Week at a Glance
Marian Central Catholic High School Faculty Newsletter
September 7, 2019
Reflecting on the past week...
Well, it sure didn't feel like a four-day week, right? Nobody can say that Marian Central Catholic is not in full gear, that's for sure! Between a host of athletic events, fall production auditions, the ramping up of a variety of club meetings, Late Start meetings, and... oh yeah, throw lots of academics in and we certainly had a recipe for a busy week! I have to admit, though... it is nice to get into a solid rhythm.
Administration would like to recognize our entire Staffulty for a clear and much more consistent support and enforcement of our dress code. When walking the halls, our students are looking great. Thank you for continuing to follow through on school expectations. Remember that if you are faced with a questionable issue (dress code or otherwise), don't hesitate to send them down to the office and we will assess. A quick note... we have seen some young ladies with nose piercings. This is NOT allowed, so if you see them, please send them to the office.
Thank you!
Hopefully Wednesday's Pre-PLC Mini- PD on college recommendations & Dyknow was informative and helpful. Remember to only do recommendations if the student has the form. Early use of Dyknow in the building did prompt a few subsequent emails in response to student reaction, but as long as we are clear and consistent, we anticipate that using this tool will allow for more on-task behavior when students are using the devices in class.
Speaking of PLCs... Thank you to all of the Department Heads for depositing the minutes from your meeting in our shared folders. Looks like all departments are focused on continued improvement and curriculum alignment.
For being the first of the year, Thursday's evacuation drill went relatively well. The positive that came out of it is that afterwards the Emergency Team reviewed the process and are discussing ways to improve it. We welcome your suggestions as well, if you want to email them to Ms. Novy or Mr. J. Price. Once we have honed the process, we will plan to go over it with the staff. Stay tuned!
Overall it was a good & productive week!
What's coming up?
The upcoming week is relatively routine, however there are a couple of notable events...
Extended Homeroom
This Wednesday we will be having our first extended homeroom. For those who are new to our school, we use extended homerooms for a variety of things, but mostly for our student mentor program to meet periodically with all of the freshmen about a variety of topics that will help them in their journey through their first year at Marian. Our student mentor teams will come to all 8 of the freshmen homerooms to present and lead activities. As the adult in the room, the mentor program just requests that the teachers not leave the room and assist the mentors (as needed) if a student(s) are being inappropriate or misbehaving. The mentors have a specific agenda to get through so for the most part they should be the ones running the program in your room. If there are any concerns or questions about either the program or any of the mentors, please contact Mrs. Littner, who is the Mentor Moderator.
This week our junior homerooms will be asked to bring your students down to the auditorium immediately following you taking attendance, where guidance will talk about SCOIR. Students will need to bring their Marian devices in order to complete the onboarding process. More information on this will follow through an email from Guidance on Monday.
If you have a sophomore or senior homeroom, you have the option of doing a get-to-know you or team building activity, or just allow the students to use the time as a study hall. It is really up to you and your comfort level. Just remember that the students are still under your supervision and should behave appropriately.
Shelter-In-Place (Tornado) Drill
Wednesday will also bring us our first Shelter-In-Place (SIP) or Tornado Drill of the year. A Shelter-in-Place response is used when an evacuation would place people at risk because of outside conditions. Sheltering-in-place provides refuge for students and staff inside the building during weather or similar emergencies. Students and staff move to designated shelter areas to maximize their safety. An administrator will announce over the P.A. system the initiation of a shelter in place situation. When a shelter in place situation is initiated:
1. Proceed in single file to assigned areas.
2. Maintain complete silence.
3. Move quickly but do not run.
4. Close classroom windows and doors. Close shades.
5. Teacher is last out. Take class roster and RED/GREEN laminated status room cards with you.
6. Students kneel facing hallway walls, heads down.
7. Students should use sweaters or hands to cover their heads.
8. Once roll is taken, immediately display either GREEN room card (if all students are accounted for) or RED room card (if a student is missing).
Please refer to the faculty handbook pages 52-53 for a complete list of where each room's assigned area is.
Just like this week's evacuation drill, once we have done our first SIP drill, we will review its effectivenes and determine what, if any, changes we may need in order to ensure optimal safety of all.
Throughout the week there are quite a few colleges visiting our school campus. Remember that students must have pre-arranged to attend these events in the guidance office and will have a SCOIR-generated pass to present to you if they are leaving your class. Please note that even though a student has a pass, you still have the ulitmate decision whether or not they can leave your class to attend. If, for instance, there happens to be a test or project presentation that the student is to participate in, that will take precidence over the college visit. If the student would just be missing a day in which work, note-taking, etc. can be reasonably made up, allow them the opportunity to go, as many of these schools will only visit Marian once during the year. Thank you for your flexibility!
Have a great week!
SPIRITUAL GOAL
Father is happy to meet with you to talk about this and help you, if need be.
Remember that your goals are due to Father Twenty by September 27.
Catechist Certification Opportunities
McHenry Deanery offers: PREREQUISITES:
Held in the Marian Annex from 6:30 - 8:30 pm
THE CATECHIST & CATHOLIC CULTURE Thurs., Sept.12, 2019 ***Coming up this week!
THE TOOLS OF THE CATECHIST Thurs., Sept. 19, 2019
THE CATECHIST & THE LEARNER Thurs., Sept. 26, 2019
For more information, please call or contact Mike Dowling
815-338-8444 or mdowling@rockforddiocese.org
DeKalb Deanery Offers:
All Prerequisites
Level 1 Parts 1 & 2
All held at St. Mary's in DeKalb
Click here for more information
TECHNOLOGY CORNER
Why Technology is Important in the Classroom
Click here for a great video that speaks to the importance of educators embracing technology use in the classroom.
DYKNOW
Now that we have implemented Dyknow in all classes, please let us know if you have any questions or need additional assistance on this. We are here to help!
Upcoming Technology PD:
Stay Tuned!
Professional Development Opportunities
October 11, 2019 All Diocesan Institute Day
The day will be at Boylan High School in Rockford and begin with a Mass at 8:30 AM. The sessions will run until 3:15 PM. Rick Wormeli will be speaking to ½ of the group at a time and will be speaking for approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes for each group.
Randy Braverman of the Illinois Terrorism Task Force will also be there to present on School Safety and Preparedness. His presentation will be about an hour, and he will speak to each of the groups as well.
Please click here for the flyer!
ALL STAFF (teachers, guidance, & administration) ARE EXPECTED TO ATTEND
Reading & Writing Seminars & Podcasts
ASCD Webinars: A variety of online webinars. Here you can access recent or archived professional learning.
SCHOOL SHELF RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO ALL!
Your SchoolShelf URL: http://www.schoolshelf.com/981085-marian
This Week's Schedule
As you work through your plans this week, please note these events. For a more detailed list, check out our school calendar, 8to18 Athletics Calendar or Clubs/Organizations Page
Monday, September 9, 2019
9:00 am ~ Facility/Director's Meeting, Superintendent's Office
2:30 pm ~ Confessions, Chapel
2:40 pm ~ Daily Mass, Chapel
3:00 pm ~ Fall Production Rehearsal, Auditorium
7:30 pm ~ Athletic Boosters Meeting, Cafeteria
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
7:00 am ~ Mustard Seed Committee, rm 210
2:30 pm ~ Confessions, Chapel
2:40 pm ~ Daily Mass, Chapel
2:45 pm ~ Second Year Teacher Mentor Meeting, rm 145
3:00 pm ~ Fall Production Rehearsals, Auditorium
6:30 pm ~ Fine Arts Booster Meeting, Annex
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Extended Homeroom ~ Schedule # 5
1:45 pm ~ Shelter-In-Place (Tornado) Drill
2:30 pm ~ Confessions, Chapel
2:40 pm ~ Daily Mass, Chapel
3:00 pm ~ Fall Production Rehearsals, Auditorium
Thursday, September 12, 2019
2:30 pm ~ Confessions, Chapel
2:40 pm ~ Daily Mass, Chapel
3:00 pm ~ Fall Production Rehearsals, Auditorium
Friday, September 13, 2019
Spirit Dress Down Day
2:30 pm ~ Confessions, Chapel
2:40 pm ~ Daily Mass, Chapel
3:00 pm ~ Fall Production Rehearsals, Auditorium
Saturday, September 14, 2019
9:30 am ~ Fall Production Set Building, Auditorium
12:00 pm ~ Theater SAVERS event drop off