Hello All,
I hope you are well, had a wonderful break, and all is good in your worlds. We are back! It's March, meaning more daylight and hopefully warmer weather; the Yankees' first game is 23 days away! Life is looking good.
As we return a few reminders, it's still semester two after the longest January/February ever. MHS is two and 1/2 weeks away from Conference day(s), and as we all settle back in, we should be prepared to communicate with caregivers and students about their progress. Progress Reports will be mailed home three weeks after the conference day to continue to help us monitor student progress (Around April 5th).
After any vacation, I like to refresh my memory and evaluate what we are working on at MHS. We aim to complete the LEs by the end of this year to have them ready for the 24-25 School year and communicate to students and caregivers about the changes. And if the budget passes or does not, the outcome will determine our next steps in reacting or moving forward as normal.
Things I am excited about! Soup for Soul, Spring Athletics, 12th Night performance, Pizza for the People, Spring fling-dance, continued 24-25 school year planning, and our time together. I'm totally looking forward to connecting this week with you.
I hope you have a smooth re-entry, and excited to be back with you all.
Novelist Toni Morrison on beauty:
"I think of beauty as an absolute necessity. I don't think it's a privilege or an indulgence, it's not even a quest. I think it's almost like knowledge, which is to say, it's what we were born for. I think finding, incorporating and then representing beauty is what humans do. With or without authorities telling us what it is, I think it would exist in any case.
The startle and the wonder of being in this place. This overwhelming beauty—some of it is natural, some of it is man-made, some of it is casual, some of it is a mere glance—is an absolute necessity. I don't think we can do without it any more than we can do without dreams or oxygen."
Source: The Paris Review (hat tip to Maya Popa)
Sincerely,
Jason
Edutopia Articles of The Week
Article on Having Students Study Why They Failed
Important Happenings this week:
Monday 3/4/24
Break
Tuesday 3/5/24
Town Meeting Day
Wednesday 3/6/24 (White Day)
7:30-8:05 Use this time to settle back into school
1:00 Long TA No Solon Block Long TA Discussion
1:45 Jason G at League
3:15 Yoga with Amanda 3:15 - 4:15 Room 206
6:30 MRPS Board Meeting MHS Library
Thursday 3/7/24
7:30- 8:05 9th Grade EST Meeting. If not in 9th grade team, planning time. Required for all 9th grade teachers.
1:00 Normal Solon Block
Friday 3/8/24
7:30- 8:05 Planning Time
1:00 Normal Solon Block
Reminders:
- If you have a student attending your SB who was not signed up with you, PLEASE assign them to your SB immediately so that the attendance can be accurate.
And, if you have a TA student called back to a different teacher, please advise that student where to go. - Solon Block Expectations- Students scheduled in your TA or Solon Block should not be granted permission to leave and go to another space during that time without the express permission of the receiving teacher. We're seeing an increase in wanderings, particularly with our 9th graders. If students are scheduled to be with you for a Solon Block, but they have completed the specific to-dos for that session, you are expected to keep them with you for the duration. The students for whom we are creating routine Solon Block schedules typically have plenty to work on in terms of assignments and skills. Please do not send them back to TA or elsewhere. Thank you for helping to keep the expectations around Solon Block clear and consistent.
