Week at a Glance
Marian Central Catholic High School Faculty Newsletter
August 23, 2019
We made it through the first full week of school and things are starting to run smoothly. This is primarily due to great teachers who are ensuring that they have lessons that run bell to bell, engaging our students in new and exciting academic experiences. As I walked through the halls this week and stopped in several classes I noted students participating in labs, working on vocabulary, reviewing mathematical formulas, and preparing for Socaratic Seminars. There are so many different ways in which to engage our students and challenge their thinking. Thank you for raising the bar and expecting more from our students!
As you are aware, Administration took a firm stance that student uniforms and hair concerns must be taken care of otherwise detentions will begin Monday, Aug. 26! Please remember the Period 1 expectations from pg. 39 in the Faculty Handbook including checking for student compliance to the uniform/dress code – and sending students who are not in compliance down to the office within the first 5 minutes after prayer and pledge. This will allow us to be consistent throughout the building, which will ultimately make the rest of the year easy because students will understand what will/will not be tolerated.
Our first Academic At Risk report was pushed out to all of the teachers this past Wednesday. Although the athletic department is not yet pulling eligibility reports, it is important that teachers are aware of student performance and identify early which students may be struggling. Please utilize these reports in a way that will benefit "Our" students, because every single student in this building is all of our responsibility.
That being said, we often remind students about taking responsibility for their learning and their grades. As you know, both students and parents can log into the portal to see their grades in real time. This means that they should not be waiting several weeks for the grades to be updated. As we ask our students to submit their work to us on time, we can model timeliness for our students when, once reviewed, we enter grades into the gradebook. The Faculty Handbook outlines a general guideline on how often grades should be entered on page 17. Thank you for adhering to those guidelines for the benefit of the students.
It has been a great first week!
What's coming up?
Back to School Night is coming this Tuesday, August 27. This day will be a noon dismissal. Since we will not be having a teacher inservice meeting that day, you are free to leave after student dismissal (lunch and dinner will be on your own), but you will need to be back at school by 6:30 pm in order to prepare for the evening. Back to school night is an opportunity for the parents to step into their students' shoes and go through their schedule (but at a faster pace). Parents will be meeting in Lander's Pavilion first for some Administrative introductions and a brief chat. They will be dismissed from the gym no later than 7:22 pm and will have 4 minute passing period before reporting to their child's first period class. Each class will last 10 minutes... a time in which the teacher can share class procedures, course objectives, and such. One minor change from years past is that we are now having parents go to their students' designated study hall teacher so they can meet him/her and understand the expectations. There will also be several informational tables and refreshments in the athletic commons for parents.
When talking to your students about this night, please remind them to provide their parents with their class schedule... they can even take a picture of it and send it to them! Please also remind them that this is a night for the parents, not the students... although at times we do see a couple little siblings come along with a parent or two if they had babysitting issues... but we try to discourage this.
The night will end promptly at 9:00 pm.
Wednesday through Friday of this week we will have class masses. These take place during seventh period as follows:
Wed., 8/28 ~ Seniors
Thurs., 8/29 ~ Juniors
Fri., 8/30 ~ Sophomores
(remember, Freshmen had theirs during orientation day)
Please be aware of the grade level of your seventh hour to determine if you are taking down your entire class (and you would stay and supervise) any of these days or, if there are only a few students of that particular grade, then you are just sending those few students to the Auditorium. They will return to your class when the mass is ended.
Please first take attendance. Students should be in the auditorium by 12:10 pm for a prompt start. If you have juniors, remind them that if they have class rings to bring them and they will be blessed at their mass.
There are a lot of Marian atheletic teams opening their season this coming week! Check out the 8 to 18 website on the Marian website to see the whole schedule. Come out and see our students perform! I am sure they would really appreciate your interest and support!
Have a great week!
SCHOOL SHELF RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO ALL!
In addition, this resource provides information on some of the common issues students face including anxiety, personal health, attendance, and bullying.
Feel free to peruse the "shelf" for anything that might be useful. We will be sharing it on the Friday Focus in the next couple of weeks, so you get the first peek! Click below to get started!
Your SchoolShelf URL: http://www.schoolshelf.com/981085-marian
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
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
A BIG thank you to Mrs. Houk and Mrs. Varga for their focused, hard work getting all of the student devices disitributed this past Monday and Tuesday!
This was no small undertaking, but all student devices have been distributed. Navigating through the paperwork, signatures, and devices was done with relative ease as the English teachers brought each of their classes up to receive their devices.
First line of Defense!
A reminder that if students have any issues with their device, from their stylus not working to not holding a charge, please send them to see Mrs. Varga in the library. She will do an initial assessment to determine how the issue can be resolved and we can get the student back to work! Many issues have already been resolved easily, from changing out a stylus tip or battery to reminding the student to CHARGE THEIR DEVICE before they come to school! If Mrs. Varga cannot resolve the issue and it is more indepth, Mrs. Houk will get involved and possibly provide the student with a loaner while theirs is being repaired. Either way, the student should always have a working device.
Student Log in Reminder!
Please remember that this year we have changed the log in for the students from using their ID as the username to using their Marian gmail account. This change would only affect the returning students, as it is a change from last year.
Transition to Outlook Email
Please be informed that we have NOT yet transitioned from Gmail to Outlook for our email. Once we are ready to do so, we will give you more information. Thank you for your patience.
Upcoming Technology PD:
Stay Tuned!
Professional Development Opportunities
Reading & Writing Seminars & Podcasts
ASCD Webinars: A variety of online webinars. Here you can access recent or archived professional learning.
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, August 26, 2019
9:00 am ~ Facility/Director's Meeting, Superintendent's Office
P8 & 9 ~ Dr. Pinnau & Mr. Powe's classes in Cafeteria
2:30 pm ~ Confessions, Chapel
2:40 pm ~ Daily Mass, Chapel
2:45 pm ~ Department Chair Meeting, rm 145
4:30 pm ~ Boys Home Soccer Opener
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Noon Dismissal, Schedule #6
P8 & 9 ~ Dr. Pinnau & Mr. Powe's classes in Cafeteria
7:00 pm ~ Back to School Night
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
12:10 pm ~ Senior Class Mass, Auditorium
P8 & 9 ~ Dr. Pinnau & Mr. Powe's classes in Cafeteria
2:30 pm ~ Confessions, Chapel
2:40 pm ~ Daily Mass, Chapel
5/6:15 pm ~ Home Volleyball Opener
Thursday, August 29, 2019
12:10 pm ~ Junior Class Mass, Auditorium (Blessing of class rings)
P8 & 9 ~ Dr. Pinnau & Mr. Powe's classes in Cafeteria
2:30 pm ~ Confessions, Chapel
2:40 pm ~ Daily Mass, Chapel
2:40 pm ~ Audition Workshop & Tours, Auditorium
Friday, August 30, 2019
P8 & 9 ~ Dr. Pinnau & Mr. Powe's classes in Cafeteria
2:30 pm ~ Confessions, Chapel
2:40 pm ~ Daily Mass, Chapel
7:00 pm ~ Home Football Game
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Monday, September 2, 2019
NO SCHOOL... LABOR DAY!