WGHS Staff Bulletin: Weekly Bulletin for November 14, 2016

WGHS math teachers observe a lesson modeled by Amy Moore.

"Someone who waits for perfectly calm educational seas to set sail will never get out of the harbor." Peter Greene @palan57

Important Dates

November 15 - Staff Meeting

November 17 - Math PD with Amy Moore

November 17 - Club/Activity Picture Day

November 17 - Winter Sports Pictures after staff school

November 23 - November 27 - Thanksgiving Break

December 1 - Stephanie DeMichele to present to staff on Edcite.

December 5 - Department Chair Meeting

December 6 - Department Meetings

December 8 - Excel Tecc Opportunity Day

December 8 - Academic Awards Assembly

December 8 - HS Band Winter Concert

Important Information

Midterm Exam Schedule - The midterm exam schedule has been updated to reflect this year's dates. Last year's schedule proved to be beneficial given the time for make up exams at the end of the week. This year's school calendar presents many challenges with the last day of the quarter being a Monday prior to break. I anticipate many questions regarding the possibilities of moving exams to accommodate extended vacations. I ask that you strictly adhere to the schedule and direct all requests for date changes to me. I will require a parent conversation with me if requesting a schedule change. Please be aware that some will be allowed to schedule an alternative time to take their midterms due to extenuating circumstances.

AIR Exams - We will be administering AIR Exams to students needing to take or retake the assessments. The exams will be given during the week of December 5th. We currently have 57 EOY exams that will be given during Ohio's winter administration time window. Although I expect this list to change slightly, I want you to be able to see who will be out of your class. Also, any final assistance you can give to prepare these students for the exam would be extremely beneficial.

STARS Holiday Fundraiser - The hugely successful holiday fundraiser is back! STARS will once again sell holiday items using their online boutique. Items include cookie and soup ingredients, chocolate pretzels, chocolate covered pretzels, coaster, holiday ornaments and gifts for the family pet. Be sure to order online by clicking here.

Academic Support Forms - It is expected that all teachers follow the requirements of submitting academic referrals for struggling students. This not only identifies intervention strategies used to reach a struggling learner, the form is also used to communicate and document conversations had with families. In lieu of progress reports, this system is used to ensure parents are aware that their child is struggling in a class and allows them to offer and provide support. Referrals need to be submitted when a student begins to struggle, week three, and week six if they continue to struggle.

Thanksgiving Lunch - On Tuesday, November 22nd, Dale Smith, Ron Dahlhofer and I will prepare a Thanksgiving Feast for the staff. Lunch will include turkey and much of the holiday trimmings. Please mark your calendars because, if Dale is involved, it's going to be good. Looking forward to seeing all of you there!

ODE Tested Area Resources - On Thursday, November 10th, ODE released new websites dedicated to providing you resources for high school tested courses. Although not all of these resources are new, they are now organized in one area. This website is definitely worth a look. One item to note is that many of the test blueprints have been updated to include areas of emphasis by the state. These areas are shaded in a light green. I have added a permanent link at the top of this bulletin in order to quickly access this new website.