Spanish Class Marches to the Parts of the Body

This week, I was invited by Mrs. Sandra Donakowski, our Spanish teacher to come in and listen to the students sing a song (to the tune of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic) about the parts of the body in Spanish. It was really great to see the students learning in action and to have them be excited enough about it that they wanted to share it with me. In fact, they have asked if they could march the hallways and sing it to the student body! I managed to film a little of their song, so click on the picture/box below to watch.

Calendar

• Enrichments and Tutorials went very well this past week. Next week will also be an enrichment and tutorial week.
• Spirit Week starts with Powder Puff Game on Sunday, September 30th at 7:00PM
• Monday is Pajama Day, Tuesday is Favorite College Day, Wednesday is Clash Day, Thursday is Cass Color Day (Sr.-Red, Jr.-White, Soph.-Black. Frosh.-Green, Staff-Yellow) and Friday is Blue and White Day
• Wednesday, October 3rd, we are very excited to welcome Dr. Underwood from MSU. He will be talking to our 7th and 8th graders about the importance of staying in school. Dr. Underwood has been at the school in the past and his lecture is always well received. &th grade will be called to the auditorium at noon and the 8th graders at one o'clock. Teachers, please accompany your students and seat them in the center section starting in the front row. It is requested that you sit with your class.
• Thursday, October 4th, lunch will be served outside. A guest chef will be grilling hamburgers, and we will have baked beans, corn on the cob, chips, and sherbet for dessert. Thank you Mrs. Bright and the whole cafeteria staff!
• The parade is this Friday. The times are approximate, but it will be at Squires at 12:45 PM, SAMES at 12:55, and at the RBJSHS at 1:20
• Bethel College will be here on Oct 5th at 9:00 AM
• Central Michigan University will have a representative in the building at 10:30 AM on Oct 8th
• Indiana Tech will have a representative in the building at 9:00 AM on Oct 11th
• October 12th is picture day! Wear your best.

Quote of the Week

If you tell the truth, you don't need a long memory. -Jesse Ventura

Fun Fair and Transportation

As you can see, the Fun Fair was enjoyed by everyone. Mrs. Bright, our Food Service Director, says we served nearly 600 hot dogs so the turn out was almost 200 more than last year. I also heard from parents that they really appreciated the fact that teachers were there volunteering their time and effort to make it a success. Thanks to all who helped and all who attended. It was great!

Guest Blogger: Charlene Swartz, Transportation Supervisor

The Transportation Department has had a really smooth beginning to the school year. Thanks to parents assuring their child is at their designated stops prior to our arrival. That is the number one assistance that helps us maintain our route schedules.

We would like to welcome a new driver to our district. Mrs. Darla Murphy will be a sub driver for the district this year. She is presently driving Route 6 until the regular route driver returns from medical leave. Welcome, Mrs. Murphy.

The students in grade K-6 received bus safety training during the week of September 10-13. The students were also given bus safety materials to bring home to share with their parents. Please talk to your child about the basic safety instructions.

The Transportation Student Handbooks have been given to all students in the district. Please take a minute to go over the information provided in the handbook. If you have not received a copy from your child, please feel free to contact our office so we can provide you a copy.

Parents are reminded that students must be dropped off ONLY at their established designated stop everyday. The Transportation Department’s policy is to maintain the safety of each child to ensure the students are dropped off at their designated stops. Our department does not honor day-to-day changes. Thank you for your understanding of our policy to ensure student safety.

Parents, you are welcome to contact our office throughout the school year if you have any suggestions, questions or concerns. You may contact us at 445-0507.

Calendar

• Tutorials and enrichments got pushed back a week, but will begin this Wednesday, Sept. 26th and Thursday the 27th. The test for placement will be this Friday, the 21st.
• The first process check for the PDCA model is September 21st. Brooke Hari, Kelly Hargrove and I will bring back what we have learned to the staff.
• The Vigilant and a photographer will be in the building on Monday, the 24th, to write an article and take pictures of the students in our ISD rooms. It should be taking place during lunch.
• September 26th is count day. It is very important that all our students be in school on that day as all our funding for the year is based on how many students are here in the school. Thank you for making every effort to be in the building.
• The University of Michigan representative will be here to talk to interested Junior and Seniors on the 26th and Adrian College will be here on the 27th.
• Bethel College will be here on Oct 5th at 9:00 AM
• Spirit Week starts with Powder Puff Game on Sunday, September 30th at 7:00PM
• Monday is Pajama Day, Tuesday is Favorite College Day, Wednesday is Clash Day, Thursday is Cass Color Day (Sr.-Red, Jr.-White, Soph.-Black. Frosh.-Green, Staff-Yellow) and Friday is Blue and White Day
• The parade times are approximate, but it will be at Squires at 12:45 PM, SAMES at 12:55, and at the RBJSHS at 1:20

That's all for this week!

Jumping Jacks for Math

The best part of my job is when I get to be in the classroom. On Tuesday I got to go into lots of classrooms and observe a ton of really cool lessons. One of those lessons was being done by Mrs. Hargrove's 7th grade math class.

For this lesson she took the students to the cafeteria. She had them working in teams. While one student did jumping jacks for 2 minutes, another student recorded how many were done every ten seconds. The students then took the information and graphed it, showing how the number of jumping jacks done every ten seconds got less and less as time passed.

One group of students had made the mistake of stopping after a minute and a half, and then restarted for the last 30 seconds after a break. I mentioned what happened to Mrs. Hargrove, and, master teacher that she is, she replied that it would be fine since the graph would spike at that time instead of steadily sloping down. She finished with, "the data always tells the story."

Her flexibility and skill is very typical of the outstanding staff we have here at Cassopolis High School. We have more students here this year than last, by unofficial count over 50 more. Some of that happened because a small class left and and large one entered, but students are also being drawn here by our new Agricultural Science program and 6 other opportunities, a very high number for a school our size, to get college credit without ever leaving the building. The outstanding reputation our teachers and our district continues to build. As it does, we will only see the number of students grow and I am truly humbeled to play my part in it. Before we get to the announcements, here are a few more pictures.

Calendar of Events

• We are holding the second annual Ranger Roll-Out Fun Fair on Sept. 14th, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM before the first Varsity Football game. There will be games, prizes, hot dogs, chips, and veggies, and it's all free! All the parents should be have received a flyer in the mail about it, but we could still use some volunteers to run the booths and games. If anyone is interested in doing so, please contact Michelle Anderson at 445-0541.


• The first Principal Advisory Committee, which will be on September 17th at 5:30 PM in the high school conference room. We still have some spaces, so if you are interested in being a part of it, please contact Mrs. Anderson at 445-0541 or email her at manders1@remc11.k12.mi.us.


• Monday the 17th of September is also Constitution Day. We will be celebrating our Constitution throughout the building!


• The week of the 17th is our first week for tutorials and enrichment, on Wednesday the 19 and Thursday the 20th.


• The first process check for the PDCA model is September 21st. Brooke Hari, Kelly Hargrove and I will bring back what we have learned to the staff.


• September 26th is count day. It is very important that all our students be in school on that day as all our funding for the year is based on how many students are here in the school. Thank you for making every effort to be in the building.


• The University of Michigan representative will be here to talk to interested Junior and Seniors on the 26th and Adrian College will be here on the 27th.

Quote of the Week: "Individual commitment to a group effort-that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, and a civilization work." -Vince Lombardi

The First Day of School

Rather than talk about our great day, let me show you.

First, some pictures of before classes started.
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Here is lunch and the gym time after the students ate.

The last picture is of some students as they attended an opening day assembly. They were welcomed back and heard about some changes. It was a busy day, but a lot of fun.

Calender

• Band Boosters are meeting on September 10th at the high school. If you would like more information, you can email Karah Hiscott, the band director, at knjhiscott@yahoo.com
• There is an Instructional Council meeting at 3:45PM in Red Brick on Sept. 10th
• We are holding the second annual Ranger Roll-Out Fun Fair on Sept. 14th, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM before the first Varsity Football game. There will be games, prizes, hot dogs, chips, and veggies, and it's all free! All the parents should be receiving a flyer in the mail about it, but we could use some volunteers to run the booths and games. If anyone is interested in doing so, please contact Michelle Anderson at 445-0541.
• The first Principal Advisory Committee, which will be on September 17th at 5:30 PM in the high school conference room. We still have some spaces, so if you are interested in being a part of it, please contact Mrs. Anderson at 445-0541 or email her at manders1@remc11.k12.mi.us.
• The new students coming from the ISD will be picked up and dropped off every day in the back of the high school near the Agricultural Garage and using the double doors to enter and leave. Thank you for keeping those doors clear so our students can get in and out easily.
• On Thursday, September 13 at the teacher staff meeting Tracy Johnson from Woodlands is coming to speak about current drug trends in youth.
• Monday the 17th of September is also Constitution Day. We will be celebrating our Constitution throughout the building!
• The first process check for the PDCA model is September 21st. Brooke, Kelly and I will bring back what we have learned to the staff.

Quote of the Week

A torn jacket is soon mended, but hard words bruise the heart of a child. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

And So It Begins!

The rooms are getting ready, the schedules being set, and the last of the polish has been put on the floors. This Tuesday, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM is Open House. Students can get their schedules, locker assignments, and meet their teachers. Then on Wednesday, at 7:35, the students start. We are all very busy, but I truly believe that this will be the best year CHS has ever had!

However, there are a couple things everyone should know:




First, ISR and after-school detention have both been relocated to Sam Adams. For bus riders, this means they get off the bus at Sam's and enter in the far left (or South) door (it will be marked). They will be picked up from Sam's by their regular bus and ride home. If the student drives, they must arrive by 7:40 AM and park on the East side of the school in the farthest East part of the lot (right next to Depot street) so the buses can get in and out. One last thing, if a student spends a day in ISR he/she may not practice or participate in any events until the next day, just as if he/she was suspended.

Second, we are starting a new program this year called Bus Buddies. This program will match high school students with lower elementary students to help them with homework, play games with them, and act as mentors. Any high school student who applies for the program will get community service hours plus some other nice incentives. Mrs. Swartz (our transprotation director) came up with this idea and I am pleased she is letting me help her with it. The program will roll out in October or November, so keep your ears open if you are interested.

Finally, it's important that everyone be aware that we no longer have any office aides. For this reason we can no longer run notes down to classrooms during the school day. Teachers will recieve information twice a day, once before lunch and once right before the end of the day. Any other times would disturb an entire class as we must use intercoms and so we will be extremely careful. Thank you for helping us keep the classroom environment focused on learning.

Teacher Feature!

This week's teacher feature is on Meredith Hawkins. Ms. Hawkins started here last year, and teaches science. She has done some great things since she has been here, from creating and filling an Advanced Biology class, to starting a Physics class and even cleaning out 30 years of detritus from the back of the science common area. In addition, she has a website that can be found at http://www.msu.edu/~hawkin79/ and has all the homework assignments and class schedules for all of her classes! It is very cool and takes a lot of hard work. We are very lucky to have such a dedicated and motivated teacher here!

Calender

• The kick-off breakfast is at 7:45 AM in the high school cafateria, with the meetings starting at 8:30 AM


• Open House for the high school will be from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM on Sept. 4. A good time to chat with teachers, see friends, get schedules, check lockers, etc.


• Classes start at 7:35 on Sept. 5th


• On September 5th, we will be having opening day meetings with each class. Students will pick their Enrichment class preferences, as well as hear from Mrs. Bright, Mr. Bryant, Mr. Francisco, and myself. The schedule is as follows: 7:40 12th grade, 8:30 11th grade, 9:15 7th grade, 10:30 10th grade, 1:00 8th grade, 1:45 9th grade


• During these assemblies, teachers need to observe the following:

1. Wait for intercom announcement to bring/send students down


2. If you have four or less students in your class, please bring them to auditorium and attend with them, sitting in the center section with the majority of your class


3. Please intersperse yourselves within the rows, some on the ends and some in the middle


4. If you have time and are on your plan, you are invited to attend to hear the changes, but it is not required


5. Please seat the students in the center section filling from the front to the back


6. If the center is filled, please help direct the students to the front rows of the other two sections, filling them before moving to the second row


7. Please help police excessive noise or disturbance as the assembly progresses

• Band Boosters are meeting on September 10th at the high school. If you would like more information, you can email Karah Hiscott, the band director, at knjhiscott@yahoo.com


• There is an Instructional Council meeting at 3:45PM in Red Brick on Sept. 10th


• We are holding the second annual Ranger Roll-Out Fun Fair on Sept. 14th, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM before the first Varsity Football game, but more on that later.


• We are reinstating the Principal Advisory Committee, which will meet on the 3rd Monday of each month at 5:30 PM. If you are interested in being a part of that, please contact Mrs. Anderson at 445-0541 or email her at manders1@remc11.k12.mi.us.


• The new students coming from the ISD will be picked up and dropped off every day in the back of the high school near the Agricultural Garage and using the double doors to enter and leave. Thank you for keeping those doors clear so our students can get in and out easily.

Quote of the Week: "Change is inevitable, growth is optional." -Author Unknown

In-Service and Staff Development

A team of teachers, administrators and para-professionals went to Lewis Cass ISD on Monday, August 20th to learn Crisis Prevention Interventions. It was very valuable training!

On the 22nd, (and also on the 23rd and 24th) all the teachers in the district met for in-service. What was talked about was the subject of last week's blog, and the details can be found there.

The Plan/Do/Check/Act Model

Starting this Tuesday, August 21st, all the teachers will be coming in for three days of in-service. Part of the in-service will involve learning about the 6 traits of writing, (click here for more information) and all the teachers who teach writing will be attending this for one or two days. The rest of the in-service, will be about the implementation of the Plan/Do/Check/Act model.

During the course of last year, a team of teachers and administrators from all the buildings, at the direction of the board, have been attending training with Pat Davenport (to see a picture and read a little about her book, click here). Pat's model, which comes out of Brazosport, Texas, is explained simply by the Indiana Principal Leadership Academy. The two page article, with charts, pictures and graphs, can be found be clicking here. It does an excellent job of explaining how the system works, and what we will be doing for all three of those days. A summary of how the system works, found on page 4 of the article reads as follows:





"PLAN
• Together, people in a school must examine available test data.
• Together, people must review research and successful change projects already in place.
DO
• Together, people in a school must focus on the what and how of instruction.
(An Instructional Calendar aligns what is taught with the Academic Standards.)
CHECK
• Together, teachers must review student progress.
ACT
• Based on assessment results, teachers will provide tutorials for struggling students,
and may adjust their teaching calendar to help students who need additional instruction." (http://www.doe.state.in.us/ipla/pdf/SpEdition-2003-02.pdf)






We will be doing the "plan" part for those three days, pouring over the test scores and finding areas we need to focus on. The teachers will make calenders that determine how long things are taught, based on how well kids scored in a particular area of the test. In addition, there will a school-wide calender for broad areas of study, again, based on the test scores, that will be changed monthly. These "objectives" will be posted here on the blog, all around the school, in the daily announcements, at sporting events, in parent newsletters, and in front of students on a regular basis. This is just one of the ways our teachers are working to improve the academic, technological and cultural competencies necessary to compete in our global society.


And now for the calander:

• All the secrataries and administration are back in the building 5 days a week starting Monday, August 20th.


• Meet the Coaches will be this Monday, August 2oth at 7:00 PM in the high school auditorium.


• The counselor, Ms. Jennifer Angus, is back starting August 27th at 8:00 AM. Please call Mrs. Beebe at 445-0533 to shorten your wait time and set an appoinment for schedule issues and the like.


• There will be a parent night on Tuesday, August 28th at 6:00 PM as a welcome to incoming 7th grade and as an explanation of the new state requirements for everyone. Please join us!


• A welcome letter goes out to all the parents this coming week. (Click here for a copy.)


• Open House for the High School will be from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM on Sept. 4. A good time to chat with teachers, see friends, get schedules, check lockers, etc.


• Band Boosters are meeting on September 10th at the high school. If you would like more information, you can email Karah Hiscott, the band director, at knjhiscott@yahoo.com


• We are holding the second annual Ranger Roll-Out Fun Fair on Sept. 14th, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM before the first Varsity Football game, but more on that later.


• We are reinstating the Principal Advisory Committee, which will meet on the 3rd Monday of each month at 5:30 PM. If you are interested in being a part of that, please contact Mrs. Anderson at 445-0541 or email her at manders1@remc11.k12.mi.us.


• The new students coming from the ISD will be picked up and dropped off every day in the back of the high school near the Agricultural Garage and using the double doors to enter and leave. Thank you for keeping those doors clear so our students can get in and out easily.

And now for a new regular feature, the spotlight:

Mrs. Shelly Johnson is our new art teacher. We are thrilled to have her here as part of the school. She has some great ideas for our cafateria (using the panels in the cieling as canvas for the the painting class, among others) and our hallways and has even agreed to do the technical direction for the plays this year! Look forward to a bright new school and a vital and exciting art department. Welcome to Ross Beatty!