LCHS Friday Focus

       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...

    Friday Focus Happy Friday! I hope everyone has had a wonderful week, and thank you for powering through Thursday! A huge thank you to CIA for preparing another excellent professional development session and introducing more valuable tools for your toolbox. I genuinely appreciated the rich conversations that took place and seeing how you're already applying this year's learning in your classrooms. Your commitment to growth is inspiring! The state has released this year's Iowa School Performance Profile, which can be found here: https://www.iaschoolperformance.gov/ECP/StateDistrictSchool/SchoolSummary?k=19332&y=2025 I'm excited to share some highlights and progress with you! Our students with disabilities subgroup made excellent growth this year, and we came incredibly close to removing our targeted designation—missing it by just .05 points! This tells me that the changes we've implemented in our special education programming are truly working. Let's celeb...

  Friday Focus Happy Friday!   I hope everyone has had a great week.   As we continue our journey through Powerful Teaching , I want to highlight one of the most powerful, research-backed strategies we've encountered: retrieval practice. This isn't just another teaching trend—it's a fundamental shift in how we approach learning in our classrooms. Why Retrieval Practice Matters 1. It Strengthens Long-Term Memory Retrieval practice works because the act of pulling information from memory actually strengthens that memory. Every time students retrieve information, they're making that knowledge more accessible for future use. Think of it as exercising a muscle—the more students practice recalling information, the stronger those neural pathways become. This goes far beyond simple memorization; it helps students truly retain and understand content for the long haul, not just until the next test. 2. It Reveals What Students Actually Know (and Don't Know) When students e...