OTHS launches Connects day, expands parent 'Panther Connects' night; board hears KPI results

District staff described new engagement events planned to increase student participation and family connections and presented the first-year results of board-adopted KPIs.

On student engagement, staff said tomorrow’s Connects Day (a daytime activity fair and advisory rotations) is intended to expose students to 60-plus clubs and activities and to increase participation; an activity fair, grade-level advisory presentations, counseling/social work information, and a pep rally were described. The administration said the event was designed after district data showed about one-third of students were not enrolled in extracurricular activities and that 43% reported not feeling “a real part of the school.” The activities director and counseling staff are scheduled presenters.

On family engagement, staff described Panther Connects Night on Sept. 8 as an open house and activity fair with an hour for parents to meet teachers from 6:30–7:30 p.m. Staff emphasized it is not a parent-teacher conference but an introductory meet-and-greet and that counseling presentations will mirror what is given in grade-level meetings.

On KPIs, staff reported results for the academic and school-culture indicators the board is tracking: the class of 2025 graduation target (set at 93%) was exceeded at 93.8%; ninth-grade on-track improved but did not meet the 91% target; ACT “meets/exceeds” unofficial rates were presented in English (57.28%), math (54%), and science (59.6%) as baseline data for the new test; program enrollment rose in AP/honors, dual credit, CTE and world language while art/music participation decreased slightly; chronic absenteeism showed a slight improvement (unofficial rate ~21%, target 19%); extracurricular participation rose to 73%; behavior data metric (students never excluded for discipline) met the 80% target with 81.1%.

Why this matters: district staff framed the events and KPI tracking as part of a continuous-improvement cycle — identify growth areas, implement programs, monitor results and adjust. Staff said they will review KPI targets and consider adjustments and next-year targets at upcoming meetings.

No formal board action was recorded on these items at the meeting.