To: Michael Green
From: John Shoup
CC: School Board members
Date: 3.05.14
Re: February Review
Here is an overview of the key activities we worked on in relation to teaching and learning this month.
Monday’s: We had three Monday’s this month for staff development time. We used the time to prepare staff for the upcoming student led conferences and department collaboration time which focused on our curriculum handbook revisions and the always changing state testing requirements and graduation expectations.
Curriculum Handbook: There was quite a bit of work this month preparing our curriculum handbook for course offerings for the 2014-2015 school year. It seems that literally everyone is involved in this project, but it is critically important as it will culminate in the development of our master schedule for next year.
Other information: Our staffing transitions have gone quite smoothly. Ms. Rose Meng is adjusting nicely to her new job and students are finding the transition from Ms. Huston to be going smoothly. In fact, Ms. Huston continues to support Rose as they both prepare to send students to the FBLA state competition this month. Mrs. Sixberry is now fully engaged in teaching the French 1 and 2 classes and is doing quite well. Also, I would like to mention the wonderful “Taste of Jazz” event which Brent LiaBraaten organized. This event had performance by both our band and choir groups as well as having the food catered by Kim Miller’s students. However, it was not Mrs. Miller who organized the catered food, it was Mrs. Kyla Keefer (Sorensen) who has been substituting for Mrs. Miller while she is recovering from her broken leg injury.
This is the final big push to prepare our students for the reading and writing HSPE which will begin in March. In addition, many of our seniors will be making their final culminating project presentations during the HSPE testing window. As we prepare students for student led conferences and registration, we took many of our sophomores to the Skill Center for a preview at the end of the month. Mrs. Thorson, Ms.Gray and Mrs. Sloniker have been working with the middle school to schedule students for next year.