The Reds Tale
September 26, 2019
Newark High School
Email: thomas.roote@newarkcsd.org
Website: http://newarkcsd.org/Domain/84
Location: 625 Peirson Avenue, Newark, NY, United States
Phone: 315-332-3240
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nhsreds
Twitter: @Newark_HS
From the Desk of the High School Principal-Mr. Tom Roote
Last week I reached out to several teachers to get an update on some students that did not have an idyllic school year. My goal was to gather some good news to share with the kids and their parents. Specifically, I asked our teachers, "When looking at some data from last school year, your student was flagged as requiring an extraordinary amount of adult support. In the spirit of providing some positive affirmation to promote good will, I am wondering if you have any good news to report on this student that I could share with home and the student? Thanks!" While I was discouraged a bit by some of the reports, I overwhelmingly heard great news. The best part was stopping kids in the hall to share what I had heard. That effort continues today. Faces were beaming with pride. Positive reports included these notes:
- From Ms. Ohlson: When he is here, he does well. He actively participates and is attentive and respectful.
- Mr. Sutton: When he has been here he has completed in class activities and participated in small group activities.
- He has been completely respectful towards me and his peers. He did have one class where he fell asleep and he made a point to see me after class and personally apologize for falling asleep. He said that he had slept poorly the night before and that he would try to not let it happen again. The fact that he sought me out to personally apologize for falling asleep shows a level of maturation I was not expecting.
- Mr. Dalton: He is working hard, is always polite and completing his work. He's off to a good start in English. He strikes me as a student with an inquisitive mind who really, really wants to succeed and learn.
When considering my effort here one should know a bit more about the power of affirmation, "Have you ever experienced a scenario like this: You’re talking to a teen and they tell you about a situation where they had to make a choice. A friend was pressuring them to do something wrong, something they have always done. In the past, this teen would have chosen to go along with their friend, to give in to the pressure to do something they know is wrong. This time though, they chose to do the right thing. They tell you that they ignored their friend all weekend and chose to stay home. The teen chose to not participate in the wrong-doing. You say something like, 'That was a great choice!' The teen looks at you, shrugs off your comment and moves on. This teen just revealed a life changing moment for them and they get a “great job”. We think we just praised them for doing the right thing when in reality, a moment was missed to truly dig deep and offer meaningful praise to a teen who is struggling. The teen doesn’t feel heard or like they made the right choice. They feel like a child that got a pat on the back. This scene is played out often, and I have come to learn that these are moments where a lot of us fail. It is sometimes too easy to give a standard response, to simply say 'Great job' with a pat on the back. While this may feel good to say, it doesn’t necessarily hold any weight when it comes to developing a trusting relationship. These placating statements we are guilty of using in everyday life are what causes the eye-rolls, the shrug offs, and can shut down further communication because they are meaningless. True praise for teens, especially those who are in tough situations, requires more heart. The word ‘praise’ actually comes from Middle English meaning 'attach value to'. If praise is meant to attach value to, then we need to work on our approach to praising. We need to dig deeper into using meaningful praise in order to ensure that our teens know they have value. This means using words to ensure that teens feel heard, that they know they did the right thing, and the qualities they possess to continue doing the right thing." from Going Beyond “Good Job”: How to Praise Teens
Contact me at thomas.roote@newarkcsd.org or 315-332-3250.
From the Desk of the Assistant Principal-Mrs. Robyn Ross
Newark PRIDE
This week our Tier I PRIDE team looked at multiple sets of data around classroom incident reports. Two things were evident in overall behaviors.
1) Students are still having some challenges with cell phone usage, this is not surprising and I am sure will take time to get where we need to be.
2) Tardies to class were the next biggest issue, especially among our sophomore class.
The Tier I intervention that the PRIDE team rolled out Monday focused around those two behaviors.
* Each teacher received in their mailbox a NO CELL PHONE sign to hang outside their door for students to see upon entering the classroom. It is important for staff to remind students regularly of the expectations.
*We began a fun competition between classes to improve tardiness to class daily. Each grades tardy data will be run each week and we will look to encourage improving it in order to win a pizza party at the end of the marking period (Nov 8)
Contact me at robyn.ross@newarkcsd.org or 315-332-3270.
From the Desk of the Administrative Intern-Mr. Jason Dentel
Chronic absenteeism is one of the critical areas in our Newark High School Building Plan for Excellence. Chronic absenteeism is missing more than 10% of school days. Last year Newark High School had nearly one-quarter of its students chronically absent. As of 9/20/19, 14% of our students are on pace to be absent more than 10% of the time. The good news is more than two-thirds of our students have not missed a day. Each month I will be sharing out data about how we are doing with attendance.
We all have a role in helping students get to school every day. As educators, we try and build relationships with our students and help them to engage in their learning. We help them to see the value of school and give them thoughtful and enriching lessons. Just this past week, I encountered students figuring out how far the planets were away from the sun. They were measuring distance and were able to share with me their thinking. They did not do this in the classroom, but instead made the whole school their classroom.
Families should reinforce the importance of school and help students realize that attendance is a crucial component of graduating. We also recommend attendanceworks.org as a resource to find out more about the importance of attendance.
Contact me at jason.dentel@newarkcsd.org or 315-332-3255.
Mash Up
Friday Morning Lights is coming back to NHS. They were here a few years ago and we are glad to get them back. See the "Document Share" section below to get a glimpse at what is in store for us. To summarize, get to school at around 5:30 am on Friday and meet us near the turf for some early joy!
My Brother's Keeper. Changing the Narrative
Remember to turn in your SchoolTool, I emphasize SchoolTool Below 65 Reports by Thursday afternoon. They will be used to inform athletic eligibility as well as interventions. If you have no students below 65 please share that news too. See directions in "Document Share" section if you need them.
PM WTCC students will have an option to stay back for the Pep Assembly on Friday. Those planning to attend their program will leave for WTCC from the cafeteria after either lunch 7 or their period 6/7 class. Ms. Ross is making plans for where to hold students staying back. AM WTCC students will miss period 8/9 as they all need to go to lunch 9.
Attention Parents of Seniors with Privileges: Be sure to examine the Pep Rally schedule in the "Document Share" section below as changes may lead your senior to use their privileges at different times of the day than is typical.
Mr. Flanagan and Ms. Esan are willing to host students not interested in the Pep Assembly. Please get them your interested students ASAP.
Wellness Initiative Newsletter
Farm On: Big Apple Crunch 2019
"Good afternoon Coalition and Community Partners: As our valued partner I wanted to briefly reach out to address the ongoing youth e-cigarette epidemic and the recent rise in lung injuries linked to e-cigarette use. The American Lung Association continues to be on the forefront of working to stop the youth e-cigarette epidemic, and I am proud to announce a new program to help support schools and teens as they work to fight back these new products. According to the 2019 National Youth Tobacco Use survey, over 27 percent of teens use e-cigarettes, and they are getting hooked on tobacco. Instead of getting education or support, they are getting suspended from school or other disciplinary measures. NEW Alternative to Suspension or Citation Program Launches Today! Launched today – Tuesday, September 17 – is our new Intervention for Nicotine Dependence: Education, Prevention, Tobacco and Health. INDEPTH™ is: convenient alternative to suspension or citation that helps schools and communities address the teen vaping problem in a more supportive way.Instead of solely focusing on punitive measures, INDEPTH™ is an interactive program that teaches students about nicotine dependence, establishing healthy alternatives and how to kick the unhealthy addiction that got them in trouble in the first place. INDEPTH™ was piloted at 11 schools across the United States with 60 percent of student participants reporting that they were willing to quit using tobacco products after completing the program. REGISTER for our FREE online training today! Not On Tobacco Youth Cessation Program- the Perfect Complement to INDEPTH. As a natural complement to INDEPTH, schools seeking to implement teen tobacco cessation programs can sign up for our Not On Tobacco (N-O-T) program. Not On Tobacco (N-O-T) is a voluntary teen-centered cessation program inclusive in addressing all tobacco product use, including e-cigarettes. These education programs are available for any school or community to establish to help our teens make healthier choices and training is available. Learn more about American Lung Association’s Youth Cessation Program Facilitator Training at Lung.org/not. Conversation Guide for Parents. In addition, we will continue to raise awareness about the dangers of e-cigarettes through The Vape Talk – an awareness campaign encouraging parents to talk to their kids about vaping before it’s too late. I encourage you to watch and share the videos below, and share these new resources with your peers, partners and communities. Additional Resources for Schools
- Free Downloadable Resources: A variety of downloadable one-pagers are available in English and Spanish at Lung.org/ecigs
- Free Educational Webinar: If you are interested in learning more, I would encourage you to attend the Lung Association’s webinar on E-cigarettes & School Wellness Policies: Resources for Schools on Wednesday, September 18th at 2 p.m. CT.
On behalf of the entire team at American Lung Association, we thank you for your valued partnership to help protect our youth from these new tactics from Big Tobacco as it will take all of us working together to address the vaping epidemic. Thank you for all that you do,
Penny"
Social Emotional Learning and the Plan for Excellence
At Newark High School student's may be in possession of their phone, however it can be neither seen or heard. What is trending on this topic...How far should schools go in banning student phones?
Instructional Corner
The Classroom Teaching Matrix is a critical foundation for establishing consistency among adults. It is an easy-to-follow matrix containing the school-wide expectations, classroom rules, and classroom routines. The teaching matrix serves as the primary tool that will define the behavioral-social-emotional learning standards for instruction in our classrooms. Your matrix creates a dependable system of rules and procedures that provides structures for students and helps them to be engaged with instructional tasks. By teaching these rules and routines to students with the matrix at the beginning of the year and reinforcing them consistently throughout the year, research shows an increase in student academic achievement and task engagement. This tool will allow us to clearly state expectations and consistently supporting them lends credibility to a teacher’s authority. As we continue to build our own classroom teaching matrix, keep in mind it should include words and phrases that are observable, measurable, positively stated, understandable, and always applicable to all classroom activities.
The table below shows a copy of our District Newark Pride Matrix. This will help guide the creation and implementation of your own classroom teaching matrix.
Alumni Profile
Erich Dittmar Class of 2007: In high school, Erich was on high honor roll, participated in wresting, football and track and was the VP of the National Honor Society. He attended SUNY ESF obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture then made a career change and earned his masters from SJFC in Elementary Ed. Erich is currently a teacher for WFLB/NEC.
Words of Wisdom: Work hard, have fun!
Document Sharing Space
Calendar Share
Safety Week is the week of Monday, October 21
Friday Morning Light's is set to kick off on Friday at 6:00 am. All should arrive by 5:45 am. We will be on or near the turf. Look above at the "Document Share" section for a glimpse at what to expect!
Homecoming Spirit Week themes
- Thursday is Time-travel Thursday: Freshmen 90's, Sophomore 2000's, Junior's 70's, Senior's 80's and Staff 50's
- Friday is Maroon and Gray Friday
Homecoming is Friday, September 27-Saturday, September 28. Contact L Walters or B Yuhas:
- The Pep Rally is at 1:30 pm on Friday September 27 on the football field
- The parade from AECC to school starts at 5:00 pm on Friday, September 27
- The tailgate for high school students is at 5:45 pm on Friday September 27 outside of Fox Den (free hot dogs - HS students only)
- The football game starts on Friday, September 27 at 7:15 pm
- The dance is Saturday, September 28 from 7:30-10:00 pm in the high school gym (tickets are $5 pre-sale and $7 at door)
Wednesday, October 9, November 13, December 11, January 15, February 12, March 11, April 15, May 13 and June 10. College Wear Wednesday. Contact S Gardner.
Friday, September 27. Field Trip Requests are due. Contact T Roote
First Tuesday of each month. Staff Meeting. Contact T Roote
October 3rd ,8th, 10th,15th,17th,22nd,24th,29th,31st: Advanced Child Psych to Perkins School 10:00am-10:45am. Contact: Nicole Favreau.
SchoolTool detailed progress reports (below 65) for quarter 1 due Thursday, September 26 and Thursday, October 24. Contact T Roote
Tuesday, October 15th: Drama Club- Genessee Community College Theatre 4pm-9:15pm. Contact: Emily Howard
Tuesday, October 22 at NHS, time TBD. Open House. Contact T Roote
Monday, November 18th & Tuesday , November 19th: Global 9 Multiple Faith Locations Field Trip. CONTACT: Dan Micciche.
Wednesday, January 8th: Rochester Museum & Science Center 9am-2:30pm. Contact Aaron Harrington.
Thursday, April 30. Capstone Day. Contact D Barry, K Ganter or R Ross
Monday, May 18th. Physics Day at Darian Lake 9am-6:30pm. Contact Aaron Harrington.
TBD. NHS Program/No WTCC Program. Contact R Ross
College Planning. Contact D McGavisk:
- PSAT Administration-All juniors: October 16 from 7:45-11:15 am
- Financial Aid Night (Tentative): October 8 from 6:30-8:00 pm
- FAFSA Filing Night: October 15 from 6:30-8:00 pm
- Individual senior meetings with counselors-September 16-30
- Rochester Area Colleges visit-September 26 from 10:15 -11:00 am
Close Up/Share a Pic
BitMoji of the Week: Who is it?
The Newark High School Mission, Vision and Values
The Newark High School Mission: We are a school community with deeply held hometown pride, committed to readying young people to be life-long learners with experiences aimed at continuously motivating us to hone our skills in the complex tasks of teaching and learning. Our community is devoted to providing supports for the aspirations of our adolescents as they mature into adults with ambitious plans for college and careers.
The Newark High School Vision: Staff embody the school values and impart confidence while providing an inviting classroom environment with clear expectations and specific academic and behavioral goals. Students embody the school values through intellectual and emotional perseverance. Families embody the school values while remaining actively involved as advocates for their children and supporters of the school programs and staff.
The Newark High School Values: Safe, Responsible, Respectful and A Community.
Email: thomas.roote@newarkcsd.org
Website: http://newarkcsd.org/Domain/84
Location: 625 Peirson Avenue, Newark, NY, United States
Phone: 315-332-3240
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nhsreds
Twitter: @Newark_HS