Tuesday, November 16, 2021

WHS Staff News - Week of 11/15/21


Mind Set Check-in
I used this form last year and it gave me some great insight into how everyone is feeling and handling the stress of the job. I wanted to check in with everyone as we get going with the 2nd marking period.

Me Looking in the Mirror 
This year has not been as smooth as things have been pre-COVID when it comes to student behavior and the types of issues we have been dealing with. We are not alone in seeing a spike in behavioral issues. This is a common theme around the county but it doesn't mean I like it or want to except it.  The majority of our students are still doing the right things, but a handful of students need some extra TLC and beyond. Mike and I met with the ScIP Committee on Monday and we brain stormed some ideas to help improve student behavior, which I will work on and roll out over the next few weeks. 

Duty Assignment Adjustments
Please review the tab for Duties as I made some changes related to location and responsibilities. No periods have changed just what your duty is. 
As a reminder, the teachers that have locker-room duty should be in the locker-room for the beginning and end of the period.  The middle of the period location is listed on the tab. 

The focus of the hall duty teachers:
First, monitor the bathrooms in your area. I will be posting a QR Code on the bathroom doors for students to check in (Like last year).  Each student is required to use the QR Code or you can submit the form for them if they don't have their phone.  I will share the sheet and form for the bathroom check-in with all duty teachers (This is what we did last year).
Second, get kids back to class as soon as possible.  If you see the same kids in the halls everyday, get their name and share it with Mike or I.  

Semester Assessments
With the changes we made for Semester Assessments, here is the draft of the what the 2nd Semester Assessment schedule would look like.  Feedback welcome. 
2nd Semester Assessment Schedule

Lockers
As of Friday, Student now have access to their lockers. If a student has an issue with the locker, there is a QR code in the office for them to scan and report what their issue is.


Posted by at No comments:

Monday, November 8, 2021

WHS Staff News - Week of 11/8/21



I hope everyone enjoyed the four day weekend.  Time off is good for everyone! 

The first marking period is in the rear view mirror and we are moving forward. As we start the second marking period, please check in with your students to see how they are adjusting and give them a chance to share how things are going for them. You can hold one-on-one conversations or use a Google Form with a few questions.

Also, consider using the Focus 9 list to turn it back on students for them to self-reflect on their own effort.  Use the list to help get students refocused who are not fully engaged.

As grades are finalized I will be reviewing the failure list with the counselors and having one-on-one conversations with certain students. Team effort!

Please make sure you have your grades finalized by Wednesday, 11/10, at 9am. 

Semester Assessments
Based on the feedback from the DLC meetings, we are going to make an adjust and eliminate the 1st semester assessment; however, we will keep the 2nd semester exam with a modified schedule. We will run the old final exam schedule with two tests per day during the last few days of school. We have time to determine what those tests will look like, but they will not encompass a full year of material. 
The grading scale will need to be adjusted for this change.  Each marking period will now be 23% of the final grade with the 2nd semester exam accounting for 8% of the final average. 

I think this move is what's best for the students based on the how this school year is going. Thank you for the input on this topic.  I will be putting together a blog post for the students and parents. 

Monthly Calendar 


Fall Sports - Post Season Run

Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

WHS Staff News - Week of 10/18/21


I hope last week's staff meeting was informative and gave you some insight into how students are feeling and what they are dealing with.  Thank you Kim and Liz for presenting. Resources from the meeting:  
Presentation
Pronoun Doc

First round of testing is over!!! Thank you for all of your help and cooperation. 

Students working in the hallways during class time 
I love seeing students working in the halls, courtyard and some of our outside spaces. 
What I don't love is seeing students in the halls who should be working on class work playing on their phones, talking with passing students and disturbing other classes. 
When you have students working in the halls, my expectations are:
  • Monitor the students by walking around and checking on the groups 
  • Give clear expectations on what needs to be completed in the time they are outside of the room
  • Set guidelines for phone usage 
  • Be sure students understand not to bother other classes 

Moving forward, as administrators walk around during class time, the following will take place:  students who are off task, playing on their phones, or disturbing other teachers will be walked back to their teacher/room.  If certain students can't handle the freedom to work independently, then they will not be allowed to work in the hallways. 

Last Call for PDP's
On Friday afternoon I will be going into Genesis and signing off on all PDP's. Please make sure you have entered your goals and the school goal.

PDP info was shared in a previous Source Post. Link to post

Budget Item
Anyone who is interested in purchasing Big Ticket items for the 22-23 school year (digital resources, single large items over $100, furniture or program needs items not normally purchased through Ed-Data yearly from School Specialty/Staples etc.) needs to fill out the document below, attach a quote and send to their Building Principal by Thursday, October 28, at 8am. As it says in the form, submitting a request does not guarantee purchase.
Link: HS Big Ticket Items

Senior Picture on the Hill
The senior picture is scheduled for Friday, 10/22 at 2:15.  Seniors should report to their Period 6 class for attendance. At 2:15 please walk your students down to the turf.  Seniors will be dismissed from the field, so they should bring everything with them. 

Looking Ahead 
Monday, 10/25 - Picture Retake Day
Friday, 10/29 - Halloween Costume Day 
MP 1 Grading Information -  Email from Ms. Cassidy 

Posted by at No comments:

Monday, October 11, 2021

WHS Staff News - Week of 10/11/21



Keep doing what you are doing! Focus on the students in front of you each period and give them your best.  Control what you can control!!! 

We are not alone. I talk to other Principals all the time, as I'm sure you talk with teacher friends from other districts. This year has been hard for everyone when it comes to behavior, student conflicts, HIB, TikTok Challenges, you name it, schools have been dealing with it.  We even had two streakers at a Football Game this year. Yep! Crazy!  It's obvious the transition back to "Normal" has been harder for a handful of students; however, there is so much good going on that we need to focus on that. The smiles and excitement on Friday during the spirit rally was great to see. Keep students engaged in your classes, talk with them, make the learning meaningful and continue to build those relationships.  I know the days are long, but the weeks are flying and before we know it, the December holiday break will be here. 
When you need a moment take it. When you need to vent, let it out! Your students need you at your best and that takes you being in the right mindset. I'm here for you! 

Start Strong Testing 10/12 - 10/15
See previous emails with Strong Info and Schedule 

PSAT - 11th Grade (10/13/21)
All classes will meet as normal with the exception of Junior level courses. Juniors will take the PSAT in the Cafeteria and the Media Center.  10/13 is a Day 1. Modified schedule is on the calendar. 

Working Wednesday 
We will meet as a staff on Wednesday 10/13 in the Little Theater

Looking Ahead
Friday, 10/22, at 2:15pm Senior Class Picture on the Hill 
Posted by at No comments:

Monday, September 27, 2021

WHS Staff News - Weekd of 9/27/21


I hope everyone is enjoying this early fall weather on the weekends. Get outside and enjoy it! Last week I randomly stopped in classrooms doing mask checks and asking kids to mask up. The more consistent we all are, the easier it will be. I will continue to pop in and remind students throughout the day. 
Starting today, Juniors are allowed to leave campus for lunch if they want to, which will help with the crowding in the hallways during lunch time. We did this last year and it helped with the amount of students in the building during the common lunch.

Back-to-School Night 
All updated videos should be on the BTSN Doc by 3pm tomorrow. I need to build the site for the parents. 

21-22 PDP's 
I know during last weeks DLC time, departments were starting to talk about their goals for the year.  Here are a few things related to PDP's:

Please enter into Genesis by 10/22. If you have them done, don't wait. 

For PDP's ... 3 goals total are needed.
  • School Goal
  • Department Goal
  • Department Goal or Personal Goal
*Crossover staff can replace a department goal with the MS school goal. You only need to have 3 goals total.

If any department wants to do two goals, that's fine. That department members will not have a personal goal. 

For the HS, we are going back to the 19-20 goal, which we never really had a chance to finish. "Back to the Future"

School Goal
The school goal for the 21-22 school year will focus on implementing DLC’s (Department Learning Communities). There will be a focus on communication, collaboration, and Critical Thinking/Problem Solving.

Teachers will focus on:
Come to meetings prepared and ready to actively participate
Remain focused on the topic at hand and on student learning
Invite group members to pursue their best thinking
Are conscious of their impact on the group

Inclusive Environment @ WHS
This year, as we experience the return to full time live learning, you may have already encountered situations in which students have requested to be addressed with a name other than their legally documented name. As an inclusive and safe space, our hope is to make all students feel comfortable, safe and free to express who they are. Please feel free to ask students how they would like to be addressed, both by you, individually, and in the classroom setting. We can look at this in the same manner as we have with any nickname. Many times students have nicknames or shortened versions of their names. When possible, we will let you know if both a student and their parents have decided to change a name or prefer a different name.  However, sometimes it may be a bit more complicated and the student and or family may not be comfortable sharing the information of a name change with everyone. 

We are looking forward to getting some professional training in this area in the months to come. For the moment, we will do our best to keep you in the loop while still protecting both the student’s right to privacy and parental rights. Sometimes this will not allow full disclosure to staff. If you have any questions or feel uncertain about a specific student, please feel free to touch base. Please use legal names in Genesis and other legal documents, unless notified by administration of a change. Thank you in advance for your willingness to be flexible and mindful of students' individual needs

PSAT Schedule for 10/13 
All classes will meet as normal with the exception of Junior level courses. Juniors will take the PSAT in the Cafeteria and the Media Center. Here is the schedule we will use for the day. 10/13 is a Day 1.  I will have the proctoring schedule out later this week. 



Working Wednesday's Schedule for October 
9/29 - No meetings this week
10/6 - DLC Time 
10/13 - WHS Staff Meeting (Crossover Staff - I will talk to MM about where you go)
10/20 - DLC Time 
10/27 - No Meeting 


Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

WHS Staff News - Week of 9/13/21


Mid-week post but better late then never. Last week and on Monday, Mr. Clancy and I had grade level meetings and one of the areas that we covered was the dress code. It seems to be all everyone wants to talk about. I had a great conversation with a few teachers yesterday about the subject and there will be more conversations to come.  Those conversations will also include students. 
Some of you may think this topic should be very cut and dry but unfortunately it's not. Dress codes in general are under scrutiny around the country because some people see them as discriminatory or sexist. Google it if you don't believe me.  So everyone knows, Mike and I are having conversations with students and parents about this topic, but understand it's a tricky subject right now.  
Don't let this consume you and take away from you staying positive and controlling what you can control. 


Picture Day - Wednesday 9/15
We will be running a Special Bell Schedule. Same as the first day. All staff should have their picture taken for the yearbook.  Pictures will be setup in the gym. 

DLC Time - All department should meet today to discuss 21-22 Department goals for the PDP's. 
The DLC coordinators and I are working on a complete Working Wednesday Schedule and will post next week.  

Thursday 9/16 - No School   

Back to School Night - 9/30/21 
On Thursday I found out that all schools in the district will have their virtual Back to School Nights on Thursday, 9/30. 
Like last year, each teacher will need to create a short video for the website I created to organize the event. Please review the BTSN doc for what I need to be completed by Tuesday, 9/28.  

Delayed Opening Schedule for Monday, 10/11 
PD info to follow

Clubs 
Most advisors were appointed at Monday nights BOE meeting.  We are planning a club fair on Tuesday, 9/21 during the second half of lunch. Please start to think about:
Creating a sign for your table
Asking students to help at your table
Flyer? QR Code with club info
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

WHS Staff News - Week of 9/6/21


We are off and running to start the 21-22 school year! I know we are all adjusting back to full classrooms, longer days, packed hallways but just take it class by class, day by day and remember your purpose/why!

I started to look at your "Change One Thing" requests and will start working on them this week. Thank you for the ideas and feedback. I am looking forward to the process of making these request happen! This will not happen over night, but I will get to every card. 

A few items

No Wednesday meeting this week. I am working on the working Wednesday schedule and will push out this week.

We are holding a 9th Grade Parent Orientation on Thursday 9/9/21 at 6:45pm via Zoom. The teachers that are involved with this already know who they are.
I have a blog post going out to parents today at 11:30am.  9th Grade Parent Orientation

Moe's of Mahwah Teacher Appreciation
Moe’s appreciates the teachers at your school and wants to welcome them back with a BUY ONE GET ONE FREE offer for any menu item (sorry meal kits and catering excluded) starting today through Wednesday, September 15th.

FYI - We are not using QR codes for the bathrooms this year.

Positive Referrals @ WHS
Warrior Pins are available! Please use this form to recognize a student that demonstrated outstanding character and should be recognized for their actions.

Grade Level Meetings
We will hold grade level meetings later this week and next during lunch. Meetings will start at 11:40.  
Grade 9 - Wednesday 9/8
Grade 10 -Thursday 9/9
Grade 11 - Monday 9/13 
Grade 12 - Monday 9/13 during period 8. (1:59 - 2:58pm)  
These meetings will be added to the Calendar 

Picture Day - Wednesday 9/15 
We will be running a Special Bell Schedule. Same as the first day. 
*I know block one is longer then the other classes.  I need to adjust that schedule for the future and balance out the length of periods. 

Duty List 
Right now, the duty list is vague with the exception of locker-room duty, study hall and Media Center.  That is going to change at some point. With Mr. Schultz filling in for the Tech Ed Teacher (Mr. Blatt) he is not available for the sub hall. So, if Donna needs to cover classes over the next few weeks, we will be pulling from the duty list. Until further notice, when you have a duty period please work at a high top table so we have a presence in the hallways. 


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