Principal's Page
South Central Jr-Sr High Weekly Update 9/4/15
This Week In PLCs
Last week, you worked on your End of Course Exams for your focus class. These are due Tuesday at 3pm (if you need an extension, just let me know). Now that we have identified where kids need to be at the end of the year, it's time to create the Beginning of Year (BOC) exam for your focus class. That is what we will focus on this week in PLCs; if you are familiar with the process from last year and/or plan to use the same exam you used last year, you will work independently in PLCs this week to get these exams together.
Beginning of Course Exams are diagnostic tests that are meant to determine whether or not students enter your course at the beginning of the year with the prerequisite skills and knowledge that they will need to be successful in your class throughout the year. BOC exams do NOT determine if kids have mastered the standards for your focus class; we know that they have not mastered the standards because they haven't taken the class yet! Instead, the BOC exam is designed to give you information about student abilities so that you can better assist these students throughout the year. You will create your BOC to include any skills whatsoever that you believe kids should no prior to taking your course. These might include standards that were taught in previous courses, basic literary or problem solving skills, or other general knowledge that is a necessary building block for the new learning that will happen throughout your course.
Once you administer your BOC exam, you will grade the tests and separate your students into three groups: high, medium, and low. These groups will be identified based on students' scores on the BOC exam, along with some other data. We will get to this step in a couple of weeks; however, for now it is important to know why we are creating and administering these diagnostic tests. Your goal throughout the year will be to "grow" your low group of kids, so that they achieve proficiency on the End of Course final exam that you created last week.
The BOC exam process will be covered in-depth during the first 15 minutes of PLCs this week. Please meet in H8 at 7:40 if you would like to hear more information about how to create these tests!
Beginning of Course Exams are diagnostic tests that are meant to determine whether or not students enter your course at the beginning of the year with the prerequisite skills and knowledge that they will need to be successful in your class throughout the year. BOC exams do NOT determine if kids have mastered the standards for your focus class; we know that they have not mastered the standards because they haven't taken the class yet! Instead, the BOC exam is designed to give you information about student abilities so that you can better assist these students throughout the year. You will create your BOC to include any skills whatsoever that you believe kids should no prior to taking your course. These might include standards that were taught in previous courses, basic literary or problem solving skills, or other general knowledge that is a necessary building block for the new learning that will happen throughout your course.
Once you administer your BOC exam, you will grade the tests and separate your students into three groups: high, medium, and low. These groups will be identified based on students' scores on the BOC exam, along with some other data. We will get to this step in a couple of weeks; however, for now it is important to know why we are creating and administering these diagnostic tests. Your goal throughout the year will be to "grow" your low group of kids, so that they achieve proficiency on the End of Course final exam that you created last week.
The BOC exam process will be covered in-depth during the first 15 minutes of PLCs this week. Please meet in H8 at 7:40 if you would like to hear more information about how to create these tests!
Welcome, Ms. Homann!!!
Position:
Administrative Coordinator
What were you doing last year?
Administrative Assistant at Kesling Middle School in La Porte Indiana.
What caught your eye about SC?
The small little community and opportunity brought me here to Union Mills.
What was your favorite subject in school?
My favorite subject in school was honors Physiology.
If you could be any animal, what would you be? Why?
If I could be any animal I would be a Bald Eagle. I think that being able to fly and see things in such a different light would be amazing.
If you ran into an alien on your way home from work, what one question would you ask?
If "it" was nice, I would have to ask it how to cure Cancer.
What are you hoping to achieve/accomplish this year at SC?
I am hoping to find a future here at SC. I love being here.
Administrative Coordinator
What were you doing last year?
Administrative Assistant at Kesling Middle School in La Porte Indiana.
What caught your eye about SC?
The small little community and opportunity brought me here to Union Mills.
What was your favorite subject in school?
My favorite subject in school was honors Physiology.
If you could be any animal, what would you be? Why?
If I could be any animal I would be a Bald Eagle. I think that being able to fly and see things in such a different light would be amazing.
If you ran into an alien on your way home from work, what one question would you ask?
If "it" was nice, I would have to ask it how to cure Cancer.
What are you hoping to achieve/accomplish this year at SC?
I am hoping to find a future here at SC. I love being here.
Building Project Update
We are currently in a "down time" as drawings have gone out to bid for Phase 2b, and they won't be submitted for another couple of weeks. In the meantime, most work in Phase 1 and Phase 2a has been completed. If you have talked to me about something that still needs to be completed or adjusted, it is on the list and will be addressed as soon as possible. Please be patient with both maintenance and technology as they are still struggling to keep up with everything that needs to get done.
Something to Make You SMILE! :)
Katie Etheridge and her husband Chris are expecting their first BABY GIRL in March!!! Congratulations!!!