Principal's Corner
Volume XV - February 26, 2017
Your response is needed on several items below. Please read through the entire newsletter.
HOW ARE YOU FOCUSING ON THE WILDLY IMPORTANT?
AVID Initiative @ RHS
- AVID Rigor
- Cohorting students through additional courses
- Schoolwide AVID strategy/best practice usage
- Schoolwide WICOR usage
- College/University advocacy
- Staff AVID training
- Staff/student AVID culture @ RHS
- Recruiting and retention of AVID students
- AVID leadership structure
What can you do to help?
- Door hangers have been ordered. Post your college story in them.
- Prepare your college corner in your room.
- Document AVID strategies in your lesson plans.
- Vocally support the AVID initiative @ RHS to students and parents.
- Give your ideas regarding AVID to the site team.
- Become a member of the AVID site team. See VACANT positions below.
Meet your AVID Site Team
VACANT, Site Co-Coordinator
Tasha Thompson, AVID English, AVID Elective
Amanda Royal, AVID American History
Morgan Huegel, AVID Math
VACANT, AVID American History
Matt Salzman, AVID Earth/Environmental Science
Bill Edwards, AVID instructional support
Polly Garvey, AVID instructional support
Frances Turner, AVID administrator (Lead administrator TBD)
Gena Misciagno, AVID administrator (Lead administrator TBD)
Brad Staley, AVID administrator
The following content areas do not currently have representation. If you wish to join, please let Mrs. Salas know:
- Fine and Performing Arts
- PE
- Foreign Language
- CTE
- EC
Notes from the RHS Administrative Team
- It's hard to believe, but we're already planning for the 17-18 school year. We will be visiting TMS on March 2 to prepare the 8th graders for registration. You may be asked to provide some information for the presentation slideshow.
- We have BIG NEWS for Monday. Two of our students were chosen to represent Onslow County on the JOEMC Rural Youth Tour to Washington DC. This is the first time RHS has had two students selected.
- You may have noticed the name "Evelyn Mills Mercer" on the concession stand in the gym. Mrs. Mercer was a longtime teacher at RHS. We have dedicated this concession stand in her honor. Over the next several weeks, we will install a bronze plaque, and invite the Mercer family for a dedication ceremony.
- It was requested on the staff feedback survey that administrators need to answer emails in a more timely manner. The high volume of emails all of us receive does indeed pose a challenge, and sometimes things get buried. If any member of administration has not responded to a request or question that you've sent, please stop by and let us know. You can also send me a text at (910) 381-8093 for anything that requires immediate attention.
This week:
- Tuesday: ACT test
- Wednesday: Staff Meeting 2:30 - Media Center
- Thursday: IST Meeting 2:30 - Hut 4
What do the students think? (Highlights from this week's Teacher of the Month responses)
- Mrs. Salas understands the struggle of students so she gives us avid study time a little bit longer (sometimes), she worked hard to get us a tutor, and she doesn't give out much homework
- I chose Mrs. Simmons because she taught my class in a way that was helpful and understanding to everyone. Se always used colorful pens which helped me because i doze off with just one color and she was always bright. She is my favorite teacher and that's why i think she deserves teacher of the month.
- Mrs. Royal is a very hard working and trustworthy teacher and is always there for people to talk to her and she cares for everyone even if they aren't the students she teaches.
- Mrs. Spicher is an awesome teacher, and she is super nice. She cares for students and their needs, and is there if you need her.
- Mr. T Brown was an excellent teacher. We did have a lot of work but that's what I expected in a honors level class. He taught the way I liked and it may not be what everyone likes but its how I learn well. He was always really funny and happy. We had some fun times in class but we would get back to our work to reach our goals that we had all set.
- There's no way to put it into words, Mr. Cummings is just great.Need help with some personal problem, need help with any class, he's there. Always there to help however he can. He's just a great guy.
- Stephanie Williams is always prepared and organized. She gives all the materials needed in class and provides a comforting atmosphere to learn and ask questions.
SHOUT OUTS!!!
I would like to have STAFF INPUT on the shout outs section each week. Please send them via email. Let me know what great things you're doing. DON'T BE AFRAID TO "TOOT YOUR OWN HORN"
PLEASE COMPLETE THE SURVEY BELOW
LET'S GIVE A HUGE WILDCAT WELCOME TO OUR TWO NEW STAFF MEMBERS!
Ms. Christina Parry, English
Mrs. Cynthia Brower, Business
PeachJar is here
This is part of our effort to reach more families, become more environmentally friendly, embrace innovative technology, and maintain fiscal responsibility. We are moving from paper to digital flyer delivery in February 2017. E-flyers will now be mailed directly to parents as well as posted online on our school websites for easy access. Paper flyers from outside organizations will not be delivered to students after June 9, 2017.
What do you need to do?
- Share this information link with students and parents: http://www.onslow.k12.nc.us/?PN=Pages&SubP=Level1Page&L=1&DivisionID=2545&PageID=35216&ToggleSideNav=
- Check out our RHS Peachjar link: https://www.peachjar.com/index.php?a=28&b=138®ion=99375
OCS Branding
DATA SPOTLIGHT
We have seen an upswing in student disciplinary infractions. This is normal for the weeks leading to spring break. With spring break being later this year than usual, this presents a challenge. Please ensure that you are calling parents FREQUENTLY, as well as being visible in the hallways and common areas during transitions and lunch.
Creating and Guiding a Data Team to Support School Improvement
by Lee Anne Sulzberger, M.Ed.
Why Create a Data Team?
The ability to find, organize, and analyze data to meet the goal of success for all students is an expectation of today's school leaders (Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium, 1996). Data have the power to reveal what is working well in a school and also to reveal the gaps between what a school hopes to achieve and its current state (Zmuda, Kuklis, & Kline, 2004). What structures and processes can school leaders establish that will support ongoing and productive discussions about teaching and learning based on data?
Boudett and Moody (2005) note that "the first step in getting serious about using data is to assemble a small group of people who will be responsible for the technical and organizational aspects of data work" (p. 12). Creating a data team has two distinct purposes. First, the data team organizes and prepares data in a user-friendly format so that school staff can dedicate their time to analysis and discussion rather than trying to understand sometimes obscure and complex information. Second, a team approach to data collection and preparation shows that the use of data for improving student achievement is a shared effort within the school (Boudett & Moody, 2005).
Who Is on a Data Team?
Marzano, Waters, and McNulty (2005) observe that successful leadership teams typically are comprised of volunteers. Since data teams serve as a leadership team, school leaders should consider assembling a team of volunteers. Boudett and Moody (2005) also note that in addition team members possessing a variety of skills (e.g., organizational, technology, and interpersonal), should also have a "clear understanding of teaching" (p. 13) in order to provide data in a useful format to colleagues.
How Does a Data Team Begin Its Work?
Boudett and Moody (2005) have identified three initial tasks for the data team to complete that will lay the foundation for subsequent work:
Create a data inventory-The data team identifies and summarizes all data available in the school. The following questions can guide the inventory process:
What external, internal, and student-specific assessments do we administer?
What content areas are assessed with each?
What other student-specific information do we gather?
When is each type of data collected?
How can teachers find these data?
How are the data used now?
What might be a more effective use of the data?
What data do we wish we had?
The inventory can be maintained electronically for easy access and updates.
Examine organization of data-Data teams need to examine how data identified in the inventory are stored and shared. The data team then determines if there is a more efficient and effective way to organize the data.
Identify and evaluate instructional initiatives-A third task of the data team is to develop and share a broader understanding of what information can be considered data. This is done by having the data team identify and catalogue all instructional initiatives within a school. Information such as who is supposed to be implementing the initiative, to what extent the initiative is being implemented, and the evidence used to make that determination can all be captured in a simple chart. The data team can also list other evidence that would be helpful to collect to determine if the instructional initiative is meeting the needs of the school.
Over 20 responsibilities of effective school administrators have been identified (Cotton, 2003; Marzano et al., 2005). Since "it would be rare, indeed, to find a single individual who has the capacity or will to master such a complex array of skills" (Marzano et al., 2005, p. 99), school leaders may find that creating and leading a team to assist with using data for school improvement is one way to distribute leadership.
References
Boudett, K. P., & Moody, L. (2005). Organizing for collaborative work. In K. P. Boudett, E. A. City, & R. J. Murnane (Eds.), Datawise: A step-by-step guide to using assessment results to improve teaching and learning (pp. 11-28). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
Cotton, K. (2003). Principals and student achievement: What the research says. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium, (1996). Standards for school leaders.
Washington, DC: Council of Chief State School Officers.
Marzano, R. J., Waters, T., & McNulty, B. A. (2005). School leadership that works: From
research to results. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development; Aurora, CO: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.
Zmuda, A., Kuklis, R., & Kline, E. (2004). Transforming schools: Creating a culture of continuous Improvement. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Date: November /December 2007
VISIT THE NCDPI MTSS WIKI PAGE
Here's a Former Wildcat doing great things!!!
Teacher of the Month - TWO DAYS LEFT TO VOTE!
Teachers, please announce this to your students, and post the link in your classroom.