Miner Mondays
Placerita Jr. High School - December 16, 2019
Sandy Claus and her Reindeer
This Week at Placerita 12.16.19
We have one week (4 days plus Friday) remaining in the quarter before Winter Break. I know we are all tired but we will make it through this week and be ready for some rest.
Last week I mentioned that we will be making some changes in entry in the mornings starting in January when we return. We are going to have two areas where we will be entering. The middle back gate on 16th will still be open as usual but the front entry will be different. All students walking or entering from carpool will enter through the 700 gate. Bike riders can enter the back gate or the 300 gate. This will concentrate our entries to two main locations that we can monitor better. We will give you more information with a map before we return in January.
Our ASB Toy Drive is still ongoing through the last day of school. Feel free to remind your students they can bring all the way through Thursday.
We have a parent meeting on the morning of January 15th just after drop-off. If you would like to share info about any program that you are running let me know and we will get you coverage for a few minutes to present to the parents.
We have faculty meeting on Wednesday. It will be a fun meeting. We are going to get some updates and play some games.
Pajama Day will be on Thursday the 19th. :-)
Winter Bowl will also be on Thursday during both lunches. The girls and coaches have been working really hard and we look forward to a great game. Parents may enter through the back gate off 16th Street. Gate will be open around 11:45 or shortly after.
Don't forget for your planning purposes, January 15th and 16th will be minimum days for Professional Development for our Faculty.
Last day of the 2nd Quarter is on Thursday, 12/19. We have the Holiday Breakfast on Friday morning. Don't forget to get your money to Nancy if you have not already.
If you are ordering anything for the winter holidays from Amazon please support the Placertia Foundation by ordering through smile.amazon.com and select Placerita Foundation as your Charity to support.
New Dashboard results are out
PD Corner from Liz
This short blog post by, Robert Kaplinsky, that gives the comparison of how cooking a steak is like teaching a student. It is definitely something to think about and gives us a chance to reflect and ask ourselves if we are more often being facilitators or are we being doing most of the talking all the time?
Here is Why I’m in Favor of Undercooking Students
“Many years ago I took a steak cooking class where the instructor told us, “If you’re not sure if the steak is done, it’s better to undercook it than overcook it. The reason why is because you can always throw the steak back on the grill if it’s undercooked, but you can never undo overcooking.” Strangely, I have learned that this same philosophy applies to education.
When you’re teaching students, you should always aim to be less helpful. If you are too helpful (such as giving students strategies they can use before they’ve had a chance to discover their own), there isn’t anything you can do to remedy the situation. Like an overcooked steak, it just stays that way.
Instead, consider undercooking your students. Begin with questions like, “What have you already tried?” or “What strategies were you considering?” They may not be particularly helpful, but just like with a steak, you can always throw it back on the grill and provide additional assistance.”
Door Decorating Contest
This is our office door :-)
Our Crisis Flyers are still functional
ASB Toy Drive
Winter Bowl
Pajama Day
Celebrating Placerita
Our Dance students performed at Hart of the Holidays
Orchestra and Choir concert a great success!
Our students had a fun time at the dance
The Therapy Dogs were here on Wednesday!
Culinary students had fun making Gingerbread Houses
Our Parents had a combined ELAC Meeting with Hart
Important Dates for Parents
We will need your help with snacks for staff. We will send out Sign-up Genius forms for each event. February 21 and April 17.
Placerita Parent Organization
Breakfast Meetings - Right after Drop-off in the morning in Tanner Hall.
Two more in the Winter and Spring - January 15 and March 18
Student of the Month Meetings for Selected Students (Parents Invited)
February 7, March 6, and May 1
From the daily XKCD: OPEN SOURCE
The XKCD App is a great one to make you think. Randall Munroe that creates it is a genius.
Placerita's Calendar for 2019-2020
Click on the link below for a PDF of the calendar above
Important Upcoming Dates in December/January at Placerita
Last Day of the Semester 12/19 Thursday
Faculty Meeting 12/18 2:45 in Library
Pajama Day (ASB) 12/19 All Day
Winter Bowl 12/19 12-1:30
Winter Break 12/23-1/10
Return to School 1/13 Start Semester 2
Minimum Day (1,2,3) 1/15 Collaboration
Minimum Day (4,5,6) 1/16 PD Day (EL Framework)
MLK Jr. Day 1/20 Holiday
Department Week 1/27 All Week
Fire Drill 1/31
Placerita Jr. High School
Email: jturner@hartdistrict.org
Website: www.placeritajuniorhigh.org
Location: 25015 Newhall Avenue, Santa Clarita, CA, USA
Phone: 661-259-1551
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1506369076295455/
Twitter: @placeritajhs