Friday Focus #30: 5.16.13

This is it... the last Friday Focus of the 2012 - 2013 school year.  The last FRIDAY of the school year.  It seems like this year has gone quickly--of course, they all feel that way when we are sitting here one week away from the end.

It didn't seem to be going quickly last October when the ACLU sent us a fax!
It didn't seem to be going quickly when February rolled around and we had to shovel snow and trek through the cold every day.
It didn't seem to be going quickly as we sat in the cafeteria in March writing SLOs!

Now though, it seems as though the year has gone quickly.  Not as quickly as the summer will be sure to pass by!

As we near the end, try to stand strong in the classroom.  Remember that the best way to prevent disciplinary problems is to maintain structure in the classroom.

Below are some things you need to know...  please read!

End of Year Information

Early next week I will put out a post titled End of Year -- 2013 with further details regarding the end of the year.  Here is the summary of checkout info you need to know: 

• checkout will be available Thursday until 5:00 PM, Friday 12-2 PM, and Tuesday by appointment or by calling/texting Phil 
• if you stay Thursday, no need to come in Friday... you must work 4 1/2 hours after the conclusion of exams to call it a day (this could potentially be combined over the course of two days if necessary)   
• you must have grades complete when you checkout
• you must complete the survey prior to checkout -- this survey will be in the blog post next week

You are encouraged to purchase a pork chop dinner from Student Council for Thursday.  Let Wendy Mitchell-Payne know today if you are interested.  

Graduation

Graduation is next Saturday, May 25th @ 10:30 AM.  We invite and encourage ALL staff members to attend and sit on the field in front of the graduates.  If you are planning to attend, please email CJ.Puthoff@CelinaSchools.org so that we can be certain we have plenty of chairs.  Plan to arrive by 10:10 AM at the Fieldhouse so that you can find your seat on the field in plenty of time.  This is a great ceremony and such a nice way to honor these seniors for their 13 years of hard work.   We hope to see you there!

Seniors

If you have seniors in class, please email BOTH Wendy & Lynne if they are going to fail your class ASAP.  

OGT Scores -- March 2013

Scores came in this week from the most recent administration of the Ohio Graduation Test.  Again, we received very good overall results.  Here are the passage rates for our current sophomores: 

Reading: 93% 

Math: 87.5%

Writing: 88.5%

Science: 85%

S. Studies: 82%

WAY TO GO!

We need to continue to work on closing the gap between our subgroup of students with disabilities and the rest of our students.  We will work on this through the Ohio Improvement Process throughout next school year.  

The OGT scores spreadsheet can be found in the Public Shares folder.  Remember to keep this confidential. 

End of Year Party

Amy & I will again be hosting the end of year party in our backyard.  Come around 7 PM next Thursday (May 23rd).  We will provide light snacks, chairs, music, and fire... bring your own beverages.  Plenty of room, so bring your significant other!  Hope to see everyone there!

Exams & Grades

You can find the exam schedule under the schedules tab on the staff blog.  Be sure to look at the specifics on the Tri Star exam schedule for juniors if this affects your students.  Remember to use May 24th as the exam date in Progressbook.  Grades are due May 28th @ 9 AM or when you check out. 

happy birthday
5/29   Deb Meyer
6/8     Katie Gudorf
6/14   Renee Kramer
6/15   Cricket Dobmeyer
6/16   Marge Tobe
6/20   Jean Hileman
6/22   Kelly Black
6/23   Kelly Newcomb
6/26   Val Fetters
7/8     Jim Dorsten
7/12   Deb Nutt
7/18   Dan Gudorf
7/19   Bill Sell
7/22   Drew Braun
7/27   Kim Wilges