Quote to consider:
“Education is as indispensable as water and air” ~ Taha Hussein
To Dos:
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Wednesday, June 1st at 3pm in the Media Center we will be hosting a reception to honor retirees, resignations as well as long term subs. Please join this special event and be prepared to share sweet stories of those who are ending their chapter with us at HDMS.
END OF THE YEAR SURVEY: Thank you to those that have already completed this survey. If you haven’t done so yet, please click here to take an end of the year survey regarding the HDMS admin team and our school in general. The survey window will close on 5.31.22.
WEEKLY ELL & AVID TIP: Here are the links to the weekly ELL tip and AVID tip.
Bits and Bobs:
TAKING STUDENTS OUTSIDE: It is best practice to take classes to secure (eg: fenced areas) such as the patio, grass area outside the science wing, and the big field. If taking students to the par course, front of the school, or bus entrance, please be extra vigilant to keep all students accounted for to ensure safety for all. Additionally, to ensure that all needed staff are aware of your students’ location, it is imperative that you use this Out of Classroom form.
ALT GRADING REQUESTS: Please click here for very important information from Sephen Duvall re: Alternative Grading Scale Requests. “BLS will be limiting the non-percentage grading systems at our comprehensive middle school sites to a 1-4 scale.”
BLS BOARD MEETING: Speaking of equitable grading, a huge kudos goes out to our own Nishka Morton!! She did an amazing presentation at a recent BLS School Board meeting sharing her experiences on implementing equitable grading practices in her math class here at HDMS. You can view the board meeting here; the topic of equitable grading practices starts at 1:01:51 and Nishka’s portion begins at 1:30:35.
FROM TLC: For the last several years (minus the lost year to CoVid) Bend-La Pine has put on an amazing conference. The incredible teachers of Bend-La Pine share with their peers the beautiful work that they have been doing. Along with national level speakers, BLP teachers share the innovative work that happens in our schools every day. We are excited to bring the Innovative Teaching and Learning Conference back again this year with over 30 educators sharing what they are doing in their classrooms every day. You can register at this link. Click on the Sections tab part way down the screen to see the registration.
FROM DAVE VAN LOO: Click here to read info from Dave Van Loo re: questions about the possibility of a relationship between the establishment of the 50% floor and high absenteeism.
Reminders:
STAFF MEETING AND PD DOCS: As always, all staff meeting and PD docs from this year can be found in this folder (which is also linked in the hot links section).
STAFF DUTIES: As we approach the final weeks of school, it is more important than ever to have a positive staff presence in the hallways. Please continue to routinely do your assigned duty assignment.
Additionally, FYI, we will ask for “all hands on deck” with hallway and before/after school duties the last two weeks of school.
High Desert Highlights:
