assist students in reaching their full potential. Through confidential consultation, Ms. Fort is available to assist our students and families in the following:

*Crisis Intervention           

*Mental Health Concerns            

*Grief and Loss Support  

*Family Supports            

*Community Resources referrals

*Support Social Emotional Learning  

*Educational Support           

*Attendance