Good morning,
Belated kudos for the fabulous Parent-teacher conferences last Thursday. I have the best job at PT conferences because I get to hear all the compliments about our staff throughout the night. It's not easy meeting the individual needs of so many students, each of whom are coming to class with their own "second backpack," but I'm so proud when I hear how hard our staff works at it. Keep up the good work!
Belated kudos for the fabulous Parent-teacher conferences last Thursday. I have the best job at PT conferences because I get to hear all the compliments about our staff throughout the night. It's not easy meeting the individual needs of so many students, each of whom are coming to class with their own "second backpack," but I'm so proud when I hear how hard our staff works at it. Keep up the good work!
My personal goals this year are to exercise regularly, eat healthy and continue to spend quality time with my family. My professional goal is to use restorative circles in my classroom this year as one way to create a community in which all students want to and can learn.
My family and I live in Canton. Thirty-two years ago I married my high school sweetheart. He is in pharmaceutical sales and works for Sanofi. We have two sons. Parker is 24 and a graduate of Canton High School and Central Michigan University. He is employed by Ford Motor Company as a buyer in Purchasing. Carson is 19 and a 2016 graduate of Canton High School. He is a sophomore at Central Michigan University pursuing a degree in Biology.
Five words to describe my classroom are welcoming, colorful, energetic, challenging, and respectful.
1) Congratulations to Scott Thomas!
Scott was recently awarded the LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS AWARD by the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation of Michigan. It's nice to see one of our own teachers receive such an honor! Congratulations, Scott!
2) Professional Development on 11/7: At the start of this year, we asked you for input and ideas for professional development. The upcoming PD on 11/7 is centered on culturally proficient instruction. We worked with the district to include sessions related to what you said you wanted to learn about - Substance abuse, LGBTQ, Mental Heath, Drug Use, Effective Questioning, etc. The EventBrite sign up will be sent out soon. Since the sessions are available for any secondary teachers to select, it'll be important to sign up as soon as you see the email to ensure you get into sessions that you want.
3) End of day dismissal: There is nothing short of a stampede to the parking lot as soon as school is dismissed (and sometimes before.) Please communicate to students the importance of WALKING to the car. Anyone who witnesses the mad rush can tell you that it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt. This is definitely a safety issue!
4) Lunch support: We are still in need of staff to help in the lunch room. We have more uncovered shifts than we have covered shifts. Please email Diane if you are able to help. It takes a village!
5) Ford STEAM High School Community Challenge: Anyone interested in a $20,000 grant? The winner of the Ford STEAM High School Community Challenge will receive an implementation grant for $20,000. It's simple. Student-led teams identify a community challenge, submit a video proposal, fill out an application and the team with the most convincing solution wins twenty grand. There are other prizes as well - student teams may qualify for one of the other FIVE grants worth between $5,000- $10,000! Detailed information on applying can be accessed here: https://www.fordngl.com/events/ford-steam-challenge
6) Technology Conference: Our own i3 Technology Conference is not until March. Here is a local technology conference that is taking place on 11/3. http://www.techtalkmercy.com/
