November 13, 2026
Friday Focus
Happy Friday the Thirteenth!
Thank you to Liz, Tami, Jenna, and Tifany for leading a practical, engaging inservice session this past Wednesday
As you reflect on the strategies we practiced, take a moment to notice the bigger picture of our school-wide professional learning. Last year, we focused heavily on the Science of Learning, understanding how the brain processes information, manages cognitive load, and transfers knowledge from short-term to long-term memory. This year, our deep dive into the Science of Reading isn’t a new initiative; it is the exact same science applied directly to text.
Notice how Wednesday’s session started with a Brain Dump, a classic Science of Learning retrieval practice strategy
In high school, students have shifted from learning to read to reading and writing to learn
Because comprehension doesn’t happen automatically just by assigning reading, every teacher in our building is a reading teacher
Whether you are teaching welding, world history, algebra, or American literature, the four comprehension strategies from Wednesday’s session are ready-made tools to reduce cognitive overload and help students actively process what they read
Text Feature Scavenger Hunt (Before Reading): Before students dive into a dense chapter, article, or lab, give them a "big picture" roadmap
. Create a quick scavenger hunt—even color-coding headings, graphs, charts, maps, and summaries—so students learn that visual and structural features carry critical meaning rather than just taking up space on the page . Top-Down Topic Webs (Before, During, or After Reading): Think of this as a visual schema builder
. Using shapes and colors to map out how big ideas connect to supporting details helps students activate prior knowledge, make predictions, and organize new vocabulary into a coherent mental framework . Get the GIST (During Reading): Instead of letting students read three pages and realize they didn't retain a single word, use chunking
. Set clear stopping points every 3–4 paragraphs (or after one core idea) and have students generate brief summaries . Combining those chunks into one concise summary forces them to monitor their comprehension and filter out the noise . Facts–Questions–Responses / FQR (During & After Reading): This three-column note-taking framework moves students from passive decoding to active analysis
. Students record key Facts (quoting or paraphrasing), note Questions where they recognize gaps in their own understanding, and write Responses that push them into synthesis, evaluation, and evidence-based thinking . (Tip: Model this with a think-aloud first, and use sentence stems or sticky-note coding to scaffold for students who need extra support .)
At the end of Wednesday’s session, you picked at least one strategy to weave into an upcoming lesson
Every time you model how to read like an expert in your subject area, you are building the stamina, background knowledge, and analytical skills our students need—not just for the ISASP in 2027, but for whatever comes next after graduation.
Keep up the incredible work, and let me know which strategy you're trying out!
As we continue pushing our students to think critically inside the classroom, don't forget to check out the incredible talent they're showcasing outside of it—along with a few key reminders as we sprint toward the holidays:
Support LCHS Theatre: Tonight and tomorrow, LCHS proudly presents Les Misérables! Nightly performances start at 7:00 PM, plus a 2:00 PM matinee on Saturday. Tickets are $10 in the office or on Bound, and all proceeds go right back into supporting next year's show.
Quarter 2 Midterm & PASS Plans: We’re already nearing the Quarter 2 midterm! It's wild to think we only have one full week and two days before Thanksgiving break, followed by three full weeks and two days before winter break. As we get closer to midterm, a quick reminder on PASS Plans: if parents don't reply to your emails, please follow up with a phone call. There's a high chance those emails are sitting unread, and a call ensures we're actually making contact.
Looking Ahead to Winter Events: Student Council has asked to hold a Pep Rally/Winter Olympics on January 27th (an early-out day during Ocoh dance week). We will have all 8 periods that day; figure you will have 20 minutes per period, except for Period 5, which will have 30 minutes.
Dates to Keep on Your Radar:
Nov. 16: End of Trimester 1 (Trimester 1 grades due Nov. 18)
Nov. 23: Midterm Q2 & All S1 PASS Plans due
Nov. 24: 2-hour early dismissal
Nov. 25–27: No School (Thanksgiving Break)
Dec. 9: Inservice #6
Dec. 18–21: Semester Exams
Have a wonderful, restful weekend!
Mark
Assistant Principal's Happenings
Attendance Contracts:
All time will be made up by the end of Semester 1 or no credit will be earned for the classes over 10 absences. Each absence over 10 represents 45 minutes of time to be made up. This can be done before or after school.
If there is a legitimate reason for absence, the student will not lose credit, but documentation will need to be provided.
Attendance Policy – Grades 9-12
A student is expected to be in school 180 days per academic year. Seniors may be released earlier in accordance with Board approval. LCHS does realize that a student may have an occasional need to be absent from school but within certain limitations.
A 10-day limitation per semester of absences has been set for each student at LCHS. Any student that is absent more than 10 days during a semester from any one class is subject to loss of credit in that class. Students with more than 10 absences may opt to contract that time and work for credit. Contracts may be made between students and the teacher or students and the Assistant Principal. All contracts must be on file in the Assistant Principal’s file. All make-up time and work must be completed by 10 school days beyond the semester or the student will be subject to loss of credit for that class. Time may be made up before/after school or during Wednesday detention.
Absences which are due to hospitalization, long term illness, doctor, or dentist appointments will not be counted in the 10 day limit if parents provide the school with written verification from the health provider services within 3 days of the absence which lists the specific dates in question.
Other absences that will not count on the 10-day limit include approved school activities, recognized religious holidays, or funerals.
After 5 days absence in any one class during a semester a notice will be sent to parents informing them of absences, reasons given and the attendance policy. After 10 days absence a notice will be sent to parents informing them of action taken.
Moss
Comments
Post a Comment