If you are a parent or guardian at our high school, please click the link OR highlight the address below and paste it into your browser's navigation bar. It is a link to a survey our building leaders are using to get feedback about parent teacher conferences and how we can BEST meet the expectations of our parents.
The survey should only take a few minutes and please spread the word to other parents - we want as much feedback as possible so we continue to improve our service to our families.
THANKS for your time!
http://tinyurl.com/3266o9y
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Fall Posting
School is a safe place. I felt like it would be a good thing to emphasize at the top of my post this month. Additionally, Mexico High School is the "hub" of this community. Arguably, our most precious resource is within the walls of the schools in our district. The highly trained staff, faculty and administrators have found a very responsive community, supporting our efforts to maintain a safe and engaging school. Rest assured, your school leaders and this community responds quickly and thoroughly to support the safety and security of our school. I'm a recent addition to the leadership team of the school district and I've been so pleased to find our community lends so much support to our high school.
Students of the Month: October
Shaquille Curtis
Amorye’ Curtis
Academics:
From Jennifer Silver – English teacher and Department Chair:
In a proactive effort, the English Department is collaborating to enhance the preparation of students for college and real life. The department is focusing on engaging and teaching students the value of what is being taught. The department is updating their scope and sequence of courses into a specific and usable format, updating novel selections and strengthening anchor texts. The English department is being supported by Gina Gillman – Curriculum Director and Deb Haag – Assistant Principal of Instruction in their efforts.
From Mrs. Linda Rice – FACS teacher:
Mrs. Rice attended an Family Community and Career Leaders of America (FCCLA) conference this month at Tan-Tar-A and has visited Van Far high school to gather information regarding beginning a new FCCLA club at MHS. She also invited FCCLA students from Van Far to visit MHS students and present information to her classes about the program and club. Currently 17 students have conveyed a strong interest in being involved as an FCCLA member. FCCLA promotes personal growth and leadership development through FACS education and focuses on the multiple roles of family member, wage earner and community leader. Members develop skills for life through character development; creative and critical thinking; interpersonal communications; practical knowledge, and career preparation. This newly formed club held its first meeting on November 10, 2010.
Sounds of Success:
Jami Williams, instructor; Roger Brallier, instructor; Jennifer Silver, department chair; are working on the Sounds of Success. This is a reading program allowing students in World Literature I, a relatively reading-intensive class, to be able to download podcasts, take home CD's, or listen to webcasts of the stories, novels and poems being read in class.
The texts are read by the instructor of the course as well as student volunteers. The sound recordings are made in the broadcast journalism studio at Hart Career Center with the assistance of Roger Brallier, instructor. The “performances” are then burnt onto a CD which the student may check out for the length of time that the text is being studied. An unlimited amount of CD's are available and the student is still expected to make notations in the actual text of the story as they read along. The podcasts and webcasts are available on the instructor’s blog at www.indentthis.blogspot.com. There is no cost incurred by the district for this program as all staff involved are currently employed by the district and any materials are incidental. We have six students who have volunteered their time so far.
The program has been offered to approximately 80 students, around 15 have expressed an interest in having access to the performances in one form or another.
It offers universal help to students who need it. The students are able to download or listen in the privacy of their own homes with their own computers. It is not a program meant to replace reading, it is merely an attempt to reach the students who are not visual readers or whose comprehension would be increased by audio stimulation as well as visual. Also, it is proven that reading ALONG as opposed to reading ALONE can help improve fluency, comprehension, and depth of knowledge.
From Mr. Winslow – Social Studies teacher:
History Club is running its annual Toys for Tots drive through seminar classes. Winning seminar will be decided by dollar amount collected or total toys collected. There is a pizza party up for grabs with this contest! Seminar class decides on where the pizza will be ordered from! Most importantly, a child will have a present to open on Christmas morning.
From Bridget Bingham – Special Education teacher:
Home management students have begun the process of preparing a grocery list for the annual Thanksgiving Feast. They helped prepare a letter to various businesses asking for food donations and they are very excited about the upcoming meal. Students will also learn how to fill out invitations for the meal.
From MHS Administration team:
Teacher evaluations have begun and are meeting with teachers about their professional development plans. Mrs. Deb Haag is supporting and guiding the development of P.D. plans with teachers to improve instruction. Remaining administrators will review the plans and complete scheduled and unscheduled observations of teachers. Administrators are following up on the implementation of Dr. Marcia Tate’s Instructional Strategies that engage the brain as presented on November 5 at the district-wide professional development.
From the Guidance and Counseling Team:
The counselors are collecting information concerning senior plans after graduation.
College representatives visited from Westminster College, University of Missouri, University of St. Louis, Columbia College, William Woods, Hannibal-LaGrange, Missouri S and T, Rockhurst, SEMO, Stephens College, Culver-Stockton, NW Missouri State and Iowa Weslayan.
Mrs. Gail Lankford - Counselors’ Secretary is continuing to expand the counseling website with college visit dates, events, and current available scholarships. Local scholarship listings are expected to be posted in January.
Mark Holman – Counselor, led the Red Ribbon Week efforts at MHS. Bulletin boards were decorated and MHS Student Council represented MHS with a red balloon release at the last MHS football game by recruiting elementary students to participate. Shannon Maxwell, Brianna Durrett, LeWalt Evan, Gabby Keller, Mike Perl, Deena Dalton, Shelby Smith, and Nate Hitchcock assisted with the effort to raise awareness.
Kris Turlington – Counselor and Deb Haag – Assistant Principal of Instruction attended the ACT College and Career Readiness Workshop in Columbia, MO. The workshop provided information regarding ACT’s “longitudinal, systematic approach to education and career planning through assessment, curriculum support, and student evaluation.”
Phil Neely – Counselor and Deb Haag – Assistant Principal of Instruction attended a conference focusing on dropout prevention in young men. Mr. Neely also attended MO connections training this month.
Five MHS juniors took the PSAT on October 13. Students participating can enter scholarship competition and utilize information gained from the test for college and career planning.
A+ students received A+ status updates with their report cards.
The PLAN test was administered to all sophomore students on October 19. The PLAN test tests knowledge of Math, Reading, Science and English. The results provide students about their academic preparation, career interests, and how to develop and educational plan.
The Building Leadership Team is planning a work day on December 8 to review their charter, the functions and focus of the BLT, improving parent teacher conferences and grade reporting/grading periods.
Morgan Allen- 9th grader at MHS completed an application for the 2010 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program that recognizes middle level and high school students for volunteer work in their community. She was recommended by Dr. Robinson to receive the award based on the content of her application describing her volunteer work at the Missouri Veteran’s home.
The local academic organization, A+ for Education, awarded approximately $9,000 to MHS teachers for projects in their classrooms to enhance student learning. Teachers submitted the grant requests and were awarded funds based on their impact on instruction. Mr. Keith Louder, Mr. Phil Long, Mrs. Colleen Galloway, Mrs. Julie Exendine and Mr. Kent Henry were all awarded grants ranging from $900 to $3,000 dollars.
Sports and Activities
Coach Ellebracht – Art Teacher and coach is providing a workout opportunity for any high school girl that would like to get in shape or stay in shape for a spring sport or for next fall. The workouts will be after school, Tuesdays and Thursdays until the end of the second semester.
A Veteran’s Assembly was held on November 11, 2010 to mark Veteran’s Day. Mr. Steve Haag served as the director/organizer of the event for MHS students and faculty and student guests from Mexico Military Academy. Major General Flanagan served as the key note speaker for the event and Mr. Randy Gooch spoke on the history of Veteran’s Day.
The Sadie Hawkins Dance was held on November 7 and approximately 100 students attended the event.
From Sara Given – Speech and Theater and Drama Teacher
Sara was contacted by Gina Jensen from Webster University to submit the workshop she taught at the Speech & Theatre Association of Missouri Conference in September to the STAM Journal, a professional publication produced yearly.
MHS Fall Play Update
The play is just around the corner and will have shows on November 19, 20 and 21st. Tickets are on sale now at all of the public schools. We are hosting a coloring and original artwork contest through the Pre-K, elementary schools and middle school. We will be posting their local artwork at the play and the winners will receive free tickets and special seating at the play. The Theatre Design class has worked very hard to turn Emmons Hall into a forest and we've enlisted the support of two faculty members to help with Costume construction; Christine Beshears and Sarah Pence. Additional faculty support comes from Clark Winslow, who will be playing Captain Bluebeard in the production.
Service Project a Success
The Halloween Spooktacular service project put on by the MHS Speech & Theatre Club was a great success. There were more than 80 Pre-K through 5th graders who took advantage of the "safe Halloween" event and there were 33 high school students assisting with the event.
The MHS Speech & Debate team has been working on a community outreach with their Stock in Talk fundraiser. We currently have 26 Businesses/Individuals from the community who have invested in the Speech & Debate team and their communication efforts. The team competed at Sedalia Smith-Cotton in October and completed with 6 finalists who medaled and earned a trophy. We are competing at the Clinton tournament on Saturday, November 13. Our tournament will be December 3 and 4 and we are looking for individuals from the community to judge and/or help direct the tournament.
Upcoming Events
Nov. 19th – Nov. 21st – Fall Play “The Further Adventures of Nick Tickle, Fairy Tale Detective"
Nov. 19th – History Club Meeting
Nov. 19th & 20th – State Cheer Competition
Nov. 23rd – Basketball & Wrestling Media Scrimmage
Dec. 3rd & 4th – Speech & Debate Tournament
Dec. 10th – Band Concert
Dec. 16th – Choir Concert
Dec. 17th – History Club Meeting
Students of the Month: October
Shaquille Curtis
Amorye’ Curtis
Academics:
From Jennifer Silver – English teacher and Department Chair:
In a proactive effort, the English Department is collaborating to enhance the preparation of students for college and real life. The department is focusing on engaging and teaching students the value of what is being taught. The department is updating their scope and sequence of courses into a specific and usable format, updating novel selections and strengthening anchor texts. The English department is being supported by Gina Gillman – Curriculum Director and Deb Haag – Assistant Principal of Instruction in their efforts.
From Mrs. Linda Rice – FACS teacher:
Mrs. Rice attended an Family Community and Career Leaders of America (FCCLA) conference this month at Tan-Tar-A and has visited Van Far high school to gather information regarding beginning a new FCCLA club at MHS. She also invited FCCLA students from Van Far to visit MHS students and present information to her classes about the program and club. Currently 17 students have conveyed a strong interest in being involved as an FCCLA member. FCCLA promotes personal growth and leadership development through FACS education and focuses on the multiple roles of family member, wage earner and community leader. Members develop skills for life through character development; creative and critical thinking; interpersonal communications; practical knowledge, and career preparation. This newly formed club held its first meeting on November 10, 2010.
Sounds of Success:
Jami Williams, instructor; Roger Brallier, instructor; Jennifer Silver, department chair; are working on the Sounds of Success. This is a reading program allowing students in World Literature I, a relatively reading-intensive class, to be able to download podcasts, take home CD's, or listen to webcasts of the stories, novels and poems being read in class.
The texts are read by the instructor of the course as well as student volunteers. The sound recordings are made in the broadcast journalism studio at Hart Career Center with the assistance of Roger Brallier, instructor. The “performances” are then burnt onto a CD which the student may check out for the length of time that the text is being studied. An unlimited amount of CD's are available and the student is still expected to make notations in the actual text of the story as they read along. The podcasts and webcasts are available on the instructor’s blog at www.indentthis.blogspot.com. There is no cost incurred by the district for this program as all staff involved are currently employed by the district and any materials are incidental. We have six students who have volunteered their time so far.
The program has been offered to approximately 80 students, around 15 have expressed an interest in having access to the performances in one form or another.
It offers universal help to students who need it. The students are able to download or listen in the privacy of their own homes with their own computers. It is not a program meant to replace reading, it is merely an attempt to reach the students who are not visual readers or whose comprehension would be increased by audio stimulation as well as visual. Also, it is proven that reading ALONG as opposed to reading ALONE can help improve fluency, comprehension, and depth of knowledge.
From Mr. Winslow – Social Studies teacher:
History Club is running its annual Toys for Tots drive through seminar classes. Winning seminar will be decided by dollar amount collected or total toys collected. There is a pizza party up for grabs with this contest! Seminar class decides on where the pizza will be ordered from! Most importantly, a child will have a present to open on Christmas morning.
From Bridget Bingham – Special Education teacher:
Home management students have begun the process of preparing a grocery list for the annual Thanksgiving Feast. They helped prepare a letter to various businesses asking for food donations and they are very excited about the upcoming meal. Students will also learn how to fill out invitations for the meal.
From MHS Administration team:
Teacher evaluations have begun and are meeting with teachers about their professional development plans. Mrs. Deb Haag is supporting and guiding the development of P.D. plans with teachers to improve instruction. Remaining administrators will review the plans and complete scheduled and unscheduled observations of teachers. Administrators are following up on the implementation of Dr. Marcia Tate’s Instructional Strategies that engage the brain as presented on November 5 at the district-wide professional development.
From the Guidance and Counseling Team:
The counselors are collecting information concerning senior plans after graduation.
College representatives visited from Westminster College, University of Missouri, University of St. Louis, Columbia College, William Woods, Hannibal-LaGrange, Missouri S and T, Rockhurst, SEMO, Stephens College, Culver-Stockton, NW Missouri State and Iowa Weslayan.
Mrs. Gail Lankford - Counselors’ Secretary is continuing to expand the counseling website with college visit dates, events, and current available scholarships. Local scholarship listings are expected to be posted in January.
Mark Holman – Counselor, led the Red Ribbon Week efforts at MHS. Bulletin boards were decorated and MHS Student Council represented MHS with a red balloon release at the last MHS football game by recruiting elementary students to participate. Shannon Maxwell, Brianna Durrett, LeWalt Evan, Gabby Keller, Mike Perl, Deena Dalton, Shelby Smith, and Nate Hitchcock assisted with the effort to raise awareness.
Kris Turlington – Counselor and Deb Haag – Assistant Principal of Instruction attended the ACT College and Career Readiness Workshop in Columbia, MO. The workshop provided information regarding ACT’s “longitudinal, systematic approach to education and career planning through assessment, curriculum support, and student evaluation.”
Phil Neely – Counselor and Deb Haag – Assistant Principal of Instruction attended a conference focusing on dropout prevention in young men. Mr. Neely also attended MO connections training this month.
Five MHS juniors took the PSAT on October 13. Students participating can enter scholarship competition and utilize information gained from the test for college and career planning.
A+ students received A+ status updates with their report cards.
The PLAN test was administered to all sophomore students on October 19. The PLAN test tests knowledge of Math, Reading, Science and English. The results provide students about their academic preparation, career interests, and how to develop and educational plan.
The Building Leadership Team is planning a work day on December 8 to review their charter, the functions and focus of the BLT, improving parent teacher conferences and grade reporting/grading periods.
Morgan Allen- 9th grader at MHS completed an application for the 2010 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program that recognizes middle level and high school students for volunteer work in their community. She was recommended by Dr. Robinson to receive the award based on the content of her application describing her volunteer work at the Missouri Veteran’s home.
The local academic organization, A+ for Education, awarded approximately $9,000 to MHS teachers for projects in their classrooms to enhance student learning. Teachers submitted the grant requests and were awarded funds based on their impact on instruction. Mr. Keith Louder, Mr. Phil Long, Mrs. Colleen Galloway, Mrs. Julie Exendine and Mr. Kent Henry were all awarded grants ranging from $900 to $3,000 dollars.
Sports and Activities
Coach Ellebracht – Art Teacher and coach is providing a workout opportunity for any high school girl that would like to get in shape or stay in shape for a spring sport or for next fall. The workouts will be after school, Tuesdays and Thursdays until the end of the second semester.
A Veteran’s Assembly was held on November 11, 2010 to mark Veteran’s Day. Mr. Steve Haag served as the director/organizer of the event for MHS students and faculty and student guests from Mexico Military Academy. Major General Flanagan served as the key note speaker for the event and Mr. Randy Gooch spoke on the history of Veteran’s Day.
The Sadie Hawkins Dance was held on November 7 and approximately 100 students attended the event.
From Sara Given – Speech and Theater and Drama Teacher
Sara was contacted by Gina Jensen from Webster University to submit the workshop she taught at the Speech & Theatre Association of Missouri Conference in September to the STAM Journal, a professional publication produced yearly.
MHS Fall Play Update
The play is just around the corner and will have shows on November 19, 20 and 21st. Tickets are on sale now at all of the public schools. We are hosting a coloring and original artwork contest through the Pre-K, elementary schools and middle school. We will be posting their local artwork at the play and the winners will receive free tickets and special seating at the play. The Theatre Design class has worked very hard to turn Emmons Hall into a forest and we've enlisted the support of two faculty members to help with Costume construction; Christine Beshears and Sarah Pence. Additional faculty support comes from Clark Winslow, who will be playing Captain Bluebeard in the production.
Service Project a Success
The Halloween Spooktacular service project put on by the MHS Speech & Theatre Club was a great success. There were more than 80 Pre-K through 5th graders who took advantage of the "safe Halloween" event and there were 33 high school students assisting with the event.
The MHS Speech & Debate team has been working on a community outreach with their Stock in Talk fundraiser. We currently have 26 Businesses/Individuals from the community who have invested in the Speech & Debate team and their communication efforts. The team competed at Sedalia Smith-Cotton in October and completed with 6 finalists who medaled and earned a trophy. We are competing at the Clinton tournament on Saturday, November 13. Our tournament will be December 3 and 4 and we are looking for individuals from the community to judge and/or help direct the tournament.
Upcoming Events
Nov. 19th – Nov. 21st – Fall Play “The Further Adventures of Nick Tickle, Fairy Tale Detective"
Nov. 19th – History Club Meeting
Nov. 19th & 20th – State Cheer Competition
Nov. 23rd – Basketball & Wrestling Media Scrimmage
Dec. 3rd & 4th – Speech & Debate Tournament
Dec. 10th – Band Concert
Dec. 16th – Choir Concert
Dec. 17th – History Club Meeting
Monday, October 18, 2010
October Update
Hi Everyone,
It has been encouraging to learn more of you are logging in to the blog and becoming followers to see what's happening at the high school. Please encourage other parents and interested parties to do so as well. I don't publish a hardcopy newsletter, this is my "21st century take" on a newsletter and I hope it continues to catch on. You may have noticed I published a letter with my colleagues in the Mexico Ledger's open forum recently. This was an effort to direct questions and concerns to our office - we want to hear from you and we want your school to be the best. We can't be the best if we don't listen to the community members we serve.
I thought I'd add a little inside information for everyone about discipline at the high school. I know every parent worries about the safety and security of their son or daughters school. What makes your school safer than most is the commitment of the teachers here and support staff - very little goes unreported here and our employees are always doing their best to supervise students. Unfortunately, there have been some suspensions this year, but we have handled these issues within the guidelines given by the board of education. As administrators, we try and address behavior just beginning to go off-track - thus we can redirect students and prevent suspensions. We want our students to reflect appropriate workplace behavior. Along with subject areas to learn, students must also learn how to get along with others in the workplace.
Enjoy the highlights below, many teachers contributed these submissions. The information was released to our school board for the meeting on 10/19/10:
Monthly Highlights:
Students of the month for September:
Ryan Pickering and Sabrena Joiner
Academics:
From Jamie Williamson – English/Yearbook/Publications Teacher:
The Growl was published on time, under budget, and with enough revenue to cover the printing. We succeeded in giving The Growl a new look, a new attitude, a bit of an edge and at the same time creating a project that the students were EXTREMELY proud of. We feel that we provided coverage on a number of relevant topics applicable to our student population. These were all goals, not just from me, but from the students.
From Ms. Bridget Bingham:
Counting money and making change is extremely difficult for most of my students. We have been working on counting money and making change since the beginning of school in math. My students are gradually getting better and are now ready for a challenge. They must count out $7.50, exactly, in order to 'purchase' a movie ticket. If they can do that, they get to watch a movie. They may also 'purchase' soda and popcorn. 3 of my students will be the cashiers and give correct change, if they don't, then I get a handful of their popcorn, kind of like a boss would deduct money from someone's paycheck for making mistakes. They are enjoying this challenge.
Senior Night was held on October 6, 2010 in the cafeteria and band room.
Approximately 60 parents attended to receive information about graduation, college admission, and scholarships. In addition the Jostens representatives were available for cap and gown orders and Ms. Jamie Williams provided information about yearbook orders and senior page purchases by parents.
From Mr. Clark Winslow, Social Studies Teacher, History Club Sponsor
History club is going to the World War One national memorial in Kansas City on Nov. 6th, and have started their annual Toys for Tots toy/fund raiser. Last year we bought 178 toys, we would like to double that this year!
Senior Seminar Classes:
The senior seminar team of teachers is scheduling various speakers to prepare seniors for life after high school. Some of the speakers will include practitioners in the fields of finance and insurance (and other fields). College recruiters and scholarship and financial aid representatives will also be available during senior seminar.
Academic Booster Club:
Mr. Anderson and Dr. Robinson led new members of this youth leader and parent group in a mission statement development activity on October 13. The new club is continuing to focus its efforts. Currently, the group is looking for ways to work with students as volunteers in the building and support Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Several members have visited our lunchroom to positively connect with students and assist with supervision.
Building leadership team (BLT):
The BLT at MHS continues to meet concerning pressing academic issues in the building weekly and will hold elections for teachers to serve on the team this fall. Significant decisions and monitoring continue about the Seminar class (a level one intervention class formed to keep students on-track to graduation). The team recently decided to form a new standing committee with the sole purpose of leading and monitoring the Seminar program. A Hart Career Center representative was also added to the BLT in an effort to closely couple HCC and MHS in meeting the needs of students. HCC and MHS have also worked together to implement the seminar class for students this year.
Trip to Spain and France being organized:
Foreign language teachers Laura Loudenslager and Julie Exendine are organizing a trip to France and Spain this summer! They currently have 8 students and parents enrolled and are hoping to have 12 paid participants by the end of this month. The group will travel the first week of June and visit Paris, Provence, and Barcelona. Sigths include the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Versailles, etc.
Sports and Activities:
From Sara Givens – Speech/Theatre, English Teacher
The first Speech & Debate Tournament is Friday, October 15 and Saturday, October 16 at Smith Cotton High School in Sedalia.
Mrs. Given was asked to submit her workshop from the Speech & Theatre Association of Missouri Conference to be published in the STAM Journal.
From Julie Dreier – Vocal Music Director:
On Saturday, September 18, fifteen MHS choir students traveled to Moberly to audition for the Northeast MO All-District Choir. Of these 15 there were, 3 Freshman, 8 Sophomores, 3 Juniors, and 1 Senior. Students were required to perform a solo, sight-reading, and key signature identification. Although the competition was stronger than in years past, Mexico had 2 students selected, Jordan Henry (10), and Shelby Hobbs (11).
From Mark Buffington and Volleyball Coach Rachel Leu:
The Dig Pink volleyball program raised approximately $1,500 toward breast cancer research.
From Coach Megan Rice - Lady Golfers:
Cierra Schmidt, Layne Ray, and Maggie Geeson qualified for the sectional golf tournament.
Aultrusa invites Astra students:
Students were invited and attended the Aultrusa meeting on October 14 at the Mexico country with Asst. Principal Deb Haag.
Marissa Brown
Sam Spurling
Kelly Ingrum
Megan Brandow
Gabby Keller
Ann Baker
Maddie White
Cross Country Boys:
Won the Moberly meet and Centralia Invitational and placed 2nd at Hannibal.
From Mr. Cortez: The MHS Dixie Gray Band competed in the Central Methodist University Band Day on October 2, and had a gain of TWENTY points (on a 100 point scale) from last year to this year. The hard work by the band members definitely shows in this. The next competition will take place in Odessa, Missouri, on October 23.
CHEERLEADING
From coaches Susan Gheens-Magnus and Rhonda Vitale:
The MHS Varsity and Junior Varsity cheerleaders had a successful elementary cheer clinic on September 24. We had 60 elementary students take part in our annual fund-raiser. We taught these little ones chants, cheers, and a dance and then they performed at the home football game that evening.
The varsity squad received 1st place at the Missouri Cheerleading Coaches Association Northeast Regional Competition in July. This qualified the varsity squad to compete at the MCCA State Competition on November 20 at the Hearnes Center. The squad will be competing at approximately 4:00 p.m. We would love to have any or all of you attend this amazing event.
Our varsity and junior varsity cheerleaders have also been busy volunteering in our community. We planned and assisted with the Salute to Veterans football game (unfortunately the half-time show honoring our veterans was rained out). We have collected DVD's for the DVD's for Vets national program. We have donated our time to the Ford Drive 4UR School event in which monies were raised for all athletic teams at MHS. We donated our time to help park cars at the Salute to Veterans Air Show. Currently we have some varsity cheerleaders donating all their Saturday afternoons in October assisting with the "Y" cheerleaders at the flag football program sponsored by the Mexico YMCA.
Our lovable mascot "Spike" has not only been making appearances at our football games, but does his best to attend other sporting events for MHS.
It has been a busy fall for the MHS cheerleaders as they learn to give back to a community that so graciously gives to them.
Training for Teachers:
Paul Pitchford of the University of Missouri – Columbia provided training for 12 faculty members on October 7 concerning the application of the work Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. The authors of Understanding by Design pose and attempt to answer the following questions:
What is understanding and how does it differ from knowledge? How can we determine the big ideas worth understanding? Why is understanding an important teaching goal, and how do we know when students have attained it? How can we create a rigorous and engaging curriculum that focuses on understanding and leads to improved student performance in todays high-stakes, standards-based environment?
Paul Pitchford's work is a continuing training from the 2009-10 school year to enhance the curriculum and rigor of high school courses.
Upcoming Events:
10/15 and 10/16 First Speech & Debate Tournament at Smith Cotton High School in Sedalia.
10/21 9th Grade Football vs. Hannibal
Soccer V/JV at Booneville
Volleyball V/JV at Fulton
Girls Tennis V – Team State Tournament
10/22 Football V vs. Hannibal
Girls Tennis V – Individual State Tournament
Softball V – State Tournament
10/23 Dixie Gray Band Competition at Odessa
10/24 Youth in Government meeting
10/28 Junior Class Cookie Dough Delivery
10/29 Football V at Kirksville
It has been encouraging to learn more of you are logging in to the blog and becoming followers to see what's happening at the high school. Please encourage other parents and interested parties to do so as well. I don't publish a hardcopy newsletter, this is my "21st century take" on a newsletter and I hope it continues to catch on. You may have noticed I published a letter with my colleagues in the Mexico Ledger's open forum recently. This was an effort to direct questions and concerns to our office - we want to hear from you and we want your school to be the best. We can't be the best if we don't listen to the community members we serve.
I thought I'd add a little inside information for everyone about discipline at the high school. I know every parent worries about the safety and security of their son or daughters school. What makes your school safer than most is the commitment of the teachers here and support staff - very little goes unreported here and our employees are always doing their best to supervise students. Unfortunately, there have been some suspensions this year, but we have handled these issues within the guidelines given by the board of education. As administrators, we try and address behavior just beginning to go off-track - thus we can redirect students and prevent suspensions. We want our students to reflect appropriate workplace behavior. Along with subject areas to learn, students must also learn how to get along with others in the workplace.
Enjoy the highlights below, many teachers contributed these submissions. The information was released to our school board for the meeting on 10/19/10:
Monthly Highlights:
Students of the month for September:
Ryan Pickering and Sabrena Joiner
Academics:
From Jamie Williamson – English/Yearbook/Publications Teacher:
The Growl was published on time, under budget, and with enough revenue to cover the printing. We succeeded in giving The Growl a new look, a new attitude, a bit of an edge and at the same time creating a project that the students were EXTREMELY proud of. We feel that we provided coverage on a number of relevant topics applicable to our student population. These were all goals, not just from me, but from the students.
From Ms. Bridget Bingham:
Counting money and making change is extremely difficult for most of my students. We have been working on counting money and making change since the beginning of school in math. My students are gradually getting better and are now ready for a challenge. They must count out $7.50, exactly, in order to 'purchase' a movie ticket. If they can do that, they get to watch a movie. They may also 'purchase' soda and popcorn. 3 of my students will be the cashiers and give correct change, if they don't, then I get a handful of their popcorn, kind of like a boss would deduct money from someone's paycheck for making mistakes. They are enjoying this challenge.
Senior Night was held on October 6, 2010 in the cafeteria and band room.
Approximately 60 parents attended to receive information about graduation, college admission, and scholarships. In addition the Jostens representatives were available for cap and gown orders and Ms. Jamie Williams provided information about yearbook orders and senior page purchases by parents.
From Mr. Clark Winslow, Social Studies Teacher, History Club Sponsor
History club is going to the World War One national memorial in Kansas City on Nov. 6th, and have started their annual Toys for Tots toy/fund raiser. Last year we bought 178 toys, we would like to double that this year!
Senior Seminar Classes:
The senior seminar team of teachers is scheduling various speakers to prepare seniors for life after high school. Some of the speakers will include practitioners in the fields of finance and insurance (and other fields). College recruiters and scholarship and financial aid representatives will also be available during senior seminar.
Academic Booster Club:
Mr. Anderson and Dr. Robinson led new members of this youth leader and parent group in a mission statement development activity on October 13. The new club is continuing to focus its efforts. Currently, the group is looking for ways to work with students as volunteers in the building and support Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Several members have visited our lunchroom to positively connect with students and assist with supervision.
Building leadership team (BLT):
The BLT at MHS continues to meet concerning pressing academic issues in the building weekly and will hold elections for teachers to serve on the team this fall. Significant decisions and monitoring continue about the Seminar class (a level one intervention class formed to keep students on-track to graduation). The team recently decided to form a new standing committee with the sole purpose of leading and monitoring the Seminar program. A Hart Career Center representative was also added to the BLT in an effort to closely couple HCC and MHS in meeting the needs of students. HCC and MHS have also worked together to implement the seminar class for students this year.
Trip to Spain and France being organized:
Foreign language teachers Laura Loudenslager and Julie Exendine are organizing a trip to France and Spain this summer! They currently have 8 students and parents enrolled and are hoping to have 12 paid participants by the end of this month. The group will travel the first week of June and visit Paris, Provence, and Barcelona. Sigths include the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Versailles, etc.
Sports and Activities:
From Sara Givens – Speech/Theatre, English Teacher
The first Speech & Debate Tournament is Friday, October 15 and Saturday, October 16 at Smith Cotton High School in Sedalia.
Mrs. Given was asked to submit her workshop from the Speech & Theatre Association of Missouri Conference to be published in the STAM Journal.
From Julie Dreier – Vocal Music Director:
On Saturday, September 18, fifteen MHS choir students traveled to Moberly to audition for the Northeast MO All-District Choir. Of these 15 there were, 3 Freshman, 8 Sophomores, 3 Juniors, and 1 Senior. Students were required to perform a solo, sight-reading, and key signature identification. Although the competition was stronger than in years past, Mexico had 2 students selected, Jordan Henry (10), and Shelby Hobbs (11).
From Mark Buffington and Volleyball Coach Rachel Leu:
The Dig Pink volleyball program raised approximately $1,500 toward breast cancer research.
From Coach Megan Rice - Lady Golfers:
Cierra Schmidt, Layne Ray, and Maggie Geeson qualified for the sectional golf tournament.
Aultrusa invites Astra students:
Students were invited and attended the Aultrusa meeting on October 14 at the Mexico country with Asst. Principal Deb Haag.
Marissa Brown
Sam Spurling
Kelly Ingrum
Megan Brandow
Gabby Keller
Ann Baker
Maddie White
Cross Country Boys:
Won the Moberly meet and Centralia Invitational and placed 2nd at Hannibal.
From Mr. Cortez: The MHS Dixie Gray Band competed in the Central Methodist University Band Day on October 2, and had a gain of TWENTY points (on a 100 point scale) from last year to this year. The hard work by the band members definitely shows in this. The next competition will take place in Odessa, Missouri, on October 23.
CHEERLEADING
From coaches Susan Gheens-Magnus and Rhonda Vitale:
The MHS Varsity and Junior Varsity cheerleaders had a successful elementary cheer clinic on September 24. We had 60 elementary students take part in our annual fund-raiser. We taught these little ones chants, cheers, and a dance and then they performed at the home football game that evening.
The varsity squad received 1st place at the Missouri Cheerleading Coaches Association Northeast Regional Competition in July. This qualified the varsity squad to compete at the MCCA State Competition on November 20 at the Hearnes Center. The squad will be competing at approximately 4:00 p.m. We would love to have any or all of you attend this amazing event.
Our varsity and junior varsity cheerleaders have also been busy volunteering in our community. We planned and assisted with the Salute to Veterans football game (unfortunately the half-time show honoring our veterans was rained out). We have collected DVD's for the DVD's for Vets national program. We have donated our time to the Ford Drive 4UR School event in which monies were raised for all athletic teams at MHS. We donated our time to help park cars at the Salute to Veterans Air Show. Currently we have some varsity cheerleaders donating all their Saturday afternoons in October assisting with the "Y" cheerleaders at the flag football program sponsored by the Mexico YMCA.
Our lovable mascot "Spike" has not only been making appearances at our football games, but does his best to attend other sporting events for MHS.
It has been a busy fall for the MHS cheerleaders as they learn to give back to a community that so graciously gives to them.
Training for Teachers:
Paul Pitchford of the University of Missouri – Columbia provided training for 12 faculty members on October 7 concerning the application of the work Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. The authors of Understanding by Design pose and attempt to answer the following questions:
What is understanding and how does it differ from knowledge? How can we determine the big ideas worth understanding? Why is understanding an important teaching goal, and how do we know when students have attained it? How can we create a rigorous and engaging curriculum that focuses on understanding and leads to improved student performance in todays high-stakes, standards-based environment?
Paul Pitchford's work is a continuing training from the 2009-10 school year to enhance the curriculum and rigor of high school courses.
Upcoming Events:
10/15 and 10/16 First Speech & Debate Tournament at Smith Cotton High School in Sedalia.
10/21 9th Grade Football vs. Hannibal
Soccer V/JV at Booneville
Volleyball V/JV at Fulton
Girls Tennis V – Team State Tournament
10/22 Football V vs. Hannibal
Girls Tennis V – Individual State Tournament
Softball V – State Tournament
10/23 Dixie Gray Band Competition at Odessa
10/24 Youth in Government meeting
10/28 Junior Class Cookie Dough Delivery
10/29 Football V at Kirksville
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Sharing early SUCCESS and MHS efforts!
Hi again Everyone,
School is off and running! Our main emphasis as an administrative team over this past few weeks has been to connect to students, set reasonable expectations for a safe and orderly environment and keep kids and learning first.
I thought I'd share some successes from MHS here online for everyone to see from my recent board report. So much goes on during a school year and it can be difficult to keep up! Teachers were a great help preparing this report. The report also includes some upcoming events at the end. It has been great to visit with many of you at ballgames and in person. I'm the first to admit name recognition is not a great strength of mine, but I rarely forget a face. Thank you all for being so welcoming and it has been great serving this community these past few weeks. (report follows)
Monthly Highlights:
The high school has begun enhancing their ISS – In School suspension time by causing students to reflect upon and change their behavior. ISS is now commonly referred to by the name B.I.P. – Behavior Intervention Program which reflects this new emphasis. Mr. Henry is leading this effort.
Dr. Robinson and Mr. Anderson have been actively seeking ways to improve the climate and atmosphere in the cafeteria. During the 2009-10 school year, approximately 70% of all fights at school occurred in the cafeteria.
There are now three lunch periods to reduce the number of students in the cafeteria.
Teachers now spend one lunch period per week eating with students in the cafeteria to improve the cafeteria climate and to build closer connections to students.
The cafeteria will be improved by the addition of a small stage and sound equipment for events and before and during school music. Mr. Cortez and student council will coordinate performance times and Mr. Don Fuemmeler's Industrial Maintenance class is working to build the stage and the art department will be providing paint enhancements.
Local youth leaders met with Dr. Robinson and Mr. Anderson on September 1 and again on September 15 to discuss ways to volunteer at school, support Future Christian Athletes, communicate their events and provide positive support and encouragement for MHS students. Leaders were invited to lunch periods and before school for breakfast with students. Administrators also discussed how to best support the “See you at the Pole” event on September 22 at 8 am.
Department chairpersons are leading development of continuous improvement cycles (P.D.S.A. - Plan Do Study Act) to address achievement in their respective areas. First drafts were reviewed with
Mrs. Haag and Dr. Robinson on 9/10/10 and final drafts should be completed within the next two weeks.
Seminar classes met with principals 8/31 to 9/3 to discuss dress code and other policies related to behavior. Students were also given the opportunity to ask clarifying questions and provide feedback.
College Fair: Ms. Holly Johanson and Ms. Belinda Frosch have worked prepared a college and career fair for Mexico Juniors and Seniors as well as surrounding area schools on September 17. Students will spend time visiting with college recruiters and career representatives.
A Literacy class was added to the school schedule to address in-coming freshmen having difficulty with reading. This class is being taught by Mr. Clow. Current enrollment is 10 and was based on middle school data.
An Advanced Placement American History was added to the course schedule and will be taught by Mr. Clark Winslow. Students are being prepared to take the AP test at the end of the course and could be eligible for college credit based on their score. Current enrollment is 19 students.
College Prep 101 classes (2) are attending a Cardinal Career Day in St. Louis on September 29 to explore careers in sports management and sports marketing. St. Louis area colleges will also host a college fair during the event. The students will also attend a baseball game the same day at noon. Mr. Clow, Mr. Neely and Mr. Haag will be preparing logistics and supervising the event.
Hart Career Center and MHS are working to develop closer working relationships and collaboration between the two buildings.
676 MHS students are enrolled in 1 hour classes at Hart Career Center.
90 MHS students are enrolled in 3 hour block classes at Hart Career Center. (approximately 10% increase)
178 MHS students are being served in MHS Seminar Classes by Hart Career Center teachers
Home management students taught by Ms. Bridget Bingham are working to plant flowers at the cafeteria entrances.
The MHS Science Department reported enrollment has doubled in Chemistry and AP Chemistry versus last school year. Additionally, the department is using Vernier technology to digitally collect lab data accurately and reliably. Finally, Phil Long – science teacher, attended a week-long Advanced placement Chemistry class to enhance this course offering at MHS.
A Welcome Back Assembly was held for students on the first day of school for the high school on August 25. The assembly was used to communicate school spirit and expectations, build Student leadership with Student Council and present other clubs/groups and activities.
Dual Credit Public Speaking – Ms. Given reported this class is off to a great start. There are 36 juniors and seniors enrolled in this honors class.
The Fall play, "The Further Adventures of Nick Tickle, Fairy Tale Detective" was cast after two nights of auditions. Three guest adjudicators were part of auditions; Michael Bentele, an Performing Arts major from Missouri Valley who currently works for Columbia College and a former Mexico graduate, Andrea Morrow- a communications specialist at the capital in Jefferson City and Mel Hamm – has a strong background in stage management and is currently teaching at MMS. Al. adjudicators impressed with the talent and hard work of our students during auditions. The fall play opens Friday, November 19 and runs through Sunday, November 21.
The MHS Speech & Debate team will compete at their first tournament of the season on October 15 and 16 in Sedalia. We have a larger group this year than previous years and look forward to great successes.
Sara Given has been asked to present a workshop at the Speech & Theater Association of Missouri Conference next week, September 23-25. Her workshop is titled "I'm a Fish Out of Water" and is geared toward assisting teachers who are certified in other teaching areas, but coaching, directing and teaching Speech & Theater programs. More information on her conference workshop will be available at her blog http://mhscommunicationcentral.blogspot.com
Vo-Ag and Vocational Agriculture teacher Stephanie Gutshall reported the following:
Area 4 Sports Day Champions 8/5
64 students attended the Mexico August FFA Meeting/Back to School BBQ 8/31
52 students attended Bradford Farm Field Day in Columbia, MO where they learned about various aspects on agriculture
9/14 Mexico FFA Chapter hosted the National FFA President, Levy Randolph for an afternoon. He spoke to 3 classes and got to know the students.
9/13 Mexico FFA Officer Team place 3rd at the Area 4 Rituals Contest and 20 students attended the Area 4 Leadership Conference.
Athletic Highlights
9/4 Boys Cross country - 2nd place at the Mexico Invitational
9/4 Girls Cross country 2nd place at the Mexico Invitational
9/13 Girls Golf - 1st place at the Tri-Meet (Harrisburg-Crocker-Mexico)
9/10 Boys football team won against Winfield in an abbreviated first home game 55 to 0
9/14 Boys Cross country - 3rd place at Quincy Notre Dame
Upcoming Events:
9/29 Cardinal Career Day in St. Louis, Mo - Busch Stadium
9/30 Open House and Parent-Teacher conferences
10/1 Homecoming Parade at 3:00
Football Homecoming vs. St. Charles, 7:00
Homecoming Dance will follow the football game at 9:30 pm to 11:30 pm
School is off and running! Our main emphasis as an administrative team over this past few weeks has been to connect to students, set reasonable expectations for a safe and orderly environment and keep kids and learning first.
I thought I'd share some successes from MHS here online for everyone to see from my recent board report. So much goes on during a school year and it can be difficult to keep up! Teachers were a great help preparing this report. The report also includes some upcoming events at the end. It has been great to visit with many of you at ballgames and in person. I'm the first to admit name recognition is not a great strength of mine, but I rarely forget a face. Thank you all for being so welcoming and it has been great serving this community these past few weeks. (report follows)
Monthly Highlights:
The high school has begun enhancing their ISS – In School suspension time by causing students to reflect upon and change their behavior. ISS is now commonly referred to by the name B.I.P. – Behavior Intervention Program which reflects this new emphasis. Mr. Henry is leading this effort.
Dr. Robinson and Mr. Anderson have been actively seeking ways to improve the climate and atmosphere in the cafeteria. During the 2009-10 school year, approximately 70% of all fights at school occurred in the cafeteria.
There are now three lunch periods to reduce the number of students in the cafeteria.
Teachers now spend one lunch period per week eating with students in the cafeteria to improve the cafeteria climate and to build closer connections to students.
The cafeteria will be improved by the addition of a small stage and sound equipment for events and before and during school music. Mr. Cortez and student council will coordinate performance times and Mr. Don Fuemmeler's Industrial Maintenance class is working to build the stage and the art department will be providing paint enhancements.
Local youth leaders met with Dr. Robinson and Mr. Anderson on September 1 and again on September 15 to discuss ways to volunteer at school, support Future Christian Athletes, communicate their events and provide positive support and encouragement for MHS students. Leaders were invited to lunch periods and before school for breakfast with students. Administrators also discussed how to best support the “See you at the Pole” event on September 22 at 8 am.
Department chairpersons are leading development of continuous improvement cycles (P.D.S.A. - Plan Do Study Act) to address achievement in their respective areas. First drafts were reviewed with
Mrs. Haag and Dr. Robinson on 9/10/10 and final drafts should be completed within the next two weeks.
Seminar classes met with principals 8/31 to 9/3 to discuss dress code and other policies related to behavior. Students were also given the opportunity to ask clarifying questions and provide feedback.
College Fair: Ms. Holly Johanson and Ms. Belinda Frosch have worked prepared a college and career fair for Mexico Juniors and Seniors as well as surrounding area schools on September 17. Students will spend time visiting with college recruiters and career representatives.
A Literacy class was added to the school schedule to address in-coming freshmen having difficulty with reading. This class is being taught by Mr. Clow. Current enrollment is 10 and was based on middle school data.
An Advanced Placement American History was added to the course schedule and will be taught by Mr. Clark Winslow. Students are being prepared to take the AP test at the end of the course and could be eligible for college credit based on their score. Current enrollment is 19 students.
College Prep 101 classes (2) are attending a Cardinal Career Day in St. Louis on September 29 to explore careers in sports management and sports marketing. St. Louis area colleges will also host a college fair during the event. The students will also attend a baseball game the same day at noon. Mr. Clow, Mr. Neely and Mr. Haag will be preparing logistics and supervising the event.
Hart Career Center and MHS are working to develop closer working relationships and collaboration between the two buildings.
676 MHS students are enrolled in 1 hour classes at Hart Career Center.
90 MHS students are enrolled in 3 hour block classes at Hart Career Center. (approximately 10% increase)
178 MHS students are being served in MHS Seminar Classes by Hart Career Center teachers
Home management students taught by Ms. Bridget Bingham are working to plant flowers at the cafeteria entrances.
The MHS Science Department reported enrollment has doubled in Chemistry and AP Chemistry versus last school year. Additionally, the department is using Vernier technology to digitally collect lab data accurately and reliably. Finally, Phil Long – science teacher, attended a week-long Advanced placement Chemistry class to enhance this course offering at MHS.
A Welcome Back Assembly was held for students on the first day of school for the high school on August 25. The assembly was used to communicate school spirit and expectations, build Student leadership with Student Council and present other clubs/groups and activities.
Dual Credit Public Speaking – Ms. Given reported this class is off to a great start. There are 36 juniors and seniors enrolled in this honors class.
The Fall play, "The Further Adventures of Nick Tickle, Fairy Tale Detective" was cast after two nights of auditions. Three guest adjudicators were part of auditions; Michael Bentele, an Performing Arts major from Missouri Valley who currently works for Columbia College and a former Mexico graduate, Andrea Morrow- a communications specialist at the capital in Jefferson City and Mel Hamm – has a strong background in stage management and is currently teaching at MMS. Al. adjudicators impressed with the talent and hard work of our students during auditions. The fall play opens Friday, November 19 and runs through Sunday, November 21.
The MHS Speech & Debate team will compete at their first tournament of the season on October 15 and 16 in Sedalia. We have a larger group this year than previous years and look forward to great successes.
Sara Given has been asked to present a workshop at the Speech & Theater Association of Missouri Conference next week, September 23-25. Her workshop is titled "I'm a Fish Out of Water" and is geared toward assisting teachers who are certified in other teaching areas, but coaching, directing and teaching Speech & Theater programs. More information on her conference workshop will be available at her blog http://mhscommunicationcentral.blogspot.com
Vo-Ag and Vocational Agriculture teacher Stephanie Gutshall reported the following:
Area 4 Sports Day Champions 8/5
64 students attended the Mexico August FFA Meeting/Back to School BBQ 8/31
52 students attended Bradford Farm Field Day in Columbia, MO where they learned about various aspects on agriculture
9/14 Mexico FFA Chapter hosted the National FFA President, Levy Randolph for an afternoon. He spoke to 3 classes and got to know the students.
9/13 Mexico FFA Officer Team place 3rd at the Area 4 Rituals Contest and 20 students attended the Area 4 Leadership Conference.
Athletic Highlights
9/4 Boys Cross country - 2nd place at the Mexico Invitational
9/4 Girls Cross country 2nd place at the Mexico Invitational
9/13 Girls Golf - 1st place at the Tri-Meet (Harrisburg-Crocker-Mexico)
9/10 Boys football team won against Winfield in an abbreviated first home game 55 to 0
9/14 Boys Cross country - 3rd place at Quincy Notre Dame
Upcoming Events:
9/29 Cardinal Career Day in St. Louis, Mo - Busch Stadium
9/30 Open House and Parent-Teacher conferences
10/1 Homecoming Parade at 3:00
Football Homecoming vs. St. Charles, 7:00
Homecoming Dance will follow the football game at 9:30 pm to 11:30 pm
Monday, August 30, 2010
Day 1, 2, 3, 4
Hi Everyone,
After many improvements and a labor of Hercules by our teachers, staff and determined custodial crews WE OPENED THE DOORS on August 25th!
As a general rule, educators love kids and yes, we go through withdrawals over the summer when the focus of our life work is delayed in getting here.
I watched all our teachers breath dust, move furniture, sweat and toil over their classrooms and common areas in the building while our custodial crews provided guidance and the professional polish the building needed to get us going for the school year.
While we are still organizing here and there, we are functional and school has begun.
You may have heard we kicked the school year off with an all school assembly to raise school spirit and remind our students Mexico high school is a great place to learn and it's ok to show your school spirit.
We are continuing to enforce our disciplinary code in order to maintain an exceptional environment for students to learn. Many times we have simply given warnings these past few days, however, there have unfortunately been some suspensions. Overall however, our building has been very safe and orderly with everyone contibuting to the solution by providing good supervision for our students.
I will be meeting with our local church youth leaders this Wednesday for a brainstorming session on how they can help us connect to youth at the high school in a meaningful way. In my personal experience growing up, I always found my youth pastors to be solid professionals with sincere hearts for students.
If you saw a red binder come home with tabs in the arms of your child, be sure your son or daughter begins to use it to stay organized or ASK THEM how they're staying organized for their classes. The NUMBER ONE reason grades are low in high school - almost any high school, is because students fail to keep track of assignments, study materials and turn in their work. We provided the binders this year to help students stay on track. There is also a copy of the student handbook for you and your son or daughter to review.
Several teachers are beginning to work on their own blogs to let you know what is happening in their classes. In the next few months we hope to update our website a bit more with links to these blogs.
I hope you find this information helpful and please provide any feedback you may have about the start of our school year.
After many improvements and a labor of Hercules by our teachers, staff and determined custodial crews WE OPENED THE DOORS on August 25th!
As a general rule, educators love kids and yes, we go through withdrawals over the summer when the focus of our life work is delayed in getting here.
I watched all our teachers breath dust, move furniture, sweat and toil over their classrooms and common areas in the building while our custodial crews provided guidance and the professional polish the building needed to get us going for the school year.
While we are still organizing here and there, we are functional and school has begun.
You may have heard we kicked the school year off with an all school assembly to raise school spirit and remind our students Mexico high school is a great place to learn and it's ok to show your school spirit.
We are continuing to enforce our disciplinary code in order to maintain an exceptional environment for students to learn. Many times we have simply given warnings these past few days, however, there have unfortunately been some suspensions. Overall however, our building has been very safe and orderly with everyone contibuting to the solution by providing good supervision for our students.
I will be meeting with our local church youth leaders this Wednesday for a brainstorming session on how they can help us connect to youth at the high school in a meaningful way. In my personal experience growing up, I always found my youth pastors to be solid professionals with sincere hearts for students.
If you saw a red binder come home with tabs in the arms of your child, be sure your son or daughter begins to use it to stay organized or ASK THEM how they're staying organized for their classes. The NUMBER ONE reason grades are low in high school - almost any high school, is because students fail to keep track of assignments, study materials and turn in their work. We provided the binders this year to help students stay on track. There is also a copy of the student handbook for you and your son or daughter to review.
Several teachers are beginning to work on their own blogs to let you know what is happening in their classes. In the next few months we hope to update our website a bit more with links to these blogs.
I hope you find this information helpful and please provide any feedback you may have about the start of our school year.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Parent Letter 2010-11 and Registration Information Packets
Parents and Guardians,
I've posted the letter I included in registration packets (folders) for your convenience below. I hope you find the information we compiled for you helpful and feel free to offer any feedback you may have about what we included and how we could improve our communication in this area of registration.
INFORMATION FROM THE REGISTRATION PACKET BELOW:
Dear Parents and Guardians,
I hope you and your family had a refreshing summer. Our faculty and staff have prepared this folder to help you stay connected and informed about the high school. If you have any suggestions for other things we could have included, please contact the high school office, or email me at trobinson@mexico.k12.mo.us. I also post a regular online newsletter (blog) at http://bulldoghighschool.blogspot.com. This online newsletter is posted to provide information about the high school.
Renovations:
The high school has undergone a great deal of building renovations and we are very pleased thus far with the progress that has been made. New windows, a new heating and air conditioning system and the replacement of very old furniture has been accomplished this summer. Our open house and parent teacher conferences will be combined this year into one event so we can ensure you have time to view the improvements and our workers have time to complete all projects.
New Seminar Class:
In addition to building progress, the high school teachers and I have been working to enhance our guidance and assistance to students so they are successful in high school. We will be implementing a Seminar Class during the last period of the day toward this purpose. Too often, students in high school can have difficulty managing several classes at once, studying for challenging classes, and connecting to their peers and teachers. They can get lost in the shuffle and become disconnected and frustrated. Our teachers and administrative staff are planning our work during the seminar class to be one of providing focus and direction to our students – to prevent the anonymity and the “lost in the shuffle effect” often seen in many high schools. We want to know our students and foster significant relationships and engagement among our students.
The Seminar Class will meet each day for approximately 30 minutes per day at the end of the day and this time will be used for the following purposes:
1. We have planned to teach learning skills such as note taking, organizational skills and memory/study skills so students are more successfully in their high school classes.
2. This class will also be a time our teachers will engage students in all-school efforts such as collecting donations to assist the needy in our community and other projects.
3. Finally, we plan to check student progress more regularly during this time to ensure students stay on-track to graduate on time and earn grades of a “C” or better. We believe that connecting to students and letting them know we care about their progress is the best way to increase achievement.
I’m looking forward to serving your child and family in the coming school year and please feel free to contact me whenever you have a question, comment or concern about the high school. We are here to serve your needs.
I've posted the letter I included in registration packets (folders) for your convenience below. I hope you find the information we compiled for you helpful and feel free to offer any feedback you may have about what we included and how we could improve our communication in this area of registration.
INFORMATION FROM THE REGISTRATION PACKET BELOW:
Dear Parents and Guardians,
I hope you and your family had a refreshing summer. Our faculty and staff have prepared this folder to help you stay connected and informed about the high school. If you have any suggestions for other things we could have included, please contact the high school office, or email me at trobinson@mexico.k12.mo.us. I also post a regular online newsletter (blog) at http://bulldoghighschool.blogspot.com. This online newsletter is posted to provide information about the high school.
Renovations:
The high school has undergone a great deal of building renovations and we are very pleased thus far with the progress that has been made. New windows, a new heating and air conditioning system and the replacement of very old furniture has been accomplished this summer. Our open house and parent teacher conferences will be combined this year into one event so we can ensure you have time to view the improvements and our workers have time to complete all projects.
New Seminar Class:
In addition to building progress, the high school teachers and I have been working to enhance our guidance and assistance to students so they are successful in high school. We will be implementing a Seminar Class during the last period of the day toward this purpose. Too often, students in high school can have difficulty managing several classes at once, studying for challenging classes, and connecting to their peers and teachers. They can get lost in the shuffle and become disconnected and frustrated. Our teachers and administrative staff are planning our work during the seminar class to be one of providing focus and direction to our students – to prevent the anonymity and the “lost in the shuffle effect” often seen in many high schools. We want to know our students and foster significant relationships and engagement among our students.
The Seminar Class will meet each day for approximately 30 minutes per day at the end of the day and this time will be used for the following purposes:
1. We have planned to teach learning skills such as note taking, organizational skills and memory/study skills so students are more successfully in their high school classes.
2. This class will also be a time our teachers will engage students in all-school efforts such as collecting donations to assist the needy in our community and other projects.
3. Finally, we plan to check student progress more regularly during this time to ensure students stay on-track to graduate on time and earn grades of a “C” or better. We believe that connecting to students and letting them know we care about their progress is the best way to increase achievement.
I’m looking forward to serving your child and family in the coming school year and please feel free to contact me whenever you have a question, comment or concern about the high school. We are here to serve your needs.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Improving Communication
Welcome Clark W. - Clark is the first official follower of the principal's corner. If you're not a regular follower, but you care about the high school I encourage you to be a regular follower and barring any major issues preventing me from doing so, I'll try and post regularly when I have information that will benefit you.
Communication has stood out as area for improvement at the high school, to begin this improvement, I started with me - I added this blog to the school website. There are a couple of questions at the end of the blog that will guide me in getting quick feedback from the community. I encourage you to use this forum to share your ideas, concerns and occasionally provide survey feedback.
Thanks to community support, the high school is in the midst of major structural improvements. If you've come by the high school and noticed unsightly debris, and the sounds of hammers you might want to call the office FIRST instead of come in person. Running into excessive dust clouds in the halls, scaffolding, and possible falling pieces of old windows are a real possibility if you decide to visit in person. Amy Lif - Principal's secretary and I will be in the main office until we need to vacate the area for improvements to our office windows, in addition we may not have air conditioning for a time as vent and duct work is completed for the new air conditioning system.
Be sure to visit with your son or daughter about classes you would like them to take in the coming school year. I visited with Mrs. Kris Turlington - Counselor, Mrs. Deb Haag - Director of Instruction and Mrs. Tina Woolsey - Superintendent this week about registration in August and how we might be able to provide better service to students during the registration process. It seems the process is very slow due to the number of schedule change requests coupled with registration going on at the same time. Our new plan will separate these two activities so long lines and some frustration from last year are eased. For this year, students will register 2 weeks prior to school at Mexico Middle School (avoiding the construction here at the high school) on August 4th and 5th from 7 am to 7 pm, and August 6th from 7 am to 4 pm. Students will receive a locker assignment, their schedule and will be allowed to sign up for a counseling appointment during the next two weeks if they need to have a schedule change request.
A few notes about scheduling classes: It is always the goal of our guidance department to meet the scheduling requests of students. However, there are no perfect school master schedules that meet every student request. One thing we are blessed with at Mexico High School are A LOT OF CHOICES and ELECTIVES. This is GREAT! It does generate some frustration and confusion however with students because they can't take EVERY class they want, when they want. As a parent, you may want to provide some guidance with your son or daughter so they sort out what electives are most important to them. Our goal remains to serve the educational needs of students by providing the state mandated core curriculum (Math, English, Social Studies, Science) and provide most additional electives they wish to pursue.
Finally, here are a few questions you can feel free to respond to by registering as a follower of this blog and then posting a response. I reserve the right to moderate all responses to keep this blog professional and in line with its intended purpose, so you may not see your post for a time until I've reviewed it.
In an effort to increase communication, some schools have begun using Twitter to send out important updates - basically Twitter is a mass text message that provides information to the persons receiving it.
Would you be interested in receiving a weekly text message with event updates?
What information would you like to access to about our classes and teachers posted on the website?
In your opinion, how can the high school BEST improve communication with the community?
I will check back periodically to review posts and I hope you take the time to provide some answers to the questions above.
Communication has stood out as area for improvement at the high school, to begin this improvement, I started with me - I added this blog to the school website. There are a couple of questions at the end of the blog that will guide me in getting quick feedback from the community. I encourage you to use this forum to share your ideas, concerns and occasionally provide survey feedback.
Thanks to community support, the high school is in the midst of major structural improvements. If you've come by the high school and noticed unsightly debris, and the sounds of hammers you might want to call the office FIRST instead of come in person. Running into excessive dust clouds in the halls, scaffolding, and possible falling pieces of old windows are a real possibility if you decide to visit in person. Amy Lif - Principal's secretary and I will be in the main office until we need to vacate the area for improvements to our office windows, in addition we may not have air conditioning for a time as vent and duct work is completed for the new air conditioning system.
Be sure to visit with your son or daughter about classes you would like them to take in the coming school year. I visited with Mrs. Kris Turlington - Counselor, Mrs. Deb Haag - Director of Instruction and Mrs. Tina Woolsey - Superintendent this week about registration in August and how we might be able to provide better service to students during the registration process. It seems the process is very slow due to the number of schedule change requests coupled with registration going on at the same time. Our new plan will separate these two activities so long lines and some frustration from last year are eased. For this year, students will register 2 weeks prior to school at Mexico Middle School (avoiding the construction here at the high school) on August 4th and 5th from 7 am to 7 pm, and August 6th from 7 am to 4 pm. Students will receive a locker assignment, their schedule and will be allowed to sign up for a counseling appointment during the next two weeks if they need to have a schedule change request.
A few notes about scheduling classes: It is always the goal of our guidance department to meet the scheduling requests of students. However, there are no perfect school master schedules that meet every student request. One thing we are blessed with at Mexico High School are A LOT OF CHOICES and ELECTIVES. This is GREAT! It does generate some frustration and confusion however with students because they can't take EVERY class they want, when they want. As a parent, you may want to provide some guidance with your son or daughter so they sort out what electives are most important to them. Our goal remains to serve the educational needs of students by providing the state mandated core curriculum (Math, English, Social Studies, Science) and provide most additional electives they wish to pursue.
Finally, here are a few questions you can feel free to respond to by registering as a follower of this blog and then posting a response. I reserve the right to moderate all responses to keep this blog professional and in line with its intended purpose, so you may not see your post for a time until I've reviewed it.
In an effort to increase communication, some schools have begun using Twitter to send out important updates - basically Twitter is a mass text message that provides information to the persons receiving it.
Would you be interested in receiving a weekly text message with event updates?
What information would you like to access to about our classes and teachers posted on the website?
In your opinion, how can the high school BEST improve communication with the community?
I will check back periodically to review posts and I hope you take the time to provide some answers to the questions above.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Taking Aim
On April 19th and 20th I spent a lot of time gathering information in Mexico High School and the Career Center to take AIM at areas for improvement in the high school. In reflection, what was so refreshing was finding school teachers and leaders aiming along with me -- remember: I've only been in the district for 5 days, one of these was to be interviewed. I've found so many ready to move so quickly and so late in the school year and it is, well, UNCOMMON. If there's one thing I've picked up on at Mexico High School among faculty and staff it is this: There is a strong desire to AIM to reach and teach students, and adopt a path to make a stronger positive impact in the lives of students -- TOGETHER. This is refreshing. It isn't found in every school. A quick look at Mexico neighbors to the east in St. Louis inner-city schools and the west in Kansas City inner-schools would find an extremely high drop out rate and loads of disengaged, off-track students. Couple this fact with scores of teachers that avoid working in schools like these because job satisfaction and life meaning are lost in an environment where students struggle to learn in the face of many factors outside the schools' control.
I also had the opportunity to meet with students in a focus group setting which proved to be exceptionally revealing. A focus group is a moderated conversation with open-ended questions which allows information (data) to be gathered about a particular topic, in this case Mexico High School. In particular, the overall climate of the building came up as a major theme in our group. In fact, it was eloquently described by nearly all the 15 students. The students that met with me provided valuable insight into how teaching and learning was occuring in the building - some very positive insight and some areas that will need to be addressed early-on for our coming school year. I can't remember a group of students with more meaningful comments and observations in a focus group setting than the group that participated April 20. I appreciated all their respectful, and very honest appraisals. Rest assured, their comments and observations are valuable to our faculty and staff as we begin to look for ways to improve Mexico High School and our work as professionals.
My next trip to Mexico will be on graduation day May 24. I believe it's important to see this event even if I'm not "officially" the principal until July 1. Graduation ceremonies are about a community's best hope and young people reflecting on their purpose. The community launches them into full-fledged adulthood in a celebration of success. Mexico's seniors are the end-result of a community's effort to launch them into a competitive, sometimes tough world. I want to be a part of the celebration, even if this time is only as a spectator. See you all on May 24.
I also had the opportunity to meet with students in a focus group setting which proved to be exceptionally revealing. A focus group is a moderated conversation with open-ended questions which allows information (data) to be gathered about a particular topic, in this case Mexico High School. In particular, the overall climate of the building came up as a major theme in our group. In fact, it was eloquently described by nearly all the 15 students. The students that met with me provided valuable insight into how teaching and learning was occuring in the building - some very positive insight and some areas that will need to be addressed early-on for our coming school year. I can't remember a group of students with more meaningful comments and observations in a focus group setting than the group that participated April 20. I appreciated all their respectful, and very honest appraisals. Rest assured, their comments and observations are valuable to our faculty and staff as we begin to look for ways to improve Mexico High School and our work as professionals.
My next trip to Mexico will be on graduation day May 24. I believe it's important to see this event even if I'm not "officially" the principal until July 1. Graduation ceremonies are about a community's best hope and young people reflecting on their purpose. The community launches them into full-fledged adulthood in a celebration of success. Mexico's seniors are the end-result of a community's effort to launch them into a competitive, sometimes tough world. I want to be a part of the celebration, even if this time is only as a spectator. See you all on May 24.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Mexico Community: Welcome to my blog!
Technology has changed the way many people receive information. That's why I'm posting here.
Blogs do an interesting thing: They allow you to communicate in a frank and honest way and allow you to reveal more than the typical website might reveal about an entire organization like a school. A wise superintendent once told me this: "You can never have enough communication."
Blogs are also more personalized. I value straight-talk and writing and hopefully you'll read my blog from time to time to see what's on my mind. Also, you'll find some of what your local teachers and support personnel are doing to improve your high school. My goal is to provide the principal's perspective on the work of your local high school and keep members of the community, students and parents better informed.
Right now, I'm preparing to serve this community. Preparing starts with building relationships and getting to know people. I'm interested in the challenges that impede learning at the high school. You have to know where to AIM your efforts first. In March, I spent two days with the building leadership team, assistant principals, superintendents, secretaries and students to learn about their work at the high school. Ms. Richter, your current interim principal, has been very helpful guiding me toward data and information I will need to serve your community well. I will be visiting with high school personnel and students again on April 19 and 20 to conduct a student focus group, spend time with counselors and visit the middle school (there are 8th graders getting ready to turn into freshmen over there!). It can be a difficult task to sort out where to AIM. There are many people to learn from when a principal takes a new position. If I'm going to provide the best service possible, it's important I spend a lot of time listening. In this profession, you have to be a great communicator, but you had better be an even better listener.
If you have a student in the high school this coming school year, please feel free to call on me if you have a concern. Please don't let things fester and go on for weeks when you believe they aren't going well for your son or daughter at Mexico high school. I promise you, I want to hear your concerns and your reasonable requests to help your son or daughter if they need additional support. Sometimes what you feel they aren't receiving from school is as important as what they are receiving from school. In the near future I plan to meet with parents in focus groups to learn more about their experiences as parents when dealing with the high school. I hope you will offer to be a part of contributing your perspectives, praises and concerns to our faculty and staff. It is very important to me that your high school reflects what the community of Mexico wishes it to be. For me, it should be the place that makes a difference in your son or daughter's life for the better. Mexico High School should make your son or daughter's critical thinking skills 1000% better because they found a caring professional learning community committed to their well-being and educational progress.
I'm committing to regular posts once a month, but plan to write more if time allows. Let me know if you find this site helpful. :)
Blogs do an interesting thing: They allow you to communicate in a frank and honest way and allow you to reveal more than the typical website might reveal about an entire organization like a school. A wise superintendent once told me this: "You can never have enough communication."
Blogs are also more personalized. I value straight-talk and writing and hopefully you'll read my blog from time to time to see what's on my mind. Also, you'll find some of what your local teachers and support personnel are doing to improve your high school. My goal is to provide the principal's perspective on the work of your local high school and keep members of the community, students and parents better informed.
Right now, I'm preparing to serve this community. Preparing starts with building relationships and getting to know people. I'm interested in the challenges that impede learning at the high school. You have to know where to AIM your efforts first. In March, I spent two days with the building leadership team, assistant principals, superintendents, secretaries and students to learn about their work at the high school. Ms. Richter, your current interim principal, has been very helpful guiding me toward data and information I will need to serve your community well. I will be visiting with high school personnel and students again on April 19 and 20 to conduct a student focus group, spend time with counselors and visit the middle school (there are 8th graders getting ready to turn into freshmen over there!). It can be a difficult task to sort out where to AIM. There are many people to learn from when a principal takes a new position. If I'm going to provide the best service possible, it's important I spend a lot of time listening. In this profession, you have to be a great communicator, but you had better be an even better listener.
If you have a student in the high school this coming school year, please feel free to call on me if you have a concern. Please don't let things fester and go on for weeks when you believe they aren't going well for your son or daughter at Mexico high school. I promise you, I want to hear your concerns and your reasonable requests to help your son or daughter if they need additional support. Sometimes what you feel they aren't receiving from school is as important as what they are receiving from school. In the near future I plan to meet with parents in focus groups to learn more about their experiences as parents when dealing with the high school. I hope you will offer to be a part of contributing your perspectives, praises and concerns to our faculty and staff. It is very important to me that your high school reflects what the community of Mexico wishes it to be. For me, it should be the place that makes a difference in your son or daughter's life for the better. Mexico High School should make your son or daughter's critical thinking skills 1000% better because they found a caring professional learning community committed to their well-being and educational progress.
I'm committing to regular posts once a month, but plan to write more if time allows. Let me know if you find this site helpful. :)
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