Week at a Glance
Marian Central Catholic High School Faculty Newsletter
September 10, 2018
Another week in the books!
Our classes, clubs and sports have been busy learning, meeting, competing, praying and serving. The halls continue to be abuzz with plans and excitement.
The Club Moderator Meeting took place this past Tuesday. A few things to know...
- Moderators, don't forget to take attendance using the provided sheets. It is a great tool to track student attendance in real time and is invaluable for guidance as they assist students in their college searches. If anyone needs help with the attendance sheets,please contact Mrs. Loy.
- Knowing who is in which clubs/groups will also help when we see a student struggling academically, so moderators can become aware of this
- Unfortunately, despite over 60% of staff ok on the idea of bringing back the homecoming parade, we will not be doing it this year. With the response still being quite close to 50/50 it seems there is still some apprehension, so there needs to be more discussion.
On Wednesday, Ms. Novy & Mr. DeFrisco attended the Diocesan Principal/Superintendent Meeting. Some notable information includes...
- The school audit went well across the Diocese.
- Although the Diocesan schools' enrollment is dropping, high schools are not feeling it as much as elementary schools. An important point brought up was that these enrollment drops were expected trends (even by Mr. Landers years ago) and that public schools are feeling the same reduction as reflected in population shifts in Illinois as a whole.
- We are beginning to plan the Oct. 2019 Diocesan Professional Development day, to be held at Aurora Central. Through last year's feedback, it was identified that many would like to make sure a mass is included, as well as time to work with other high schools in departments. Obviously this isn't the only thing we will do, so if you have anything else that you would like us to consider when planning next year's inservice, feel free to contact Ms. Novy.
Thursday's evacuation Drill went off without a hitch... there were a couple improvement ideas that came out of it that we hope to incorporate into the subsequent drills, but overall, we were quick, efficient, and every one was accounted for! Great job!
Guidance and Mr. Stamatakos did a great job coordinating the MCC Financial Aid night this past Thursday evening. Families heard a presentation, followed by a Q & A that provided them with valuable information about the college financial aid process.
Looking ahead...
TORNADO (SHELTER IN PLACE) DRILL TUESDAY, 1:45 pm!
In preparation for this Tuesday's tornado drill, please make sure that you familiarize yourself and your students with exit procedures and where they need to duck and cover. Remind them that they need to move swiftly and quietly to the designated location, kneel down facing the wall and put their hands over their head/neck as you take attendance. If you are not sure where to go, please refer to the faculty handbook and/or signs in your classroom. You can also reach out to Mrs. Loy if you have additional questions. Again, make sure that you have the most up to date rosters with your red/green cards so that you can take attendance and show the card to administration. This will ensure that this drill is safe, accurate, and quick and we can get back to academics in a short amount of time! Thank you.
Extended Homeroom
This week Wednesday we will have our first extended homeroom. These special homeroom sessions allow our wonderful mentors to work with their mentees (freshmen and sophomores) to ensure they are successful here at Marian. This week' s focus is Getting involved, making a good impression & homecoming. If you have freshmen or sophomore homerooms, expect that the mentors be coming into your rooms and "taking over" as they communicate and mentor the underclassmen. If you have junior or senior homerooms, you can use it as a study hall, or take the opportunity to get to know them a bit more through general discussions and "how's it going" conversations. If any concerns or ideas are generated, please feel free to share them with Administration so we can see how we might be able to address it!
Class Masses
This week Wednesday through Friday we will be holding the sophomore through senior class masses. We have slotted them into seventh period so as not to have to readjust the bell schedules. Please see the schedule below to be aware of who has to go when. If you have a mixed class during seventh period and some of your students need to leave for mass, it is suggested that you identify a colleague that is going down and suggesting your "stray" students attend mass with them so as to provide a little accountability of student attendance. Thank you for your flexibility with this. We all know how important these class masses are to class unity and spirituality.
Q1 Midterms Post This Friday!
Please be aware that although parents will not get a "paper" report, parents and students alike will be looking to the grades posted into Rediker end of day Friday as their "midterm" grade for your class. It is important that the grades are up to date and accurate. This means no blanks, rather either a grade or a zero with a related annotation. Students (and their parents) have a right to be fully aware of the status of the student's progress in your class. Most have done an outstanding job with their gradebook this year. .. thank you!
First Official Athletic Eligibility this week!
This is another good reason to keep those grades up to date! Please make sure the grades are up to date and accurate to allow students doing their job the opportunity to play, and those that are not, a fair and clear reason they are not playing, through your grades.
Have a great week!
How can Ms. Novy Assist You?
As you know, I have been in training with the SAM Principal project. Being a SAM principal means that I am working to increase my instructional time with the teachers as well as with the students.
I've already shared many ways that I could potentially come into your classroom to do this... like watching/participating in an activity, lab, or discussion. I wanted to share that many SAM principals elect to do a third kind of observation, Work with Students
A Work with Student observation session engages me, as principal, in teaching while I watch the teacher teach. Most teachers love this as they get help two ways:
1. the immediate assistance with teaching the students in the classroom—an extra pair of hands from a passionate educator is like gold to a teacher and kids like it, too
2. the teacher knows I will later offer ideas, or lead a reflective conversation with them, as a result of what they experience during the session.
Although my strengths are in math and social sciences, I am certainly willing to jump into any subject area!
Yet another version of Work With Students is to have me come in and grade a set of papers while watching the teacher work with the class. (don't forget to give me a detailed key!) This can be really effective and allows me a connection with work of students. This often leads to great conversations that move practice forward.
Please know that I am willing to jump in anywhere you might need/want me to . Just let me know!
Catechist Certification Opportunities
Christ the King Catholic Church, Wonder Lake Saturday, September 22, 2018: Prerequisite Classes
St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, Algonquin Saturday, November 10, 2018: Level I Classes
TECHNOLOGY CORNER
Please refer to the 18-19 Technology Guide for most of the information needed for log-ins, Wi-Fi, printers, saving files, and more!
If you or a student is having issues with a device:
1) click on windows symbol (bottom left of screen) and click on power button, choosing restart
2) if the screen is black, hold the power button down until it shuts down, then restart
3) if restarting did not work, send to Mrs. Varga in the library (preferably towards the end of the period so student doesn't miss much instruction)
4) submit on support@marian.com
If a device is found/lost:
Please deliver to/go to Mrs. Varga in the library
Please use the Educational Technology Request Form to request assistance from Kasey.
Department Technology Goals: Only 1 person from the department needs to complete this form. Each department is to identify 2 goals to achieve throughout the 2018-2019 school year. Once these goals have been submitted, please contact Kasey to meet with the entire department to discuss and plan. Please submit goals by the end of the day Friday, September 21st.
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
>>> If you sponsor a club or organization and would like to have your events listed here, please provide Ms. Novy with your calendar.
Monday, Sept. 10, 2018
7:45 am ~ Daily Mass, Chapel
Lunches ~ Confessions, Chapel
12:00 pm ~ Administrative Dept. Meeting
2:30 pm ~ Confessions, Chapel
Tuesday, Sept. 11 2018
Late Start 7:30 - 9:30 am Late Start Schedule
Second Year Mentor Meeting 9:00 am
Classes start 9:45 am
9:25 am ~ Daily Mass, Chapel
Lunches ~ Adoration, Chapel
1:45 pm ~ Tornado Drill
2:30 pm ~ Confessions, Chapel
3:00 pm ~ Fall Production Rehearsal
Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018
Extended Homeroom Schedule #5
7:00 am ~ Mustard Seed Committee Meeting, rm 210
7:45 am ~ Daily Mass, Chapel
Period 7 ~ Senior Class Mass, Auditorium
2:30 pm ~ Key Club Campus Clean Up
2:30 pm ~ Confessions, Chapel
2:45 pm ~ Fall Production Rehearsal
Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018
7:45 am ~ Daily Mass, Chapel
Lunches ~ Adoration, Chapel
Period 7 ~ Junior Class Mass, Auditorium
2:30 pm ~ Confessions, Chapel
2:45 pm ~ Fall Production Rehearsal
7:00 pm ~ New to Fine Arts Meeting, Auditorium
Friday, Sept. 14, 2018
Q1 Mid-Term Grades Posted
Spirit Dress Down Day
7:30 am ~ NHS Meeting, Auditorium
7:45 am ~ Daily Mass, Chapel
Period 7 ~ Sophomore Class Mass, Auditorium
2:30 pm ~ Confessions, Chapel
2:45 pm ~ Fall Production Rehearsal, Auditorium
Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018
9:30 am ~ Fall Production Set Building, Auditorium