LCHS Friday Focus

           Friday Focus Thanksgiving Gratitude I hope everyone had a wonderful week! As we head into Thanksgiving break, I want to express my deepest gratitude to our incredible staff. Your passion and dedication continue to amaze me daily. I hope each of you – whether you're a teacher, aide, custodian, cook, or counselor – can truly disconnect during this break and enjoy quality time with your loved ones. Academic Calendar Update When we return, we'll have: 12 days of regular classes 3 days of semester tests Important deadline: Grades and pass plan summaries due December 20th PASS Plans and Incomplete Procedures ⚠️ Students with Existing PASS Plans: If a student with a PASS Plan did not pass your class: complete and submit the  PASS Plan summary form  - You can email or turn in a print copy.  Please use this form so I have a form for each student. Please send a copy of the PASS Plan summary to the parents. If the student passed, then nothing...

          Friday Focus Happy Friday, everyone! I hope everyone had a great week. Thank you for your work during in-service on Wednesday. When I was walking around the library, I heard some good conversations taking place on how you are incorporating the Science of Learning. This will have a positive effect on our student learning!  Today is the last day of the 1st trimester and it is also midterm of the 2nd quarter. It is hard to believe we are already to this point. The rest of this semester will fly by with Thanksgiving break in a week and a half. When we come back from break, we will only have 12 days of class before semester tests. That means after today, we have 19 class days left before semester tests.  On Tuesday, a team of us went to the AEA to develop our action plan for being on the target list. We spent the day looking at our Iowa School Performance Profile and identifying what areas we wanted to focus on. Then we worked on our SAMI (Se...

         Friday Focus Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you've all had a wonderful week. I have to admit—I'm still adjusting to the time change! Getting dark so early definitely takes some getting used to. End of Trimester Reminder The end of the trimester is just around the corner! This only affects a couple of you, but if you're one of them, please make sure your grades are updated by Monday, November 17 at 8:30 am so I can store them. Thank you! Targeted School Workshop – Tuesday On Tuesday, several of us will be attending an all-day workshop for schools designated as targeted. Joining me will be Jodi Richey, Kasie Schindel, Shane Hessenius, Liz Anderson, Kelly Collins, and Kurt Van Kley. Together, we'll develop an action plan focused on helping our special education students grow in ELA and Math. We're looking forward to this collaborative work and will share what we learn with all of you. AI Guidelines – Your Input Matters A couple of weeks ago, Mr. Moss sent...

       Friday Focus Happy Halloween! I hope your day is full of treats and not tricks.  As we wrap up October and move into November, please remeber the deadline for PASS Plans is Nov. 14. Once we hit Thanksgiving, the rest of the semester will be a blur.  This week, I want to focus our attention on one of our core missions: ensuring our students are truly college and career ready. We have a unique opportunity to prepare students for diverse paths after graduation. College and Career Readiness: Beyond the Basics Every day, you shape our students' futures through your dedication and expertise. Here are key strategies we can implement across all subjects to enhance college and career readiness: Real-World Connections Link your curriculum to actual careers and post-secondary programs Invite local professionals to speak in your classes Share your own educational and career journey with students Essential Skills Development Incorporate time management exercises ...

      Friday Focus Happy Friday! I hope everyone has had a great week.  As we continue our journey into the Science of Learning and effective instructional practices, I want to revisit a concept that has tremendous potential to transform learning in every classroom: spaced practice. This isn't just about good teaching—it's about reaching our building goals and supporting every student's growth. We've committed to getting 80% of our students proficient in ELA, Math, and Science, and we know from our Iowa School Profile that growth matters. As a building on the targeted list for students with disabilities, we need to ensure that our SWD population is making meaningful progress. Spaced practice is one of the most evidence-based strategies we have to accelerate that growth for all learners. What is Spacing? Spacing, or distributed practice, is the simple but powerful idea that learning is more durable when we spread it out over time rather than cram it into a single s...

     Friday Focus Happy Friday! I hope everyone has had a great week.  Celebrating Quarter 1 Can you believe we're already wrapping up the first quarter? What an incredible start to the year! As we close out this milestone, please remember that grades are due Tuesday by 8:00 am . Don't forget to add those meaningful comments in quarter 1—they truly make a difference for students and families when report cards go home. For students who are struggling, your personalized feedback is especially valuable in helping them understand their path forward. Fall Sports Highlights Our fall athletes have been making us proud! A huge round of applause to our girls tennis and boys golf teams who completed their seasons. We're cheering on our cross country and volleyball teams as they enter their exciting postseason journeys next week. Our football team has one more regular season game before a potential Halloween playoff showdown. And the girls swim team is gearing up for their p...