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Upcoming Events:
MON. (4/15) PROM TICKETS GO ON SALE - Level 1 Price
TUES. (4/16) Athletics & Activities Night, 6pm In PAC
Food Trucks Will Be On Campus As Well :)
WED. (4/17) Leadership Council, 7am in Room 500
THUR. (4/18) Drama Show "CHANCE OF COLOR" opens
Thurs. - Sat. @ 7pm in PAC
FRI. (4/19) Teaching & Learning In Preparation For AP's and CST's...
***We're #2 In The County Right Now,
On Our Way To Being #1!!!!***
Spring Sports Are In Full Effect... Come support our students and catch a game this week!!! & On The Horizon...
Apr. 25 Instructional Rounds @ LAHS... Sign Up w/ Kathy
Currie If Interested
Apr. 25 Faculty Talent Show Canceled
Apr. 29 Academic Awards Night @ 7pm
Apr. 30 Staff Meeting --- Bell Schedule Update & Longevity
Pin Awards
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Open House:
A Photo Essay
Somewhere in that line, Ms. Yoshihara-Ha is talking to an eager parent, excited to hear about the achievement and accomplishment of their child...
 Parents are looking for student work, right? How's this: 100+ students dancing in their classroom, showing how much they've learned this year!!!
No, this photo is not "doctored..."
Yes, Mr. Barker is, in fact, wearing a tie...
Two evenings earlier, at 8th Grade Parent Night, Mr. Riehm gave a dynamic talk about student success at the high school level.
We all play a huge part in the education of our Griffins throughout the year. Open House is a time when we get to share our progress with students with their families, and further ignite the unlimited possibilities that lie ahead...
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The Bell Schedule Proposal Survey Is Now Online:
Vote soon, and check out some of this interesting research in the meantime...
Please submit your thoughts on the two Bell Schedule Proposals for next year by filling out our online survey located here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5H7T33S
LONG BEACH MIDDLE SCHOOLS TO START AN HOUR LATER: If you haven't heard already, our neighbor to the North has decided to start Middle School @ 9am next year, and collect data on whether or not the change in start time affects students in a positive way. Read more about it, here: http://articles.latimes.com/2013/mar/25/local/la-me-in-long-beach-start-times-20130325
Experts: Later School Start Helps Sleep-Deprived Teens:
The current argument around late-starts for schools is centered around whether or not a later start equates to an extra hour of sleep, or an extra hour of staying up late. The AAE (Association of American Educators) weighs in here:
http://www.aaeteachers.org/index.php/blog/987-later-start-times-magic-bullet-for-success-
Whatever direction we choose to head in next year regarding Los Al's Bell Schedule, rest assured that our process will be transparent, inclusive, and mindful of the direct impact structural changes like this can have on, both, teaching and learning.
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Leadership On The Rise:
Annual ASB Elections @ Los Al Highlight Innovation By Way Of Campaign Creativity...
Here's a campaign ad straight out of the Stepbrothers playbook. Will it be enough to garner student votes?
 Campaign posters are literally EVERYWHERE around campus this week. So many candidates, so little time!!!
Here's a fact-based appeal to female voters all throughout campus...
Did you know that the last 8 ASB Presidents have all been boys?
Kate wants to let you know that you have the power to change that...
Even SuperWoman was out shaking hands and meeting with voters to talk about what she can do for them next year...
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 Senor Martinez brings energy and enthusiasm to every class that he teaches!!!
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Teachers As Students:
Why Ms. Loggins takes Cal State University's "Entry Level Math Test," and what she does with the experience...
This is a printout of Ms. Loggins' ELM (Entry-Level Mathematics) placement score for 2013. (She did well, of course --- 100% --- but that's not what matters...)
Each year, Math teacher Kim Loggins registers, sits down, and takes the Entry Level Math Placement Test for the Cal State University system each Spring. She's not doing it to boast her math skills, by the way... she wakes up early on a Saturday to take the test among thousands of 17 and 18 year-olds because of what she gains from the experience. And, ultimately, what she is able to bring back to her students before they each take it for themselves.
We're not talking about rote test memorization either. Ms. Loggins takes the test to get a feel for how the skills and procedures she's gone over in her math class all year translate once students have to take this high stakes exam. For example, this year, students can't use calculators while taking the ELM. That's a signal to any math teacher to work on the procedure of arithmetic alongside large-concept Algebra II material throughout the year.
In the days leading up to the next ELM, Ms. Loggins holds test prep sessions for ALL SENIORS headed to Cal State Universities.
So, if you know of any of your students getting ready to take the ELM in May, please send them Ms. Loggins' way. Her experience of having actually taken the test goes a long way towards maximizing the achievement of any Griffin spending the next 4 years at a CSU.
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It's Not A Crime Scene... It's Just Math:
Ms. Bright asks students "WhoDunIt?"
It may look like there's a cadaver in Ms. Bright's Math class, but it's just a way to engage students and hold them accountable for their Math...
Whether students believe it or not, one day they're actually going to have to use the math they're learning out in the "Real World."
In Ms. Bright's class, the "Real World" starts now, and students have to put their math to the test in order to solve a WhoDunIt mystery and find out which one of a number of suspects is responsible for a "classroom crime."
"It's just a simple twist on the math we're already learning," Ms. Bright says, "But the kids really get into it when there's something at stake... like a prize... or the satisfaction of solving a mystery."
She's right. Students across campus rave when Math Mystery day comes every year. Whether it's the sheer joy they get from doing high level Algerba II problems, or the fun they have pointing the finger at each other over the course of their discoveries, students really do get a kick out of doing the same math they did yesterday when a reward is attached to it --- no matter how big or how small.
In the age of Common Core, real world applications like these will be critical to implement as students prepare for a new type of End Of Course assessment, and prepare to be college and career ready in every way imaginable.
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Media Literacy... In Bio?
Ms. Baker tries to change the world one song at a time...
Here's a picture of Ms. Baker as she connects the topic of "Environment" to the everyday knowledge-base of her students...
I'm not sure if Ms. Baker is a big Gotye fan, but by the time I walked into her Biology class a few days ago, the Australian pop crooner was blaring and bouncing and his voice bouncing off every wall of the classroom.
What I ended up walking into was a very cool warm-up activity... Check it out:
First, Ms. Baker had students listen to the Gotye song "Eyes Wide Open" as the song's lyrics were also on the board for them to see.
Then, Ms. Baker asked students to respond to one of three lines from the song, and explain what the lyric meant to them.
1. Some people offered up answers.
We made out like we heard, they were only words.
2. But it was like to stop consuming's to stop being human,
3. With our eyes wide open, we walk the plank, we walk the plank.
With the direction Common Core teaching and learning is headed, it's going to be increasingly important to relate material from a textbook/curriculum to the everyday pop-culture and current events that consume the lives of our students.
Way to go Ms. Baker!
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Positive Messages Like These Are Always Refreshing To See Around Campus :)
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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