Greetings!
Thanks again to everyone for such rich and positive conversations today. Our PD was focused, productive on many fronts, and suitable to a number of needs; we will be looking through all the feedback forms and working to provide opportunities to support our needs, and to provide the opportunities people need to continue these collaborations!
SENIOR PRIVILEGES
Senior privileges were approved at the School Committee meeting on Thursday, January 17. We will hold a senior assembly on the first Friday of second semester (February 1), at which point we will outline the procedures to the students. Please let us know if you have any other concerns or ideas in terms of implementation, which will be in place, hopefully, by the first day 1 of second semester, the following Wednesday.
Thanks to Christine Ryan and Spencer Christie for their patience and advising of the students, as well as Diana Rodgers, who provided support throughout the process to the seniors as they honed and refined their presentations and ideas.
ELA Interviews
We are in the process of finalizing the ELA position, and hope to have someone recommended to Dr. Evans at the end of next week. That person will hopefully be in place by the following week in order to hit the ground running on Friday, February 1, after Linda Matondi's retirement!
SECOND SEMESTER DUTIES
My apologies for sending out duties in a couple of different formats; I was under the impression that you could see the same schedules that I could on MMS. Hopefully the files on the high school conference make sense; if you need any clarification on when and where your duties are for second semester, please see me. I have made every possible attempt to ensure that everyone gets at least one long block free, and to ensure that everyone has a first or last period duty when the seniors could come and go.
With the additional "time," which is really only 1-2 periods every week or so, we are hoping to provide some pointed ideas for filling that time: working toward SMART goals, time for Atlas and curriculum collaboration, coverage for others who need time to collaborate during school time, etc. I am open to ideas - I would love to make that time as productive as possible for folks and support your goals as best we can!
SCHEDULING CONVERSATIONS!
Doug and I will be attending an MMS seminar in early March regarding the scheduling of the building. As we start to look at the schedule, we have shared with the department heads our desire to schedule the building around the courses that students elect to take, not simply rolling the schedule forward from year to year with a couple of tweaks.
Already, we are having some conversations with the arts and PE about revising the schedule to allow for greater curricular opportunities, as well as to reduce the number of students forced into study as a result of the scheduling of PE classes without anything opposite them. Furthermore, there will be some additional opportunities to write electives and offer new courses, hopefully, to students, particularly opposite the PE courses that meet every other day.
Please consult with department heads about elective offerings that you would consider pursuing. We are entirely committed to getting students OUT of study halls, into more classes, and giving people opportunities during non-teaching time to collaborate and work on what is important to them, rather than baby-sit in a directed study!
MIDYEARS
Please check the high school conference or last week's blog for information about mid-year exams; in the interest of retyping everything, I will just refer you there. Sorry for posting in multiple places.
Enjoy your long weekends!
Friday, January 18, 2013
Friday, January 11, 2013
Weekly News and Notes
Greetings!
Our only five-day week of January comes to a close, and with it, we have some updates on the coming weeks and the schedule ahead.
Jan. 18 PD
Please consult the schedule for the January 18 PD, which was sent by Shari today and was posted to the District News conference. We have a full day planned, and you can expect to work on both Common Core and Atlas, so that the day will apply to as many of the needs as people have requested. We will look to continue some continuity and to find ways to give people opportunities to work together!
Senior Privilege and Second Semester Duties
For next semester, we have tried to make some adjustments to ensure that all teachers have at least one period where they would benefit from periods where seniors arrive late or leave early, pending School Committee approval. For example, if Ms. Pereira, Ms. Cecchi, and Ms. Oleksy all proctor the duties during period A of day 1, and the seniors are coming in late, Ms. Pereira will have a free period the first week, can cover for Ms. Cecchi the second week, and Ms. Oleksy the third week, thus giving an extra free period to each of them. In some cases, people may have this happen more than once. A more detailed explanation will be forthcoming, but it will definitely provide some flexibility for people who are freed up by seniors coming or going. Hopefully that makes sense - stop by with any questions!
An FAQ document, which will be shared with parents and School Committee, will be published. It should answer many of the questions that are out there.
As for all the duties, a complete listing and a pdf of all teacher schedules will be posted to the P drive by the middle of next week.
Other things to be on the lookout for: I spoke with Mary about the library and modifying the procedure. Students who sign up ahead of time will be guaranteed spots, and others could check in at the beginning of the period, after which Mary could log attendance. That will help get more students into the library!
MCAS!
MCAS is coming. I will attempt to get you as many instructions as possible in advance of the test so folks can plan accordingly. The ELA dates, which are rapidly approaching, are March 19 (long comp), and March 21-22 for reading comprehension. Not sure why there is a day off in between, but there is!
Midyear Exams
For the last day of classes before mid-year exams, we will have a schedule that allows all classes to meet. Though it is a Day 2 on the schedule, we will adjust the first couple of periods to allow all classes to meet; there will be no long block, and lunches and the final two periods of the day will all remain the same.
The schedule for the day before mid-years begin, January 23, will be:
8:11-8:55 Period A
8:59-9:42 Period B
9:46-10:29 Period C
10:33-11:17 Period D
11:17-12:35 Period E with lunch
12:39-1:33 period F
1:37-2:31 Period G
For period A, we will follow a day 1 schedule. For periods B-G, we will follow a day 2 schedule.
For the exams, here is the coverage schedule for the cafeteria for studies, but we do expect that many students will be dismissed. In the interest of equity, everyone has been assigned some time in the library; you can work out that time period with your peers however you would like:
Medway Weekly
The Medway Weekly is posted here. There is a decent video on how to deploy educational technology, for those of you who are looking to implement or try something new. I realize this usually gets sent on Wednesday, and I hope to get back to the regular publication schedule next week!
Have a great weekend!
Our only five-day week of January comes to a close, and with it, we have some updates on the coming weeks and the schedule ahead.
Jan. 18 PD
Please consult the schedule for the January 18 PD, which was sent by Shari today and was posted to the District News conference. We have a full day planned, and you can expect to work on both Common Core and Atlas, so that the day will apply to as many of the needs as people have requested. We will look to continue some continuity and to find ways to give people opportunities to work together!
Senior Privilege and Second Semester Duties
For next semester, we have tried to make some adjustments to ensure that all teachers have at least one period where they would benefit from periods where seniors arrive late or leave early, pending School Committee approval. For example, if Ms. Pereira, Ms. Cecchi, and Ms. Oleksy all proctor the duties during period A of day 1, and the seniors are coming in late, Ms. Pereira will have a free period the first week, can cover for Ms. Cecchi the second week, and Ms. Oleksy the third week, thus giving an extra free period to each of them. In some cases, people may have this happen more than once. A more detailed explanation will be forthcoming, but it will definitely provide some flexibility for people who are freed up by seniors coming or going. Hopefully that makes sense - stop by with any questions!
An FAQ document, which will be shared with parents and School Committee, will be published. It should answer many of the questions that are out there.
As for all the duties, a complete listing and a pdf of all teacher schedules will be posted to the P drive by the middle of next week.
Other things to be on the lookout for: I spoke with Mary about the library and modifying the procedure. Students who sign up ahead of time will be guaranteed spots, and others could check in at the beginning of the period, after which Mary could log attendance. That will help get more students into the library!
MCAS!
MCAS is coming. I will attempt to get you as many instructions as possible in advance of the test so folks can plan accordingly. The ELA dates, which are rapidly approaching, are March 19 (long comp), and March 21-22 for reading comprehension. Not sure why there is a day off in between, but there is!
Midyear Exams
For the last day of classes before mid-year exams, we will have a schedule that allows all classes to meet. Though it is a Day 2 on the schedule, we will adjust the first couple of periods to allow all classes to meet; there will be no long block, and lunches and the final two periods of the day will all remain the same.
The schedule for the day before mid-years begin, January 23, will be:
8:11-8:55 Period A
8:59-9:42 Period B
9:46-10:29 Period C
10:33-11:17 Period D
11:17-12:35 Period E with lunch
12:39-1:33 period F
1:37-2:31 Period G
For period A, we will follow a day 1 schedule. For periods B-G, we will follow a day 2 schedule.
For the exams, here is the coverage schedule for the cafeteria for studies, but we do expect that many students will be dismissed. In the interest of equity, everyone has been assigned some time in the library; you can work out that time period with your peers however you would like:
Midyear Exam – Study Proctors
Jan. 24:
|
EXAM PERIOD
|
8:15-8:45
|
8:45-9:15
|
9:15-9:45
|
|
A
|
C. Ryan, M. Cecchi, Murphy
|
Oleksy, Pereira, Trottier
|
Nassiff, Webster, Infanger
|
|
|
10:00-10:30
|
10:30-11:00
|
11:00-11:30
|
|
B
|
Aigler, Hallett, Coutu
|
Buscio, Kirby
|
A. Rojee, Pacelli
|
Jan. 25:
|
EXAM PERIOD
|
8:15-8:45
|
8:45-9:15
|
9:15-9:45
|
|
C
|
Coyle, Lamond, Murphy
|
Guilfoil, Avellino-Chan, Trottier
|
Jasinski, Aylward, Bliss, Infanger
|
|
|
10:00-10:30
|
10:30-11:00
|
11:00-11:30
|
|
D
|
Beltran, Lynch, Mackenzie
|
Rodgers, Collins
|
Burch, Nelson
|
Jan. 28:
|
EXAM PERIOD
|
8:15-8:45
|
8:45-9:15
|
9:15-9:45
|
|
E
|
Foucre, Brodeur
|
Petrarca, J. Rojee, Infanger
|
Shire-Swift, Murphy, Trottier
|
|
|
10:00-10:30
|
10:30-11:00
|
11:00-11:30
|
|
F
|
Champagne,
Amaral
|
Christie, Brandon
|
Bryan, Morin
|
Medway Weekly
The Medway Weekly is posted here. There is a decent video on how to deploy educational technology, for those of you who are looking to implement or try something new. I realize this usually gets sent on Wednesday, and I hope to get back to the regular publication schedule next week!
Have a great weekend!
Friday, January 4, 2013
Weekly News and Notes
Welcome back!
These three day weeks sometimes feel more difficult than the full five, but we trust that everyone came back rested and rejuvenated for the stretch run for second quarter.
Second semester schedules/duties
With a couple of changes that may still come to pass, the second semester duties and study halls are active on MMS. There are changes from first semester, so not everyone who had lunch, computer, or hall duties are the same. Also, if you notice, all study halls have been assigned to individual teacher classrooms. The directive to students will be to REPORT TO THE ROOM NUMBER THAT IS ON THE SCHEDULE. Hopefully, that clears up some of the lingering issues from the start of the year, as many of the students were cooperative with going to study, and the correct study at that.
Ms. Dolan and I will be working on again revising the library use procedures for students. Hopefully, that will also increase traffic there, as students come to follow our expectations.
Finally, we will make adjustments based on the senior privilege policy. We hope to meet with the seniors briefly the week of the 20th, understanding that compromising class time is not something we really want to do too much of heading into mid-years. That said, it is important for us to deliver the message to them after the next school committee meeting, when we hope the privilege policy will be approved.
With some periods, there is a noticeable drop in the numbers with the seniors not there, which should allow teachers to work out coverages amongst themselves. More specifics on those numbers will be forthcoming.
MIDYEAR EXAMS
This year, mid-year exams are set to begin on the 24th and 25th, continuing until the 29th. Second semester, and new schedules, will start with a DAY 3 on January 30.
There will be a schedule for covering the cafeteria. As with last year, students who do not have an exam, because they are taking a class for which there is no exam or they have study, will not need to be in the building. Thus, they will go to the cafeteria or get picked up. Attendance will be taken in individual classes; there is no homeroom. (This is the same procedure as last year).
To ensure a measure of equity, we have assigned everyone a 30-minute window to assist in the cafeteria, typically paired with at least one and maybe two people. If numbers are small, it could reasonably be a 15-minute duty if shared. That listing will be sent next week.
On the last day, there will be a period for G block and a makeup period. Please let me know if there are any procedural questions.
MCAS
Hard to believe - but soon we will begin the process of scheduling for the sophomore MCAS exam, which will be administered mid-March for ELA. Those of you who teach all or mostly sophomores can expect to be on our list of proctors! While I'm not entirely certain of how this has been done in the past, I will be sending out very specific instructions as March grows closer to ensure the proper, and least disruptive, administration of the test.
Student Teachers!
Medway High School will have two students teachers in the building this spring: Mr. John Mitchell will be working in social studies, and Ms. Reena Bammi will be teaching English. Both are very excited to be here, and I am sure they will learn a great deal from working with this faculty and staff!
Jan. 18 PD
You will be hearing more about our January 18 PD day in the coming weeks. The first part of the day will begin at the Middle School. Most of our staff will be working in small groups, watching lessons being presented by high school content teachers and middle school ELA teachers that intend to unpack and help with the comprehension of the Common Core literacy standards. Groups will be assigned after the large group meeting.
The arts, music, and PE teachers will be working on performance assessments, and there are specific activities/trainings being planned for special education and counseling staffs. More details are on the way!
These three day weeks sometimes feel more difficult than the full five, but we trust that everyone came back rested and rejuvenated for the stretch run for second quarter.
Second semester schedules/duties
With a couple of changes that may still come to pass, the second semester duties and study halls are active on MMS. There are changes from first semester, so not everyone who had lunch, computer, or hall duties are the same. Also, if you notice, all study halls have been assigned to individual teacher classrooms. The directive to students will be to REPORT TO THE ROOM NUMBER THAT IS ON THE SCHEDULE. Hopefully, that clears up some of the lingering issues from the start of the year, as many of the students were cooperative with going to study, and the correct study at that.
Ms. Dolan and I will be working on again revising the library use procedures for students. Hopefully, that will also increase traffic there, as students come to follow our expectations.
Finally, we will make adjustments based on the senior privilege policy. We hope to meet with the seniors briefly the week of the 20th, understanding that compromising class time is not something we really want to do too much of heading into mid-years. That said, it is important for us to deliver the message to them after the next school committee meeting, when we hope the privilege policy will be approved.
With some periods, there is a noticeable drop in the numbers with the seniors not there, which should allow teachers to work out coverages amongst themselves. More specifics on those numbers will be forthcoming.
MIDYEAR EXAMS
This year, mid-year exams are set to begin on the 24th and 25th, continuing until the 29th. Second semester, and new schedules, will start with a DAY 3 on January 30.
There will be a schedule for covering the cafeteria. As with last year, students who do not have an exam, because they are taking a class for which there is no exam or they have study, will not need to be in the building. Thus, they will go to the cafeteria or get picked up. Attendance will be taken in individual classes; there is no homeroom. (This is the same procedure as last year).
To ensure a measure of equity, we have assigned everyone a 30-minute window to assist in the cafeteria, typically paired with at least one and maybe two people. If numbers are small, it could reasonably be a 15-minute duty if shared. That listing will be sent next week.
On the last day, there will be a period for G block and a makeup period. Please let me know if there are any procedural questions.
MCAS
Hard to believe - but soon we will begin the process of scheduling for the sophomore MCAS exam, which will be administered mid-March for ELA. Those of you who teach all or mostly sophomores can expect to be on our list of proctors! While I'm not entirely certain of how this has been done in the past, I will be sending out very specific instructions as March grows closer to ensure the proper, and least disruptive, administration of the test.
Student Teachers!
Medway High School will have two students teachers in the building this spring: Mr. John Mitchell will be working in social studies, and Ms. Reena Bammi will be teaching English. Both are very excited to be here, and I am sure they will learn a great deal from working with this faculty and staff!
Jan. 18 PD
You will be hearing more about our January 18 PD day in the coming weeks. The first part of the day will begin at the Middle School. Most of our staff will be working in small groups, watching lessons being presented by high school content teachers and middle school ELA teachers that intend to unpack and help with the comprehension of the Common Core literacy standards. Groups will be assigned after the large group meeting.
The arts, music, and PE teachers will be working on performance assessments, and there are specific activities/trainings being planned for special education and counseling staffs. More details are on the way!
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