Update ~ January 29-February 2, 2018

CELEBRATING SUCCESS...
"CELEBRATE TODAY, OWN TOMORROW".  February is National Career and Technical Education (CTE) month and the above quote is the theme for the month.  We are so fortunate to have such a high-quality CTE department at CHS. Please join me in recognizing and honoring each member of our CTE department at CHS:

Automotive Technologies ~ Brian Locke
Digital Design ~ Keith Nicolson
Welding Technologies ~ Tim Quigly and aide Kevin Johnson
Project Lead the Way ~ Craig Howdeshell
Culinary ~ Laura Locke and Tracey Penny and aide Andrea Hagstrom
Architectural Interior Design ~ Laura Locke
Digital Media ~ Jeremy Gemetta
Digital Photography ~ Tom Viskocil
Computer Sciences ~ Bob Friend
Coconino Institute of Technology (CIT) Engineering ~ Dave Tessmer
CAVIAT Counselor ~ Donna Lyons
A special thank you to our CTE teachers! 

POETRY OUT LOUD...
The best student performances ever.  The chosen poems were sophisticated and performed brilliantly by our students. Congratulations to our English teachers and students for an excellent day of poetry out loud.

PANTHER SPORTS...
How about our Lady Panther Soccer Team?  All the way to playoffs for the first time in five years. Congratulations coach Chavez and soccer players, you make us all proud.
Boys and Girls Basketball also having a fantastic season and still playing strong.  One game on the road and then we play FHS at FHS on Friday, 2/2.  Come on out and join us to help cheer on our Panthers.
Wrestling is winding down and we will likely see a few wrestlers make it to the state championship in a couple of weeks. GO PANTHERS!

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY...
CHS has been invited along with four other schools in our district to participate in a Coconino County year-long PD course.  The focus is "Student Agency" and "Meaningful Formative Assessments".  The 30-hour online course is 301 eligible and will start July 1, 2018. If you are interested and would like more please details, please join me in the mini-theater on February 8, at 2:45 pm.

DATES TO REMEMBER...
1/31 ~ A special Faculty Meeting with Chris Gunn focusing on social and emotional well being and supporting students and each other when difficulties arise. 1:20 pm in the Mini-Theater

1/29 - 2/2 ~  Spirit Week
Monday ~ Career Day
Tuesday~ Twin Day
Wednesday~ PJ Day
Thursday~ Superhero Day
Friday~ Panther Pride day

2/2 ~ Pep Assembly (schedule below)

Period	Time	Duration
1	8:00-8:50	45 + 5(Pulse)
2	8:55-9:40	45
Assembly	9:45-10:40	55
3	10:45-11:30	45
Lunch	11:30-12:00	30
4/5	12:05-12:50	45
6	12:55-1:40	45
7	1:45-2:30	45

FYI...
Please note the following change in the high school bell schedule during AzMerit administration in the month of April.  April 4, 11 and 18 will not be early release days.  Students will dismiss at 2:30 pm.


CHS Mission
Coconino High School strives to build upon the tradition of Panther Pride - A positive environment that honors yet unifies all cultures-and work in partnership with parents and the greater community to encourage each student in his/her pursuit of academic excellence and to instill a lifelong enthusiasm for learning.
CHS Vision 
To create and maintain a vibrant school culture that exemplifies academic excellence and model global citizenship.
CHS Guiding Principles
Respect ~ Responsibility ~ Integrity

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Update ~ January 22-26, 2018

CELEBRATING SUCCESS...
Our Masterboard for the 2018-19 school year is in its final phase thanks to the hard work of the committee.  They will be meeting regularly to put the finishing touches on the board in preparation for registration and class selection coming up in February.

Registration timeline:
February 12-16 ~ Rising Seniors
February 19-23 ~ Rising Freshmen
February 26-March 2 ~ Rising Juniors
March 5-9 ~ Rising Sophomores

BRRRR IT'S COLD...FINALLY...
Happy winter everyone. Even though winter has arrived, we have spring on the brain.  Spring semester is filled with meetings, planning, field trips, open house, extra-curricular events, registration, assessments and oh yes, the heart of the matter, teaching and learning.
Last week in the blog I wrote about sharing strengths with our students and offering social/personal support.  Paying attention to our students' academic needs goes without saying.  In this blog post, academic excellence takes center stage. At CHS we are committed to high expectations, rigorous instruction, and learning, and providing the supports necessary for our students to meet the academic demands of high expectations.
As we look around the corner to assessment season and continue our work together as a professional learning community to discover the best ways to deliver rigor to all students, to motivate and encourage our students to reach their highest potential, I thought I would offer a few reminders to help support academic excellence at CHS:

* Require students to revise assignments and give them meaningful feedback until their work meets or exceeds your expectations.
* Conduct regular checks for understanding and reinforce difficult and complex concepts.
*Use formative assessment results to plan and develop instruction to help students reach proficiency.
*Teach and expect students to write often about what they learn in your class.
*Don't give up on them. Remember academic achievement is a result of academic rigor, high expectations, and avenues of support.

Please remember also, to take care of yourselves and to be good to each other!
Press on! Panther strong!

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Update ~ January 16-19, 2018

CELEBRATING SUCCESS...
A quick shout out to Chelsea Lohr and all who helped with the AZVAB test last week.  In spite of the late start and abbreviated schedule we were able to pull it off.  This is the first year we had ALL juniors take the AZVAB, which came with its own challenges, but we did it, and it went really well. When you bump in to our amazing custodial staff, please give them a pat on the back. Our custodians worked extra hard to transform the gym from a packed house for the big basketball game, a highly organized testing site for 300 plus students, and then into a multi-school wrestling arena, all within 24 hours, it was really amazing!

What to say when you realize the second semester is in full swing...
I came across these reminders from an educational blog by David Geurin and thought it was worth sharing:

Remember, no matter how they act or what they say, as a teacher, you have the opportunity to speak encouragement and hope for our students every day.

Here are five ways to offer your strength and dignity to a student who is struggling. It's all about lifting them up and helping them stand on their own.

1. Focus on who students are becoming, not just who they are right now.

Every kid needs someone to believe in them, to advocate for them, to champion for them. You never know who this child might become someday. He or she has great value and worth, and you can help shine a light on it.

2. Show acceptance even when you can't show approval of the behavior.

Students are going to make harmful decisions. We want them to be better people, not just compliant students. So show them you care for them even when you have to correct them and show them how to be successful even when they miss a step.

3. Never give up on any student. Little miracles happen every day.

Kids who are hurting the most often cry out for love and acceptance in the most harmful ways. It can be easy to give up on them. Sometimes it seems impossible. But you can be a mother's best hope. You know she wants to see her child succeed. Say, "You can do this! This is important. I believe in you."

4. Value people over performance.

Your value as a person should not be based on successes or failures, wins or losses, how you look, the size of your bank account, who your friends are, or even how much you accomplish today. We need to treat every person with great care and concern simply because they are worthy of all the human dignity we can offer.

5. Offer a quiet voice, an open mind, and a patient response.

When you give a student your full attention in the moment, you are giving a valuable gift. Just listen. Don't react. Don't try to solve the problem. Just listen and encourage. Be patient and listen.

Building relationships while expecting excellence will help bring out the best in all of our students at CHS. 

THIS WEEK AT CHS...

1/16 ~ PBIS Committee Meeting 2:45pm Room # 204

1/17 ~ Fire drill ~ 8:55 am

1/18 ~ Resources and Support Systems Committee Meeting 2:45 pm Room # 204

1/18 ~ New Teacher Meeting 2:45 pm Room # 205

Calendar additions, looking ahead...

2/2 ~ Pep Assembly

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Press on! Panther Strong!

Update ~ January 8-13, 2018

HOT TOPIC...
Screen time, whether it's screen time on a computer, handheld device or some other form of technology, the topic of screentime is getting a lot of attention. A group of Flagstaff high schools and middle schools is hosting a symposium on this topic at the Flagstaff Center for the Arts on January 28, 2018.  The highlight of the event is the documentary Screenagers. To watch a trailer for the film, click here and to find details about the event and register for free tickets click Screenagers .  I hope you are able to attend the symposium and will encourage our students and their families to attend as well.

FUSD, in partnership with the Arizona Attorney General's Community Outreach, is also hosting a free event for students, families, and teachers regarding internet safety including Cyber Bullying, Sexting, Online predators, Social Networking Apps, Laws Protecting minors and more. This event will take place on Wednesday, January 10 at the FUSD Admin Center at 6:00 pm.

THIS WEEK...
January 9 ~ Panthers v. Eagles Boys and Girls Basketball at home. Freshmen game starts at 4:00pm followed by JV and Varsity. Free Popcorn for all CHS teachers who attend. Go Panthers!
January 10 ~ AZVAB Testing All Juniors 8:30-11:30 am Both Gyms
January 10 ~ Meeting with Assistant Superintendent, Mary K Walton regarding Standards-Based Grading SBG.  This meeting is for teachers implementing SBG this year, but open to all interested. 1:15 pm Room #205

Press on!  Panther Strong!

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Happy New Year 2018

CELEBRATING SUCCESS...

Welcome back! I hope that each of you had a wonderful break and enjoyed special time with friends and family. I always find that the time away from the everyday tasks of school to be restorative and I hope you do too and hope that our return to school is with renewed enthusiasm and vigor.

The start of a new year provides an ideal time to reflect on where we have been and where we are heading. Last semester, in addition to celebrating continued progress toward high levels of learning for all, we spent time meeting together in various groups working to bring our vision for creating and maintaining a vibrant school community that exemplifies academic excellence and model citizenship, to light.

This fall we launched instructionals rounds, the CHS leadership committee worked on developing a five year strategic plan, the master board committee began work on creating the best master schedule yet, department chairs participated in a book study, the PBIS committee met with community partners and explored potential guest speakers focused on wellness and embracing cultural diversity (coming soon for all). Our CHS counselors continued their work on providing a model school counseling program, our CTE department underwent a comprehensive program audit, the safety committee reviewed and refined our emergency preparedness plans, several teachers experimented with standards-based grading and, in the spirit of bringing academic prestige to CHS, we embarked on our journey toward bringing the International Baccalaureate diploma program to CHS. These are just some of the many accomplishments from the fall semester.  All in all,  we engaged in powerful conversations about the future of teaching and learning at CHS.

2018 starts with great promise of even greater accomplishments for Coconino High School. In the coming semester, we can look forward to additional work from the Leadership Team in the way of surveys, ensuring efficiency of our school systems and sharing of the strategic plan. We will continue on the path of the continuous improvement cycle, and focus attention on the health and wellness of our CHS community. Committees will continue to meet to advance our vision and mission, and the school year will culminate, as it does each year, with the commencement ceremony on June 1, 2018.

As we continue to celebrate our many accomplishments, I hope you will join me in looking forward with excitement to the future. Thank you for all that you do to make Coconino High School such a vibrant community.

With my best wishes for a healthy and productive New Year,

Press on! Panther Strong, or as I have heard our students say “Let’s get it!

DATES TO REMEMBER...

January 3 ~ Faculty Meeting 1:15pm in the cafeteria 

Click Here for some important dates for January and February Please mark your calendars

REMINDER...
CHS 2017-18 School Goals

1. CHS will increase school-wide focus and attention on Academic Excellence.

2. Positive Behavior Support for Learning will continue to be the cornerstone and guiding principle for all that we do at CHS.

3. CHS will Establish and implement a well-defined assessment philosophy and related practices, policies, and procedures, to include grading and reporting based on clearly defined criteria.

4. CHS will systematically and regularly analyze student achievement data to inform teaching and learning.

5.CHS will implement the use of common language to describe skills, knowledge, and attributes of our CHS Learners.

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