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Upcoming Events:
MON. (12/10) iPad Training/Conference Off-Campus For Those Who Signed Up
TUES. (12/11) Teaching & Learning Abounds
WED. (12/12) Leadership Council Meeting
Room 500 @ 7am
THUR. (12/13) **LATE START FOR WORK ON WASC**
Technology Planning Session
Conference Room A @ 2:30pm
FRI. (12/14) Instructional Round #2
Kathy Currie's Room, Periods 1/2, 3/4, 5/6
ALL WEEK LONG... Support Winter Sports:
Wrestling, Girls Water Polo,
Boys & Girls Soccer, and Boys &
Girls Basketball are all going on!
THIS WEEKEND --- Encourage Your Students To
Submit Their Video Submissions
For The iHeartLosAl Video Contest
Dec. 19 FREE Holiday Breakfast For All Staff!!!!
Dec. 21 Winter Break Begins :)
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Dr. Sandra Kaplan:
Depth & Complexity, Day 2
English teacher, Dr. Ray Coriaty, engages Dr. Kaplan in a conversation about rigor before a full day of training in Room 500 on Thursday.
When it comes to depth and complexity, the truth is that there's no one on Earth who's published more on the matter than Dr. Sandra Kaplan. A Professor of Clinical Education at USC's Rossier School Of Education, Dr. Kaplan recently received the Legacy Award from the National Association For Gifted Children: http://www.uscrossier.org/news/kaplan-receives-nagc-legacy-award/
 What this means for Los Al, of course, is that when Dr. Mark Johnson, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, books Dr. Kaplan to come chat about rigor, depth, complexity, and challenging students in the classroom, we're getting the very best information from one of the very best educators on the planet.
So, what are "Depth & Complexity Icons" and what do they have to do with my AP Government class or Algebra class, or Woodshop class, etc.?
Depth & Complexity is a framework. It adds a lens and language to the already-good instincts teachers have. More specifically, Depth & Complexity can be regarded, in part, as a planning tool --- meant to add intentional amounts of rigor to a lesson at various times.
This hand-drawn example from Dr. Kaplan on Thursday helps to explain why Depth & Complexity in the classroom is a critical issue for our students. Assuming we value the notion of "Intellectual Struggle" (the fact that new knowledge replacing old knowledge is taxing, difficult, and often uncomfortable), Dr. Kaplan posits that we have three choices as learners as to what to do when faced with increased rigor and clear struggle: 1) We can retreat, 2) We can find away around it, 3) Or, we can trudge directly through it.
Depth & Complexity, then, are the tools by which teachers can help students gradually barge through rigorous intellectual obstacles that come up in the course of a lesson.
In the end, Dr. Kaplan notes, our students will become "Experts." And since all of us have dealt with intellectual struggle at some point in our careers as teachers or learners, who better to take our students through these barriers than us? |
70+ Japanese Students Visit Los Al:
And They Come Bearing Gifts!
Mr. Arnold bows as he greets exchange students visiting Los Al from Japan.
Former Japanese teacher Kimi Matsumoto and current Japanese teacher Tomomi Takeuchi have been working hard to coordinate the visit of more than 70 11th graders from Japan to Los Alamitos High School. So far, so great!!! As you may have noticed in your classes on Thursday, students from Japan were visiting our campus to learn about our education system, culture, language, and participate as students in an American High School. And, believe me, they learned a ton from going through just one fully day of the typical American student's high school schedule. But what may actually be of more benefit for our school community is how much we learned from our visitors as they walked around our campus. It's often easy to lose perspective on things when we're so used to doing something a particular "way." Having students from across the world come to Los Al made it clear that there are tons of ways to go about teaching and learning, and that diversity of culture, language, experience, and values are cherished assets in any classroom. Of course, the exchange is not complete. 20 students from Japan will continue to visit Los Al throughout the upcoming week, and we're looking forward to learning as much from them as they will from us through our various interactions. Then, in June, Los Al students will fly to Japan and stay with local families as we become the visitors and a school in Japan becomes the host. What a learning experience! And what an opportunity to teach students about diversity --- not by reading a book, or watching a video... but, by actually living it!
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When Collaboration Becomes Teamwork:
In the class and on the court...
 In the picture above, members of the Los Al basketball team enjoy a pre-game meal of IN-N-OUT burgers & fries... Ah, to be sixteen again!!!!
These Sophomores and Juniors are more than just friends... they're teammates. And for the rest of their lives they'll be united by the shared experience and common goal of seeking to be champions.
That's all it really takes to elevate relationships to the next level. Especially that last part, "a common goal."
Some argue that that's a harder thing to achieve in the classroom than it is on the court:
"With 35+ different students in a class, with 35+ different reasons for being there, and 35+ different expectations for the teacher and course, how can anyone expect for there to be a common goal that permeates throughout each individual student?"
If it sounds difficult, that's because it is. But, once achieved, watching 35+ students morph into one singular cohort of like-minded, like-aspiring learners is enough fuel to restock your energy to do it again, and again, and again.
There really isn't another way to run a class or create a team. When everyone wants the same thing, and is willing to help each other to achieve it, that's when collaboration becomes teamwork. And everybody wins!
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Teaching is hard.. Conducting is even harder!!!
Click above to watch Mr. Gates attempt to teach the Los Al band while Mr. Plunkett watches and Mr. Arnold films... Fun times & really great stuff!
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Choir's Holiday Spectacular: Santa Style!
Santa goes "Gangnam Style" as he raps about the Holidays with a troop of elves and helpers behind him!
This weekend (since Thursday), more than 300 students have been performing for sold out audiences in the PAC for this year's Holiday Spectacular put on by the Los Alamitos High School Choir.
It goes without saying (as Mr. Moellenkamp noted many times throughout each performance) that it truly "takes a village" to put on a production like this. From parents, to community supporters, to friends, and more, successful shows take the interdependence of many groups working together to go off without a hitch.
And it really is a village. Let me explain. This Saturday, as I grabbed my seat for the 7pm show, I introduced myself to the people sitting around me. Expecting to find parents and friends of students in the audience, I learned a lot when I found out that to my right was a couple from Long Beach who had read about the choir in Parade Magazine, and to my left was City Council Member Ken Stephens and his wife at their very first Los Alamitos Choir Show! People come from all over to support, and be a part of, the magic that takes place on stage.
That includes new members of the Los Alamitos High School family, like History/Science teacher Mr. Sells. He used Saturday night as an opportunity to take his daughter to the show, and to share in the Holiday Cheer our students had the pleasure of spreading around.
That's what Los Al's all about, isn't it?
Just when you think it can't get any better, it does. Or when you think you've seen it all, you see something new... again, and again, and again.
Thanks for pulling out all the stops this weekend, Show Choir. As an audience member, I couldn't have been happier. And as a Principal, I couldn't have been more proud :) |
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Class Competitions, And Why They're Good For Everyone: "Dear Santa"
 Ms. Williams' 2nd Period class has the highest "per student" average in our annual Dear Santa fundraising drive.
Depending on the time of year, across classrooms @ Los Al, one can find various "class competitions" taking place between cohorts of students that have a teacher for different periods throughout the day.
This is a great idea!
Whether it's a battle for the highest class average on next week's Quiz, or the bragging rights for which period donated the most community service hours this semester, class competitions add a social component to good-for-student objectives that help forward the mission of teaching and learning at Los Al.
Additionally, there's the embedded reality that life can get fairly competitive at times. With tiered experiences in success and struggle, Los Al graduates will be more prepared for life's "wins" and "losses," ensuring them multiple opportunities to thrive during their years in college and beyond.
So, horray for healthy competition! Just like the lessons our athletes learn after every game they play, students gain a lot from being a part of a class competition... no matter what side they end up on.
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Accountability With A Smile: The Fringe Benefits Of Campus Beautification
Can this be? Do students "heart" cleaning up the Los Alamitos High School campus?
Every day @ 2:30pm, a group of students meet in the Attendance Office to gather the tools necessary to complete their next 2 hours of work: Campus Beautification.
The best part is, they do it with a smile :)
Accountability can be gracious. And our new Campus Beautification program works to make students feel responsible for their education and trade their missed learning time for time spent doing something positive and worthwhile for the school: keeping it clean!
A fair trade off. And by the looks of the small number of "repeat offenders" so far, it seems to be working!
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NEW PICTURE
DOWNLOADING SITE
From now on, if you need a picture from any of these Monday Morning Memos,
The pics there are high quality, easy to access, and always downloadable.
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Los Alamitos High School
3591 Cerritos Ave.
Los Alamitos, CA 90720
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