Week of December 17

Bus/Parking lot duty: Doering and Baker

Monday 12/17:  Non Work Day

Tuesday 12/18:  

Wednesday 12/19:  

Thursday 12/20:

Friday 12/21:  Celebration Assembly

Bus/Parking lot duty: Smith and Cooley

Monday 1/7:  8:00 Staff meeting

Tuesday 1/8:  

Wednesday 1/9:  

Thursday 1/10:

Friday 1/11:  

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...

Happy Holidays
I want to thank all of you for your patience and willingness to find ways to help struggling students succeed.  We continually find solutions to problems that can feel quite insurmountable.  Your persistence and determination make a difference.  Thank you for your commitment to serve some of the most vulnerable people living in our area. Today I was meeting with a parent who said his daughter was lucky to have such talented teachers.  I couldn't agree more.  What you're doing is good for the kids and I feel very, very lucky to be part of this staff.  I wish you a week-before-Christmas that is less stressful than you fear, and a holiday that is much more relaxing than you'd hoped for.

Week of December 10

Bus/Parking lot duty: Hook and Beck

Monday 12/10: Collaboration Day:  Agenda

Tuesday 12/11:  

Wednesday 12/12:  

Thursday 12/13:

Friday 12/14: 

Bus/Parking lot duty: Doering and Baker

Monday 12/17:  Non Work Day

Tuesday 12/18:  

Wednesday 12/19:  

Thursday 12/20:

Friday 12/21:  Celebration Assembly

Thank you!

As we begin this new trimester, I want to emphasize how much I appreciate the tremendous thought and effort you give to teaching our students. Everyone at Venture is a teacher.  Everyone here plays their part in helping our students on their journey to becoming successful adults. I know this work is rewarding and also that we dig deeply into our own personal reserves in order to meet the challenge.  As we've become better at building relationships with our students, they become more trusting of us and share both their triumphs and their pain.  As we go into the weekend, think about how you are finding balance in your own life.  Are you consciously setting aside worries over which you have no influence?  Or, are you letting them circulate in your brain?  Are you taking time for recreation?  Are you taking time to focus on the things that matter to you outside of work?  The greatest gift you can give your families and Venture students is to keep yourself happy and healthy.  Take care of yourself - you are worth it!

Shout out to Angie...thank you for the comforting beverages you brought in for staff. This was so thoughtful and so timely and you are so appreciated by all of us!

Grades and Absences

I am so appreciative of each of you for the support you've given to our attendance policy.  It will likely take a year or more to have enough data to measure its effectiveness.  You probably already know this, but students should not receive a passing grade if they have not made up absences for you core or required class.  

Val has put a tremendous amount of time, energy and thought into a system to track attendance make ups.  This is far too much work for an individual to manage.  For the coming trimester, I am asking teachers to track this for their own students.  On Monday, we can talk about ways that some people are currently doing this to get some ideas.

Collaboration Monday

7:00 Secondary Cross District collaboration

9:00 Staff Meeting in Library

10:30  ELA/S.S. Meeting in rm. 103

1:00 Math Meeting in rm. 129

2:30 MDT meeting

Week of November 26

Bus/Parking lot duty: Mahoney and Meeks

Monday 12/3:  Non Work Day

Tuesday 12/4  New Trimester

Wednesday 12/6:  

Thursday 12/7: 

Friday 12/8: 

Bus/Parking lot duty: Hook and Beck

Monday 12/10: 7:00 Secondary Cross District Collaboration

Tuesday 12/11:  

Wednesday 12/12:  

Thursday 12/13:

Friday 12/14: 

Bus/Parking lot duty: Doering and Baker

Monday 12/17:  Non Work Day

Tuesday 12/18:  

Wednesday 12/19:  

Thursday 12/20:

Friday 12/21:  

Week of November 5

Bus/Parking lot duty: Gaynor and Fehling

Monday 11/5:  Collaboration Monday 

Tuesday 11/6:  Beck and Gaynor QPR Training in Library

Wednesday 11/7:   

Thursday 11/8:    Beck and Gaynor QPR Training in Library,

Friday 11/9: Thanksgiving Dinner 

Bus/Parking lot duty: Hamill and Higgs

Monday 11/12:  Certified Staff Work Day

Tuesday 11/13:  Levy, Smith,Eastman, Doering at PEBC

Wednesday 11/14:   Levy, Smith,Eastman, Doering at PEBC

Thursday 11/15:   Levy, Smith,Eastman, Doering at PEBC

Friday 11/16: Levy, Smith,Eastman, Doering at PEBC; Building Substitute Day

Bus/Parking lot duty:

Monday 11/19:  Non work day

Thanksgiving Break

Week of October 22, 2018

Bus/Parking lot duty: Baker

Monday 10/22:  Collaboration Monday: Agenda

Tuesday 10/23: Kaiser - Admin mtg am. 

Wednesday 10/24:   Levy and Smith QPR Training in Library

Thursday 10/25: Levy and Smith QPR Training in Library

Friday 10/26: Picture Retakes, Boo B Que; Regular schedule, no advisory/no extended learning

Bus/Parking lot duty: Smith and Cooley

Monday 10/29:  Non work day

Tuesday 10/30:  Kaiser and Eastman@CSI-Grad support group in Boise

Wednesday 10/31:   Mahoney and Hook QPR Training in Library

Thursday 11/1:   The day after Halloween - sort of like a holiday; Mahoney and Hook QPR Training in Library,

Friday 11/2: Kaiser admin mtg a.m. (Extended Learning Day)

Bus/Parking lot duty: Gaynor and Fehling

Monday 11/5:  Collaboration Monday 

Tuesday 11/6:  

Wednesday 11/7:   Beck and Gaynor QPR Training in Library

Thursday 11/8:    Beck and Gaynor QPR Training in Library,

Friday 11/9: Thanksgiving Dinner 

Thank you!
Thank you, everyone, for the beautiful basket of delightful treats!  I feel so privileged and lucky and happy to work at Venture with all of you. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and, mostly, thank you for making Venture such a special place for all of us.

Week of October 15

Bus/Parking lot duty: Beck and Doering

Monday 10/15:  Collaboration Monday - Collaboration Agenda

Tuesday 10/16: 

Wednesday 10/17:   Eastman and Meeks QPR Training in Library

Thursday 10/18: Kaiser - Admin mtg am. Eastman and Meeks QPR Training in Library

Friday 10/19: Extended Learning Schedule

Bus/Parking lot duty: Baker

Monday 10/22:  Collaboration Monday 

Tuesday 10/23: Kaiser - Admin mtg am. 

Wednesday 10/24:   Levy and Smith QPR Training in Library

Thursday 10/25: Levy and Smith QPR Training in Library

Friday 10/26: Picture Retakes, Boo B Que; Regular schedule, no advisory

Bus/Parking lot duty: Smith and Cooley

Monday 10/29:  Non work day

Tuesday 10/30:  Kaiser and Eastman@CSI-Grad support group in Boise

Wednesday 10/31:   Mahoney and Hook QPR Training in Library

Thursday 11/1:   The day after Halloween - sort of like a holiday; Mahoney and Hook QPR Training in Library,

Friday 11/2: Kaiser admin mtg a.m.

Huge Shout Out to Autumn!
Venture High School looks amazing inside and outside.  Autumn - thank you for taking the time to decorate for Halloween!  Your creative touches add so much festivity and fun to the school day for adults and kids.  You always give so much to make Venture feel warm and welcoming but you truly outdo yourself this time of year.  We all appreciate you so much!

Welcome Rachelle Smotherman
I am so very, very, very happy to announce that Rachelle will be joining the Venture family as our new counselor on Monday.  

Thanks to everyone for you patience with this year's PSAT process.  As you know, organizing PSAT's was a new experience for me and it wasn't without it's glitches. Thanks for all of your efforts - especially Amy and Marsha!  You two really pulled the process together and made it work!  Teachers you did an awesome job proctoring - Thank you!

This one is worth watching again...

Week of October 8

How to Change Education - Ken Robinson

If you don't have time for the full 24 minute video, then go to minute 14 and at least watch the last ten minutes.

Bus/Parking lot duty: Meeks and Hook

Monday 10/8:  Non Work Day

Tuesday 10/9:  Hamill and Doering QPR Training in Library

Wednesday 10/10:  College Readiness Day PSAT

Thursday 10/11:Hamill and Doering QPR Training in Library;  Kaiser and Eastman in Boise

Friday 10/12:  Kaiser and Eastman in Boise;  Extended Learning Schedule

Bus/Parking lot duty: Beck and Doering

Monday 10/15:  Collaboration Monday - 
7:00am;Secondary Departments cross district  
9:00 Staff meeting in Library 30 minutes nuts and bolts followed by Self- Care presentation by Bonnie DuCharm

Tuesday 10/16: 

Wednesday 10/17:   Eastman and Meeks QPR Training in Library

Thursday 10/18: Kaiser - Admin mtg am. Eastman and Meeks QPR Training in Library

Friday 10/19: Extended Learning Schedule

Bus/Parking lot duty: Baker

Monday 10/22:  Collaboration Monday 

Tuesday 10/23: Kaiser - Admin mtg am. Levy and Smith QPR Training in Library

Wednesday 10/24:   Levy and Smith QPR Training in Library

Thursday 10/25: 

Friday 10/26: Picture Retakes, Boo B Que; Extended Learning Schedule

QPR Training:

Please... monitor your students carefully during QPR training.  If they are being rude, they should be removed and sent to the office.  It would help a lot if you set some expectations with them prior to going to the library. This is an important issue for our community and I expect the students to behave appropriately during the presentation.  

PSAT's

Following is an update on PSAT information for Wednesday.  Hopefully, this information will be sufficient without a meeting.  However, we can meet after school on Tuesday, if necessary.

1.  Here are the class lists
2.  On Tuesday afternoon, the class lists will be printed and placed outside classrooms
3. On Wednesday morning, Amy will deliver the instruction book, a list of instructions, class books, pencils etc. to each classroom.
4. Here is a link to instructions, in case you like to see them early.
5. I'm sorry if you have to test in a room that isn't yours.  There are strict requirements for rooms.
6. If you have a room that is testing, please 
1. make sure all tables or desks are facing the white board.  
2. Make sure all the relevant information is on the board (see instructions for more information).  
3. During the test, times need to be written clearly on the board.  
4. All academic posters etc. should be covered or taken down during the test. Someone from the DO will also go through the building to ensure rooms are following the guidelines.  
5. Please spell Coeur d'Alene correctly on the board  
7. Please do not work on your computers etc. while proctoring.  All proctors should be paying close attention to students throughout the test.
8. On the day of the test, please read all instructions verbatim directly from the script.
9. During break times, please lock your room or stay with testing materials.
10. At the end of the test, count to be sure all materials are accounted for and return materials to the office.

Here is the schedule for PSAT/9 (try to follow as closely as possible)

7:50 - 8:50:  Preadministration (affectionately referred to as "bubbling")

Break

9:00 - 9:55 Reading

Break

10:00 - 10:30: Writing and Language

10:30 - 10:50:  Math - no calculator

Break

10:55 - 11:35: Math Calculator

Collect all tests, 

11:45 Release (no one is released before 11:45)

Here is the schedule for PSAT/10 and 11 (try to follow as closely as possible)

7:50 - 8:45:  Preadministration (affectionately referred to as "bubbling")

Break

8:50 - 9:50 Reading

Break

9:55 - 10:30: Writing and Language

10:30 - 10:55:  Math - no calculator

Break

11:00 - 11:45: Math Calculator

Collect all tests, 

11:50  Release (no one is released before 11:50)