Resurrection Weekly Update #10
The Way to Stay in Touch with All Things Res: 10/23 - 10/27
The Principal's Corner
I had the great opportunity to participate in a meeting this week were we discussed, among many things, student learning. I was able to walk from table to table and hear dedicated educators talking about things that mattered. They were focused on justifying a stated question in the context of a larger course outcome. I overheard conversations in which one faculty member clarified for a colleague the value to a particular concept as it related to what would take place later in the course. I witnessed a teacher from one department state how, when a particular concept is covered in her area, another teacher could step in and use that information in their course at a later date with the same students. I saw, first hand, a teacher draw a map of their understanding of UbD stage 1. I had a teacher ask me to write my statements down so that they could use it as a guide. I am talking about this past Wednesday's in-service. I think it was the BEST that I have been to in a while and I have great hope for where this process will take us.
The road ahead is exciting and interesting because YOU have engaged this process with open minds, a willing spirit, and an authentic spirit of continuous improvement. AMEN
As we move forward, we are creating a culture of trust. Trust in the process of UbD, trust in our support of you in that process, trust in your support of each other in that process, trust in the experience that you will provide our students in this process. There are going to be moments where we do not get it correct, or end up in a place far different from where we first imagined, but that is part of the JOY of teaching.
What I am (still) working on....
1. STREAM integration and a connection to a university partnership.
2. College advising process for future 9th and 10th grade students.
3. Mother Celine Scholars programming.
4. UbD part two.
5. Datawise evaluation and possible rollout
6. Many other things :)
THINK big....START small...GO FOR the early win!
Amen,
Mr. P
What's Happening at Res This Week
Daily Breakdown
Saturday Oct. 21st - Homecoming Dance: 7 -10 pm
Sunday Oct. 22nd - Fall Fashion Show: 11:30 am - 3 pm
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Monday Oct. 23rd - White Day
- Liturgy: 8:30 - 9:45 am, Liturgy Schedule and Seating Chart
Tuesday Oct. 24th - Red Day
- Activity 2 Day
- St. Paul of the Cross Shadow Day
Wednesday Oct. 25th - White Day
- Noon Dismissal
- Afternoon PD till 3:15 pm
Thursday Oct. 26th - Red Day
- Queen of All Saints Shadow Day
- Freshmen Induction Ceremony for Freshmen officers: Seminar B
- Lunch & Learn #2: Seminar A & B in Room 123.
Friday Oct. 27th - White Day
Sunday October 29th - Open House #2: 1-3 pm (arrive by 12:15 pm)
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Monday Oct. 30th - Red Day
- Freshmen Service Meeting: Seminar B in the Little Theater
Tuesday October 31st - White Day (Halloween)
- Activity 3: Activity Schedule
Wednesday November 1st - Red Day
- All Saints Liturgy: Liturgy Bell Schedule
Thursday November 2nd - FALL TESTING DAY (NO SCHOOL FOR SENIORS)
Friday November 3rd - White Day
- Theater Field Trip
Shoutouts!
Outstanding happenings around the building:
1. Ms. Castellucci and Ms. McClearn for all of their efforts with open house.
2. EVERYONE for their support of and interest in our open house efforts.
3. Ms. August for the very interesting MATH board outside of her classroom.
4. The ENTIRE MATH TEAM for hosting a successful Math competition!
5. Ms. Stieber for her new law opportunity for Practicum students.
Instruction & Technology Updates
Workload Planner via Schoology
The workload planning feature is available in every course section to help teachers determine student workload in Schoology.
This tool aggregates assignments and other materials across your students' courses and displays the number of assignments due on a given day. It may be useful when scheduling tests and projects, planning lessons, and understanding how much time your students have to work on something you plan to assign. Many of our parents have highlighted this as an issue they face at home with their daughter because of the stress that it can place on a student. For the Workload Planning feature to be effective, teachers MUST be posting their homework and projects onto Schoology. If you have any questions about how to go about posting an assignment/project, please contact me for assistance.
To learn how to use this feature, please read the following article or watch the video tutorial entitled, Schoology: Workload Planning.
Harnessing Technology to Unleash Student Creativity
From Richard Bryne's Technology for Teachers website: Please read a guest post from Beth Holland, Doctoral Candidate at Johns Hopkins School of Education and educational adviser at Book Creator
(Excerpt) Over the past several years, the idea of using technology to unleash student creativity has appeared in blog posts and conference sessions more times than I can count. For this reason, imagine my surprise when I discovered that the term Unleashing Creativity can actually be traced back to psychologist Ulrich Kraft! In a 2005 Scientific American article, he wrote that new ideas and creative solutions come as a result of “disassembling and reassembling the building blocks [of knowledge] in an infinite number of ways.” Following this logic, creativity can then be defined as the process of taking pre-existing knowledge and applying it in new and unique ways...Continue reading this article HERE.
Educational Video of the Week
No television special exploring ideas on improving education in the United States would be complete without hearing from students themselves. And so it was essential that students be able to tell their own stories during our first television special, TED Talks Education, which premiered on PBS last night.
To that end, we invited Market Road Films, the production company of two-time Emmy-winning filmmaker Tony Gerber and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright/MacArthur Genius Award-recipient Lynn Nottage, to create short documentaries about high schoolers in New York City with incredible stories. Several of these docs appeared in last night’s show, but several went unsurfaced … until now. Watch one of the these stories below.
You can tell Julia Delmedico is sharp from the way she observes her school environment in the Bronx. But as a hands-on learner, she struggles during exam time. In this documentary, Julia is the voice of students who feel the weighty pressure of tests as something that keeps them from learning as much as they could. “I think the best kind of education is one that teaches you to speak and think for yourself,” she says. “That’s much more valuable than passing your exams.”
Getting to know our faculty!
Ms. Amy Martin, English and Technology Faculty
Res is my home away from home. I have spent half of my life in this building, literally, between teacher and student. I am currently working towards my MSI in Educational Technology and will graduate in May! My favorite class to teach is American Literature because I love the wonderful spirit of the course and really enjoy seeing the students come to understand the social structure of their world and how literature was influenced by the time periods.
In my free time, I enjoy hot yoga, strength training, and long walks with my thirteen-year-old Red Fox Labrador, Wrigley. Netflix and Hulu are also an addiction, and I love to binge watch whenever I have time. Cooking is also another one of my pastimes; I find it so therapeutic.
Mr. Merle Green, Math Faculty
Curriculum Updates
Faculty Professional Development
Spiritual Reflections
Bogdan Jamski:
The founder of the Congregation of the Resurrection was, by professional training, an economist and lawyer. His love and interest carried him into the fields of translating, publishing and journalism. He was a member of the Polish emigration to France, and a lay apostle to this same emigration after the collapse of the November Uprising in Poland.
As we approach this week, let us reflect on this statement by Bogdan:
"Everything is possible if there are holy people....in the community."
Community Member Spotlight: Why I love Res
Noreen Maluchnik: An icon of mission
“Why do I love Res?” When Mr. Piwowarski asked me this question, my immediate thought was, “I need more space than a few paragraphs.” However, as I guide my students in their writing, they must aim for clarity in thought, purpose in their words, and precision in what they show. So must I.
Resurrection is hope. Resurrection is life. Resurrection is future. Resurrection College Prep is dedicated to the “education of young women and to the development of their God-given talents.” It is a privilege to be a teacher at Res, to be a part of a ministry where, daily, I am fortunate to see the changes in my students as they grow intellectually, spiritually, ethically, and socially, becoming women of integrity ready to embrace the world and committed to live Resurrection. This makes my heart dance; it did my first year at Res and continues to do so forty years later. How unbelievably exciting is that? Why do I love Res? Who would not?
Student Services
Counselor news:
The Transition group will start next Thursday during seminar B. This is a group intended to support students with difficult home lives. Sheri Damery will be facilitating this group.
The sophomore intake meetings have been going really well. Students were very responsive to the online Sophomore survey. An outcome of the survey was that the majority of the sophomore class struggle with stress/anxiety as well as a concern about low grades/test scores. Sheri and Mary have been encouraging students to seek resources like teacher support and the Think Tank to address the academic concerns. We have also been working closely with he students on managing their stress/anxiety.
The Senior students have been doing a great job turning in their applications, thanks to the guidance of Meredith Rogers. At this point 90% of students have submitted at least one application. Thank you teachers for all your support with letters of rec!!!
About Us
Mission
Resurrection College Prep High School is a Catholic Christian community dedicated to the education of young women, and to the development of their God–given talents. Convinced of God’s unconditional love and nourished by the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, we are committed to the spiritual, ethical, intellectual, physical and social growth of our students.
Email: Resurrection@reshs.org
Website: www.reshs.org
Location: 7500 W Talcott Ave, Chicago, IL, United States
Phone: 773-775-6616
Facebook: www.facebook.com/reshs.chicago/
Twitter: @ResurrectionHS