BCHS Staff Newsletter
January 3, 2016
Holiday Break in Review
I hope that all of you had a very relaxing and enjoyable Christmas break. I think that the kids and staff were all ready for the break, and we will come back for a strong educational push between now and spring break.
A few highlights over the Holidays:
- The girls' basketball team won the Harry Moore Tournament. Kendal and Olivia both earned All-Tournament honors, and Kory Wells was our nominee for the Harry Moore Scholarship!
- The boys' basketball team lost in the title game to North Branch in the Harry Moore Tournament. Caleb and Calvin both earned All-Tournament honors, and Tyler Shearer was our nominee for the Harry Moore Scholarship!
- Also during the Harry Moore Tournament, Jim Seidell was inducted into the Capac Hall of Fame!
- Whitley and Brady were named to the All-Sanilac County Cross Country Team! Savannah was an Honorable Mention!
- Whitley was also named First Team All Blue Water Area! Savannah was Honorable Mention All Blue Water Area!
- Joe Hagner was the Times Herald winner of the Vincent Award! This is a very special honor since we have not had a BC student win this since Garnett did in 1999. Each school nominates one football player who excels on the field, in the classroom, and around the community. Times Herald Story
Thank you to Roy who worked hard over break for us. He was able to get all Apple TV's installed and all new projectors (some classrooms needed updated) installed. If you have any Apple TV questions please ask. I would like to see this become a daily part of your instruction sooner than later.
Cotton Bowl
Well the result of the MSU vs Alabama game was not what I had hoped for, but it was a great experience for Brandon and me going to the game. I was able to get tickets through Representative Muxlow, and we were only 11 rows off the field! The better part was that we were only 3 rows behind the MSU basketball team! Not sure who was more excited about this, Brandon or me :)
AT&T Stadium in the background
Deyonte Davis--MSU Freshman
Denzel Valentine--MSU Senior and MSU's Best Player
Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn, MSU Starting Point Guard
Yes, that is Coach Izzo right behind us!
November/December Incentive
End of Semester/Marking Period
I am at the school now (Sunday afternoon) and just checked Brandon's account. I saw he was missing a couple of assignments, so guess what he is doing tonight? This is a great resource to parents (like me), and it is our job to stay on top of it.
One of my goals, that I have stressed throughout the year, is to try and reduce our number of failures. I know that the responsibility is on the kids, to some extent. However, if we can get them to pass with a few more reminders or a call home, then we need to do that. I met with several kids before break to have this exact conversation.
Me: "You can either work you tail off the next few weeks after break and pass the class, or you will have to take the class again. Now what makes more sense, working hard for a few weeks (in a class you have already sat in for 4 months), or having to take the whole class over?"
Every single kid agreed that working hard for a few more weeks made way more sense. Also, a few of them were very surprised that I even knew what their grades were. That right there is how we build trust with these "struggling students". Take a little time to show them that you care, and it will hopefully save you work later (having them re-take that class).
I will have an exam schedule out in next week's newsletter for you.
Evaluations
I am hoping to complete about 1-2 evaluations a week from now until spring break. If you have something coming up that you would like me see let me know. If I don't hear from you, I will just let you know the week when I will be into your room for this.
I am in most of your rooms on a fairly regular basis, so understand I take all of that into account when looking into evaluations.
Grades
--Do I have enough grades in Skyward to give an accurate representation of that students' work in my class?
--Are my assignment titles in Skyward clear as to what I am grading? Just putting the date or a general title doesn't always offer much help to a parent or student. Some of you have participation grades (which is fine), however, just make sure the parents and students know what you are looking for in this grade.
--Do my grades include some assessments (quizzes/tests)? If not, they should.
--Have I shared with my students the "weighting" of their exam? If you haven't, this is something that should be discussed in the next couple of weeks.
Meetings
- January 7th--Science teachers will meet with Lynn to go over the New Science Standards. This will be during 2nd/3rd hour in the conference room by Roy's office.
- January 7th--Once I confirm subs tomorrow (Monday), with Robin, I will get a schedule out to all of you for the following meetings (assuming I can cover all teachers): Robotics Team, Math Department, 8th Grade Core Teachers, Test Prep Teachers
- January 11 & 13--We will be meeting with some of the upper elementary teachers these days for half-day sessions in the four content areas. The meetings will be to go over M-STEP data.
Data
Upcoming Events/Reminders
- January 4--Return from Holiday Break
- January 4-8--Prowse Bus Duty
- January 4--Student of the Week Waterman (7th)
- January 6--Child Study Team Meeting 8:15-9:00 (Team members for this already know who they are)
- January 6--Directed Study 5th Hour
- January 7--Expected Release Date of PSAT Scores
- January--Neil Gone to St. Clair RESA for Student Learning Objectives (SLO's) Conference
- January 7--Science Teachers (Lesley, Amy, Anthony, Maria) meeting with Lynn 2nd/3rd hour to go over new science standards
- January 7--Department/Grade Level Meetings (Schedule not yet complete)
- January 9--Elementary Basketball Games at BC all day. We are hosting several schools, and Anthony may need some of your help (if you are available).
- January 9--Robotics Kick-Off--Team gets their Kit for this year's competition
- January 11-15--Rayba Bus Duty
- January 11--Student of the Week VanBuskirk (8th)
- January 11--M-STEP Data Breakdown--English (Jarrod half day with Tammy/Joanne) & Social Studies (Jesse half day with Jan/Mike)
- January 13--M-STEP Data Breakdown--Math (Lou/Lori half day with Jenna/Mike) & Science (Lesley/Maria half day with Cindy/Sharron)
- January 13--Directed Study 4th Hour
- January 15--Early Dismissal & Staff PD from 1-3, Agenda will be in next week's newsletter
- January 18-22--Troshak Bus Duty
- January 18--Student of the Week Troshak (9th)
- January 18--Board Meeting @ 6:00
- January 20--Direct Study 1st Hour
- Week of January 25th--First Semester Exams
- January 25-29--VanBuskirk Bus Duty
- January 25--Student of the Week Grabowski (10th)
- January 27--No Directed Study (Exam Week)
- January 29--End of 1st Semester, students half day. HS staff able to leave for half day if participating in graduation.
- February 1--Start 2nd Semester and 3rd Marking Period
- February 1-5--SnowComing Week
Homework Help Lab
Tuesday/Thursday Mornings in Lori's new room. 7:15-8:00 am
This will cause some students to be past the double doors, but Jesse is there monitoring this and will let them up if needed. Also, any other teachers that have students coming for help in the morning, just have them let Jesse know when they ask to go up early. This will not be an issue, and I encourage you to work with your struggling students.
Tuesday/Thursday Afternoons in Library. 3:15-4:00 pm
Jarrod will be running the morning sessions and Lou will be running the afternoon sessions. Any other teachers are also welcome to help with this. Thanks.
Magic Club--Tuesdays and Thursdays
Super Smash Bros Club--Fridays
Parting Toughts
3 Things High School Teachers Plan to Work on in 2016