Sunday, December 16, 2012
PantherReport ~ Dec 17-21
As I write this blog post I am struggling with where to start. Should I start by addressing the tragic event that occurred on Friday in Connecticut or with the usual heading, celebrating success? Thinking, as I am writing, about the most appropriate sequence of this post, I fear that addressing safety at CHS triggered by the tragic school event first, might overshadow the positive recent successes of Coconino. If I start with successes it could be viewed as trivializing the horrific event and the need for safety precautions at school. With that said, I feel compelled to start with sharing with you the sadness I feel for the families at the Elementary school in Connecticut. In the words of my principal colleague, John Coe , what occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary on December 14, "Is deeply upsetting and fundamentally unsettling. Beyond grieving along with this distant community with whom we share so many characteristics, there is but one pragmatic take-away for all of us in this, I think: we must always be vigilant in conducting the drills we conduct with integrity and with a mindset that they are not imposing interruptions to our schedule but, instead, the best kind of insurance we can give to our students and ourselves." Please know that along with our practice drills, we also have precautions in place at CHS to prevent intruders from entering our building. Our new front entrance system requires visitors to pass through the front office, sign in and wear a visitor name tag. Our new keyless doors are another attempt to increase safety and security at CHS. Please be reminded that our outside doors should never be propped open for any reason. Our CHS safety committee meets regularly and we will continue to examine safety at CHS and adjust and refine safety and security measures.
Celebrating Success
Congratulations to our CHS Choir, Band and Orchestra for their outstanding Holiday Performance last week. It was truly spectacular and lifted the spirit of the packed auditorium.
Our Fall 2012 AIMS results are in. These are the results from our Juniors and Seniors who had not yet passed. You will be happy to know, that while we still have a few who need to pass, our overall passage rate is quite commendable. Drum roll please....
Below I have listed the percentage for those who have Met or Exceeded
Seniors ~ Writing 90% Reading 93% Math 84%
Juniors ~ Writing 81% Reading 88% Math 73%
Way to go CHS Teachers!!!
We do not yet have the paper copies of individual scores, and it is not permissible to send scores electronically. If you would like to view the disk that contains the fall AIMS scores and download them on your computer, please let me know. The paper copies should be in this week.
Warm Clothing Drive
A very special thank you to Kelly Koelfgin and the Impact Students for spearheading the warm clothing drive. And thanks to you to all for supporting and collecting warm clothes for our CHS Community FREE store. Your efforts help many less fortunate in need of warm winter clothing.
Holiday Spirit
A big thank you to FRED and the CHS culinary teachers for organizing our special holiday party. A great time was had by all and Santa's annual visit to the party delighted everyone.
CIT Boat Races
The human sized cardboard boats built by our CHS CIT students, paddled proudly across the pool at FHS on Thursday. The expressions on the faces of the students as their boats floated or sunk, were priceless. It was great to see such enthusiasm and pride.
Special note
Chris and Bob Somerville have asked me to express there deep gratitude to CHS for the support and all the food provided for the memorial service for their daughter, Dana Shwartz.
This week's schedule and Final Exams
Good luck to you all this week. Monday and Tuesday are regular schedule days intended for review and preparation for final end of term assessments. Wed, Thurs and Friday students will dismiss at 11:00 AM. Please submit each grades each day. We will not have PLCs and there are no faculty meetings scheduled for this week.
Staff Survey
Please take a minute and respond to the brief staff survey sent in an e-mail from Tadd on December 13. Your input will give us an idea about your feelings regarding the Block schedule, Pathways and Interventions, Collaboration and the pulse of the school year in general. Thank you in advance for your feedback.
Dates To Remember
12/17 ~ First home Boys Basketball game V. Kingman (Girls are Away)
12/18 ~ Second home Boys Basketball gameV. Camp Verde
12/19 ~ Choir Concert in the mini @ 7:00 PM
12/20 ~ Girls V Soccer @ home V. Red Rock
12/20 ~ Boys V Wrestling @ home V Prescott
Sunday, December 9, 2012
PantherReport~December 10-14
A Deliberate Pause
Whew! This has been a highly emotional week. Many of us are struggling with trying to balance between moving forward in accordance with our professional responsibility and taking time to console one another and help heal the hurt felt by many in our school community. In some way we are all affected by what has transpired in our school and larger community over the past week. I just want to remind everyone to take a deliberate pause...to take care of yourselves and those around you and to be careful.
Congratulations to our CHS Boys Basketball team for their victory at the FHS Pepsi Holiday Invitational basketball tournament. CHS took home the championship trophy. Go Panthers!!
As we approach the end of the fall semester here are a few things to keep in mind...
PLCs-We do not have a planned meeting during PLCs this week. Please use this time to wrap up the work on your subject area ELOs and C.Os. Also Cris has sent out the current mark analysis for you to use for your collaborative team discussions about what is working and what adjustments and ideas you might have about improved student learning for next semester.
Interventions- If you would like to call a student out of their assigned Pathway, Intervention or Study hall, please use one of the light yellow card stock passes provided to you at the beginning of the semester. if you need more, please see Becky.
Finals-Plan to submit grades each day of finals week.
Prep Hour Meetings-In light of everything that has transpired and in honor of your time we will plan to have our prep hour training meetings on Tuesday, January 15. The topic will be "The Essence of effective instruction". Please mark your calendars.
Public Relations-If you have something happening in your classroom that you would like posted on the FUSD web page and or calendar, you can e-mail keberhard@fusd1.org.
Tax Credit-If you or someone you know is planning to make a tax credit donation to CHS, you have until December 31st. Arizona law allows a credit up to $400 for married couples and $200 for individuals
Teacher of the Year Campaign-In an effort to celebrate and recognize the work of exemplary teachers, the Coconino County Superintendent has initiated the County Teacher of the Year Program. Please see Becky or me if you would like more information about how to nominate a colleague for this well deserved recognition.
CHS Family ~ Many of you have expressed a desire to help the family of Dana Shwartz (Mr. and Mrs. Somerville, Jim Popham's in-laws and long time FUSD teachers). If you wish to help CHS will be providing salads and breads for the memorial service this Saturday, Dec 15. Please see Theresa Freas or Gaby Garcia for details. CHS expresses deep sorrow and condolences to the Somerville and Popham family.
Dates To Remember
12/10 CHS Choir and Orchestra Performance 6:30 PM
12/12 CHS Holiday Party
" Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."
-Jane Howard
Whew! This has been a highly emotional week. Many of us are struggling with trying to balance between moving forward in accordance with our professional responsibility and taking time to console one another and help heal the hurt felt by many in our school community. In some way we are all affected by what has transpired in our school and larger community over the past week. I just want to remind everyone to take a deliberate pause...to take care of yourselves and those around you and to be careful.
Congratulations to our CHS Boys Basketball team for their victory at the FHS Pepsi Holiday Invitational basketball tournament. CHS took home the championship trophy. Go Panthers!!
As we approach the end of the fall semester here are a few things to keep in mind...
PLCs-We do not have a planned meeting during PLCs this week. Please use this time to wrap up the work on your subject area ELOs and C.Os. Also Cris has sent out the current mark analysis for you to use for your collaborative team discussions about what is working and what adjustments and ideas you might have about improved student learning for next semester.
Interventions- If you would like to call a student out of their assigned Pathway, Intervention or Study hall, please use one of the light yellow card stock passes provided to you at the beginning of the semester. if you need more, please see Becky.
Finals-Plan to submit grades each day of finals week.
Prep Hour Meetings-In light of everything that has transpired and in honor of your time we will plan to have our prep hour training meetings on Tuesday, January 15. The topic will be "The Essence of effective instruction". Please mark your calendars.
Public Relations-If you have something happening in your classroom that you would like posted on the FUSD web page and or calendar, you can e-mail keberhard@fusd1.org.
Tax Credit-If you or someone you know is planning to make a tax credit donation to CHS, you have until December 31st. Arizona law allows a credit up to $400 for married couples and $200 for individuals
Teacher of the Year Campaign-In an effort to celebrate and recognize the work of exemplary teachers, the Coconino County Superintendent has initiated the County Teacher of the Year Program. Please see Becky or me if you would like more information about how to nominate a colleague for this well deserved recognition.
CHS Family ~ Many of you have expressed a desire to help the family of Dana Shwartz (Mr. and Mrs. Somerville, Jim Popham's in-laws and long time FUSD teachers). If you wish to help CHS will be providing salads and breads for the memorial service this Saturday, Dec 15. Please see Theresa Freas or Gaby Garcia for details. CHS expresses deep sorrow and condolences to the Somerville and Popham family.
Dates To Remember
12/10 CHS Choir and Orchestra Performance 6:30 PM
12/12 CHS Holiday Party
" Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."
-Jane Howard
Sunday, December 2, 2012
PantherReport~ Dec 3-7
Celebrating Success
Go Panthers!!!
Winter Sports and activities are off to a great start. This weekend's First Lego League Robotics tournament hosted by our Coconuts drew 25 teams from around the state and the guest list included Flagstaff's new Mayor, Jerry Nabors, several school board members and lots of community volunteers.
CHS Boys soccer is undefeated thus far, CHS girls soccer is on a roll, CHS wrestling team came in 3rd at the big FHS tournament and basketball for both the girls and boys is just getting going.
Student Conduct~Thank you to those of you who are standing in the hallways during passing periods. The adult presence in the hallways helps tremendously and the improved student behavior in the hallways is undoubtedly because of your presence. We still have some issues, but it's getting better.
PLCs~Thank you all for your work on aligning the curriculum at CHS with the instruction in our classrooms. While this might appear to be a simple task, it is more complex than what meets the eye. I truly appreciate your work and as you know, I strongly believe that our collaborative efforts in explicitly defining the essential core content that we teach and assess, can have a powerful impact on teaching and learning at Coconino. I hope that the quality Essential Learning Outcomes and Content Objectives that you all identified will be useful in focusing instruction in each discipline. A special thank you to our P.E. PLC for providing the Essential Learning Outcomes template and for your commitment and belief in the process. Next semester we will be moving from working on curriculum to focusing attention in our PLCs on instruction and assessment.
I will share with you thoughts and ideas about the Essence of effective instruction from familiar names such as Marzano, Schmoker, Hunter, Carter, Fullen etc. This will be our topic for prep hour meetings this Tuesday, Dec 4th in room 506 (The room right next to the main auditorium stage). You will need to bring the following: A lesson that you will teaching in the near future, something to write with, and an open mind.
CHS Newsletter
Lynette will be posting a December CHS Newsletter before winter break. If you have information to be included, please submit to Lynette by December 7.
Morning Announcements
Please remember that in order for a message to be announced in the morning, the information must be submitted before the end of the school day on the day before the announcement is to be read.
Looking ahead
There will be no required PLC meetings or faculty meetings during finals week, December 17-21. Please plan to submit grades each day for the two periods of final exams on that day.
Hope you can join us for the annual CHS Holiday Party on December 12 5:30 – 7:00 pm in the CHS cafeteria.
Dates to Remember
12/3,4,5 ~ CIT Capstone Project Presentations 5:00 PM Mini-theater
12/4 ~ Prep hour meetings Room # 506
12/4 ~ Girls BB @ home
12/5 ~ Faculty Meeting 1:15-2:15PM in the mini-theater
12/5 ~ Wrestling @ home
Go Panthers!!!
Winter Sports and activities are off to a great start. This weekend's First Lego League Robotics tournament hosted by our Coconuts drew 25 teams from around the state and the guest list included Flagstaff's new Mayor, Jerry Nabors, several school board members and lots of community volunteers.
CHS Boys soccer is undefeated thus far, CHS girls soccer is on a roll, CHS wrestling team came in 3rd at the big FHS tournament and basketball for both the girls and boys is just getting going.
Student Conduct~Thank you to those of you who are standing in the hallways during passing periods. The adult presence in the hallways helps tremendously and the improved student behavior in the hallways is undoubtedly because of your presence. We still have some issues, but it's getting better.
PLCs~Thank you all for your work on aligning the curriculum at CHS with the instruction in our classrooms. While this might appear to be a simple task, it is more complex than what meets the eye. I truly appreciate your work and as you know, I strongly believe that our collaborative efforts in explicitly defining the essential core content that we teach and assess, can have a powerful impact on teaching and learning at Coconino. I hope that the quality Essential Learning Outcomes and Content Objectives that you all identified will be useful in focusing instruction in each discipline. A special thank you to our P.E. PLC for providing the Essential Learning Outcomes template and for your commitment and belief in the process. Next semester we will be moving from working on curriculum to focusing attention in our PLCs on instruction and assessment.
I will share with you thoughts and ideas about the Essence of effective instruction from familiar names such as Marzano, Schmoker, Hunter, Carter, Fullen etc. This will be our topic for prep hour meetings this Tuesday, Dec 4th in room 506 (The room right next to the main auditorium stage). You will need to bring the following: A lesson that you will teaching in the near future, something to write with, and an open mind.
CHS Newsletter
Lynette will be posting a December CHS Newsletter before winter break. If you have information to be included, please submit to Lynette by December 7.
Morning Announcements
Please remember that in order for a message to be announced in the morning, the information must be submitted before the end of the school day on the day before the announcement is to be read.
Looking ahead
There will be no required PLC meetings or faculty meetings during finals week, December 17-21. Please plan to submit grades each day for the two periods of final exams on that day.
Hope you can join us for the annual CHS Holiday Party on December 12 5:30 – 7:00 pm in the CHS cafeteria.
Dates to Remember
12/3,4,5 ~ CIT Capstone Project Presentations 5:00 PM Mini-theater
12/4 ~ Prep hour meetings Room # 506
12/4 ~ Girls BB @ home
12/5 ~ Faculty Meeting 1:15-2:15PM in the mini-theater
12/5 ~ Wrestling @ home
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