Weekly Update: June 6-10

As I complete my first year at SSIS, I have spent time reflecting on our experiences together.  From my arrival in Saigon in July, to our first meeting as a division in August, start of year activities, meeting our amazing students and much more it was one heck of a ride.  While I believe things went very well over the course of the year, there were some speed bumps and significant challenges we responded to.  I will never forget how this staff pulled together for our students along the way.  Thank you for your dedication to our kids.

At this time two years ago, I was finishing an application for my dream job in Vietnam.  I had no idea what the future held for my family and career, but only hoped for the best.  My enthusiasm for this school and amazing staff has not wavered a millimeter.  The foundation of our division is extremely strong and the horizon looks very bright.  I cannot wait to see where our journey takes us together.

Have a great last week and summer break,

Jacob

Friday, June 3
HS Exam #2
HS Staff Farewells, 2:00-3:00 (MPR)
Classroom Summer Maintenance Request Forms Due

Monday, June 6
HS Exam #3
HSLT Meeting, 3:15-4:45 (HS Office Conference Room) Agenda Here

Tuesday, June 7
HS Exam #4

Wednesday, June 8
HS Exam #5
Final AS Meeting, 3:15-4:45 (Auditorium)

Thursday, June 9
Early Release Day
Last day for students
Students report to advisory at 8:00am for attendance
House League Events, 8:15-10:15
End of Year Assembly, 10:30-12:00

On the Horizon

Summer Begins, June 10 at 3:00pm
First Reporting Day for Staff New to SSIS, July 19
First Reporting Day for All Staff In-service, August 2

Staff Action Needed

• Meet all grading deadlines below
• Enjoy Summer starting on June 10 at 3:00pm

Important Grading Deadlines– Below is a brief summary of the grading timetable for the end of the year.

• Student Comments Reviewed by a Colleague: June 6 by 8am
• Final exams June 2-7
• Exam, semester 2 grades and comments due: June 8 by 4pm

End of Year Send Off– This year we are losing some tremendous educators, as they move on to new life experiences and journeys.  Marcia Adams, Charmaine Basel, Kris Bumpus, Shelley Burge, Colin Bush, David Doty, Tad Herrold, Nick Miller, Heather Mooney, and Robert Mooney thank you for you immense contributions to SSIS.  You will all be missed as colleagues and teachers here.  On Friday, June 3rd starting at 2pm we will be honoring their work.  We will have some food, drinks and share stories about our amazing staff that are setting out on new adventures.

Grading Changes for the 2016-17 School Year– As I mentioned at our last faculty meeting of the year, we will be changing our grade book setup in PowerSchool next year.  Our current reporting system has a running record for the entirety of the semester with exams at the end.  In effect it is 80% semester grade and 20% final exam.  This system has some positives, but it falls short for many of our students and families.  Next school year we will be moving to a discrete quarter system.  Each of the two quarters in a semester are separate and not cumulative.  For example, the 1st quarter ends on October 5.  That grade is now final and makes up 40% of the total semester grade.  The next week of October the second quarter starts with a completely new and empty grade book.  This second quarter will make up 40% of their semester grade.  Add in final exams for 20% with the two quarter grades and you have a semester grade that is posted to transcripts.  Make sure to update your course syllabus with this information.  I will share it with students before the start of the year.

Initiatives for the 2016-17 School Year– I shared the two major themes of our work together next year at our faculty meeting.

• Development and implementation of our advisory program
  • More time dedicated to the planning and delivery of advisory curriculum
  • Advisory council to work with the admin and counseling teams to create and determine what our students need.
• Assessment and reporting best practices
  • Reevaluating and creating a new HS Grading & Reporting Policy
  • Researching and sharing best assessment and reporting strategies that serve our students and families best

Last Day of School for Students– The last day for students is June 9th and is an early release day.  Students will report to the HS gym for attendance.  House System events will take place from 8:00-10:15.  After a 15 minute break, our end of year assembly takes place in the auditorium from 10:30-12:00.  Ice cream in the Plaza afterwards.