Dear Students and Parents,
I hope you had a restful and enjoyable fall break!
Student to Faculty Feedback - Monday and Tuesday
Teachers will hold synchronous sessions on Monday and Tuesday to allow students time to complete the student to teacher feedback survey for the semester. Responses are anonymous and questions cover a range of topics. This fall representatives from the Student Advisory Forum worked with teachers to reword some of the questions to make them more relevant to virtual learning. The team also suggested adding a few questions specific to the virtual experience. As always, there are open response questions at the end and we hope students will take the time to give constructive and actionable feedback.
Wellbeing Sessions - Moving to Wednesdays
The Student Advisory Forum suggested moving the dedicated wellbeing activity block from Friday to Wednesday to avoid the business of the end of the week mid-module.
This shift will take place starting Wednesday, October 14th.
Save the Date - October Parent Coffee
Please join the counselors, Mike and me on Tuesday, October 27th at 8:45 am for our October Parent Coffee (link; passcode=HS). As mid-semester progress reports will be sent home later that day, the counselors will share information about how to speak with teens about their academic feedback. This will be followed by plenty of time to dialogue on the topic.
October PSAT Going Forward
Please note that we have booked a hotel banquet room to host the annual PSAT/NMSQT test on Thursday, October 29th. A few weeks ago we asked interested 10th and 11th graders to sign up for the test with Ms. Priya. Interested 9th graders were added to a waitlist. Ms. Priya will contact students nearer to the date to share time and location details.
Mid-Semester Progress Reports
Parents will receive mid-semester progress reports via email on the afternoon of October 27th. Please note that this report is a snapshot of achievement to date and that there is ample time for students to progress in the second half of the semester.
For each course, students will receive a score for the three achievement strands (knowledge & understanding, thinking & transfer, and communication) as well as an overall course score. These scores are based on performance to date on summative assessments and are determined in consultation with the strand and course rubrics linked to the course syllabus.
Students will also receive ratings on their learning habits in each course. This includes preparedness, collaboration, and initiative & resilience.
Finally, students will receive a comment from each teacher to give context to their achievement. Please note that these comments contain a combination of drop and drag departmental comments and personalized teacher written comments for each student.
Student Parent Teacher Conferences - Virtual Only
As campus will remain closed through October, we have rescheduled our student parent teacher conferences to create more opportunities to meet with teachers. A link to sign up for conferences will be emailed home on October 21st and posted again in the Principal’s Notes on October 23rd.
Conference slots will be 10 minutes in length on Wednesday, October 28th from 3:30 - 5:30 pm and on Thursday, October 29th from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.
Arts, Sports & Activities - A Message from Activities and Athletics
High school students can now sign up for ASA's via the HS Student Bulletin or the Athletics & Activities Blog. Check out the Registration Form for Season 2, which will begin Monday, October 19th. HS activities include: Advanced Coding, Basketball, Soccer, Raptors Dance Team, Game Development through JavaScript, Textile Arts & Stitching, and Fitness & Yoga
Save the Date - High School Virtual Theater Production
Mr. Luna and the cast and crew of A Mystery Murdered and Fortunes Read Virtually for $1 are hard at work preparing for the fall theater production. Please save the date to attend the production on October 29th or 30th at 6:00 pm.
Sincerely,
Joelle Basnight
High School Principal
