Clif Notes 4/29/19
50 Years Of Building The State & Now Global Workforce!
DATES TO REMEMBER
This Week
Monday - 8am Start for Extra Help
Tuesday - Fire Drill, 2pm
Wednesday - Academic PLCs; UD Drug & Alcohol Survey; Student Recognition
Thursday - Academic PLCs; Senior Recognition, 6:30pm
Friday - SAT & Emergency Prep Committee Meetings; Interim Report Date
Upcoming:
5/4 - Ignite the Night 5K
5/6 - National Nurses Day
5/7 - National Teacher Day
5/8 - Special Faculty Meeting w/District
5/8 - Interim Grade Due by 3pm
5/11 - DelClassic Car Show
Administrative
During spring break we celebrated Administrative Professionals Day! We would like to thank all of our administrative professionals (Ballock, Delorme, Martin, Prickett, Ramsey, Wise-Bowen, Wynn) for all of their hard work. These ladies work extremely hard and do a tremendous job for our entire staff and students each and every day. Thanks for being the glue that holds everything together.
Grades
2019 Nemours Prom
Kudos to all who contributed to the 2019 Nemours Prom. It was a fantastic event with a variety of projects supporting their “A Magical Night in Morocco" Nemours Prom. Students in Welding, Carpentry, Graphic Arts, Digital Media, Cosmetology, Production & Imaging, Culinary Arts, Health Careers, and Student Council & NHS organizations have worked to create a variety of items for the prom. This past Saturday, April 27, prom attendees arrived at Delcastle’s Cosmetology classroom for hair, makeup, and nail appointments. Delcastle student helpers from Cosmetology supported the efforts of the many volunteers from Delaware local salons and Delcastle Culinary Arts students served cookies and snacks. We hope to continue this wonderful partnership in future years! Anyone who is interested in participating in the partnership next year can let Dr. Olsavsky know via email. ~ Dr. O
Summer Home Visits
Each year we have staff visit our incoming freshman over the summer. Anyone interested in conducting home visits this summer should email Mrs. Traci Prickett.
Disciple Corner
With the end of the year approaching, and the weather warming up, we want to remind everyone of a few items to monitor. Please make sure you are sending students out with passes. Every student should have a pass.
The monitors have been directed to escort students back to class if they do not have a pass. With the weather warming up, students are pushing the dress code limits. If you are not sure if a student is within code, simply ask them to get checked out at the student advisors office. ~ Kittel.
5 Benefits of a School Dress Code
https://www.koshercasual.com/5-Benefits-of-a-School-Dress-Code_b.html
Over the past decade, the school dress code has become an increasingly common policy in many communities worldwide. As opposed to the requirements of students to wear specific clothing in the form of uniforms, dress codes provide guidelines through which students are allowed to wear any clothing that meets the school's requirements, whether they pertain to the color, style or cut of the clothing. Consequently, school dress codes are designed to create a certain atmosphere in a school while providing students with a bit of freedom of expression through their wardrobe.
And yet, while many parents applaud the demand of school dress codes as a way to ensure that their children are dressed properly, others question whether the requirement of dress codes in school eliminates their child's individualism.
Experts claim that there are many benefits of school dress codes. Here are some of the most important advantages:
1) A dress code promotes a more serious school atmosphere which emphasizes academics and promotes good behavior.
2) Dress codes have proven to increase student achievement by encouraging students to concentrate more on their studies and less on their wardrobe. A de-emphasis on clothing can also save money, as there will be less pressure to keep up with expensive trends and fashions.
3) Dress codes in school settings reduce social conflict and peer pressure that may be associated with appearance.
4) Studies indicate that a school dress code can reduce the prevalence of certain behaviors that are often expressed through wardrobes such as violence or promiscuity.
5) As opposed to uniforms, dress codes still allow students to wear what they want, which leaves students with a sense of choice and expression.
While teenagers will always find a way to express themselves, imposing boundaries can prevent them from resorting to extremes that can sometimes lead to undesirable consequences. School dress codes are a way to teach students the importance of a respectable appearance that is a lesson that can positively impact their self-respect and self-esteem.
Please help us the Student Advisors maintain and enforce the Dress Code!
If you have a student and you are unsure if they are in dress code please send them to the Student Advisors office! ~ Brownie
End of Year Schedule
13th - Work in your room
14th - PD
17th - PD Online
18th - (Trade Off)/Online PD
SNOW HOURS Update!!!
- For those of you looking to log some snow hours before May 1st, I am attaching some additional webinars from CoSN (Consortium for School Networking). These are all educational technology topics. Some of the newest webinars may not be available, but most of the past webinars are recorded and accessible. You can access anything marked "recorded." If it says "download" there is a cost associated. If you are doing these webinars, please take a screenshot of your computer screen at the start and end of watching the webinar for your documentation.
- For those of you who have not submitted hours yet or who are updating submitted hours and plan to submit by the May 1 deadline, please remember that all snow hours documentation goes to me for processing. All staff are encouraged to share information with their direct supervisor; however, please include me on the emails/shared Google docs as well. ~ Dr.O
https://www.cosn.org/advancement/webinars
Delcastle Instructional Focus
Talking in the classroom
Content-Area Conversations
by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and Carol Rothenberg
Summary
Although the management associated with promoting talk in the classroom can be significant, it is well worth the investment. If students are to benefit from the academic discourse, they must become practiced in engaging in it outside the direct supervision of the teacher. This means that the tasks must be organized and have a clearly stated purpose. In addition, the tasks themselves must be sufficiently interesting so that students will want to invest their time. The collaborative learning that occurs in classrooms rich in talk most closely mirrors the kinds of conversations that will dominate students' postsecondary lives. It seems that it is never too early, or too late, to foster language among learners.
Think-write-pair-share Give students a minute to thinkabout a prompt. Give them a few minutes to write down their ideas (typically in bullet or note form without a focus on spelling or grammar). Have students share their ideas in pairs. Tell students to listen carefully as they may be asked to share what their partner said. Ask a few pairs to share with the whole class. For very young students or students at early levels of proficiency, it may take too long for them to write their thoughts, so think-pair-share may be a better option. -I wrote that ____. -When I was ____, I ____. -Let me clarify what I heard you say; you said that ____. -My partner said that ____. -My partner and I both thought that ____.
Three-step interview Students work first with a partner and then in a group of four to respond to a question. Questions may relate to opinions or be at any level of Bloom's taxonomy. It is helpful to have each pair respond to a different question so that the sharing does not become repetitive and boring: -Partner A interviews Partner B, while Partner C interviews Partner D. -Partner B interviews Partner A, while Partner D interviews Partner C. -Partners A and B tell Partners C and D what their partner said, and Partners C and D tell Partners A and B what their partner said. -Provide graphic organizers to take notes. -ELLs can interview first so they have a model to follow. -Be sure students have sufficient background knowledge to have information or opinions to share. -My partner said ____ and ____. -We discussed ____. -We both agreed that ____, but we thought that ____.
Wrap around Ask students to write (or think about, for younger students) their ideas about a topic. In groups of four, they share their ideas, taking turns. Student A shares one idea, and then Students B, C, and D each share one idea. Each student must repeat the statement of the previous student before sharing his or her own. Repeat the process for each succeeding idea, sharing only one idea during each round. Continue in this way until all ideas are shared. -If you anticipate that ELLs will only have one or two ideas to share, it may be advantageous to begin with those students so that they feel they have contributed a new idea, rather than simply repeating the same idea already shared. -Students at very early levels of proficiency will benefit from hearing other students talk, so begin with more proficient students. -I think that the story will be about ____. -My first idea is ____. -I have the same idea as ____. I think the story will be about __
Continue reading next week....