Principal Reflection:
I want to thank Rachel Barnes for sharing the link to this article (& the photo) with me recently. She used it as a writing prompt for her 8th grade midterm focusing on the topic of cell phone use and how our students were progressing on independent reading and writing. This topic is not new and has come up several times over the course of this year. At our 1st ever Shark "Think" Tank community conversation it was a hot topic. Parents, teachers, administrators and students all wanted to talk about it and all agreed it was something that needed further conversation. We as a school must collaboratively decide how we want to handle the use of cell phones in our school and we need to do so as soon as possible.
Student Response to Reading the Article:
Thank you so much Mrs. Barnes! After reading these articles I will definitely start working towards using my phone less. It really means a lot that you had us read these articles because the overuse of phones has become a huge issue for today’s generation.
Although we as a staff will discuss this in a future faculty meeting, there will be opportunities for ALL staff at MRHS to opine before then, and I encourage you to do so. On March 1, 2018 (6pm library) we will be hosting our 2nd Shark "Think" Tank community conversation and one of the topics will be cell phone use by students. It would be terrific if we could have as many of our staff represented as possible. It is quite powerful to sit with parents, students, and community members to have these important conversations. We will also be discussing other topics that involve how our students learn best.
On February 8 (Next Thursday) I will be holding my first, in a series, of "Shark Bites" student voice sessions during Jawsome in room A202. I will have questions posted on chart paper around the room and will make myself available to students. Students are encouraged to stop by to respond to one of the posted questions or pose their own. I will share the responses with you, but would suggest you stop by if possible- ALL staff are invited to sit in an join the conversation, or simply check out what our students are sharing. I want to continue to foster opportunities in our school culture where students and staff feel comfortable having conversations with each other and administrators about our school.
A reminder that every other Friday (see Katie's am announcements) our administrative team is available in the first floor teachers room from 8:15-8:45am as part of our "Swimming with Sharks" series to hold conversations with staff and enjoy each others company- please join us! Also, if you have any concerns or solutions to problems, please contact a member of our Faculty Senate. The Senate meets regularly to discuss staff concerns and solutions and then meets with me to debrief and set up action plans to address any concerns proactively. Finally, any staff member is always welcome to drop in to say hi, share an idea, or an opinion with Janie, Mike and I. We appreciate all you do and our school is moving from good to great because of all the bright, hard working and dedicated staff we are so fortunate to have here at MRHS.
SUCCESS CHATS:
Teachers & Counselors,
Since the beginning of the year our focus has highlighted the importance of establishing clear learning objectives, embedding critical thinking and differentiating instruction to meet ALL learners' needs. In addition, we have committed to using data to inform, support and guide our instruction. Beginning Monday February 26, 2018 our administrative team will be meeting with teachers and counselors to discuss progress in meeting these expectations and to offer support.
Please contact your primary evaluator by Friday February 2, 2018 to schedule a 20-minute meeting to discuss learning objectives, critical thinking, differentiated instruction, & your use of data and their impact on student learning in your classroom.
Jawsome Visitor:
Word is getting out about our very successful Jawsome Hour!~ We've already had several school leaders visit us to check it out and learn more. Next Monday, February 5, 2018, Brian McCann (2011 MA Principal of the Year) Principal of Joseph Case HS will be visiting. Please let me know if you'd like us to visit your classroom during Jawsome- always great to see what is happening in your classrooms and to hear from the teachers and students.
Thank you to our Outstanding Counselors for all you do!!
Upcoming Faculty Meeting Dates
Tuesday, January 30th
Tuesday, February 6th
Tuesday, March 20th
Tuesday, April 3rd
Tuesday, May 29
Tuesday, June 18
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY!
**If interested please contact Ms. Long directly**
This spring the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy is trying to work with Cape schools to provide programs pertaining to public safety. We want to try and further develop youth's understanding of the shark warning flags, how to use the 'Sharktivity' public safety app, as well as provide general information on water and wildlife safety. A short outline of the program is provided at the bottom of this email.
I would appreciate the opportunity to provide this program to the students at Monomoy Regional High School. As we go into the spring if there is a time when grade levels meet for assembly, or if there is a department that would be willing to have me come in and speak to their classes over a day or two, it would be great to provide this program to students before school is dismissed for summer break.
Please let me know your thoughts and interest in the program, and please know I would be happy to meet with you to discuss the program further to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you,
Marianne
Marianne Long
Education Director
Atlantic White Shark Conservancy
Shark Smart Public Safety Program
Program Type: Lecture
Length: 10-15 minutes
Cost: Free
This interactive presentation will include an explanation of the shark warning flags, a review of best practices for water and shark safety, and a demonstration of how to use the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s app ‘Sharktivity’.
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NEASC Visit Opportunities: A message from George Edwards- NEASC Director: **If you have not yet been on a site visit and would like to participate on one of these opportunities please let me know**
We greatly appreciate your continued support of the accreditation process and are hopeful you may be able to assist your fellow educators who are hosting visiting teams during the Spring of 2018 season. Our team coordinators, who are working diligently to secure volunteers to serve on visiting teams, still have a number of open positions for professional staff to serve as members of these teams listed below. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
PLEASE address all responses to Donna Spencer-Wilson at dspencerwilson@neasc.org. If you need to speak with someone directly call 781-425-7719. We look forward to your reply. Thank you.
As this is a group e-mail please understand that we will accept the earliest response and may only place one educator from each school on a team. A prompt reply would enhance being added to the team.
Travel by automobile (mileage and tolls) and lodging expenses will be covered by the host school. All rooms are single occupancy. Opening meetings with members of your team will begin 10-11 a.m. on Sunday and you will be expected to remain until shortly after the school day ends on Wednesday.
Any personal or professional connections with the host school or residence in the town or one which borders it by you or a family member constitutes conflict of interest and, therefore, precludes serving.
March 4 - 7, 2018 East Hampton High School, East Hampton, CT
science
English, special ed, phys or health ed
library media specialist
March 11 – 14, 2018 Housatonic Valley Regional High School, Falls Village, CT
English, math, science, world language
guidance counselor
science, world language
guidance counselor
building level administrator
March 18 – 21, 2018 East Bridgewater Jr/Sr High School, East Bridgewater, MA
math, world language, technology education
guidance counselor, library media specialist
math, science, world language, special ed
library media specialist
building level administrator
March 25 – 28, 2018 Westhill High School, Stamford, CT
English
central office administrator
For Principals: If you have other certified educators not listed above who wish to be placed on a team, please by all means send us their names and areas of certification and we will add them to our database for future visits. Thank you.
For interested educators: If you have not served on a visiting team before and would like more information, please visit our website http://cpss.neasc.org. Under the “Information for the Public” tab you will find “Visiting Team Qualifications” and you may also view the PowerPoint presentation by clicking on the link under “Visiting Team Volunteering.”
Thank you for supporting the accreditation process.
George H. Edwards, Director
Commission on Public Schools
Tel: 781-425-7735 Email: gedwards@neasc.org
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