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LACHSA
November 13th, 2009
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Many of you know that this year's schedule is slightly different than in past years. This can be seen most visibly on Fridays when our late start begins at 10:00 a.m. (soon to be 9:50 a.m. see below). Although many schools across California and the country have some kind of late start or early dismissal, it was certainly new to LACHSA. I want to share with you how we are utilizing this time to continue to enhance student achievement and strengthen our school.
While the late-start Fridays allow our students some brief respite from the rigors of their LACHSA experience, the real goal of this time is to give our faculty and staff dedicated time and space to engage in the meaningful work associated with teaching and learning.
Our Friday meeting schedule is a rotating one, with each Friday having a different focus. The first Friday of the month is for all full-time faculty (arts and academics), and staff with effective operations as our focus. We use this time to refine our internal communication and systems-no easy task at LACHSA. Our shared and multiple facility considerations, extended school day, and the intense nature of our arts and academic programming make this particularly necessary. At our first full staff meeting, for example we worked through the logistics of our PSAT administration. The success of this coordination allowed virtually all of our 9th and 12th graders to continue in their classes uninterrupted and also allowed us to accommodate every 10th and 11th graders in taking the PSAT in a real test setting. Unlike conventional high schools with one building and a public address system, for example, we know we have to continue to make improvements in our communication systems and operations for the benefit of our students and families. This first Friday meeting is another way we hope to improve.
The second Friday of each month is our Shared Decision-Making Council (SDMC) meeting. This entity comprised of administration, faculty and staff, parents and students, makes decisions about our calendar, how to distribute some budget resources, and has input in other areas including hiring of staff, among other selected items as outlined in its scope of authority. Please click here to check out our SDMC to learn more.
The third Friday of each month is for all full-time arts and academic faculty--including counselors--with a focus on the developmental needs of our students across disciplines. 9th graders, new to high school and the demands of LACHSA's schedule have different needs from our seniors who are completing college applications, preparing for auditions and portfolio reviews, and identifying scholarship opportunities. Identifying and implementing school-wide support is the focus of this meeting.
The last Friday of the month is for the Leadership Team made up of all of the arts and academic department chairs, as well as our resource specialist. This team is charged with examining school-wide policy, problem solving, and advising the administration in its decision making. Conversations here are crucial as inevitable tensions between the arts and academic side of the house can be negotiated. We share the same students so it is important that we share the same conversations.
These Friday meetings are in addition to weekly academic team meetings held each Wednesday afternoon. Each academic department meets together to focus on ways to examine and analyze data, share best practices in instruction, design and refine our curriculum, and strengthen existing assessment tools and create new ones.
We are still early in this change this year and our crucial work has continued using this Friday structure and our Wednesday time. Our faculty and staff has been magnificent throughout. Changes like this can be difficult for everyone and I want to acknowledge the amazing work of our faculty and staff for embracing these changes for the benefits to our students.
We will assess the effectiveness of this time throughout the course of the year and undoubtedly refine our work along the way.
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Sincerely,
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George Simpson
LACHSA Principal |
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Important Announcements
Please continue to check www.lachsa.net!
Dear LACHSA Parents and Supporters,
As you know, we are well underway with the planning, of LACHSA Live!
All Departments will be needing volunteers for 12/11/09 and 12/12/09
(part time and full event days) plus pre-production.
Please state your preference and If you are available to volunteer!
Please contact the following Point Parents to volunteer:
9th Grade - Leslie Kaplan - lesliexaka@aol.com
10th Grade - Michelle Higgs - michelle@higgs.com
11th Grade - Susan Mora - susan.mora@lausd.net
12 Grade - Leslie Kaplan - lesliexaka@aol.com
Include your Student's Name, Department and the best number to reach you!
Thank you for being an important part of this event!
New Friday Schedule
Please be advised that beginning Friday, November 20th the Friday schedule will be as follows:
Period One 9:50 - 10:20
Period Two 10:25 - 10:55
Period Three 11:00 - 11:30
Nutrition 11:30 - 11:40
Period Four 11:45 - 12:15
Period Five 12:20 - 12:50
Period Six 12:55 - 1:25
LUNCH 1:25 - 2:05
ARTS 2:10 - 4:00
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Grade Reports
Please know that November 10, 2009 marks the end of our first marking period: the mid-semester grade. It is important to know that teachers have until 11/16 to upload the final mid-semester grades and that you will see them appear live as they are uploaded on the Parent Portal.
As you learn more about your child's success, please keep the following in mind: mid-semester grades function like progress reports in the sense that they reflect your child's current success and challenges, but do not get recorded on the final transcript. Our hope is that this will encourage students who are doing well to continue to practice the habits that have led them to success and will alert students who are not doing well in specific class to make the necessary changes.
As a reminder the parent conferences are one avenue to discuss your child's specific success and challenges. You do not need to make an appointment, but rather are invited to come at the time slot designated for your letter of the alphabet.
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