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Upcoming Events:
MON. (1/14) Teaching & Learning Abounds!!!
TUES. (1/15) ***7am Staff Meeting... Coffee & Pastry Provided***
Introducing: Tech Coaching & EEATT
WED. (1/16) Leadership Council @ 7am in Room 500
Winter Sports Assembly, Day / Queen Of Courts, Night
THUR. (1/17) Los Al Dance Show --- 7pm in PAC.
The Dance Show Runs From 1/17 - 1/19
FRI. (1/18) Did Someone Say "Three-Day Weekend?"
ALL WEEK LONG... Support Winter Sports:
Wrestling, Girls Water Polo,
Boys & Girls Soccer, and Boys &
Girls Basketball are all going on!
Jan. 21 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (No School)
Jan. 23 Student Finals - Periods 0, 2, 4, and 6
Jan. 24 Student Finals - Period 1, 3, and 5
Jan. 25 Pupil Free Day :)
Jan. 28 iHeartLosAl Contest Awards Ceremony --- PAC @ 6pm
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Get Your Dance On!
Los Al Teachers "Bust A Move" @ Winter Formal On Saturday
Ms. Hafer and Mr. Whitcomb disguised themselves as chaperones last Saturday night at the Long Beach Convention Center... but they were really there to just boogie!
With so much effort put into teaching and learning, events like Winter Formal are a really nice way to relax, get dressed up, and have a good time. That goes for both teachers and students. And there were a ton of each in attendance last Saturday. Over 1,000 kids were dancing it up with dozens of chaperones in attendance too.
With Mr. Howard on security detail, things remained safe and calm at all times, as students crowned their Prince, Princess, King, and Queen of Winter Formal, and then quickly got back to the dance for some serious hip hop and dub step. "I love to see how dressed up everyone gets," Ms. Ball said. It's true. All the kids looked top-notch as they waited outside in the near freezing cold to get registered and let in to the dance. Wearing everything from traditional tuxedos and gowns, to glow-in-the-dark bowites and good ol' Chuck Taylors, the students clearly spent time and energy putting themselves together for the evening. And it was totally worth it! Nights where we all get to hang loose and forget about the stresses of schoolwork and such are important in the lives of students. This year's theme was "Los Al"ice In Wonderland, and ASB did an amazing job decorating the venue so that everywhere you turned there was a Cheshire Cat, or Mad Hatter, or Queen Of Hearts in your view. Even the video montage on the dancefloor was in the theme of Alice In Wonderland. 
So, come out to the next dance, or show, or game that we have at Los Al, and show your support for the students and everything they do outside the classroom as well.
You can even bring a friend (or a husband, like Ms. Ferrell did), and you can both sit back, relax, and enjoy a good time at a safe event... and make a difference all at the same time!
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When Show And Tell Goes Right: There's A Lot To Be Learned When Students Have To Create, Produce, And Explain
Theses students are showing off their project in Ms. Marechal's English class. They brought ANIMAL FARM to life, and made clear their analysis of the text: "everyone's just a puppet..."
It's getting easier and easier these days to encourage the act of "publishing" as part of a student assignment. With technologies like iMovie, YouTube, and tons of word processing and photo editing software, students can easily turn their musings into real-life presentations that make use of all 5 senses.
No matter the modality of publishing, the act of creating something from nothing is an important skill for students to learn as they go through school. Projects and presentations allow students to practice key communication skills that are applicable to the current job market. Without sound presentation opportunities in class, a child may simply know "how to get the right answer," but lack the skill to communicate it... or even better, to persuade others.
And presentation/publishing protocols span the 9-12 curriculum. From English and History, to Math and Science, Los Al teachers are always coming up with individual or collaborative assignments that task students with making, creating, showing, and sharing.
So what's the balance? How much "teacher time" vs. how much "student time" should one allocate over the course of a week, unit, or year?
The answer is up for grabs, and depends heavily on the way in which you instruct and manage your class. Sometimes presentations can work to mix up the routine of class. Other times, you may find value in students teaching each other, rather than you carrying the entire load.
As we move into Common Core, and investigate that paradigm we've been talking about of Sage On The Stage v. Guide On The Side, opportunities to release the responsibility of learning onto students will be central to making that shift.
So go on an Instructional Round, borrow or share some strategies with a friend, and see if you agree that students benefit from meaningful opportunities to publish and create, and communicate their learning to peers. |
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 Mr. Arnold (almost) makes a half-court
shot during halftime of the Los Al v. FV
basketball game on Friday night...
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Hockey Mom:
Ms. Young & The Los Al Hockey Team
Along with grading papers on Saturday nights, Ms. Young also cheers on our newly-founded Los Al Hockey Team.
Call it what you want... but Ms. Young loves her some hockey. That's why, when she found out earlier this year that Los Alamitos was starting its very first ice hockey team this year, she knew she had to be involved.
Since September, Ms. Young has been helping the program out by promoting their wins on the Morning Announcements (they're tied for 1st in League right now), cheering them on most Saturday Nights at Anaheim Ice, and even promoting their dry land team wear for fans to purchase and wear around school.
 The team is super-fun to watch. And along with being fast, tough, and competitive, they're also one of the few co-ed sports teams we offer at school. Girls and boys play together on the ice, and it's great to se their camaraderie in action.
So, come out when you can and support the team. They love it when fans come to the game, and hope to see you during playoffs in a few weeks! |
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How's This For Classroom Management:
2 Teachers, 100 Kids, And Lots And Lots Of Space
 Well over 100 students engage in a number of different station activities during a typical period of P.E. at Los Alamitos High School
Need classroom management advice? Ask a Physical Education Teacher! They've been working with large student:teacher ratios for a long time. Moreover, the typical "room" for a P.E. class is usually closer to an acre than the 500 sq. feet most classroom teachers are responsible for... So how do they do it?
The trick is differentiation. Consider this: teaching gets harder as the variance in skill among students widens. So, just as it is more difficult to teach a room full of 12th graders and 1st graders at the same time, it's just as hard to teach badminton to students with a wide variance of skills. P.E. teachers, then, differentiate by ability and interest. And at Los Al, they do it well!
Station work allows for students of more similar ability to work on their physical skill or knowledge of a particular standard. And just as much as it is a sound instructional strategy, stations also help to manage the physical environment of P.E. as well.
A game of basketball is fun when you're playing with peers who are also at your level... But, if you're playing against somebody far better than you, like LeBron, things like this start to happen, and it can get frustrating:
The next time you're looking for a classroom management technique, ask a P.E. teacher. They've learned from years of large class sizes and differing abilities some really great strategies to keep students on task and engaged at all times!
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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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