Longhorn News
Week of 11/18/19
Miller's Thanksgiving Message
Longhorn Family
As I reflect on the many things for which I am thankful, I would like to take this opportunity to share just a few of them with you: I am thankful for our students who come to school every day ready to learn – they give me a daily reminder of what is important and why I am here.
I am thankful for the support of the parents in creating an outstanding partnership for our students. I am thankful for the teachers, assistants, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, secretaries, nurses, support staff, therapists and administrators who really care about student achievement and have the best interests of our students at heart. I am also thankful for our volunteers who enthusiastically contribute so much to our school.
In these most difficult and challenging times, I see dedicated and tireless individuals going above and beyond to make sure that great things happen in our school. You do make a difference, and the children, in their own individual ways, benefit from those efforts.I would like to wish all of you and your families a happy, healthy and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday!
Miller Message/Note
We are entering the 3rd marking period of the school year. Things should be routine and the expectation of high engaging lessons should be taking place each day. We have less than 20 days before the EOC retest. The admin team will be focusing on the following during walkthroughs: Lesson frame (objective, agenda, closing task) and scholars engaged in the learning.
Please make sure that you are reviewing the CHHS Hub. Take note of the following information:
- All professional staff are expected to report to work by 7:45 AM
- Staff assigned to duty are expected to be at your duty station by 7:45 AM.
- All emails/phone calls should be returned within 24-48 hours
- Classroom educators are expected to take attendance each period
- Students are not allowed to leave your class during the first or last 10 minutes.
- Anytime a student leaves your class they must have a pass.
- All educators shall be at their door during the passing period.
- All students must have their ID on and visible before entering your class.
- Do not leave your class unattended.
- Address Dress Code Issues ( DuRags, Inappropriate pants/skirts, etc)
- Students are not allowed to be in any areas without adult supervision.
- If a student is failing or struggling in your class you are expected to contact the parent and document the call in Skyward.
Progress Report 3 for Secondary Campuses
Progress Report 3 for all Secondary Campuses ends this Thursday, November 21, 2019!
Please make sure ALL staff is aware of the Grading Deadline – Sunday, December 1st at 11:59pm. The Educator Access homepage and District News has the information with the procedures due dates for the teachers.
We do not want students to have blank Progress Reports so PLEASE ensure Gradebooks are not empty!
The following message has been put on the Educator Access homepage:
2019-2020 Progress Report 3 for Secondary Campuses – November 4th – November 21st
Skyward will automatically post the PR3 grade that is in your Gradebook on Sunday, December 1st at 11:59pm. Please make sure all that ALL PR3 assignments have a date between 11/04/19 – 11/21/19.
All assignments and grades MUST be entered into the Gradebook or your PR3 grades will be blank or inaccurate. If you would like to add comments that can be done manually through the Post Grades tab at the top of your Gradebook.
ALL Progress Reports will be posted to Family Access on Monday, December 1st - there will not be grade changes or extended time for Progress Reports.
You MUST meet the December 1st deadline for PR grades!
Also, counselors, please note that NO schedules should take place from Thursday, November 21st - Monday, December 2nd (afternoon) any schedule changes could cause issues with grades and need to be avoided.
CHHS Annual Thanksgiving Meal
The menu will consist of the following:
Meat
SMOKED TURKEY
HOLIDAY HAM
SIDE ITEMS
Candied Yams ~ Southern Style Greens
Three Cheese Marconi ~ Seasoned Greens Beans
Grandma’s Cornbread Dressing ~Cranberry Sauce
Turkey Gravy ~Honey Buttered Yeast Rolls
Old Fashion Cornbread Muffins
DESSERTS
Pecan Pie~ Banana Pudding ~Dutch Apple Pie
DRINKS
Sweet/Unsweet Tea ~ Water
Thanks to the culinary department for making this happen!
Absences
When you are absent, please make provisions for work. We are not a 1 to 1 campus. Placing items in google classroom, are not sufficient.
If you do not have access to enter an absence, please see Mrs. McShan.
Wall of Honor
We are wanting to create a CHHS Graduate Wall of Honor to recognize Veterans and alumni currently serving in the armed forces.
Submit information and copy of a picture to the front office. Be sure to include the following information:
- Name of Soldier
- Branch of Service
- Graduation Year
- Accomplishment/Rewards
Academically Stimulating Environment
An academically stimulating environment is the minimal standard at CHHS!
What Is a Stimulated Classroom Environment?
What does having a stimulated classroom environment mean? Does it mean the way a classroom is set up, the way students interact with their work and one another, or does it mean the way teachers deliver daily lessons? A stimulated classroom environment is a combination of all of these things; it refers to the way students' minds are stimulated while in their learning environment. This can come from:
- Visuals throughout the classroom
- Hands-on activities with physical movement
- Multi-modal means of learning each new concept
- Opportunities for higher-order thinking/questioning
- Exciting and stimulating teachers
Think about a time you had to learn something boring; would the above examples have made your learning experience more stimulating? When put it in that perspective, is it easier to understand what the stimulated classroom is all about? Let's look at this a little closer, and then go over some strategies that will help increase student stimulation in your classroom.
What Are the Benefits?
The more students' interests and senses are piqued, the more engaged they'll become with the content being taught. It's difficult for students to remain active in the learning process when content is uninteresting, appears irrelevant, or requires countless hours of filling out worksheets. In a stimulating classroom, students are able to move around, learn new ways of receiving knowledge, and are encouraged to question everything around them. Because of this, it's easier for them to become involved in the learning process.
Strategies for Classroom Stimulation
These are some strategies that can be used to create a stimulating classroom environment, which puts your students on the path to engaged learning. We'll go over the use of visuals, hands-on activities, multi-modal instruction, higher-order thinking/questioning, and stimulating teaching.
News from the Curriculum Department
Curriculum walks have been scheduled for TBA. Be mindful that we will look at pacing, alignment, and engagement.
Certification
If an ELAR teacher was on a waiver last year, they cannot be the teacher of record for an ESL students this year. All ELAR teachers MUST have their ESL certification this school year.
New teachers must have their ESL Certification by June 1. HR is monitoring the completion for new teachers. Teachers that were hired prior to this school year, will have until April 2020 to complete the process.
Grading Guidelines
SECONDARY GRADING GUIDELINES
A minimum of 12 grades per six weeks are required, to include at least 2 major grades (i.e. tests, projects, labs) every reporting period. Students are expected to complete all assignments for all classes. Assignments turned in late will not receive a full grade. There should be a minimum of two test grades during each six-week grading period. No grade over 100 may be recorded on the report card or on the academic achievement record. Grades cannot be lowered for non-academic reasons including, but not limited to, the following: no name on paper, no header on paper, date missing, etc. Regular attendance is an academically related factor that can affect the determination of a student's grade. Students shall be permitted to make up assignments and tests after absences according to board policy and the district grading policy. Students shall receive credit for satisfactory makeup work after an absence and may receive a zero for any assignment or test not made up within the allotted time. There are no grade penalties for makeup work after a suspension. Grading guidelines do not affect work turned in late because of an absence. The district expects students to turn in assignments at the appropriate time. Grades in Cedar Hill ISD are based on mastery of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). The responsibility for making up work lies with the student. Upon return to school after an absence, the student shall be responsible for obtaining and completing the makeup work.
RETEACHING/REGRADING GUIDELINES
Reteaching is defined as another presentation of content, usually to provide an additional opportunity for a student to learn. Reteaching may vary from subject to subject or from class to class, even from student to student. It may be as simple as repeating the concept. If the student still does not understand the concept, the teacher might use different materials to present the concept again. For example, if the initial instruction was primarily visual, the reteach activity might be more auditory. A student who earns below 70 on a test, with the exception of six weeks or semester exams, shall be given an opportunity to be assessed after participating in a reteaching process within 7 to 14 days of the original date of the assessment.
Teachers are reminded that they have the responsibility and authority to delete the grades
for any assignment. Grades may reveal that the assignment was inadequate. If a substantial
percentage of the students in a class failed to pass, the whole class should be retaught and
the new test or assignment grade should be recorded.
This policy does not apply to the STAAR tests or other standardized tests.
Semester and Exam Weights
MP1 and 4 - 28.33%
MP2 and 4- 28.33%
MP3 and 6- 28.34%
EX1 and 2- 15%
PROCEDURES
(ALL GRADE LEVELS):
1. When a students earns below 70 on any test, the teacher has the responsibility to reteach
the essential knowledge and skills not mastered.
2. Reteaching and reassessment may be of a formal or informal nature and should be an
ongoing process during the direct instruction and guided practice portions of any lesson.
Students must be given the opportunity to retest in either the original or a rewritten
format. A student will be permitted to make up tests and to turn in projects due in any class missed because of absence. Long-term projects are due upon the student's return to class.
Parent Communication:
Teachers shall contact the parent/guardian of any scholar that is in danger of failing or failing
Failure to follow the guidelines will result in reprimands being issued.
Jean Monday's
T-TESS and etc...
NO EXCUSES....NO ALIBI
Are My Students at an Advantage Because I Am Their Teacher?
-Baruti Kafele
“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.”
Are you the Lion or Gazelle?
It is not about talent...It is about effort!
-Eric Thompson
“The separation of talent and skill is one of the greatest misunderstood concepts for people who are trying to excel, who have dreams, who want to do things. Talent you have naturally. Skill is only developed by hours and hours and hours of beating on your craft."
- Will Smith
Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
-W.B. Yeats
Longhorn Ambassador Tour & Thanksgiving Lunch
The focus of tours - Early College Academy & CTE programs
Presentation of school programs lead by Mr. Miller and students 10:30 - 11:00
Group Tours of campus: 11:00 am - 12:00
Thanksgiving Lunch: Noon - until