December 1, 2017

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Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a great break! It won't be too much longer and we will be at Christmas break. Thank you for all you have done to help the students here at LCHS. I have been meeting with students who are failing classes to see what additional help he/she may need. Surprising enough, they tell me they just need to do the work. I am going to keep checking in with these students to make sure they are making progress. I met with the seniors on Monday, since many of them don't have room to fail classes and still graduate. If you would have a senior failing, it would be good to contact the parents to either remind them of what was written up in the PASS plan or to get that PASS plan set up. I would not rely on sending letters at this time since we are getting close to the deadline for PASS plans. 

 I think after talking to 132 students about their grades, they were surprised someone was watching them. I plan on checking in with them a couple more times before the semester ends. I know many of you are talking to these kids, but keep on them and don't allow them to take the easy way out. If they need more assistance, we can look at getting more of them into the Success Center. 

 Midterm was yesterday, Amy and Beth will run midterm reports on Monday to send out. Please make sure all your grades are updated over the weekend. Remember to have PASS plans completed by December 8. After that date I will not accept them.

 Our annual fire inspection will be on December 6. We also have a shelter drill on December 5 at 2:00 pm. Our next extra hour meeting will be on December 6 and the second one for December is on the 20th. 

 During advisory on Monday, please have the students complete the mid term reflection.

Have a great weekend!

Mark 

Staff News

Staff as Learners




Students as Leaders

Good Luck to the dance team as they compete at the state dance contest.

Assistant Principal's Happenings

Our Student Council is starting a cancer fundraiser today. Instead of Christmas coins this year, we are doing Cancer coins. We want to Give Cancer the boot, so boots are in the office for students to fill with money to meet their class challenge to earn double opens on December 22. All money raised will go to families in our district that have a member suffering from cancer. T-shirts are also for sale. The students picked a tie-dye shirt in order to represent the many colored ribbons that represent the many types of cancer. Hat day will also be held December 19. All students who donate an extra $2 will be able to wear a hat that day. They will have a sticker they must wear to show they have paid. 

Librarian's News

Research papers and projects have started in many classes. Please remind them to check websites for credibility by utilizing the C.R.A.A.P test or by verfigying the information elsewhere. One option is to use SweetSearch, a search engine that searches about 35,000 websites that have been evaluated and analyzed by teachers and librarians. Another option is to have students use Gale, SIRS Issues Researcher, or Brittanica Online. All of these are databases located on the www.iowaeaaonline.org site. 

In Texas, December 6 is Educational Technology Appreciation Day. Although this day is not nationwide, I'd like to take the time to make sure I thank the technology department in our district for their wonderful work, guidance, and help. Thanks, Bruce, Mark, Cody, Tracy, and the "boys" (hs kids) that keep our systems running! We couldn't do it without you! 

Success Center Update

This quarter has gone very quickly, and midterm is upon us.  We have added several students to the Success Center over the past couple of weeks.  Often when a student gets to me, he/she is failing more than one class, and addressing all of them at once can be very overwhelming for a student who is struggling.  We work to target your current assignments first and then help with catch-up and retakes one class at a time.  Thank you for keeping me informed of your retake policies and deadlines - the more we know, the easier it is to eliminate the excuses.  

Instructional Coaches Corner

"17 Google Search Hidden Tricks & Tips" will teach you how to search for an exact phrase, search within a specific site, search for a specific file type, search with no country restriction vs your country's Google website, and 13 more tricks & tips!

 Net Neutrality is something we all benefit from every day but rarely think about. I have selected a few articles that discuss what is at stake. New York Times  ACLU     USA Today     CNBC

 Annotation tools are questions that I get asked about frequently. I recently learned of a Google Chrome extension called Web Paint. This extension allows you to draw lines, add shapes, and add text to live web pages. This means that you could use this tool to annotate on a Google Slide. It is a "digital overhead transparency" though. So as you move from one slide to another you would need to erase the digital ink to start on a fresh new slide.

The Hour of Code is almost here. The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify "code", to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science, starting with 1-hour coding activities. If you would like to participate in the hour of code with your students, click here to read Hour of Code ideas.

Articles Worth Reading

A Cadence of Accountability to One Another
Edtech is Booming- but does it make better teachers?

 Teenage brains can't tell what's important and what isn't.

Upcoming Events

Friday, December 1
- Madrigal Dinner - Old MS Gym
- State Dance Team - Des Moines
- 4:00 pm Varsity/JV Wrestling @ Hinton

Saturday, December 2
- Madrigal Dinner - Old MS Gym

Monday, December 4
- 4:45 pm JV Wrestling @ MOC Floyd Valley

Tuesday, December 5
- 4:45 pm JV Boy/Girl Basketball @ Spencer
- 6:00 pm Varsity/JV Wrestling vs. SBL and Sheldon
- 6:15 pm Varsity Girl Basketball @ Spencer
- 7:45 pm Varsity Boy Basketball @ Spencer

Thursday, December 7
- 3:30 pm Varsity/JV Bowling vs. OA-BCIG
- 6:00 pm Varsity/JV Wrestling @ Storm Lake
- 6:30 pm Freshmen Girl Basketball vs. MOC Floyd Valley
- 7:45 pm Freshmen Boy Basketball vs. MOC Floyd Valley

Friday, December 8
- Varsity Wrestling @ Mid America Center, Council Bluffs
- 1:00 pm Varsity/JV Bowling @ Council Bluffs
- 4:45 pm JV Boy/Girl Basketball vs. Cherokee
- 6:15 pm Varsity Girl Basketball vs. Cherokee
- 7:45 pm Varsity Boy Basketball vs. Cherokee

Saturday, December 9
- ACT Testing
- Varsity Wrestling @ Mid America Center, Council Bluffs
- 10:00 am Freshmen Girls Basketball vs. Sioux City West
- 11:30 am Freshmen Boys Basketball vs. Sioux City West
- 12:30 pm JV Boy/Girl Basketball @ SBL
- 2:00 pm Varsity Girls Basketball @ SBL
- 3:45 pm Varsity Boys Basketball @ SBL

Monday, December 11
- 3:30 pm Varsity/JV Bowling vs. MMCRU
- 5:30 pm Spanish Club Christmas Party
- 6:00 pm Freshmen Girls Basketball @ Unity Christian
- 7:00 pm Freshmen Boys Basketball @ Unity Christian

Tuesday, December 12
- 4:45 pm JV Boy/Girl Basketball @ ELC
- 6:15 pm Varsity Girls Basketball @ ELC
- 7:45 pm Varsity Boys Basketball @ ELC

Thursday, December 14
- 6:00 pm Freshmen Girls Basketball vs. Western Christian
- 6:00 pm Varsity/JV Wrestling @ Spirit Lake
- 7:00 pm Freshmen Boys Basketball vs. Western Christian

Friday, December 15
- 4:45 pm JV Boy/Girl Basketball vs. Storm Lake
- 6:15 pm Varsity Girls Basketball vs. Storm Lake
- 7:45 pm Varsity Boys Basketball vs. Storm Lake
- 9:00 pm Snoball Dance

Saturday, December 16
- Robitics
- Varsity/JV Wrestling @ Spencer
- 10:15 am Freshmen Boys Basketball vs. Heelan

Monday, December 18
- 7:00 pm HS Holiday Concert
- 3:30 pm Varsity/JV Bowling vs. Sioux Central

Tuesday, December 19
- 4:45 pm JV Boy/Girl Basketball vs. Spirit Lake
- 6:15 pm Varsity Girls Basketball vs. Spirit Lake
- 7:45 pm Varsity Boys Basketball vs. Spirit Lake

Thursday, December 21
- 4:45 pm JV Boy/Girl Basketball vs. Heelan
- 5:00 pm Varsity/JV Wrestling @ Akron Westfield
- 6:15 pm Varsity Girls Basketball vs. Heelan
- 7:45 pm Varsity Boys Basketball vs. Heelan



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