Merry Christmas!
Well we made it… made it to Christmas break and the ‘end of the world’ day. Hopefully there is a tomorrow! Hard to believe, but we are now one-third of the way through the first trimester (Thursday was day 20!).
Here at the end of the calendar year, it is a good time to reflect upon the year – your individual goals and accomplishments as well as our school’s goals and accomplishments. It’s also a fantastic time to begin contemplating your New Year’s Resolutions. Every year in the 1st Friday Focus of the new calendar year, I ask the staff to think about your own goals (personal and professional) for the new year. Here is a link to last year’s New Year's Resolution post for your reading enjoyment!
New & Notes:
New Assessments
The state is currently working on a ‘blueprint’ plan for the transition from the old assessments to the new assessments. According to ODE, this blueprint will be available sometime in January.
Course Selection Guide
Department Chairs currently have in their possession the course descriptions from each department. Any and all changes to the course descriptions are due no later than January 15th in order to be ready for the Course Selection Guide. Please pitch any ideas for new courses to me sometime soon!
Tech Tuesday
Tech Tuesday will return after the first of the year. We are currently looking for topics. Right now, I have several sessions scheduled with Tri Star teachers. These sessions won’t necessarily be the traditional ‘Tech’ topics… instead, these teachers will be giving a brief overview of their programs. Tim Buschor (Tri Star director) and I felt this would be a good way to inform teachers about program offerings. These will be optional sessions, but teachers are encouraged to attend… you will certainly feel better equipped to ‘advise’ students when scheduling time comes.
merry Christmas & happy new year!
happy birthday
1/3/13 Jodi Wenning
Showing posts with label self-reflection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label self-reflection. Show all posts
Friday, December 21, 2012
Friday, November 16, 2012
Friday Focus #13: 11.16.12
Well.... the first trimester has come to a close, which means we are one-third of the way through the year! I hope everyone made it through exams OK. Always seems hectic during exam time, but we appreciate the teamwork and extra effort on everyone's part to ensure all testing is completed and accommodations are given appropriately. Thanks to those of you that read tests during your planning period. I know sometimes this puts you behind the '8-ball', but the team approach we use is truly appreciated.
Please use this transition to the new trimester to refocus and re-energize. Part of the advantage of the trimester is the complete 're-start' we get every 60 school days. You get new students, a new schedule, and a new set of classes. So do the students. Bring the same energy Monday morning that you do on the 1st day of the school year!
Below are some important items.... please read:
Grade Entry Timeline CHANGES
A request came from our Department Chair meeting Wednesday to push back the grade entry timeline. Here is what we came up with:
- Trimester grades are due MONDAY 11/19 @ 9 AM
- Exam grades & FINAL grades are due TUESDAY 11/20 @ 7:30 AM
This will allow us to begin going through eligibility -- as this is only based on the trimester grade and not the FINAL grade -- for winter athletes on Monday and then be ready to print Grade Cards on Tuesday. Hopefully this will help with exam grading for teachers.
Exam Oddities
If you have a student that missed an exam, please do one of two things:
- arrange with the student to 'make-up' the exam... this may be difficult if you don't have the student 2nd tri OR
- send the test to the office... we will make the students take the test here.
In the meantime, use "I" (for incomplete) if the student does not take the exam.
Cheating & Plagiarism Policy
In case you haven't studied the student handbook recently, here is some timely and useful information/reminders about our policy. The policy can be found on page 41 of the handbook under Rule 24. Essentially, it states that if students are found to be cheating or plagiarizing, the teacher should give a zero for the assignment (even if it is the exam), call the parents, and report the offense to the office via a disciplinary report.
We track these offenses and deal with multiple offenses accordingly.
Inservice Day
Everyone should have received an email from Curt Shellebarger regarding the inservice day next week. We will all begin at 7:45 AM in the lecture hall for a district meeting. From the lecture hall, all district teachers will be split... some will go to curriculum mapping (mostly core content and some special ed teachers) and all others will stay in the lecture hall for Student Learning Objectives (SLOs).
Click on the title of the session to ensure your name is on the correct list. If you think there is an error or you are left off, let me know IMMEDIATELY!
The day will go until 3 PM.
Celina Wellness UPdate
If you are the one taking down the CWUP from some of the restrooms and throwing them away, please stop. :) If there is an issue or concern we need to know about, let us know! Your Wellness Committee members from CHS are: Jason Luebke, Wendy Gabes, Chuck Smith, and Kim Smith
THANKS!
Christmas Party Info...
Just so you know...
...the staff Christmas Luncheon (catered by Mench) will be on Tuesday, December 18th. More info to follow.
... the annual staff Christmas Party will be held at Calico Cafe on Friday, December 21st. This is the last day of school before Christmas Break. As usual, we will have a meal, followed by some games, and a very fun gift exchange. This is always a great evening and a lot of fun. Please plan to attend -- and bring your significant other!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
11/17 Brian Stetler
11/21 Candy Weitz
Friday, October 12, 2012
Friday Focus #8: 10.12.12
Today, in lieu of the typical Friday Focus, I leave you with words that I find to be very inspirational. These are the words authored by Wendy Mitchell-Payne in memory of their son, Josseph Benjamin Payne, during his Celebration of Life. These words were so inspiring to me and many others in attendance. I came home Wednesday night and attempted to recreate them in some way, but thought... why try to recreate such an inspiring message? So... here is the message, reprinted with permission from Wendy Mitchell-Payne.
I am lucky enough to get to teach a Leadership Class at Celina High School. With each new class I introduce the poem THE DASH to them on the first day. This poem is about finding meaning, purpose and value in the time you have on Earth between the dates of your birth and your death. If you visualize a headstone, it is literally the DASH this poem is referencing. I almost didn’t do the lesson wi
I am lucky enough to get to teach a Leadership Class at Celina High School. With each new class I introduce the poem THE DASH to them on the first day. This poem is about finding meaning, purpose and value in the time you have on Earth between the dates of your birth and your death. If you visualize a headstone, it is literally the DASH this poem is referencing. I almost didn’t do the lesson wi
th the poem this trimester. It took me four weeks to convince myself I could do it. I hesitated because, if what I was really trying to teach them was true, then did that mean Josseph’s life wouldn’t have any meaning, purpose or value because he wouldn’t have a dash?
Reflecting back on the 92 days I have lived with the knowledge that Josseph’s time on Earth would be brief, I think it is accurate to say a metamorphosis has occurred. In all honesty, I’ve spent 34 years of my life IN SCHOOL, focused on receiving and then giving the gift of knowledge. But I have learned more about family, friends, community, faith, courage, strength, compassion, and most importantly, the meaning of love, in the past 92 days than my entire life combined. And that, I owe to Josseph.
We hear the sayings all the time, “Everything happens for a reason” and “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.” 91 days ago I couldn’t come up with a reason why this would happen to our fifth child, and as for God, well, I thought he was wrong too. He must have me mixed up with someone else if he thought I could handle THIS.
As I searched for a way to understand what was happening, a book we read in my English 10 classroom is Tuesday’s With Morrie, a book that focuses on the meaning of LIFE, came to mind. Morrie Schwartz, an elderly teacher, shares life lessons with a student as he faces death from ALS. One of my favorite quotes from Morrie is “Death ends a life, not a relationship.” So, In August we created a Birth Plan for Josseph and met with all of the important people at Miami Valley Hospital. I placed that quote at the top of Josseph’s birth plan. I wanted the doctors and nurses to understand that even though the clinical diagnosis for Potter’s Syndrome is “incompatible with life”, we planned to have a relationship with our child. He would be important and his life would have meaning. I think that is why having this Celebration of LIFE tonight to honor Josseph is so important to us and we are so thankful all of you are here to share in it with our family.
The more Josseph moved and kicked inside me, the more my perspective shifted. Although it was a constant reminder that his time with us would be brief, and that was a very sad thought, it was also a wake-up call that YES, his time with us would be brief and it was my job to make every moment matter. At school every day over our video announcements someone reads Words of Wisdom, which end with “Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours”. When you hear the same line, same quote, day after day for two years it tends to lose power and meaning. However, for me, it finally made total sense. I could spend every day engulfed in sadness and despair, or I could make the very most of the time our family was given to spend with Josseph.
Looking back, there were so many things we did as a family since his conception in February. How awesome is it that he was here, with us, resting right under my heart, for all six birthdays in our family! He was also with us in June on a spur of the moment trip to the Outer Banks, where our family has vacationed together the past ten years. This year wasn’t a scheduled year, but thanks to Daddy’s last minute idea, Josseph was able to share that experience as well! Josseph went with us to the Zoo, swim meets, Jumpy’s, where he helped me play a mean game of lazer tag with his siblings, to a girl scout family pool party, an Indoor Waterpark, a Children’s Museum, several soccer games (where he kicked like crazy !), he even went with me on my “first” day of school this year – experiencing his own FIRST DAY of school too.
Throughout this journey, I kept reminding myself that I am the mom, the teacher, I need to lead by example. But what was really happening was I had become the student, and Josseph had become my teacher. He was teaching me to look at life in a different way and to make the most out of the little things. And day by day, as Josseph drew me closer to God, I started to believe that God just might have been right about me after all. I know in speaking with Jeff, my parents, my sister, and some very dear friends – Josseph wasn’t just my teacher. He has taught us to make the very best of even the worst of situations, and the true meaning of unconditional love.
In closing, I want to share the poem The Dash with all of you. Josseph has brought us all here together tonight, and I believe he is not done making an impact on our lives. He wasn’t given the opportunity to have a “DASH” like we all have, and I think he wants us to make the most of ours!
The Dash – by Linda Ellis
I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend
he referred to the dates on her tombstone
from the beginning to the end
He noted that first came the date of her birth
and spoke the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years
For that dash represents all the time
that she spent alive on earth.
and now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not how much we own;
the cars, the house, the cash,
what matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard.
are there things you’d like to change?
for you never know how much time is left,
that can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
to consider what’s true and real
and always try to understand
the way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger,
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,
and more often wear a smile
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy is being read
with your life’s actions to rehash
would you be proud of the things they say
about how you spent your dash?
Reflecting back on the 92 days I have lived with the knowledge that Josseph’s time on Earth would be brief, I think it is accurate to say a metamorphosis has occurred. In all honesty, I’ve spent 34 years of my life IN SCHOOL, focused on receiving and then giving the gift of knowledge. But I have learned more about family, friends, community, faith, courage, strength, compassion, and most importantly, the meaning of love, in the past 92 days than my entire life combined. And that, I owe to Josseph.
We hear the sayings all the time, “Everything happens for a reason” and “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.” 91 days ago I couldn’t come up with a reason why this would happen to our fifth child, and as for God, well, I thought he was wrong too. He must have me mixed up with someone else if he thought I could handle THIS.
As I searched for a way to understand what was happening, a book we read in my English 10 classroom is Tuesday’s With Morrie, a book that focuses on the meaning of LIFE, came to mind. Morrie Schwartz, an elderly teacher, shares life lessons with a student as he faces death from ALS. One of my favorite quotes from Morrie is “Death ends a life, not a relationship.” So, In August we created a Birth Plan for Josseph and met with all of the important people at Miami Valley Hospital. I placed that quote at the top of Josseph’s birth plan. I wanted the doctors and nurses to understand that even though the clinical diagnosis for Potter’s Syndrome is “incompatible with life”, we planned to have a relationship with our child. He would be important and his life would have meaning. I think that is why having this Celebration of LIFE tonight to honor Josseph is so important to us and we are so thankful all of you are here to share in it with our family.
The more Josseph moved and kicked inside me, the more my perspective shifted. Although it was a constant reminder that his time with us would be brief, and that was a very sad thought, it was also a wake-up call that YES, his time with us would be brief and it was my job to make every moment matter. At school every day over our video announcements someone reads Words of Wisdom, which end with “Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours”. When you hear the same line, same quote, day after day for two years it tends to lose power and meaning. However, for me, it finally made total sense. I could spend every day engulfed in sadness and despair, or I could make the very most of the time our family was given to spend with Josseph.
Looking back, there were so many things we did as a family since his conception in February. How awesome is it that he was here, with us, resting right under my heart, for all six birthdays in our family! He was also with us in June on a spur of the moment trip to the Outer Banks, where our family has vacationed together the past ten years. This year wasn’t a scheduled year, but thanks to Daddy’s last minute idea, Josseph was able to share that experience as well! Josseph went with us to the Zoo, swim meets, Jumpy’s, where he helped me play a mean game of lazer tag with his siblings, to a girl scout family pool party, an Indoor Waterpark, a Children’s Museum, several soccer games (where he kicked like crazy !), he even went with me on my “first” day of school this year – experiencing his own FIRST DAY of school too.
Throughout this journey, I kept reminding myself that I am the mom, the teacher, I need to lead by example. But what was really happening was I had become the student, and Josseph had become my teacher. He was teaching me to look at life in a different way and to make the most out of the little things. And day by day, as Josseph drew me closer to God, I started to believe that God just might have been right about me after all. I know in speaking with Jeff, my parents, my sister, and some very dear friends – Josseph wasn’t just my teacher. He has taught us to make the very best of even the worst of situations, and the true meaning of unconditional love.
In closing, I want to share the poem The Dash with all of you. Josseph has brought us all here together tonight, and I believe he is not done making an impact on our lives. He wasn’t given the opportunity to have a “DASH” like we all have, and I think he wants us to make the most of ours!
The Dash – by Linda Ellis
I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend
he referred to the dates on her tombstone
from the beginning to the end
He noted that first came the date of her birth
and spoke the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years
For that dash represents all the time
that she spent alive on earth.
and now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not how much we own;
the cars, the house, the cash,
what matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard.
are there things you’d like to change?
for you never know how much time is left,
that can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
to consider what’s true and real
and always try to understand
the way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger,
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,
and more often wear a smile
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy is being read
with your life’s actions to rehash
would you be proud of the things they say
about how you spent your dash?
Friday, August 31, 2012
Friday Focus #2: 8.31.12
The start of this school year has been a very positive one so far. Thanks to everyone for helping make the beginning of this year positive! I continue to see good energy and attitude from students and staff alike!
I was just discussing our 'expectations of students' with a couple of different groups over the last few days. Our conversation centered around the idea that students will live up to the expectations that are set for them. These expectations might come from home, school, or both.
Our students will live up to those expectations set before them... Why not expect the best. Set the bar high... because if we don't, who will? We must know that 4 years... or 10 years... or 20 years... from now, WE HAVE DONE ALL WE CAN for the students.
And through everything you do... in your classroom, in your planning, in your test creation, in your conversations at lunch, in your reflection of the day's lesson... remember that we must do what is best for the students!
I know you all work hard to ensure we offer the best we can... KEEP IT UP!
I said to the parents at Open House on Wednesday night that we take a lot of pride in our school and we have confidence that we have a great system with great teachers to offer their son or daughter. I meant every word of it!
Keep up the great work!
Below of some items of information:
Netbooks
Distribution went well... we should have just over 400 students walking our halls with netbooks now. Hopefully everyone is finding ways to implement the netbooks into the classroom. Here are some things I have seen this week:
- Students looking up their grades and assignments on Progressbook
- Students doing presentations of a project they completed completely on their netbooks
- Students completing an assignment in class using the online textbook
If you have had students with netbooks in your classroom, please post to the comment section something you have used the netbooks for in your classroom...
Walkthroughs
As some of you have noticed, I have begun doing 'walkthrough' visits in classrooms and will continue this practice as much as my schedule allows. You will notice I am on my iPhone while in your room. I am only making notes about my visit in regard to time, name, and location as well as anything I might wish to discuss or remember at some point in time with the teacher. I hope to give written notes on some occasions that may include reflective questions, but I will not ALWAYS be able to give written feedback! If you wish to discuss my visit to your room or to see my notes, feel free to let me know! I enjoy this part of my job and hope to make it a more regular habit.
Tech Tuesday
Remember that Tech Tuesdays will begin on September 4th. Click on the tab at the top of the page to find the calendar and to request a topic or offer to present for Tech Tuesday. Please share your knowledge with your colleagues!
Next Week's TT Topic: Getting Started with FIP modules, with K. Uhlenhake & K. Black, ROOM 118
Calendar of Events
Remember that Calendar Info can be found on the right hand sidebar of the blog... updated regularly...
Happy Birthday
9/7 Lisa Sorrell
Friday, February 17, 2012
Friday Focus #21: 2.17.12
E-Tech Wrap
Many of our teachers attended a session at the e-Tech conference this week. I know many of you came back with great ideas and mind-opening concepts. Please share your thoughts, take-aways, and any links to resources in the comment section below.
In light of the futuristic thinking keynote speaker from Monday, here is a link to an article from Google titled:
Here Are The 17 Radical Ideas From Google's Top Genius Conference That Could Change The World
Self-Reflect: Student Engagement
When we had our visitors from St. Marys last week, one of the main things we brought up as a topic of discussion was the length of the class period and how we hold students' attention for more than an hour. For those of you that have been around during the schedule change, you know that we spent a lot of time talking about doing at least 3 distinct things during a lesson. Every 20 minutes (give or take) we need to change our activity in the classroom. Students need to be engaged in order to learn...
One of the first things I look for when I walk into a classroom is whether or not students are engaged. Its easy enough to see and any one of us could walk into a classroom and observe whether or not students are engaged in the learning process. The tell-tale signs are obvious --
- are they sitting up or do they have their head down?
- are they participatory learners?
- are they actively learning?
The list could go on... think about and reflect on your own classroom and your own practice. Are you dividing up your lessons? Are your students engaged? Do your students look forward to coming to class or do they dread it?
Most of our students are engaged during class time, but I challenge each of you to take some time in the next few days to reflect on your own practice... Talk with your co-workers about it... talk with an administrator. We learn and grow best when we reflect on and discuss our own practice!
THANKS FOR READING!
have a great 3-day weekend... enjoy your time off!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY...
2/20 Sheila Baltzell2/24 Marcia Smith
2/24 Todd Topp
Upcoming Events
2/20 No School -- President's Day
2/25 PAY DAY
Progressbook Grades Updated
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
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