The Lion Ledger

Hello, Lions,

Thank you for continuing to keep Ha Nguyen's family in your thoughts and prayers. If you would like to attend the visitation or services for Ha, that information is included below.

We also have several important upcoming dates. The Spring SOL Writing test will take place on March 21-22. Please note we will not be on an adjusted schedule those days. Information about testing is included in the Ledger for you to review.

This upcoming week, we will welcome a delegation of students from Germany to Tallwood. When you see them in our school, please extend a warm Lion welcome.

Have a great week,

Ryan O'Meara

If you would like to attend, please see the information for services for Ha Nguyen:

• Viewing- March 17th 5-9 PM- a viewing will take place at Holloman-Brown Funeral Home 3445 Princess Anne Rd, Virginia Beach 23454

• Services- March 18th- 9 AM- a funeral service will be held at Our Lady of Lavang Church 409 Campostella Rd Norfolk, VA 23523

Please remember:

• For all written referrals - email a copy to the Administrator and Marlette Seenandan.
• 9th, Jennifer Hill
• 10th, Shaheen Soorani
• 11th, Timothy Pellerin
• 12th, Corey Bács

• If a student is sent out of class for behavior/discipline issues please ensure that a referral via email follows. Any student who is in the office longer than 15-20 minutes of instructional time with no referral issued will be sent back to class.

• Teachers who are contacted to complete Student Leadership progress reports for students who are awaiting hearings - please be sure to complete all portions of the form (unless otherwise noted) and return by date given. These forms are not optional and must be completed, per OSL.

• Any questions about referrals or discipline procedures can be directed to Marlette Seenandan via email or phone, ext. 85702.

The Tardy Pass Colors for this week:

Monday, March 20: Yellow

Tuesday, March 21: Red

Wednesday, March 22: Orange

Thursday, March 23: White

Friday, March 24: Pink

• March 21-22- SOL Writing Test
• March 21-31- German Delegation at THS
• March 29- SEL Survey (adjusted schedule)
• April 4- Staff Day

If you have any old newspapers, our art department could use them to cover tables in the classroom. Please give any newspapers you have at home to Susan Schutte.

This week I would like to nominate Sandra Alban. Mrs. Alban is a master teacher who is very loved by her students and makes everyone feel welcome in her classroom. She always puts her students first!

Mrs. Alban is a dedicated sponsor of the Step-dancing team, the Afro-Caribbean Club, and she began the Y-Street Program here at Tallwood.

She is also very generous in sharing with newer teachers her time and expertise, and many of us have reaped the benefits of her mentorship. I have learned a lot from Mrs. Alban over the last few years, and I am very grateful for her ongoing support. Mrs. Alban also has a wonderful way of bringing the world languages faculty together, with jokes and stories during our lunches and meetings; she is an invaluable member of our community.

Thank you, Sandy, for everything you do, you make a huge difference! ~Aramis Lopez~

Sandra Alban

To Dr. Marie Copen for successfully defending her dissertation this past week. Way to go, Dr. Copen!

To Joanna Gjeldum & Justin Goldstine for organizing and hosting a great Senior Night at Dave & Busters! See the pictures below.

To Jamie Friedman, Zamel Johnson, Connor Keelan, Brittany LeMay, and Kat Spears for taking Biology students on a service learning field trip to Operation Smile this week!

To Ashley Bergamino, Allison Heischober, and Rachel Lizan for supporting and chaperoning the service learning trips to Operation Smile!

To Greg Doughty for his assistance with transportation!

To Hayva Hill and Emily Snyder for hosting an AP and Dual Enrollment information night for parents!

To Terry Calhoun, Elizabeth Sokol, and our entire counseling department for organizing and hosting a successful College and Career Fair!

To Katherine Hill, Tiffany Gibbs, John White, and our Food Services Team for a delicious potato bar!

To Jade Richardson and Desiree Rodriguez who attended and shared artwork at Youth Art Month at the MOCA.

Congratulations to Sadie Venery for being the 1st place winner for the high school level of the Youth Art Month Flag Design Contest! This is a state-wide contest.

On Tuesday, March 21st and Wednesday March 22, 2023, the English Writing SOL will be given at Tallwood High School for students currently enrolled in English 11 in Term 2 and yearlong English courses. Students who have passed English 11, but still require the writing SOL for graduation will also take the test on these dates. The test must be taken over both days and includes the multiple choice and short paper portions of the SOL. It is imperative they take both portions or their score will not be counted. Students must bring their charged Chromebook and their charger for testing. Students who attend the Tech Center or ATC in the morning will be excused to stay at Tallwood in order to test.

We will not have an adjusted schedule on these two testing days, but teachers with first and second block planning will be needed to assist with the writing SOL. This will count toward any testing days you have for this year. Training information and updates will be forthcoming. Students who are taking this test will miss class for the SOL, so if you teach a majority of 11th graders, you may need to make an alternate plan.

If you have any questions, please contact Dorothy Varela, School Improvement Specialist, at 757-648-5723, or email Dorothy.Varela@vbschools.com.

Each department is asked to select three members who they think will help them advance to the next round. The first round will take place on Tuesday, March 21st and the finals will be on the staff day on Tuesday, April 4th. Which department will win Tallwood Trivia bragging rights?

Each Thursday, we will send out some throwback photos of staff members and let everyone guess who is who. To submit a picture of you, please CLICK HERE.

Thank you to everyone that has submitted pictures and for voting through the google form each week. There are only two more weeks of TBT quizzes…and prizes await the highest scoring guessers at the end of the month! Here is an overview of week one…how did you do?

Our next Foodie Friday will take place on March 24th. Please look for information on picking up a bag of freshly popped popcorn that day.

We will administer the annual VBCPS Spring SEL survey to students on March 29th. The survey will take approximately 20-30 minutes for students to take and it is essential all students take the survey. We will operate on an adjusted schedule to extend first block to allow time for the survey. An announcement will be made prompting students to begin the survey and teachers will be asked to monitor students to ensure they are accessing the survey.

You are encouraged to take the two personal wellness days granted by the division this year. As a reminder, these days will not carry over into next year. Please do not wait until later to use the days as we may not be able to grant them if we receive a large number of requests for the same day. For the remainder of the school year, we are able to grant one wellness leave day on a Monday or Friday and up to three per day Tuesday-Thursday. These requests will be considered on a first come, first serve basis. Wellness days may not be used on any SOL testing dates.

In order for Lion Lunch to run smoothly and safely, please see the following reminders:

• Duty Stations- it is essential you report to your duty station promptly. Please leave duty station assignments and expectations with your sub plans as well.
• Unattended Classrooms- please do not leave students unattended in classrooms during Lion Lunch. If you have students regularly visit your classroom during lunch, please make them aware of the days and times you have a duty or need to be somewhere else and that your room will be closed during that time.

The Career Teacher Application for 2023 is available online for downloading from the Intranet (Forms/Human Resources/Career Teacher Application).

The VBCPS Career Teacher Allowance is a three-year renewable allowance. The minimum requirements for eligibility for the Career Teacher Allowance are as follows:

• Hold an active Virginia Department of Education five- or 10-year renewable teaching license, or a Virginia Board of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology license or hold National Board Certification (NBC) issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
• Be on a continuing contract with the VBCPS.
• Have completed 10 years of total teaching experience or hold National Board Certification (NBC) issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards regardless of the years of service.
• Be rated “Proficient” or higher for each standard on the most recent evaluation and have not been on a Performance Improvement Plan within the three-year career teacher activity cycle.
• Have demonstrated balanced professional involvement over the course of three years immediately preceding the initial or renewal application by earning a minimum of 100 points with having at least 20 points earned in each of the four categories: Teaching and Learning; Building Leadership Capacity; Professional Learning; and Community Relations.

Full program details including the full list of requirements can be found on the intranet, Career Teacher Allowance page.

Teachers requesting consideration for a Career Teacher allowance must:

• Complete the 2023 Career Teacher Application.
• Collect supporting documentation as directed by the building principal to verify actions in each of the four categories of the form. (Teachers should keep all the supporting documentation with a copy of the completed application for their records.)
• Request the signature of the building principal on the cover sheet between Feb. 1 and the last day of school, June 16.
• If applicable to the application, include a copy of the National Board Certification if not already on file with the Department of Human Resources.

Please see these helpful Lion Lunch links:

• Lion Lunch Plan- Schedules, Office Hours, Duty Assignments and More
• Lion Lunch Site

As a reminder we will hold a weeklong celebration of the 30 years of Tallwood April 17-21st. Stay tuned for more details as we get closer to April.

Complete this form to let us know when you started working at Tallwood. We're collecting information to help us highlight the great history of our school for the upcoming 30 year celebration! Thanks for all your help 😊

Gender-neutral Restrooms

We have designated the single-use bathrooms closest to the T on the A & C halls as multi-use bathrooms for all students. The bathrooms next to those will be designated as our “Gender Neutral” use bathrooms with signage provided.

Locked Restrooms

The restrooms at the rear of the A, B, C & D halls will be locked closer to the beginning of the third block and re-opened at the end of 3rd block. We do this to ensure security protocols are in place limiting opportunities for students to be off task (wandering, vaping, etc.). This allows for maximum coverage in highly populated areas like the cafeteria, commons, and the outside eating area (weather permitting). Please allow additional time for your students when assigning E-Hall passes to the restroom during the 3rd block and 4th blocks. Due to staffing, the student bathrooms located at the back of A, B, C, and D halls may be closed for security reasons.

One of our school-wide goals this year is to ensure students have opportunities to create a work of substance in each class. If you haven't already, you are encouraged to discuss in your PLCs where you can embed these opportunities for students in your courses. As a reminder, to be considered a work of substance, it must tie directly to curriculum standards, support one or more attributes of the VBCPS graduate profile, allow for student voice and choice, and include rigor, relevance, and real-world connections. This WoS PLANNING GUIDE is offered to help guide your planning. We look forward to highlighting exemplars across our school soon!

Please review the instructional look-fors document regularly, especially when planning lessons. We strive to provide educational equity for each student by providing rigorous, relevant, and real world learning experiences in a supportive learning environment where students feel safe, cared for, and included.

If you are interested in scheduling a parent/guardian/teacher conference for a student, please complete and submit the form below. Parent/guardian/teacher conferences are held twice a month on the first and third Thursdays in the THS Library (LMC) from 2:10-2:45 p.m. Please complete and submit the request by the Friday before the date of the conference. The form can be found on the school’s website under the School Counseling tab. If you have any questions, please contact the School Counseling Department.

2022-2023 THS Parent/Teacher Conference Request Form

Thank you to the JWAC for bringing a wonderful guest speaker to the Schola!

Colonel Hennadiy Kovalenko joined our JWAC meeting to share his experiences, perspectives, and insights on the current war between Ukraine and Russia. The Colonel, or "H" as he prefers to be called, was an engaging and informative speaker that provided a clear understanding of the situation and the goals of Ukraine. He left Tallwood with a gift to commemorate his visit. See the picture below, or stop in the main office to get a better look!

Congratulations to our Model NATO Challenge participants! The GSWLA had the most participants at this year's Model NATO Challenge at Virginia Wesleyan. Our students did a wonderful job preparing for the event and engaging in the diplomatic and leadership simulation. This year the simulation focused on NATO policy in the Artic/High North. Great job Ana, Aria, Ash, Cam, Laura, Leleya, and Linna!

Shoutout to Billy Paxton for preparing our students well, and supporting them at the event. Here is an article highlighting the event!

https://act.nato.int/articles/model-nato-challenge-2023

On Tuesday, 3/21 a delegation of 12 students and 2 teachers from Stauffer Gymnasium in Waiblingen, Germany will be at THS for two weeks. We are excited to host them and show them our wonderful school and community. They may come into your classroom when shadowing their host student, or we might reach out if they are interested in learning more about one of your classes. Below are a few unique opportunities for you to engage with them:

March 22nd, Wednesday – 2:00-4:00 - German Café at Tallwood High School (Cafeteria)

March 23rd, Thursday – 7:30am-8:00am – Guest Speaker Roie Galitz, Wildlife Photographer brought by the UJFT to Tallwood HS (Schola)

March 25th, Saturday – 11am-6pm - World Culture Festival (students will be at the Sister Cities/Tallwood booth) (VB Convention Center)

March 30th, Thursday – 12:30 – 2:00 - Transportation and Infrastructure Activity at Tallwood High School (Schola)

March 24th and 25th are set to be shining moments for our THS students! On Friday the 24th Tallwood students are competing in both the Youth Ambassador Competition and the Art Contest hosted by the Sister Cities Association of Virginia Beach. On Saturday the 25th many Tallwood students are volunteering at the World Culture Festival at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. These events will be a wonderful celebration of culture and diversity throughout our community!

Being an educator is a very rewarding experience, but it also comes with stress and anxiety that can lead to teacher burnout. In an effort to help us be the best educators we can be, each week we will provide a self-care example/suggestion to try. We assist students in achieving their highest potential everyday, and in order to do that we need to help ourselves first. Utilize the ones you want and leave the ones that don’t serve you. We hope that you find these examples beneficial. Have a great year!

3/20 - 3/24 - TRANSITIONS

Ever have a really great lesson and then the day ends and it’s hard to come down from that high? Eventually you start feeling really tired and are more likely to make poor choices at that time. The ability to switch from task to task with ease and intention is the difference between being drained and feeling down or having an improved overall well-being.

Things to try for a whole week:

• Document your transitions: Take a moment to think about what transitions you go through on a daily/weekly basis. Examples could be going to and from work, getting ready for bed, going from class to class, your students switching between different activities, etc… Write or type them down.

• Reflect: Which transitions are the hardest/easiest for you and why? Ever carry negative energy from one activity to the next? Ever feel exhausted, but still carry on with the next activity without a break? Are there any correlation between transitions at home and those at school that might be influenced by each other?

• Respond: Recognizing the transition issue can be enough to make you at least aware of the situation to make necessary steps to improve your transitions. One thing you can do between tasks is close your eyes, repeat the word “relax” in your mind again and again and then have your body “relax”. Set an intention: how do you want to feel and what energy do you want to take with you into the next activity?

• Assist: Help your students transition. Go over these actions and questions with students and show them how to respond as well.

Reflection: What are your hardest transitions and why? Were you able to use the respond technique to help you or your students improve their transitions? Do you see yourself continuing any of these strategies? Why or why not?

Canvas Tip of the Week:

GooseChase Premium for Tallwood!

Tallwood now has a premium account for GooseChase! That means unlimited games, missions, and teams for the entire year! On Monday, March 20th, we’re offering a training called “Getting Started with GooseChase” held during each block in room E145. Sign up for the course in Frontline by searching for the title of the course as listed above, and you’ll receive your premium access link before anyone else!

Winners of the World Language Week GooseChase - Mariah Howard (left) and Silvia Hooker (right)

Ring Dance Chaperones Needed!

The Class of 2024's Ring Dance celebration will be held on Saturday, April 29 from 6-10 PM at Granby Theater and we need your help to make it a success! Please complete this form if you're interested in volunteering to chaperone the event. As we get closer to the event, we will share more chaperone expectations and a schedule of duties. Thank you!

Please see information below.

Pickleball, anyone? Use this link if you are interested in joining a staff pickleball club.

This memorandum is to share a new professional development opportunity for all Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) instructional staff. The Department of Teaching and Learning (DTAL) will combine efforts to prioritize our investment in a high-quality, diversified workforce, and we are pleased to announce the initial plans for the first VBCPS DTAL Summer Conference. The vision of this conference is to provide a multi-office combination of all the best DTAL summer learning opportunities including the Innovative Learning Summer Summit, Title I Conference, Early Childhood Educators Conference, and Gifted Symposium.

Please share this information with all instructional staff and save the date for the first DTAL Summer Conference that will be held Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, at the Virginia Beach Conference Center. Event Date Time Location DTAL Summer Conference Aug 7 TBD Virginia Beach Convention Center Please direct questions to Dr. Shewbridge at shshewbr@vbschools.com or call 263-1633 or Laura Silverman at lasilver@vbschools.com or call 263-1450. Thank you.

Please see attached information regarding VBCPS EAP.

We have an online course related to educator wellness that is open to all staff.

Authors, Timothy D. Kanold and Tina H. Boogren define "educator wellness as a continuous, active process toward achieving a positive state of good health and enhanced physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being" (p. 1). Join the #VBThrive Winter Book Study to explore the four dimensions of educator wellness and engage in field-tested tools to reflect on your wellness journey. No matter your role in education, a proactive wellness routine can promote positive personal and professional growth. This text, Educator Wellness, is available in the Virtual Reference Library, and we will utilize Canvas as our platform for learning and engaging.

Please see attached flyer for information on this year's event.

To ensure all staff are knowledgeable of available Beach Employee Wellness (BEWell) support services, the Office of Consolidated Benefits requests the assistance of leadership in helping to educate our staff on BEWell and Employee Assistance Services offered through Optima EAP. Please review the attached memo for updates from BEWell.

The Employee Professional Development Reimbursement (EPDR) program is designed to provide all benefits-eligible employees with an opportunity to obtain, maintain, and/or improve their professional capabilities. They can do this through participation in courses of study at accredited colleges/universities, accredited organizations specializing in job and career-related training, or courses taken at the Adult Learning Center (ALC).

This program offers financial support (reimbursement) towards the cost of course tuition for college-level coursework, vocational/technical courses, or adult education course registration fees. Benefits-eligible employees may apply and be reimbursed annually (July 1 - June 30) on a first-come, first-served basis. In order to qualify, an employee must be in a benefits-eligible position(s) equal to or greater than a 0.5 (halftime) allocation. Employees in positions ranging from 0.5 to 0.9 will receive reimbursement on a prorated basis.

Program information, including a link to the electronic application, can be found on the EPDR Intranet page. Additional questions may be addressed to John Ogden, Human Resources Specialist, in the Department of Human Resources at 263-1062 or John.Ogden@vbschools.com.

The National Board Certification process is a rigorous professional learning endeavor reflecting both achievement in content knowledge and teaching practice. The Office of Professional Growth and Innovation (PGI) is pleased to provide a support program designed to promote and assist candidates seeking certification. Please see attached memo for information.

4 x 4 Progress Report and Report Card Calendar 2022-23

2022-2023 School Calendar

Updated Teacher Evaluation Rubric

THS Classroom v. Office Behaviors Guide 22-23

Lion Lunch Plan

Lion Lunch Site

Absence Management (AESOP) Setup

Cell Phone Policy

COVID Mitigations Updates

Global Communications Lab Reservations

Lions Celebrating a Birthday this week:

March 20: Nacita Croy, Sandra Stone

March 21: Taylor Montgomery, Ciera Smalley

March 22: Lindsey Clouser, Sheena McGloine, Elizabeth Rudd

March 23: Cindy Chadwick, Ashley Hendricks, Rebecca Watts

March 26: Tyler Fortune, Edna Naim, Kristen Roberts

Happening this week:

Monday, March 20:

4:00PM Varsity Baseball vs. Landstown HS at Tallwood HS

4:00PM Varsity Softball vs. Landstown HS at Landstown HS

Wednesday, March 22:

4:00PM Varsity Baseball vs. Salem HS at Salem HS

4:00PM Varsity Softball vs. Salem HS at Tallwood HS

Friday, March 17:

4:00PM Varsity Baseball vs. Kempsville HS at Tallwood HS

4:00PM Varsity Softball vs. Kempsville HS at Kempsville HS

5:30PM Girls Varsity Soccer vs. Franklin HS at Franklin HS

7:00PM Boys Varsity Soccer vs. Franklin HS at Franklin HS

Girls Tennis - starting off strong!

Foodie Friday- Potato Bar

Senior Night at Dave & Busters