MHS WEEKLY STAFF UPDATE

• Updates from Jason
• Dates to Remember
• Staff Solon Salutes Shout Outs
• Department Updates: Guidance Department & CBL
• Procedure Reminders & Helpful Links
• MRPS District Updates

Hello All,

I hope you are well and had a wonderful long weekend. Thank you to Heather M. for your work, time, and communication for the Race Against Racism. The event was fabulous! And thank you to the adult volunteers who helped make it happen.

A short week. All Solon Blocks are standard, and please schedule students as needed.

It's the last week of May, and we're getting close to the end. Please reach out if you need assistance communicating with caregivers about students' grades or tracking down students. We are finalizing the details on the Guiding Coalition interest forms and anyone who wants to participate in the summer work groups. We will be reaching out to you shortly.

As we are in the midst of interviews for the Registrar, Administrative Assistant, and math positions, and just beginning the interview team collection and process for our Theatre position, I want to assure you that we are diligently working to fill these roles with the best candidates. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to let me know.

As we step into a new week, I encourage each one of you to reach out if you need any assistance. Your well-being and success are our top priorities, and we are here to support you in any way we can.

Sincerely,

Jason

Sociology professor Daniel Chambliss, who spent years researching the qualities of elite swimmers, on what creates excellence:

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"Excellence is mundane. Superlative performance is really a confluence of dozens of small skills or activities, each one learned or stumbled upon, which have been carefully drilled into habit and then are fitted together in a synthesized whole. There is nothing extraordinary or superhuman in any one of those actions; only the fact that they are done consistently and correctly, and all together, produce excellence.

When a swimmer learns a proper flip turn in the freestyle races, she will swim the race a bit faster; then a streamlined push off from the wall, with the arms squeezed together over the head, and a little faster; then how to place the hands in the water so no air is cupped in them; then how to lift them over the water; then how to lift weights to properly build strength, and how to eat the right foods, and to wear the best suits for racing, and on and on.

Each of those tasks seems small in itself, but each allows the athlete to swim a bit faster. And having learned and consistently practiced all of them together, and many more besides, the swimmer may compete in the Olympic Games... the little things really do count."

Source: The Mundanity of Excellence

Edutopia Article of the Week

Interesting Article on AI and Essay Grading

Important Happenings this week:

Monday 5/27/24
No School

Tuesday 5/28/24

7:30 Department Team Meetings- Last call on Guiding Coalition applications; we have received 3- World Languages, Math, and English.

1:00 Normal Solon Block

3:15 Last Guiding Coalition Meeting
8:00-10:00 AM Cora H next year social worker visiting MHS

Unified Boccie Tournament

Go to the Senior Night Baseball game- the team is #1 in D2! @ Montpelier Rec Field

Wednesday 5/29/24

7:30-8:15 Math Candidate Interview
7:30- Paul Gamble and Bridges Faculty Meeting in the library - if you are not in either of these 7:30 options, planning time.

1:00 Normal Solon Block

1:45 League Meeting- Jason G

Enrichment Schedule is due.
Possible Senior Skip and Prank Day

Thursday 5/30/24

7:30- 10th grade EST, planning time for everyone else

9:00 Registrar interview

1:00 Normal Solon Block
MSMS uses the Auditorium today- concert

Friday 5/31/24

7:30 11/12 Grade EST- planning time everyone else

10:00 Registrar Interview

PE- Canoe Unit starts

1:00 Normal Solon Block

Reminders (To Do)

• Please enter the department or student awards planned for June 12 here.

• Please see the Hazing, Harassment and Bullying one- pager reminder below

• Please communicate home to caregivers about students who will fail a class- there should be no surprises come the end of the year.

• Thinking about First 3 days of school- 8/28, 29, 30. 8/28 will be our typical orientation day. 8/29 & 30- normal Green and white days. No soft start to the year.

A reminder the Discretionary Days system changed from last year. Staff will document your days via a Google Form. The form can be found on the Human Resources Page of our Website.

Forms are due by June 3rd, 2024.

• Prior to students returning their Chromebooks, they just complete this form.
  In TA's
• When a student brings their Chromebook to Russell, he will check the form spreadsheet to make sure that the student completed the form, and he will scan the Asset tag into the spreadsheet, where indicated.
• June 3-7: Seniors return their Chromebooks to Russell in the tech office as soon as they are done with coursework.
• June 10-14: Final chance for seniors to return their Chromebooks to Russell in the tech office. Other students may also begin to turn in their Chromebooks during this week, if they are no longer needed for this year's coursework.
• June 17-19: Students may continue to turn in their Chromebooks to Russell in the tech office.
• June 20: Final day for students to turn in their Chromebooks to Russell in Room 126 (Val has reserved Room 126 for Russell for June 20 and 21).
• Block 1: 8:55-9:35 - Grade 9
• Block 2: 9:40-10:20 - Grade 10
• Block 3: 10:25-11:05 - Grade 11
• Block 4: 11:10-11:55 - Open time for any student to still turn in a Chromebook

1. Two weeks ago I was in my final class for this semester. One of the other students presented her final project for the semester which was about how she coached a middle school English teacher on how to leverage Assets-Based Pedagogies to increase engagement and academic achievement for her 7th grade students. As soon as she started her presentation, I excitedly started making connections between tSEL and Asset-Based Pedagogies, which has a branch in Culturally Responsive Teaching. Through this teacher leveraging Assets-Based Pedagogy, she was able to embed tSEL and Culturally Responsive Teaching into the structure of her lesson while maintaining focus on academics. It was really exciting to see another real-world example of how teachers are using culturally responsive teaching and tSEL to increase student engagement, feelings of connection and belonging, and academics for students. For me, it continued to clarify that it is not about focusing on belonging or academics, but instead is about using engaging and culturally responsive lessons to create an increased sense of belonging and increase academic outcomes.
   

The goal of the listservs is to keep educators and administrators updated about professional learning opportunities, resources, AOE initiatives, and discipline-specific communication and information. Use the following links to sign up for one or more of our content listservs:

• English Language Arts and Literacy: https://list.vermont.gov/mailman/listinfo/aoe.ela

• Mathematics: https://list.vermont.gov/mailman/listinfo/aoe.mathematics

• Physical Education and Health: https://forms.office.com/g/VH0re1qsq2

• Science: https://list.vermont.gov/mailman/listinfo/aoe.scienceeducation

• Social Studies: email martha.deiss@vermont.gov

• STEAM: https://list.vermont.gov/mailman/listinfo/aoe.steam

• Visual and Performing Arts: https://list.vermont.gov/mailman/listinfo/aoe.artseducation

• 
  

• 5/28/24 AP Spanish Dairy Farm Field Trip
• 5/29/24 7:30 AM Wednesday Gathering with Paul Gamble- if participating in Bridges PD
• 5/30/24 MSMS Concert at MHS 3:00-8:00
• 6/3/24 Discretionary Days submitted to Google Form/Central Office.
• 6/5/24 Enrichment During Solon Block
• 6/6/24 Egress Drill (Fire) later afternoon.
• 6/7 Bake Sale Club Interact
• 6/7/24 Grades are due to Aaron for all seniors.
• 6/8/24 Junior Prom at Farm House Flowers
• 6/10/24 Faculty Meeting Celebration
• 6/12/24 CVCC Awards Celebration at Barre Aud 6:00 PM
• 6/12/24 8:20-9:30 Senior Breakfast
  9:40-10:55 Graduation Rehearsal
  2:00-3:00 All School Awards Assembly in the Auditorium
• 6/13/24 7:00 PM -1:00 AM Project Graduation
• June 14 MHS Senior Graduation
  10-11:30 Rehearsal
  11:30 Speaker Rehearsal
  4:30 Seniors Arrive
  5:00 Start Time
• June 17 MHS Celebration at NOA. 3:30 PM
  June 17th Last Day of Classes (Green Day)
• June 18 & 19 WUD Days (White Day, Green Day)
• June 18 MSMS Promotion Ceremony at MHS
• June 20- Last day of school- Noon Dismissal
• June 20- all final grades are due by 3:00 PM
• June 21- Sound of Music, Lyric Theater is performing a concert version with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra June 20, 21, 22nd at the Von Trapp concert meadow in Stowe. Tickets are on sale! https://cart.flynnvt.org/18528/18728

• September 28 from 12-4:00 MRPS PIE FALL HARVEST Celebration at the State House.
  

Senior Grades are due June 7th. This gives any Senior June 10-13 to finalize any mishaps.
Seniors are expected in class on the 10th & 11th. The 12-14 are slated for graduation events.

• How to use the interpretation service. Here is the document with the directions.
• 9th Grade Summative Calendar
  
• 10th Grade Summative Calendar
• 11 and 12 Grade Summative Calendar
• Learning Strategies Success Bank from Grade Level EST
• Recurring Meeting Schedule
• 23-24 Flex Block and Long TA Schedule (subject to change)
• 2023-24 MHS Bell Schedule
• MHS 23-24 Greenn & White Schedule
• MHS 23-24 Program of Studies
• MRPS 23-24 District Calendar (updated to reflect 4/8 tp 4/15 ER Switch)
• MRPS Curriculum Webpage
• MHS Staff Webpage
• How to Post a Ready Sub Absence
• MHS Hazing, Harassment and Bullying Information: If you believe you have witnessed or experienced discrimination, bias-based harassment, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, or bullying at MRPS, please report it to a school administrator as possible. If you do not feel comfortable reporting in person, please complete this reporting form. If you have any questions please contact MRPS Director of Social Emotional Learning & Wellness, Jessica Murray, at jessicamurray@mpsvt.org or (802)505-0435.

• MRPS has a District Blog; please sign up and learn about all the great moments at each school.

• Things to Check Out on the MRPS Curriculum Site.

• June 5th- Next School Board Meeting at MHS 6:30 PM

• Updates on the MHS track page

• Updates on FAQ about the Roxbury transition UES & RVS: Roxbury Transition Committee

Email: jasongingold@mpsvt.org
Website: https://www.mrpsvt.org/mhs
Location: 5 High School Drive, Montpelier, VT, USA
Phone: (802)225-8000
Twitter: @GingoldMHSvt

Instagram: @mhssolons