Council Grove High School Newsletter
129 Hockaday/Council Grove, KS 66846
620/767-5149
www.usd417.net
Kelly McDiffett, Principal
From the Principal’s Desk
We are rolling into the spring trimester. It is
amazing to think that we are two-thirds of the way
through our school year. Our junior high basketball
season is over, and the junior high quiz bowl and
wrestling seasons are nearing an end. Our high school
wrestling season has concluded (see the article), scholars
bowl season is over, and our basketball post-season is
underway.
On February 27 our Kansas State High School
Activities Association (KSHSAA) calendar allowed for
spring sports to begin holding practices for high school
students. There is no mandated break between winter and
spring athletic seasons as there is in November between
fall and winter seasons. Students and staff are looking
forward to warmer weather conditions as our schedule of
outdoor activities increases. Quite likely, many are also
looking forward to our Spring Break which occurs this
month.
March becomes a transitional month for junior
and senior high students. During the spring trimester our
students will have the opportunity to take state
assessments. In addition, the 7th grade and 8th grade will,
each, experience a class field trip. Many high school
students will experience several non-athletic activities
such as forensics meets, league festivals, and the spring
play. We hope to see you at these performances. Go
Braves!
Parent-Teacher Conferences at CGHS
to be Held on March 13-14
Council Grove Jr.-Sr. High School will be
hosting Parent-Teacher Conferences on March 13 and
14 from 4:00-8:00 p.m. each evening. Junior high
parents and students will meet with the student’s Power
Class teacher. Much of the discussion will focus on
academic progress and assessment scores. The junior high
will not use the student-led conference format this year.
The purpose of the high school conferencing is to
pre-enroll all freshmen, sophomores and juniors for the
2017-18 school year. Seniors and their parents will
conference to discuss and ensure all post-high school
preparations are in place.
Your student’s Power Class or Seminar teacher
will call parents to establish an appointed time. We
expect all CGJH/HS students to attend with a parent
during this conference.
By hosting our conferences in March, it will
allow for each student’s high school transcript to be
March 1, 2017
updated with courses credited during the winter trimester,
and our junior high progress reports from the winter
trimester will also be known. This information is vital to
having productive discussions.
8th Graders to Pre-Enroll
After spring break, all USD 417 8th graders will
have the opportunity to pre-enroll for the 2017-18 school
year at Council Grove High School. These sessions will be
held in the Cafeteria on March 30, April 3, and April 6.
Each USD 417 8th grader and his/her parents can choose
which session to attend. Each session will begin at 7:00
p.m. and will end with a student-led tour of the CGHS
facility. Parents can anticipate the session concluding by
8:00 p.m.
At least one parent or guardian must attend with
his/her 8th grader. Parents are to notify the CGJH/HS Office
by phone with his/her desired date for pre-enrolling. The
evening will include presentations and information from an
administrator and a counselor. If you have further
questions, contact the Council Grove Jr.-Sr. High School
office at 620-767-5149.
State Assessments
We are approaching an important time in our
school year. The testing window for state assessments in
Kansas is March 14 – April 28. Our 7th and 8th graders will
take state assessments in Math, English Language Arts
(ELA), and Science. Current sophomores will be taking the
state assessments in Math and ELA. Current juniors will
take the state assessment in Science. This year there is no
state assessment in Social Science, for any grades.
The first scheduled assessments in our school will
be on March 29. It is our plan to have all state assessments
completed, including any make-ups, by April 21. The
schedule below contains the projected date, subject, and
grade level. These dates are subject to change and do not
include the make-up dates:
March 29-30
Math 10
April 3-4
Science 8
April 4 and 7
Science 11
April 5-6
ELA 10
April 11-12
Math 7
April 11-12
Math 8
April 17-18
ELA 7
April 17-18
ELA 8
These are important dates for our students. We
ask that parents help CGJH/HS to protect our students
2
Go Braves!
from appointments or non-school events which might
disrupt these assessments.
School Based Dental Care
Future Smiles, a Bureau of Oral Health (BOH)
program, is coming to our school March 14-16, 2017. A
Registered Dental Hygienist will provide an oral
evaluation, cleaning, oral hygiene instructions, fluoride,
and/or dental sealants during the school day.
The BOH is working with our school to make
sure all children have access to dental care. They ask that
you NOT sign up if your child already has a dental
provider they see every six months.
Please read the attachments to this newsletter for
more information or contact Dana Reddick, USD 417
Nurse.
State Basketball Tournament
Procedures for CGHS
During the past decade, we have come to enjoy
supporting our Braves or Lady Braves finish the
basketball season at the state basketball tournament. The
3A State Basketball Tournament is held in Hutchinson,
March 8-11. So that students, staff, and patrons can plan
accordingly, we provide our school procedures for the
state basketball tournament.
 If a boys’ or girls’ team qualifies to play in the state
basketball tournament, Council Grove Jr.-Sr. High
School will continue its normal school time schedules
throughout the week.
 The 3A State is held at the Hutchinson Sports Arena
in Hutchinson. First round and semifinal round
(school days) game times are 3:00 p.m., 4:45 p.m.,
6:30 p.m., and 8:15 p.m.
 CGHS will offer an opportunity for students to ride a
bus to all CGHS state tournament contests. A
minimum of 20 riders is required for a bus to be used.
The bus will leave from CGJH/HS three hours prior
to the scheduled 3A state game time.
 CGJH/HS students will be expected to be in
attendance at school unless:
1. A parent has
personally come to CGJH/HS to accompany the
student to Hutchinson. 2. A parent has given written
permission for the student to be excused from school
to ride the pep bus to Hutchinson.
 CGHS students will not be permitted to leave school
to drive themselves to Hutchinson.
 In order to sign up to ride the CGHS Pep Bus, a
CGJH/HS student must provide a completed parental
permission form (if departing prior to the end of the
school day) and pay the student admission fee for the
state basketball tournament session. The fee is
intended to serve as a deposit. The fee will be used to
pay for the student’s admission. The fee is forfeited if
the student does not ride the bus.
We hope we get the opportunity to put the above
procedures into action. Go Braves!
Wrestlers Place at State
Holden Butler and Colton Steele each became
three-time state placers by medaling in the recent 3-2-1A
State Wrestling meet held at Fort Hays State University.
Butler, a senior, was the regional champion at
Wabaunsee. He won his first two matches at State before
dropping a 6-1 decision in the semifinals to the eventual
state champion. He came back on Saturday to win both
consolation matches and earn the 3rd-place medal. Holden
Butler ended the season with a record of 43-1. His career
record ended at 155-16, the most career wins in school
history.
Steele, also a senior, entered State by finishing 4th
at the Wabaunsee regional. He pulled off two upsets to
open the State tourney before losing in the semifinals. On
Saturday, Steele picked up a win in the consolation
semifinals before losing in the consolation finals to finish
with the 4th-place medal. Colton’s season record was 43-7.
His career record ends at 128-50, 2nd-most wins in school
history.
We congratulate these wrestlers on fine seasons
and outstanding wrestling careers. We are especially proud
of the manner in which they represented our school and our
communities.
CGHS Hosts FHL Forensics –
Early Dismissal
Each year, a member of the Flint Hills League is
given the task of hosting the FHL Forensics meet. Council
Grove High School will be the host school for the 2017
FHL Forensics meet on Monday, March 27. The meet will
begin at 2:00 p.m.
Since many of the classrooms in our school will be
needed to host this event, our school will dismiss two hours
early on March 27. CGHS Forensics coach, Katy Haun,
will serve as the meet manager. If you wish to assist with
the FHL Forensics meet, you are encouraged to call the
school office or Katy Haun.
CGHS All-School Play
CGHS will present The Diary of Ann Frank on
Saturday, April 29 at 7:00 p.m. in the CGHS Auditorium.
There will also be a Sunday matinee performance on April
30 at 2:00 p.m. The All –School Play is under the direction
of Katy Haun with Lydia Weltha serving as the stage
manager. Look for more specifics in the April Newsletter
about the play and the CGHS students who play key roles.