The Reds Tale
October 26, 2017
Newark High School
Email: thomas.roote@newarkcsd.org
Website: http://newarkcsd.org/Domain/84
Location: 625 Peirson Avenue, Newark, NY, United States
Phone: 315-332-3240
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nhsreds
Twitter: @Newark_HS
From the Desk of Mr. Roote
"If the fish is sick, check the water." was an opening statement from Jay Roscup at an event I recently attended titled Helping Traumatized Children Learn. After about an hour of foundational background information and several speakers. A Boston born gentleman, his name escapes me (believe it or not he is a Yankees fan) took the microphone and called up his slide deck. The third bullet on his opening slide got my attention: “How does trauma manifest itself in schools?”. He shared:
- Ability to read verbal and nonverbal cues
- Memory
- Understanding of cause and effect relationships
- Executive function: Goal, Plan, Do Review
- Transitions (endings and beginnings)
- Attention
- Engagement in learning
The third bullet really got my attention as I am often surprised by how quickly our students hit the reset button after a serious classroom behavioral incident. Take for example LB, recently asked to move her seat. The teacher, in a matter of fact way, made the request and as is often the case, the student responded, "Why?". The teacher provided some rationale that the student disagreed with and the student responded with, "I am not going to move." Things escalated pretty quickly. The student started by cursing at her situation and eventually started cursing directly at the teacher. Her language was pointed and extremely personal to the teacher. Of course she wound up outside the classroom and unable/unwilling to reengage. Now fast forward twenty four hours and what do you think happened? The student arrived at the classroom and sat down in the same seat as the prior day. Fortunately, this story has a happy ending as the teacher, counselor, student and principal connected at a point prior to the re-entry into the classroom to restore the relationship and to better rationalize the original request to change the seat.
Imagine this scenario if all involved failed to understand the notion that cause and effect challenges are quite often present in partnership with traumatic experiences. I would ask you to consider how restorative practices can address the issues created when there exists cause and effect gaps.
From the Desk of Mr. Wagner
- Are you considering student learning styles when planning instruction? For example, is there a different process for students who prefer to access content in a different way than the traditional note-taking model?
- Are you using assessment data to gauge student understanding and misconceptions to target instruction? If so, are you planning student groupings that are designed to support student needs?
- Are you empowering learners by providing students with choice in their learning?
Mash Up
Mr. Roote and I received some questions regarding students wearing Nike headbands. The dress code violation is found on page 8 in the student code of conduct. Regarding headgear, it states "Headgear that is disruptive or inappropriate may not be worn during the school day.". Since Nike headbands are not perceived as disruptive, students can wear them. Keep in mind that hoods are a violation of the code and should be addressed. See R Wagner with questions or concerns.
Please begin to produce SRT referrals for kids not responding to tier I interventions in your classroom and when prompted to do so by a counselor. My last data dive revealed that dozens of students with multiple deficiencies are yet to be referred.
Social Emotional Learning and the Plan for Excellence
Calendar Share
3:00-4:00 pm on November 30; January 17; February 27; March 22; April 25; and May 14. PD Hours. Contact: Robin Uveges
Thursday, October 26 from 6:00-7:00 pm at the Penfield High School. Mental Heath and Substance Abuse Resource Fair.
Saturday, October 28 from 10:00-2:00 pm at Wegmans parking lot 800 West Miller Street. Wayne County Pharmaceutical Collection.
Saturday, October 28 10:00-2:00 955 South Panorama Trail Monroe County Pharmaceutical Collection
Monday, October 30 from 8:00-1:30 pm in the LGI. Picture Retake Day.
Monday, October 30. Red Ribbon Week Door Pictures. Contact: N Reinholtz.
Wednesday, November 1 from 3:00-5:00 pm in our LGI. Newark School District Flu Clinic. Contact: Wayne County Public Health.
Monday, November 6 during all lunches. Finger Lakes Community Health. Contact: N. Reinholtz
Tuesday, November 7 at 7:30 pm in the high school auditorium. Band/Chorus Concert. Contact: C Briggs.
Tuesday, November 7 at 2:30 pm. Staff Meeting. Contact: T Roote.
Thursday, November 16. The Great American Smokeout. Contact: N. Reinholtz
Monday, November 16. Victim Resource Center will be in Health classes. Contact: N. Reinholtz.
Wednesday, November 29 from 11:00-11:45 am in the LGI. NHS Speech and Debate Club. Contact S. Flanagan
The Instructional Corner
Some questions have come up again regarding the language that can be utilized when designing and sharing learning targets and success criteria. We have put together the following resource from Learning Targets, by Moss and Brookhart, to support your thinking while you design your lessons. When thinking about learning targets, we ask ourselves the following guiding questions:
- Does the learning target identify a lesson sized chunk of learning?
- Is the target directly related to a standard and the students next step in learning?
- Is the target written in student friendly language?
- Does the learning target enable students to see themselves as the agents of learning?
For example, “We are learning to…” or “I can…” or “Today we will learn…” Does the target focus on learning rather than on a task or activity? Can this target be measured?
Is the target “just right in size”? Does it contain only one action or piece of content?
Success Criteria: Describes to the students how well they are learning based on the target. How will you describe mastery to the students, so they will know where they are in relation to mastery – the distance between their performance and the center of the bull’s eye-so that they can assess their progress.
- Success criteria written as one sentence “I can…” statements can be sufficient; sometime an organized set of “I can…”. Statements are needed to provide students with the most useful description of success.
- A checklist that allows students to self-assess their learning may also be appropriate.
Alumni Spotlight: Ethan T. Minier
Ethan graduated from NHS as the Class of 2008 Salutatorian. Graduating with distinct honors he was also a member of several clubs including the National Honor Society. In addition to excelling in the classroom, he also excelled on the field. He was a triple varsity letter recipient, having participated year-round in soccer, indoor track, and outdoor track. Throughout his athletic-career at NHS he consistently received the scholar-athlete award and also had the honor of being named captain of both the junior-varsity and varsity soccer teams.
After NHS, Ethan attended Syracuse University. In 2012, he graduated Summa Cum Laude from Syracuse University with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and minors in mathematics and physics. Following graduation, he moved to Atlanta, GA to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology after being admitted to the Aerospace Engineering Ph.D. program and receiving a graduate research assistantship, which fully sponsored his education. In 2015, he graduated Summa Cum Laude from Georgia Institute of Technology with a M.S. in Aerospace Engineering. Following this in 2015, he officially became a Ph.D. Candidate after passing his qualification examinations. In 2016, he successfully proposed his dissertation on the design of manufacturing environments subject to uncertain and evolving market and business model conditions. He is set to complete his Ph.D. in August of 2018. In 2017, Ethan became a dual degree MBA Candidate at the Georgia Institute of Technology after acceptance into the nationally ranked Scheller College of Business Full-Time MBA program.
Currently Ethan is a Dual Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering and MBA Candidate at Georgia Institute of Technology and part time entrepreneur, holding an executive position at ProTek Manufacturing Inc. He is set to complete his academic studies this August (2018). Ethan also currently works as a Graduate Researcher at the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory at GT performing research for entities such as The Boeing Company, SAFRAN, and the Air Force Research Laboratory.
Following his academic journey, Ethan plans to take the next year to travel and explore the world. His adventures will begin by personally converting a sprinter van into an environmentally-friendly camper van, which he will leverage to tour the U.S. and Canada hitting as many national parks, breweries, and significant landmarks as possible. In addition to this, Ethan plans on backpacking about Europe, New Zealand, and further Southeast Asia. Along the way he intends to immerse himself in the various cultures taking on miscellaneous jobs, which he believes is a great way to not only learn the culture, but also acquire new life skills and diversify his experiences.
If Ethan, at just twenty-seven, could provide words of wisdom, they would be to explore all that this world has to offer. A quote by J. R. R. Tolkien for which Ethan values highly is as follows: “Not all those who wander are lost.” Let yourself wander, don’t settle for what is in your immediate bubble and don’t be afraid to explore. The world has much to offer, so many new and interesting experiences just waiting for you to acquire. Don’t let your fearful inhibitions prevent you from acquiring these experiences. Further, don’t be afraid to fail, dream big, and above all, value creativity! Don’t let society strip you of this; fight to always be unique and be proud of what makes you so! Always remember, “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” – Oscar Wilde
Close Up (send me a picture)
The Newark High School Mission, Vision and Values
The Newark High School Mission: We are a school community with deeply held hometown pride, committed to readying young people to be life-long learners with experiences aimed at continuously motivating us to hone our skills in the complex tasks of teaching and learning. Our community is devoted to providing supports for the aspirations of our adolescents as they mature into adults with ambitious plans for college and careers.
The Newark High School Vision: Staff embody the school values and impart confidence while providing an inviting classroom environment with clear expectations and specific academic and behavioral goals. Students embody the school values through intellectual and emotional perseverance. Families embody the school values while remaining actively involved as advocates for their children and supporters of the school programs and staff.
The Newark High School Values: Safe, Responsible, Trustworthy, and Respectful.
Email: thomas.roote@newarkcsd.org
Website: http://newarkcsd.org/Domain/84
Location: 625 Peirson Avenue, Newark, NY, United States
Phone: 315-332-3240
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nhsreds
Twitter: @Newark_HS