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January 6, 2019

Good evening-
I hope you had a restful weekend. I know the next two weeks are busy as we wrap up Semester 1.  We will kick of course selection for 2019-2020 in just a few weeks. Please be sure to review the mid-term schedule (see below) with your classes and explain expectations to students, especially freshmen.

Courageous Conversations- Stress Management We hope you'll join Ashland High School students as they lead small group discussions about solutions to stress in our community. Parents, students (middle school and up), town leaders, school administrators and faculty, and mental health professionals will be participating . Improve your strategies to increase productivity and reduce stress. Monday, January 7th, 2019 from 7 to 9 pm, Ashland High School Cafeteria.

Faculty meeting is this Thursday, January 10 at 2:50pm.  Please be in the library ready to begin at we can break into groups after introductions of new staff and a review of eSped.  Thanks!

January 18 Professional Development- Please review the email sent by Paul Vieira and attend the sessions you are assigned to.  AHS classrooms will be used for the morning so be sure to put away any belongings the evening before.  Note the request to park on the gym side of the building in order to save space for the presenters.  Morning workshops are done at 11am.  All departments will meet vertically with 8th grade teams at 11:45am at AHS.

Mid-term exam schedule reminder: Please review with students!
Mid-term exams-schedule for students

8th grade transition activities are the week of mid-terms.  The 8th graders will be touring the building on Wednesday, January 23rd from 1-2:30pm.  Thanks for always welcoming them into your classrooms with tour leaders.

Course registration for the 2019-2020 school year is coming soon!  The schedule will be out shortly but the teacher window for recommendation input will open by February 22 (at the latest). Start having conversations with students now.  It is our expectation that you discuss next year's recommendation with all students, especially if there will be a level change or if you recommend electives/choices.  Be proactive and start talking now!

The next Lead Learner/Department Liaison meeting is scheduled for January 22. 
Topic: re-imagining the spring parent night
Parent/teacher conference night has been tentatively scheduled for February 28 from 5:30-7:30pm (mark your calendars).  We will discuss the current structure of the evening and possible changes.  This meeting will be at 1pm in the library and all are welcome to attend!

Challenge Day- February 4, 2019- Join us for a day that breaks down the walls and builds up student connections.  We need up to 25 staff members willing to participate and all are welcome.  I would like to have staff from every department represented.  Students notice and commented last year!

As we start the new year and many of you are thinking about PDP's it's not too late to consider joining the multi-district book study that is set to kick off this Thursday, January 10.  (If you already let Paul Vieira know you are interested you are all set!)  This is a great read as we spend time looking at our Vision of the Graduate and imagining everything AHS can be.
Timeless Learning: How Imagination, Observation, and Zero-Based Thinking Change Schools is a fabulous and thought-provoking read and chronicles the journey of a large, public school district looking to become more student-centered.
This book study will be held via "in-person" zoom sessions from 7:00pm-8:00pm beginning Thursday, then meeting approximately every other week.  It is understandable that there may be 
some scheduling conflicts so if you are interested in participating but are unable to make every session, do not worry. 
    If you are interested in participating please let me know ASAP.   


Food for Thought.....
6 Ed Tech Tools to Try in 2019

I am so often impressed with the great work we do at AHS.  I am proud to work with student focused and committed teachers who do what is best to prepare our students for the future.  I have heard from several of you that have had conversations with graduates over the past couple of weeks and they all have said how prepared they are for college by AHS. This post resonated with me as I think about how I can support you to keep improving what we do to prepare students for the future while also honoring the great work being done.
Honoring the Past While Moving Toward the Future

What's More Professional?

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