So that's what a five day week feels like!
In all honesty, it had been a while since we had experienced a five day week without interruptions, and this week brought the unfortunate power outage. Thanks to all for their flexibility and willingness to help - including those of you who stopped by the foyer to see if there was anything you could do. The lunch duty crew of Mr. Nassiff, Ms. Bliss, Mr. Murphy and Mr. Lemos all were helpful in keeping that part of the day running smoothly - which, given the confusion and inability to communicate on a mass basis, was a challenge.
These next few weeks will bring some uptakes in academic anxiety with the onset of midyear exams. To eliminate any confusion - the Handbook states that the only exams that may be exempted for seniors are final exams. We understand that some of the exams at the mid-year point are, in fact, "finals" for those courses, but past practice has had students taking some form of summative at this point - be it a traditional test, project, or alternative assignment. Also, many would argue that the purpose of having these larger, summative exams are to "prepare students for college," so the idea of having many students NOT taking them seems to do them a complete disservice.
With that said, there are arguments on both sides of the mid-year equation, which have been waged here and elsewhere over the years. The question always becomes the value added - while trying to use the test as a way to gauge student progress and inform instruction, hopefully. This year, we hope that the first two quarters' grades and the midyear exam grade will provide an adequate jumping off point in discussing with students their course recommendations for next year.
Which brings us to...
Scheduling for Next Year
The scheduling calendar for next year will be moving up in terms of the timeframe in an attempt to continue doing better with it. There were many successes this year - and some aspects that need improvement - with regard to scheduling. With that in mind, there will be some optional forums in which people can participate to help give a big picture to the schedule and help to understand what some of the different variables are from a teacher perspective. This isn't with regard to the schedule itself (meaning the rotation), but what people see as needs and wants from their own schedules and courses. It's impossible to satisfy everything and everyone, but there are obviously always aspects to it that we would like to improve.
Be on the lookout for a full timeline for staff and students alike with regard to the scheduling of the building for next year.
MCAS Dates
MCAS for English will be coming very soon - March 18, 19 and 21. For those of you who like to plan far, far in advance, those are days 2,3, and 5 in the schedule. However, that would mean that C block class would be missed all three days, so this is what the schedules will look like that week:
March 18: Regular Day 2 schedule - MCAS during B,C,D
March 19: Regular Day 3 schedule - MCAS during C,A,E
March 21: Day 5 schedule with a change: B,G,C,A,E,F - MCAS during B and G
C block drops on March 20 as well, so giving it the 2 long blocks that week helps accommodate the schedule without impacting the part-time staff or the overall schedule too much. It also allows teachers of sophomores who have a C-block sophomore group to see those groups a similar number of times. (F becomes the only period that MCAS doesn't impact).
Also with regard to timing, many have voiced that with advisory always falling in the morning, the same classes lose time. We are exploring a couple of options for second semester to help alleviate that pressure. If you have ideas, please send them our way!
There will also be forthcoming information about the PARCC administration, which Medway is piloting this spring. Those days are as yet to be determined. The full listing of instructions for MCAS will be forthcoming.
Midyear Dates
At the risk of folks not seeing this on (a) Doug's blog, (b) the email blast going out to the high school, (c) the HS conference, (d) the P drive, (e) potentially forwarded on department conferences, or (f) using last year's as a guide, here is the midyear exam schedule here as well:
Mid-year examinations begin on Thursday, January 23, 2014. The schedule is as follows:
Thursday, Jan. 23:
• A Exam, 8:15-9:45;
• B Exam, 10:00-11:30
Friday, Jan. 24:
• C Exam, 8:15-9:45;
• D Exam, 10:00-11:30.
Monday, Jan. 27:
• E Exam, 8:15-9:45;
• F Exam, 10:00-11:30.
Tuesday, Jan. 28:
• G Exam, 8:15-9:45;
• Make-up Exam, 10:00-11:30.
Buses will be on site for early dismissal at 11:30 on Jan. 23, 24, and 27. Morning bus runs are normal times.
On Jan. 28, bus pick-up at the high school is at 9:45, as there is only one exam and a makeup period scheduled for that final day.
Second semester schedules
Some teachers have asked about second semester schedules. While still working on study hall assignments - which are close to done - some things we can report:
1. Everyone will have, at minimum, one PLC/Common Plan.
2. Some of the Common Plan times have been moved to accommodate changes in the master schedule with respect to semester classes.
3. Studies for the period immediately after lunch (Period 5) will meet in classrooms, as will studies during the lunch block.
4. Senior privilege permission forms for second semester, if students ask, will be available next week in the main office.
5. The Academic Success Center will be staffed for about 18 of the 42 periods. If you have any interest in being involved with it, let Mike know; we'll try to add some additional periods where possible.
We are really hoping to continue evolving and formalizing common planning time to give people more time to collaborate and plan during the school day. Please - if there is something you need with regard to planning for a specific class, course, assessment, etc. or a peer observation you wish to do to help with you own goals - see one of us and we will do our best to make it happen. Please understand that not every wish can be granted, but it will at the very least be looked into.
January 16 School Committee Meeting
The high school will have several items on the agenda at the School Committee meeting on January 16, including the hopeful approval of the Program of Studies for next year and the proposal of a Service Distinction Diploma. Questions on the Program can be directed to your Department Leader, and questions about Service Distinction can go to Mike, Spencer, or Christine Ryan. There will also be some information forthcoming about Honors Recommendation from the 8th grade.
Weekly resources can be found here. Given the time of year we are in with students, there is a particularly appropriate piece entitled "five steps to foster grit in the classroom." Highly recommend it. For those of you who are sometimes struggling with the benefit of mobile devices and BYOD in the classroom, I suggest these tips - in particular, the first one, of establishing norms, is particularly helpful.
See you at the Faculty Meeting on Tuesday, and have a great weekend!
Friday, January 10, 2014
Friday, December 20, 2013
Weekly News & Notes
The Holiday break is (almost) upon us.
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!
The Milford Daily News ran a feature on this in Thursday's edition.
Service Distinction Diploma
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?
A Formula for Student Motivation
If you're looking for the full listing of resources, they can be found here.
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!)
Friday, December 6, 2013
Weekly News and Notes
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:
https://sites.google.com/a/medwayschools.org/high-school-activities/
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.
Weekly resources can be found here. I added two pieces - one a quick graphic about generation Z, of which our student body are members - and a piece called "what we can learn from the Wu-Tang Clan" - maybe even a few people will recognize the lyrics!
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:
https://sites.google.com/a/medwayschools.org/high-school-activities/
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!
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.
Weekly resources can be found here. I added two pieces - one a quick graphic about generation Z, of which our student body are members - and a piece called "what we can learn from the Wu-Tang Clan" - maybe even a few people will recognize the lyrics!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)