Week 3 ahead...

 Before I get into the business of the week I just want to share with you some of the cool things I have noticed happening at Coconino.  It's great to walk through the halls and see and hear you all teaching and the students learning with such vitality.  Your commitment shows.  Even in the short moments I have been able to pass by or peak in your room I've noticed current Content Objectives posted and heard vibrant discussions about new content being presented.  We even had a substitute last week who went out of her way to tell me how impressed she was with the students and teachers at CHS. That's cool. Thanks for the work you do!

More Successes: How bout those Panthers? Congrats to the Varsity Football team for winning the first game of the season. Woo hoo...Go Panthers!

FYI:

• Sir Ken Robinson: Eric Ashcroft,  Cat Weidinger, Kelly Koelfgen, Kelley Smith, Lori Wright, Katie Piehl and I will be attending on 30 Sept. Be sure to complete your leave requests ASAP!
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• Teacher Evaluations: The district is forming a committee to create a new teacher evaluation instrument(s?) to comply with the new state law (SB 1040).  There's a process for us to go through to select our two Coconino representatives. One of the two representatives will be an administrator and the other a Teacher .  If you would like to be considered for the committee you will need to complete a request form. Should we have more than one teacher interested, which I have a feeling we will, the selection will go to a vote. September 2nd is the deadline to send in our selections, so we have to act pretty quickly on this. Please e-mail me if you are interested. 
• Positive Behavior Support at CHS: Our ultimate goal is to to maximize academic performance and minimize problem behaviors. Being proactive and working to create a positive climate at CHS will direct our discipline referral process. In your boxes you will find a step by step PBS Discipline referral process guide as well as a stack of pink Dress Code Cards. Jim Popham, (Yes he is back, yay!) will be available in his room during the prep hour meeting day, Sept 1st, to answer questions about the referral process.  Thanks in advance for your time and attention to creating a positive learning environment for our students! 

• 301: There will be four pay dates for Prop 301 this year.  A max of 13 hours is available at $50/hr for a total of $650.00.  Prop 301 eligibility has changed.
   The Prop 301 pay dates for 2011-2012 eligible employees are listed below:
  
  
  Friday, September 16, 2011 (due to Payroll on 9/7/11)-Collaboration days + Menu Hours
  Friday, December 9, 2011 (due to Payroll on 11/30/11)-Menu Hours
  Friday, March 2, 2012 (due to Payroll on 2/22/12)-Menu Hours
  Thursday, May 24, 2012 (due to Payroll on 5/16/12)-Menu Hours.  *If you are using  tutoring hours for 301 pay, they must be recorded on the "official" 301 tutoring logs. The forms will be in your mail boxes soon. 
  
  
  Teacher's Aides and Independent Studies: I have signed an inordinate number of forms for both of these positions. Please be reminded that you are responsible for the whereabouts of ALL students under your supervision.
  
    I will be out of the building on Thursday, September 30 to attend an S3 Grant training at the Department of Education in Phoenix. 
  
  
  Dates to remember:
  9/1 Prep Hour Meetings
  9/1 Volleyball Home
  9/5 No School! Labor Day
  
  Have a great week!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
     

 

Week 1 review and looking ahead...

Thank you all for a great week!  Looking back over the first week of the new school year I see lots of signs of a great year ahead. Thanks for the positive feedback about our motivational speaker, Mark Sharonbrough. The students appeared to be captivated and a few of us even shared some belly laughs. Thanks Theresa, Krista, Gaby and Sally for making that happen. Thanks too for helping our new Freshman Class, all 412 of them, feel welcome and comfortable at CHS. The first two days together as a staff weren't too shabby either. I enjoyed observing you working together to define who you are as individual teachers and collectively as a faculty. Thanks Senor Pavlich for feeding us all with your famous Pavlich BBQ. A special thank you too to our Student council for the back -to- school breakfast and to the Varsity Football players for helping us welcome our students and giving out schedules. And one last thank you for now,  thank you to everyone who helped make this year's golf tournament the best ever. You were out there in full force to help. Erin Moate and the Dance Line kept smiling and welcoming all the players as they kept track of raffle ticket sales and matched the prizes (It was a sophisticated set up).  Yes, it truly takes a village...

What's next? Our priority this week will be to complete student registration to make sure each student has a schedule of classes. Then, go through the master board with a fine tooth comb to balance class loads.  Some of you have reported class sizes of 40 +.  We have to find out if these are actual bodies in these classes or names on a roster.   It looks like we will be opening an addition section of Eng 9, US History and Sculptures and Ceramics thus far.  Please let your students know that we are working on this and that CHS has about 100 more students than expected this year.

In case you're looking for me I thought I should let you know that I hope to be outside in the morning before school and in the afternoon at dismissal daily.  I will also be visiting classrooms during first hour as regularly as possible and  I plan to join George, Cris and Steve for lunch duty. 

Common Grade Book Question: Why do we have a default  points?  Thiis is the response back from Brad Kamradt 1) the Genesis system requires default points -- to leave them blank or enter a zero will trigger the system to set default points for any given assignment type to 1 point! -- AND 2) teachers are free to override default points for any  assignment in their gradebook.

Reminders: 

• We are on a bell schedule.  Please do not dismiss students before the end of the period signaled by the bell.  This will help greatly in our efforts to keep the halls clear.
• September 1~ Prep hour meetings.
• September 14~ Open House
• Good excuse for a faculty night out: Complimentary Subway Sandwich meal at the new Subway  Cafe across the street in the cedar Shopping center between 4:00 -8:00 PM for CHS Faculty and a guest.

Thanks again for a great first week! Hope week two is equally as good.

Free Food... Really!!!

While wrapping up what appeared to be a great first day back I received a surprising phone call. Here is the short version of that call... Mark Roden, owner of the brand new Subway Cafe at the Cedar shopping Center, has invited all CHS faculty and one guest for a free meal on Monday, August 22nd from 4:00-8:00 PM. This is a new store with a new concept and he thought we, CHS, might like to be the very first customers, no charge, really! I asked "What's the catch?" Mark's response was "Good will in a new neighborhood".  Right place at the right time.  So if you would like an after school snack, or early evening supper swing on by the new Subway store (next to Brandy's) on Monday. You'll need to show your School I.D. to get in as this will not be open to the public. Pretty cool huh?
Thanks everyone for a super first day of the Year of the Panther!
A few reminders for tomorrow or today as the case may be...

• Bells will chime
• Please help keep the hallways clear by reminding students that we now have closed hallways during lunch. Students are to go to the cafeteria, the South Commons or outside during lunch.
• The Counselors are working hard to fix schedules and balance class loads, please be patient.
• We have high enrollment and are still trying to fill schedules. If a student appears in your class, but you think they are misplaced, welcome them anyway, and let us know at the end of the day by e-mail. Please do not send students to the counseling office tomorrow. 

Happy Friday!

1st Day with Students 8-18-2011

In a few short days 1400, or so, students will be walking through the doors of CHS. I am excited and, after visiting with several students during registration week, I think they are too.

Below you will find the schedule for Thursday, August 18th. Remember this is an unusual first day schedule due to our Links Crew Freshmen Orientation and motivational speaker assembly.  You will notice that first hour is very long (Approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes).  This time frame includes a 1 hour assembly and about 80 minutes of instructional time. Within this time there are two assemblies scheduled, some of you will be attending Assembly A and others Assembly B.  I will give you your assembly letter on Tuesday 8/16 when we meet.

Also note that ALL Freshmen and their Link Crew Leaders will be participating in orientation activities all morning until 11:40 A.M. They will be eating lunch separately as well.

CHS 1st Day Schedule:

Classes with Assembly A:
1st Hr:
7:50-8:00 Students check in to 1st hour
Assembly: 8:05-9:05
Students will return to 1st Hr after the assembly
9:05-10:15 (Instructional time)

Classes with Assembly B:
1st Hr:
7:50-9:10 (Instructional time)
Assembly: 9:15-10:15

Same Schedule for everyone rest of the day:
2nd Hr:
10:20-11:10 50 min
Lunch:
11:10-11:40 30 min
3rd Hr:
11:45-12:20 35 min
4-5 or 5-6: 12:25-1:00 35 min
7 (OKA 5th hour)
1:05-1:40
35 min
8 (OKA 6th hour)
1:45-2:20 35 min

* We will clarify this schedule on Tuesday. 

Hope you enjoy the last little bit of the summer respite. See you Tuesday.

Back-to-School Events and Info

I've spotted a few wild sunflowers, or Black-Eyed Suzies, as some like to call them, around town as of late. This is an annual Flagstaff sign that school is around the corner. I'm guessing you are beginning to wonder about the plans for Back-to-School days.
As I am sure you are well aware the first day of school for students is August 18th.  The optional 301 day for teachers is Monday, August 15th.  If you are planning to attend but have not yet signed up through ERO, Gretchen M. requests that you do ASAP. The official 2011-2012 School Year begins on August 16th for teachers. We will meet as a faculty on the 16th at 9:45 AM following the all-FUSD meeting at CHS scheduled for 8:00-9:00 AM. The agendas for the two teacher work days are as follows.
Day 1 (August 16)
8:00-9:00 AM ~ All-FUSD meeting @CHS
9:15-9:45 ~ Breakfast hosted by CHS Student Council
9:45-11:00 AM ~All-CHS Faculty meeting @CHS Mini-Theatre.  Topics to include policies, procedures, safety and a host of relevant nitty gritty.
11:00 AM-12:00 PM ~Lunch on your own
12:00-3:00 PM All-CHS~ Genesis grade book training

Day 2 (August 17)
8:00-8:30 AM~ Continental Breakfast
8:30-11:00 AM ~All-CHS Faculty- Focused Conversations: CHS Goals, Professional Collaboration, Professionalism and the Arizona Teaching Standards.
11:00-11:30 AM~ Department Chair interest mtg intended for all who are interested in serving as  Department Chairs.  Others may work in their rooms.
12:00 PM ~All-CHS Faculty Photo followed by BBQ lunch
1:15-2:15 ~Leadership Team meeting
The balance of the afternoon is for you all to work in your classrooms.

Some other things you might like to know ahead of time...

• The topics for our focus during these two days were chosen based on feedback from staff and student surveys as well as numerous discussions amongst administration, parents, faculty and staff.
• The district has approved two delayed start days each month (The 1st and 3rd Wednesdays) in order to create time for faculty and administrators to collaborate.
• Day 1 for CHS Students (August 18th) will include Freshmen orientation hosted by our Link leaders. There will also be a dynamic guest speaker for our sophomores, juniors and seniors. We will have combined lunch on this day.
• Students will NOT be required to wear lanyards for the SY 2011-12
• We will be bringing back the Bells. 
• During our CHS Admin Retreat, Steve, Preston, Cris and I dubbed this school year The Year of the Panther!

 Did you know?

• CHS Special Olympics Panthers Softball Team is headed to Illinois to participate in the National Special Olympics. Go Panthers!