Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Bring on the Second Semester!


Monday, January 20, 2020

Hi OHS Students, Staff, and Families!

I hope everyone has had a great start to 2020! The last few weeks were certainly busy at OHS as we launched the scheduling process for 2020-2021, welcomed 375  incoming 9th graders and their families for Freshman Information Night, and closed out the first semester of the school year! 

During the first half of the school year, we have been busy continuing to evaluate and build structures that support our vision of helping all our Raccoons be Career, College, and Life Ready. As we look toward the second half of the school year and begin to plan for 2020-2021, I wanted to provide everyone with a quick update on our efforts and progress.

Grounded, Committed, and Accountable! Our Community Commitments
We have to remain GROUNDED in our values, COMMITTED to our goals, and ACCOUNTABLE to ourselves and each other over the next few months. As we continue to develop a culture for learning that holds everyone to high expectations but offers supports necessary to be successful, it’s important we review our values and commitments. Over the next few weeks, we will be reviewing our community commitments, reflecting on our progress during the first part of the year, and setting goals as we launch into the second semester. You can click here to review the presentation that will be shown in each class at the start of the new semester. 

Academic Supports: Raccoon Study Hours
As we work to become committed to our goals, I want to remind everyone of our Raccoon Study Hours that occur at East Campus most Mondays and Wednesdays from 7-8:30pm. In February, we will be offering targeted support in Science, Reading, English, and Math as our Juniors prepare for the ACT exam on Tuesday, March 3 and our Freshmen and Sophomores prepare for the ACT Aspire exam on Tuesday, April 7. Teachers will be on hand to review content and offer last-minute support in preparation for these important exams.

Please consider coming one night a week to sharpen your skills! I will send students an email each weekend letting them know of the opportunities that exist. We will also post those opportunities on our website and social media outlets.

Scheduling for 2020-2021
As a reminder, students are working on selecting course requests for the 2020-2021 school year. All requests should be entered by Monday, February 3. Schedules will get built over the winter and spring, and be published on Thursday, August 6, 2020.

Master Schedule Evaluation
In August, I shared that our team would be evaluating potential new master schedule models in an effort to ensure our schedule maximizes opportunities for us to meet the goals outlined in the district’s strategic direction. Over the last six months, our team has identified four key drivers we will use to determine if a proposed master schedule would address the needs of our community. These drivers have been identified as:
  • Support the academic expectations of our strategic direction, including allowing for an increase in instructional minutes in our AP/IB and core classes and creating the opportunity for continuous year-long learning experiences
  • Protect the academic, social, and emotional support opportunities provided through Pride period
  • Allow for flexibility and acceleration opportunities that will give students access to workplace learning experiences, Youth Apprenticeships, and other capstone experiences
  • Align to our district non-negotiable core values

In the coming months, we will be sharing updates and seek feedback on any potential modifications or changes to our master schedule. If changes are made, it will not be until Fall 2021.

Final Exams Return in 2020-2021
In an effort to increase academic rigor, provide students with career and college readiness experiences, and hold each other accountable to understanding key concepts taught in each course, we will be introducing final exams at the end of each grading period beginning next year.

The guidelines for final exams will be incorporated into the 2020-2021 handbook and can be reviewed by clicking here.

2020-2021 Academic Year Calendar
Finally, the 2020-2021 Academic Year Calendar was approved this past December. You can click here to access the calendar as you begin to make vacation plans and appointments for next year. The calendar includes dates for:
  • Vacations (Winter Break and Spring Break)
  • Non-School Days/Professional Development Days
  • Important School-Wide Events (Homecoming and Graduation)
  • Career and College Experience Days (September, October, March, and April)
  • Term Exam Days (October, January, March, and June)
  • Parent-Teacher Conferences (October, December, February, and May)
Finally, term 2 report cards will be published on Monday, January 27. A message will be sent when they are posted for you to review.

Have a great semester!
Jason

Friday, January 3, 2020

January Student Services Newsletter

Friday, January 3, 2020

Happy New Year!

This month's edition of the Student Services Newsletter has important information and reminders of the course request process. You can click here to view the newsletter. Information includes:
  • A reminder about Program Information Night on Monday, January 6
  • Details about the upcoming Senior Seminars
  • Financial resources and supports for college applicants
Have a great weekend!
Jason



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