december 2024 volume 25 issue 4 For Parents, Students, Staff and Community of South Lake High School
Letter from the principal Dear Eagle Family, As we conclude this first half of the 2024-25 school year and prepare for the start of the second semester, I want to thank our SLHS faculty and staff for their continued perseverance and dedication to meeting the needs of our students, as well as serving you and our school community. It has been a banner year so far, as our students have excelled in the performing arts, NJROTC competitions, Career & Technical Education competitions, athletics, and much more. We are so incredibly excited that SLHS earned a school grade of “B” from the Florida Department of Education for the 2023-24 school year. This is a direct result of teachers, staff, administrators, students, parents, and our community coming together to unite and support better outcomes and opportunities for our students. In case you are not aware, one of the systems that we have in place to help students be successful academically is an intervention and acceleration period we call SOAR time. During most weeks, students attend SOAR every day except Wednesday, as an extra period within the school day to receive additional instruction and practice, redos of assignments, makeup of labs/quizzes/tests, etc. In most cases, students have the daily opportunity to make their own selection of the academic course that they attend for SOAR time. In the case of students who are struggling or showing significant academic deficiencies, their teacher can assign them to a particular class for SOAR time. Students who currently have all A’s and B’s can select the cafeteria as their SOAR time location to have a place to work independently as a reward for demonstrating academic success. I encourage you to check in with your child to find out which classes they are selecting for SOAR time and to remind them to use it to their advantage to get help in those areas they need it the most. As we return from winter break, we will begin preparations for the upcoming 2025-26 school year and the process for soliciting student course selections and academic scheduling opportunities. Please have a conversation with your student as you collaboratively develop the academic course plan that will best meet their needs and future goals. Our guidance counselors will be making presentations to current SLHS students in their classes over the next few months, visiting our feeder middle schools to speak with 8th grade students, and working with you to accommodate course requests as best as possible. Please be on the lookout for course request and scheduling information as it becomes available. Over the last few years, we have worked diligently to increase academic opportunities and post-secondary options for students to prepare them for a variety of career paths. Students have the opportunity to choose courses among a variety of interest areas, including Fine & Performing Arts, Career and Technical Education, Advanced Placement, AICE (Advanced International Certificate of Education), NJROTC and Aeronautics dual enrollment, on/off campus dual enrollment through Lake Sumter State College, and the Health Science Collegiate Academy among many other elective offerings. We are also in our second year of a partnership with Beacon College in Leesburg to provide on-campus dual enrollment opportunities for students with disabilities. We firmly believe in and support our district’s mission to provide every student with individual opportunities to excel. Student attendance at school is critical to their success and achievement. There are still far too many students who are excessively absent from school, or who are earning Ds and Fs each grading period. Please continue to have conversations with your student about what they are learning, check FOCUS for real time grade information and attendance, check in on their SOAR time choices, and encourage them to be at school each day and in class on time. Together, we can continue to see our students grow and improve as they prepare for graduation and beyond! Respectfully, Steven Benson, Principal
Please visit South Lake High School’s website: www.https://slh.lake.k12.fl.us/
To download a PDF version of this newsletter, go to http://academypublishing.com/schools/southlake/southlake.php
who’s who at south lake Principal
Steve Benson Assistant Principals
Caitlin Flynn 9-12th grade; Last names: A-C Rene James 9-12th grade; Last names: D-I Donna Jesaitis 9-12th grade; Last names: J-M Kevin Thompson 9-12th grade; Last names: N-Sa Linda Nichols 9-12th grade; Last names: Sb-Z
Guidance Counselors
Melanie Googe Grade 9-12; Last Names: A-C googem@lake.k12.fl.us Nicole Liljegren Grade 9-12; Last Names: D-I scheetzd@lake.k12.fl.us Betsy Bains Grade 9-12; Last Names: J-M bainse@lake.k12.fl.us Angela Ratter Grade 9-12; Last Names: N-Sb desirf@lake.k12.fl.us Juanita Stallings Grade 9-12; Last Names: Sc-Z stallingsj1@lake.k12.fl.us
Telephone: 352/394-2100 Fax: 352/394-1972