Friday Focus #12: 11.9.12

"Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in deserving them."

~ Aristotle

I hope everyone enjoyed the day off yesterday...  heard a lot of people say this morning that they felt rested and got a lot done yesterday!   Hopefully you had a chance to attend the Fall Play last week and/or will have an opportunity to see the choir performance this weekend.  These productions are truly a great reminder of the reason we all went into education -- KIDS!  Despite the headaches we encounter at times, we really do have a great job.  While difficult sometimes to see the direct impact we have on students day-to-day, what we do in the classroom and beyond for our students really is IMPORTANT!   An Evening of Motown Tickets are still available for the Choir Production for tonight @ 8 PM and Saturday @ 7 PM.  Presale tickets are $5 (email Cricket) or purchase at the door for $8.  We hope you will be able to come out and enjoy the music of the Temptations, Supremes, Jackson 5, and other wonderful Motown artists!   End of Trimester Info Exam Info For the Exam Schedule, look under the 'Schedules' tab at the top of the page.  You can refer students to the 'schedules' tab on www.CHSBulldogNews.org. If you have SENIOR TRI STAR STUDENTS 3rd period... they will take their exam on THURSDAY right after the conclusion of the shortened 3rd period.  We will proctor those exams in the office/lecture hall if you are unable to proctor them in your classroom.  Please send them down to us AHEAD of time! Students MUST be here during exams.  Students are NOT allowed to leave during intervention periods (or any other period).  Please have your students eat lunch at YOUR normally scheduled time.  On Friday, we eat during 3rd period... be sure to tell your students in advance what lunch YOU eat.   Grade Reporting Info If you believe a student might fail your course, please send the name via email to Wendy AND Lynne ASAP and no later than 2 PM on Friday, Nov. 16.  This will allow them to begin re-working schedules.  Grades are due by 9 AM on Monday, November 19th.   Special Ed Info It’s Progress Report time again!!! I know that you’re ecstatic and can hardly contain yourself!! So, here are a few dates to keep in mind: Red Progress Report folders will be distributed to all teachers Monday, November 12, 2012. We ask that Red Progress Report folders are returned to the clear bins on the side of the mailboxes by 7:25 A.M., Tuesday, November 20, 2012 so we can redistribute them to the Special Education Teachers. Please return the Blue Acura Folders to Renee/Jared anytime on/before Friday, November 16, 2012! Don’t worry about throwing any of the paperwork away, we will go through them and shred everything for confidentiality purposes! We are hoping to have the new 2nd Trimester "IEP at a Glances" out to the teachers by the end of the day Wednesday, November 28, 2012. Please check to see if students have the PASS/FAIL accommodation and be sure to communicate with the teacher who holds the IEP whether or not it is applicable for the student. Attendance Info Donna has a file in the Attendance folder on the Public Share Drive titled "1st Tri - 8 or more absences".  Please refer to this to determine if a student is 'over' on attendance.  Remember, our policy states that students do not get credit for days they are absent after 7 in a trimester.   Also find the file 'Attendance Updates' to see any changes that have been made to absence types.   Thank Donna for keeping such great records! Tech Tuesday No Tech Tuesdays until December 4th.   Calendar of Events Remember that Calendar Info can be found on the right hand sidebar of the blog... updated regularly... HAPPY BIRTHDAY 11/11   Michelle Voress

In Your Mailbox...

... today are several things (you may or may not have all of the following):

• Red Folders --> these are gifts from the Special Ed Department... Progress reports that need to be completed by teachers in reference to 2nd trimester progress.  See 'Midweek Update 2.28.12' for more info.
• Class Lists --> these are the most up-to-date version available on paper.  
• Schedules --> for students you have in advisory.  There should be a schedule for every student.  Make sure the students go by this schedule as it may have changed even if they did not make a request. 
• Course Change Request Sheets --> You will only have these for students in your advisory if they made a course change request that was denied.  Please distribute these during advisory in the morning!

... later this week: 

• Blue Acura Folders --> these will include IEP at a glance and other info about students on IEPS, 504s, Document of Intervention, etc.  

Hope you all got something out of the morning sessions!  Thanks again to those of you that presented!

Midweek Updates: 2.28.12

UPDATES:
Acura Folders: These are the folders that contain the 'IEP at a glance' and/or profile pages for Special Ed students...

• These should be returned by Friday.
• Do NOT take anything out of the folder.  
• Turn these into the clear bin at the end of the mailboxes. 
• The special ed teachers will reload these and distribute according to 3rd trimester schedules sometime next week.  

Red Folders: These folders contain Special Ed progress reports and must be completed by regular ed teachers. 

• These will be placed in your mailbox by next Tuesday, March 6th. 
• They should be completed by the regular ed teacher based on progress during 2nd trimester. 
• These Red Folders need to be returned to the clear bin at the end of the mailboxes by March 13th.

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP IN COMPLETING THESE IMPORTANT TASKS! 

Students missing exams:

Sometimes students have to miss exams for one reason or another.  Remember... students MUST be here during their scheduled exam time unless they are a Tri Star student (see exam schedule) or they have worked out other arrangements with the office.  The office will notify you if a student is to make alternate arrangements (usually this comes in the form of an email from Megan or CJ). 

Students who are ill or otherwise need to take the exam in the office should have their exam brought to the office and clearly labeled. 

Here are just a few quick updates...

• Remember to turn in the 'salmon' colored sheets for special ed exams.  These should be completed and returned to Renee Kramer's mailbox by the end of the day TODAY (Feb. 28). 
• We are looking for readers again for Special Ed exams.  Anyone who is willing to read for a special ed exam, please email Megan (by noon on Wednesday) with your planning period and we will add you to the schedule.  Simply report to the media center at the VERY beginning of the period and we will assign you a student(s) to read to.  YOU WILL BE PAID FOR TWO PERIODS OF COVERAGE!
• This Thursday, Friday & next Monday, we are going to have special Jeans Days to support Service Learning Day.  All money will go to the SLD fund.  
• Don't forget to fill out the inservice survey if you have not done so already! (http://goo.gl/DybR5)
• Please note that TODAY is the last full advisory period this week.  Tomorrow we will be on the Pep Assembly schedule -- students will report to advisory after 5th period for attendance.  PLEASE NOTE THAT WE WILL CALL STUDENTS DOWN OVER THE P.A. WHEN WE ARE READY.  Thursday & Friday we will be on alternate schedules for exams.  Please remind your advisory students of this today and let them know that we will report to advisory at the beginning of the day next Tuesday, March 6th for the beginning of 3rd trimester. 
• In light of the tragedy in Chardon, Ohio yesterday, we would ask that everyone take a moment this morning to review your lockdown policies and procedures.  

THANKS FOR READING... HAVE A GREAT DAY!

Friday Focus #22: 2.24.12

End of 2nd Trimester
Next week marks the end of the 2nd Trimester.  Remember that we will be on an adjusted schedule on Thursday and Friday (see schedules tab at the top of the staff blog).  Grades will be due by 9 AM on Tuesday, March 6th.  Probable failures are due by 9 AM on Monday, March 5th.

Don't forget to turn in your Special Ed testing sheet ASAP for exams!  



Inservice Day
Monday, March 5th is an inservice day.  We will be running breakout sessions in the morning with some structured 'on-your-own' activities for the afternoon.  The list of morning sessions will be available first thing Monday morning.

Have a great weekend!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY...

2/27   John Higgins
3/2     Wendy Mitchell-Payne
3/2     Aaron Alig

Upcoming Events

2/29    Pep Assembly
3/1     1st day of 2nd Trimester Exams... follow exam schedule
3/2     2nd day of 2nd Trimester Exams... follow exam schedule
3/5     Inservice Day
         Probable Failures due by 9 AM
3/6     First Day of 3rd Trimester
         GRADES DUE BY 9 AM
         Band Contest Preview, 7 PM, Gym

Friday Focus #3: 9.9.11

Now that we have gotten through some super hot weather followed by very frigid and rainy weather, we can handle it all!  I know this is a crazy time of year with lots of 'extra' activities like Spirit Marches, Pep Assemblies, extra long announcements, meetings, etc., but remember... its the 'extra' stuff that sometimes hooks the student.  We have a very positive school culture and demonstrate in many ways that we are student focused.  Keep that in mind as you prepare lessons and sometimes deal with interruptions.  Students need to connect with their school in some way in order to be successful.  You guys as teachers, counselors, secretaries, aides, and custodians do a great job of this already... connecting with students.  KEEP IT UP!  It's why we're here!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

• We would like for every teacher/staff member to participate in the Words of Wisdom.  If you have not yet recorded yours, please stop down and see Megan.  No pressure, but Brad Siebert memorized his!

• A big thank you to Keith Gudorf for doing this week's Tech Tuesday.  If you don't know how to do World Client now, you should have come to the meeting!  

Tech Tuesday CEU's from last year and this year will be placed in mailboxes by Tuesday morning.  If you think any of them are incorrect, let Jason know. 

Next week's Tech Tuesday will be titled "Why Google Chrome Rocks".  We will be covering some quick tips on how to make Google Chrome the best web browser you have ever used... including how to play ANGRY BIRDS from your computer!  Remember... Tuesday mornings from 7 - 7:20 AM and afternoons from 2:30 - 2:50 PM.  CEU's available. 

• Just a reminder about the procedure for Special Ed testing... if a student has the accommodation "tests read", then we must read the test to the student.  Standard procedure is that the student takes the test in the regular classroom and will then have the test read to them (regardless of whether or not the student completed the test) either during intervention (if they have one) or during advisory.  If they are having the test read during advisory, the regular ed teacher should write the student a note to report to room 105 during advisory.  There, the test will be read to them... even if it is already completed.  The only exception to this rule is if the test is read to the student in the classroom.  Regular ed teachers should follow up with the student the following day to verify that they were in the testing room.  THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP WITH THIS PROCESS! 

• We will be starting a new personal leave request process -- going paperless!  Megan has set up an email form that you need to complete.  When you send the email, it will automatically be sent to Megan, Jason, and Sue Cook.  As long as you send the email at least 2 days prior to the requested date, there is no need to call the sub hotline.  If it is within the 2 day time frame, you WILL need to call the sub hotline.  We hope this will streamline the process (and save paper in the meantime!).  A Google Doc with instructions for sending the email is under the documents tab on the staff blog. 

• Parent-Teacher conferences are quickly approaching... October 5th from 5 - 7:30 PM.  Megan has already placed conference cards in your mailboxes.  Please have these returned to Megan by September 23rd.  Every teacher needs to complete 8 cards.  I will have an electronic version of the conference report each teacher turns in after conferences are completed.  The link to that will be put out later.  

• Be sure you know how to send your lockdown email.  We will be doing a drill very soon (probably next week).  We will send out an actual date/time later. 

• If you are able, stop in at a sporting event sometime.  The students appreciate this more than you might think.  They especially like it when you mention it the next day! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY...
Randy Baker (9/16)


Upcoming Events...
9/9   Spirit March
        Pep Assembly -- ALTERNATE SCHEDULE (view under the Schedules tab)
        REMEMBER TO UPDATE GRADES IN PROGRESSBOOK
        PAY DAY!


9/10 ACT


9/12 Freshmen Ring Meeting during Advisory


9/13 Tech Tuesday -- "Why Google Chrome Rocks"


9/14 Blood Drive -- ALL DAY 
        Department Chair Meeting @ 2:30


9/16  Spirit March