Dear Venture Staff,

Another year is almost in the books.  As we prepare to send kids (and ourselves) off to summer adventures, we have much to celebrate.  We made great gains in our goal to implement school-wide TBRI.  MTSS underwent a major transformation, leading to the recovery of 83 credits - and maybe more by next week!  We supported one another and nurtured our own personal goals as instructors and support staff.  As we prepare to wind down the year I also want to keep you in the loop of some changes that are taking place for next year:

As you know, Diana is retiring.  Diana, I hope you know that our appreciation for all that you've done for Venture students and staff goes with you as you begin your next big adventure.  You stepped up during difficult times and always put your best foot forward.  We wish you all the best!

Chase has resigned his post as Social Studies teacher at Venture.  Chase, you have been such a positive presence at Venture and you will be missed by your colleagues and your students.  Although you're leaving to spend more time with family, I hope you will be back someday.  

As many of you know, Adam and Jessica have decided to join the online side of Venture Academy.  They will have a flexible work schedule -both in the building and working from home.  I know they will be missed in the classroom, but their unique skills and experiences will make the online program a better learning opportunity for students.

A decision was made to close the Engineering and Technology program at Venture.  Ben, you made a difference in the lives of many kids in your time leading that program.  I know you will continue to positively influence young people in your role as Venture's Physical Science teacher.  We are all glad that you will still be teaching kids at Venture!

More on the online program... 

Brianne Weinberger will be our new .5 Assistant Principal.  We will share her with Sorenson Elementary where she will also be a .5 administrator.  I hope she is able to stop by and meet everyone before school is out for the year.  She is excited to begin her work here and I am so excited to have her working with us at Venture.  

Next year, rooms 101 and 102 will be dedicated to online work.  Maintenance is a bit understaffed, but there will likely be some changes made to those rooms to accommodate their new purpose.

Changes can feel disconcerting and our tolerance for new experiences varies greatly from one person to the next.  My door is always open.  Please feel free to email or drop by if you have questions or concerns.

Grades... Please remember, no one fails or earns an incomplete without a phone call home.  I'm sure those calls were made midterm, but some students may have been passing midterm and are failing now.  If you know a student is not going to pass, please make a phone call home ASAP.

Gentle Reminder:  You've probably all done this, but just in case,

All certified staff (including admin and counselors) need training in the characteristics of dyslexia before the 2023-2024 school year. 

The following video and its accompanying Google quiz meets this requirement.

Please view the video on your own, using this notecatcher to help  on the quiz, and then take the accompanying quiz. There are 8 questions, and we must pass with a 75% (or 6/8). You can go back and review the video or notes to help with the quiz.  

The Calendar.  This time, maybe it's right the first time :)  Please note that Monday, Nov. 13 is a student attendance day.

Field Day...

Friday we will be on regular schedule.  Students will go to lunch during advisory, and then we will participate in field day. Thanks to all who have planned this fun event for students.

Bus/Parking lot duty: Eastman and Mahoney

Monday 5/29: Memorial Day

Tuesday  5/30: 

Wednesday 5/31:

Thursday 6/1: Last Extended Learning of this School Year

Friday 6/2: Field day Regular Schedule

Bus/Parking lot duty: Hook and Fehling

Monday 6/5: Non Work Day

Tuesday  6/6: 

Wednesday 6/7: Student Exhibits

Thursday 6/8: 6:00 Graduation

Friday 6/9: Last Day of School

Bus/Parking lot duty:

Monday 6/12: Work Day

Tuesday  6/13:  Work Day (traded for staying late for graduation)

 

Regardless of your role at Venture High School, you are an important teacher to our students.  Each of you is a model and teacher of citizenship, work ethic, kindness, respect, and so many other qualities in addition to the academic content.  The challenges of education are ever present and, too often, hearts are heavy with the burdens our students carry.  

I have two purposes for this message today.  First, I hope to adequately convey to you my deepest appreciation and respect for the work you do with students.  You ply your trade with clientele who are, in equal parts, needful of and resistant to your offerings.  That, in itself, sets the stage for a taxing day.  However, you consistently work with students to find common ground and help them move forward with their thinking and capacity to navigate life successfully.  

You build relationships with teens, some of whom have had very little experience with positive relationships.  And, you use that relationship to inspire them to persevere through difficulties to achieve their goals.  In addition to academic skills, you teach self-regulation practices, how to make repairs when trust is broken, how to bring focus to priorities, how to communicate and so much more.  Here are some quotes taken from students' written responses during Pizza with the Principal:

• Teachers really listen to me.  That's never happened before
• She worked with me one-on-one.  Now I'm passing all my classes and I have the best grades I've ever had.
• My favorite thing is my advisory because we get to teach each other topics
• I like the teachers.  They are all very kind and care about kids passing.
• I love that my teachers make it easier to understand stuff that was hard before.
• I like that all my teachers here explain things until they make sense.
• I like how flexible my teachers are - more understanding
• I believe Venture truly gives kids a winning chance.  I appreciate that greatly
• All my teachers are supportive.  I'm doing better with grades and now I have future plans.
• My wellness class is amazing and I look forward to it.
• Extended learning is super helpful.  Teachers help you get caught up.
• I've really enjoyed my time here.  I learned that I can do hard things and do them right
• I didn't think I could ever write.  Now I know I just needed help.

My second purpose for writing is really a plea for you to give time to those things that refresh your own souls.  

Parker Palmer (did you think we'd get through the year without a PP quote?) said:

"Good teachers join self, subject, and students in the fabric of life because they teach from an integral and undivided self; they manifest in their own lives, and evoke in their students, a “capacity for connectedness.” They are able to weave a complex web of connections between themselves, their subjects, and their students, so that students can learn to weave a world for themselves. The methods used by these weavers vary widely: lectures, Socratic dialogues, laboratory experiments, collaborative problem-solving, creative chaos. The connections made by good teachers are held not in their methods but in their hearts meaning heart in its ancient sense, the place where intellect and emotion and spirit and will converge in the human self."

This week we will have a few treats available and I hope you enjoy them, but little day brighteners don't ease tensions and renew spirits in the same way as spending time with people who matter, doing things we enjoy and allowing space to just "be."  Sometimes the most important thing we can do for ourselves is focus on the essentials and say no to all the time thieves that consume our mental energy without supporting our goals or values.  

John Spence says it better than I do.  He is recognized as one of the world's top business thought leaders and leadership development experts and was named by the American Management Association as one of America's Top 50 Leaders to Watch, along with Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google and Jeff Bezos of Amazon.  Please watch to the end, the last bit of his talk is important.

URGENT...

Please complete your Vector training before leaving on Friday.

Also URGENT...

All certified staff (including admin and counselors) need training in the characteristics of dyslexia before the 2023-2024 school year. 

The following video and its accompanying Google quiz. Meets this requirement.

Please view the video on your own, using this notecatcher to help  on the quiz, and then take the accompanying quiz. There are 8 questions, and we must pass with a 75% (or 6/8). You can go back and review the video or notes to help with the quiz.  Please complete this before leaving work on May 26.

Bus/Parking lot duty: Posey and Penske

Monday 5/8: Teacher Appreciation Week

Tuesday  5/9:  Kaiser out @am; Coffee and breakfast items from Panera in staff work room, Summit Family Chiropractic - massages

Wednesday 5/10: Assembly to retire the flag; Awards Assembly; Teacher appreciation lunch in Room 102, followed by celebration assembly for students, Appreciation lunch in Baker's room (102)

Thursday 5/11: Snacks in workroom; Extended Learning

Friday 5/12: Snacks in workroom; Wellness

Bus/Parking lot duty: Gonzalez and Gaynor

Monday 5/15: 

Tuesday  5/16: 

Wednesday 5/17:

Thursday 5/18:

Friday 5/19: Wellness

Bus/Parking lot duty: Higgs and Levy

Monday 5/22: Cross District Collaboration begins at 7:00 am

Tuesday  5/23: 

Wednesday 5/24: Kaiser out @am

Thursday 5/25:

Friday 5/26: Please have Dyslexia training completed

Bus/Parking lot duty: Eastman and Mahoney

Monday 5/29: Memorial Day

Tuesday  5/30: 

Wednesday 5/31:

Thursday 6/1:

Friday 6/2:

Bus/Parking lot duty: Hook and Fehling

Monday 6/5: 

Tuesday  6/6: 

Wednesday 6/7: Student Exhibits

Thursday 6/8: 6:00 Graduation

Friday 6/9: Last Day of School

Bus/Parking lot duty:

Monday 6/12: Work Day

Tuesday  6/13:  Work Day (traded for staying late for graduation)