January 20, 2017

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Happy Friday! This turned into a shorter week than planned. Thank you for your help in getting the technology numbers for the Board Retreat on Monday. They will be hearing from different groups in regards to how technology is being used in class. Eventually they will make a decision on what to do next in regards to technology in the classroom. Here are the totals so you know how the high school student responded. 

 1. 525 students have access to a desktop or laptop computer at home.
2. 432 students have access to a tablet or Ipad at home.
3. 541 students have their own personal smartphone with access to the internet.
4. 552 students have internet access at home.
5. 572 students use a technology device at home on a daily basis.
6. 441 students use a technology device in a classroom setting on a daily basis.

 During advisory on Monday have the students complete the semester 1 reflection and set goals for semester 2. We will not watch a video that day so they can complete these tasks. When the students are completing their goals for 2nd semester, please walk around the room and help them write good/challenging goals. 

 We are hosting Large Group Speech here on Saturday, so if you aren't busy come and check out some of our groups. Each year I have attended, I have been very impressed by how well our students perform and how entertaining they are.

 Have a Great Weekend!

Staff News

Keep Ted Hallberg's wife, Carol, in your prayers as she slipped on Monday and broke 5 ribs.

 Continue to keep Tracy Meylor in your prayers as she is at home recovering.

 Congrats to Beth Collins and Amy Davis for being named January Employee of the Month.

Staff as Learners

Doug Martin, Mark Zeka and Judy Zeka joined me on Tuesday evening as the DOE presented their first draft of the new Iowa ESSA guidelines. The ESSA is a big step away from NCLB as far as how they will identify struggling schools. They still have a lot of questions to work out and are just seeking input now. 

Students as Leaders

Good luck to all the students performing at the Large Group Speech contest here on Friday. Thank you to all the coaches that have spent countless hours working with these students to help them prepare for this!

 The Quiz Bowl team will be taping for the KCAU Quiz Bowl on Feb. 2 at Morningside. Members of the team are Jeff Ahlers, Kelli Susemihl, Kyle Marek, Luius Barrera, and Joey DeBoer.

 On Monday at the Board Retreat, the following students will be presenting to the Board. Colton Webner, Bryce Timp, Edward Anguiano, and Logon Boylon will be showing what they have done in our Computer Aided Design courses. Tyler Holzman and Mat Simoni will be showing what they have learned in Auto and Welding. Anna Ahlrich, Amani Boddie, Katelyn Lewis, and Kailyn Huisman will be presenting what they have learned in the CNA course. The last group of students will be Annie Ellis, Haleigh Allyn, Madison Dreckman, Cole Berkenpas, and Alex Pick will be discussing how their teachers have used technology in their classrooms. Thank you to Bill Dalton, Paul Fischer, Nicki Addison, Sherri Permeswaran, Mary Westhoff, and Kyle Gerdes for finding students willing to talk with the Board.

Assistant Principal's Corner

Please take some time during advisory on Monday to review the attendance policy and requirements for semester test during second semester for students.  This is especially important for our freshman to review, so that they understand what their expectations are.

Please continue to be patient with students and to do your best to keep consistent and fair practices in your classroom.  Be firm with your rules and keep them constant so that there is no confusion for classroom expectations and responsibilities.

LCHS is sponsoring our annual SWINTER dance on Saturday, Feb. 11th following the game with West High School.  Please consider signing up to be a chaperone, as it lets the students know that you care and they appreciate your help.

Instructional Coaches Tid Bits

What could you do if you had access to an augmented reality sandbox? Would it be helpful to students to see a topographical map change as they physically change the landform? Would it be more interesting to learn about a watershed if you could see how it changes as you change the land? How much fun would it be to teach about battlefields and their impact on history's greatest battles? We don't have one yet but if this is something that interests you let me know and we will see what we can do. (this link is just for visualization purposes only)

 Teachers with a classroom set of laptops are sometimes envious of the classrooms with ipads when it comes to having students make videos. Richard Byrne has written a post where he identifies 10 free ways to accomplish that task.

 This tidbit is aimed mostly at our Spanish department. Localingual.com is an interactive language map. You can click on any location in the world, and it plays recordings of the local language, along with the national anthem and other info.

 Here is a calendar tidbit for you. It's called Google Calendar Lab. It adds a countdown timer that tells you what your next agenda item is in your calendar and how long until that appointment is scheduled. It places this notification in the upper right hand corner of your screen when you have your Google Calendar open. The hyperlink above will take you to a screenshot of what it looks like and the 3 steps you need to follow to enable it if you are interested.

 Lastly, there is a new type of email phishing scam happening that you need to be aware of. Click here to learn more about it.

Success Center Update


Article Worth Reading

How Students Critiquing One Another's Work Raises the Quality Bar

Upcoming Events

Saturday, January 21
- 8:00 am IHSSA Large Group Speech District Contest @ LCHS
- 9:00 am Girl Freshmen Basketball @ SBL
- 9:00 am Wrestling @ Bishop Heelan Dual Tournament @ SC West
- 10:30 am Boy Freshmen Basketball @ SBL

 Monday, January 23
- 12:00 pm - State Jazz Band Contest @ LCHS
- 3:30 pm Bowling vs. SBL
- 6:30 pm Boy Freshmen Basketball vs. Siouxland Community Christian
- 6:30 pm Girl Freshmen Basketball vs. Storm Lake
- 7:45 pm Boy Freshmen Basketball vs. Storm Lake

 Tuesday, January 24
- 4:45 pm Boy/Girl JV Basketball vs. Cherokee
- 6:00 pm Wrestling @ SC East
- 6:15 pm Girl Varsity Basketball vs. Cherokee
- 7:45 pm Boy Varsity Basketball vs. Cherokee

 Thursday, January 26
- NWI MS/HS Honor Orchestra Festival @ Dordt
- 6:00 pm Boy Freshmen Basketball double header @ SC East

 Friday, January 27
- 4:45 pm Boy/Girl JV Basketball @ ELC
- 5:00 pm Wrestling @ Emmetsburg
- 6:15 pm Girl Varsity Basketball @ ELC
- 7:45 pm Boy Varsity Basketball @ ELC

 Saturday, January 28
- 10:00 am Bowling LeMars Invite
- 7:30 pm Show Choir Performance

 Monday, January 30
- State Show/Jazz Choir Contest
- 3:30 pm Bowling @ Ida vs. OABCIG
- 5:45 pm Girl JV Basketball vs. Heelan
- 6:30 pm Girl Freshmen Basketball vs. Spencer
- 7:30 pm Girl Varsity Basketball vs. Heelan
- 7:45 pm Boy Freshmen Basketball vs. Spencer

 Tuesday, January 31
- 4:45 pm Boy/Girl JV Basketball vs. Storm Lake
- 6:00 pm Wrestling @ SC North
- 6:15 pm Girl Varsity Basketball vs. Storm Lake
- 7:45 pm Boy Varsity Basketball vs. Storm Lake

 Thursday, February 2
- Quiz Bowl @ Morningside
- 6:00 pm Boy Freshmen Basketball vs. Cherokee
- 6:30 pm Large Group Speech Showcase

 Friday, February 3
- Morningside Jazz Festival
- 4:45 pm Boy/Girl JV Basketball @ Spirit Lake
- 6:15 pm Girl Varsity Basketball @ Spirit Lake
- 7:45 pm Boy Varsity Basketball @ Spirit Lake

 Saturday, February 4
- State Large Group Speech Contest @ Spencer
- 9:00 pm Boy Varsity Basketball vs. Sioux Center @ Sioux Fall Pentagon

Be Extraordinary,
Mark

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