Eagle Express
LHS Staff Newsletter--Year 18, Vol. 33, 04/29/19
I Make a Difference
From Millie Hernandez
I would like to take this opportunity to recognize a staff member who is one of the most dependable and hardworking members of the LHS custodial team. Rufino Bioc has worked for Landstown HS for over 13 years. He is always willing to assist me any way possible when it comes to fixing the building. He a guy with very little words but he gets the job done so quickly. He loves to assist the students and staff members whenever a helping hand is needed. It is with great pleasure that I pass the "I Make a Difference" recognition on to Rufino Bioc.
Advisory Information
Our next Advisory session is slated for this Wednesday, May 1. Teacher notes, including a link to the slideshow will be placed in Schoology by the end of the day Monday in the LHS Eagle Nation Advisory Group. Remember, once in the group, click Resources to access the grade level folders and then the May 1 folder. Since students do not need to access the slideshow, you DO NOT NEED to copy this week’s folder into your own Advisory course; instead, you can simply access the Teacher Notes from within the LHS Advisory group. This week’s lesson centers mostly around discussion with your group. Allow kids a chance to really talk through the information this week. Each Advisory Group will also turn in a Google Form- one per class-that will be completed after the group discussion. As the Advisory Teacher, please complete this form using your login with the input your group shares.
Students will need their Chromebooks this week as there is a survey on the use of schoology that students need to complete. After you have reviewed the lesson, get in touch with Kelly or Krissy if you have questions prior to Advisory day.
We’d also love to have a picture of your Advisory group. This can be a group posed picture or a picture of the group during Wednesday’s activity. You can upload the picture to the Google Form on Wednesday.
2019-2020 Professional Learning Program Information
Opportunity for Teacher Assistants
The instructional focus is on best practices and strategic integration for students identified with high incidence disabilities. Due to the tremendous success of this initiative, another cohort is planned for the upcoming school year. Depending on the availability of funds, it is anticipated that the new cohort will begin in August.
Teacher assistants and general educators interested in this training opportunity can learn more about the endorsement program by attending one of the meetings at the Virginia Beach Higher Education Center, Room 247, Tuesday, April 23, or Wednesday, May 1, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Parking will be permissible in Lot 3. Attendees will be provided specific information about the program requirements and staff from ODU will be available to answer questions. Additionally, teachers from the current T.R.Y.I.T. cohort will be present to share information about their experiences.
High School Start Times
At the recent teacher assembly meeting, the four options for school start times were discussed. There will be an E-town hall regarding school start times and everyone is encouraged to watch the 4-minute video before answering the survey. The video includes information as to why there is a need to shift start times and should help to explain why the School Board voted unanimously to change times beginning the 2020-2021 school year. This link also provides further resources for anyone interested in reading some of the studies that were presented. Some changes to the options have been made since they were published in the newspaper. For example, transportation has been reworked so there is no longer a need to purchase new buses, so be sure to look over the strengths and challenges of each option before selecting your favorite.
Schoology Program Evaluation
As part of the School Board's approved the 2018-2019 Program Evaluation Schedule, the Schoology initiative is slated for evaluation. The evaluation for this year will focus on the level of implementation across schools and stakeholders’ perceptions. The staff survey will be administered online. The Office of Research and Evaluation will send survey invitations directly to the VBCPS email address of principals, assistant principals, teachers and instructional technology specialists Monday, April 29. The email will come from Surveys@VBSchools.com. The administration of the staff survey will remain open through Friday, May 10.
Senior Grade Recovery is scheduled for Wednesday, May 1 at 9:30 in the library. Some senior teachers may find passes in their mailbox for certain students, but it is completely at the teacher's discretion if the student is released to the library. For questions, please see T'na Bell or a counselor.
PTSA Board Needs Our Help: YOUR PTSA Board needs folks to step up to fill positions on the board for the 2019-2020 school year. Please contact Missy Dunaway at midheels@aol.com if you know of any parents who might like to become more involved or would like more information. We need the Eagle Nation to benefit from a strong PTSA and our seniors to get the All Night Grad party they deserve
Items Needed for Graduation: We are in need of men's ties, dress shoes, and pants for our students for graduation. We could also use ladies flat shoes. These items can be used or new. If you are willing to donate, you can drop items off in Room 136 or in Dave Siock's office.
Graduation Time Change: As you may have seen in the recent press release, several graduation times have been changed including ours. Our graduation is now Saturday, June 15 at 6 p.m. The change was necessary because of the construction of the new athletic complex which eliminated most of the parking for the Convention Center. Stay tuned for more details on how parking will be accommodated.
End-of-Year Social Event: The Sunshine Committee is starting to plan our final social event of the school year and they need info. If you are interested in a social gathering after the graduation ceremony on June 15, please complete this Google Form. The committee needs an idea of how many people to accommodate as they select a venue. Please complete the form by Wednesday, May 1.
DATE CHANGE!! Heritage Week Committee: If you are interested in working on Heritage Week for the 2019-2020 school year, please come to a meeting on Wednesday, May 8 at 2:20 in the ECC. Everyone is welcome!
Tardy Bell Music: Do you think we need to diversify our tardy bell music selection? Do you have a suggestion for the song? Use this Google Form to submit your suggestion for our tardy warning music.
Guidelines for School Supply Lists 19-20: Please see the information here for guidelines that apply to teachers requesting school supplies of students in the 2019-2020 school year.
Education Foundation Grants: The Virginia Beach Education Foundation provides funding to Virginia Beach City Public Schools teachers and staff to support innovative learning that equips students with the skills they need to succeed as 21st century learners, workers and citizens. Innovative Learning Grants of up to $2,000 are awarded and you can find the application here.
The Foundation also awards schoolwide gants of $2,000 to $5,000. These grants must impact at least 25% of the school population or one grade level of the school. The application for these grants can be found here.
Fire Drill, 10:10
Department Meetings, 2:20
Girls Tennis @ Salem, 3:00
Boys Tennis vs Salem, 3:00
Academy Senior Capstone Expo, Library, 5:00
Softball vs Western Branch, 5:30
Tuesday, 4/30 (A Day)
ACCESS College Commitment Day
PAC Meeting, ECC, 2:25
Softball vs Tallwood, 4:00
Baseball @ Kellam, 4:00
Soccer vs FC, 5:15
Wednesday, 5/1 (B Day)
ADVISORY DAY
AP Proctor Training, ECC, 9:00
Fine Arts Coffeehouse, Schola, Lunch
Girls Tennis vs Kellam, 3:00
Boys Tennis @ Kellam, 3:00
Track, 3:00
JV Softball vs Tallwood, 4:00
Band Concert, Auditorium, 7:00
Thursday, 5/2 (A Day)
Calendar Committee Meeting, ECC, 1:00
Baseball vs Kellam, 5:00
Orchestra Concert, Auditorium, 7:00
Friday, 5/3 (B Day)
School Lunch Super Hero Day
Softball vs Cox, 5:00
Soccer @ OLHS, 5:15
Happy Birthday!
April 29: Brandon Gardner, Counseling
April 30: Ike Cashwell, Security
May 2: Anna Clark, Science
May 4: Carli Hanback, Fine Arts
May 5: Regina Hicks, SECEP
May 5: Beth Protsman, English
May 5: Maria Delima, Math
Kudos
Congratulations to the LHS NJROTC Unit which received the unique distinction of Area FiveNJROTC "Distinguished Unit with Honors." They rank 4th out of 57 Area Five units! The best ever for our NJROTC unit!
Kudos to Shawn Bolling and Christian Basnight who were recently featured on WVEC. You can see the segment here.
Congratulations to the following students who have been accepted to the World Languages Governor's Summer Residential Academies:
Alison Behan (German)
Angelyn Domingo (Japanese)
Gabriel Bell (Japanese)
Jimmy Dickantone (Spanish--alternate)
Kudos to Grant Trouslot (LUMIERE in Beauty and the Beast) who was selected as one of the winners of the SPARC: New Voices for the Theater Playwriting Competition. His original play LILY STARGAZER was one of only 6 plays that were selected from hundreds of high school submissions across Virginia. He will be attending a 2-week intensive at VCU in July where he will work with professional actors and playwrights to stage it. It will be presented in Richmond July 12th and 13th. Additionally, his play will be presented as part of our Evening of Student Directed One Act Plays here at Landstown on May 17th at 6:30pm. He’ll be attending VCU in the fall and studying Music and Theatre with aspirations of becoming a teacher. Give this talented musician, actor, and playwright a big high five when you see him!!
Kudos to our DECA students. On a recent trip, one of the flight attendants asked Mrs. Balestino, “Are you the chaperone of these students?” She answered, “Yes, one of three chaperones.” The flight attendant replied, “They are a great group of kids! They were all so polite!”
Virginia Beach Digital Campus Summer Courses
Registration and payment processes for online summer school courses provided through Virginia Beach Digital Campus (VBDC) can be accessed through a link on the Distance Learning website (https://www.vbschools.com/academic_programs/distance_learning ). Registration and payment for online summer school courses begins May 1 at noon. Registration will continue until sections are filled or until June 20 at noon. Information about summer school course offerings and processes has been available on the site since April 3.
Before families register students for online summer school courses, VBDC recommends that students consult with home school counselors about the appropriateness of their academic plan. In addition, the Distance Learning website offers Frequently Asked Question about the experience of online learning including a new program, the Student Online Assessment of Readiness (S.O.A.R.). This free assessment will help families decide if the student has the skills and dispositions necessary for fully online coursework. Results of the S.O.A.R. are private and are linked to a free Schoology course in which students can work to develop the necessary skills.
Start Preparing for Next School Year with Schoology PL On Your Own Time and At Your Own Pace
Are you ready to start using Schoology with all of your classes next school year? While many of you have already made the leap from Google Classroom to Schoology this school year, as a school and a division, we will all be making that leap beginning in the 2019-2020 school year.
To help prepare you for this transition, Krissy and Erik have created Schoology Learning Boards full of tutorials and resources on a plethora of features that you will likely use within Schoology. They have created three boards that align with the categories established by the VBCPS Navigational Markers: Toes in the Water, Waist-High, and All In, terms used to depict comfort levels with Schoology.
Between now and May 31, you should review all three learning boards, beginning with the Toes in the Water board. When you feel comfortable with all of the features on this learning board, you should complete the required exit ticket reflection to earn 2 PL points and also gain access to the next learning board. Then, repeat that process, working through the next level boards completing each required exit ticket when you are comfortable with the features. You can earn up to 6 PL points, 2 per learning board. Please be honest about your abilities and in your reflection, as this will help us to create more effective Schoology training that meets everyone where they are and provide the support needed to make this transition.If you have any questions, get in touch with Krissy, Erik or one of our stellar Schoology Champions.
Fourth Quarter Grading Info
April 1: 4th quarter begins
May 10: Progress reports issued
June 14: 4th quarter ends
June 21: Report cards mailed
TalentEd Info
Principal's Advisory Committee
The Principal's Advisory Committee serves in an advisory capacity to address employee concerns as they relate to site conditions that negatively impact on high student achievement and high employee morale. The PAC is committed to resolving issues professionally and in a timely manner. The following staff members have been elected to serve on this year's PAC: Katie Bennett, Caroline Clark, Jae Clark, Terri Gayer, Woody Gehlert, Kay Gramling, Kathy Holbert, Suzette Johnson, Connie Martinez, Michael Robinson, Kelly Singer and Anne Marie Sprague. Use this form to submit concerns to the PAC.
Our Guiding Questions
- How do students determine and engage with their learning targets?
- What is the evidence that students are exercising their voice and choice throughout the learning process?
- What evidence is there that the teacher has planned opportunities for students to choose from a variety of tools/structures during their learning?
- How are teachers using assessment tools as part of their assessment strategy?
- What evidence exists that supports student collaboration, exploration, and creation efforts?
Landstown High School
Email: cheryl.askew@vbschools.com
Website: http://www.landstownhs.vbschools.com/
Location: 2001 Concert Drive, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
Phone: 757-648-5500
Twitter: @LandstownEagles