Mr. Tonagel's Weekly Memo
Week of May 9
Recycling Program
Trimester 3 Finals
Reminder that the normal bell schedule will run during the last week of school and teachers will have the flexibility to carry out their finals as they determine is best.
Last '15-16 Staff Meeting
The May staff meeting (two options) will take place on Wed. May 18 after school
and Friday, May 20 at 6:50am. Both occur in Schulze.
Aspiring Principals Projects
Homecoming Procedures
Program of Studies
Although the school year is winding down and much time and energy is being spent on closure activities, we still look to capitalize on any opportunity to improve our Program of Studies. In the past weeks we have been exploring new program of studies offerings. We are studying a new math college readiness course that would be for seniors who need math credits and additional math support as they get ready for college. We also are looking to add a Biomedical Science program, and expand our communication pathways.
Due to the dual credit credentialing changes that are coming to teachers and school in 2022 we will need to start formulating a plan to sustain our early college program. We are in the very early stages of this process and there are not any easy answers, but we will explore various options so that we can continue to offer an early college model and a rigorous curriculum for our students.
Professional Development Opportunity (Math, Science, Spec Ed)
The 2016 STEM Innovations Summer Institute is open to Math, Science, Tech Ed, and STEM and special ed teachers who support Math and Science. It is geared to the middle and early high school levels, but looks like a great opportunity to support our Science and Math classrooms. Please contact me if you are interested in taking part in this PD. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ICM8-Xe7T79HpefwOunPFDIaOn0GH-hf_Kd7AMwZg9g/viewform
Developing a Growth Mindset
Growth is the new name of the game as the state's accountability system undergoes more changes. It is moving away from a proficiency model where a school/student either met the standard or not to a growth system that takes year-to-year growth into consideration. This is happening as NCLB exits and ESSA begins. Embargoed school grades have been released to demonstrate the new system. Our report is still under analysis.
The growth system is not surprising; we've been preparing by planning an internal assessment plan that puts a strong emphasis on individual student growth (PSAT College and Career Readiness). How it exactly unfolds at the state level is still unclear, but I am pleased with our PSAT progress and want us to keep it growing.
Teacher, team, and dept. growth is also on our target boards. Not only must our students demonstrate annual growth, but we must show growth, too. The school accreditation work accomplished this year is a great foundation for future continuous improvement work. Look for our continuous improvement website to be a hub for department teams to produced products and artifacts that demonstrate growth and improvement next school year.