Monday Morning Memo --- November 5, 2012
Upcoming Events:

 

MON. (11/5)  PTSA MEETING - Room 500, 10am - Noon

    

                    Playoff Tennis @ Home vs. Campbell Hall

 

TUES. (11/6) ROCK THE VOTE EVERYONE!!!

 

                    Playoff Volleyball @ Home vs. Santa 

                    Barbara

                    

WED. (11/7)  STAFF MEETING @ 7am w/ Dr. Kropp 
                    (Room 500)

                    INSTRUCTIONAL NETWORKING/ROUNDS
                    Meeting In Room 154 After School :)

                    America's Best Show Choir Announced.
                    (Parade Magazine)

                    Playoff Water Polo @ Home (Newport) vs.
                    Santa Margarita

THUR. (11/8)  GRIFFIN LAB IS OPEN... SEND STUDENTS!

FRI. (11/9)     Board Member, Meg Cutuli Walkthrough 
                     In The A.M.  

                     Playoff Football On The Road @ La Habra
                      9am - Noon, Room 500... Seniors Only
 
& On The Horizon...

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

Instructional Networking, Phase 2:
Meeting In Room 154 On Wednesday @ 2:40pm
 
As the sharing and collaboration continue, Los Al teachers schedule their first "Round" for November.
 
Whether you've visited the classroom of a peer First Quarter, or done so vicariously through one of Ms. Currie's email updates, odds are you're well aware of the impact Instructional Networking is having on our teaching community.
 
This week, we embrace on the next chapter of Networking... ROUNDS!
 
Collaborating to Improve Instruction: Instructional Rounds
(In this video, one iteration of Instructional Rounds is explained @ a Middle School in Massachusetts.  Really cool to watch!)
 
With Common Core standards and teaching to go into effect next Fall, Instructional Networking is a healthy way to learn from each other, and develop our own practice among colleagues and friends!  
The best part about Rounds, of course, is that teachers are treated like the expert practitioners that they are.
 
Unlike some professional development models that purport "gurus" and methodologies for instruction that teachers are recommended to copy and implement immediately, Rounds is contextual and relies on the experiences and practices of similar teachers in similar settings to determine what really does and does not work when it comes to teaching and learning.  What can be better than that?
 
So, be part of the opportunity and come to Ms. Currie's room, 154, on Wednesday after school to be a part of Los Alamitos High School's first Instructional Round.  We'll be scheduling observations in small groups to learn from Mossy Kennedy's student engagement strategies, and would love to see teachers from multiple disciplines participate together.
 
More to come during Wednesday's Staff Development Meeting...
The Halloween Tradition: On October 31st, Everyone Dresses Up!

Halloween is a pretty serious endeavor @ Los Al.  Who knew?

Check out all the folks who dressed up this Halloween, and see even more @ our Shutterfly account:  www.losalpics.shutterfly.com








Up in the front office, this year's Halloween theme was HOLLYWOOD.  And by the looks of things, everybody got into the action!!!!

      




 


 










Phil Bowen & Cindy Bizal were Clark Kent & Lois Lane, Marianne Schaeffer was Sister Encarnacion, Carol Fotinakes was Julia Child, and Maureen Motsinger was a dalmatian!
  
















Is that our Los Al band?  Nope!  It's just our Math Department, all dressed up and ready to teach :)  



















What about these get-ups from our Los Al counselors? Can you tell who each one is supposed to be?

 
Here's a pic of one of the most coordinated student dress-up efforts on campus this year.  Above, each one of these "boys" is actually a girl!  















And now for our winners!  Here are the top vote-getters for our student dress up contest.  Superpunk Cheshire Cat won it all, by the way...
Girls Basketball 61, Faculty 58:
Watch This Video Of Your Griffin Staff Getting Schooled By The Ladies Last Friday Night... 
Los Al - Girls Basketball vs Faculty Game
 
 














Some losses are tougher to swallow than others :(

Friday's 61-58 beatdown of the Griffin Faculty Basketball Team by our Girls Basketball program wasn't as close as the score suggests... BUT IT WAS TONS OF FUN!

To the left, Dave Huber shows that he's still got it, dunking a basketball while Nathan Howard oggles in disbelief!
 
Mr. Huber's not the only one, by the way.  Mr. Vlasic, Mr. Whitcomb, and Mr. Gates can all still get up to dunk a basketball in their adulthood.  (Maybe not each and every time they try, but they all got "ups," yo!)
 
When it was all said and done last Friday, the girls speed and discipline was simply too much for the staff to handle.  Winded at times, discombobulated at others, the Griffin faculty went through a stretch during the third quarter in which Girls Basketball extended their lead to 10.
 
It was at that point that the staff finally tried to rally.  But it was too late.  Girls Basketball proved victorious once again, and we'll have to wait 'til next year for any kind of redemption.
 
Week 10, 2012-2013... IN THIS ISSUE:
Upcoming Events
Instructional Rounds Meeting On Wednesday
Halloween @ Los Al
Girls vs. Faculty Basketball Game
The Round Table
The College & Career Center
Learning On Display
Faculty Club!
 




















WHO'S THIS KID DRESSED AS?









Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays

AFTER SCHOOL

The Round Table... Inherent Collaboration
In Ms. Pelle-Reid's Class
 
Circles or squares?  Everyone has a preferences.

Ms. Pelle-Reid, Special Education teacher extraordinaire, actually uses both for students to work, learn, and collaborate in.  

Her room, 361, is a smorgasbord of circles and squares (tables and desks) that students use throughout the period depending on the task at hand.  In the picture above, these two students were at a different pace in the lesson, and had begun group work at the circular table towards the front of the room while some of their classmates finished an individualized assessment during the same time.

When asked if they liked working at a table instead of a desk, one of the students remarked, "It's more comfortable, for sure... and it's easier to lean in to your buddy to ask them a question, or give them an answer."

It's also psychologically inviting as well. Circular tables require that students sit on the outside of the circle in similar positions around the table, while square desks demand that students slip into the enclosed square and are surrounded by plastic and metal.

Of course, both are valuable for different types of tasks.

So the next time you're putting in a furniture request, think about a circular table.  Aside from the Feng Shui of it all, they just might enhance learning opportunities for your students.
The College & Career Center:  3 Reasons Our Students Should Spend Tons Of Time In There
 


















In this photo, students take the Kuder Career Assessment to learn about jobs they may have aptitude and interest in.

Now this article is easy to write... The College & Career Center @ Los Al is already a hot-spot for Juniors and Seniors throughout the year, but it's also a great resource for underclass students as well.  Open before school, during lunch, and after school (as well as throughout the day), Ms. Davenport and Ms. Eatmon do a phenomenal job providing students with tons of resources about college, jobs, financial aid, and anything else "post-high-school" you can think of.  

Here are the top 3 reasons we should send our students to the Career Center often:

  1. It works!  Ms. Davenport and Ms. Eatmon really do have tons of resources and connections with colleges and employers that can help students land jobs now and get into the college of their dreams.  Students who don't access these opportunities are truly at a disadvantage.
  2. Open Door Policy.  Assuming students have a pass, the doors to the College & Career Center are always open for Griffins.  In addition to the hundreds of classroom visits Ms. Davenport and Ms. Eatmon make throughout the year, it's also important for students to go see them as well.  This helps strengthen relationships and ensure success :)
  3. They're amazing!  Ms. Davenport and Ms. Eatmon really do an incredible job supporting our students with information about jobs and schools.  Each resource they recommend is personalized and specific to the exact student they are helping.  
So the next time you can coordinate a visit with your class to go check out the College & Career Center, do it!  The sooner our students know what kinds of services we offer there, the better!
Learning On Display: 
Swing By The 700 Building When You Can

Often @ Los Alamitos High School, one can walk the halls and be immersed in another time period, or culture, or both.  
Such is the case right now as you traverse the 700 building.  
 
In recognition of Dia de los Muertos, Day Of The Dead, students in Spanish classes across the curriculum have contributed to altars and artifacts throughout the second story of the 700 wing.  
 
And here's the cool part... the contributions from students are different depending on what level of course sequencing they are in.  For example, Spanish I students contribute more tactile objects like Sugar Masks, while AP Spanish students write epitaphs in Spanish honoring friends and loved ones.
 
That makes this project utterly comprehensive. And I'm sure you'll agree once you walk those halls and see the learning on display!
Faculty Club Congratulates Ms. Nadell: The Rewards Are Real!
What's the best part about paying your faculty dues on time?  Knowing that you contributed to this baby gift for Becky Nadell and newborn baby girl Blake!
 
Congratulations Ms. Nadell!
 
And if you haven't yet paid your dues, what are you waiting for?  The gifts keep coming all year long!
 
Contact Ms. Williams to be a member today :)
 
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Los Alamitos High School
3591 Cerritos Ave.
Los Alamitos, CA 90720   
(562) 799-4780