LHS Parent/

Caregiver

Meeting

9-7-23

Topics for Today

Inside LHS classrooms- window into the school

New Interim Principal & AP

2. Culture Work @ LHS this year.

1. About Us

4. Nuts and Bolts

3.Joy Curiosity,

Compassion

Information about upcoming events/useful things to know

Andrew Baker, Interim Principal

• 19th Year in District. 10 Years in ELA Dept. 3 as LEA President, 5 as Associate Principal.

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• Grew up in New Hampshire (Amherst)- went to Coalition of essential schools HS. Dad=engineer, Mom= HS latin teacher. Sister who lives in Michigan (1 Nephew, 2 Nieces)

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• Wife, Maggie, is Chief Financial Officer for Non-profit. No kids.

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• Love adolescent education, love teaching/leading teachers but second career would be as a plumber.

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• Life long New Englander.

Dan Melia, Interim Associate Principal

• 10th year in the district: 9 of those as 10th-grade World History II teacher. (Returning after a year as AP at middle school in Melrose.)
• Grew up in Cranston, RI. Graduate of Cranston High School West.
• My mother is an LHS graduate, Class of 1965.
• My brother is a physician in Baltimore. (1 niece, 1 nephew)
• My wife works in public relations. Our daughter, Mona, is 6 — a very happy 1st-grader.
• I go to Andrew with all my plumbing needs.
• I am thrilled to be back at LHS.

What is the parent/caregiver group?

• Meets monthly at 9am (virtually- was in person before the pandemic).
• Originally a group that met at Eagle Bank, in person (outgrew the space)
• Originally met with only the AP, last couple years with both AP and Principal.
• Going to transition this year into some meetings with both and some meetings with the Associate Principal
• Not affiliated with the PTO, though some of the names and faces of attendees have strong overlap with our LHS PTO or our School Site Council
• In addition to this monthly group, working with PTO to have 2-3 in person “coffee” events targeted toward specific sub-populations of LHS families and caregivers. For example , our first Principals coffee will be on 10-11-23 @ 9am for families new to Lexington.

2. CultureWork

Convocation Day Messages

Educators believe the power of beginnings and re-beginning.

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• For me this is year 40 of “going to school in the fall”
• Kudos to Mike Horesh and our window conversation!
• Students reimagining themselves socially academically
• Teachers teaching new classes, units and lessons… or finally getting right the one that you struck out on last year.
• New colleagues to meet, learn from, and mentor
• Every school day, every class is a new invitation to learning: breakthrough moments when you least expect them.

What other vocations offer this powerful cycle of reflection and re-invention?

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LHS Climate

& Culture

Putting people first!

Investing in one another.

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Building trust, shared understandings and shared commitments

Begin Again

Let’s

Together

How am I (Andrew B) going to put people first?

• Visibility Semester 1 2023-2024
• Andrew Baker Walkin' Plan (Fellow Travellers can sign up)
• Principal Walking Google Calendar (Public- about accountability for me )
• Expectation is that LT members mirror this effort in smaller and less publicly accountable ways. (Outside of S&E)
• Expect that regular discussion items are going to be about where you’ve been and what you’ve seen [Joy/Curiosity/Compassion]
• Purpose of these walks is to feed curiosity about and foster care for the learners and learning of the school.

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I also expect teachers to show this level of curiosity and care towards their colleagues, classrooms, and the students they serve.

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Cell phones/Phone addiction

Academic Dishonesty

Tardiness to class

Microaggressions

Language used in hallways

Course Leveling and Content

Grading Practices and Alignment

The Transition from 8th to 9th grade

Best Use of I Block Time/ I Block Norms

Siloed nature of our depts.

Overcrowdedness

Planning time with colleagues

Differentiating Instruction/Meeting Needs

Coordinated/Thoughtful Disciplinary Responses

Students missing class

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“Our core values will guide our efforts, shape our daily intentions, and help to build the culture and climate we envision for [LPS].”

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~Executive Summary of LPS Strategic plan

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Can you name the 8 LPS core values?

• 1. We all Belong
• 2. Use Your Mind
• 3. Be Curious and Have Fun
• 4. Care for Yourself and Others
• 5. Do Your Part
• 6. Be Courageous
• 7. Embrace Your Revolutionary Spirit
• 8. You are Enough

Part of our culture work this year will be core value recognitions-regardless of role or age in our community.

• Details to come at the 9-11-23 faculty meeting.
• We’re going to start with “Care for Yourself and Others”.
• Care, concern and curiosity about one another are at the core of strong communities. Yes,“ We all Belong” is important and listed first, but truly feeling that as opposed to saying it is often the result of some of the more action-oriented core values.
• BOLO for students and colleagues who are making that extra effort at kindness, at including and welcoming and at showing empathy.

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Turn & Talk (Choose 1)

• Can you talk about a time last year when you feel like, in your work with students or families, you really embraced one of these values?
• Can you talk about a time last year when you felt like you saw a student — whether in your classroom or in the larger school community — really live up to/embrace one of these values?
• What is one value that you haven't thought that much about and that you'd like to engage with more purposefully this year? How might you do that?

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A personal perspective on the why of these recognitions.

3. Where we are seeing Joy, Curiosity & Compassion

Kristine Vargas’ D Block Biology class

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Wonderful activity on observing bugs (roaches for reptiles) that were purchased at PETCO Learning difference between observation and inferences. Lots of bug feelings! Eeks. Screams, etc Helped a student whose bug escaped containment to get it back into the beaker. One of the best parts of this lesson was Kristine introducing schema learned in elementary school like the alphabet and a tic-tac-toe board and reminding students that at one time those things seemed difficult and unattainable until the teacher taught scaffolding and mnemonics.

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J.C.C:Continued

Rachel Jayson’s

Mixtape Class

Ms. Barrett's World History I

So much energy and expertise being shared at 8:30 am. Was drawn in by the Beastie Boys and License to Ill (my youth was calling). Stayed to learn a little about the history of sampling in popular music. Drum track on Rhymin’ and Stealin’ taken from Led Zeppelin used in 240 songs! Did you know the London Philharmonic did an entire concert of Led Zeppelin covers?

Mr. Larkin Listened to students tell their recollection of the story of three little pigs. The prompt was the Golden Book version by Walt Disney. Building analytical skills and relationships alongside each other.

Hamilton

Meets

Earth Science

Clay as a metaphor for learning & life

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Mike Horesh (and his daughter as a guest) performed a Hamilton parody, sharing things about Earth Science content as well as being a freshman. Kids loved it. So fun!

Ceramics teacher, Erin Patterson, while showing students the wheel and press, gave a wonderful message about “not clinging to our creations”. It was really profound idea to be contemplating on a first day. Looking at those clay sludge buckets and knowing the remnants and dregs can be made into beautiful new things through effort and imagination translates way outside of the ceramics room. The impermanence of all things!

Paola Dorfmann’s Italian II

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Ms. Chung’s AP Statistics

Engaging, playful lesson built on the story of Joy Milne, of Scotland, who reputedly could detect Parkinson’s disease by smell.

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Ms. Chung hooked students with the (apparently very true!) story and then used it as a jumping-off point for a preview about probability.

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(I couldn’t stay for the whole class and had to email Ms. Chung later to find out all that had happened after I left.)

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Left grinning from ear to ear. Paola said if you tied my hands behind my back, I couldn't speak and then showed the class, how, for Italians this was 100% true and how certain physical gestures could stand in for lengthy concepts/communication. I was included in the Joy, and I now know how I would say call you later with my hands in the Italian way, or some gestures I probably shouldn't make if I don't want to put life and limb in peril in certain Italian speaking places.

4. Nuts & Bolts

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PSAT’s on 10-14

The PSAT will be held at LHS on Saturday, October 14th. This will be the only PSAT date this school year. All juniors and sophomores attending LHS are invited to take the test. The PSAT is an optional test, and juniors taking the test can use their score to qualify for some scholarships. For sophomores, the test is just for practice for future tests.

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Registration is run through our school's payment service, Total Registration. The registration site can be found at https://user.totalregistration.net/PSAT/221190

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The deadline to register is Saturday, September 9th at 9pm. There is no late registration available.

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This year, the PSAT is digital and will be taken on school-issued Chromebooks. More information about the change and what to expect can be found at our website at https://sites.google.com/lexingtonma.org/psat.

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Getting to School

Some Other Important Dates

• Picture Day(s): September 14th (9th & 10th) and September 15th (11th & 12th)
• 9th Grade Parent/Caregiver Night: September 19th (6-7:30pm, in person)
• LHS Activities Fair: September 29th
• Back-to-School Night: October 5th (6-8pm, in person)
• Freshmen Welcome Dance: October 13th

Schedule Arena Days

Goal: process to streamline and speed up the schedule change process for both teachers and students; getting students where they want to be sooner!

• Designed for students who would like to make preference changes to their schedule
• Preference changes will not be made ahead of this time
• Other schedule changes, (ie not enough classes, conflicts, service changes, errors etc) should and will be done prior to this day — please email your counselor ASAP if you think you have this type of change�
• Example of a Preference Change:
• “I want to change which art class I’m taking”
• “I never signed up for this class! I need it changed!”
• “I am hoping to change which level of a class I am taking”
• “I would like to take an extra elective, that would put me above the credits I need to take”
• “I am scheduled for more credits than I need for graduation requirements and I want to drop a class!”�
• Changes to PE classes cannot be made on Arena day - if you want to change your PE class, you need to first speak with your PE teacher

Logistics

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On Arena Days, students will be called down to the library/LMC, alphabetically by grade level.

Please listen carefully for when your group is called over the PA system!

You should go directly to the library and follow the posted signs to see your counselor

*If your counselor is not there when you go to the library, you may see a different � Counselor, otherwise please see your assigned counselor

Please bring the completed Schedule Change Form, which will be handed out during Iblock/Advisory on 9-5.

If you forgot your form, still go to the library during your time slot! There will be more forms. �But… PLEASE try to remember your form. it will make the process go more quickly and smoothly for everyone!

Once you have spoken with a counselor regarding your schedule change, you will receive a signed pass and should return directly to the class you are in

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Other things to know about Arena Days

• Counselors will do their best to make your requested changes - however there are no guarantees.�
• It is possible your request may not be fulfilled on Arena Day, but counselors will continue to make changes for the next few days, and will communicate any further changes with you.�
• Counselors cannot make changes based on wanting different teachers, wanting a different lunch, or wanting to be in the same class as someone else. We also cannot make changes to your PE class - you need to speak to your PE teacher first!�
• Following arena scheduling, students may still request a change in accordance with this policy up until September 18th, our twelfth day of classes. However, students should be aware that after September 8, seats becoming available in full classes is less likely and requests cannot be processed immediately. Students are strongly encouraged to make their requests during the arena days.

Days for Arena Scheduling 2023-2024

9-6-23 (Weds.) for students in grades 11 & 12

9-8-23 (Friday) for students in grades 9 & 10

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It is important to understand that the master scheduling process begins in the Spring prior to the current school year and is designed to maximize the needs and requests of 2300-2400 students at that time. We have very high fulfillment rates. Staffing allocations and course sectioning follows, making the best use of our LHS resources.

In the fall we start by triaging students who have no schedules (transfer/new), students who are short on credits or graduation requirements, etc.

Then, through arena scheduling in the fall we offer a chance to make preference changes based on grade level starting with grade 12 moving to grade 9. That’s because “upperclass” students have the most flexibility in their schedules and also the least years/semesters left in which to explore those preferences. Thus it is our hope that even if students don’t get what they want in a given year, that over the course of their LHS education they will get many of their preferences.

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