Red Devil Reflections
9/23
Governor's Honors Program - reminder - DUE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
Please consider recommending students who have demonstrated high aptitude and high interest in your content areas. Successful GHP candidates generally possess the following attributes:
- Synthesize information and explore the “hows and whys.”
- Demonstrate intensity and passion about their subject.
- Explore beyond classroom/teacher expectations.
- Are enthusiastic about learning.
- Exhibit a willingness to challenge their preconceived knowledge/expectations in their given area of study.
Here are links for more information about GHP
DCSD Grading Protocol
All DCSD teachers, regardless of grade or content, are expected to adhere to the district's grading protocol. The Protocol, which was included in your Pre-Planning Task Card and Staff Handbook, provide for three categories: Assessments During Learning (25%), Guided Practice (45%), and Summative Assessments (30%).
While there is some room for flexibility regarding the placement of certain assignments, the key question you should consider is "What is the primary purpose of this assignment?" For instance, depending on the context, timing, and objectives, a project could be considered Guided Practice or Summative Assessment.
Be very thoughtful regarding placement of assessments. If the purpose of an assessment is to monitor student learning or to provide ongoing feedback used to improve their teaching and learning, you are likely looking at an Assessment During Learning task. If the purpose is to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard, you are looking at a Summative Assessment.
Do not place assessments in the Guided Practice category primarily to increase the impact a single summative assessment may have on a student's grade. This is not supported by the Grading Protocol and you will be directed to reclassify the assignment(s).
Upward Bound Meeting - Thursday
Homecoming Parking
All teachers that park in the middle area of the lower parking lot will relocate parking for Friday to the track.
All teachers/staff/students who park on the far side closest to the Church will also relocate their parking for Friday to the track as well.
All teachers who park along the wall near the main building can stay parked in lower lot.
4th Period WBL students will be dismissed at 1pm
Please see Mr. Ingram with any questions.
Friday's Schedule (also in the Red Schoolhouse)
9:46 - 11:04 2nd Period
11:10 - 1:04 3rd Period
- 11:10 - 11:35 A Lunch
- 11:40 - 12:05 B Lunch
- 12:10 - 12:35 C Lunch
- 12:40 - 1:05 D Lunch
1:11 - 2:20 - 4th Period
2:20 Begin Dismissal for Homecoming Parade
Interpretation & Translation Services
You are always welcome (and encouraged) to request for interpretation for parent contact (phone calls and meetings) as well as translation of letters home. Parents also have the right to request these services.
Should you have an immediate need for assistance, please call the Main Office. If you forsee having a need three or more days out, please complete the Request Form and submit to Ms. Huffman (this form is also in the Red Schoolhouse). We will provide Spanish, Burmese, Nepali interpretation services for Parent-Teacher Conference Nights and well as the January Curriculum Night - let us know if other languages are needed.
Focus Walks - Visual Announcements & Hallway Monitoring
The administrative staff will begin conducting focus walks for two items:
- Visual Announcements (last 5 minutes of 2nd period)
- Monitoring Teacher participation in passing period student supervision
Both of these have been discussed in detail, so there should be 100% faculty participation with both tasks. Please note that you will receive feedback should:
- We walk into your classroom during Announcement time and you are not reviewing the announcements with students
- You are in your classroom and/or not actively monitoring students during passing period time
From Mr. Roberts
I want to share something with the entire staff that I may not have if not for the conversation I had today with our County electrician.
It was shared with me that Columbia High School recently experienced several main electrical distribution panel explosions. Fortunately, no one was injured. Several years ago this same electrician mentioned to others the danger of the panels yet nothing was done to remedy the situation.
My personal experience this week was that my clothes dryer caught fire. Fortunately, no one was injured and the fire was contained in the laundry room.
The point I feel impelled to stress is that please never leave your clothes dryer on without closely monitoring it. More importantly, keep your lint trap clean of lint and other foreign objects.
In my case, I am not sure if the dryer switch failed and never shut off before we vacated that morning but the dryer should have been in the off position by 5am based on setting it for 60 seconds at 3am the morning of the incident.
Apparently, the dryer never turned off thus not only drying the load of clothes inside but drying them to a point of becoming nothing but dry cotton catching them on fire and burning them to ashes. As a result, the dryer was a metal box containing a fire.
I constantly, stress not having additional clothes in the laundry room. Fortunately, there were no additional clothes in there which could have further fueled the fire.
Hopefully this will alert those who may not realize the potential danger of clothes dryers. We are very fortunate in this case. Please share. I would feel remiss if something similar occurred to another and I had not shared.