January 20, 2020

YCHS Weekly Info, 1/20-1/24

SCHOOLS: YCHS

Grizzlies,

I hope that you had a nice, long weekend!! :))

I spent Monday at EMU's 34th celebration honoring the life of Martin Luther King Jr. This years theme was: Rise Up Against Injustice – underscores the need to address social injustices in an honest, actionable, and thought-provoking way. Civic engagement was highlighted to support student diversity, equity and inclusion programming, especially at EMU. I was PROUD to hear that we had YCHS students at the UM MLK Jr. event to go along with our YCHS NACCP Leader Dwayne Hunter and Students at the EMU event.

Few Things:

*Every teacher should be allowing our students to 'show mastery' via test retakes and test corrections. This should have a huge affect on grading. Use a 'growth mindset' with grading. Get our scholars across the finish line, especially if they are in the 50% range. Incompletes (I) can also be given for students that can get caught up and passing.... Document this.

*Please make sure that you are doing everything that you can do to get our scholars across the finish line with their academics in this 1st Semester! This is VERY important in our work!

*Every teacher should put a comment on the report card for every student. At minimum, for any student that has a C- or below in your class.

*Unless cleared by your evaluating Administrator and/or Principal: teachers do NOT give Finals early, unless you are giving a multiple part/day Exam. All teachers are to be giving a 'test' on our Exam days.

*Documentation for Exam accommodations for Spec Ed and 504 students! This MUST be documented. You MUST comment on this - that you atleast offered it, etc. Alert the TC's, Sunisloe, and/or Rawsky about this. Reach out to them if you have questions.

*Have any Special Ed students failing? You need to be working with the TC's on these failures! Documenting everything based on those accommodations. This is legal and binding....

*Your total overall Failure Rate for your students should be under 15%. This will have an affect on your evaluation. See your evaluating Administrator with any questions that you might have about this.

*Attendance, to count towards your Failure Rate = 18 absences for the students that you see everyday. 11 for our normal block students.

*We are officially at the halfway mark to the school year. Buckle up! The 2nd Semester will fly by with 'testing', and 'breaks'.

*AP Alvarado will be at Erickson Elementary helping to support their building this week, as Erickson Principal Mickel is out on maternity leave.

*Climate and Culture Coach Val Brooks will be out of the building on Tues and Wed this week. She will be facilitating a Restorative Practice training at the WISD. Interns and volunteers will be working in the Grizzly Center both of these days.

Thoughts:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that". ~~Martin Luther King Jr.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy". ~~Martin Luther King Jr

"The time is always right to do what is right". ~~Martin Luther King Jr.

#StrongerTogether

The Week Ahead:

Question(s) about our upcoming schedule(s)? Make sure to dive into your Teacher Handbook as the information is in there....

Mon - A day
-MLK Jr. Event, 11am-3pm, EMU

Tues - B day

-Central Office meeting, 9:30-11:30am

-SLC meetings, 3:35pm

Wed - Exam day 1. Full Day. Special Schedule

-Office Team meeting, 10:30am

-Teacher meeting, 12:30pm

-HR meeting, 2pm