Wednesday, July 29, 2015

iPad Refresh for Grades 9-11

CHS students,

We hope you are enjoying what remains of your summer and are looking forward to another great school year.  2014-15 saw a lot of growth and exciting new ideas for our school system, and we hope to make 2015-16 even better.

One big change will be the distribution of updated iPads to all students in grades 9-11.  The iPads have been ordered and should arrive next week, but it will take some time for us to get them ready for you to pick up.  We plan to distribute the iPads during the regular school days in the first week of school (August 17-21).  This will either happen during your regular classes or possibly during home room.

We will NOT distribute new iPads before school starts on August 17th!

To help you prepare for the change in equipment, please note the following:

  • Your current iPad must be in good working condition with no major cosmetic defects or you will not be allowed to swap.
  • You must turn in your old charger (power supply AND iPad 2 connecting cable)
  • Make sure your current iPad is backed up.  When you get the new one, you will have the option to set it up from a recent backup or to set up as a new device.  That will be your choice, but sometimes it's nice to clean out the old junk and start fresh!
  • The new model is the iPad Air.  Please note, this is NOT the Air 2!
  • The school will NOT be providing cases for the new iPads, this is your responsibility.  Make sure you purchase a case for the iPad Air and NOT the iPad Air 2!
  • If you have never attended a High School iPad parent meeting, you and a parent must attend one before you will be allowed to take your iPad home.  This mostly affects freshmen and new students.  Many freshmen attended one of the spring meetings back in May.  If you and your parents attended one of these, you do not have to attend another one.
  • If you missed the spring meetings, your last chance to attend one will be immediately following the freshmen orientation on Thursday, August 13th, at 6 PM in the auditorium.  IF YOU PLAN TO TAKE YOUR IPAD HOME, YOU AND YOUR PARENT MUST ATTEND AT LEAST ONE PARENT MEETING!
  • ALL CHS students must complete the 2015-16 device take-home agreement and pay the $25 take-home fee before you will be allowed to take your iPad home.  
  • ALL students must also sign the 2015-16 Responsible Use Agreement before they will be allowed to use school devices.
  • You may print and sign these documents and turn them into the office, but if you have an iPad and notability or another such app, these forms may be signed and submitted electronically via email to patty.wolfe@cozadschools.net.
Here is a link to more detailed CHS parent and student iPad information.  It also contains links to the forms you need to complete for 2015-16, if you have not already done so.

We look forward to seeing you in a few weeks!

Friday, July 10, 2015

First Annual 100th Meridian EdCamp

We are pleased to announce the first annual 100th Meridian EdCamp!  Cozad's very own EdCamp will be held at Cozad High School on Tuesday, August 4th, 2015, from 8 AM to 4 PM.

This great opportunity for personalized staff development is completely FREE, and may be used as a flex day for all Cozad certified staff.  Whether you use it as a flex day our not, this will be a great day of learning with our staff along with teachers from many other districts.  We are expecting teachers from the Panhandle to Grand Island to be in attendance.

We would love for as many Cozad staff as possible to be in attendance.  Please help us to show our Haymaker pride and dedication to learning and improvement.  We have an excellent staff, and our very best will be on hand and ready to share their expertise in many different education topics.

To learn more about this opportunity and to register, please visit the 100th Meridian EdCamp webpage.  While there's no obligation, we do ask that you register so that we can plan meals and refreshments.  We look forward to learning with you on August 4th, and to kicking off a great school year for 2015-16!

Go Haymakers!!!


Questions?  Contact dave.evertson@cozadschools.net or pwolfe@cozadschools.net.