Dear Churchill Community,
 
I want to share important information about our graduation rates and the comprehensive steps we're taking to support student success. While our 2024 rate of 81.1% shows a slight decrease from previous years we remain focused on implementing strategies to support every student's success.
 
Understanding the Effects of our Schedule Change:
The district-wide adjustments in our high school schedule represent a significant improvement in how students can earn credits. Our new schedule system creates more opportunities for student success in several ways. First, with the ability to earn up to 33 credits (compared to the previous 30), students can continue taking courses that interest and engage them even if they've struggled in some classes. This helps maintain student motivation and connection to school while working to recover credits.
 
Second, the longer class periods allow teachers to design more in-depth learning experiences and meaningful discussions. While the total hours of instruction in each subject have been adjusted, we've significantly increased teacher planning and preparation time. This additional time allows teachers to develop more effective and targeted lesson plans that can better serve all students in their classes. Teachers can now focus on streamlining instruction to maximize the impact of each class session.
 
Support Systems and Resources:
Student Support Systems: Our Multi-Tiered System of Supports helps us identify and assist struggling students early in their academic journey. We've expanded our mental health services through community partnerships with OSLC, HOOTS, and Ophelia's Place, while also growing our district mental health team to twelve therapists. Students have multiple pathways to recover credits, including High School Extended Day programs and online classes.
 
To ensure a strong foundation, our 9th grade transition coordinators work closely with freshmen as they begin their high school experience. We maintain a full schedule requirement for freshmen and sophomores, which not only keeps them on track for graduation but also creates the possibility of early graduation if they successfully complete all their classes. This structured approach helps students build strong academic habits early in their high school career.
 
Attendance and Canvas:
While Canvas provides an excellent tool for monitoring assignments, due dates, and grades, it cannot replace the valuable learning that happens in the classroom. Regular in-person attendance is crucial for student success. We strongly encourage parents to ensure their students attend all scheduled classes rather than relying on asynchronous work through Canvas. The relationships built and discussions that happen in the classroom are essential to student learning and cannot be replicated through online work alone.
 
Our CTE programs in engineering, digital arts, Rachel Carson environmental science, and health occupations continue to demonstrate strong success rates, offering hands-on, career-focused learning opportunities that engage students in meaningful ways. Our Career Technical Education programs continue to demonstrate remarkable results. Data shows that students who complete at least two CTE classes graduate on time more than 90% of the time. This year, we saw an 11.7% increase in students earning CTE credits - our highest program increases in this graduation rate period. These hands-on, career-focused learning opportunities not only engage students but significantly improve their chances of graduating on time.
 
Available Resources:
Our counseling office provides comprehensive support including academic services, mental health resources, credit recovery programs, and college and career planning. We encourage families to reach out early if they have concerns about their student's progress.
 
We recognize that these changes take time to show results, but we're confident these improvements will support stronger outcomes for all students.
 
Best regards, 
Justin Huntley