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
Jason