First, thanks to everyone who contributed to our celebration, and to Katie and Julie for hosting us in their space. It's always nice for us to get together amid good times - probably something we need to do more frequently!
To all, we wish you a happy, joyous week with family and/or friends; if you happen to be traveling, do so safely! We'll see you back here in 2014.
ATTENDANCE MONDAY
As you can no doubt imagine, there is a distinct possibility that a number of students will be absent on Monday. For those of you who have a B-block class, please do an extra meticulous job with taking attendance to ensure that you have marked those students absent who are in fact absent. (To those of you who are accurate every day, and we know who you are, just do what you do... to those who make mistakes on a more, ahem, frequent basis - please take two minutes around 8:10-8:15 to check and doublecheck). Holiday Toy Drive
To second what Kathy and Sharon posted on the high school conference, awesome results for the Holiday Giving project! Last year, we collected more than 500 items, and this year, the number, officially, was 543 gifts! Wow!
We did, in fact, #stuffabus ! Awesome job, Medway!
At the next School Committee meeting, Student Government will be proposing a Service Distinction diploma, which will entitle students who complete a certain number of service hours to earn a service distinction upon graduation.
The full proposal can be seen here. Many kudos to Julia Tranfaglia, who coordinated the writing of the proposal for Student Government, and who will be presenting this to School Committee on January 2.
Weekly Resources:
A couple of pieces from the Marshall Memo, a collection of readings compiled by educator Kim Marshall - we get these every week, and frequently there are pieces relevant to the high school classroom experience:
What
Constitutes Rigor in High-School AP Courses?
In this American
Educational Research Journal article, Walter Parker, Jane Lo, Angeline Jude
Yeo, Sheila Valencia, Diem Nguyen, Robert Abbott, Susan Nolen, John Bransford,
and Nancy Vye (University of Washington) report on their comparison of
traditional Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics courses and more
project-based courses on the same content in 12 classrooms in four high
schools. Their conclusion: the traditional AP course “emphasizes fast,
superficial learning at the expense of meaningful learning, which is
problematic because meaningful learning appears to increase the likelihood of
adaptive transfer… We believe that gearing advanced high-school courses on
government and politics toward depth of understanding, engagement, and adaptive
expertise rather than bare-bones test prep actually matters. It matters not
only for student learning but also for democratic institutions such as independent
judiciary, checks and balances, and equality under the law. These institutions
require agents – citizens – for their maintenance and invigoration. The AP
platform places severe limits on this aim by packing too much curriculum into a
single course and then capping it with a high-stakes, breadth-oriented exam.”
“Beyond
Breadth-Speed-Test: Toward Deeper Knowing and Engagement in an Advanced
Placement Course” by Walter Parker, Jane Lo, Angeline Jude Yeo, Sheila
Valencia, Diem Nguyen, Robert Abbott, Susan Nolen, John Bransford, and Nancy
Vye in American Educational Research
Journal, December 2013 (Vol. 50, #6, p. 1424-1459),
In this article in Educational
Leadership, author Kathleen Cushman describes the research she’s done on
what sparks motivation in teenagers. She’s boiled it down to eight conditions
under which students get inspired:
-I feel
okay.
-It
matters.
-It’s
active.
-It
stretches me.
-I have a
coach.
-I have
to use it.
-I think
back on it.
-I plan
my next steps.
Under these conditions,
says Cushman, students “experience a rush of feeling when they start to
understand some hard, new thing – and they want more of it. Teachers feel it,
too. Kids sit up straight; something shifts in their attention, in their
voices. Maybe our teaching has taken them by surprise. Maybe we’re noticing and
building on their stories and their strengths. Students differ in countless
ways, so there’s no single way to draw them into a given challenge. But when
something we try lights the fires in their minds, we can harness that energy to
inspire excellent work.”
Finally...
A holiday wish - one of my all-time favorite Christmas/holiday-themed television sketches, and always gets me thinking about my five wishes for the season - The link is here (Blogger wouldn't let me embed directly from Youtube). Don't forget to smile! (There are a bunch of others that SNL does for the holiday that I'm sure we all enjoy, but we can all come up with 5 Holiday wishes!)
The stretch run to the Holiday Break is on! These next couple weeks will see an upswell of student enthusiasm and energy - but also anxiety and tension. The holidays are kind of a watershed moment for a lot of students, and because of the variety of emotions that come with the holidays - particularly for some who have lost friends, family members, siblings, parents, etc. - we do expect some days in these next couple of weeks to be difficult for some students.
The best advice we have is to keep students engaged and on task in class - which is what is done by so many on a daily basis anyhow! That said, an active mind on the subject/topic/assignment at hand is sometimes the distraction some of our students crave. If you are in need of ideas for ways to put together some different kinds of activities for those waning days before vacation, see your department leader or an administrator - we're all happy to help out!
From a staff standpoint, be on the lookout for an email from Doug about the holiday brunch.
Code Yellow Today
This is the text of the email we put together today:
Good morning, again.
Great job, one and all. From the students entering the building that took direction from the staff in the foyer, who were free B block and volunteered to help, to teachers who dropped everything (literally) to run to classrooms, to the students who hardly asked questions other than "is everything okay?" - BRAVO TO ALL. The Code Yellow was implemented and closed exactly as it should have.
In sum, a student was choking, and the nurse needed to call 911. The medics responded quickly, and within 15 minutes, the situation was clear. The student was breathing on his own in leaving the school, and he was taken to the hospital for follow-up.
Everyone's prompt, efficient, and textbook response is extremely, extremely appreciated!
We received an update mid-morning that the student was released from the hospital and was doing fine. Again, in our follow-up with Doug and Dr. Evans, in our conversations with many people around the building, everyone did a remarkable job in making sure this morning went so smoothly - and the aftermath had a minimal impact. Again, our most sincere thanks.
NEW WEB SITE
Word on the street is that the new web site may be launched by month's end. The home page will look very different, and some other links are being built off of it. For a preview of coming attractions, here's what the new Student Activities site will look like:
We're still waiting on some of the descriptions from advisors to include on the website, but, beyond that, you should see information much, much better organized and more readily accessible. Please, if you have suggestions, let us know!
HOLIDAY CONCERT
The music department's holiday concert is next Wednesday at 7:00 in the auditorium. Admission is free - and the chorus performed a preview of coming attractions at this week's School Commitee meeting, sounding great! FIELD TRIPS
There have been many co-curricular field trips of late, with a couple more scheduled for the coming months. This week, our economics classes attended the International Economics Summit held at Gillette Stadium, the account of which appears here from Mr. Petrarca, who chaperoned the trip with Mr. Borden:
Fifty Medway students representing 10 countries competed in the International Economic at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday December 4th. There were over 500 students representing over 100 countries in the entire competition. The students went through several competitions to accumulate points. In the months leading up to the competition students had to complete several on line tasks that counted for points. At the summit, students took a geography quiz and an economic quiz as well as a current events quiz. Students also set up trade alliances. The centerpiece of the event was a 50 minute trade simulation session in which students had to make several strategic decisions to maximize their points. After lunch, students made global proposals to solve a problem that requires international cooperation between the countries. Students were also awarded points for their costumes and table displays. Our Medway students behaved with tremendous enthusiasm, motivation and sportsmanlike competitiveness throughout the summit. It was wonderful to see our students have to make so many strategic decisions, functioning as a team by dividing up responsibilities, and networking with students from other schools to set up alliances or making trades. It was culminating event that developed their skills and at the same time revealed how far they have come along in their maturity toward adulthood. Our students were totally into it. Tournament officials were very happy with the effort and performance of the Medway teams as well. We will be awaiting final standings from the Summit in the coming days. Some photos of the event appear below!
Above: Team Iran was actually from Medway, placing in the Top 6 of this particular event.
Above: Team Luxembourg collects signatures for its global campaign.
Above: Team Luxembourg works on establishing global trade alliances.
Above: Panama executes its trade strategies.
Scheduling Calendar, 2014-15
Here are some dates to consider as we look at planning the Schedule for next year (yes, it's that time already)!
January 2: Program of Studies finalized, School Committee Presentation
January: Discussions/norming of Honors and AP recommendations for 2014-15 for teachers
February 3-6: Discussions with students about course recommendations
Before February vacation: Course selections input by high school students
These dates are very raw (as you can see), but we want to be able to plan ahead!
Activities Updates
Right now, we have a bunch of service projects ongoing! Our SADD and Peer Counseling groups are hoping to "stuff a bus" with toys for the annual giving project. NHS is going to start collecting Pennies for Patients, and the 533 Community Service Club continues to collect coins for the victims of the tragedy in the Philippines.
Advisors - if you have something you want added to the calendar or website, there is a place for you to put those requests on the desk in the main office that our student service worker usually uses, in front of Lynda's desk. Just put what you want updated in one of the vertical black slots on the desk, and we'll take it from there!
Speaking of: Great result for Science O this week!
Theodora Bouman-Wozencraft and Alyssa Whitaker won a gold medal in rocks and minerals;
Alex Callahan took gold in Designer Genes;
Jess Morlock and Maggie Sheridan won bronze in water quality;
Josh Gittings and Lauren Getz took silver, and Jason Sutherland and John Williams won gold, in Maglev! (According to Wikipedia, maglev is a method of propulsion that uses magnetic levitation to propel vehicles with magnets rather than wheels, axles, and bearings - I had to look it up!).
Bad Weather
The snow and freezing temperatures will be coming, no doubt soon! Please remember to make sure that your phone numbers and emails are accurate; when delays or cancellations are made, and calls are put through from the district, we want to make sure that you know as quickly as possible. We will do our best to text, call, and Tweet to avoid people getting here and finding that there was a delay or cancellation - which sometimes happens, unfortunately. Be safe out there - it's looking like some tough weather in the forecast for early next week.
There will be no newsletter next week in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday. Some information that you may find helpful for the week ahead:
The Homecoming Dance is Tuesday night from 7-10. Admission is $10, but students can get a discount if they bring socks or a nonperishable.
On Wednesday, our schedule will be a Day 1 schedule, with students meeting in A, B and C block classes before being called to the gym, by grade and by the PA system. Please resist temptation to send students around the building - typically, Wednesday is one of the hardest days of the year to teach - students are not focused and would rather be out and about, telling you that they have some task that "absolutely needs to get done before the break." It is likely the best day to try an enrichment activity, wrap up something so you can start fresh after the long weekend, or have a seminar or discussion on a key point. While not a throwaway day, please do what you can with those classes!
In addition, in the coming weeks, there will be a couple of days when I will not be here. During that time, if there is a student-related issue, I would ask you to be patient with its processing. For students that seem to be demonstrating a pattern or for an issue that requires immediate attention, send me an email (I will be checking) and I can ask Doug or Dot to follow up more immediately - as I will not be in the building, I won't see any notes or slips that come my way until I am back.
One of our students!
This Friday very own Hannah Tight was selected to sing at the the MIAA Sportsmanship and Leadership conference in Franklin, performing in front of more than 1000 people! Technical difficulties precluded me from uploading the video, but I'll work on getting that here at some point!
PLC Time
There has been some question asked about PLC time and what staff could be doing. In the next couple of weeks, some ideas for PLC time could be:
- Looking at first quarter grades; analysis of first quarter student performance
- Developing common assessments (thinking of the mid-year)
- What are some cross-curricular skills that start to emerge as we get into the year?
- For teachers who teach similar content but different levels, how can some of the great lessons be adapted for different levels (meaning made more rigorous for Honors or scaffolded differently for Standard)?
Study Hall Attendance
For some folks that are having a hard time getting attendance taken in study hall when in the cafeteria, some suggestions:
1. Position someone at the door and check off names as you see students.
2. Have all students get there and call them up by teacher to take attendance. All students received new schedules last week, so they should know who is their teacher.
3. Announce that no students are to ask for a pass anywhere until attendance is complete.
4. Keep one person positioned by the door to take care of the traffic in and/or out.
If you have a system that works, please don't change it!
Scheduling
In the next couple of weeks, we will release a timeline to the staff regarding scheduling for 2014-15, including the expectation for course recommendations and a time frame for the students to be selecting classes. We also will be working with Shanley and Aubrie to determine what some of the new courses will be for next year and what revisions will take place within the Program of Studies, which is targeted to be approved at the January 2 School Committee meeting.
Holiday Giving Project
If you have not RSVP'd to indicate your willingness to help out, let Mike or Sharon Guilfoil know. Last year, we sent more than 500 gifts from Medway to a shelter in Brockton, providing more than 100 families a holiday. We hope to load a bus this year! Students from SADD will also be asking you to participate, so let me know ASAP - the Giving Project is set to start on December 3 and run until December 17.
Some Great stuff in classes!
Here are some photos of some projects from Ms. Pereira's chemistry classes - where on another day this week, students were engaged in a lab testing actual yield of a product compared to theoretical yield through a double replacement reaction, while other students were teaching each other equations at the board. Awesome stuff!
In Ms. Oleksy's Sociology class, as part of a current events discussion, one student was teaching the class about an incident that occurred this week in Somalia, before the class moved into a creative writing assignment based on their studies of the 1960s.
Speaking of the 1960s, Ms. Rodgers' history classes were talking to people alive in 1963 to capture their oral histories from the day President Kennedy was assassinated.
Weekly Resources are posted here. There is a great interview with Grant Wiggins on Backwards Design. A piece from The Atlanticdetails why great teachers don't always want to be principals, and if you scroll down a bit, there is a terrific resource on "27 simple ways to check for understanding." I also added a video from Tennessee in which a student crafts a brilliant argument against Common Core. Happy reading!
Finally, Thanksgiving is my favorite day of the year, and as the notes will not be posted next week, I hope you all enjoy a pleasant weekend with family, friends, or both, and know that we are thankful for the work you do on a daily basis for our students.
