Eagle Express
LHS Staff Newsletter--Year 18, Vol. 9, 10/22/2018
Heritage Week is Coming!
Our second annual Heritage Week celebration will be here before we know it. This year's theme is Leaving a Legacy and we will all be thinking about how we can leave our legacy here at LHS. There are several ways for you to get involved.
- Your club/class/team can reserve a display board to decorate with their thoughts on legacy (sign up here).
- Your group can also volunteer to help at our family game night event (sign up here).
- You can start getting your students excited about Heritage Week!
The video link below is one from our final speaker of the week, Mike Smith. Mike will do two motivational assemblies on Friday morning, 11/16. Every student and every staff member at LHS will be able to hear his presentation. It's going to be a GREAT week!
I Make a Difference
From Kathy Holbert
It gives me great pleasure to pass this weeks "I make a difference award" to Jennifer Cholick. Jennifer is always available with a quick smile and a "how can I help you" mentality. Whenever I need information or help with a student in the academy, Jennifer is immediately responsive and provides assistance in any way she can. She knows all of the students she is responsible for and is familiar with their history, course loads and parents. Jennifer always keeps the best interests of her students at heart and is flexible when working on scheduling. She looks for all options and alternatives to help accommodate both the student's needs and the teacher recommendation no matter how difficult rearranging that schedule may be. Jennifer, you make a difference for us each day. We all thank and congratulate you!
PL Offerings
As part of our Student Engagement & Student Agency PL Pathway, there are several online learning options available through Frontline. These are modules designed to work at your own pace and are very useful. The courses will be offered multiple times this year.
Personalized Learning: Fostering Student Agency and the Role of Choice: This activity opens October 1, 2018 and will be available through December 31, 2018. Participants in this online, asynchronous course will understand student agency, explore types of choices that foster agency, and develop, implement, and reflect on a plan of action to foster student agency through meaningful student choice. This course is expected to take 2 hours (time may vary depending on the individual).
Metacognition: Teaching Students to be the Boss of Their Brain - Personalized Learning: How do students discover who they are as learners? Metacognition and reflection are two of the most powerful cognitive skills to help students develop their understanding of self as a learner. When students know how they learn and how that knowledge can help them in new situations, they are empowered to dive in as active participants in their education journey. Opportunities for practical application and reflection will occur throughout the course resulting in students becoming active agents of their own learning by taking purposeful actions to support their learning. This online course is partially synchronous, meaning several assignments will require that work be submitted by a specific date in order to maintain flow and community.
Personalized Learning: Fostering Student Agency Through the Goal-Setting Process: Participants in this online, asynchronous course will understand student agency, explore the learner-driven, goal-setting process, and apply goal-setting as part of the learning process (setting the goal, selecting the strategy, assessing performance) to support student agency. This course is expected to take 3 hours (time may vary depending on the individual)
Overview to the Essential Components of Personalized Learning: This activity is open September 1-November 30, 2018. Are you curious about personalized learning? Participants in this online, asynchronous course will engage in reflection to deepen understanding of the essential components of personalized learning and develop an action plan to embed personalized learning strategies into practice. The course is expected to take 3 hours (time may vary depending on individual).
Hump Day Treats
We truly appreciate your hard work and diligence over the course of these first few weeks of school. There have been some crazy moments, but we have come through them together and stronger as a family!
Upcoming Events
Monday, 10/22 (B)
Schoology/Advisory/Federal Card Meeting, Library, 2:20
Field Hockey vs Cox @ RTC, 4:00
Tuesday, 10/23 (A)
Senior Graduation Orders, Cafeteria, OneLunch
Heritage Week Committee Meeting, ECC, 2:20
Volleyball vs Kellam, 4:00
Josten's Graduation Orders Parent Night, Cafeteria, 6-8 p.m.
Wednesday, 10/24 (B)
Hump Day Treats, Blocks 1 & 2, ECC
Beach District XC @ Kellam, 3:30
Community Strategic Plan Info Session, Schola, 6 p.m.
Thursday,10/25 (A)
ILT, Library, 1:00
Volleyball @ FC, 4:00
JV Football vs PA, 6:00
Friday, 10/26 (B)
Football @ Tallwood, 7 p.m.
Saturday, 10/27
State Marching Band Competition
National Day of Writing
Each year, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) celebrates writing by hosting the National Day of Writing on October 20. NCTE stresses “the importance of writing instruction and practice at every grade level, for every student…and emphasizes the lifelong process of learning to write.” Teachers of all content areas and all grade levels are encouraged to participate as a district-wide initiative. Since October 20 was a Saturday, we will celebrate writing during the week of Oct. 22nd – 26th. Pick a day or all five to participate. Here are some ideas to incorporate writing into your lessons:
Monday, October 22nd: At the end of each class, have students write a reflection.
What new information did I learn today? Write a summary. OR Did I achieve the learning target for today? How do I know? Use examples from class.
Tuesday, October 23rd: Use Sentence Starters.
Examples- English: •The author compares…to… by... •Based on the characters reaction, I can infer... Social Studies: •From the sources, I noticed... •An example can be found in source... where it stated... Science: •Based on the evidence, we must conclude… because… •I analyzed the data by… Math: •I know my answer is reasonable because... •To convince a skeptic that my answer is correct, I would...
Wednesday, October 24th: Tell Your Story- Each of us have a story to tell. Using descriptive language, write a page of your story.
Thursday, October 25th: Write for Authentic Audiences.
Examples- English: •Blog •Critique of a movie or event. Social Studies: •Write a letter to a senator or congressperson. •Write a newspaper article documenting a current event. Science: •Write a letter to the editor of a science journal regarding a recent article. •Defend an experiment. Math: •Create a budget for an event.
Friday, October 26th: Have students post to social media with the hashtag #WhyIWrite.
Announcements & Reminders
Colleagues Published: Check out this article in the most recent VASCD journal by our friends at Kellam--Abbie McGee & Thalia Serino. Good stuff!
Federal Card & Advisory Training: On Monday, October 22nd there will be a Mandatory Federal Card and Advisory Training meeting at 2:15 in the Library. On this day, please bring your device and we will walk through how to load this year's remaining Advisory lessons into your Advisory Schoology Course. All Block 1A teachers will remain after the Advisory training to receive Federal Card Training.
One Lunch Activities Update: A new One Lunch Activity listing has been placed online for students, which we hope makes it easier for them to see our daily offerings. Please double-check this list to make sure EVERYTHING you are offering to students is listed, so that all students have the chance to take advantage of these opportunities. We are now getting to a point that tutoring may be needed for students as well; if you are offering additional tutoring beyond your office hours, please let us know where and when. To make revisions or additions to the list, complete the following form.
Excused Block Waivers
- Students must carry and be prepared to present their Waiver Card as documentation of their early release. Failure to have your waiver card may result in disciplinary action or revocation of waiver privilege.
- Students must leave school grounds immediately following their last scheduled class.
- Students will not be permitted to return to school grounds prior to 2:15 p.m. Students may return to school grounds only for the purpose of extracurricular involvement or academic guidance and must remain under the direct supervision of an Landstown High School staff member.
- Any student who does not adhere to the procedures for a waiver of full-day enrollment, does not maintain strong academic performance, has demonstrated inconsistent attendance, or is not considered in “good standing” due to violations of the Code of Student Conduct, may have their waiver revoked.
If you are aware of any students who are abusing this privilege, please alert administration immediately.
KUDOS
Family Game Night
We will once again be hosting a Family Game Night this year during our Heritage Week celebration. The event will be held on Wednesday, November 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. and we need your help! Clubs and organizations can volunteer that night to help at a game table, do face painting, etc. We would also appreciate the loan of any games for that evening. Please complete this Google Form to indicate how you will help on Family Game Night.
NEW TO THE NEST
Carlton Ashby
Carlton is in our Special Education department and is originally from Norfolk. Carlton attended Tidewater Community College. He has two children--Ja'Kari (4) and Josua (3). Carlton enjoys singling, playing music, acting and writing plays.
Olivia de Mik
Olivia is one of the teachers in our ESL newcomer program. She is a native of Virginia Beach and attended Liberty University. Olivia enjoys hiking, crafting, and cooking. She has lived in 14 houses, 8 cities, and 5 states, but she is not in a military family!
Lakesha Haywood
Lakesha is in our Special Education department. She is also a native of Virginia Beach and she attended Liberty University! Lakesha has a large family that includes: Josiah, 23, Jasmine, 18, Bryanna, 15, Jamya, 14, and Jeremiah, 6. She enjoys photography, fishing, and swimming. An interesting tidbit about Lakesha is that she lived in the same house on Landstown Road (now Dam Neck Rd) her entire childhood, but attended 3 different elementary schools, Courthouse, North Landing and Landstown!
Staff Shirts Available
XS - XL = $24.50
2XL = $25.50
3XL = $26.50
Samples will be available in Mrs. Muench's office if you would like to see the various sizes. If you are interested in purchasing one of these shirts, please complete this Google Form. Orders will be placed on November 1, so be sure to get your order in by October 31!
10/27 Valerie Brown, SECEP
Virginia Space Grant Consortium Pre-College Programs
- Grades 8-9: Building Leaders for Advancing Science and Technology (BLAST) Application Deadline: TBA; for more information, visit http://blast.spacegrant.org/
- Grade 10: Virginia Space Coast Scholars (VSCS) Application Deadline: Nov. 11; for more information, visit http://www.vscs.spacegrant.org/
- Grades 11-12: Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars (VASTS) Application Deadline: Nov. 11; for more information, visit http://vsgc.odu.edu/VASTS/
- Grades 11-12: Virginia Earth System Science Scholars (VESSS) Application Deadline: Nov. 11; for more information, visit http://vsgc.odu.edu/VESSS/
All programs have the potential for paid educator positions, and information is available on their respective websites. Questions may be directed to Rudo Kashiri, education programs manager, Virginia Space Grant Consortium, at 757-766-5210 or via email rkashiri@odu.edu.
Volunteer Hours
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.
Minutes from the September 26 meeting can be found here.
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?
Report Card Calendar (MP1)
Beginning Date--September 4
Progress Reports Issued--October 9
Ending Date--November 5
Report Cards Issued--November 14
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