Week 19: January 12-16, 2009

Presidential Moments

If you're wondering what the agenda is for January 20th at Benton High School, wonder no longer. It's not like we will be as busy as President-Elect Obama and his family for his inauguration!

Here is the schedule for our day:
7:30 - 8:45 Department Meetings (breakfast on your own)
8:45 - 8:55 Transition to Auditorium (informal greeting with Dr. Allen)
9:00 - 11:00 Dr. Janet Allen; Session 1
11:00 - 11:30 Dr. Allen informal meet & greet; Cohort 1 reflection writing time
11:30 - 12:30 Lunch & View Inauguration Ceremony (served by Hy-Vee in the cafeteria)
12:30 - 2:30 Dr. Janet Allen; Session 2
2:30 - 3:00 Dr. Allen informal meet & greet; Dept & cohort reflect/implement plan writing

Each department must determine a plan for implementation after our training from Dr. Allen. I expect each department to submit the plan no later than Friday, January 23rd. Your plan should include a focus on how you will implement reading strategies, the timeline for implementation, and how you will measure improvement. (May I suggest examining student work?)

Also, don't forget our big events this upcoming week:
Leadership Team meeting is Wednesday at 7:00. Ask your department chair about the new scheduling process we are going to try this year!

Friday, Jan 23rd, is our 2nd Academic Pep Assembly. Mr. McCoy has a few more great treats to share with everyone! We will set by 5th hour classes, so make sure you go over your seating chart with your class!

Explaining a BEST PRACTICE
-- for your sake, for parents' sake, for students' sake, for our sake, for goodness sake!
Year long classes are year-long. Semester classes are semester-long. The concept seems pretty simple. Funny how complicated this has become. In an attempt to return to a life of simplicity, it's time to return to a few very obvious assertions:

1. A student will not drop a year long class. Any exceptions to this rule will be by admin.
2. A teacher can not remove a student from a year long class. Any exceptions...see #1.

If you are wondering why, you would be in the majority. Here's at stab at it:

• We are not staffed to accommodate students dropping year long classes to take semester classes.
  
• The curriculum, and therefore end-of-course exams, are based on length of class. All students are required to take and end of course exam in the classes they take starting this year.
• Students (and convinced parents) want to drop classes based on: 1) whether or not they like you, 2) whether or not they like their grade first semester, 3) depending on whether or not they have a big project due next semester they want to avoid, 4) they want to join their friends in something more "fun", or 5) a myriad of other reasons I am currently unable to offer at this time.
  

ONE FINAL CHALLENGE
We need to examine the need to change our block classes from 83 minutes each to 88 minutes each without making you work longer days. Interested in solving the puzzle? Click here. Enjoy!

Oh yeah! Did you know that there are only two guidelines in the constitution concerning the Presidential Inauguration? The date and the time: 3rd Tuesday at noon. I learned that on my PLN! :)