CHS Staff Bulletin
September 23, 2019
Have a great weekend!
I want to thank you for your thoughtful feedback yesterday at our full staff PLC in the library. I will make the adjustments in the Leadership Plan and bring them forward on Friday for a vote. One thing we forgot was that there is a tight turn around for voting people into these positions. I will be working with Chris Stevens to get the voting process started. As the positions will not change we need to start advocating for staff to sign up for these committees in advance of the voting process so that once we vote we can submit committee member names on the document that JCAC reviews. We won't have an adequate amount of time after voting to meet the October 3rd deadline so we will need to front load the member selection just a bit. Chris will help communicate that process (Thank you Chris).
I am excited to get this work started. Again thank you (as always) for your Churchill collaborative spirit. I believe strongly that because of our culture and climate we will see some amazing work supporting our student learning.
Enjoy the sunny weather this weekend!
gb
In The Know
TalentEd - Please be sure to complete your improved Self-Assessment Form. The deadline for the Self-Reflection Form is September 30th.TalentEd goals are also important to attend to.
Observed Religious Holidays - I wanted to make sure we were all aware of important observed religious holidays that will impact a number of our students. I believe it is important that we all have clear and concise information about how we are expected to respond to student absences due to observances of religious holidays. I think it is important to know this information so that you can plan accordingly and communicate broadly with your students.
Take a look:
Religious Holidays: District Administrative Regulation I1600: Separation of Church and State states that, “Students are to be excused from school, without any penalty, for religious holy days.” Schools should be sensitive about scheduling activities that may conflict with these observances.
1. Jewish Holy Days: Many Jewish children will not be attending school or school activities on major Jewish holy days. These days are as follows:
Rosh Hashanah, sunset on September 29 to sunset on October 1, 2019
Yom Kippur, sunset on October 8 to sunset on October 9, 2019
Passover, sunset on April 8, 2020 to sunset on April 16, 2020 (especially first days, sunset on April 8-9, and concluding days, sunset on April 15-16)
2. Christian Holy Days: You should also be sensitive about scheduling special events on Christian holy days. Many students have conflicts when programs are scheduled during Easter week.
Christmas, December 25, 2019
Ash Wednesday, February 26, 2020 Good Friday, April 10, 2020
Easter, April 12, 2020
3. Muslim Holy Days: In 2020, Ramadan will be observed sunset April 23, 2020 through May 23, 2020. Many Muslim children will fast from sunrise to sunset each day during this holy month. The final day is Id al-Fitr, a day of feasting to celebrate the end of Ramadan
While it is certainly true that there are more than three religions, with more days of significance than those listed above, these represent a list of days potentially impacting a large swath of our students and families. Ultimately, teachers should be flexible and work in good faith with students who miss time at school to observe holy days for their religion. I am hoping that by proactively providing information to you will be well positioned to communicate with your students and families as the dates approach.
Please avoid scheduling tests, major projects, essays etc... on these and the surrounding dates. If for some reason you foresee an unavoidable conflict, please work with the student to ensure no one is negatively impacted in any way by missing school to observe time of religious significance. If you have inadvertently scheduled a school wide event on any of these dates, please make sure you reschedule those for another day.
Eugene IHS Opening Assembly - The Eugene IHS Opening Assembly will be held on Friday, September 27th. All Eugene IHS students will be excused to attend this mandatory assembly at South where the Eugene IHS student body from all 3 campuses (South, Sheldon, and Churchill) will come together as one school for a welcome assembly. Students will be excused early from 1st period at 8:55am and will return approx 11:15am (late to 3rd).
Grade Updates Every Two Weeks
Grades Updated - As discussed in our full staff PLC on Friday afternoon, please remember that we need to have our grades updated every two weeks. Please make sure that you have updated your grades this weekend. Since we are only a couple of weeks into school our current information is definitely not accurate, but still sends a strong message to anyone that might not understand the floating dynamics of grading and the expectations for graded work at the beginning of a school year. There are so many variables that contribute to a student having an F. For example it could be just one assignment where the student had to have a syllabus signed and turned in. Because they didn't get it signed and turned in, the student begins their high school journey with a D or an F. Parents get the same message that their student is have a slow or struggling start to the school year.
Please make sure that your grades are posted in Synergy this weekend. We need to communicate student progress accurately to all families. This data is also informing us of our work with the 9th grade team. Your commitment to updating grades every two weeks helps us out with this considerably. Thank you!
Ducks Football - Education Appreciation Game
The next home game at Autzen Stadium for the Oregon Ducks Football team is on October 5th and is our Education Appreciation game! This 20% discounted ticket offer is for teachers, administrators, staff members, anyone with a passion for learning, and their respective friends and families.
Go Huskies!
Looking Forward
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
Lunch — Northwest Christian University7:00 pm — Welcome to Eugene IHS Parent Night at 200 N. Monroe St.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
3:45 pm — Curriculum Council
7:00 pm — Rotary Youth Exchange/Study Abroad Info Night
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
3:45 pm — Operations
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
FIELD TRIP: AVID 9 ROPES COURSE
1:45–3:30 pm — Field Trip: Eugene Mission (Mary Beth)
3:45 pm — Site Council
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
9:30–10:40 am — Eugene IHS Opening Assembly (excuse students at 8:50)
2:45 pm — PLC
NEXT WEEK
Tuesday, October 1 — FAFSA Application Available
Tuesday, October 1, after 2nd period — Senior Photo at The Rock
Tuesday, October 1, 7:00 pm — IB Junior Parent Information Night at 200 N. Monroe St.
October 3–6 — Field Trip: Rachel Carson Field Camp (Sarah Ruggiero and Helen Haberman)
Thursday, October 3, 6:00 pm — Club Showcase
Thursday, October 3, 6:30 pm — Open House
Friday, October 4 — Advisory Schedule
Friday, October 4 — Field Trip: Experience Oregon Manufacturing (Mary Beth)
Friday, October 4, 2:45 pm — PLC
Saturday, October 5, 7:30 am — SAT Testing
Kudos
Debbie Levy - Congratulations Debbie Levy for the wonderful interviewing with the Register Guard. If you haven't heard yet, our very own librarian Debbie Levy was recognized in a well written article which showcases how the roles of school librarians have evolved over the years. Our very own Debbie Levy has represented Churchill High School very well. Be sure to check out the article here: https://www.registerguard.com/news/20190915/beyond-books-school-librarians-now-tasked-with-teaching-technology-digital-citizenship
Show Choir Competition - Thank you Jacob Steinberger for inviting staff into your classroom to judge the students renditions of songs through performance. The event is always a hit and the students really outdid themselves. Your leadership and vision are deeply embedded within your courses and your students follow you because they trust you. Thank you for all of your hard work.
Churchill Artists - had seventeen pieces accepted into the Maude Kerns “Fast Forward” Mayor’s Teen Art Show. At the awards reception on Friday night three of our amazing Lancers had their work honored by winning top honors. Ten awards were handed out and Churchill accounted for three of them…more than any other school.
Melodie Nix (class of 2019) won the technical recognition award.
Kira Wilson (12) also won the technical recognition award.
Cassie Taylor (12) won the Juror’s Choice award
Brooke Donaty (12), Allison Prince (2019), and Nicole Hampton (2019) should also be congratulated for their acceptance into the show.
Friendly Parent Kudo - Many thanks to a family that took the time to write in and compliment our students section at the football game. "Just wanted to send you a quick note (that hopefully is passed to the students) about Friday nights football game. The student section & band were AWESOME! They supported and cheered those players on, in such a positive manner I might add, all the way to the very end of the game. Their positivity and support did not go unnoticed." Thank you so much for the positive feedback. It was great to get such a positive note.
You know you have a solid teammate when they cover for you while you are at a doctors appointment. Misael Flores is seen here (below) stepping in as Dumbledore during our opening assembly, which had a Hogwarts theme. Misael inducted the Freshmen and welcomed them to Churchill with great panache and flexibility. Thank you Misael for a job well done.
Churchill High School
Website: https://chs.4j.lane.edu/
Location: 1850 Bailey Hill Road, Eugene, OR, USA
Phone: 541-790-5100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChurchillHighSchool
Twitter: @CHLancers