November 12, 2017

Good evening and happy Sunday!

I am writing to you from a not so sunny Orlando but I am feeling beyond lucky to be spending this long weekend with the amazing Ashland High School students who are here. I have watched example after example of the kids learning what service is all about and how lucky they are in their lives back in Ashland. We have met so many strong families who were impressed by the character and commitment of these students. They have assignments that involve reflecting and finding ways to showcase their experience. I hope to be able to share some of that with all of you. Here are some pictures of the weekend. GKTW Album

As principal, I consider my role to be one of service. I am at Ashland High School to help make it a better learning environment for the students and to provide you with the tools and supports you need. It has been a challenging first term for many of us at AHS and I hope you know that we, as an administration, are all on the same page in wanting to work as a team to provide support, as you do the hard work of educating the students of AHS. Our demographic is changing and we need to figure out how to meet the needs of all students. Please don't ever hesitate to reach out to ask us or a colleague for support. Try planning a lesson together if you teach a lot of the same students/grade. Switch classrooms and teach each other's class. Call me and I'll come cover a class while you make a phone call or talk to a colleague about an idea. Post a lesson...anything (thanks for trying Mosh) on the Pineapple Chart. The more we all collaborate, the more the students will see we are on the same page and have the same expectations. It is hard to do, time is tight. But I believe the more we talk to each other and share ideas, the easier our jobs can become. And it helps us to remember we are all in this together. Thanks for the hard work you do each day.

I enjoyed this blog post from George Couros this week. Just some thoughts on innovation with the curriculum, as opposed to changing the curriculum.

Just a reminder that the grading window will close Monday, November 13 at noon.  Report cards will be issued by opening iParent/iStudent on Tuesday, November 14 at 3pm.

Faculty meeting: Thursday, November 16 at 7:10am
Our NEASC liaison will be present to help us understand the process.  This presentation will be the entire meeting.  I look forward to hearing what you think of the new process.

Faculty holiday celebration!  Hope you can join the AHS administration to celebrate YOU and the holidays on Friday, December 1, 2017 at 3:30pm at Owen O'Leary's in Southboro.    We look forward each year to saying thank you and it seems to be the event that brings the most staff together.  Now, more than ever, we need that.  Please stop by even if you can only stay for a quick bite to eat!


CHALLENGE DAY!  November 30
Please see the message below from one of our own teachers.  We are still looking for up to 10 teachers to be a part of the day.  If you want to work to build a better culture and help share high expectations, this is a great place to start.

"Hello! I was a student organizer and a participant both my junior and senior years of high school in our Challenge Day. Challenge Day is a unique day predicated on self-disclosure in a safe environment with trained adults and volunteer staff who facilitate large and small-group process and discussions on these self-disclosures and on personal relationships. The main goal is to promote unity, respect, love, and affirmation of all kinds of people in the school community. It was very positive in my own high school, and we managed to implement change in our high school from the program on a long-term plan. I am volunteering to be there this month at AHS, and I hope you might consider doing so too!" 
This day is a step in the process of creating a safe, equitable environment for all students at AHS.  I have heard that many people feel it will open up unnecessary concerns among our student body.  I believe we have an obligation, especially in the current culture, to work towards positive support and change.  That is what Challenge Day is, an opportunity for adults and students to work together to build a culture we all want.  We will have about 100 students participating and are required to have a 1 to 4 ration adult to student.  I would much rather have teachers that our students know and love be a part of the day.  Please let me know if you are able to participate.  

NEASC:
Below you will find the link to the NEASC Faculty survey as well as a description of the purpose of this survey.  By now you all should have completed this survey.  If you have not, please do so as soon as possible.  

The new NEASC CPS surveys have been developed in collaboration with Tripod Education Partners. The survey items have been aligned with the 2020 Standards for Accreditation and are intended to provide schools with meaningful data on their alignment to the Standards, with a focus on the experience of students, families, and faculty in the school. The surveys are entirely online. The survey tool is very easy to use and works well on a computer, tablet, or even a phone. This is the pilot year for the survey. Over sixty schools, representing 50,000 students will complete the surveys this year. Thank you for completing this survey which will help us use survey data as a tool in our school improvement and growth process. We appreciate your support and welcome your feedback as we continue to improve the services we provide to member schools.  

Faculty 

https://surveys.neasc.org/s3/NEASC-CPS-Faculty-Survey-Ashland-High-School

MCAS FYI :  This coming Spring, 2018 MCAS will field test English Language Arts and Math at all high schools in Massachusetts.  Our participation is required.  There is voluntary participation for biology and introductory physics.  As we get more information on how the field tests will work we will discuss as a leadership team and keep you notified as to how we will administer.

From DESE: Field testing is an essential element of designing a high-quality assessment. In future years, field testing of new questions will be done within the regular MCAS ELA and math test administration, something that is not possible this year as we transition to a new test format.
 Testing dates, the test design, and more information about the two different types of administrations is available in these FAQs.
 
Ashland Raises Healthy & Happy Kids:

Seven Phrases To Calm an Anxious Child

It happens to every child (and adult) in one form or another – anxiety. We would like to shield our children from life’s anxious moments, but navigating anxiety is a valuable life skill.  In the heat of the moment, try these simple phrases to help your children identify, accept, and work through their anxious moments.

1. “Can you draw it?” Drawing, painting or doodling about an anxiety provides kids with an outlet for their feelings when they can’t use their words.
2. “I love you. You are safe.”
3. “Let’s count _____.”  Counting the number of people wearing hats, the number of tiles on the floor, or the number of kids in the room requires observation and thought, both of which detract from the anxiety your child is feeling.
4. “I get scared/nervous/anxious sometimes too. It’s no fun.”   
5. “If you gave your­­ feeling a color, what would it be?” Asking your child to say how they feel with a color, gives them a chance to think about how they feel relative to something simple. Follow up by asking why their feeling is that color.
6. “Let’s have a debate.”  Older children especially love this exercise because they have permission to debate their parent. Have a point, counter-point style debate about the reasons for their anxiety. You may learn a lot about their reasoning in the process.  
7. “Let me hold you.”  Physical contact provides a chance for your child to relax and feel safe.