CSHS Weekly Bulletin
December 12-17, 2016
Wondering how things are going? Ask a student.
Dear Cougar Family,
Last week, I had my second meeting with the Cougar Cabinet. This is a group of roughly 75 students who are serving as my advisory committee. Each month, I pose a topic and they share their opinions. The November topic was about school policies/expectations they don't understand the reason behind. We are going to use their questions and misconceptions to make a series of videos to share out in the Spring. The December topic was things they see as students that they feel that administrators and teachers do not see. Both topics elicited lively discussion to say the least. Our students have affirmed for me that we have a pretty amazing school, and they are honest and open about how they think we can be better. They are so excited to share, in fact, that we are going to create subcommittees, so they can delve deeper into topics that really interest them. (I think all 75 might want to be on a committee looking at dresscode.)
Personally, I am loving having a room full of students again and getting to know more students on a personal level. Part of their "homework" after the last meeting is to come say hi to an administrator at a random time of day. I am hoping they all do this!
After the last meeting, a student stayed after. She and her small group were discussing the time period between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and she was sharing how stressed they all felt. She talked to me about not always knowing how to study for tests, and that she does the best in subjects in which the teacher doesn't just hand out a review--they show the students how to use it to study. I promised her I would share this with you all, especially since finals begin on Friday. Please take a moment to reflect on how you help your students prepare for your final not only by providing a review sheet, but also by thinking about study tips that can help them, such as making flash cards or making their review into Cornell notes. There are a few articles from Edutopia below that include examples:
Brain Compatible Study Strategies by Lori Desautels
Teaching Good Study Habits, Minute by Minute by Heather Lambert
I would also like to urge each of you to incorporate an opportunity for student feedback into your semester end activities. Their feedback can help us grow and learn as educators! While I wouldn't necessarily change everything I'm doing based on one student's opinion, this is an excellent way to figure out how to reach more of our students and to have some food for thought as we plan for next semester. Remember the lobster! (Check out the beautiful purple lobsters that were gifted to the admin team below--a constant reminder that growth is hard and takes time.)
As the semester winds down, please feel free to wear your favorite ugly Christmas sweater or Cougar spirit gear with jeans on days other than Friday. We are planning a faculty gathering for December 20th as well--more details later in the week.
Have a fabulous last 7 days of school in 2016! Thank you for all you do!
As always, COUGAR PRIDE!
Tiffany
60 Second Staff Development: Semester End Stress
Fall Final Exam Information
Duty Schedule
Upcoming Events
12/12 Band Concert
12/14 HOSA Blood Drive
12-16, 19-20 Final Exams
12/20 End Third Six Weeks/First Semester