CSHS Weekly Bulletin
April 17-22, 2017
5 Years of Cougar Awesomeness at CSHS!
Dear Cougar Family,
CSHS opened our doors to the public for the first time on an April Saturday five years ago. The building was still under construction, but it was close enough to being finished that it was safe to walk through. Community members, families, and future Cougars gathered in the cafeteria to have their first chance to see inside the beautiful glass building built at the edge of town. The excitement was palpable--Cougar Club & PTO had booths full of Cougar gear, each department had a table set up, and people lined up at the bottom of the grand cafeteria stairwell to go on a tour led by one of our newly named assistant principals.
So much has changed in these 5 short years. We have grown from 700 students within two grade levels to being a full-sized 5A high school of more than 1850 students. Our staff size has tripled. The trophy cases are no longer empty. All the classrooms are being used. I could go on an on...
But, so many things have stayed the same. The Cougar community is strong and the vision we started with--Pursue Perfection, Achieve Excellence--remains. Our students rise to meet the challenges set before them. Our teachers are enthusiastic and passionate visionaries. Our coaches believe it is important to cultivate character alongside skill. Our families and stakeholders are gung-ho about all things PURPLE!
5 years later, other things are even better. When we are on the road, people across the state are recognizing our name and our school pride. We are no longer the upstarts. We are established. When the Alma Mater is sung, there are thousands swaying together, not just hundreds. We have two classes of graduates who are making a name for themselves in a variety of ways, from being elected Yell Leader to leading others on the field of play to walking the halls of Harvard. We have clearly established norms and high expectations.
I read a blog titled "Act Like You're New" by George Couros last week that has made me think about where we started and how this relates to where we are headed. In the article, Couros reflects on a recent PD session he held for a school that is about to open. Among many lines that resonated with me, he states, "if you can come together as an amazing team, but still act like you are always new, you will create something truly special." Let us continue to look at all we do with fresh eyes because what has led to such great success in such a short amount of time is a belief in doing the best we possibly can in each and every aspect of our school community. Keep this in mind as we finish this school year and plan for next. We did not simply build an old school in a new building as Couros warns against in his blog. We built an incredible school because of the individual stakeholders put forth tremendous effort and have been relentless in the pursuit of perfection since the first day each of us became a Cougar.
Please mark your calendar--on Thursday, April 27th we will be on an afternoon activity schedule for a Spring Pep Rally to celebrate Spring sports and activities and to commemorate our 5th anniversary as a campus. Next week's bulletin will also include Twitter competitions and other events to get students and faculty involved in celebrating this milestone.
May you start this week refreshed by the long weekend, ready to take on the challenges that lay ahead!
As always, COUGAR PRIDE!
Tiffany
Register for April Learning Zone Faculty Meetings!
Please register for the required April Learning Zone Faculty Meeting that corresponds to the session you attended in March. You need to register & attend the meeting to earn 1 G/T credit hour toward completing your 6 required hours each year.
The last two meetings are this week! If you haven't been to one yet--make sure you register and attend:
So...You Want Their Heads Off Their Desks Part II with Rodgers
Tuesday, April 18th @4 PM - Room 1046
Providing Multiple Pathways for Students Part II with Parkerson
Wednesday, April 19th @7:30 AM- Room 1046
AESOP & Substitute Reminders
As we enter the final six weeks of school, here are just a few reminders:
PLEASE enter your absences AS SOON AS YOU KNOW about them. We will soon lose several subs when classes finish at A&M, so it will be more difficult to get last minute absences filled.
If you enter an absence for special fund, campus or district activity, please enter what it is for in the notes section for EVERY absence.
If you are doing anything with students and need to enter an absence, it is student activity.
If you are uncertain about anything regarding an absence, just email or call Lori!
Graduation 2017--Staff Duties
All teachers are expected to attend. Please sign up for your official graduation duty assignment here. If you are a parent of a senior, we will send out the sign-up soon for you to be able to give your son or daughter his/her diploma.
Graduation practice will be held on Thursday, May 25 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. The 3rd period final will be complete with plenty of time for most teachers to be able to join us. Please take a look at your schedule and plan to be there.
In addition, we would love to have everyone join us for the Senior Sunset Supper in the CSHS cafeteria Thursday, May 25 at 6:30 PM.
T-TESS & ATR End of Year Items
Every teacher will have an end of year conference and needs to complete the following by the time you meet with your evaluator:
1) Log in to your TalentEd Account
2) Complete the "T-TESS Goal Setting Template - End of Year Reflection"
3) Save and Submit the form
You will receive an email invitation & a calendar invite for an End of the Year conference. This meeting should last 20-25 minutes. During that time we will discuss your progress toward your goal this year, your professional development activities, and potential goals and areas you'd like to grow in next year. The portfolio in TalentEd is optional. If you prefer to scan and share your documentation toward working on your goal or bring hard copies, that is ok, too.
As always, please let us know if you have any questions or need help (especially with TalentEd).
Spring is in the Air!
Please remember that our common expectations are the key part of creating an environment at CSHS in which students can strive for success. Take a moment to make sure you are helping communicate these common expectations to our students (and to your sub via your sub notes):
1) IDs: Students must where them from when they enter the building to when they exit after school.
2) Tardies: Please do not let students in without a pass after the tardy bell.
3) Hall Passes: When a student leaves your classroom, he/she needs either a bathroom pass that clearly indicates the student is from your classroom and has permission to use the restroom nearest your room OR a blue hall pass that is completely filled out. More hall passes are available in the attendance office.
4) Hall Duty: Students should be met by lots of smiling faces as they make their way to the next class.
5) Dress Code: Short shorts, leggings without a fingertip-length shirt, and hats are the most consistent issues administrators are seeing. Please check students as they enter your classroom. Often, we do not see a student out of dress code until lunch, which means they've gone by at least 4 teachers before we see them.
Spring 2017 Final Exam Schedule
Student Recognition
We'd like to recognize the success of our students on the announcements and social media. Please email Tiffany and Victoria or place an announcement in the box on Tiffany's desk. In order to be included on social media, please either send a picture of students or your organization's logo. Thanks!
Duty Schedule
If you have not had duty in the fall, you have duty this spring. Check the full schedule here and mark the dates in your calendar.