The Knight Times

Thomas Dale Faculty and Staff,

High school doesn't have to be boring. Please read THIS NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE.

For those of you who prefer a synopsis instead of the full article:

“Bored” is the word most commonly used by U.S. high-school students to describe

their feelings about school, say Jal Mehta (Harvard Graduate School of Education) and Sarah

Fine (High Tech High Graduate School of Education) in this New York Times article. The

problem, they concluded after spending six years visiting high schools around the country, is

that most classes lack rigor, challenge, and relevance. They quote a school leader who framed the challenge well: “Most schools and classrooms are set up in ways that trigger adolescents to resist. What we need to do is to trigger their instinct to contribute.”

For that to happen, say Mehta and Fine, we should look for clues in the parts of the

school day in which students are engaged – elective courses on hot topics, debate teams,

school newspapers, theater productions, athletics, and other extracurriculars. How are these

different from regular classes? “Instead of feeling like training grounds or holding pens,” say

the authors, “they felt like design studios or research laboratories: lively, productive places

where teachers and students engaged together in consequential work… Coaching replaced

‘professing’ as the dominant mode of teaching. Apprenticeship was the primary mode of

learning.” Looming performances for external audiences galvanized authentic effort and hard

work. This was true in run-of-the-mill high schools as well as those that had been identified as

“innovative.”

In their travels, what struck Mehta and Fine was the two worlds within schools: “Before

the final bell, we treat students as passive recipients of knowledge whose interests and

identities matter little. After the final bell… we treat students as people who learn by doing,

people who can teach as well as learn, and people whose passions and ideas are worth

cultivating.”

The authors occasionally saw bright spots during the regular school day. In a few

academic classes, students were doing authentic work – for example, a science class in which students designed, researched, executed, and wrote up original experiments. Why are classes like this so rare? Mehta and Fine have a long list of culprits: tracking, college pressure, state testing, curriculum frameworks emphasizing coverage over depth, simplistic teacher evaluation policies, large classes, heavy teacher course loads, and too-short periods.

“While there are some things that everyone should know,” conclude Mehta and Fine,

“much of what will help students in college and beyond are skills: the ability to speak and write persuasively, to reason and engage with one another’s reasoning and to think about core content in complicated ways.” They suggest ways to escape or ameliorate the many

impediments to better teaching and learning:

• Engage students in projects that connect academics with local communities, museums, employers, and workplaces;

• Hire teachers with experience working in their fields;
• Revise curriculum expectations and tests so they focus on depth versus superficial coverage;

• Tap into what students are curious about versus test performance;
• Give students more agency, responsibility, and choice;
• Give teachers the freedom and support they need to create engaging courses (versus pressuring them to comply with external demands);

• Implement longer class periods and smaller teaching loads to allow for more-engaging lessons and deeper relationships with students.

Enjoy!

Up-Front Summary (by day):

Monday

• Morning Meeting in Homeroom during Enrichment (If you did not use the video and facilitation guide on April 15, please do so today: VIDEO and FACILITATION GUIDE)
• Faculty Meeting (West Campus Auditorium)
• "Content Mile" after Faculty Meeting!

Tuesday

• No Enrichment; 1st period will be 80 minutes long

Wednesday

• Normal Day

Thursday

• Leadership Workshop at Camp Thunderbird (ROSTER)

Friday

• Positive Referral Ice Cream Social (ROSTER)

Links shared in this issue:

• TD Staff Dashboard
• KUDOS
• April Student of the Month Form
• Tech Integrator - Janice Skipwith
• Ice Cream Social (4/26) Roster
• Class of 2020 Awards Description
• Grade Change Form
• May 1st SOL Testing Duty Roster
• May 1st Detailed Information for Testing
• Alternative Bell Schedule for SOL Testing
• West Campus Plan during the SOL Testing Block
• 4/29 Genius Hour Information
• Exam Schedule
• Knight's Cafe Order Form
  

#EveryKnightEveryDay

The I Make A Difference award is a weekly recognition for a staff member going above and beyond the requirements of the job. Each week, the previous I Make A Difference award winner will select one member of the faculty/staff who displays excellence, goes the extra mile, and makes a difference and "pass" it on.

From Kathleen Herrmann:

Thank you Erin White for the kind words and recognition. I am so grateful that I had you as someone to look up to during my time here as a student and now, as a leader and role model. I would like to recognize Lisa Neal with this week’s I Make A Difference Award.

I have known Mrs. Lisa Neal since I was in elementary school next door at Curtis. Since knowing her, her dedication to her job and students have never once wavered. She is always happy to help anyone who needs guidance (or with just anything in general). Along with being an awesome help to anyone and everyone, she is also this great big ray of sunshine that will brighten up your day!

Lisa was also my biggest advocate and supporter when I applied for this job to be an IA. When things were taking long and going at a snail's pace, she was always in my corner telling me to have patience and good things would soon be coming my way! I couldn’t think of a more deserving person to receive this award!

The purpose of our weekly KUDOS is to give public affirmation to a faculty/staff member for a job well done. Anytime you witness something that you think deserves KUDOS, you are invited to fill out THIS FORM with the staff member's name and a little about why he/she deserves KUDOS. You will notice a difference in the form. We have added a layer that will send each individual recipient an email with attachment shortly after the KUDOS has been submitted! The list of teacher names and valiant acts will be published in The Knight Times. At each faculty meeting, those nominated for KUDOS will be entered into a drawing for a special prize! Be alert to the wonderful actions of your colleagues and give a shout out when you see something awesome!

Please enjoy this week's KUDOS by clicking HERE!

Each month, we will celebrate and recognize one teacher as the Teacher of the Month and one staff member as the Staff Member of the Month. We were so excited to celebrate our Teacher and Staff Member of the Month recipients so far!

• September: Jamie Barrack and Michelle Kimenhour
• October: Rachel Langston and Steve Davies
• November: James Thompson and Bridget Lehman
• December: Heather Walker and Lisa Neal
• January: Laurie Gholson and Jason Owen
• February: Kim Young and Barbara Harris
• March: Chris Johnston and Brenda Manson
• April: Announced at Monday's Faculty Meeting

Submit your nomination for May's Teacher and Staff Member of the Month by clicking HERE.

Each month, we will celebrate and recognize one student from each grade level as the Student of the Month. This student will be publicly recognized in front of classmates and on social media. Additionally, we will place a yard sign at each student's place of residency indicating that they are a Student of the Month for the appropriate grade level. Each student will be able to keep the yard sign. Each student who is nominated but not selected will also be recognized publicly.

Please think of a student you feel is deserving of May's Student of the Month and submit that student's name HERE.

Please take just a couple quick minutes to enter the names of your academic TOP male and TOP female students from each course that you teach based on the conclusion of 3rd quarter grades. Thank you so much for taking the time to celebrate students who do their best!

We have amazing students, enter your TOP academic students HERE.

• April Students of the Month (Action). It is time to recognize our April students of the month! Please click here to cast your vote by Friday, April 26th and help us celebrate some of our amazing Knights!
• Morning Meeting Video and Facilitation Guide (Action). If you did not engage your students in the April 15 video and discussion, please do so in your Morning Meeting. I know that our 9th grade students were in the assembly, so this is a good time to engage them in a conversation about how they treat each other. Please watch THIS VIDEO with your students and use THIS FACILITATION GUIDE to talk about Kindness and Integrity.
• Tech Integrator (Information). Janice Skipwith is a wonderful resource for high-quality instruction. Please see her weekly newsletter HERE.
  
• Anatomy Egg Babies (Information). Next week the anatomy students will be participating in a parenting/fetal development project. Therefore they will be carrying egg babies. I am asking teachers to sign off each block. Thank you for your participation.
• Special Olympics (Information). The Special Olympics track meet will be held May 1st with a rain date of May 3rd at Thomas Dale. The opening ceremony begins at 10:15 am. Please come out and support our athletes as they represent our school!
• Honor Roll Certificates (Action). Honor roll certificates were placed in boxes today. These certificates should be distributed with report cards on Monday, 4/22.
• Leadership Workshop (Information). On Thursday, 4/24, the Knight Mentor Council members will be on a field trip to Camp Thunderbird. They will be continuing to work on their leadership skills and will be planning for a summer freshman program.
• Positive Referrals (Information). 284 students have received a positive referral for the third quarter. The positive ice cream party will be held during 4E on Friday, 4/26. Passes will be placed in first period teacher boxes on Thursday, 4/25. Please continue to "write up" students for the fourth quarter. We will host a final ice cream party.
• 11th Grade Homeroom Teachers (Action). 11th Grade Teachers, the time has come to recognize some of our outstanding junior class students. Please click here to view a description of awards being presented by colleges and universities at the end of year awards ceremony and to vote for who you feel is deserving of each award. You do not have to vote for every award as some are more subject specific. Please complete the form by Friday, April 26th to ensure we have time to notify the different institutions of who we would like to recognize.
• Content Mile (Information/Action). The "Content Mile" will be after the faculty meeting on Monday!

Notes from ACTS-

April meeting notes below include discussion of the following:

· Budget update

· General Assembly wrap-up

· Grading Practices, Reporting, and Recognition Recommendations- These are recommendations for the School board to consider. The School Board will work with staff to decide which items to review first and may choose to postpone or not approve an item.

April Q & A is not finalized yet, but will be uploaded to CNet (ACTS page) as soon as possible. https://sites.google.com/a/ccpsnet.net/cnet/home/centraladministration/communications/acts

April meeting notes:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11ln_2l1PiC6sNUffFERZj-tyklmjY7QFEV60BV2AOdE/edit?usp=sharing

Presentation- Student Performance- Reporting and Recognition:

http://mychesterfieldschools.com/curriculum/grading-practices/proposed-grading-practices/

The next ACTS meeting is May 20. Please send me any questions or concerns, and I'll pass them along. cynthia_waters@ccpsnet.net

ATTENTION FIRST PERIOD TEACHERS!

· Report cards were placed in your mailboxes today, Thursday, April 18. They should be distributed to students on Monday, April 22.

· Make sure you have a report card for each of your students. If you do not, please let the appropriate school counseling office know ASAP so one can be printed.

· If a grade change is necessary, a grade change form is ATTACHED HERE and you may send it to Bridget Lehman at main or Terri Shaw at west. Recent grade change requests may not be reflected on the report cards!

· Please assure the report cards are accessible for a substitute in the event you are absent on Monday.

· If you did not pick up your report cards and need us to retrieve them from your mailbox, call the front office and we will deliver!

Testing Information

Chromebooks will be used for all testing in May so please remind your students that Chromebooks should be charged and ready on test day. Also, please encourage them to bring their chargers.

Bell Schedule: Testing Block is 8:30 - 11:00. Attendance will be taken in Block 1 AFTER the "One Lunch".

All information pertaining to SOL testing can be found on the Dashboard - SOLS - Spring SOLS. Please click HERE for the May 1st Duty Roster for both Main and West. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns about your assignment.

May 1st Test Information: Click HERE for more detailed information about May 1st and let me know if you have any questions.

As we begin the crazy month of May, thank you in advance for your help, cooperation and patience. I appreciate you so much!!!

• During your Morning Meeting on 4/22, please encourage students to fill out the form for the Genius Hour on 4/29.

• I have included categories before the title of the activity.

• There is no option for Movie Watching or Quiet Rooms.

• Remind them that if they do not pick a Genius Hour Session, they will remain in your 1st period class during the Enrichment time period.

• Also, remind them that if they do not pick three different options and their choice fills up, they might not be put in any session.

• Have them make their selection by Tuesday, April 23rd. Assignments will be posted on Thursday, April 24th and passes will be in your mailboxes by Monday morning to give to your 1st period class on Monday, April 29th.

• For this Genius Hour, we will again have students stay in their 1st period classes if they do not sign up for a session. They will not go to their Homeroom.

• Genius Hour Information Document:
  
• All the information in one place!
  
• 4/29 Genius Hour Information
  
• Genius Hour Form to Sign Up for Sessions
  
• 4/29 Genius Hour Sign Up
  
• Genius Hour Catalog
  
• 4/29 Genius Hour Catalog
  
• Genius Hour Teacher Assignments
  
• 4/29 Genius Hour Teacher Assignments
  
• There are 3 tabs: Hosts, Holding Areas, Duty
  
• Teacher Hosts: You can keep your 1st period students that did not sign up for a Genius Hour in your 1st period or send them to the holding area set up for them.
  
• Holding Areas: If you are a holding area, you will keep your 1st period and take on students from a 1st period class that has a teacher hosting a session.
  
• Duty: If you have been assigned a hallway duty, please first check in with the front office at your campus to see if they need you to cover for a teacher. If not, roam during the Genius Hour time period and help students get to their location. If they do not have a Genius Hour slip, they should be in their 1st period classes.

Teachers - students from Ms. Watts’ & Mr. Frashure’s English classes are working on a service learning project where they are trying to make Thomas Dale, or the community, a better place. Some students may be reaching out to you in order to help you or ask for your help (like hanging a flyer in your room). Please let us know if you come across any issues or concerns as we work on this project throughout the last quarter.

April is Autism Awareness month. From April 22 to April 30, we will sell student created puzzle pins to support the Autism Society of Virginia. Please, look to order on the Knight cafe order form for this week. If your students would like to participate, please put the number of pins with your order and collect the money. Students collect money by 1 every day next week if we see you have filled out the order form. On Thursday and Friday, students will sell door to door left over pins. Get 1 pin for $2 and 3 pins for $5! All proceeds go to the Autism society of VA. If you would like to donate without ordering a pin, please, email Annett Gilchrist, ASOL program teacher.

Do you like to sing? Are you musical? If so, I would LOVE to have you help us with a faculty music presentation to the seniors on Senior Day, May 24, during the senior assembly (3rd period). If you have a class at this time, hopefully others will be willing to cover for a little while. Jamie Barrack has agreed to help me with this so you'll be getting a pro with whom to work. If you're interested in participating, please email me, Laura_deck@ccpsnet.net and let me know--sing or a musical instrument? I'll respond with the details. You don't have to be great, just simply enjoy singing/playing and have minimal singing inhibitions.

The Dance Department's Spring Dance Showcase--featuring 35 Specialty Center dancers as well as 55 Dance Movement 1 & 2 dancers!!--runs Thursday, April 25th, Friday, April 26th and Saturday, April 27th at 7pm in the Large Auditorium. The show features faculty, student and guest artist choreography and the dancers have been working so hard! CCPS employees get in FREE with their ID and tickets for family & guests are only $5 each. Hope to see you there!

If you can't make any of the performance dates, we'd love to welcome faculty, staff & their families to our Dress Rehearsal, Wednesday, April 24th at 7pm! Please let me know (ilana_puglia@ccpsnet.net) if you plan to attend so I can pull enough programs.

It's that time of year again! TDHS Theatre will be producing TWO spring plays this year: James and the Giant peach directed by Shannon Cassano and Fantastic Mr. Fox directed by Sarah Roquemore will be performed from May 1-4 in the TDHS small auditorium (See poster above for specific dates, times, and ticket prices).

Both shows also feature junior casts of Elementary school students, including the stage debut of TDHS faculty students: Anastasia Kiku, Sade Gholson, and Haley Gilchrist!

As always, faculty members may see the show for free, but should plan to purchase tickets for any non-faculty family, friends, or dates they bring to the show. To claim your faculty ticket, please use this form: Fantastic Mr. Fox / James and the Giant peach C...

In addition to the three public performances of each play, we will also be performing both plays for students from Curtis Elementary school during the day on April 29 (Fantastic Mr. Fox) and April 30 (James and the Giant Peach). The linked google sheet has a list of students who will be with us beginning during 1st period on those days. Students should also be notifying their teachers individually by getting your initials on a permission form. Theatre students will be given time in class to come to you to make up any work missed from these performances.

Theatre In-School Field Trips 4/29-4/30

Finally, our theatre boosters is selling t-shirts and seeking volunteers to help on show nights. If you want to buy a t-shirt, please fill out this form!

Fox / Peach T-Shirt Order Form

If you are available to help with box office, concession sales, or serving meals to students on tech nights, sign up here: bit.ly/GiantFoxSignUp

See you at the show!

Please reference the EXAM SCHEDULE when you are ready. Although this is far out, I wanted to communicate the schedule with you as soon as appropriate.

If you are not ready to even think about it yet, don't worry...I'll continue to communicate this information.

This week the Knights Cafe is offering Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate KIND bars, Caramel Almond & Sea Salt KIND bars, blueberry streusel muffins, chocolate chip muffins and apricot oat bars. THESE ARE THE LAST APRICOT OAT BARS FOR THIS YEAR!!!!

Click HERE for the order form.

As part of our intentionality to strengthen trust, communication, and relationships, we will include agendas and minutes from our meetings in this section of the newsletter.

• Admin Team: April 9
  
• ILT: April 11
  
• Instructional Admin: April 9
  
• Community Partners Meeting: March 12
• Principal's Advisory Council: April 17
• Student Advisory Council: February 27 (Minutes forthcoming)
• ACTS Notes (from Cindy Waters): April
• English: March 19
• Math: Minutes Folder

Darby Dickerson - April 22

Catherine Castleberry-Shenk - April 23

Heather Walker - April 26

Enjoy your day!!!

Stay connected to OUR CALENDAR and mark yours!

Click HERE for our 2018-2019 meeting dates.

April 19 - No School

April 21 - Happy Easter!

April 22 - Morning Meeting in Homeroom during Enrichment (VIDEO and FACILITATION GUIDE)

April 22 - Faculty Meeting

April 22 - "Content Mile"

April 24 - Student Advisory Council Meeting

April 25 - Leadership Workshop (ROSTER)

April 26 - Positive Referral Ice Cream Social (ROSTER)

April 27 - PTSA Yard Sale at West

April 29 - Genius Hour during Enrichment

May 6-May 10 - Teacher Appreciation Week

CLICK HERE for all things April

Click below to access previous issues of The Knight Times, our weekly staff newsletter:

• Week of August 13
• Week of August 20
• Week of August 27
• Week of September 3
• Week of September 10
• Week of September 17
• Week of September 24
• Week of October 1
• Week October 8
• Week of October 15
• Week of October 22
• Week of October 29
• Week of November 5
• Week of November 12
• Weeks of November 19 and 26
• Week of December 3
• Week of December 10
• Week of December 31
• Week of January 7
  
• Week of January 14
• Week of January 21
• Week of January 28
• Week of February 4
• Week of February 11
• Week of February 18
• Week of February 25
• Week of March 4
• Week of March 11
• Week of March 18
• Week of March 25
• Week of April 8
• Week of April 15

Click below to access previous issues of From the Castle, our monthly parent and community newsletter:

• August 2018
• September 2018
• October 2018
• November 2018
• December 2018
• January 2019
• February 2019
• March 2019
• April 2019

If you have information you need to share, input you seek, or dates you need to communicate, please send it to me. As we improve our communication structure, The Knight Times will become an increasingly collaborative document.

Please email me what you'd like to share - just ensure you have The Knight Times as part of your subject line. I will just need a title, body of text to include, and a picture attachment (if you have one to add to your piece).

Email: christopherm_jones@ccpsnet.net
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/ccpsnet.net/tdhs/
Location: 3626 W. Hundred Rd. Chester, VA 23831
Phone: (804) 768-6245
Facebook: facebook.com/ThomasDale
Twitter: @GoTDKnights