LCHS Friday Focus

   Friday Focus  Happy Friday! I hope everyone has had a great week. While experiencing writer's block this week, I turned to AI for inspiration. Within seconds, I had several potential topics to explore, ultimately deciding to focus on how we're preparing students for college and career readiness. Earlier this year, you completed a survey about college and career activities in your classrooms. This information helped us determine appropriate state coding for your classes and aligns with the Department of Education's emphasis on career preparation. Beyond classroom activities, we're expanding our internship and apprenticeship opportunities. Several of our students spend much of their school day gaining hands-on experience – our auto program graduates are working at Total Motors and AgriVision, while students interested in healthcare are exploring various career paths at Floyd Valley. Additionally, our students can earn CNA and EMT certifications while still in high scho...

  Friday Focus  Happy Friday!  I hope everyone has had a great week. The school will be busy on Saturday as we host the district speech contest. We will have lots of students and visitors in the building and in our rooms. You will want to put anything you don't want messed with away in your room if it is being used as a center. Ms. Hommes can let you know if your room is a center.  During our inservice, we dove deep into the Boys Town Behavior model, focusing on four critical strategies that support student success: Planned Teaching: Proactively teaching expected behaviors before they're needed. For example, demonstrating appropriate hallway transitions or discussing respectful communication strategies before group work. Effective Praise: Specifically acknowledging positive student behaviors. Instead of a generic "good job," try "I appreciate how you listened carefully and raised your hand before speaking." Corrective Teaching: Addressing inappropriate be...

    Friday Focus  Happy Friday!  Looking back at weather-related closures, we've been remarkably fortunate this year. For perspective, by this time in 2023 we had missed 45 hours of instruction, and last year we had lost almost four full days. Our consistent schedule this year has provided valuable instructional continuity. As we settle into the new semester, I want to clarify our PASS Plan procedures. While existing plans from last semester can carry forward, any new students or cases where the previous plan wasn't effective will require a new meeting to establish appropriate interventions. Important dates and reminders: Third quarter midterms will be generated on Wednesday, February 5th in the morning. Please ensure PowerSchool grades are current to provide accurate progress reports. Winter sports are entering their final regular season weeks. Our girls' wrestling team leads us into post-season competition with their regional tournament at Lewis Central on the...

  Friday Focus  I hope this message finds you refreshed and rejuvenated after our winter break. It's wonderful to see our halls filled with energy once again as we begin the second semester. I want to express my sincere gratitude for your dedication in making the start of this semester such a success. As we move forward, I'd like to share some important updates regarding our student pass plans. For students who were on pass plans last semester: If the existing plan proved effective, teachers simply need to notify both parents and myself that the student will continue with the same plan. However, if the plan didn't achieve the desired results (whether due to class performance or incomplete requirements), we'll need to develop a new approach with fresh strategies. For teachers seeking additional intervention strategies, I encourage you to explore AI resources for innovative ideas that might benefit your students. Sometimes a new perspective can make all the difference in ...

   Friday Focus  I hope everyone has had a great week! This will be the last Friday Focus of 2024. I do want to take the time to thank Mrs. Habeck. Mrs. Habeck will be finishing her position with us on December 20. She will be on our regular sub list so she will still be in the building on some days. Mrs. Habeck helped us out as we did not get the Freshman English position filled at the start of the year. Thank you for working with our students, learning new technolgies that didn't exist the last time you were in the classroom, and just being a great person! Starting January 2, Ms. Thomas will be taking over some of the Freshman English sections along with Ms. Hommes and Mr. Mena. Thank you for your work during inservice. Part of our plan in professional development this year is to give you new tools for your toolbox. Not everyone will use every tool that CIA shows you this year and that is fine. AI is just another tool out there for you to use. There are many potential u...

  Friday Focus  I hope everyone has had a great week! I am out of the building today attending the state dance competition in Des Moines.  We only have 7 instructional days and 3 semester test days left in this semester. As we quickly approach the end of the semester there are a few items I want to remind you about to ensure they are completed. 1. Grades are due before you leave on December 20. You will need to verify your Semester 1 grades. Please double check a few calculations to make sure PowerSchool is doing this correctly. Steps to verify your grades: 1. Log into PowerTeacher Pro, 2. Go to 'A+ Grading' and Click 'Traditional', 3. Click 'Final Grade Status' in the bottom right-hand corner, 4. Check the box for 'S1 Final Grades are Complete' and then click 'Save'. 2. Make sure that you have turned in the PASS Plan summary form for any student that failed a class to the office and have mailed a copy home . Please notify the guidance office so ...