Weekly News and Notes - a Day Early!

Greetings everyone!

First, thank you all for your cooperation during today's Code 100. The hallways were quiet, the building continued to work, and the classes on task, for the most part, during what could be potentially disruptive. We did our best to keep the execution of the Canine Search efficient and timely, and many thanks can be extended to Officer Grimes for his coordination with the Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council to bring in 10 canines, which searched the grounds and parking lots.

Doug posted an update on the high school conference, if you have not already seen it.

Course Selections

We understand that there is some trepidation on the part of the students regarding the course selections for next year, particularly the idea that schedule changes will not be permitted after May 1.

Now, we are not mindless gnomes. There will be some changes that will be permitted, pending certain standards are met. However, we had close to 200 requests for schedule changes last summer, ranging from students who wanted to make their schedules lighter, to those who wanted an additional study, to those who wanted to lobby for a specific teacher for a class - and drop a class when they didn't get that teacher.

In short, none of that is reasonable. None of that is fair. And none of that will be tolerated. One of the greatest problems we will need universal support for are the study halls here. Yes, most students got into their classes last year. But most students were selecting only 32 credits, which automatically inserted them into 10 studies every cycle. Some had more, some had less. But you would be hard pressed to find many students here who are "fully scheduled" into programs of 38 or more credits. They are there, but they are rare.

We have on obligation to educate our students in the most comprehensive a way possible, and that means by taking classes. Some classes may be there to exercise a different part of the brain, some may have more homework than other, but they are classes - they are classes that give students contact time with teachers. To that end, we expect our students in class. We do not want an average of 100 students per period, per study. And while we know that studies are inevitable based on the schedule and staffing, we don't want their existence - and students' "selection" of them - to drive course registrations. (And, for those of you who were in the assemblies, you will note that many of the students' questions were about how many studies, not how many classes, they would take).

We also know that you will all be thoughtful about course selections with your students - probably to a fault. Thanks for your thorough thoughtfulness and feedback on their behalf as we look to shape a schedule that meets everyone's needs!

So, now that I'm done waxing on the schedule selections...

Second Semester Dynamics:

Yes, these next few weeks, as the weather gets warmer and the sun comes out, tend to be more complex, and they tend to bring with them students who check out. As the coming weeks roll along, we hope that the students keep working until the end, but as a staff, we know that the weeks after April vacation can be trying.

We announced to the seniors that we will not be changing anything in terms of the senior exams, and a schedule for those will be forthcoming. For planning purposes, the exams are tentatively scheduled for May 21-24.

Student Organizations

I have heard a great deal these past few weeks about student leaders and their being spread to thin - and, on top of it, the lack of follow-through. To that end, some ideas as we head toward the end of the year with the student activities:

1. We will be holding a meeting next Tuesday, April 2 for ALL student leaders - of classes, clubs, activities, etc. - at 7:30 a.m. in the auditorium. A little conversation about accountability will be taking place.

2. In the coming weeks, we will be planning a workshop on leadership and management of student organizations, and part of that will be the transitioning of student leaders of clubs and classes from this year to next.

3. I think we need to discourage some involvement. It's great that so many students want to be part of activities - but we need more students to be ACTIVE and follow through with the responsibilities of their offices. Too much is falling to advisers and to me in terms of tasks that the officers and members should (and will) own.

Coming Attractions

Next week, the Microfinance Club is hosting an Acapella Night. It's scheduled for Friday, April 5 in the auditorium, beginning at 7 p.m.

The Senior Week schedule, for those who wish to have those events in the calendar, will be scheduled very soon. Stay tuned for all those days and times.

There are a number of field trips that are being submitted for approval. While some are great ideas, we really need to be sensitive to (a) cost and (b) time out of the building - particularly the underclassmen. Please remember to keep other classes in mind as these trips are planned!

Weekly Resources:

For those of you who teach the research process, there's a great piece on incorporating citations, and for those of you who are working on blended learning, there's a good article on the skills best for online students and teachers. Check them out, and more, at http://paper.li/MedwayHSDean/1346850266.

Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Weekly News And Notes

At the rate we are going, our end of the year barbecue may coincide with the 4th of July! Hopefully, we are at the end of the inclement weather... Another snow day would be all we could stand from Mother Nature at this point!

MCAS And Next Week

The composition test will be given on Monday, which will be a day three. Tuesday and Wednesday will be days one and two, and then Thursday will be a Day 7, followed by Day 4 on Friday. That will allow us to keep the testing proctors the same, maneuver the schedule accordingly, and not miss any days of the cycle. Thanks for the cooperation and flexibility on that!

We plan on holding a makeup day for the reading comprehension, likely on Tuesday or Friday, with the composition makeup scheduled for us by the state on Thursday, March 28. This will have an effect on just a couple of students.

PROGRAM OF STUDIES

The Program of Studies for next year was approved at this week's School Committee meeting. There are some subtle changes, most of which affect the elective courses. The biggest change
 will be the move of PE classes from two times per cycle to three, which will help alleviate numberin studies, particularly if other classes, such as chorus and band, can work around them. The Department Heads have worked tirelessly at examining a number of course offerings to determine which could be better given as semester majors instead of year-long, which will create some flexibility in the schedule.

We will be meeting with grades 9-11 this week to discuss the course selection process, as well as to outline some of the student and parent responsibilities. We will also have the Grade 9-11 parents here for Wednesday night to discuss with them some of the revisions.

This past week, we had a separate night for the Grade 8 students and parents. There were close to 400 attendees, who heard from freshman class officers, took tours of the building, and head presentations from all department heads, Mr. Pearl, and guidance. The feedback was effusively positive.

Please let any of us or a department head know if there are any questions about the changes to the Program of Studies, or what could be coming in terms of curriculum needs.

EVENTS COMING

There were so many great events in the past few weeks, from athletic events, to the Musical Revue, to the CoffeeHouse, that it is difficult to thank everyone for their hard work in terms of coordination, supervision, and sponsorship. The Microfinance Club will be hosting an Acapella Night on April 5, and the annual Ring Dance is scheduled for April 6. We expect to have more details on Senior Week, Senior Exams, and the MCAS schedules for math and science very soon.

Please help dispel the rumours about any changes to Senior Exams. While we are looking the schedule and the format, we are not looking at the policy of student exemption from those tests, as some students have claimed!

Medway Clean Sweep

Medway Clean Sweep, a town-wide Cleanup in coordination with Medway 300, is scheduled for Saturday, April 27. We already have a number of student groups that are going to be helping out by taking a particular "zone" of town. If you are at all interested in helping, or you advise an organization that would like to help, let me know!

Have a great weekend!

Weekly News and Notes

Is everyone else exhausted too?

Let's face it - the dog days of March are just that. They are long, difficult, testy, tense, and dark - even with Daylight Savings Time starting a month earlier than usual. There has been a noticeable up-take in the number of roamers, and we have spent an inordinate amount of time dealing with writeups for cuts and other assorted issues. There have been a number of extracurricular events, curriculum planning, PD days, MCAS... never mind the added energy that it takes to keep students on track in these dog days, particularly when momentum is stymied by a snow day or a shortened week.

We will keep after those things under our control - and remain appreciative of those who are involved in the conversations with students, parents, counselors, providers, et al.


MEDWAY THROUGH BROADWAY!

Don't miss it. It is a fantastic, fantastic show. Those who aren't from Medway will get a great deal of history from the show, the students are wonderful, and the music terrific. Kudos to Spencer and Nadine for the work they've done!

Winter Post-season just about over

The Cheerleaders will compete at the New England Championship this weekend, following the hockey team having bowed out on Wednesday in overtime.

Thanks to Sharon Guilfoil, Elaine Coyle, Patty Parrella, Kelly Culcasi, Al Petrarca, Kristen Kirby, Joan Hallett, Jen Lisk, Karl Infanger, Bruce Bryan, Paul Aylward, and so many others whose name are unintentionally being omitted for their support as chaperones on the trips these past couple of weeks.

MCAS Next Week

We met with the sophomores on Friday morning, bringing to their attention all of the procedures that are in place for MCAS next week. Thanks to the teachers who provided feedback and support in the assembly. We are confident in their ability to successfully complete the test, and again urge everyone to read the instructions in order to know what classes are moving where.

The sophomores will meet on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday in the cafeteria, from where they will be sent to the individual testing rooms.

Hopefully, there are no additional questions about the instructions - if anything seems confusing, from proctors or teachers, let us know.

Weekly Resources: Located here! Some good stuff, particularly the piece on "Building a Sense of Urgency in the Classroom."

Weekly News and Notes

Greetings!

Attention to Details

Please make sure that you have read the MCAS instructions - posted on the High School conference earlier this week. It is important for EVERYONE to understand what changes are taking place with MCAS coming on March 19. Your attention to all those details is very much appreciated.

Next, please make sure that you are completing the appropriate forms and following the proper procedures for booking fundraisers, events, activities, and field trips. There should be no surprises! Peer Counselors will be working on a master hard copy calendar, in addition to the digital calendar found here and on Doug's blog, for everyone to reference as they make plans.

Finally, there will be training forthcoming for all MCAS proctors. Stay tuned for those details!

Ring Dance

The Ring Dance is scheduled for April 6, 2013. Teachers may have heard some rumbling that the date was inconvenient for students, as it presented scheduling conflicts. In truth, the date was established months ago to ensure that no school-sponsored events would come into conflict with it. To dispel any of the rumors, which folks may or may not have heard, the date of the Ring Dance is not being changed. Period. 

Discipline Data

A full report of discipline data will be out with next week's notes, but the preliminary data is solid - demonstrating that we are all doing a great job of keeping students on task and adhering to our behavioral expectations. Yes, we all know of a few repeat offenders who keep us on our toes, but the preliminary data shows that detentions have been cut by about 27% and suspensions are down from about 50 to 18. That said, 14 of the 18 suspensions have occurred in the 2013 part of school year, which, of course, is bound to happen as the year progresses.

With regard to what is submitted to the administration, please keep in mind that there are infractions and incidents which teachers can resolve on their own without office involvement. Also, there are some write-ups that are coming back with some editorial comments. Remember: just the facts!

Attendance Committee

The Attendance Committee has started meeting with individual students on their specific cases involving credit denial. In some cases, students simply have to provide us with the appropriate documentation, and we thank those of you who are taking accurate attendance on a daily basis in your classes for keeping the students and the records honest.

As decisions are made, student attendance records will be updated to reflect excused absences, as well as individual notification given when appropriate so teachers will know that credit is not in jeopardy.

Other:

This week's Weekly News and Notes can be found here: http://paper.li/MedwayHSDean/1346850266. I highly recommend the piece on Common Core, entitled "Can Student-Driven Learning Happen Under Common Core," as well as the piece from Education Rethink on "Assessing Learning vs. Assessment Taking."

Stay tuned to the MIAA website for all the updates as our boys basketball and boys hockey teams venture forward in state tournament play.

The long stretch of March has begun! Thanks for reading!