Week of December 11, 2017

Bus/Parking lot duty:   Smith and Gaynor

Monday 12/11: 8:00 Faculty Meeting (nuts and bolts and 21st Century check in) 8:30;  9:00 Department meetings
Tuesday 12/12: 
Wednesday 12/13 
Thursday 12/14:   Holiday Dinner for students
Friday 12/15:  

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Beck and Clark
Monday 1/1 New Year's Day
Tuesday 1/2: 
Wednesday 1/3 
Thursday 1/4:  
Friday 1/5:  

Week of December 4, 2017

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Meeks 

Monday 12/4  Kaiser at PBEC
Tuesday 12/5:  Kaiser at PBEC
Wednesday 12/6 Kaiser at PBEC
Thursday 12/7:   Kaiser at PBEC  Holiday dine-in and conferences  3:00 - 7:00
Friday 12/8:  Celebration Assembly 11:15

Bus/Parking lot duty:   Smith and Gaynor

Monday 12/11 Faculty Meeting 8:00
Tuesday 12/12: 
Wednesday 12/13 
Thursday 12/14:   Holiday Dinner for students
Friday 12/15:  

Conferences
Conferences will be December 7th from 3:00 -7:00 PM.  I will not be here, so I'm asking for everyone to take personal responsibility for being in the commons to greet parents as they come in, if you aren't conferencing in your room.

Celebration Assembly
Please talk to your students about the celebration assembly this week in your 21st Century Skills classes.  Some things to teach to... Parents/families will be in attendance, please be gracious hosts, listen politely, enter and exit the gym calmly, clap appropriately, show respect for all the students and speakers.  Anything else...

Volunteer Opportunity
Skyway Elementary is putting together a pretty large community event that will take place on the evening of December 15th.  They have already reached out to Skyway staff and parents as well as Lake City Church for volunteers.  The links to view details about the event and to sign up are below.
I am signed up to volunteer on the evening of December 14th.  If you would like to volunteer either on your own or with some students, here is the link to sign up:  http://lakecity.church/feedchildren/

Week of November 27, 2017

I feel so blessed and fortunate to be part of Venture High School and the amazing work that happens here.  The work you all do is so much more than teaching. You care about kids, their families and their lives and the power of that caring opens up possibilities that might otherwise be impossible.  We all, individually and collectively, maintain a hopeful vision for each of our kids through times when they struggle to see potential in themselves.  I am so thankful for each of you!   I wish for you a Thanksgiving break that renews your strength and refreshes your spirit.
Happy Thanksgiving! 


Bus/Parking lot duty:  Levy and Mahoney

Monday 11/27:  8:00: Staff meeting- bring your School-Connect curriculum  9:00 - 12:00:   Resiliency III Training with Teresa Hurliman; 12:30 Math meeting
Tuesday 11/28:  
Wednesday 11/29:
Thursday 11/30:   
Friday 12/1: Last Day of Trimester

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Meeks 

Monday 12/4  Kaiser at PBEC
Tuesday 12/5:  Kaiser at PBEC
Wednesday 12/6 Kaiser at PBEC
Thursday 12/7:   Kaiser at PBEC  Holiday dine-in and conferences  3:00 - 7:00
Friday 12/8:  Celebration Assembly

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Meeks 

Monday 12/11 Faculty Meeting 8:00
Tuesday 12/12: 
Wednesday 12/13 
Thursday 12/14:   Holiday Dinner for students
Friday 12/15:  

Welcome Miller Gregory Meeks

Week of November 13, 2017

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Higgs and Hook
Monday 11/13: 7:00 Library Cross district Collaboration - Bring concerns, thoughts, suggestions for our 21st Century skills class.  This is a school day!
Tuesday 11/14:  
Wednesday 11/15:  Kaiser out - Data Summit II
Thursday 11/16:   
Friday 11/17: 

Week of November 20 - Thanksgiving Break

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Levy and Mahoney
Monday 11/27: Resiliency III Training 9:00   Please be ready to begin at 9:00
Tuesday 11/28:  
Wednesday 11/29:
Thursday 11/30:   
Friday 12/1: Last Day of Trimester

Holidays
It's time for my annual reminder that the holidays are often stressful and not fun for our students.  As families reach the limits of their emotional and physical resources, kids can become the casualties of dysfunctional coping mechanisms.  Hence, the unhappy memories.  Mix in the teenage tendency to believe everyone else has a better life than they do, add a sprinkle of unstructured time and a smattering of disrupted routines, and teachers become the collateral damage of 140 hijacked amygdalas.  

A few things to remember:

1. Don't make assignments based on the assumption that holidays are fun for all.  Don't ask them to reflect on, refer to, or tell stories about past holidays, plans for current holidays etc.  
2. This doesn't mean that you have to avoid festivity.  However, focus on themes that are non religious and common to most cultures.  Please don't add to anxiety with gift exchanges etc.
3. Keep your schedules as normal as possible.  Giving anxiety-ridden, stressed-out students free time is not helpful.  Unstructured time is not a teacher's friend.  Consistent and predictable routines serve to calm the amygdala and free up the frontal cortex for learning and decision making.
4. We already have reduced time at school.  It's really important to use every minute to learning advantage.  We can't show movies in their entirety (copyright laws, or something like that)  Activities should be tied to standards and learning objectives.

Lock Down Drill

The lock down drill went really well.  We rattle doors, opened some doors to make sure kids were hunkered down and quiet.  And it went pretty well.  

IMEN Visit

I wish I would have video'd the IMEN student interviews.  Five students were interviewed and they RAVED about how helpful their teachers were and how much they loved their classes.  When asked what they would change about the school, ALL of the kids said they would change nothing - everything is working well for them.  Kudos to all of you for creating a safe and accepting learning environment for all of our kids.  You guys are the BEST!!!

Week of November 6

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Fehling
Monday 11/6:  8:00 Staff Meeting, 9:30 Department meetings (if necessary) Senior projects
Tuesday 11/7:  3:30 Mandatory Training for all Special Ed staff
Wednesday 11/8: IMEN VISIT.  
Thursday 11/9:   
Friday 11/10: 

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Higgs and Hook
Monday 11/13: 7:00 Library Cross district Collaboration - Bring concerns, thoughts, suggestions for our 21st Century skills class.  This is a school day!
Tuesday 11/14:  
Wednesday 11/15:  
Thursday 11/16:   
Friday 11/17: 

Monday November 13 is a student day.... Everything that morning is exactly one hour later.  They catch the bus one hour later, come to school one hour later, eat breakfast one hour later...

Kids in the Office
Just a reminder... when kids are in the office, they are generally being managed by me, Connie, Matt, or Bryan. We're working with a broader network of community resources than we've had in the past and we have some students with a high level of needs.  Please don't send them back to class or ask them why they're in the office.  Sometimes students exhibit a range of behaviors that are counter intuitive and difficult to interpret, especially if we don't have all the information.  If you have any concerns, please feel free to come talk to me.

IMEN Visit
Reminder:  Kelly Brady et. al from IMEN will be visiting Wednesday morning from 8:00 - 11:00

21st Century Skills
The bouncy balls have arrived (remember - bouncy ball = resilience, egg = no resilience)
If you would like to do that lesson/demonstration with your class, come get a bouncy ball.

Eight Strategies for More Kid Talk/Less Teacher Talk

Week of October 30

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Cooley and Doering

Monday 10/30:  Non work day
Tuesday 10/31:  
Wednesday 11/1: Kaiser, Smith, Fehling, Gaynor at workshop
Thursday 11/2:   Kaiser, Smith, Fehling, Gaynor at workshop
Friday 11/3: 


Bus/Parking lot duty:  Fehling  

Monday 11/6:  Collaboration Day
Tuesday 11/7:  3:30 Mandatory Training for all Special Ed staff
Wednesday 11/8: IMEN VISIT.  
Thursday 11/9:   
Friday 11/10: 

IMEN Visit
On Wednesday, Nov. 8, IMEN will be visiting Venture High School.  They will be asking us about how our grading, delivery of instruction, instructional activities etc. reflect the the work we've done using the IMEN grant.  I will be pulling some progress reports randomly (names whited out) to show them how every teacher is using a mastery-based approach toward assessing and grading students.  We will talk about this more on our collaboration day, but it would be helpful if you could reflect on how your own practices have changed so we can share the progress we've made.  Also, if you have any questions or areas where you'd like more help, please email them to me so I can give them ideas for how they can support us as we continue this work.

Danielson Model Domain 3b
Possibly the two most important components of a classroom where students learn the material the teacher is hoping they will learn are high quality questioning and discussion strategies.  High quality questions and discussions promote quality thinking and higher levels of understanding in students.  My own anecdotal observations have led me to believe that these components are possibly the most significant indicators of high levels of learning.  And yet, these strategies are too often (way too often) missing from classroom instruction.  Here is a link that has some ideas for promoting quality discussions:

Week of October 23

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Beck and Clark

Monday 10/23:  7:00 cross district department meetings  9:00 Staff Meeting followed by department meetings

Tuesday 10/24: Title Monitoring Dept. of Ed
Wednesday 10/25:  Kaiser: Conference
Thursday 10/26:  Kaiser: Conference
Friday 10/27: Boo BQ

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Cooley and Doering

Monday 10/30:  Non work day
Tuesday 10/31:  
Wednesday 11/1: 
Thursday 11/2:   
Friday 11/3: 

New Baby!
Welcome Jace Hamill!

Grants Awarded!
The EXCEL Foundation has awarded two grants to Venture High School.  Angie Beck and her Leadership students requested and received $4494 to fund their "Courtyard Connections" project.
Connie Drager and Matt Flieger requested and received $5,000 to fund the Cope 2 Thrive classes.
Thank you for writing these grants, Angie, Connie, and Matt.  These projects will make a difference for students, staff and the community.

Fisheye Teaching
Do you know what Fisheye teaching is? If you're not using some kind of system to ensure that all students are really participating, you might be a Fisheye teacher. Read this post and think about how you KNOW that all of your students are participating.

Gallery walk is a strategy for increasing student participation.  Here are some short videos describing the Gallery Walk strategy and how to use it. 

This video is another way using gallery walk.  This video can be shown to students to explain the process:

Week of October 16

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Smith and Gaynor

Monday 10/16:  Non work day
Tuesday 10/17:  
Wednesday 10/18: 
Thursday 10/19:   Kaiser, Doering, Smith, Gaynor: IMEN conference
Friday 10/20:  Kaiser, Doering, Smith, Gaynor: IMEN conference

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Beck and Clark

Monday 10/23:  9:00 Staff Meeting followed by department meetings
Tuesday 10/24: 
Wednesday 10/25:  Kaiser: Conference
Thursday 10/26:  Kaiser: Conference
Friday 10/27: Boo BQ and Picture retakes

Classroom Discussions:  Hearing every voice
Next to lecture, classroom conversations is the most frequently used learning strategy.  However, this powerful learning tool is rarely used to its full potential.  This article discusses strategies for effectively using academic conversations as a learning tool in your classroom.

IMEN Strategic Planning:

Here is a link to the PPT from our collaboration last Monday  As we discussed, we have made quite a bit of progress in our efforts to transition to mastery-based learning.  While there is still more work to do (there is ALWAYS more work to do) let's not lose sight of the progress we've made or the benefits we already see from those efforts.

Video Inspiration....
This video could give you some ideas for your 21st Century Skills class.  Not a video to show kids, but has ideas for teachers.

Week of October 9, 2017

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Meeks and Patterson

Monday 10/9:  8:15 Staff Meeting followed by department meetings
Tuesday 10/10: 
Wednesday 10/11:  PSAT day
Thursday 10/12:
Friday 10/13:

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Smith and Gaynor

Monday 10/16:  Non work day
Tuesday 10/17:  
Wednesday 10/18: 
Thursday 10/19:   Kaiser, Doering, Smith, Gaynor: IMEN conference
Friday 10/20:  Kaiser, Doering, Smith, Gaynor: IMEN conference


Cell Phones:
Please... Please... Please make sure your students are not using phones during class.  Our commitment at the beginning of the year is to take phones if you see or hear them.  You can return them at the end of the period.  You can bring them to the office.  If they come to the office, we keep them till the end of the day.  On the third offense, a parent has to pick them up.  Kids are reporting that they are allowed to use phones in some classes.
This policy is truly in the best of students and we all need to support it.

Another  Video on Cell Phone Addiction.  
This might be a good option for your 21st century class.   He has a powerful message and it could be an option for your class.  The end is especially powerful so if you show it, be sure you show all of it.

Week of October 2

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Levy and Mahoney

Monday 10/2:  Non work day
Tuesday 10/3:  
Wednesday 10/4: Minds on Math (Kaiser and math teachers)
Thursday 10/5:   Minds on Math (Kaiser and math teachers)
Friday 10/6:  No School for Kids or Teachers

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Meeks and Patterson

Monday 10/9:  8:00 Staff Meeting followed by department meetings
Tuesday 10/10: 
Wednesday 10/11:  PSAT day
Thursday 10/12:
Friday 10/13:

Social-Emotional Learning

The School-Connect books aren't here, but the good news is that everyone has full access to the iPortal now so  you can start using and reviewing the lessons before the hard copies arrive.  If you go to http://www.school-connect.net/iportal/set-up-code.php and enter this code: Mods1-4-forVHCDA you will be able to start using the iPortal with all the PowerPoints, student handouts, and lesson extensions.

My  hope is that, with the training we all received, you won't need to have every day of the program laid out for you, but that you'll feel confident to dig into the materials a bit and pull out resources to make this a rich learning experience for you and the kids.

Here is the program I would recommend:  Tuesday and Wednesday are given over to School-Connect lessons and Thursday and Friday are for academic support.  We can discuss this more thoroughly during our staff meeting on October 9th.  The important, essential, 

More SEL...

• This website: http://www.casel.org/ has a wealth of information about SEL.  It is a strong possibility that you will be too busy to dig into the resource; however, I wanted to share the following clip as it helps clarify why this is a worthwhile investment of our time and resources:

• SEL Impact on Academic Outcomes

  According to a 2011 meta-analysis of 213 studies involving more than 270,000 students, those who participated in evidence-based SEL programs showed an 11 percentile-point gain in academic achievement compared to students who did not participate in SEL programs. Compared to students who did not participate in SEL programs, students participating in SEL programs also showed improved classroom behavior, an increased ability to manage stress and depression, and better attitudes about themselves, others, and school.

Here is another article from the Atlantic that is worth a quick perusal:
Here is an article to follow up with our SEL training with Keeth Matheney.  

Week of September18

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Adam and Whitney

Monday 9/18:  Non work day
Tuesday 9/19:   8:00 -11:00 More "Fun with Data" (Kaiser)
Wednesday 9/20: 9:00 - 4:00 Data Summit (Kaiser)
Thursday 9/21:  1:00 - 4:00 CTEMS training (Kaiser)
Friday 9/22:  8:00 - 3:30  ASCA model training (Kaiser, Flieger)

Monday 9/25:  7:00 Secondary Cross-District Collaboration (all Venture staff at Venture)
Tuesday 9/26: 
Wednesday 9/27:
Thursday 9/28:
Friday 9/29:

School-Connect Training
Keith Matheny from School-Connect will be training Venture staff  on 9/25 from 7:00 - 3:00 in the library.  We will provide QDoba in Angie's room at 11:00.
Visit the School-Connect website for more information.


October 6
Originally, October 6 was scheduled as a work day for Venture. However, since we had the Sound-Discipline Resilience day in August, we don't need to work Oct. 6

Video... The Impact of Cell Phones on Relationships.  Consider showing this in an advisory class:

Week of September 11

For the Week of September 11
Bus/Parking Lot Duty: Lena and Donal

Monday 9/11:  Non work day
Tuesday 9/12: 
Wednesday 9/13:
Thursday 9/14:
Friday 9/15:

Monday 9/18:  Non work day
Tuesday 9/19: 
Wednesday 9/20: 
Thursday 9/21: 
Friday 9/22:

THANK YOU FOR AN OUTSTANDING FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL!!!!
Thank you for your commitment to a school culture that supports academic, social, and emotional learning.  Thank you for the many, many ways you show the kids (and each other) that you care and that Venture is a safe place to learn and grow.

Teacher Individualized Learning Plan
In the coming week, I will be setting appointments with each certified staff member to talk about your own professional goals for the coming year and set times for your observations.  This year, we will all use this form:  Professional Learning Plan.  Note that it asks you to set at least one goal in at least two of the four domains. I think the form is self explanatory, but let me know if you have any questions.

Here is a short video of Tara Brown (she was our keynote speaker for our district Kick off day)

First Day of School... We Got This!

For the week of September 4
Bus/Parking Lot duty:  Angie and Kim... This week, please let's all try to be in the commons and/or outside to greet and direct students as they arrive and between classes.
Monday:  Labor day
Tuesday: 
Wednesday: 
Thursday: 
Friday:

For the Week of September 11
Bus/Parking Lot Duty: Lena and Donal
Monday:  Non work day
Tuesday: 
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:

Snacks
The staff room is stocked with some snacks to to sustain you through the first day of school.  To be clear, the humus, spinach dip, cheese and various chips and crackers are for all of us.  If you find a ham sandwich or can of soda, it's somebody's lunch and you probably shouldn't eat it.

Thank You, 21st Century Skills Team!
Angie, Christy, and Nick have graciously stepped up to the task of crafting and shaping our 21st Century Skills class.  The challenge is daunting.  One thing we all agreed on is that none of us has ever seen an advisory work.  That is not the sort of shared experience that builds optimism for a new project.  And yet, we also agreed that we need to make a way to build community and teach the essential social interaction and work place skills.  Here are some things to think about as we embark on this experience:

1. We have to all be "All In."  We have to commit to teaching the lessons with a whole heart - because our "whole-heartedness" can change the outcome.
2. We have to commit to honest communication.  If something isn't going well, let's discuss it.  If a lesson needs tweaking, take your ideas to the team.
3. We have to give the kids opportunities to practice and use the skills.  The 21st Century Lessons are made for life.  However, if students are going to generalize the information, they need to practice.  For example, during classroom discussions, could you review the norms of collaboration and encourage your students to practice paraphrasing?  Here is an excellent website with ideas to help your students learn and use the norms:  Students and the Norms of Collaboration
4. I will be visiting every 21st Century Skills class this week to see how things are going and what kids are learning. I want the students to see that the class is an important part of their day. 

Schools and Creativity: Worth watching

Welcome Back!

I hope this post finds you relaxed, rejuvenated and excited to start a new school year!  We have many successes to celebrate from last year and many good things are yet to come.  

You've already received the email about the district "Kick-Off" day.  I will resend it so you don't have to dig through your "in box", but the gist is that August 28 from 8:00 - 3:30  is our district professional development day.  Please register for 3 classes HERE

Here is a rundown of days and times:

8/22 -  8:00 - noon   Leadership Day - For department heads

8/23 - 10:30 - 6:00   Registration BBQ Open house- For all certified staff

8/28 -  8:00 - 3:30    District-wide PD at LCHS  - For all certified staff

8/29 -  8:00- 11:00   Staff meeting in the library- (Work day is 7.5 hours)  For all certified Staff

8/30 -  8:00 -11:00   Staff meeting in the library -(Work day is 7.5 hours)  For all certified Staff

8/31 -  9:00 - noon    Resiliency training in the library (Work day is over when training ends)  For all certified staff

9/5   First day of school

A few more updates:

Opening the Resiliency Window....This year we will continue our commitment to provide academically rigorous instruction along with high levels of support to ensure our students can access the instruction.  Most of us have received training in ACES, trauma and resiliency and we will  continue that training this year with three more resiliency workshops led by Teresa Hurliman from Sound Discipline.  These workshops will be on Mondays and Teresa is tailoring them for our unique needs.

Therapeutic Classroom....As you know, we decided to close the daycare because the need for that service has declined over the years.  In that space, we will be housing a Therapeutic Support Classroom, formerly called Pathways.  The space is ideal to provide fully contained services for some students in need of high levels of support.  

Advisory...This summer, Angie, Christy and Heather attended training in Austin for our new advisory program.  They brought back a tremendous repertoire of knowledge and skills which they will be sharing with us throughout the year.  The new advisory class will be called 21st Century Skills and this team will be talking about what they learned and how we will be applying the knowledge during our meeting on 8/30.

I hope you enjoy the rest of summer and look forward to seeing all of you!

School's Out for Summer!

Thank you for an outstanding school year! 

Rest, relax, be happy, be free.  Or teach summer school - the choice is yours.

I will be at Venture.  All. Summer. Long.  So, feel free to drop by if you need anything, have great ideas, or you're dropping off treats.  

Here is a reminder of summer etiquette when dealing with people who are working all summer.

Week of May 29

Bus Duty: Whitney Hamill, Ben Higgs

Monday 5/29/17 Memorial Day (No School)
Tuesday 5/30/17 
Wednesday 5/31/17 Senior Trip to Triple Play 9:30 - 2:20
Thursday 6/1/17-
Friday 6/2/17  Talent show/Yearbooks/BBQ/Field games - Activity Schedule  Please... everyone do bus/hall/cafeteria duty.  All hands on deck.

Bus Duty: Lena Cooley, Christy SmithMonday 6/5/17 Potluck Breakfast in Angie's room, bring something to celebrate for this year, something to think about for next year, and food... bring food.
Tuesday 6/6/17 
Wednesday 6/7/17 
Thursday 6/8/17 Senior Breakfast/Practice   6:00 Graduation
Friday 6/9/17    Last day of school...  Please... everyone do bus/hall/cafeteria duty.  All hands on deck.

Monday 6/12/17 Just a reminder that this is a full work day.  The building will soon belong to summer school, so please make sure your personal items are put away so your room is in a good place for summer school teachers and students. 

Week of May 22, 2017

Bus Duty: Angie Beck, Tony Hook

Monday 5/22/17 Non-Workday
Tuesday 5/23/17 
Wednesday 5/24/17 
Thursday 5/25/17-
Friday 5/26/17  No School   

Monday 5/29/17 Memorial Day (No School)
Tuesday 5/30/17 
Wednesday 5/31/17 Senior Trip to Triple Play 9:30 - 2:20
Thursday 6/1/17-
Friday 6/2/17  Talent show/Yearbooks/BBQ/Field games - Activity Schedule  Please... everyone do bus/hall/cafeteria duty.  All hands on deck.

Monday 6/5/17 Potluck Breakfast in Angie's room, bring something to celebrate for this year, something to think about for next year, and food... bring food.
Tuesday 6/6/17 
Wednesday 6/7/17 
Thursday 6/8/17 Senior Breakfast/Practice   6:00 Graduation
Friday 6/9/17    Last day of school...  Please... everyone do bus/hall/cafeteria duty.  All hands on deck.

Monday 6/12/17 Get in... Get out... The building will soon belong to summer school

Applications for Dept. Head/SLT:
If you are interested in applying, please get your application to me no later than 8:00 am on 5/24

Stuff to remind kids about...

1. Don't decorate your graduation cap.  If you do, you won't be able to wear it.
2. Is there a final day to get work in?  Let them know what it is... 
3. We don't carry incompletes over to next year.  They are entered into the gradebook as F's

Week of May 15

Bus Duty: Donal Doering, Susan Thomas

Monday 5/15/17 Collaboration Day: Agenda
Tuesday 5/16/17 
Wednesday 5/17/17 
Thursday 5/18/17
Friday 5/13/17

Monday 5/22/17 Non-Workday
Tuesday 5/23/17 
Wednesday 5/24/17 
Thursday 5/25/17-
Friday 5/26/17  No School   

Monday 5/29/17 Memorial Day (No School)
Tuesday 5/30/17 
Wednesday 5/31/17 Senior Trip to Triple Play 9:30 - 2:20
Thursday 6/1/17-
Friday 6/2/17  Talent show/Yearbooks/BBQ/Field games - Activity Schedule

Monday 6/5/17 
Tuesday 6/6/17 
Wednesday 6/7/17 
Thursday 6/8/17 Senior Breakfast/Practice   6:00 Graduation

Friday 6/9/17    Last day of school

Bus Duty: Adam Fehling, Nick Meeks

Monday 5/8/17 Collaboration Day: Agenda
Tuesday 5/9/17 Teacher Appreciation lunch for all staff
Wednesday 5/10/17 
Thursday 5/11/17-
Friday 5/12/17   

Monday 5/15/17 Collaboration Day
Tuesday 5/16/17 
Wednesday 5/17/17 
Thursday 5/18/17
Friday 5/13/17

Teacher Appreciation Week:
This video makes me think of the work all of you do at VHS.  Every person in this building. Everyone. Your kindness and the examples you set in all of your interactions with students and families make a difference; and we may never know how far the ripples will reach. Thank you!

May Day, May Day

Bus Duty: Heather Chase, Randy Patterson

Monday 5/1/17 Non Work day
Tuesday 5/2/17 
Wednesday 5/3/17 Retirement Dinner
Thursday 5/4/17-   
Friday 5/5/17  

Monday 5/8/17 Collaboration Day
Tuesday 5/9/17 
Wednesday 5/10/17 
Thursday 5/11/17-   
Friday 5/12/17 

Big Shout Out to Heidi and Marsha

Thanks to both of you for everything you do for the staff, students and families of Venture High School.  You're both amazing and we appreciate you!

Week of April 24

Bus Duty: Christy Smith and Lex Levy

Monday 4/24/17 Non Work day
Tuesday 4/25/17 
Wednesday 4/26/17 
Thursday 4/27/17-   
Friday 4/28/17  Plummer Calibration Visit

Monday 5/1/17 Non Work day
Tuesday 5/2/17 
Wednesday 5/3/17 
Thursday 5/4/17-   

Friday 5/5/17  

The Prom was WOW!!!!
A huge thanks to everyone who participated in making a fun and positive experience for the kids.

Week of April 17

Bus Duty:  Angie Beck, Whitney Hamill

Monday 4/17/17 7:00 secondary x-district collaboration  Agenda: here 8:30 CPR training (bring $10 for card)
Tuesday 4/18/17 ELA SBAC testing
Wednesday 4/19/17 ELA SBAC testing
Thursday 4/20/17- 
Friday 4/21/17  PROM DAY!!!

Bus Duty: Ben Higgs, Lena Cooley

Monday 4/24/17 Non Work day
Tuesday 4/25/17 
Wednesday 4/26/17 
Thursday 4/27/17-   
Friday 4/28/17  Plummer Calibration Visit

Week of April 10

Bus Duty:  Sue Thomas, Tony Hook

Monday 4/10/17 Work day: Schedule here
Tuesday 4/11/17 SAT
Wednesday 4/12/17 Beck, Flieger prevention conference
Thursday 4/13/17-  Beck, Flieger prevention conference
Friday 4/14/17  Beck, Flieger prevention conference

Monday 4/17/17 7:00 secondary cross district collaboration  8:30 CPR training (bring $10 for card)
Tuesday 4/18/17 ELA SBAC testing
Wednesday 4/19/17 ELA SBAC testing
Thursday 4/20/17- 
Friday 4/21/17  PROM DAY!!!

Please Phone Home:
Often people will ask us, or we will ask ourselves, "What makes Venture alternative".   This is a surprisingly easy question to answer: we have smaller class sizes, better communication with our students, more opportunities for at-risk learners to receive personalized instruction, and a longer day in which to deliver both the main content and academic interventions.  

At VHS, we have about an 8:1 student teacher ratio.  This affords us an amazing opportunity to keep tabs on students and intervene when they are not learning  and passing classes.  Additionally, we have time at the end of the day to work with students and staff members scheduled until 5:00 for even more help tutoring students. 

However, if we aren't all committed to phoning home and making those arrangements with parents, then we really aren't doing what we can to help students.  There isn't much point to this very small student teacher ratio if we aren't using it ensure that students are not falling through the cracks. 

No student should ever fail or receive an incomplete at the end of the term without at least 2 phone calls home with a plan to get the student back on track.  I am happy to make the second phone call if you don't feel like your communication with parents has been effective.  The first call needs to be made early enough to make a difference.  In the first term we had 84 failed grades, in the second term we had 109 failed grades.  Anecdotally, teachers have shared with me success they've had with students when they've phoned home and made arrangements for them stay after school for additional help.  This issue is more significant for term 3 when there won't be any additional time for students to make up missing work at the end of the quarter.

To sum it up... please phone home!  Please let me know if you need additional assistance to get students to show up after school.  If you have any questions or concerns regarding this policy, please come see me.

Week of April 3

Bus Duty:  Nick Meeks, Donal Doering

Monday 4/3/17 No School
Tuesday 4/4/17 
Wednesday 4/5/17 
Thursday 4/6/17-  
Friday 4/7/17  

Monday 4/10/17 
Tuesday 4/11/17 SAT
Wednesday 4/12/17 Kaiser, Flieger prevention conference
Thursday 4/13/17-  Kaiser, Flieger prevention conference
Friday 4/14/17  Kaiser, Flieger prevention conference

When Is It Not Great to Feel Good?
I subscribe to the The Greater Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life, an ebulletin that often has articles pertinent to education.  I especially liked an article this week on the notion of happiness and times when "feeling good" isn't all that beneficial.  It's a quick read that you might find has some relevance for the classroom:  Five Ways Feeling Good Can Be Bad For You

Helpful Video:
The brownie mix and tongue depressor would be especially appreciated by CS.

Bus Duty:  Randy Patterson, Adam Fehling

Monday 3/20/17 Collaboration Day Agenda here
Tuesday 3/21/17 
Wednesday 3/22/17 Casey Morrisoe, Tambra Pickford, Matt Handelman visiting classrooms
Thursday 3/23/17- Spring BBQ (Like the St. Patrick's day bbq, but not on St. Patrick's Day (Activity Schedule)
Friday 3/24/17 No School...Spring Break  HALLELUJAH!!!

Monday 4/3/17 No School
Tuesday 4/4/17 
Wednesday 4/5/17 
Thursday 4/6/17-  
Friday 4/7/17  

Monday Collaboration Schedule:  We will not be meeting as a whole group on Monday to allow time to continue the process of creating rubrics/assessments/lessons/ etc. aligned with our mastery learning goals.





Google Teacher Translate:

Week of March 13

Bus Duty:  Tiege Arman,  Heather Chase

Monday 3/13/17 7:00 Cross District Department Collaboration Collaboration Agenda Here
Tuesday 3/14/17 
Wednesday 3/15/17  MTSS Plummer Calibration Visit
Thursday 3/16/17-  
Friday 3/17/17  Awards Assembly (activity schedule)

Monday 3/20/17 
Tuesday 3/21/17 
Wednesday 3/22/17 Casey Morrisoe, Tambra Pickford, Matt Handelman visiting classrooms
Thursday 3/23/17- Spring BBQ (Like the St. Patrick's day bbq, but not on St. Patrick's Day (Activity Schedule)
Friday 3/24/17 No School...Spring Break  HALLELUJAH!!!

Monday Collaboration:  The next two Mondays will be used to work with your departments to go through standards, projects, assessments, and content and change things as necessary to ensure alignment.  This is also a great time to develop rubrics.  Something else to think about in this process is about strategies being used to encourage deeper thinking and cognitive engagement with the content.  

Plummer Calibration Visit:  On Wednesday March 15, Plummer will be visiting Venture as part of the MTSS process.  They will be visiting a variety of classrooms and observing student engagement and the various strategies teachers use to cognitively engage students.  Please make sure your rooms are accessible on that day and prepare your students for visitors.

Board of Directors: Some members of the CDA board of directors will be visiting on March 22. They are excited to see what's happening with our mastery-based learning and CTE classes.  Please welcome them into your classes and be ready to share what your students are learning.

Lunch time:  Students are wandering the halls during lunch.  Please take a look out your door and send them toward the commons area if you see them gathering.  They should not be "between the doors" at the ends of the hallways. If you have students working with you during lunch, please direct them back to the commons if they leave early.  They can be in the commons, in the gym - if Tony is there to supervise, or outside if Bryan or someone else is available to supervise.

Week of March 6, 2017

Bus Duty:  Christy Smith and Lex Levy

Monday 3/6/17 
Tuesday 3/7/17 First day of Trimester 3
Wednesday 3/8/17 Grades Due by 4:00
Thursday 3/9/17- 
Friday 3/10/17 Report Cards distributed to students third period

Monday 3/13/17 7:00 Cross District Department Collaboration
Tuesday 3/14/17 
Wednesday 3/15/17  MTSS Plummer Calibration Visit
Thursday 3/16/17-  
Friday 3/17/17  

Week of February 27

Bus Duty:  Ben Higgs,  Lena Cooley

Monday 2/27/17 7:00 Secondary Cross District Collaboration  8:30 Staff mtg library Collaboration Agenda Here
Tuesday 2/28/17 
Wednesday 3/1/17  CEE Student Surveys
Thursday 3/2/17-  
Friday 3/3/17  Last day of Trimester 2

Monday 3/6/17 
Tuesday 3/7/17 First day of Trimester 3
Wednesday 3/8/17
Thursday 3/9/17- 
Friday 3/10/17 

Week of February 20, 2017

Bus Duty:  Angie Beck,  Whitney Hamill

Monday 2/20/17 President's Day: No School
Tuesday 2/21/17 Kaiser at secondary thinking strategies
Wednesday 2/22/17 Kaiser and Eastman at MTSS conference
Thursday 2/23/17- Kaiser and Flieger at School Counselor Conference
Friday 2/24/17 2:30 Venture Pantry kick off

Monday 2/27/17 7:00 Secondary Cross District Collaboration  8:30 Staff mtg library
Tuesday 2/28/17 
Wednesday 3/1/17  CEE Student Surveys
Thursday 3/2/17-  
Friday 3/3/17  Last day of Trimester 2

Shout Out to Val! Thank you for the the wonderful meals you served the accreditation crew last week and for the really nice dinner for our staff and families.  We talk a lot about the books and lessons, but it might just be the food that keeps 'em coming back.  You are the best and we appreciate you!

Venture Pantry Kick off on Friday, 2/24.  Owen from 2nd Harvest will be here from about 2:15 to about 4:00 passing out prepackaged bags of food to take home.  This will let all kids know about the pantry and maybe feel more comfortable about letting us know if they need something.

If you want credits... Please get your registration to me pronto if you want credits.  I'm sending them off on Thursday.

An excellent explanation of why mastery-learning is so important:

Week of February 13

Bus Duty:  Susan Thomas, Tony Hook

Monday 2/13/17 Non work day
Tuesday 2/14/17 
Wednesday 2/15/17 Wessler training periods 3-5
Thursday 2/16/17-  Parent Conferences 4:00 - 7:00
Friday 2/17/17

Monday 2/20/17 President's Day: No School
Tuesday 2/21/17 
Wednesday 2/22/17 
Thursday 2/23/17- 
Friday 2/24/17

Conferences: Parent conferences on Thursday.  Please contact parents/guardians if a student is failing.

Credits:  The registration forms for MTSS, Leadership, Book Study, and Collaboration are in the copy room.  Please turn them into the envelope outside my door by Wednesday, 2/22 at the latest.

This short video offers a few thoughts to ponder:

Week of February 6

Bus Duty:  Nick Meeks, Donal Doering

Monday 2/6/17 8:00 CPR training 
Tuesday 2/7/17 Accreditation
Wednesday 2/8/17 Accreditation
Thursday 2/9/17- 
Friday 2/10/17

Monday 2/13/17 Non work day
Tuesday 2/14/17 
Wednesday 2/15/17 Wessler training periods 3-5
Thursday 2/16/17-  Parent Conferences 4:00 - 7:00
Friday 2/17/17



Just Because He's Funny...

Collaboration Monday....

After the CPR training, we will show the accreditation video to the staff.  There will be no other meetings planned for the day.

Week of January 30

Bus Duty: Randy Patterson, Adam Fehling

Monday 1/30/17 8:00 presentation from D.O. Collaboration schedule here
Tuesday 1/31/17 
Wednesday 2/1/17 
Thursday 2/2/17- 
Friday 2/3/17

Monday 2/6/17 8:00 CPR training 
Tuesday 2/7/17 Accreditation
Wednesday 2/8/17 Accreditation
Thursday 2/9/17- 
Friday 2/10/17

Do you have students who are failing?  
If so, then please call home.  Communication with our families is not just our responsibility, but can also be an avenue for building parent trust and improving student outcomes.  A couple of pointers about calling home (I know you already know this, but I'll repeat it anyway!):

1. Start with the positive- parents need to know that you care and that you LIKE their child
2. Be direct and frank about the issue.  Describe the situation without judgment or editorializing.  Try to use words that de-escalate rather than provoke.   For example do not say: Johnny stole ten dollars off my desk" Instead say, "Johnny took a ten dollar bill off my desk and put it in his pocket."  Instead of "Sally cheated."  Say "Sally was looking at notes during a test, which is against the rules"
3. Ask parents for their ideas and input.  They appreciate this and helps build trust.
4. Have a suggestion to improve the situation (staying during the extended learning time for two evenings a week)
5. End on a positive note.  

Thank you, Whitney, for sending this link.  We've talked about the subject, but it's worth a review.