Welcome to this site.  My goal is to provide current information to parents regarding Banks High School.  Doing a blog is new for me and it seems as though it may be a good way to communicate quickly and easily. 

The start to the school year has been a good one.  Within the first week of school all students were presented, in the classroom, with information regarding the revised Student Handbook.  The handbook is now arranged alphabetically to make finding information easier.  It also has some new sections in it but for the most part is similar to handbooks in the past. 

We are putting a strong emphasis on some particular areas of student conduct.  The first is in students having regular attendance.  We are checking daily on students who have unexcused absences and will be in conversation with those students and parents about this issue.  The second is in making sure that all students who are in the hallways during class time, have a hall pass.  The hall pass is the permission for students to be out of class and it is a focus for this year.  The third area is in making sure that students who have cell phones or music devices at school have them "off and put away" during the time they are in a classroom here. 

I have to commend all students on the outstanding way in which they have responded positively to these changes.  There have been some conversations about the changes, with students, but in all cases they have been appropriate and mature.  The feeling in the hallways and in the classes is one which promotes academic achievement and accountability. 

Fall is now here and the weather is turning cooler.  Sports are in full swing, homecoming is next week, the pep band sounds great and after school percussion and jazz band are starting up.  It's a busy, exciting time of year!