Happy third week of school!

Happy third week of school! 
I'd like to share an experience from last Friday. In an effort to truly understand what students experience walking from the far end of Plymouth to some of the furthest points of Canton or Salem, a few administrators walked to the other buildings with students during passing periods. In order to mimic students' experiences, they waited after the bell rang pretending to "pack" up their things, and then set off to the other schools. From 213A to CV9, it took 9 minutes and 43 seconds. From upper A pod in PHS to third floor Salem, it took 8 minutes and 43 seconds (in heels.) There are more examples, but you get the point. So, please continue to mark accurate attendance and encourage students to get to class on time! Share strategies like getting outside of the building as quickly as possible and to stay off of their cell phone. If you have students who repeatedly claim to not be able to make it, please let us know and we are happy to walk a day in their shoes with them. 

Upcoming events
Monday, September 18th:
Tuesday, September 19th: 
Wednesday, September 20th: PLC @ SHS @ 2:28 pm
Thursday, September 21th: Deadline for Juniors to register for PSAT/NMSQT
Friday, September 22th: 

Friday, September 29th: Adjusted schedule for Pep Rally.  Classes are approximately 43 minutes.  Schedule will be released soon. 

Hi, I’m Kelsey Onder and I will be teaching Math at PHS. I received my Bachelors and Masters Degrees from Michigan State University and completed my student teaching at East Middle School in Farmington, MI. After student teaching, I moved to New York City and began working at a middle/high school in The Bronx. I spent the last four years there and was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to serve as an instructional coach for the department. Although it was hard to say goodbye to the amazing students and staff, I am excited for all the new opportunities Plymouth High School will provide. 

This summer I took classes to become a PADI open water diver so a personal goal of mine is to complete the open water certification dives so that I can be PADI certified and enjoy scuba diving for many years to come. Being new to PHS this year, a professional goal of mine is to build relationships with my colleagues so that I can create a support group of individuals who push me to grow as an educator and challenge me to think about new ideas from a variety of perspectives.

I recently moved back to Michigan from New York City because of my fiancé, Nick, starting as an orthopedic surgical resident at The Detroit Medical Center. We are excited to be back near our parents, who live in Novi, and my brother and sister-in-law who also live nearby. I am especially excited to be working with my sister-in-law, Chelsea, this year! In my spare time, I love to hang out with my family and friends outdoors. During the warmer months I love to spend time on Torch Lake and in the winter I enjoy snowboarding up north. I also enjoy cooking, reading mysteries and memoirs, and trying out new fitness classes.

Five words to describe my classroom would be:Teamwork, Investigation, Supportive, Creative, Goofy

1)  College/Scholarship Fair: Infinite Scholars is conducting a College/Scholarship Fair at Canton High School on October 10th from 4 - 8 pm? The event is free - students will only have to register via the Infinite Scholars' website. Students are asked to bring multiple copies of transcripts, ACT/SAT test scores, letters of recommendation, an essay titled "Why I want to go to college", and a resume. Check out this FLYER for more information. The website is http://www.infinitescholar.org/

2) Four 1 hour professional learning meetings: This year we have four one hour professional learning meetings in lieu of a weekly staff meeting. The professional learning will include topics connected to the Framework for Teaching and our current theme of "Excellence for All." These one hour sessions will occur: September 27, November 29, February 28, and March 21. 

3) Building School Improvement team: Please send me an email if you are interested in participating on Plymouth's Building School Improvement team. 

4) Clubs and Activities: A reminder that all flyers advertising events need to be approved prior to being distributed. You can get approval out of the APAA office at PHS. Also, when posting flyers, please post them on the designated bulletin boards. 

5) Mandatory Training: You should have received an email from Plymouth-Canton Community Schools about the required training through Safe Schools. This year, you will need to complete both the Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Prevention refresher course (13 minutes) and the Seclusion and Restraint Awareness Training (full course (33 minutes) These are due November 30th. Use your district address to login.  The link is on the right hand side on the web version. 

6) Guest Speaker/Educational Resource Form:
​Please remember to fill out the Educational Resource Selection and Use Information Sheet for any guest speaker, all movies/DVD’s/video tapes, etc. rated PG, PG-13, R, or unrated movies that might have been so rated by the rating system in place for that resource you plan to bring in. Please turn this form into Diane.