Monday Morning Memo --- October 29, 2012
Upcoming Events:

 

MON. (10/29)  Visit The Classrooms Of Your Peers!

                      Instructional Networking supports this  

                      process... stop by a colleague this week :) 

    

TUES. (10/30) GRIFFIN LAB IS OPEN, Send Students!!!

 

WED. (10/31)  Dress Up For Halloween!!!!  (Boo!)

THUR. (11/1)    Football @ Home vs. Newport
                        HUGE GAME, EVERYONE!!!
                        If we win, we're going to the playoffs!

FRI. (11/2)      Girls Basketball Fundraiser @ 6pm: 
                       Faculty vs. Students

                       (Should be a blowout!)


***SAT. (11/3)    
SAT @ Los Alamitos High School***

 
& On The Horizon...

Nov. 6          All Staff Meeting @ 7am, Room 500
Nov. 9          Superintendent Kropp's 4th Walkthrough
Nov. 12        Veteran's Day --- No School
Nov. 14        Leadership Council @ 7am, Room 500
Nov. 15        Visit from WASC Chair Bill Moyer in a.m.
Nov. 15        Deadline for Fall Plan Meeting w/ Admin

Los Al Pays Respect:
Sgt. Thomas MacPherson's ('04) Hero Mission In Pictures & Video
  
Words could never explain the feelings and emotion of Thursday's honoring of Sgt. Thomas MacPherson... 
 
Instead, here is a video of the motorcade:
Sgt. Thomas MacPherson - Los Alamitos High School - Hero Mission 

And some pictures from the event:  

 
    






















Griffin Always, Hero Forever... 
More Than 100 Teachers @ Edmodo Symposium:
Staff from every Los Al school was in attendance Wednesday

As Dan Bennett & Mark Celestin planned for Wednesday's Edmodo Symposium in the PAC, they had no idea just how successful the event would be.  With Joel Rubio and Keely Hafer presenting, and help from Jeremy Hirt and Jeremy Ortiz of the District's Technology Office, this week's Professional Development opportunity on Edmodo might have been one of the best sessions this year :)



And there were more than a few reasons the Symposium was so successful.  None bigger than the fact that iPads were given out to all teachers in attendance, and they were encouraged to play around on them as each presenter weaved in and out of explaining the tools on Edmodo to actually applying some of that knowledge.



And kids were there to help out as well.  Students from Mr. Celestin's World History class and from Mr. Rubio's Spanish class were there to help teachers with any troubleshooting items.  And it was easy to get to them, as all teachers were sat "every other row" to increase access to them by one of our Edmodo Student Helpers.

All in all, it was a huge success.  And we're already talking about a second Staff Development for just LAHS teachers if there is a demand for it.

'Til then, we'll let Edmodo speak for itself.  It's an amazing platform that is only limited by the imagination of the user. 
#1 In The State!!!
What a year so far for Los Al's band & Director Tom Plunkett
 
.
#1 is a nice place to be! 

And after band's first two competitions of the year, that's exactly where they find themselves :)

Last weekend at Ayala, and this weekend in Mission Viejo, Los Al's rockin' awesome band took first place honors to best more than 20+ schools in competition.

And the kids are having an absolute blast performing.

Just check out the pic above from Sunday's Wings, Wheels, & Rotors event @ the Los Alamitos Joint Training Center Air Field.

Way to go Band.  You must have a really great Director!
Week 9, 2012-2013... IN THIS ISSUE:
Upcoming Events
Sgt. Thomas MacPherson
Edmodo Symposium
#1 In The State
This Magnesium's So Hot...
Make 'Em Touch Somethin'
Ms. Brosius' Paperless English Class
A Random Act Of Choirness
 







Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays

AFTER SCHOOL

This Magnesium's
So Hot,
That I gotta' wear shades... 
 
 
That's Mr. Jones.

At the time this picture was snapped, he was in the middle of explaining to his students how hot the Magnesium they just burned inside a crucible was.  "Can you feel that?" he asked the kids.  "Uh-huh!" They all responded.

Going outside, beyond the walls of the classroom, is important for students and teachers.  And in a subject like Science, where so many labs happen in the confined and controlled environment of the classroom, it's even more critical to find ways to get kids moving and enjoy the fresh air... especially when you're about to blow something up!

Getting outside and trying something different also helps to build relationships.
As you can already tell, Mr. Jones' rapport with his students is palpable.  And part of that is because of his willingness to mix it up, respond to the needs of his students, and change things around from time to time.

The best part is, of course... that he does it with his shades on! 
Make 'Em Touch Somethin': 
Geometry proofs the fun way :)
 










OK, the secret's out.  Geometry proofs can sometimes not be the funnest thing in the world. 

But sharpening those deductive reasoning skills are vital for students, both, inside and out of the classroom.  (Especially with Common Core implementation happening next year.)  So, Ms. Bratcher does something innovative in her room during "proof lessons."  She creates a living puzzle!

What you're looking at above is a scaffold Ms. Bratcher uses as she learns which students are "ready" to go on to more complicated proofs, and which students still need extra time learning multi-step proofs in Geometry.

Specifically, Ms. Bratcher gives teams of students all the elements for the proof (Statements & Reasons), and has students "fill in the blanks" on a problem page she provides.  Here's the thing, though... the problems are increasingly difficult, and after the third question students are actually solving multi-step proofs completely on their own.

And they don't even realize it!

So, not only does Ms. Bratcher get a great barometer for who has content mastery and the ability to apply the skill correctly, she also lowers the affective filter of students not confident in their ability to tackle proofs on their own.

It's a win-win!  And the students like the competitiveness of playing on teams :)

Who ever knew solving proofs could be the funnest thing in the world?
Paper? What's That?  A look @ Ms. Brosius' paperless English class   

If you walk into Ms. Brosius' English class at the right time, you might hear the sound of dozens of fingers hitting hundreds of keys on a keyboard.  That's the sound of creativity, don't ya' know?

In Ms. Brosius' class, Room 760, students don't use paper.  Not to write or turn in essays, at least.  Ms. Brosius' class is completely paperless!  And while that helps our environment, and gives English @ Los Al a socially conscious and "green" undertone... it also mirrors the reality of many college classes across the country, and nearly every online learning model that exists.

Most importantly, the students love it!

Ms Brosius uses Schoology to manage the content and communication required of her class. Like Edmodo, Haiku, or Blackboard, Schoology is a robust learning management tool that helps Ms. Brosius' students talk to her and each other even after the school day's over.

One added benefit of the paperless class is that it also teaches students to be responsible.  With a clear calendar of upcoming assignments, and an archive of everything a student has ever turned in, doing well in the class requires that students think and plan ahead, and make use of all the resources Schoology and Ms. Brosius provide.

Innovative?  You betcha'!

Ms. Brosius' paperless English class is cutting edge... but without the papercuts! 
Random Act Of Choirness (Video) 
 
Los Al - Random Act Of Choirness

One thing that's particularly neat about this video is the leadership on display from the student in the middle orchestrating everything.

Only @ Los Alamitos High School...
 
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Los Alamitos High School
3591 Cerritos Ave.
Los Alamitos, CA 90720   
(562) 799-4780