First Week 2010-2011

Well, one week down already.  I am sure for many of you it seems like we were just here.  But, we have several new staff members who are starting a new experience.  It was about this time 19 years ago that I started my experience in teaching for Mt. Pleasant Public Schools at the Isabella County Jail.  I guess I had several new "starts to the year", though.  After being in the jail, I stayed in Mt. Pleasant to administer a grant program so I was in Mt. Pleasant a total of four years.  I went to Odyssey for a year, and then came to SHS for five years.  In 2002, it was time to pursue the administrative route.  I remember  there was a lot of anxiety about heading to Farwell to be an assistant principal.  Though I was only there two years, I gained some great experience.  However, it was not where I felt I had a great match so I continued to check area postings.  It was that searching that led me to Midland Public Schools.  I had a great experience there, but after only two years, I had the chance to come back to my home at SHS.  Every new start has its own excitement.  I am sure our new teachers are sensing that now.  You never know where your path will lead.  I have experience with inmates and angels, forty year olds and fourteen year olds, seniors and sixth graders, poor communities and rich communities, large schools and small schools.  I hope all have a good start of the school year, and I hope all of our teachers enjoy the start of this year as it is one more step in their personal professional journey.

New English Courses

I know that there has been some concern that Shepherd High School will no longer track students in their English classes.  Beginning with the 2010 – 2011 school year, students in 11^th grade students will all take 11^th grade English, and 12^th grade students will take 12^th grade English.  The 11^th grade classes will be an amalgamation of the previously taught American Literature and Junior English, while 12^th grade English takes the best of English Literature and Senior English.

This is not a decision that was made without thought and consideration.  There has been a perception that American Literature and English Literature were classes for the “college prep” students.  The reality is that we now have over 85% of our students going to a college or university.  If we have a college prep class that is taken by 50% of the students, yet 85% of the students are going on to post-secondary training, what happens to the other 35%?

We have also done some statistical analysis of results in the 11^th and 12^th grade English classes relative to the college readiness standards as determined by ACT.  These college readiness standards are nationally accepted standards.  This analysis indicates that there are elements from each 11^th grade class and 12^th grade class that could help our student be best prepared for post secondary success.

This curriculum position is also supported by the National Council of Teachers of English.  Here is the position statement from the National Council of Teachers of English regarding tracking or ability grouping.  The highlighting is mine.  It can be found on their website: http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/tracking   

Resolution on Tracking

·                                 last edited 2 years, 10 months ago

1991 NCTE Annual Business Meeting in Seattle, Washington

Background

Members of the NCTE Committee on Tracking and Grouping Practices in English Language Arts (K–12), who proposed this resolution, urged that classrooms should be communities of learners in which collaboration occurs among students of many abilities. They warned that when students are placed into tracked/ability-grouped classes, this language collaboration which aids learning may not occur. The committee members pointed out that placing students in tracks or ability groups, especially those based on standardized test scores, can have a negative influence on teachers' expectations of students and students' expectations of themselves. Be it therefore

Resolution

Resolved, that the National Council of Teachers of English support curricula, programs, and practices that avoid tracking, a system which limits students' intellectual, linguistic, and/or social development;

     that NCTE urge educators and other policymakers to re-examine curricula, programs, and practices which require or encourage tracking of students in English language arts;

     that NCTE support teachers in their efforts to retain students in or return students to heterogeneous English language arts placement; and

     that NCTE expand its efforts to educate the public about the effects of tracking.

We are continuing to enhance our offerings without tracking students.  Hopefully, we will be able to offer trimester electives specific to literature and/or writing.  The long-term plan is to have an Advanced Placement Literature course, which is nationally recognized. For more information see the following link http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about.html.  Regardless, everyone will have a high level of expectation.

I hope that helps some understand the rationale.  I know there will probably always be philosophic differenced to this move, but I believe it is the right direction for our English department. 

Start of the Year

Well, tomorrow is the day we open another school year. I know that students get excited, but so do the teachers and the rest of the staff. We sometimes complain because we know how busy things are going to get, but I think many of us get ready to get back into the routine.

The construction projects are almost done. If you have not been by the school recently, you will be surprised at how it looks. The parking area is complete. There are trees and plants to decorate the between the elementary and the high school. It looks really nice. The auditorium is scheduled to be done the middle of October, and there will be little touch up projects until December.

There are a lot if exiting things that happen at the school so please take time to look at the high school web site at www.shepherd.edzone.net/hs for school news.

Shepherd Teachers Come In Early For Professional Development

We are two days away from the start of school for Shepherd teachers, but some very dedicated 6th - 12th grade teachers agreed to come in early for professional development. Through federal Title IIa funds, the district has hired a literacy coach to support our school improvement goal to increase language arts proficiency. These teachers realize that fostering continuous improvement in student performance requires constantly reviewing the "best practices" and research in their field.

2010 - 2011 Start of Year Parent/Student Letter

August 17, 2010

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s):

What seems like a short time ago, we eagerly entered into the summer by closing another school year. The administrative and office staff members have been working hard during the summer to complete year-end reports and plan for the upcoming school year. We have continued to have a busy and hectic summer due to the construction projects. We also have been very busy hiring new staff. We had to hire eight teachers who will be teaching in the high school. We were sad to see so many veteran teachers leave, but we are excited to have some great new teachers on staff. Now, as summer begins to give way to fall, it is time, once again, to provide information that will hopefully ensure that the beginning of the school year goes very smoothly.

Students should have their schedules and locker assignment with this mailing. It is important to note that the drop and add process is the same as it was last year. Meetings with a counselor are being arranged by appointment only. Students/parents should call the high school office and sign up for an appointment time to speak with a counselor. The appointments are being scheduled for August 25^th and August 26^th from 9:00 – 3:00. Addition times may be added if needed. Students should be aware that they will not be able to change classes after these dates unless one of several criteria is met. These criteria are in the student handbook. Students should see a counselor during this time if they have any questions. During that same time, new students can meet with a counselor for new student scheduling.

The building will be open on September 7^th and 8^th from 8:00 – 3:00 for freshman and new students so they can pay their book deposit and check on their locker assignment. Students should take care of their book deposit before school begins to ensure that they are able to receive all of their text books. The book deposit is $10.00 and is refunded when a student graduates or leaves SHS. Students who wish to drive to school must first acquire a parking pass. Students may also use this time to pick up a parking pass with a $5.00 deposit that is refundable at the end of the year after the parking pass has been returned. These passes are for the main student lot on the west side of the building and the lot on the south-west corner of Hall and Fourth Street.

The high school teachers typically like to welcome you and your student to an Open House/Meet the Teacher Night; however, we have not been able to schedule this event for this year due to construction. When we left at the beginning of the summer, we did not know when we would be

starting this fall. Please continue to access the high school web site for information regarding school activities. We will post this information on the web page and on our sign.

Parents with students who attended Shepherd High School or Middle School should remember that we have a student management system that has a Student/Parent Portal that allows parents/students to check student progress and attendance. For those who do not have a user id and password, we will be creating those and getting them to you as soon as we can after school starts. Enclosed with this letter is a “Request For Report Card” form. Because parents can access grades at any moment through Power School, we will no longer send a hard copy report card through the mail. The new student management technology not only gives parents and students instant access, but it enables us to save postage cost by not sending report cards through the mail. However, some may wish to receive a hard copy or may not have access the Internet (Power School). In this case, please return the “Request For Report Card” form so we know that you wish to have a hard copy mailed home. We create a list of those who want a copy and mail progress reports. We will also mail home report cards to everyone at the end of each trimester.

The first day of school will start September 13^th at 8:00 with a brief opening assembly followed by each period like any other day. Students should bring their enclosed schedule with them when they come to school on the first day as we will not have reprinted copies available. Please be aware that student will receive a student handbook on the first day and the contents will be reviewed. The student handbook will also be posted to the web site for your reference.

The athletics department is once again offering passes for 2010-2011 sports. Family passes are $150 and includes immediate family, but excludes post high school children/siblings. An individual pass is $90, and a student pass is $60. Please be aware that these passes do not include tournaments including SHS invitational and state tournaments. These passes can be purchased in the high school counseling office between the hours of 7:00 - 2:30. Please make checks payable to Shepherd Athletics or have the correct amount. The office does not have money to make change.

Daily student announcements and updates related to the building are posted on the High School web page, http://shepherd.edzone.net/hs/index.php. Please use this resource to remain informed about building activities and important dates. I also try to share some educational thoughts and provide some updates through my blog at http://shepherdhigh.blogspot.com/. This blog has an RSS feed so if you utilize an RSS reader, you can have updates automatically post to your RSS reader.

We look forward to another great school year and to having the school busy with students, parents and teachers once again. Shepherd Public School is a great school in a great community. Student, parents, community, and staff working together make the difference that ensures that students meet their highest potential.

Sincerely,

Douglas J. Bush

Principal

New School Year is Close

It has been a while since I had a post. It has been a very busy end of year and summer. It is nice to see the construction is getting near an end. We are quickly getting ready for the new school year. It will be very interesting with several new staff members. I am looking forward to starting the new year, but I am not quite ready yet! I have a lot to do before students roam the halls.

Graduation - 2010

Well, we had our first graduation in our new gym on Friday, May 28th, 2010. Unfortunately, there are still some construction bugs to work out. The transformer that was installed by Consumers was too small so we could not fire up the chillers. This made it very hot with the unseasonably hot weather. The set up looked good and everything went very well. We look forward to many more successful graduations at Shepherd High School.