Month: February 2021

Great Things Seen & Heard

  • We had our first official RAP student this week, in the bakery downtown! Congratulations, TR!
  • We saw our school’s 40th art display in the local newspaper! Way to go, RL!
  • We have someone special in our school: if you put something down and forget it one day, EE will see it and bring it to your class the next morning!
  • New group at lunch: jewelry making with RL and BC! Awesome idea!
  • Learning new vocabulary: it’s not the “why” chromosome, but the “Y” chromosome!
  • Our school received even more compliments from people outside the school regarding us having the most compliant student population regarding Covid guidelines!
  • Tip of the week: if you’re planning to stop to smoke a joint on the front steps after school, make sure you stop at the bathroom on your way out so we get a good look at your face in the camera…

Clips & Tips

Ever wonder why your students (or you, yourself for that matter) procrastinate? Could it be that they are simply original thinkers? Is procrastination just another way to say thinking? This presentation by an organizational psychologist is actually quite captivating, even entertaining. Who else would have thought about doing a study on work performance predictability judging by which internet browser you use. (I’ll be coming around to check which browser you’re using later this week…) Watch it here:

Bits & Pieces

  • Reminder to put notes in Maplewood whenever you contact parents, but especially when you contact regarding excessive absence from your class.
  • Parents of Grade 12 students have had a form to fill out regarding Grad. Results will be shared soon.
  • In next week’s team meetings (March 8th), we will determine which students represent the five greatest learning needs in our classes and look over the playbooks of strategic plans for meeting those needs. Teams will have to ensure the strategies are indeed classroom strategies.
  • At our March 12th PD Day, we will be discussing what we want for the new Pratt, choosing PTI dates for Term 2 (plus 2 hours from January), discussing what are our expectations of streaming, and then our indigenous PD will be at 1:00 PM.
  • Daylight Saving Time begins on March 14th. Spring Forward, so prepare to lose an hour of sleep!
  • Term ends April 1st, the day before Spring Break.

Events This Week

  • Monday, March 1st: Classroom observation in Block 2.
  • Monday, March 1st: Hot Lunch is Garlic Salmon Linguine.
  • Monday, March 1st: Canteen meeting at 12:00 noon.
  • Monday, March 1st: EV practicing mock interviews for job fair at 1:30 PM.
  • Tuesday, March 2nd: TR and EV meet board for bus protocol for drug use at 10:00 AM .
  • Tuesday, March 2nd: Hot Lunch is Meatball Sub.
  • Tuesday, March 2nd: Administrators’ PD all afternoon.
  • Wednesday, March 3rd: Discussion of students at risk with Board at 9:30 AM.
  • Wednesday, March 3rd: Hot Lunch is Bev’s Shepherd’s Pie.
  • Thursday, March 4th: Hot Lunch is Chili and Bannock.
  • Friday, March 5th: Hot Lunch is Pizza.
  • Friday, March 5th: EV at virtual Career Fair at 1:30 PM.

Great Things Seen & Heard

  • Our school received the highest compliments regarding students following guidelines!
  • Some students apparently thought PDA was allowed because it fits in with Biology class!
  • Our food survey went well, and many new suggestions came up for us to consider!  
  • A student came up with a new way to skip school: he told his mom that we had kicked him out (untrue) while he told us that his mom was in the hospital and that he had to leave town (also untrue).
  • Students in one of the foods classes have been nicknamed with food names—the kids love it!
  • The brain hats were a big hit in Biology class!
  • A student told us that he had a job working in carpentry to count towards Work Experience, but in reality, he was a pumping gas!
  • We have staff members practicing their morning greetings in different languages. I love it!
  • Another language lesson: “would y’as like to” means “would you guys like to?”

Clips & Tips

There are many resources for teaching challenging students on this website, but I especially appreciate the availability of strategies posted under different categories (student needs, exceptionalities, and diagnosed conditions) and subdivided further into easy steps in this section that we’ll be reviewing with our CRM teams:

Bits & Pieces

  • In this week’s team meetings, we will establish the five greatest learning needs in our classes and begin developing strategic plans for meeting those needs using this week’s link (in Clips & Tips).
  • Next bi-weekly collaborative team meeting will be on March 8th after school to check on progress with our CRM teams.
  • At our March 12th PD Day, we will look at what the new Pratt will look at after pandemic measures are lifted.
  • Daylight Saving Time begins on March 14th.
  • Term ends April 1st, the day before Spring Break.

Events This Week

  • Monday, February 22nd: Wellness coach away all day.
  • Monday, February 22nd: Hot Lunch is Beef Barley Soup.
  • Monday, February 22nd: CRM teams meet after school with greatest need documents.
  • Tuesday, February 23rd: Hot Lunch is Moo Shoo Pork and rice.
  • Tuesday, February 23rd: Learning Supports Team meeting at 12:30 PM.
  • Wednesday, February 24th: HP Principals meet in morning.
  • Wednesday, February 24th: Pink Shirt Day.
  • Wednesday, February 24th: Hot Lunch is Chicken Caesar Salad.
  • Wednesday, February 24th: Dual Credit course selection meeting in PM.
  • Thursday, February 25th: Classroom observation in Block 2.
  • Thursday, February 25th: School Board Survey
  • Thursday, February 25th: Hot Lunch is Lasagna and garlic toast.
  • Friday, February 26th: School Board Survey
  • Friday, February 26th: Hot Lunch is Quesadillas.