So my posts since the first of the year have been limited. So I ask for forgiveness. I really only have one excuse: Work.
The first semester of school is something like a roller coaster. We start off super busy, then have a little lull. Then after Fall break things kind of ramp up again, then there's a small lull before Winter break.
The second semester of school is something like Drop Zone; it's go go go go go go go go go go, okay, it's Spring break.
The first three weeks of the semester we are making schedule changes. This is for kids who just want to try a new elective, as well as for those kids who are repeating something and need to alter their schedule to accommodate that. In between schedule changes we are registering new and returning students. Some of them are students from private school, and either weren't cutting it or they just can't afford it anymore. The returning students are coming back from a different school, either in or out of the district. For example, I had one girl come back from our Continuation school so that she can finish out the year with the peers she's gone to school with since like 1st grade.
Also, we are meeting with our Seniors to firm up their plans for being able to graduate on time, or looking at other choices, like GED or moving over to the Adult School. I hate these meetings, because if they're not going to make it, it's usually a meeting filled with disappointment and sadness that their kid couldn't do it the easy way. But I'd rather they finish something, even if it's the GED, they're not walking away empty handed. I had one parent last year (who's daughter was not going to make it if she stayed at Tokay) say that a High School Diploma was like a pair of designer jeans, while the GED was like a pair of jeans from Wal-Mart. And I replied, That may be true, but at least she would have a pair of pants. (I don't think he found that as amusing as I did)
So after schedule changes we have one weekend ( that's right, two days) before moving straight to scheduling for next year. Scheduling is always a treat (insert sarcasm). We meet with virtually every student individually to review their progress toward graduation, get them their Summer School forms, and plan for what they're gonna do next year. And if the kid's in Special Ed, then we have to make sure that their plan follows their IEP which requires input from their Case Carrier and the Department Chair. And there's a buttload of paperwork that is involved with all of this: transcripts, credit evaluations, course selection sheets, letters home, Summer School forms, AP contracts, course selection change forms. I have no doubt we've killed a few trees with this whole process.
And then we get to go out to the middle schools (I ♥ Middle School!) (Yeah, right) and talk with all of them about High School! Woo Hoo! We have one main feeder school, from where we get the majority of our incoming 9th graders and then 5 other schools that send a smaller group over to us. We can't forget 8th Grade Parent Night, where we showcase our campus, programs and activities. Not to mention our Private School Night, where parents and students from our surrounding private schools come to find out about Tokay.
Then when we get every student's class choices, the counselors get to input all of that information into the computer, so that the VP can look at what's being requested and then build the Master Schedule. And did I mention that we have a new program for our student records that we are using for next year? That we had to spend 3 hours being trained on, with more training hours to come? And that all of this inputting was due on the last day of the quarter, March 13th?
And all of this happens during the quarter when we have 3 holidays (MLK, Lincoln and President's Days), 4 minimum days (2 for Senior Project paper readings and 2 Common Planning Days), CAHSEE testing, NAEP testing (The Nation's Report card!), AVID interviews and a cold, on my part (where I missed 2 days).
Oh, and did I mention that this is also an incredibly stressful time, as the school district is needing to make cuts, so they have given notice to 419 people that they may not have a job next year? Guess who one of those 419 people were? So now in addition to all of this, I'm stressed out about whether or not I'll have a job next year.
This just keeps getting better and better!
All I can say is thank god the 3rd quarter is behind us...Hopefully 4th quarter will be much kinder
The first semester of school is something like a roller coaster. We start off super busy, then have a little lull. Then after Fall break things kind of ramp up again, then there's a small lull before Winter break.
The second semester of school is something like Drop Zone; it's go go go go go go go go go go, okay, it's Spring break.
The first three weeks of the semester we are making schedule changes. This is for kids who just want to try a new elective, as well as for those kids who are repeating something and need to alter their schedule to accommodate that. In between schedule changes we are registering new and returning students. Some of them are students from private school, and either weren't cutting it or they just can't afford it anymore. The returning students are coming back from a different school, either in or out of the district. For example, I had one girl come back from our Continuation school so that she can finish out the year with the peers she's gone to school with since like 1st grade.
Also, we are meeting with our Seniors to firm up their plans for being able to graduate on time, or looking at other choices, like GED or moving over to the Adult School. I hate these meetings, because if they're not going to make it, it's usually a meeting filled with disappointment and sadness that their kid couldn't do it the easy way. But I'd rather they finish something, even if it's the GED, they're not walking away empty handed. I had one parent last year (who's daughter was not going to make it if she stayed at Tokay) say that a High School Diploma was like a pair of designer jeans, while the GED was like a pair of jeans from Wal-Mart. And I replied, That may be true, but at least she would have a pair of pants. (I don't think he found that as amusing as I did)
So after schedule changes we have one weekend ( that's right, two days) before moving straight to scheduling for next year. Scheduling is always a treat (insert sarcasm). We meet with virtually every student individually to review their progress toward graduation, get them their Summer School forms, and plan for what they're gonna do next year. And if the kid's in Special Ed, then we have to make sure that their plan follows their IEP which requires input from their Case Carrier and the Department Chair. And there's a buttload of paperwork that is involved with all of this: transcripts, credit evaluations, course selection sheets, letters home, Summer School forms, AP contracts, course selection change forms. I have no doubt we've killed a few trees with this whole process.
And then we get to go out to the middle schools (I ♥ Middle School!) (Yeah, right) and talk with all of them about High School! Woo Hoo! We have one main feeder school, from where we get the majority of our incoming 9th graders and then 5 other schools that send a smaller group over to us. We can't forget 8th Grade Parent Night, where we showcase our campus, programs and activities. Not to mention our Private School Night, where parents and students from our surrounding private schools come to find out about Tokay.
Then when we get every student's class choices, the counselors get to input all of that information into the computer, so that the VP can look at what's being requested and then build the Master Schedule. And did I mention that we have a new program for our student records that we are using for next year? That we had to spend 3 hours being trained on, with more training hours to come? And that all of this inputting was due on the last day of the quarter, March 13th?
And all of this happens during the quarter when we have 3 holidays (MLK, Lincoln and President's Days), 4 minimum days (2 for Senior Project paper readings and 2 Common Planning Days), CAHSEE testing, NAEP testing (The Nation's Report card!), AVID interviews and a cold, on my part (where I missed 2 days).
Oh, and did I mention that this is also an incredibly stressful time, as the school district is needing to make cuts, so they have given notice to 419 people that they may not have a job next year? Guess who one of those 419 people were? So now in addition to all of this, I'm stressed out about whether or not I'll have a job next year.
This just keeps getting better and better!
All I can say is thank god the 3rd quarter is behind us...Hopefully 4th quarter will be much kinder
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