Weekly Update: October 1-5

Four years ago when I arrived at SSIS I questioned why we put so much pressure on our division at the beginning of the year in preparation for Week Without Walls.  It is so much, so early in the year.  As I reflect on this challenge, I am reminded about out school’s mission statement and our division’s focus on intellectual AND personal development of our students.  The relationships that our students build with their peers and teachers during this week is invaluable in their development as well rounded students.  Moreover, the connections that you made with students will pay off for the remainder of the year in the classroom.  It is so worth it.  Thank you for taking the time away from friends, family and daily routines to prioritize our students.

Have a great weekend!

Jacob

Friday, September 28
Day 10- FGHE
HS Birthday’s, Morning Break (HS Faculty Room)
HS Dance, 6:30-9pm (Auditorium)
Tim Out

Saturday, September 29
Family Fun Day, 10am-1pm

Monday, October 1
Day 1- ABCD
Advisory Schedule

Tuesday, October 2
Day 2- EFGH
HSLT Meeting, 3:15-4:45 (HS Conference Room) Agenda Here

Wednesday, October 3
Day 3- BCDA
Exchange Report Card Comments with a Peer
HS Faculty Meeting, 3:15-4:30 (MPR)

Thursday, October 4
Day 4- FGHE
Advisory Schedule

Friday, October 5
Day 5- CDAB
Last Day of Quarter 1
Provide feedback for peer on Q1 comments by 3pm

On the Horizon

• Q1 Grades & Comments Finalized, October 8 at 3:00pm
• Q1 Grade & Comments Verification Reports Signed, October 9 (by end of lunch)
• Q1 Report Cards Sent to Parents/Students, October 9 (by 4:00pm)
• Parent/Teacher Conferences, October 11 (4-8pm) & 12 (8am-1pm)
• Y2 IB Predicted Grade Inputted into PS, October 26
• HS Block Party, November 9, 4-9pm (Jacob’s House)

Staff Action Needed

• Parent/Teacher Conference Food Preference
• Review Comment Writing Quick Guide
• Review the Log Entry Naming Protocol
• Add a kudos to a colleague(s)

Special Thanks to our WWW Trip Leaders/Supporters– Normally we share our celebrations for individual people in the Kudos section of the Dragon’s Lair, but this week there are some key people that Tim and I would like to thank.  Our trip leaders (Alison, Chris Sylvester, and Bilal) have spent months in preparation for our trips last week.  So many small details are involved in these trips from tickets to roommates, passports, itinerary, etc.  Once the trips begin, these leaders ensure that things run smoothly/safely from buses to airports, planes, and individual activities throughout the week.  Additionally, Ms. Huyen and Tim did an amazing job handling things on the ground before the trip.  Behind the scenes these two literally checked every flight, passport number, passport name, and health information to ensure we could leave and return to Saigon.  Thank you all.

October 3 Faculty Meeting– Our meeting this coming Wednesday will focus on data (led by David Chadwell), EE (led by Amy), assessment calendar (led by Thomas G).

IB Year 2 Predicted Grades (October 26)- All Y2 IB teachers need to submit realistically optimistic predicted marks for their students in PwerSchool.  These mark’s should reflect what is achievable on the student’s best day during the testing season in May.  You will balance your evidence as a teacher with teacher professional experience with predicted grades.  Look at the Matrix section of the Dragon’s Lair for specific instructions of how to input these.  See Jemison and Kelly if you have questions as this snapshot of predicted scores is used for university admissions.

Report Card Comments and Peer Review– We formalized a report card comment writing protocol last year.  The links below will remind you of these expectations and you begin to write these for quarter 1.   Additionally, each teacher needs to share the draft of their Q1 comments with a peer for review by October 3.  Most teachers share their comments via Google Doc with someone in their department.  Peer editing should include looking for grammatical errors, spelling, correct student names, and adherence to the HS comment writing format.  We will review these with the new faculty to SSIS at an upcoming lunch on September 27.  We have created a quick guide about comment writing that is more useable than the previous documents.

Support Family Fun Day– Family Fun Day takes place on Saturday, September 29 from 10:00am to 1:00pm.  Stop by and support the PTA and HS clubs/advisors for an hour or two, as this is an expectation for all SSIS faculty.

Parent/Teacher Conferences October 11-12– PTC’s take place on October 11 and 12 in the HS Gym.  Each teacher will have a table around the perimeter of the gym for parents to meet with you.  The format is the same as the past years.  We will discuss this in depth with new teachers during our luncheon on September 27.