May 4, 2018

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Happy Friday! I don't know where this week went, it seems we were just getting ready to start the week, now we are ending the week. Thank you for your work during our extra hour meeting. We do have our final one of the year this Wednesday. Reminder at 7:30 in the middle school auditorium on Wednesday there will be an insurance meeting. Our final district in-service day will be on May 16. We will meet in the high school library and will do our Iowa Assessment analysis. I will have you meet in department groups. Mrs. Hill is only able to order 5 test booklets of each grade level, so we are going to have to share tests. Math teachers will look at the math subtests, Science teachers will look at the science subtest, and everyone else will look at the reading subtests. 

 We are getting closer to the Seniors last day of school. Next week will be their last full week. Their final day will be on May 14 with semester tests on May 15 and 16. Reminder if you want Mr. Martin to proctor senior tests you will need to get him the test with the student's name on it. Also, please fill out the google doc that Mr. Utesch shared, so seniors can be tracked on when they are tested. 

 May 30 and 31 will be the semester test days for everyone else. We will take periods 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7 on the 30th and periods 3, 4, and 8 on the 31st. Teacher checkout will be on June 1. Beth, Neal, and I cannot sign your checkout sheets until after noon. 

 Test Schedule

 May 30 
8:30 - 9:40 Period 1
9:45 - 10:55 Period 2
10:55 - 11:45 Lunch
11:50 - 1:00 Period 5
1:05 - 2:15 Period 6
2:20 - 3:30 Period 7

 May 31
8:30 - 9:40 Period 3
9:45 - 10:55 Period 4
11:00 - 11:50 Lunch
11:55 - 1:05 Period 8
2:00 Retirement Recognition.

 Have a great weekend!
Mark 

Staff News

Staff as Learners




Students as Leaders

Assistant Principal's Happenings

Congratulations to the our newly elected student council for the 2018-19 school year.  Please congratulate the following students as they step up in a leadership role at LCHS:

SENIORS Class Officers
Morgan Avise Emily Koonce - President
Brook Berkenpas                    Joey DeBoer - Vice President
Dacia Buss                             Josh Williams - Secretary
Tylon Chapman
Madison Dreckman
Annie Ellis
Kristen Heimgartner
Christian Koch
*Wiar Wia
Aly Buhman
Arlinna Bowen
Haleigh Allyn
Anna Vacura
*Hannah Francksen-Small
JUNIORS
Kara Albrecht Class Officers
Chloe Calhoun Maddi Pippett - President
Emily Carlson Anthony Lamoreaux - Vice President
Alex Collins Chloe Calhoun - Secretary
Anthony Lamoreux
Maddi Pippett
Caleb Slattery
Eric Spieler
Paige Washburn
Tate Westhoff
*Jake Francksen-Small
*Brennick Hoppe
*Bella Christians
*Kevin VanOtterloo
SOPHOMORES Class Officers
Kylie Dreckman Kutter Wright - President
Abby Hoss Cadyn Wilhelm - Vice President
Alivia Milbrodt Abby Hoss - Secretary
Karlee Schiff
Cayden Wilhelm
Kutter Wright
*Mya Kibby
*Kaden Wingert
*Morgan Marienau
*Brayden Schmidt
*Payton Marienau
*Ryan Brown
Freshman Class Officers
Maggie Allen Makenzie Pippett - President
Kenna Kasel Molly Scheitler - Vice President
Kyle Martin Matthew Ahlers - Secretary
Syler DeBoer
Katie Cunningham
Lauren Duhn

Librarian's News

First, I am home recovering from surgery this next week. The wonderful Mrs. Dalton can help with password changes if necessary. Surgery went well, but now I get to rest. 

 Just a reminder that all library books will be due May 23. Please encourage students to return books and pay fees before check out day.  

 Recently, Caitlin Barry and Laura Winnick wrote 3 lesson plans that focused on analyzing Instagram images and producing counter-narratives in response. These plans were presented at the NYCoRe conference and are available here: Analyzing Instagram

Success Center Update

At some point in the next week or two, Iowa Assessment data will be back.  As we plan for the data analysis part of our in-service time, here are some questions and thoughts to consider that will help guide our discussion.

Data analysis has several steps. The first three steps of the process are those we have used in the past: 
1.  Collecting the data - this is what we get from ACT
2.  Analysis of the data - where we identify strengths and needs of students based on the results of the data we have collected.
3.  Goals - writing, reviewing, and/or revising a SMART goal that we can target with instruction before the next Iowa Assessment test is given.

There are actually three more steps to the Data Process that we don't often get to or work to achieve, but it is actually these steps that will make the biggest difference with students and hold us accountable for student performance: strategies, results indicators, and monitoring.

In the Strategies step, we directly target the needs we prioritized during Analysis.  Strategies are the actions of the ADULTS/TEACHERS that will be implemented to change the thinking of the students.  Once you write your SMART goal(s), what will YOU do to help your students acheve your goal?  What strategies will you and your team agree are relevant and specific enough to allow for implementation?  Identifying these strategies as a team will make the implementation more consistent from teacher to teacher and classroom to classroom.

Results Indicators are those changes you will see in student performance.  In other words, what will we see our STUDENTS doing that will show us the strategies we have chosen that are working?

FINALLY,

Step 6 is Monitoring.  Here is where the PLC becomes so critical to the data process.  How will we support each other in the use of the strategies we have chosen?  Do we need to modify or stop a specific strategy?  And, if we do, how will those changes impact the results indicators we identified earlier?

The data process can become a living, breathing part of our instruction if we choose to make it happen!  



Instructional Coaches Corner

Do you use word clouds in your classroom? Many who are familiar with word clouds know about Tagxedo and Wordle. Have you heard of Answer Garden and Word It Out? If not, click here to watch a 3 minute video to learn more.

 Google Sheets users will be pleased to know that a checkbox feature has been added. Click here to see an animated GIF of where to find it and what it looks like.


 Shawn Winders has put together an 8 minute video showing how to use Google Sheets to make trivia game that the teacher can control the revealing of answers and distribution of points. It's not as smooth and fancy as some but it does get the job done and would allow a teacher to control the revealing of correct answers in front of the entire class. One might see it as a home made version of Kahoot. 

 The Google Chrome extension Checkmark recently received an update. It is a quick way for teachers to give feedback in Google Docs and now also works in Google Slides.

 This is just an alarming read. Hackers built a 'master key' for millions of hotel rooms

 Have you been contemplating a project or idea for your classroom that involves technology? Get a hold of me and we can sit down and visit about how to make that happen. Maybe it's still for this year or maybe it's for next year.

Upcoming Events

Friday, May 4
- 3:30 pm State Large Group Contest in Le Mars

Saturday, May 5
- 8:30 am Varsity/JV Girl Tennis @ Spencer Tournament
- 8:30 am Varsity/JV Boy Tennis vs. ELC

Monday, May 7
- 10:00 am Varsity/JV Girls Golf @ Lake Creek
- 10:00 am Varsity/JV Boy Golf @ Brooks Golf Course
- 4:00 pm Varsity/JV Girl Tennis vs. ELC
- 4:00 pm Varsity/JV Boy Tennis @ ELC

Tuesday, May 8
- 7:30 pm HS Vocal Concert

Wednesday, May 9
- 8:00 am Varsity Boy Tennis District @ Spirit Lake

Thursday, May 10
- 4:00 pm Varsity/JV Girl Golf @ Lake Creek Country Club
- 4:00 pm Varsity/JV Girl Tennis @ ELC
- 4:00 pm Varsity Boy/Girl Track @ MOC - State Qualifying

Monday, May 14
- Senior's last day of regular class
- 5:30 pm Girl Track Banquet

Tuesday, May 15
- Senior Semester Test
- Speech/Thespians Banquet 

Wednesday, May 16
- Senior Semester Test
- 2 Hour Early Out
- 8:00 am Varsity Girl Tennis - Districts - TBA
- 6:30 pm Senior Awards Night

Thursday, May 17
- 9:00 am Senior Graduation Practice

Sunday, May 20
- 3:00 pm Commencement

Monday, May 21
- 4:00 pm Varsity/JV Baseball @ SC East
- 6:00 pm Varsity/JV Softball @ SC East

Tuesday, May 22
- 5:30 pm Varsity/JV Baseball vs. SBL
- 5:30 pm Varsity/JV Softball @ Boyden-Hull

Wednesday, May 23
- 5:30 pm Varsity/JV Baseball @ Sheldon
- 5:30 pm Varsity/JV Softball @ Sheldon

Friday, May 25
- TBD Varsity Softball @ Heelan Tournament

Saturday, May 26
- TBD Varsity Softball @ Heelan Tournament
- 3:00 pm Varsity/JV Baseball vs. Heelan

Monday, May 28
- No School
- 1:00 pm Freshmen Baseball vs SC West
- 5:15 pm Varsity/JV Baseball vs. SC West

Tuesday, May 29
- 5:30 pm Varsity/JV Baseball @ Rock Valley
- 5:30 pm Varsity/JV Softball vs. SBL

Wednesday, May 30
- Semester Test Day 1

Thursday, May 31

- Semester Test Day 2
- 12:30 pm Freshmen Softball @ SC East

Friday, June 1
- TBD - Varsity Softball @ SC West Tournament
- 12:00 pm Freshmen Baseball/Softball vs. Sheldon
- 5:15 pm Varsity/JV Baseball vs. Spirit Lake

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