Our first Parent Luch of the Year will be held tomorrow, October 1st from 12:00 to 1:oo in Room 309.  If you are able to attend, please help yourself to a lunch in the cafeteria (on us) and come up to Room 309.

The main topic of discussion tomorrow will be the change in the District’s Service Learning Requirments.

Please be aware that the signs on Walnut Street and in the Walnut Street and Baird Street lots that describe parking restrictions are in effect and that the parking authority does enforce the regulations. (Parking tickets!)

I can no longer ask the Parking Authority to rescind tickets, so please be aware of the signs and restrictions, and be sure your student drivers know that they must have their passes displayed. 

I will make periodic announcments so that students are reminded of this expectation.

“Hey Mom, there’s a policeman in my school!”

What does a School Resource Officer do in our schools?

Have you ever wondered what a school resource officer does in our schools? Join us at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, October 8 at Franklin Middle School (1234 West Mason Street) where several members of the Green Bay Police Department will provide an opportunity to learn about the duties and responsibilities  of the 10 school resource officers who work in our schools.

Members of the police department training division will be present to discuss police use-of-force issues and conflict resolution options. There will also be several demonstrations including the use of TASER’s, pepper spray and other police procedures and methods.

As a special incentive to encourage attendance, our own principal, Mr. Dorff, will volunteer to be tasered for the demonstration.  Shocking, but true!

 True or False: A large percentage of a student’s academic grade should be determined solely on attendance.

This school year several of our teachers at East High School are reducing the use of true/false, multiple choice, and fill in the blank questions on tests. Instead, students will be showing what they’ve learned by answering questions that require multi-part and complex answers, through creation of projects that demonstrate a student’s ability to apply knowledge, and , through written work that will exhibit thorough understanding of concepts they have learned.  

Why has a significant group of educators at East high school undertaken this challenge? The answer itself is simple: these types of measurement build and measure the kinds of critical thinking skills that today’s employers say is key to creating the desired workers needed in the 21^st century.

 Students of teachers in this project at East will be receiving two grades for each class on their report card:·       Achievement grade – This grade shows what the student knows and is able to do.·       Nonacademic grade – This grade shows if a student has met deadlines, turned in homework, participates, attends class, etc. In the past, achievement and nonacademic performance were blended into a single grade.  Students who regularly attended class, did all the homework, but could not pass a test, could pass the class anyway.  Similarly, a student who had the highest test scores in the class but felt that the homework was a waste of time, could be failed. Separating the evaluation for actual learning achievement from non-academic work provides a clearer picture of how the student actually is performing on the essential learning elements within the curriculum. 

The direction East High School is moving toward is similar to what a college or university would expect from students. Completing homework is still expected. Homework will be collected and scored, but its purpose will be to serve as practice for the upcoming measures of learning and will not be figured into the achievement portion of the grade. In turn, students will receive feedback about how to improve their understanding of the material and help students perform at a higher level on the tests or projects. By not turning in homework, students will likely perform poorly on the test and need to go back and relearn the material in order to pass. This is very similar to taking the Bar Exam or a driver’s test; if a student does not pass, the student will need to practice some more until he or she is ready to try again.  If a student is unable to show learning by passing the tests and/or successfully completing projects, the student will have to either take summer school or retake the class.

This new grading system is based on national research, is aligned with the state standards, and is not new – many teachers have been doing this for years. Teachers are not “dumbing-down” grades, but actually taking grading to a higher level.

So what is the answer to the true/false question above? FALSE: Students will not get a good grade (or even a passing grade) just for showing up. Does an employee of a business collect a paycheck just for showing up to work but not doing or producing anything? Will an employee of any organization continue to earn a paycheck if they are not performing satisfactorily, despite numerous efforts to help the employee reach a skillful level of performance? Successful students, now as in the past, need to put in as much effort as possible and hold themselves accountable to learn, just as we are accountable for our jobs.  Schools do not “fire” their students, so it is in their (and the community’s) best interest for schools to help students to perform better within an atmosphere that reflects the reality of life after high school. A diploma from East High will be an endorsement that a student has completed a rigorous academic program and possesses the skills and knowledge necessary to be successful in the 21^st century.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Ed Dorff, East High School principal or Curt Julian, East High School associate principal, at 448-2090.

This year I want to put very special emphasis on the accomplishments of all of our Seniors who will be achieving their dreams and plans of acceptance into a post-secondary program of learning.

I will be asking that whenever a student receives his or her letter of acceptance from a college or university that we be allowed to celebrate that publicly.  We’ll be putting up a “Walk-of-Fame” at East upon which I hope to post each college-bound student’s picture holding that coveted letter of acceptance.  This will not only be a nice way to say “Congratulations,” but it will also serve as a motivator for our underclassmen to aim high.