The Knight Times

Thomas Dale Faculty and Staff,

There has been a flurry of activity lately! We have our performing arts student groups competing, hosting, going for states...we have our spring sports engaged in their post-seasons...we are beginning our testing season...and we are making incremental adjustments to our daily operations!

There was a lot to talk about in our Principal's Advisory Council meeting on Wednesday, February 20! Please take a moment to review the agenda HERE. Below, I have outlined some of our changes and adjustments that we will implement as a result of our conversation.

• All teachers will have a duty. Members of PAC, after a few weeks of implementation of volunteer duties, recommended everyone serve a duty. PAC members are also assisting with the design of the new time/location grid to improve our visibility. Additionally, we have procured 5 walkie-talkies (for Main) to assist with supervision. Further information is forthcoming.
• Students who attend CTC should wait in their 1st period (or Homeroom) class until an announcement is made in correspondence with their bus arriving for pick-up. This applies to students at main campus; students at west should come over to main with enough time to travel at the indicated time on the schedule.
• Starting in the first week of March, we will ring the pips at 2:55pm (at Main) signaling the Senior privilege release. We will not ring a bell at 3:00pm, and instead hold students in their 4th block classes until approximately 3:03pm, when we will ring a bell for students to report directly to their bus. Students who stay after school for any activity should report directly to their place of business at the 3:03pm bell.
• An Enrichment management protocol document will be drafted by members of PAC. This is the procedure to be followed to ensure effective Enrichment operations. This document will be shared at a later date.
• Administrators will work to develop an improved feedback loop, ensuring strong communication, when we follow up on referrals and tardies.

Although the work is arduous, I feel great about our direction, our changes, and the response from our students, staff, and community! We are doing it, and the meticulous details of taking our organization to the next level are upon us. This is what continuous school improvement, a commitment to growth and excellence, and a relentless pursuit of what's next look like! I am honored to be your principal and to work alongside you to create tomorrow.

Enjoy!

Up-Front Summary (by day):

Monday

• Sophomore Class Meeting in the Main Auditorium during Enrichment
• Faculty Meeting (3:15pm, West Auditorium)

Tuesday

• Normal Day

Wednesday

• Student Advisory Council Meeting at 10am in the Main Library (passes were distributed)

Thursday

• Medford League vs Manchester (3rd Block, Main Gym)

Friday

• First Day of March...JEANS DAY with your TDHS Spirit Gear!!!
• ILT Meeting

Links shared in this issue:

• TD Staff Dashboard
• KUDOS
• Vote for February's Student of the Month
• Tech Integrator - Janice Skipwith
  
• ESOL Professional Development
• Genius Hour Hosting Form
• March Testing Information
• Digital Learning Day Lesson Menu
  
• Knight's Cafe Order Form
  

#EveryKnightEveryDay

Each week, I will include writing from our students. This started as an idea to include student voice in our newsletter, and I think has the potential to be so much more. If you are interested in having your students write about their Thomas Dale experience for inclusion in The Knight Times, simply submit them to me...and I will include them.

• Dear Mental Health,
  I want you to know it’s okay to talk to people about your problems. Especially your guidance counselor, because they’ve probably talked to other who are experiencing the same thing you are. It’s a great way to let out emotions and stay safe I believe. It’s also okay to let go of toxic people who interfere with your happiness. Stress is never good to have in high school, and if someone is adding on to that then remove them from your life. Stress, especially as a senior or junior, is awful to have because not only do you have to worry about your classes but college as well. --I don’t care if you keep my name on it or not.
  

• Love In Our Eyes
  In our eyes love is very special, it is a once in a lifetime feeling. Being born on Valentine's Day really brings out the inner love in myself. Leaves me hoping for that special connection, hoping it won’t just come and go. Hoping that it sticks around, like the taste of a cough drop when you have a sore throat. Love brings purpose to ones life, gives us all something to live for. We live to make that special person happy and hope to have a permanent impact on their life. Even if they do end up moving on, hoping they will never forget the times that the spent with you. There might as well be such a thing as true love, and it comes in all shapes and sizes. Unlimited possibilities. --(Leave anonymous)
  

TDHS teachers show their students every day, in words and deeds, how much they care. In Our Eyes - Teacher Edition - is a way for the TDHS teachers to express, in a positive way, how much they care about their students. If you would like to send a message to the students and community at large, please complete the attached Google form. You may make your message as short or as long as you would like and in whatever format you wish: list, bullet points, paragraph, etc. You may include your name or you may remain anonymous.

Click HERE to add your voice.

Here is the first one, which will be included for all to see:

Things I Wish My Students Knew

Jill Seal

1. I love it when a lightbulb goes off for you and you have an aha moment!

2. I worry about you when you’re not here, and that includes nights, weekends, holidays, and summers.

3. I really want you to learn my content, but I care even more that you’re learning to be a decent human.

4. I can’t wait to give you a 20 second hug, if you need one. The best thing about a hug is that when I give you one, I get one back, and I always need one!

5. I know how hard it is to be a teenager. You can’t imagine it, but I was once one too...a LONG time ago...and I’m really glad there were no cell phones back then.

6. You have the power to make the classes you take a positive experience or pure drudgery for yourself, your classmates, and your teachers. I love it when you use your power for good!

7. I believe that you have far more potential than you realize. If I seem disappointed in you, it’s because I believe firmly in your potential to do better.

8. I believe that students who get in trouble at school are asking for help from the adults at school.

9. I believe that tough love is the best kind of love. It’s as hard for me to give it as it is for you to receive it, but I know that it is often what’s best for you. We don’t grow by being comfortable.

10. I love you. I really do.

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 Lauren Spain:

Wow! Thank you so much Mr. Hueston (not Houston) for your kind words. You, more than anyone I know, are the best about making kids feel welcomed and loved as soon as they enter your room… or just walk by in the hall. You have an inside joke with almost every kid, and honestly, I’m just trying to keep up with you! So, your words truly mean the world to me. In my eight years of teaching, I have worked at three different schools. I can say honestly say that I never looked forward to coming to work everyday before Dale. And, yes, I love my kids, but the staff here is what I am most blown away by. Everyone I have met here is always so friendly and willing to go the extra mile for one another, so choosing just one person to pass this award to is SO difficult. Nonetheless, this week’s “I Make a Difference” award goes to.... Steve Nigro.

Nigro is one of those teachers kids never forget. He is hilarious; his well-placed sarcasm and quick wit often make his student’s (and my) day. If you’d like a taste of his humor, just walk by his room and read the sign on his door about where he is during the day. Nigro always keeps it real. If you are a student in his room, he promises to only teach you things that you will actually need in life. This authenticity engages his kids and simultaneously invites them to always be themselves, while still striving to be better. If you’re a teacher who gets to work with Nigro, his transparency is refreshing and enlightening. He invests in everyone he meets and is the definition of “willing to go the extra mile.” He checks on me everyday before leaving for the day, just because. I am so grateful to be his partner (with the incredible Dave Duncan) in the HSIG and cannot wait to learn more from him over the years! YOU DA MAN! Go Bills!

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: FIND OUT MONDAY!!

Submit your nomination for March'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 March's Student of the Month and submit that student's name HERE.

The Culture by Design team has come up with several ways for us to celebrate our awesome knight students, as they exemplify the pillars of the Knight Code. Please take a moment to read through the awards and methods of nomination.

Additionally, we would like to ask that all Homeroom teachers encourage their students to come up with spirit-oriented Genius hour sessions. Ideas to jump start the conversation include: poster painting, face painting, relay races or candid photos... but we'd love to make their ideas come into reality.

• Vote for February's Student of the Month (Action). It is time to cast your votes for our February students of the month! Click here to cast your vote by Wednesday, February 27th. Your participation is greatly appreciated to help us recognize our outstanding Knights!
• DUTY (Action). Members of the Principal's Advisory Council are working on a duty roster. You can expect to have a duty according to an updated location grid based on feedback and our first few weeks of implementing volunteer duties. We will also publish an Enrichment Management Guidelines page to assist with operations during Enrichment.
• Special Education Bus Loop on Faculty Parking Side (Information/Action). In order to ensure the safety of the students in the Special Education department, please refrain from driving through the bus loop during arrival and dismissal. We also ask you to encourage others to use the designated pick-up and drop off zones.
• Tech Integrator (Information). Janice Skipwith is a wonderful resource for high-quality instruction. Please see her weekly newsletter HERE.
  
• ESOL Professional Development (Information). Those who are interested in PDs for ESOL please see this link for upcoming sessions on SDRWeb:

  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ocZpKUB9gpWSM1X9zZ1kBJDg2ueJJndTBcBlBeSzzQo/edit Thank you!

Hi All!

GENIUS HOUR:

The next Genius Hour will be 3/25. I am starting to build the catalog. The following Genius Hour will be 4/29, so I am including the opportunity to sign up to host for that date in the same form. If you would like to host the same session both dates, mark both dates on the form. If you only want to host on one of the dates, mark which date you'd like to host. If the session will be a little different on 4/29, there is a question where you can talk about that. If you don't know if you want to host on 4/29 yet, that is fine. I will follow up later to see if you would like to add in to host a session.

Here is the Google Form to sign up for hosting on 3/25 and/or 4/29:

Genius Hour Hosting 3/25 and/or 4/29

In case you are looking to host, but don't have ideas, here are some things students have requested:

Anime/k-pop

Art at Main

Baking

Band

Baseball

Baskeball

Beginner Softball

Bob Ross

PC Building Simulator

Basic Spanish

Card Games

Coding/Technical Engineering

Coffee Talk

Cookie Decorating

Creative Writing

Cryptid

Dealing with Stress

Dental Hygienist coming to talk

HVAC/Plumbing/Electrician information

Puzzles

Drawing

Field/Ice Hockey

Gardening

Hallway Decorations

How to never go broke during high school

Jam session

Theatre Games

Improv Games

Debate

Karoake

Keyboard

Lacrosse

Magic the Gathering

Makeup

Cultural Food

3D Printing

Singing for Beginners

Learning the Spring Play

Ms. Lefon's Recycled Art

Oil Change/Working on Cars

Orchestra Skills

Photo Editing

Poetry

Prom Committee

Random Acts of Kindness

Rugby

Self-Defense

Time Management

Trivia

Wiffleball

Basketball

Something related to animals

This document will hold all information for the 3/25 Genius Hour (it will be located in the TD Dashboard): Genius Hour 3/25

From Rachael Smith:

I was hoping teachers would be willing to allow my statistics students to come to their enrichment classes to gather data for the next project. They will be sampling students using reaction timers and should not take too much time. This would be over the next 2 or 3 weeks. If students come to their class and it is not a good time, please feel free to have them leave - the students will have a back-up plan.

Please email Rachael Smith for more information.

March Test Information

English 10 Writing SOL: Please make sure that you have read the March Testing information that was shared by Dr. Jones by separate email on Wednesday. Let me know if you have any questions.

English 9 Performance Based Assessment (PBA): Beginning with this year's 9th grade class, students enrolled in English 9 will participate in a "Performance Based Assessment" on the West Campus, which will take the place of the English 10 Writing SOL. Students will use their Chrome books for testing, using the CANVAS link. Help will be needed by all West Campus Teachers/Staff when this test is administered. (Administered on the same days as the English 10 students test on the Main Campus).

On March 6th, a PBA "Simulation/Practice" test will be administered in assigned testing rooms. More detailed information will be shared early next week.

On March 13th, the actual PBA assessment will be administered. This is a new assessment for everyone in the county and the English 9 teachers have done an amazing job of preparing our students for this new assessment. On the 13th, instead of signing out test tickets like you would for an SOL, Examiners will check out "Writing Folders" which will include all "approved" materials students will need for this day. All materials will be checked out from Mr. Lewis (Pathway Centre) and Emily Stains, CCPS Curriculum Specialist, Secondary Literacy, will be on the West Campus to assist us as we navigate through this new process. The "Proctoring PBA Presentation" (attached) MUST be downloaded....GOOGLE can not be used. West Campus teachers/staff, please take the time to review this PPT.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we are all learning together.

Both campus libraries will be closed on Monday, February 25, from 2:00-3:00 PM. Please plan accordingly.

Digital Learning Day is Thursday, February 28! Do you need an activity for your class? Sign up with a librarian for a digital learning activity where students work with Ozobots, practice coding, and use online library resources. We will also be happy to work with you to customize a lesson specifically for your class.

Maggie Thrash, the author of Honor Girl, Strange Truth, and Lost Soul, Be At Peace, will be visiting Thomas Dale High School on Tuesday, March 5. Students will have special passes from the library to attend her visit during enrichment period in the main campus library. Visit the library for more information or to order copies of any of her books.

We are celebrating Read Across America Day on Friday, March 1! Wear Dr. Seuss apparel, stop by the library's photo area, share your favorite books with others, and read aloud. Help us to celebrate reading on this special day!

Did you know? Canvas, our Learning Management System (LMS), is open and available for exploration this year for teachers to test out, begin building content, and to help with the transition next year. During the 2019-2020 school year, Canvas will become our LMS, replacing some of the applications we currently use (including PowerSchool and possibly Google Classroom). To ease the transition and prepare our teachers for what is to come, Janice Skipwith has agreed to put sessions together and identify our "Champion Users" to help us all.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Canvas that is. Please take a minute to read this blog post focusing around our new LMS Canvas. Learn how to create a course or about options for enrolling your students into a created course. Click here to learn more: Canvas Blog

Are you looking for an assessment tool? Canvas has you covered. Canvas has a new learning assessment tool called Quizzes.Next. Learn about this built in quiz feature in canvas here. For more information on this or any other Canvas tool please see Janice Skipwith.

Check out who has or are currently using Canvas: Carrie Weese, Matthew Williams, Christopher Kelly, Shelley Armstrong, Maureen McCamey, Andrea Martin-Williams, Al Stafford

Upcoming training opportunities:

• iTech Session 3: February 20 (West) and February 21 (Main) @ 3:15pm - Register in SDRWeb

Quizzes.Next training during planning periods - February 27 (West - Room 209) and February 28 (Main - Room 203). You do NOT need to register.

February 28th is Digital Learning Day! All CCPS schools will take part in mandatory activities in order to meet both the VDOE and ISTE standards. All enrichment classes will participate in digital citizenship lessons during the week of February 25th to March 1st. You can access the lessons for each grade level by clicking here. Each grade level has six lessons from which to choose. It will be up to each individual class to decide in which order you would like to complete the lessons. The expectation is that each class attempt to complete five of the lessons during the week, but no fewer than three. Please email clinton_patterson@ccpsnet.net if you have any questions.

This week the Knights Cafe is offering lemon Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate KIND bars, Caramel Almond & Sea Salt KIND bars,poppy seed muffins,chocolate chocolate chip muffins and sugar cookies. 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: January 29
  
• ILT: February 1
  
• Instructional Admin: January 22
  
• Community Partners Meeting: January 8
• Principal's Advisory Council: February 20
• Student Advisory Council: December 6
• ACTS Notes (from Cindy Waters): November
• English: January 23
• Math: Minutes Folder

Susan Carraway - February 25

Seth Kistner - March 2

Enjoy your day!!!

Stay connected to OUR CALENDAR and mark yours!

Click HERE for our 2018-2019 meeting dates.

February 21-23 - Commonwealth Choral Invitational

February 23 - Congres - French Student Workshops at Monacan

February 25 - Faculty Meeting (3:15pm, West Auditorium)

February 27 - Student Advisory Council meeting (10am, Main Library)

February 28 - Medford League vs Manchester (3rd Block, Main Gym)

March 1 - First Day of March...JEANS DAY!!!

March 1 - ILT Meeting

March 2 - TDHS Clean-up Day (9-11am, start at Main)

March 8 - No School

CLICK HERE for all things February

CLICK HERE for all things March

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

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

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