HRHS Faculty Newsletter
April 8-12
This Week's Calendar
Day 6
Advisory: Meeting with all students going on Spain trip
Tuesday 4/9:
Day 5
2:30-3:30: Department Meetings
7pm: Jazz & Arts Night
Wednesday 4/10:
Day 4
2:30-4:00: School Council Meeting
Thursday 4/11:
Day 3
Advisory and Period 5: AP Pre-Administration Meeting in cafeteria for ALL students taking an AP exam
Friday 4/12:
Day 2
For Your Information & Action
HRHS Job Postings: The postings for credit recovery summer school, team leaders, program leaders, special ed coordinator, and 9th grade academic coordinator are below!
Calling Out Sick: Moving forward, if you have to call out after 6am, you need to call Sue's phone and leave a voicemail, and then call Kristen, Mark, or Lauren (whoever is your evaluator) to let them know that you will be out.
Kristen: (508) 335-9213
Mark: (413) 297-8083
Lauren: (413) 539-3662
Advanced Placement Testing: If you are affected by AP testing in May, I shared the testing schedule and info with you earlier in the week. Please search for your name and let me know if you see any issues with the schedule.
Shadowing a Student: This national movement is something that Kate Messmer and Kristen are recommending for staff who are interested. Please let your program leader know if you’d like to shadow a student for a day. Other staff have done it and it has been “enlightening."
Senior Final Exam Exemption: Seniors will be notified if they are in the eligible range to be excused from final exams at the progress report time (May 1 for seniors) but their final grade (on May 24) will determine if they actually take finals. The handbook states: "Seniors who earn a 93 average in either a semester or a year-long course do not have to take the final exam in that course; seniors will be required to complete final projects/performance assessments. Seniors will be notified of their average for the year when receiving their 4th quarter progress report for a year-long course and their 2nd quarter progress report for a semester course. Those seniors who have earned a 93 average and choose to take the final will have their grade computed into their final average."
From the Nurses' Office: The American Academy of Pediatrics has changed its recommendations for a return to school after the diagnosis of strep throat. Students are now being told by some local pediatricians that they can return to school after 12 hours of the start of antibiotics. Our policy is going to be changed in the handbook over the summer. Students who are on antibiotics but still have fevers are still not allowed to return until fever free for 24 hours without the use of Tylenol or any another fever reducer.
Junior Newsletter: Click here for the junior newsletter for April!
Quarter 3 Faculty Survey
Discipline Questions:
- "What is the purpose of a minor referral? Is it just for tracking? If so, we can tell you when certain students have certain issues without spending time filling out a form every time." Minor referrals are to track behaviors, notice trends, and plan interventions for students. We can and should certainly have conversations about students, but the referral form gives specific information that wouldn't be documented otherwise. It allows admin to see what time of day/location problems are happening for specific students or grades, and allows us to have really concrete information during parent meetings that we wouldn't have otherwise.
- "In addition to submitting at our discretion, do you want us to submit one every time we send the student out of the room? Every time we send a student to admin?" Yes, if you are sending a kid to "the office" or referring them to admin, you should fill out a major behavior referral. If you're not sure, just ask us!
- "It's unclear when admin contacts parents and when teachers should contact parents." Teachers should contact parents every time they fill out a minor or major referral (except for the behaviors that are starred on the referral definitions, or otherwise told by admin). Admin will contact parents for every major referral.
Time on Learning Ideas: This was hard to screenshot, so the data is listed below:
- Change homeroom to morning meeting to count it as time on learning- 72%
- Change passing time to 3 minutes- 69%
- Change passing time to 2 minutes- 11%
- Eliminate half days during finals week- 8%
- Reduce/eliminate half days for PD- 16%
- Eliminate half days before Thanksgiving and Christmas- 8%
- Start the day earlier (7:35 instead of 7:37)- 56%
- March vacation instead of Feb. and April vacations- 13%
- Eliminate days during April vacation if necessary- 3%
- All other options- 1.5%
MCAS Questions:
- "It would be helpful to have the training info in writing/digitally so we could review it before the MCAS sessions later in the spring." See the MCAS Security Cheat Sheet and Accommodation Cheat Sheet for MCAS information. Kim handed out a technology guide for proctors at the technology training, and you can find a similar step-by-step PAN guide here.
- "Could non-laptop teachers be MCAS 'runners' or hallway monitors/snack distributers rather than covering for proctors?" Yes, we will do our best to change this for future rounds of MCAS.
- "Why does the whole school have a different schedule on 10th grade MCAS days?" We are using the 10th grade MCAS days as a good chunk of time to facilitate college and career workshops for freshmen and juniors. Next year, we will try to make the schedules flexible enough to allow for teachers to run Advanced Placement sessions for juniors and seniors as well. If you have ideas for MCAS scheduling for next year, please let me know!
Senior Privilege Questions:
- "It seems like some seniors are taking Independent PE so they can have an extra study hall and leave for an extra period. Can we address this?" Yes, this will be addressed in the program of studies for next year.
- "Is there an easy way for teachers of seniors to see who has their privileges currently and who doesn't?" Yes. The list was updated today (4/5) and shared with senior teachers. If you have seniors in study halls, you can email Jen to find out if they are out on senior privileges or not.
Website Questions:
- "Where do we find the student announcements that are running on the monitors?" This is on the home page of the website (black and red button called "Student Announcements").
- "Can you put the links to Powerteacher/Powerschool on the website?" Done (check under Staff > Staff Resources)!
- "Can you put the advisory calendar under Quick Links on the website?" Done! (If you click the link and it brings you to the wrong month, just click on the correct tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet.)
- "Would it be possible to have a clear link to community service opportunities listed on the website?" We can look into this and think about the best way to structure it!
Other Feedback/Questions:
- "Student drivers spending lunch break in their vehicles during lunch is wrong and should be addressed." We were unaware of this issue. It will be addressed moving forward.
- "The immediacy and push notifications from the Parent Portal are very problematic. How can we solve this issue?" This was discussed at the last Program Leaders meeting. Kristen is looking into different options for adjusting the Parent Portal.
- "Please remind teachers and advisors of clubs that teachers need more notice of when students will be absent." Please use the Field Trip Calendar and staff emails to alert the staff when there are events and trips that will take students from class. Please give at least two weeks notice to staff when you plan on taking kids out of class.
- "Advisory lessons feel disconnected to each other--it feels like we jump from lesson to lesson and there isn't enough time to get into a topic." We are working on advisory themes for next year that will help with the continuity. Advisory is an ever-evolving structure so please feel free to send ideas to John and Lauren!
Staff Shout Outs!
- Thank you to everyone who has recently opened up their classrooms to their colleagues, and who has participated in classroom observations!
Responsibility and Perseverance:
- Thank you Lyndsey Oppenheimer for doing MCAS make-ups with 8th graders today!
- Thank you to Marty Touchette for always being on top of everything and holding kids to high expectations!
- Shout out to Cindy Domina and Lindsay Sojkowski for being firm with health policies and procedures in an effort to keep everyone healthy!
- Thank you Jen Reagan for always knowing the comings and goings of the students. It can't be easy and you are rocking it!
- Shout out to Lynn Hicks, Laura Bean, Ellen Doyle, and Pat Parent who all seamlessly proctored MCAS with some really tricky accommodations!
Collaboration and Engagement:
- Thank you to Kim Hallett and middle school student council for Friday's semi-formal!
Respect and Compassion:
- Natalie Levreault is a compassionate and supportive friend. Thank you Natalie!
- Thank you to Trisha Keane for going above and beyond to support a student this weekend.
Student Spotlight
Junior of the Week: April Warner is a dedicated class officer and never misses a meeting! She is an amazing student all around! Thank you April!
Sophomore of the Week: Marty Ahart is always friendly and kind! She is a wonderful office aide and always greets people with a smile!
Freshman of the Week: Theresa Saltis is a wonderful student--she is kind, responsible, and dedicated! Keep it up, Theresa!
Everest Student of the Week: Hailey Bean is a kind, insightful, self-driven 7th-grade student. She is awesome in every way, every day!
HRHS JOB POSTINGS
Credit Recovery Summer School Teachers
Anticipated Positions in English, History, Science and Math for high school credit recovery summer program. Actual positions are based on the number of students who require and sign up for the HRHS credit recovery program.
7/8-7/26, Mondays through Fridays, 9am-12pm at HRHS, plus one additional hour of time for parent communication
Assignments will be provided by the sending teacher, Credit recovery teachers are expected to assess work
$40/hour for teaching positions
Please submit letter of interest to Kristen. Assignments will be finalized early June.
Program Leader & Team Leader Job Postings (2019-20 school year)
Program Leaders in the following contents will be considered:
- Business
- English
- Fine and Performing Arts
- Foreign Language
- Mathematics
- PE/Health
- Science
- Social Studies
- Special Education
Please use HRHS Leadership Application and submit to Kristen by April 19.
HRHS Program Leader Description (formerly Curriculum Coordinator):
The Program Leader is a leader in their specific learning area curriculum. The Program Leader will be expected to stay updated on content area including Massachusetts Frameworks, best practices for the content area, and research-based learning processes.
SUPERVISION:
Principal
PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Manage the department’s budget by selecting resources that support the goals of the department.
- Maintain the department inventory, order materials, and monitor expenses.
- Play a leadership role in the hiring process within the department.
- Give input in process of selecting new district materials when new programs and texts are being selected and developed
- Facilitate department meetings.
- Attend monthly Leadership meetings.
- Share information from Leadership Meetings and Administration with content area teachers.
LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Coordinate department curriculum, teaching, and learning 7-12.
- Coordinate interdisciplinary curriculum in collaboration with one or more Program Leaders and teachers from other departments.
- Provide necessary support to teachers with curriculum development, best practices for the content area, and non-evaluative feedback.
- Meet with administrators at least twice per year to explore curriculum or best practices that will ensure that all students at Hampshire Regional High School are receiving a high-quality education.
- Represent the department at academic appeals with families.
- Support the School Improvement Plan in collaboration with the administration.
DURATION OF ASSIGNMENT:
The duration of an appointment for Program Leader is one year and each position is posted as open on an annual basis.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
- Massachusetts Teacher’s License
- A successful teaching record
- Interest in curriculum development
- Willingness to expand understanding and knowledge of the learning process
Team Leaders for the following teams will be considered:
- Matterhorn
- Rocky Mountains
- Everest
- Greylock
- Life Skills
Please use HRHS Leadership Application and submit to Kristen by April 19.
HRHS Team Leader Description:
The Team Leader is a leader in their specific academic interdisciplinary team. The Team Leader will be expected to be the point person for communicating between team members, students, administration and families, facilitating and planning meetings, and maintaining records of all team-related events, curriculum, and logistics.
SUPERVISION:
Supervised by the Middle School Assistant Principal or designee.
PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES:
Promotes the instruction of interdisciplinary skills and concepts in a variety of methods.
Serves as a full time teacher on the team.
Sets agendas and facilitates team meetings.
Promotes interaction among team members and team cohesiveness.
Provides leadership for, and coordination of, team activities.
Coordinates ongoing communication between parent/guardians and the team.
Maintains communication with off-team teachers.
Meets regularly with other team leaders and building administrators in addressing middle school concerns.
Facilitates discussion regarding the needs of individual students.
Schedules meetings with team teachers, guidance counselor, special education staff, parents/guardians and other support personnel as needed.
Coordinates student intervention with the guidance counselor.
Maintains team records.
Fosters a strong educational philosophy and promotes implementation of team strategies consistent with current appropriate level research and practice.
DURATION OF ASSIGNMENT:
The duration of an appointment for Team Leader is one year and each position is posted as open on an annual basis.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Massachusetts Teacher’s License
A successful teaching record
A commitment to and understanding of the goals and philosophy of appropriate level education of the team
A minimum of three years’ teaching experience in education
Special Education Coordinator Job Posting (2019-20 school year)
Please use HRHS Leadership Application and submit to Kristen by April 19.
DESCRIPTION: The Special Education Coordinator is responsible for scheduling and planning for students on Individual Education Programs within Hampshire Regional. The Sped Coordinator will be expected to work collaboratively with Hampshire Regional administration and the Pupil Services Director and to stay updated on special education law and regulations and best practices.
SUPERVISION:
Principal
PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES:
Schedule all special education and 504 students as indicated on programs in coordination with the Principal and Guidance Department
Schedule all paraprofessionals into regular education and guided academic classes to be approved by the Principal
Assist administration to assign paraprofessionals to testing sites and develop contingency plans in case of a teacher absence to assist in standardized testing of students on IEPs and 504s as indicated on plans
Organize/schedule senior finals and underclass finals for IEP and 504 students as indicated on plans.
Work with administration to support and mentor paraprofessionals
Assist in the organization and maintenance of Special Education Records
Supervise an accurate system of record keeping of Special Education enrollment
Assist the Pupil Services Director with the district’s coordinated program review
Lead planning for summer school with approval of Pupil Service Director and Principal
Support/mentor new staff with special education database
Attend Program Leader meetings in the Special Education program leader’s absence.
Assume other tasks and responsibilities assigned by the Principal.
DURATION OF ASSIGNMENT:
The duration of an appointment for Special Education Coordinator is one year and each position is posted as open on an annual basis.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Massachusetts Teacher’s License
Minimum of three years successful teaching or special education experience
Minimum of Masters in Education in Special Education, School Psychology or related field
Interest with scheduling
Strong interpersonal skills
9th grade Academic Coordinator Job Posting
Please use HRHS Leadership Application and submit to Kristen by April 19.
PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES
Promotes the instruction of interdisciplinary skills and concepts in a variety of methods.
Serves as a full time teacher in the 9th grade.
Sets agendas and facilitates grade level meetings.
Promotes ongoing communication among all 9th grade teachers and para-educators both in person and online.
Coordinates ongoing communication between parent/guardians and all teachers.
Maintains communication with electives teachers.
Meets regularly with the Director of Curriculum and building administrators in addressing 9th grade concerns.
Works with guidance and teachers to facilitate discussion regarding the needs of individual students.
Facilitates the intentionally designed culture and promotes implementation of 9th grade study skills strategies consistent with current research and practice through development of advisory lessons and professional development.
Supports the special education liaison with IEP implementation
Organize instructional rounds for teachers with support from Principal and Director of Curriculum *more to come on this
DURATION OF ASSIGNMENT:
The duration of an appointment for Academic Coordinator is one year and the position is posted as open on an annual basis.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Massachusetts Teacher’s License
A successful teaching record
A commitment to and understanding of the goals and philosophy of the 9th grade experience
A minimum of three years’ teaching experience in education