Happy New Year ~ 2015

A Warm Welcome Back!
I hope your holiday break was one filled with joy, relaxation and grand memories.  The new year is upon us and I hope you’ll join me in my optimism that the best is yet to come...As we role into to 2015, it is time to finish development and begin implementation of our response plan to the CHS accreditation report.  As I have shared with you already, our response has required some soul searching and humility. However, we can all recognize that no matter how good we are, we can always seek to be better.  I sincerely look forward to working together in order to meet the needs of each and every one of our students.

CHS 2015 School Goals (As outlined in the Accreditation Report)

1.  Develop a commitment to a shared purpose and school wide focus.
2.  Create and commit to an equitable learning environment where all students are engaged in rigorous content and deep learning.
3.  Develop a structured professional development plan to support and deepen teacher understanding and use of "Best Instructional Practices" in order to increase active student engagement and rigor in the classroom.
As we work on finalizing our five year strategic plan, I welcome your comments, thoughts and ideas about how best to meet these goals.  Please feel free to share your thoughts directly with me or Cris or through your department chairs, who will be meeting on January 20 to discuss next steps. 

As a heads up, our upcoming Prep Hour Meetings on January 13 will be professional development focusing on questioning strategies and student engagement techniques. This PD is an exciting opportunity to get to the heart of what our accreditation report asks us to improve upon. I am looking forward to seeing what you all bring to the table, and taking up this challenge together.

Welcome Back to students, too
I am returning to CHS with enthusiasm and optimism for what 2015 will bring. Please join me in giving our students a warm welcome back to school. Your presence in the hallways during passing periods and at your doors as students enter the classroom is powerful and welcoming. I hope we can set a positive tone for the new year together by welcoming our students back to school and letting them know how excited we are to see them again.  Thank you in advance for your support and cooperation!

Calendar

• January 7 ~ School Structures committee Mtg 2:30pm Room 204
• January 8 ~ What the Tech? 
• January 13 ~ Prep Hour P.D. Mtgs Room 204 (With the exception of 2nd hour, which will be held in room 200)
• January 27 ~ Faculty Mtg Mini-Theater 2:45pm 

"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." 

-Henry Adams

Again, welcome back and have a great week!

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