Monday, September 26, 2016

WHS Staff News - Week of 9/26


Good news just keeps on coming....... As you know last week we had the arrival of Colin O'Hara and then Monday afternoon I received word that Mason Argo was born.  Both sets of parents are doing great and just like that, we have two new members of #WarriorNation. 

 Thank you to the staff members inputting the parent email addresses into Google Classroom. You all will get a free Jean Day pass for your time and effort!  PE staff, not sure what you would want but we can talk.  

 On Monday a group of student leaders attended a leadership event at Fair Lawn HS with Ms. Terzini and Mr. Freeman.  Here is a pic of a few of my tweets from the event to give you a sense of what the students heard and the message of the speakers. 


Cleaning of the Building 
Last week I met with Andy Gamper and John Griffin to discuss the cleaning of the building by the custodial staff.  What you can expect regarding cleaning of the classrooms:

Daily - All garbage cans will be emptied, the floor will be swept and the tops of the tables/desks will be wiped down.  
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of each week, the custodians will clean all white boards.  The cleaning of the boards on Friday will include the entire board.  This means that if you have HW boxes, or objective boxes, etc, they will be cleaned also and the information will be lost.  Please plan accordingly.
Weekly - Classroom floors will be mopped at least once per week.    

If there are any issues with your room or work-space, or anything else in the building that is a concern to you, please let me.

Week of Respect Events (Assembly times and dates)

Monday, October 3:  World Day of Bullying Prevention - Students and staff will wear blue.

Tuesday, October 4:  Grades 9 & 10 will be attending a presentation by the Ganley Foundation in the Little Theater from 10:30 - 11:20 AM.  
This heartfelt and empowering presentation offers educational basics and insights into the world of youth depression and suicide through real life stories and expert input.  The shared perspectives of a mental health expert and suicide attempt survivor encourage a dialogue with the audience which carries forward their message about the importance of mental health, depression awareness, suicide prevention and how to obtain help.

Wednesday, October 5:  Grades 11 & 12 will be attending a presentation by Gian Paul Gonzalez in the Little Theater from 1:30 - 2:20 PM.  
Mr. Gonzalez has traveled across the nation as a motivational speaker for many corporate, athletic, government and educational institutions.  His message of being "All In" has reached people across the world.  Gian Paul earned a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership and is founder of an organization called Hope and Future, which is dedicated to helping inner city youth.  Gian Paul is represented by A Vision in Motion Speakers Bureau.

Friday, October 7:  Students and staff district-wide will wear orange and jeans.

 Good Reads for Professional Growth 

COMPLIANCE AND GRADES via Amanda Dykes
What you love about Google Search — now for Drive via Google
Focusing on What Students Can Do via George Couros

Recent Blog/Twitter Post

Understanding the Graduation Requirements 
Peer mentoring Program at WHS

Always remember this!!!

#OwnitWHS 
Posted by at No comments:

Monday, September 19, 2016

WHS Staff News - Week of 9/19



Third week in and all I can say is thank you!! We are off to a great start and Back-to-School Night went extremely well. The positive feedback I have received has been more than any other year.  I might be getting the comments or emails from the parents, but they are all about what WE are doing here at WHS. Below are a few comments I pulled from the emails: 

 You have really built a great team and are doing a great job making learning fun for the kids. I grew up here and the school has never looked so good!

 Each and every teacher seems to truly care about the students. They all seem very passionate about making sure each student thrives. My child is extremely happy with all her teachers and I can honestly say this is the first year she has ever said that. 

 Kudos to you and your staff for a wonderful Back to School Night last night! Every teacher I had the pleasure of meeting was enthusiastic, professional and passionate about his/her subject matter. It was exciting to hear about the new education trends and how WHS is implementing them. I was also impressed with the physical appearance of the building. Freshly painted rooms and halls, new furniture and the latest technological products--not many high schools have three-dimension printer! Pretty awesome! I'm excited for my son as he starts his junior year at WHS.


Random Announcements 

 Since last year, the bell to end Period 1 does not ring.  We are not sure why.  Until its fixed, please be aware of the end time of Period 1. (8:59 AM)

 We have noticed that the ringer volume on the new phones is set to a low level.  Please take time today to set the volume by pressing on the "+" symbol.  The office will be using the new phones to call students out of class.  In the future we might be using the phones as our bells. 

 This weekend three WHS staff members took part in a two day professional development event connected with a grassroots movement called NJ Standard Advocates.  Representing Waldwick High School were Amy Baskin, who is part of the leadership team for the group, along with Stephanie Scheck and Taline Royland.  

 Important Dates 

 Monday 9/19 - Senior Class meeting with Guidance Period 4.  Please take attendance and then send your students to the Little Theater.
Tuesday 9/20 - Sophomore Class Assembly (Remembering 9/11 with former NYC Police Commissioner, Bernard Kerik).  Sophomores will be called down at the end of Period 2. The assembly will last all of Period 3.  
Wednesday 9/21 - Learning and Collaborating Time (We will be meeting in the Media Center at 3:10) 

 Good Reads for Professional Growth 

 What College Never Taught Me About Teaching
Don’t Believe The Hype: Inaccurate NJ School ‘Rankings’ Are Misleading At Best

 Recent Blog/Twitter Posts 

 NJSIAA Message - True Purpose of High School Athletics
Pictures from Varsity Girls Soccer - 9/15/16






#OwnitWHS 
Posted by at No comments:

Monday, September 12, 2016

WHS Staff News - Week of 9/12


Week one done! We made it through Thursday and Friday's extreme heat.  I know how hot it was in the building and everyone made the best of the situation.  Looking at the upcoming forecast, the next two weeks look good! 

 Last week we had our grade level meetings and Mr. Clancy emphasized to the students the importance of being in school and how we will be handling attendance issues this year. 
 
The students I spoke with had a great first week and shared how so many teachers made the first few days fun and enjoyable.  Let's keep building those connections, which will enhance the learning.  

It's never too early to starting making positive calls or sending emails, so if something stood out the first few days, let a parent/guardian know.




Back to School Night Info: WHS Back-to-School Night will be held on Wednesday, September 14. Please make sure that your classrooms are neat and organized.  Also, please try to decorate your classrooms with student work.  This is an opportunity for us as a school community to show parents/guardians the positive activities that go on in our school.  I would also like to see the technology in your classroom being used as you speak to the parents. Teachers are asked to arrive no later than 6:30 p.m.  Thank you in advance for all of your hard work in making this evening a great success.  Please let me know if there are questions regarding any of the above.
HOMEROOM TEACHERS:  

  1. Turn computer and projector on for video presentation – please check to see that the computer, speakers and projector are working in your classroom.  If there is a problem, please email me and file a Trouble Ticket.

  1. Hand-outs to parents in Homeroom:  (will be in your mailbox on Wednesday)
  • Student Schedules, Bell Schedule, Building Floor Plan

  1. Please announce the following:
  • No Lunch
  • No Science Labs
  • PE and Health should report to the Little Theater, not the gym or classroom
NHS Students will be in the hall after Homeroom to collect all remaining handouts and return them to the office.

Bell Schedule
Homeroom 7:00 – 7:15
Period 1 7:19 – 7:27
Period 2 7:31 – 7:39
Period 3 7:43 – 7:51
Period 4 7:55 – 8:03
Period 5 or 6 8:07 – 8:15
Period 6B or 7 8:19 – 8:27
Period 8 8:31 – 8:39
Period 9 8:43 – 8:51
Important Dates
Thursday 9/15 - Picture Day (Marcel Studios will be set up in the Greenberg Center)

Monday 9/19 (Period 4) - Senior Class Meeting with Guidance to review the college application and scholarship process. Please take attendance and walk your students to the Little Theater.


Good Reads for Professional Growth 


Recent Blog/Twitter Posts
Dropping off and Picking up at WHS
New Staff @ WHS - Rachel Dillon

  

Posted by at No comments:

Saturday, September 3, 2016

9/1 PD Resources

What's New with GAFE

 Here are links and resources I referenced during my PD session on 9/1.  
Built in PD for all GAFE Apps.  

Google Classrooms - What's NEW 

Resources for the new Parent/Guardian Email Notification 
(Only need one notification request per parent)

New GAFE Resources released this summer
This PDF has info on: Parent Notification, Mobile App updates, Topic Labels, Google Cast for Education, New Features of Google Forms (Grading your quizzes) 

Random Google Tools 
Share to Google Classroom is a nice way to get all students on the same page.
Draftback is a Chrome extension that lets you play back any Google Doc’s revision history (for docs you can edit). It’s like going back in time to look over your own shoulder as you write.

**My new faviorite app - Unroll.me

This summer I put togther a Google Doc to list what I was reading this summer and shared some of the great posts I came across.  Summer Learning - Summer 2016 What I'm Reading 

Continue sharing and learning! 




Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)