Monday, January 29, 2018

WHS Staff News - Week of 1/29/18

Three Mid-Years to go! I have to be honest, mid-year conferences take a lot of time, but I had some great conversations and heard about so many fantastic things going on in the learning rooms.  It was great to see the majority of teachers took time to self-reflect and were prepared to share their thoughts on:  Unit Plans, New Schedule, Time to Brag and any changes for the rest of the year.  Here are some key comments that stuck out to me that I will be reflecting on with the Admin team. 

 Unit Plans 
Adjustment, struggled, rough start, work in progress (I truly appreciated the honest answers I heard)
Increased communication within the department
Plans are a working document
Resources for the future
I get it! I understand why and the benefits
Pre-Planning, leads to GREAT plans
More time to be creative as a teacher 
No one wants snow days or delayed openings when their classes meet. Messes up pacing and planning (Heard this multiple times). lol 

 Schedule 
Love it! (Heard this statement more than anything)
More time for projects and deeper learning
Time to plan
Heavy days/light days
Kids have adjusted well
At times, still figuring out what day it is 
Lab Week / No Lab Week

 Brags
Positive communication with parents
Embracing Reading and Writing Workshop  
Collaboration with other educators (round tables)
Strong relationships with students 
Alumni Day 
A lot of teachers reading books for professional growth 
Fitness activities
Best year ever - organized and in a good mindset  

 Important Dates 
Monday 1/29 - What Made Maddy Run - Meet the Author @ Ramsey High School
Wednesday 1/31 - Students from Thurston, England visit WHS 

 Good Read (or listen)
10 Steps to Slowing Down the Gossip Train via Jimmy Casas
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TIPS AND HOW TO’S FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS via Vicki Davis (Cool Cat Teacher)

   
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Tuesday, January 23, 2018

WHS Staff News - Week of 1/22/18

A few quick reminders: 

 We have Grade Level meetings this week during lunch with Guidance.  Meetings could run 5/10 minutes late which will cut into Block 4. 
Wednesday - Current 9th Graders 
Thursday - Current 10th Graders 
Friday - Current 11th Graders 
*No club meetings this week
Scheduling Process for the 18-19 School Year (Blog Post)

The Ramsey School District has extended an invitation to the Waldwick community to meet the author of What Made Maddy Run, Kate Fagan, at Ramsey High School on Monday, January 29, at 7pm. I hope to see many of you there next Monday so the conversation can continue. 


 End of 2nd Marking Period - Friday 1/26
GRADING OPENS FOR TEACHERS:  Thursday, 1/25/18 @ 9:00am
GRADING CLOSES FOR TEACHERS:   Wednesday, 1/31/18 @ 9:00am
REPORT CARDS RELEASED TO PARENTS:  Friday, 2/2/18 @ 9:00am

STRIDES Cafe - Friday, 1/26
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Tuesday, January 16, 2018

WHS Staff News - Week of 1/15/18


Reminder on Attendance and AESOP from Dr. Casarico
Attendance- AESOP  (Posted on The Answers as well) *Updated 

 Mid-Year Conferences will begin this week - Schedule 
Teacher part (10 minutes/2 minutes per topic)
Be prepared to talk about …. Unit Plans, New Schedule, Time to Brag, Goals, Changes/Areas to work on in '18.

 Professional Day/Minimum Day - Monday, January 22
Day 1 - Minimum Day Schedule
PD Activities for Monday

Scheduling for 18-19
Guidance will be meeting with each grade level next week during the common hour to review course offerings and have students select their electives. The meetings will take place in the Little Theater at 11:30AM.

  • Wednesday 1/24 - Current 9th Grade
  • Thursday 1/25 - Current 10th Grade
  • Friday 1/26 - Current 11th Grade

Your Supervisor should have shared with you their plan/timeline to collect AP/Honors/Survey level recommendations. Please complete them in a timely manner.

Incoming freshmen will again be taking a placement test for honors level classes.
Language Arts - Thursday, February 22 at 3:10 pm (Media Center)
Social Studies - Monday, February 26 at 3:10pm (Media Center)
Science - Wednesday, February 28 at 3:10pm (Media Center)

 Important Dates
Tuesday 1/16 - Bergen County Art Teachers PLN - Meeting @ WHS 12 - 2pm in the Media Center
Wednesday 1/17 - Learning and Collaboration Time - We will be meeting for 10 minutes, then teachers should use the time to work on honors recommendations or other tasks.
Thursday 1/18 - Senior Citizens in School - 11 - 2pm
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Monday, January 8, 2018

WHS Staff News - Week of 1/8/18

Well last week was an interesting way to start the new year! I hope everyone is dealing with this COLD weather the best they can. The forecast is looking better for this week. I know parts of the building are colder then others but the heat is on max. All I can say is dress warm and bring layers.  Best I can do. 
Mid-Year Conferences - 1/19 - 1/26

Format for Conferences

"I strongly believe it’s important to give people a chance to TALK, and we need to LISTEN"



With that statement out there, for this year’s Mid-Year conferences, we are going to structure them with the focus on listening (both sides).  The format will be a 20 minute conversation and we are going to stay on task and on time.

Teacher part (10 minutes/2 minutes per topic)
Be prepared to talk about …. Unit Plans, New Schedule, Time to Brag, Goals, Changes/Areas to work on in 18

Admin part (10 minutes)
We will share … What we have seen and what we want to see moving forward
*Any areas of major concern we will reference the Marshall Rubric so there are no surprises in May

Mid-Year Conference Schedule (Department/Teacher/Day)
*If you have a conflict with the date/time I assigned you please let me know.

End of 2nd Marking Period
When finalizing your grades for 2nd marking period, please note I am limiting the use of INC for all grade levels but specifically on seniors. Any INC must be approved by me or Mr. Clancy prior to the end of the marking period. Share this with your students and layout the rest of the marking period so we have no issues at the end of the month.
Two main reason for this, guidance needs to send out mid-year grades for seniors and accountability/responsibility for students.

 Semester Courses 
Semester 2, starts on Monday, January 29. Starting planning for 2nd semester courses.  Unit 1 needs to be ready to go before 1/29.  As you wrap up the 1st semester courses, consider collecting feedback on the course and gather student input. 

Important Dates 

January Dates
1/15 - No School MLK
1/17 - Learning & Collaborating Time 
1/22 - Minimum Day / Professional Development 
1/26 - Marking Period 2 Ends 

 *1/26 - 1/28 St. Luke's Youth Group Retreat 
FYI - The Saint Luke's Youth group Retreat is scheduled for Friday (1/26), Saturday (1/27) & Sunday (28).  A good amount of our students participate in this event and are not around all weekend. It's the end of the marking period so the timing is not that bad but keep this in mind when assigning end of marking deadlines, long term assignments or homework that weekend. 

Tweets/Blog Posts

December Students of the Month

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