Monarch Memo
Sept. 4 - 8, 2017
Thank you to everyone for their preparation for and presentations at Back to School Night. The heat was intense and the men on the BBQ, Bill, Edgar, Steele, Joe did a great job of toughing it out. Congrats to the ASB for a well-organized spirit week, capped off by a packed house for the Spirit Assembly. Thank you to Leisa and the ASB students for all their hard work. Now preparations for Homecoming and the KUSI Alarm Clock Pep Rally are underway. Our ASSETs program is booming. We had a sign in day of 300 students last week which is incredible. We are hopeful that these high attendance numbers will be taken into consideration so we can be considered for renewal of our grant.
Schedule changes
At the end of each school year the district provides us with projected enrollment numbers in order for us to build a master schedule. We do not know until the students arrive if we reach those projections or fall short. During the first weeks of school is it always a numbers game as we drop no shows and enroll new students. As of Friday, we were at approximately 1613. End of the day Tuesday is the cut off for what we will be staffed at for this year. Rad and Deanna have been watching the numbers closely and with feedback from department chairs we have determined that we will need to open more sections. There will be changes this week and because we knew this may be the case, I shared this with parents on the Back to School video and reminded them in the all call this weekend. We are sorry for the inconvenience but appreciate your understanding. Thanks to Rad and Deanna for all their work and to Amanda for working with the Title I budgets to help fund needed sections.
MVHS Hall of Fame
Maribeth is our Hall of Fame chair and she is doing a fantastic job. We have been meeting regularly in preparation for the big night. You are all invited to honor and celebrate the 2017 Hall of Fame inductees at the Monte Vista Hall of Fame Celebration Dinner Saturday, October 7, 2017. Tickets must be purchased on/by Wednesday, September 27. The Class of 2017 inductees are: Dan Kida (1969), Tim Faubel (1977), Trevor Henderson (1988), Brooks Conrad (1998), Ed Carberry (staff member/coach), Phil Poist (staff member/coach/athletic director). More info at: https://sites.google.com/a/guhsd.net/ptsa/purchase/tickets
Teachers needed for School Site Council
We need teachers to serve on SSC for this coming school year. We have meetings scheduled monthly, but some meetings may be canceled if we do not have any pressing items. With FPM and WASC this year, we have a great deal of information to share and feedback to solicit from our SSC parents, students and staff. We are required to have a vote. Please let Denise know by Friday, September 8 if you would like to be on the ballot. Our first meeting is September 21 at 3:15 p.m. Thank you.
Did you know there is a bill on the table for high schools to start after 8:30 a.m.
Article on Later School Start Times
Support the ONE.org burrito sale after period 7 on Friday, Sept. 8 to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey
REMINDERS
- New students may pick up Chromebooks in the library any period, 2-7, as long as they have their RUP paper. Students withdrawing may check out any period, 2-7. New students are unable to check out Chromebooks on the day they register because the system need an overnight sync before they show up in the circulation system. Students needing Chromebook help or repairs must come periods 3 or 6, or before school from 6-7 am. Please call or email (06031, laurapreble@guhsd.net) if there are other issues that don't fit these parameters.
- Reminder - only certificated staff may communicate with a parent or guardian about a student. Paraprofessionals, please let a teacher know if a parent is reaching out to your requesting information. Rad
- Actively Learn Paid Workshop on Site - Travis Engstrand
Actively Learn is designed to increase the effectiveness in building engagement, scaffolding reading, promoting critical thinking, using formative assessment, and providing student feedback.
Student Perspective (what the student can see / do)
Teacher Perspective (what the teacher can see / do)
Lessons from other GUHSD teachers (Login using school Google account, Click "District Library). Not all are reviewed / vetted; use just to see sample lessons)
PD Details
Wednesday, September 6, 2017 @ 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
1 hour PAID at the professional rate (woohoo!)
At Monte Vista / Room # (TBD)
Presenters will be from Actively Learn
Bring laptop
Open to all certificated staff within all grade levels and departments
Travis will be available for follow-up collaboration with any teacher desiring it
Monarchs in Action
Seniors rule but our Freshmen class was showing their spirit at the assembly - loud and proud. Freshmen Advisory having a great time team building. CTE lunchtime showcase. Students in Laura Zoch’s class collaborating. Leisa Petrie’s Trans. Geo. class at work. Travis Engstrand’s AVID class participating in Jacob Clifford’s recommended team building activity.
Week at a Glance
Monday, September 4 Labor Day
Tuesday, September 5 WASC Strategic Planning Team - LCR, 7:30 a.m.
Wednesday, September 6 Actively Learn Workshop at MVHS 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 7 Seniors not in Good Standing - Meetings with Rad 9 - 11 a.m.
Freshmen Football vs. Patrick Henry @ home 5:15 p.m.
Friday, September 8 Club Rush at lunch - Extended lunch
ONE.Org burrito sales for Hurricane Harvey relief after period 7
JV and Varsity Football vs. Patrick Henry @ home
District Workshops
Designing Innovative Learning Experiences
Ninja 2.0 builds on the idea that our students need opportunities to gain and demonstrate their learning through innovative learning experiences. Using George Couros’s Eight Characteristics of an Innovator’s Mindset as a foundation, subject-area teachers will build an understanding of how to create transformative projects and lessons. This is not just about teacher innovation, but creating opportunities for students to be innovative.
Ninja 2.0 is about ...
- Reflecting on current and past teaching practices
- Integrating the 4Cs to provide students with 21st century skills
- Leveling up by pushing projects into modification and redefinition
- Taking instructional risks
- Building a collaborative network of subject area teachers
Program outline
- Day 1 (9/20) - Innovator’s Mindset and Project Design
- Day 2 (10/19) - Project Development
- Day 3 (2/8) - Reflect, Share, Celebrate, and Continue Innovating
Are you ready to take your teaching and your students’ learning to the next level? If so, apply today. Applications for the 2017-18 Ninja 2.0 Cohort are due September 6.
Here is the message sent home to parents on Sunday, September 3, 2017
Good Evening Monte Vista Families. This is Mrs. Minjares with announcements for the week of September 4, 2017
It was wonderful to see so many families at Back to School Night. Although temperatures were extremely hot, we had many show up to enjoy the BBQ. Thank you for stopping by the PTSA table and voting for School Site Council members. Congratulations to the newly elected School Site Council Representatives, Ken Joerden, Wendy Hutzler and Roxana Bullington. We appreciate all the parents who ran for this position. Parents please remember that you are welcome to attend SSC meetings as nonvoting members of this group. Our next PTSA meeting is September 11 in the library at 6:00 p.m. Please join us.
Parents, as I shared on the Back to School video, each year up to the first four weeks of school, there will be class schedule changes. The number of students enrolling at MVHS has continued to increase each day since the first day of school. In order to balance class sizes and keep them under the maximum enrollment limits, we must open more classes. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. We appreciate your patience and understanding with the scheduling process. If you have any questions about schedules, please contact your student’s counselor.
Our neighboring elementary school, Loma Elementary, contacted us to share that many of our parents are using their driveway to drop off students and then making a U-turn back down the hill. This causes traffic and safety concerns. Please do not use the Loma Elementary School driveway for drop off. Keeping our students safe is our number one concern. Please drop off your student in a safe location each morning. Allowing them to get out of the car on the street without pulling over is very unsafe. We have seen many accidents at our light due to drivers running the red light. Please be careful when the light changes and pull out slowly to watch for irresponsible drivers on our public roads. We appreciate your cooperation and patience.
Friday night is our first home JV and Varsity Football games at Monte Vista. Come enjoy Friday Night Lights and support our teams. Freshmen play on Thursday at 5:15 p.m.
Just a friendly reminder that tomorrow is Labor Day and there is no school. Enjoy the rest of your three day weekend.
Stay cool and we will see you on Tuesday Monarchs.
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