The Weekly Update #25
Mrs. Danzy's News and Notes
February 10, 2023: Weekly Update 25
How Strong are Your Communication Skills?
Greetings INOVA students and families!
If you had to define communication, what would that definition be? Have you ever thought about how important communication is for your personal and professional success? We are constantly sharing how important it is to have effective communication skills with our INOVA students, but what are communication skills and how can I improve them?
Communication skills include:
- Absorbing, sharing, and understanding information presented.
- Communicating (whether by pen, mouth, etc.) in a way that others grasp.
- Respecting others’ points of view through engagement and interest.
- Using relevant knowledge, know-how, and skills to explain and clarify thoughts and ideas.
- Listening to others when they communicate, asking questions to better understand.
Communication involves more than words. In fact, your actions communicate far more than words. Some say that your actions (nonverbal communication) communicate 93% of what others will get from you. So, it's quite important to be aware of your communication skills, even the ones that require no spoken or written words. Below are some helpful ways to improve your communication skills shared from Yourteenmag.com .
1. Listen more, talk less.
People want to know that they are being heard, so one way to improve communication skills is to really listen to what the other person is saying before you formulate your response. The person speaking to you should be the most important person in your life. Ask for clarification to avoid misunderstandings and only have one conversation at a time. This means that if you are speaking to someone on the phone, do not respond to an email or send a text at the same time.
2. Know your audience.
How you talk depends on who you are talking to. It is okay to use informal language when you are communicating with a friend, but if you are emailing or texting your manager, teacher, tutor or boss, informal language such as “Hey” and “TTYL” has no place in your message. You cannot assume that the other person knows the casual language you use with friends. If you want to improve your communication skills, keep the other person in mind when you are trying to get your message across.
3. Body language matters.
This important communication skills applies to face-to-face meetings as well as video conferences. Open body language gives the impression that you are accessible. Keep your arms uncrossed and maintain eye contact so that the other person knows you are paying attention. For video conferences, do your best to look into the camera rather than the screen. It makes a big difference.
4. Check your messages before you hit send.
Spelling and grammar checks are not foolproof. To improve communication skills, double check what you have written to make sure that your words are communicating your intended message. Be brief, but specific enough to convey your intended message. After crafting your message, walk away and come back to it a few minutes later to reread it. Before you hit send, ask yourself, “How would I react if this were sent to me?” If you are responding to an email, be sure to read the entire message before crafting a response.
5. Write things down.
If you want to improve your communication skills, take notes just as you would if you were in a classroom. Don’t rely on your memory while you are talking to another person or when you are in a meeting. Send a follow-up email to make sure that you understand what was said during the conversation. It doesn’t have to be awkward—you can let the person you’re speaking with know that taking notes is a habit that helps you stay organized. This can be especially helpful when networking.
6. Sometimes it’s better to pick up the phone.
If you find that you have a lot to say, make a phone call instead of sending a message. Email or direct messages on social media are fine for some types of communication, but there are times when a two-way conversation is best as it allows for the natural ebb and flow.
7. Think before you speak.
Always pause before you speak and treat everyone you speak to with respect. Take a moment to formulate your words and pay close attention to what you say and how you say it. Teaching yourself to reflect on your response before you speak will help you appear mature and thoughtful to your listener.
8. Maintain a positive attitude and smile.
When you smile and exude a positive attitude, people will respond to you in a positive way. This works even if you are speaking on the phone—smiling and focusing on conveying an upbeat demeanor will affect how you speak. This is a simple, often overlooked habit that can make a big impact on many of your conversations.
Peace and Blessings,
Headmaster Danzy
Dates to Remember
Early Release 2/15
Benchmark Results and Upcoming Assessments
We have completed our second ACT Benchmark Assessment and our teachers are busy developing action plans to respond to the results. We are int the final push for the state assessments in April (ACT Aspire in Grade 9; ACT and AZSci in Grade 11).
Please take the time to ask your student to share their results from the benchmark. See this brief video with instructions on how to access that information. https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/354e0a8f-a8a7-42e1-b1a2-7abe7ce929e0
For additional information on how best to support your student in preparing for the April assessments, please reach out to your student’s teachers.
Checking Grades
Blackboard Access: Families are encouraged to log into Blackboard to support your student’s academic progress. In Blackboard, you will be able to review your student’s classes, check assignments completed and better understand what they are learning in class. Please ask your student for their password information in order to access. If you need support in accessing your student’s password, please call (520)374-7170
Attendance Notification Contacts
We now have new access lines for you to notify us of your student's absence. Please use the following to share attendance information:
Phone: 520 876-0661
Email: inova-attendance@cguhsd.org
Technology Tips
Class Technologies
Please use this video link to get information on how to use Class and to put a ticket in for support with the platform. This link is also included as a video link further down into the newsletter.
Edmentum
Students experiencing any issues with their computer or accessing programs can do the following: Restart your computer - Restarting your computer should be something students do weekly to check for computer updates. Clear Cookies and Cache - When you use a browser, like Chrome, it saves some information from websites in its cache and cookies. Clearing them fixes certain problems, like loading or formatting issues on sites. Check Edmentum Status Page - If Edmentum is not responding or your having issues logging into Edmentum, checking the status page will let you know if they are experiencing any issues: Edmentum Status Call Technology - 520-374-7170 Hours of Operation: 7 am - 4 pm.
Edmentum Students who are currently scheduled to take an Edmentum class should have received an enrollment email from Edmentum. The email provides the student with details of the course, the Edmentum teacher assigned as well as login information. Students are expected to login to their Edmentum course during the period it is assigned on their schedule daily. Any student that has not received their course, please reach out to Mrs. Teran - ateran@cguhsd.org *Parents, you should also be receiving emails from your child's Edmentum teacher regarding opportunities for students to attend live lessons (if applicable) as well as progress reports. Please check your email and spam folder.
Do you have new student that need a little help navigating OneDrive, Outlook, Blackboard, etc?? The collection of Freshmen Success Videos is available here:
https://web.microsoftstream.com/channel/a46538ec-52e2-4f9a-875f-15e01471d27f
Please use them as needed.
Tech support for INOVA Students:
520-374-7170
7am – 4pm
M-F
We have an App for that!
Do you want real time information about attendance and grades for your student? You can easily access using the PowerSchool App. Stay on top of assignments and participate more fully in your student's daily progress with the PowerSchool App. Students can download and use it too!
- Download from your app store.
- Enter the District Code: QJDT.
- Enter your username and password. This will be the same username and password you use to access the web-based PowerSchool Parent Portal.
...and remember we have tutoring options!!!
😎⭐⭐⭐Counselor's Corner😎 ⭐⭐⭐
Happy BLACK History Month and February 10th INOVA Student Body & staff,
Hope you are doing FANTASTIC and have a wonderful weekend. To all current 9th- 11th grader student and families please respond to course selections being sent to you in an INCOMING email today no late than Tuesday, February 14th, 2023.
If you need support with anything, please reach out to me via email @ tclardy@cguhsd.org and we will set something up during visiting hours.
Words of Wisdom-
"Think as BIG as You can, We can always work towards the bigger things we envision and plan. When you think small you limit where you can land. Try to say Yes more!!! Believe in the unthinkable."- Arizona State VICE PRESIDENT Lindy Elkins
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Tip of the week-
It's a new month believe in yourself and take the risk that you believe will position you to look and feel great at the same time. Never mind the doubters, make a plan and go for it all, life is too short not too.
Fun Fact of the week:
Originally, February was made the last month of the calendar year. Eventually (c. 450 BC), February was moved to its place as the second month.
Upcoming Events & Important Dates
Thursday February 23rd, 2023- Scholarship EXPO.
Wednesday March 1st, 2023-Build Your Future Transition Fair
Wednesday, May 24th 2023- INOVA Graduation held at VGHS Auditorium