Charger News
September 7-September 13, 2015
As long as we make excuses, we will justify staying where we are. There are no excuses for settling for mediocrity.
Demonstration of Learning-(DOL)
The demonstration of learning is the assessment of all the hard work you and your students do throughout a class period. Last week, Mr. Canterbury used a DOL to assess student ability write a sequence paragraph. While I did not observe Mrs. Finley’s DOL, the expectations were very specific, and very clear. Mr. Dumars is another instructor on the campus that creates strong DOL’s, which are tightly aligned with his posted objective. As I visited Mrs. Francis's class, her DOL was also very explicit, giving students a clear since of what they have to do to demonstrate mastery after the instruction. Through collegiality and collaboration, we can make our DOL's stronger throughout the campus.
It's All Important!
Everything on the campus is important. From our student clubs and organizations to our classroom, everything that takes place on the campus is important. We never want to miss an opportunity to engage our students in something that serves as a potentially life changing experience. This experience may come during a trip with Student Council, a robotics competition, during the heat of a varsity volleyball game, or football game. You never know what might turn on the light bulb for a student and that’s why it is all important. As we work think about how we can grow student engagement in every organization on the campus and within the classroom. With over 1200 students enrolled on the campus, ideally, it would be great to connect each one of them with a campus club or organization like DECA or band.
Advanced Placement Audit
Last week we had visits from central office leaders from our Advanced Placement Department. The administrative team will be participating in professional development and so will teachers that lead advanced placement instruction. The goal is to enhance our instruction in this area, thereby increase our student performance in this area as well. Last week a student from Mrs. Clark’s AP Calculus class met with me and set a goal for his entire class to earn fives on their AP Exams. Doing well on these exams allow students to earn college credit while in high school and possibly skip introductory college courses. Scoring a 3 to a 5 on these exams can translate into significant opportunities for students who are taking advanced placement courses. The goals we set for students, along with goals our students set for themselves should be no less than a 3!
Student Engagement
As you evaluate your Teacher Excellence Initiative, pay close attention to the student survey results. Our campuses lowest scoring area was student engagement at 56%. As you prepare lesson plans keep student engagement in mind. During lunch, I take the time to speak with students, often times they will share which teachers they feel are challenging, or engaging, and who makes the learning fun and relevant. Students weigh in on teacher evaluations yearly, so keep the level of student engagement in mind. Avoid a lot of sitting and getting and focus on creating learning opportunities that demand collaboration and active learning!
Announcements
- Administrators will be scheduling meetings to discuss SLO Goals in the upcoming weeks
- Grade Level Meetings will be hosted September 9th & 10th. Ninth and tenth graders on September 9th and eleventh and twelfth graders on September 10th.
- ID machine does not have enough ink to produce student id's but faculty and staff can take there photos during planning time.
- Please post lesson plans in a visible place for visitors to access. (Remember lesson plans should reflect pacing by the minute for components within the lesson plan)
Conrad Vs. R.L. Turner High School
Friday, Sep 11, 2015, 07:30 PM
8233 Military Parkway, Dallas, TX, United States
Lake Highlands Cross Country Invitational
Saturday, Sep 12, 2015, 08:00 AM
Norbuck Park, Dallas, TX, United States
On this special day, we wish you all the very best! May you have a fantastic birthday and many more to come... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
6th-September-Ms. Berrones Marisol
6th-September-Ibanez Elizabeth
9th September-Mr. Houston Michael
10th September-Ms. Harris Marilyn
11th September-Ms. Brandi Adams
From The Conrad Family