HRHS Faculty Newsletter
September 3-6
This Week's Calendar
Labor Day!
Tuesday 9/3:
2:30-3:30: Faculty Meeting- Mandated Trainings (please sit in front middle section of auditorium)
Wednesday 9/4:
Day 1
Thursday 9/5:
Day 7
Friday 9/6:
Day 6
For Your Information and Action
Pineapple Chart: Please start to add your exciting and engaging lessons to the pineapple chart if you are willing to open your classroom up to colleagues!
Study Hall Expectations: Please post these study hall expectations in your classroom. We will be putting posters (of pages 1 and 3) up in the cafeteria as well. If you have study halls in the cafeteria, please take a look at the seating chart (page 3).
Website Photos: Thank you to everyone who has uploaded their photo to the website and to gmail! If you have not done so yet, please upload your picture by Wednesday at noon. Please note that uploading your picture to gmail doesn't transfer over to the website- unfortunately you have to do it in both places, but it is quick!
Evaluation Goals: We have created a bank of goals for you to choose from for you professional practice and student learning goals this year. You are still welcome to choose your own, but you can also use this document as a resource.
IEP Access for Paras: Paras will be given access to PowerSchool so they can view IEPs. If there a student that you work directly with and do not have access to their IEP, please email Robin Deaton at rdeaton@hr-k12.org and CC Kristen.
Teacher Website Training: Kim Florek is offering a teacher website training on September 12, 2:30-2:30. Department Website training will be September 19, 2:30-3:30. RSVP to Kristen by this google form. We need at least six people to register in order to run each training.
Surge Protectors: The fire chief has told us that we cannot use surge protectors in the building.
Lynn Lyons Presentation Follow-Up: Lynn's powerpoint is in the document server for your reference.
In terms of follow up, the full October PD day is going to be devoted to developing a school-wide gradual release model and common language for students, families and staff. That way, it is really public and transparent as to what kind of communication and support to get at each grade level and what we are expecting students to do (ie. seniors should be advocating for themselves 100%, 8th graders will be prompted with support). At the November PD, it will be a full faculty check in to take our temperature with how it's going with our shift to empower student learning. Lynn will be back in March to support us.
Overall, we ramped up the handbook to be much more clear and have a solid "chain of command" when it came to appealing decisions, etc. We will work with the focus of empowering student learning as our touchstone and rationale.
If you have other ideas or see holes in this plan, let us know. Admin is totally invested in seeing this work.
Gradebook and Parent Portal: The Parent Portal will be open for students and families on Monday and Tuesday each week. Teachers are expected to update grades weekly and to grade larger assignments within two weeks of collecting them.
Finding Your Why: Here is the video we tried showing at PD on Thursday morning. It is 3.5 minutes and is well worth the time.
Chairs Up For Grabs: There are some decent desk chairs and office chairs still available on the stage. Feel free to take any and all!
Minimum Grade 10 ELA and Math Scaled Scores for Interim CD Requirement: As determined in 2018, in order to earn their high school competency determination (CD), the classes of 2021 and 2022 (this year’s juniors and sophomores) must earn a next-generation MCAS scaled score that is equivalent to a legacy MCAS scaled score of at least 240 on the grade 10 English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics tests or earn the next-generation MCAS equivalent of a legacy scaled score between 220 and 238 and fulfill the requirements of an Educational Proficiency Plan. The new scaled scores needed to graduate with an Educational Proficiency Plan are 455 in ELA and 469 in mathematics, and the new scaled scores needed to earn a CD without an Educational Proficiency Plan are 472 in ELA and 486 in mathematics for the classes of 2021 and 2022.
The interim passing standard for these two classes defines a level of achievement on the next-generation tests that is equivalent to the current standard on the legacy tests. The Raw-to-Scaled Score Conversion Tables available at www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/results.html contain the grade 10 next-generation scaled score ranges and the corresponding legacy MCAS achievement levels and CD status.
Senior Parking Spots: Please do not park in the painted senior parking spots in the parking lot!
Advisory Updates
- Bingo sheets for Wednesday's advisory activity are in teacher mailboxes if you have an advisory in grades 7-11. If you don't have them in your mailbox, let Lauren know asap.
- There is a link to the advisory calendar on the homepage all the way to the right under “Quick Links.” I would suggest just bookmarking the advisory calendar to the “bookmark bar” on google chrome for easy access.
- The advisory agendas will look different than last year, but they still have all of the same information. They are now in a powerpoint format.
- Announcements will still happen during advisory this year. The second slide of each powerpoint will be announcements—you will click the bullhorn picture and it will bring you to a google doc with a running list of announcements. The current day will always be at the top with previous days beneath. This is where the announcements will live this year so that families can have easy access. In addition to being linked in the advisory agendas every day, announcements are also on the home page of the school website (big button titled “Student Announcements”).
- Red days are still mandatory lessons. We are taking into account feedback from last year and are trying to minimize these days.
- On non-red days, an activity will be provided and you are encouraged to do it with your advisory. If you have something else planned that fits into the spirit of advisory, feel free. For example, if you or your students have an activity or game to try, have at it, but it shouldn’t just be homework or cell phone time. There are no more green and orange days.
- Like last year, some grades may have different advisory activities on the same day. Please make sure that you are clicking on the correct grade level. There is a screenshot to the right that highlights (in a blue box) the different grade levels. For example, in the screenshot on September 12, you will notice that grades 7, 10, 11, and 12 all have the same “Current Events” activity. On the same day, grade 8 had a class meeting in the caf, and grade 9 had STUC election info.