Odds and Ends

Just like that we are back into the swing of things! I hope your school year has been off to smooth start. Please see below for some calendar items and odds and ends. 

Calendar: 
Wednesday, September 12th: Activity Extravaganza in the bus loop during lunch
Thursday, September 13th: Senior Class Meetings with counselors
                                         Canton - Little Theater
                                         Plymouth - Cafeteria
                                         Salem - Auditorium.
                                         1st hour is last names A-G
                                         2nd hour is last names H-O
                                         3rd hour is last names P-Z
Friday, September 14th: Cheaper by the 1/2 dozen - breakfast in media center @ 6:30 am 

Friday, September 21st: P-CEP Pep Rally (See schedule below)
                                    Plymouth Homecoming
Saturday, September 22nd:Plymouth Homecoming Dance 7-10 pm
September 27th: Late start day (Bell schedule linked HERE)

Pep rally schedule:
1st hour 7:10-7:54 44 minutes
2nd hour 8:04-8:47 43 minutes
3rd hour 8:57-9:40 43 minutes
5th hour 9:50-10:33 43 minutes
4th hour 10:43-12:17 54 minutes*
6th hour 12:27-1:10 43 minutes
Pep assembly 1:20-2:08 48 minutes
*A lunch has lunch from 10:43-11:23 and class from 11:23-12:17
*B lunch has lunch from 11:10-11:50 and class from 10:43-11:10 and 11:50-12:17
*C lunch has lunch from 11:37-12:17 and class from 10:43-11:37

1) Fall Activity Fair: Joining a club or activity at the start of the school year is a perfect way for students to meet friends who are interested in some of the same things. Our P-CEP Congresses are sponsoring a "Fall Activity Fair" during lunch in the bus loop tomorrow, September 12th, for students to check out many of the clubs/activities on campus. Please promote this event to your students. Click HERE for a list of clubs/activities.

2) New Vaping Ordinance in Canton: It is now illegal for a person under 18 years of age to possess or smoke vapor products or alternative nicotine products. An ordinance was passed in Canton Township this past summer (Article VIIII Sec. 46-506) that prohibits the possession or use in a public place by persons under 18. Students who are found in violation of the ordinance will be issued a school consequence and a misdemeanor ticket. We are communicating this via the website, announcements, newsletters, etc; however, please also communicate this to your students. 

3) Infinite College Fair: P-CEP is hosting a free scholarship fair on Wednesday, October 10, 2018. Some colleges will be accepting students and notifying about scholarships on the spot. The fair runs from 4-8 pm. Students need to bring copies of transcrips, ACT/SAT scores, letters of recommendation, an essay titled "Why I want to go to college," and a resume. Here is a link to a flyer

4) Mandatory training: You should have received an email from P-CCS safeschools online training with a link to the training module. The website is
 https://pccs-mi.safeschools.com/ and your district email is the username. All training is due by Oct. 31st. 

5) Colored Paper: Please ease up on the colored paper use. I've been notified that we are going through our supply at an alarming rate. Thank you!  

Link Crew 9th grade Orientation

Opening Football Game at the Big House!

First week of school classroom activities

P-CEP Rain Garden Project

6 finishers in the top 15 by PHS boys Cross Country!
New course record set by Carter Soloman with a 15:24

We held Plymouth High School's Honors Convocation the other night and it was nice to see students recognized for their achievements. Thank you to Nancy Gerst, Joyce Bauder, and Danielle Ramos for all the planning that went into making the night such a nice event for our students and families! 

There is definitely an air of excitement in the hallways as we approach these last few weeks of school. I laughed out loud when a teacher commented yesterday on how a roomful of high school students are bursting with added energy this time of year, but a roomful of teachers is more quiet and subdued due to the added demands and exhaustion that come with the month of May (and June) Enjoy this long weekend as you prepare for the homestretch. The end is in sight. June 15th is near - you can do it! :)

Upcoming Calendar 
5/25   Senior Skip Day
5/28 - Memorial Day 
5/31 - Seniors Last Day - Stop by the breakfast in the cafeteria 1st or 2nd hour            if you are able. 
6/1 -  Senior Prom @ Suburban Showcase 7-11 pm 
         Record of District Provided Professional Development due to evaluating 
         administrator (see below for more detail) 

Hi! I'm Sara Tebben. I teach French and sometimes I teach English. You can usually find me teaching the first level of French and the advanced French through the International Baccalaureate Program. I like having both the beginners and the advanced classes! I went to Michigan State for both my undergraduate and Master's degrees. Go Green! This year, I'm celebrating my 10th year in the classroom, with 5 years at the Park and 5 years at Fenton High School, where I also served as the IB Diploma Program Coordinator. I became a teacher because I wanted to change the world! Beyond teaching language, I like to believe that I'm teaching effective communication and relationship building, doing my small part to help people understand each other, which, in turn, makes for a better world.

I don't mind waking up early, so my personal goal is to take at least 30 minutes in the morning each to do what I want to do, such as read, write, or do yoga before the demands of school and two small children take over. Professionally, I am going to try to link all of my lesson plans electronically so I can have a breadcrumb trail for the years to come, leaving me more time to focus on the important part of teaching: the students!

I have two little ones: Anna, two years old, and John, born this past spring. They are such joys! Anna is very talkative and dynamic, and John is such a sweet, easy baby. My husband and I live in Plymouth and I love running into my past and present students around town. I love to read and travel.

Final Exam Schedule: A revised final exam schedule was emailed on 1/16 and a reminder sent out the other day. Please see the schedule below in case you missed it. 


District Provided Professional Development: Please remember to turn in a copy of your record of professional development to your evaluating administrator by June 1st. You can access directions on how to input the hours HERE. This year's PD is listed below for you to reference.

8/29/17 – 6.5 hours
8/30/17 – 3.25 hours
8/31/17 – 3.25 hours
11/7/17 – 6.5 hours
3/14/18 – 3.25 hours
3/15/18 – 3.25 hours
Four 1 hour staff meetings also count as PD: 9/27/17, 11/29/17, 2/28/18, and 3/21/18
Plus 3 additional work hours entered into RESA.

Chromebook Collection:  11th grade science, 10th grade social studies, and 9th grade English teachers - please review your specific assigned schedule/numbers/names of participating students, and remind students (or bring them if there are more than 10) to go to Canton 182 on your assigned dates/hours. Canton room 182 is located at the back of the media center. We all need to be diligent about this in order to get them all turned in. Thank you!

Meet the Staff:  So, (insert smiley face), I'm putting the FORM in here again for those of you who haven't filled this out. We want to hear about you! It shouldn't take a lot of time to complete. Thank you!

Canton Cup - The Canton Cup Soccer Tournament is this weekend. Last year, many of the cup spectators made their way into the buildings and we returned on Tuesday to a lot of messes. If you are up here this weekend, please do not unlock doors or let anyone enter the building. 

Event Management System (EMS): A friendly reminder to please email Marie Rogers for any scheduling needs for the building. Events need to be in EMS for a number of reasons 1) safety and security and 2) so that GRBS knows to circle back and re-clean the space. Thanks in advance!

Blue skies from here on out

Someone mentioned to me recently that, in the last two weeks, the people in  Michigan have seen snow, hail, rain, 76 degrees, 14 degrees, and an earthquake! Well, this may be true, but today was absolutely beautiful so I'll take living here in Michigan. I hope you had a chance to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather and sunshine. I'm choosing to take it as a symbol that it's blue skies from here on into June! 

Calendar:

4/24 - PSAT 9 make up

          SAT make up

4/25 - PSAT 10 make up

4/26 - M-STEP make up

          School Improvement meeting @ 2:30 pm @ SHS

Hello, my name is Cathy Kava and I am a Resource Room Teacher in the Special Education Department. I graduated with my Bachelors degree in Cognitive Impairments and my Masters degree in Special Education from Eastern Michigan University. This is the start of my 35th year of teaching. I believe that all students can and will learn, given the time and accommodations necessary to access the curriculum.

My personal goal is to live a healthy, loving, life with my children and grandchildren, surrounded by family. Professionally I have met my goals by not only teaching at all levels age 3-18, but also teaching at EMU to undergrads and graduate students.

I am number nine of eleven children and grew up in Livonia. I have three children who attended Salem High School; Kristen Dobias-2005, Justin Dobias -2007, and Anna Dobias- 2013. All of my children are out of the house and living on their own. Kristen is in Indiana with her husband and my two adorably cute grandsons; Lucas and Everett, Justin is in California avoiding the snow, and Anna is living on her own in Garden City. I enjoy traveling and spending time with my kids and grandkids. Each of my children took a different path in their lives after high school and I am passionate about supporting them in their choices. In my spare time I enjoy outdoor activities. I moved to a farm in the country a year ago and help my partner, Glen, grow and sell hay and goats. I have chickens who play hide-and-seek with their eggs, but when I find them I enjoy baking and cooking. I enjoy swimming and reading, and am anxious to get back to riding my bike.

Five words that describe Plymouth High school would be friendly, diverse, accepting, caring, and fun!

1. K12 Insight Student Survey: Students received a personal invitation and survey link in their school email account from the district’s survey partner K12 Insight. Please have students complete the survey using a connected device of any kind, including a smartphone, chromebook, or tablet during 3rd hour announcement time. The survey will take between 5 and 10 minutes to complete. Thank you in advance!

2.  Entering District Provided Professional Development: You can access directions on how to input the hours HERE. This year's PD is listed below for you to reference.

     8/29/17 – 6.5 hours
     8/30/17 – 3.25 hours
     8/31/17 – 3.25 hours
    11/7/17 – 6.5 hours
     3/14/18 – 3.25 hours
     3/15/18 – 3.25 hours 

Four 1 hour staff meetings will count as PD: 9/27/17, 11/29/17, 2/28/18,     and 3/21/18

Plus 3 additional work hours entered into RESA.

3. Guest Speaker form: This is more formally called the Educational Resource Form. It's under the regular links on the right side of this blog. Please use this form for any guest speaker you are inviting to come in to your class. Thank you!

4.  Going through your closets? If you have any long shorts (i.e, basketball) you would like to donate then please send them to Rachelle. She has a supply of clothes for students who are in dress code violation.

5. Grant Opportunity: Please see the grant opportunity from the Meemic Foundation. Apply today for classroom funding with their $100 Back-to-School Supplies grant. Apply at: MeemicFoundation.org/BacktoSchool Need new books? Math manipulative?  Microscopes? Art supplies? A special school-wide speaker? Whatever the need, our second quarter Traditional grant provides funding up to $500. Apply at: MeemicFoundation.org/Traditional. Deadline for both grants is June 30th. 

6.  College Decision Day: As a reminder, College Decision Day will be celebrated on May 4th during 5th hour at the Varsity football field. The goal of College Decision Day is to recognize high school seniors for their post-secondary educational plans whether it's trade school, military, workforce or college. 

7.  Scholastic Book Fair: Warehouse sale is from June 6-June 16 at the Scholastic Book Fairs Warehouse at 41873 Ecorse Rd, Suite 260, Van Buren Twp, 48111. 

Spring Break!

Whether you're traveling or in town for the break, I hope you're getting a chance to do things that really feed your soul. This may be different for each of us, but you know what I mean - whether it's spending time with family and friends, sleeping in, or cleaning out that messy closet - I hope you're having the break that you need to finish strong. 

This week's calendar:
Tuesday, 4/10 - SAT (11th); PSAT (9th) 
                       Report card window closes @ 11:59 pm 
Wednesday, 4/11 - Workkeys (11th); PSAT (10th)
                           Adjusted schedule (CLICK HERE) for PM 

Upcoming
Monday, 4/16 - Lock-down drill
                       report cards distributed to 3rd hour
Tuesday, 4/17 - M-STEP (M-STEP ALPHA SCHEDULE) 
Wednesday, 4/18 -  M-STEP
Thursday, 4/19 - M-STEP
Friday, 4/20 - M-STEP make-up 

Hello, I am Henni Marek and I am a math teacher at Plymouth High School. I have been teaching at the Park for seven years. Teaching is a second carrier which started in England at Magdalen College School, Brackley (www.magdalen.northants.sch.uk/). This is my 15th year of teaching and a life long dream come true. After 'retiring' from opticianry I was a stay at home mom while pursuing a degree in mathematics and secondary education. Born and raised in Germany, I now have been living in the USA for more than 30 years, with the exception of living in Northampton, UK for about four years. There I was able to finish my studies, student teach and complete my first teaching assignment.

One of my goals this year is, when working with struggling students in my support class, to continue to integrate effective instructional strategies to engage all students in learning and reaching their potential.

My husband, David, and I have two grown sons. Philip, the oldest is living in South Carolina, where we like to visit him as often as possible, especially during the Michigan winter. Peter, our youngest son is currently living with us and we enjoy his company, he is an excellent cook. Traveling is one of our passions and keeps us connected with our families and friends. 

1. K12 Student Survey: The district is launching a K12 student survey on the morning of April 10th. Each student will be sent a direct link to their school email. The survey takes 10 minutes (maximum) to take and can be taken on a phone, chromebook, or computer. Please ask students to take this survey in your 3rd hour class on 4/24 and 4/26, utilizing the extra 10 minutes for announcements.  

2. PD Survey: Please provide feedback on the presentation on 3/15 by Max McGee. The survey link is https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/W8QL8VB. The survey can be completed in 3 minutes or less. Also, here is a link to his presentation.

3. ASD Walk 2018 - This year's Walk for Autism will be held on Saturday, April 21, 2018. Come and celebrate Autism Awareness with food, raffle, and fun. All proceeds from this event go towards our Center Based ASD programs. Here is a link to a flyer

Happy Wednesday

I hope each of you had a chance to get caught up on life, and maybe even rest up a little, during mid-winter break. 

Calendar: 

2/21 - PLC @ PHS

2/27-3/1 - Student Shadow Days (CHS, PHS, SHS)

2/28 - P-CEP building meeting @ CHS Little Theater @ 2:28 pm - 3:28 pm

3/2 - Five week Mark = Athletic Eligibility Grade Check (please update grades)

**Please make sure to check out the Odds and Ends at the bottom. 

Hi, I'm Dave Fleming, entering my 13th (is that automatically bad luck?) year of teaching English at Plymouth High school.

My personal goal is to hit my goal time in the Monroe Half Marathon this fall. I fell 9 seconds short on a trail race this summer. Professionally, I want to get back to meeting regularly with my Reading / Writing Workshop colleagues.

My wife, Abby, and I have been married for 11 years. We have two children: Emma (6), who will be a first grader at Field this year, and Gavin (4). This summer flew by, but included taking the kids to Disney World for the first time. I'm not sure who is most tired.

I read Meddling Kids this summer, a take on a Scooby-Doo-like child detective group now in their twenties and tortured by their pasts

1. School visit:  Mike Bender and Liz Mosher will be visiting classrooms in Plymouth High School this tomorrow beginning at around 7:30 am.  They plan to get into as many classrooms as they can in the 2 hours they'll be here. My plan was just to hit random classrooms; however, if you'd specifically like a visit then please send me an email. 

2. School safety meeting 2/28: Next week's one-hour Wednesday meeting was originally scheduled to be Danielson training. In light of recent events related to school violence, we are partnering with Canton Police Department to bring the staff information on active shooter training. I'll share more information in a separate email; however, please mark your calendars for Wednesday, 2/28 @ CHS Little Theater from 2:28-3:28 pm

3. Late buses - When students are late due to a late bus, bad road conditions, etc. and an announcement goes out over the PA to excuse the tardy, please mark the students late excused opposed to present. This will better help us track accurate attendance. 

4. Extra Credit - This is a reminder that any and all extra credit must be linked to the curriculum you teach. This means that extra credit isn't purchasing anything (i.e., tissue, hand sanitizer) or doesn't have to do with other behavioral issues in the classroom. 

5.  Brief Academic Dishonesty Survey - Please complete this brief Academic Dishonesty survey for the Faculty Senate.

6. Grant funding opportunity for School Health: Building Healthy Communities is a school-wide initiative designed to prevent childhood obesity and create healthy school environments. Schools with grades K-12 are eligible for the Step Up for School Wellness Program. This application period will not open until April 2018 and applications will be due September 30, 2018. This flexible model is designed to help schools make smaller targeted improvements to their environment by allowing them to select components. Please go to bcbsm.com/buildhealth<http://bcbsm.com/buildhealth to review eligibility information, a program comparison and detailed program descriptions in each Request for Applications. You'll also find information on how to access informational webinars, conference calls and online applications.

Happy Thursday!

I can hardly believe it's February 1st! I apologize that it's been so long since the last "odds and ends." Looking back, the whole month of January is sort of a blur. Thank you for working so hard to support our students and each other during a really difficult time. I'm grateful each and every day to work with such amazing people!

Gretchen Andridge- ELA and IB Depts.- BA/BD and MA from EMU & Marygrove- My Educational Philosophy is two-fold: "Work hard, practice a LOT and push yourself to be creative" mixed in with a Robin Williams quote, "You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it."

A personal goal of mine is to take long road-trips with my family, that have moments where my risk-taking side is tested. A professional goal I have is to build all of my lessons around project-based learning that is student directed.

I have three boys, ages 25, 21 and 8 and a husband who is also a teacher. I enjoy reading, hiking and being outdoors and playing games in my spare time. I'm passionate about quality treatment of animals and the environment and taking an active role in our local community.

PHS is a spirited, fun-loving, hard-working, talented and smart collective of people who fill a learning institute with purpose.

I've just finished reading 'The Book of Joy' by Gyatso, the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

1) Parent Dashboard for School Transparency: Michigan Department of Education recently released its Parent Dashboard for School Transparency. You can find the Parent Dashboard on https://www.mischooldata.org/. A blog by Bob Kefgen gives a summary of the dashboard. You can access it HERE. HERE.

2) Technology Integrationists: Rich Coughlin and Matt Smoot are technology integrationists who are available to support teaching staff in many ways, including: 

• Co-teaching in classrooms or just being there for additional support
• Modeling a specific tech tool or integrating a specific strategy 
• Assisting in lesson planning/tech integration   
• Providing drop-in support during specials/planning time, before/after school
• Any other ideas you may have

They will be at Plymouth tomorrow, February 2nd and again on Thursday, February 15th. Here is a link to their full year schedule: http://bit.ly/trackdown Please email rick.coughlin@pccsk12.com or matthew.smoot@pccsk12.com to set something up.

3) Professional Development 3/14-3/15: March 14th are 1/2 day pm district professional development days. The i3 conference is on 3/14 and the afternoon of 3/15 is PD linked to our school improvement plan. We are reviewing the input staff provided at the beginning of the year in order to plan for the afternoon on 3/15. I received positive feedback from our speaker at the 12/1 staff meeting and would like to gauge the interest level of having an extension of it during the afternoon of 3/15.  Please complete this one question form to help us with planning.

4) Printer/Copier: There are two ways to login to the new small copier: staff can either choose Username and password OR ID number.

USERNAME and PASSWORD: enter your network credentials (what you would use to log on to a district desktop computer).

ID NUMBER (aka PIN NUMBER): tap inside the ID Number field to bring up a keyboard to enter your six digit, assigned pin number. This pin number was emailed to you by technology on 1/10/18.

​

To log off, click the Access button. Staff can do this even before their copying job has completed. If waiting, another staffer in turn can log in and queue up another copy job or "release" a print job.

Please memorize your specific six digit number or write it down in a safe and accessible place that you alone have access to. Do not share your pin numbers. Also, remember that the small copier is not intended for large print jobs.Those jobs should continue to be requested 24 hours in advance and run by Paula on the large copy machine.

4) Contract Approval Form: As a reminder, the only individuals in the District that are authorized to sign vendor contracts are the Superintendent and the Chief Finance and Operations Officer. Any time a contract needs to be signed (i.e., DJ, speaker, equipment, services, etc.), you must submit a contract approval form. The form is now available electronically and can be found HERE.

5) Graduation: What?!? It's only February 1st! Look for communication soon about graduation. It's great to see seniors on their graduation day. Please consider joining us on this day.

6) Reimbursement reminder: Please review the Employee Reimbursement Guidelines. You can also reference the email sent by Victoria Amore on 1/17. Highlights include: 1) a receipt log and supporting documentation must accompany deposit slips, 2) Tally sheets, 3) All checks made payable to District (PCCS), including field trips, 4) No cash/checks are to be kept in classrooms overnight, 5) No cash/checks are to be taken home by district staff, 6) All collections must be deposited (no cash can be held back for transactions), 7) shipping address must be a district address if you are getting reimbursed, 8) reimbursements must be submitted within 60 days of purchase, and not later than year end (for teachers, it’s best to submit before school is out.) Here is a Teacher’s Reference Guide to Receipts and Purchasing

7) Grant opportunity: Canton's Youth Advisory Council has close to $1,000 that they can grant out this year to projects in classrooms or school clubs that benefit the youth of Canton. Here is letter that explains more and the application. The application deadline is March 9th. 

Winter Break!

We did it! We made it to Winter Break! My entire family has been counting down to this break, but I honestly don't know who is more excited - me or my girls. I'm looking forward to lazy nights (without homework), getting some order in my disordered house, and good, old-fashioned quality time with my family over the next two weeks. May the break be for you exactly what you desire and need. Happy Holidays!

David Sutherland - Social Studies Department - I have a school problem! I would be a professional student if possible. A.B. Communications - U of M - Ann Arbor, MA Educational Technology - Wayne State, MS Educational Leadership - Concordia University, and JD University of Detroit Mercy - My philosophy of education is .... and this is no joke... I have the document from 1994 when I got hired.. "Learning Should Be Fun!" I try to make sure the students are excited to enter my room every day because they know they'll learn something new which will usually be accompanied by a unique story to reinforce the concept. We have lots of laughs along the way.

My personal goal is to continue to embrace my passion for fitness without anymore trips to Kendra my physical therapist. Professionally, I am always trying to take my content (law, civics, media literacy, and sociology) to new levels. I am constantly pushing my students to understand complex content and acquire new advanced skills without them realizing they are going way beyond what they typically think they are capable of.

Elderly parents keep life interesting! In my spare time I like to exercise, golf, attend U of M sporting events, and I believe I have an Amazon book "issue" that I may need to address. I am well stocked for retirement. I am passionate about making the law easy for lay people to understand. I am also very passionate about professional ethics and conduct.

My classroom from the perspective of an administrator who evaluated me during my career. "People have no idea what you do." Oops! 7 -

A book I have read recently is Unwarranted: Policing Without Permission by Barry Friedman.

1) Building Hours: The work can wait until you come back in January. However, I am often asked so I'm putting the building hours in here - Closed Monday 12/25 & Tuesday 12/16, Closed Monday 1/1 & Tuesday, 1/2.  Open Wednesday -Friday each week. I repeat, the work can wait until you come back. :)