Eagle Express
LHS Staff Newsletter--Year 18, Vol. 24, 02/18/19
Principal's Message
Several years ago, I had the great fortune to hear Maya Angelou speak at an ASCD conference. What an amazing woman! Her story is one of loss, abuse, and tragedy from a very young age. She spoke, however, of choosing to see the blessing of people who were "rainbows in her clouds." While she had a lot of negativity around her throughout her life, she chose to be a positive force. We never know how a small act of kindness may affect someone's day/life. We often don't know what our students are going through, but we can choose to be a rainbow in their clouds.
Last week we celebrated I Love Landstown week and there were many "rainbow" moments. Thanks to everyone who participated in the Kindness Challenge. We will work to compile these touching tributes to our students and share them with you. These positive messages are just one example of the rainbows experienced last week. Let's keep the momentum going. If you didn't get a chance to share with a student or students, it's not too late. Here's a link to the instructions.
I also found a presentation from Dr. Angelou that is very similar to the one I heard. It is well worth the time. If you are interested in viewing the entire presentation, you will find it here. Below is a small piece of her message.
I Make a Difference
From Sheryl Grumney
I am honored to pass the "I Make A Difference" award to someone who embodies the word "extraordinary", as she consistently goes above and beyond the Teacher Assistant job description. She arrives early each morning to assist the transition of students from the buses. When there is a department member absent, she often adds their student to her list to assist, or willingly redirects her daily schedule to fill in where necessary. During the academic day, she actively coaches our students, while jotting down essential anecdotal evidence on student performance. Whether during One Lunch (while eating her lunch), or after school during tutoring sessions, you're likely to see a student at her desk, eager to have her calming demeanor close by them as they take book quizzes. Everything she puts her hand to do is done with excellence. Ann Marie Murphy, without a doubt, YOU make a difference to our Landstown High School community!
Advisory
This week’s Advisory will take place on Wednesday, February 20. Similar to recent school choice advisories, this is once again more discussion oriented and there are no tasks for students to complete in Schoology, so they will not necessarily need their chromebooks.
Teacher notes, including links to everything you need for the lesson, have been placed in Schoology in the LHS Advisory Group. Remember, once in the group, click Resources to access the grade level folders and then the February 20 folder. Since students do not need access to anything in Schoology this time, you DO NOT NEED to copy this week’s folder into your own Advisory course; instead, you can simply access the Teacher Notes from within the LHS Advisory group. After you have reviewed the lesson, get in touch with Kelly, Krissy or Katie Bennett if you have questions prior to Advisory day. Enjoy the time with your Advisory students. We have seen so many instances this year where Advisory relationships have really made a positive impact on our students. Keep up the amazing work!
Upcoming Events
Monday, 02/18 (B)
Happy Monday!
Tuesday, 02/19 (B)
Principal's List Reception
School Planing Council, 5:00, Library
Regional Basketball Quarterfinals, 6:00
PTSA Board Meeting, 6:00, Library
Wednesday, 02/20 (A)
Advisory Day
SCA General Assembly, Lunch, Auditorium
Parent-Teacher Conferences, 2:15, Cafeteria
Thursday, 02/21 (B)
DAR Reception, 2:00, SAB
Citywide Reflections, 6:00, ODS
Friday, 02/22 (A)
Regional Basketball Semi-Finals, Scope
Saturday, 02/23
State Track Meet, Boo Williams
February is Black History Month and with the wide variety of celebratory events offered at Landstown High School, there's ample opportunity for staff and students to get involved. Here's what has been planned:
- Black History Month Facts & Trivia Questions (daily during morning announcements)
- Talk Tuesday--February 19 during Lunch in the Schola, Discussion Topic: "Colorism in the Black Community"
- Motivational Speaker Mr. Eric James--February 19, Block 4B, Auditorium, Teachers must sign up their class using this link
- Block Party--February 22, during Lunch in the Gym
- Soul Food Extravaganza by Chef Johnson--February 27 during Lunch in the Schola. Students must RSVP to attend as there is limited space
Also, be sure to check out the "I Have a Dream" display in the library windows created by our LMSs, as well as the library display window designed by Ms. Zumbrum, and the Black History Month posters throughout the school created by Mr. Swartz's photography students.
For the Block Party on Friday, February 22, we are in need of chaperones for each half of Lunch. If you are available on Fridays during either half and willing to help out, please contact Marcus Johnson-Williams or T'na Bell.
Announcements & Reminders
Student Engagement PL: On February 27th, the Student Engagement and Agency PL pathway will look at student agency through the lens of project-based learning. Here is a short description of our upcoming session:
Project-based learning (PBL) is a way to deliver content and teach skill sets in a meaningful, authentic, and retainable way. Aligned with student agency, PBL involves bringing students together to make decisions while working through complex and challenging problems. This session will offer teachers the essential design elements and teaching practices involved in planning high-quality PBL experiences. All teachers are invited to attend this session at 2:20 pm in the library.
Bathroom Passes: If you are in need of additional bathroom passes, please let Mr. Gustafson know what color you need along with your room number.
Annual Mandatory Training: The Annual Mandatory Employee Training completion date has been extended to February 28!
Strategic Planning Input: The division will be soliciting input on the strategic planning process with an upcoming survey. The planning process for the next strategic plan has been ongoing and has included meetings with a variety of stakeholder groups and a Virtual Town Hall hosted on vbschools.com. The information gained from the input process has been incorporated into an online survey that will go live February 18 and remain open until March 8. On Monday, February 18, all Virginia Beach City Public Schools staff members will receive an email that will explain the survey and include a link. You are asked to complete the survey by March 8. The survey link will be available on vbschools.com so that parents and community members may access the survey. Parents will be notified of the survey through an AlertNow email message sent by the Office of Planning, Innovation and Accountability.
Judges Needed: VBCPS will be hosting the Virginia Educator's Rising Student Leadership Conference for the VTfT students this year at Ocean Lakes on March 23rd. The district needs to provide the judges for the various events, including Children Books, impromptu speaking, and Educational Issues. If you are willing to volunteer, email Katie Bennett in our English department.
Kudos
Congratulations to our Forensics Team for capturing the runner-up spot at the regional competition this weekend. Individual winners were: Ava Vanameringen, 2nd place, Humorous Dramatic Interpretation; Darrick Edison, 1st place, Prose Interpretation; and Yardan Shabazz, 1st place, Serious Dramatic Interpretation. Kudos also to their sponsor, Frances Fok for her hard work with these students.
Kudos to Chelsea Brechtel & the SCA for a wonderful I Love Landstown Week!
Congratulations to our Eagle wrestlers who wrapped up their season at the state tournament on Friday and Saturday. Congratulations to juniors Bryce Sanderlin, 145lb State Runner-up, Cam Robinson, 132lb 3rd Place, and sophomore Brett Sanderlin, who wrestled tough at the state tournament, going 2-2. Way to go guys!
Kudos to our NJROTC cadets who placed 1st in Curl-ups and 2nd in Push-ups at the GRHS NJROTC Physical Fitness Competition on Saturday. More impressive, however, is that Cadet Hadiya Barlow received 1st place in the female individual push-up competition beating 80 female cadets representing 10 NJROTC units present. The LHS NJROTC is currently ranked 5th out of 57 units in AREA FIVE (VA, MD and DC) and has qualified to compete in the AREA FIVE Drill/ Academic/PT Championships in March!
Kudos to Bridgette Jackson who has been asked by The Ability Center of Virginia to sing “This is Me” at their Annual Gala on March 9th.
TCE Teacher of the Year Award
A full-time TCE teacher may self-select or be nominated for this award. The individual who nominates the teacher must complete a letter of nomination, outlining the nominee’s leadership roles, committee memberships, professional development activities, innovative activities, awards and certifications. The teacher-nominee writes a brief essay (500 words or less) explaining how they improve/promote technical and career education. More than one TCE teacher from each middle and high school may be nominated. The winner of this award will is eligible to attend the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) national conference in the 2019-2020 school year.
TCE Secondary Professional School Counselor-of-the-Year Award
Each high and middle school may choose to nominate one full-time school counselor for this award. The individual who nominates the counselor must complete a letter of nomination, outlining the nominee’s role in supporting and promoting TCE programs in their role as a professional school counselor. The counselor-nominee writes a brief essay (500 words or less) explaining how they improve/promote technical and career education at the school and in the division. The winner of this award is eligible to attend the ACTE national conference in the 2019-2020 school year.
National History Teacher of the Year Award
The Virginia Department of Education, in cooperation with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and Preserve America, announces the annual National History Teacher of the Year Award. This award honors exceptional teachers of American history across the country. One finalist from each state, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense schools and the U.S. territories is selected annually. From these finalists, a national winner is recognized as the National History Teacher of the Year. Any elementary and secondary school teacher (grades K-12) who teaches American history, including local and state history, as his or her primary subject within the framework of his or her school program, and has demonstrated excellence according to the criteria governing the award is eligible for nomination. Past state and national winners are not eligible. Nominees will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- At least three years of classroom experience in teaching American history;
- A demonstrated commitment to teaching American history;
- Evidence of creativity and innovation in the classroom; and
- Effective use of primary sources to engage students with American history.
Nominators must include contact information for the nominee and a short statement indicating why the nominee is an outstanding teacher of American history. Nominations can be made by a student, parent, colleague, department head, principal or superintendent. Self-nominations will not be accepted. Nominees must be planning to teach for at least one year following the award year. All nominations must be submitted by Sunday, March 31 to the Gilder Lehrman website at https://www.gilderlehrman.org/content/national-history-teacher-year.
February 19: Victoria Couture, Nurse
Master Schedule Process
It's hard to believe, but the development of the master schedule for 2019-2020 has begun. It is an enormous undertaking and one that involves the collaboration of multiple stakeholders. In an effort to keep this process as transparent as possible, we wanted to share what has occurred so far and what next steps will be.
Of course, the creation of the master schedule begins with student course requests. Our counselors have worked very hard to see all of their students between November and January and help them select courses. This year the counselors saw most students during ASB in order to protect instructional time. This took some additional work on the counselors' part and kudos to them for this extra effort.
Staff members have responded to a Google Form indicating preferences for next year. This information will be shared with Assistant Principals and Department Chairs as they work together to make decisions that are best for the students we serve while honoring as many of the staff requests as feasible.
The Department of School Leadership provides us allocations (how many teachers and staff we are given) and we must work within this budgeted allocation. Part of that process is identifying teachers and staff who must be listed as priority transfers. Teachers and staff may also elect to seek a voluntary transfer. The Meet and Greet Event for priority and voluntary transfers will be held on March 14 at Green Run High School from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Course Request Verification sheets will be sent home with students with their 3rd Quarter Progress Reports. Please emphasize to students how important these sheets are. Decisions regarding which courses are offered, how many sections to offer, how many teachers we need, etc. are all based off these course requests.
If you have a question about the master schedule process, please see any administrator.
Beauty and the Beast
We have finished auditions and have put together a wonderful cast and crew for our spring production of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, March 28-30. We are so excited to make this a schoolwide event and are thrilled with the turnout from our Eagle Nation. The cast will even feature a member of our faculty, as the talented Mr. Tim Wright will be playing Cogsworth! If you are interested in putting your performance or technical talents to work, please consider joining the cast or crew. We’d love to feature more faculty members on stage, especially in our large opening number as Townspeople. We’re also looking for anyone that has unusual talents that can be featured on stage such as juggling, acrobatics, unicycling, etc. If you have construction, crafting, or sewing expertise, we’d LOVE your assistance in creating set pieces, props, and costumes! If you’re interested contact Terri Gayer tbgayer@vbschools.com
Also, save the date and “be our guest” as an audience member!
Teacher Assistant of the Year
TalentEd Info
Principal's Advisory Committee
The Principal's Advisory Committee serves in an advisory capacity to address employee concerns as they relate to site conditions that negatively impact on high student achievement and high employee morale. The PAC is committed to resolving issues professionally and in a timely manner. The following staff members have been elected to serve on this year's PAC: Katie Bennett, Caroline Clark, Jae Clark, Terri Gayer, Woody Gehlert, Kay Gramling, Kathy Holbert, Suzette Johnson, Connie Martinez, Michael Robinson, Kelly Singer and Anne Marie Sprague. Use this form to submit concerns to the PAC.
Our Guiding Questions
- How do students determine and engage with their learning targets?
- What is the evidence that students are exercising their voice and choice throughout the learning process?
- What evidence is there that the teacher has planned opportunities for students to choose from a variety of tools/structures during their learning?
- How are teachers using assessment tools as part of their assessment strategy?
- What evidence exists that supports student collaboration, exploration, and creation efforts?
Landstown High School
Email: cheryl.askew@vbschools.com
Website: http://www.landstownhs.vbschools.com/
Location: 2001 Concert Drive, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
Phone: 757-648-5500
Twitter: @LandstownEagles