Thursday, December 29, 2016

Cell phones, Beverages and Attendance!

Expectations
On Wednesday January 4, 2017 school will resume and we sincerely hope everyone has had a fun and relaxing Christmas break! As we begin the new year this is a great opportunity to remind everyone of the expectations coming into school:

First Cell Phones: Our rule/policy is that cell phones can be used before school, after school, and during the lunch break.  The remainder of the school day our rule is that cell phones must be off and away. This includes between classes. Students have seen the following sign posted in all our classrooms. Our district cell phone policy can be found here: JICJ Electronic Communication Devices.
Please note Valley Rivers Middle School students are not allowed to have cell phones during the school day!

Second beverages:  Our school rule is students are allowed to have WATER only in clear water bottles. We discourage students from bringing soda, energy drinks, coffee, and fast food type drinks (ie: Frappes, etc.) - this includes lunch time.  Our district has a policy:EFEB Nutritional Standards.  If a student is in possession of these types of drinks they will be confiscated and disposed of immediately per the policy.  Please do not allow your child to bring these items into school for any reason.















Third Attendance:  If your child is going to be absent from school you may call the school directly or send a note when your child returns to school.  Our attendance campaign slogan: "You must be present to win!" still applies! Research shows that attendance and academic success are closely related. Our district attendance policy can be found here: JEAA Student attendance. It defines excused vs unexcused absences, legitimate absences and truancy. 





We look forward to the continuation of a great school year with your support on these issues!


Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Mid-Term Progress Reports

 

 Mid-term Progress Reports 


You will be very shortly receiving an Empower Mid-Term progress report for your child(ren).  This report will be used with all students moving forward, to clarify students in grade 7, 8, and 9 will receive only Empower reports.  Students in grades 10 and 11 will receive an Empower report for Proficiency Based classes AND a Powerschool report for traditionally scored classes.  Students in Grade 12 will get an Empower report with only the Habits of Work reported AND a Powerschool report with all their traditional scores.  All students are receiving a Habits of Work report, which is one piece of eligibility for co and extracurricular involvement for all students.
We do have Empower parent accounts set up for all students and their families.  Please contact the school if you would like your login information as soon as possible.  Otherwise our plan is to have login information available for you during Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday, Nov. 10th. We will also we offering sessions on how to access Empower that day beginning every 30 minutes to help parents navigate this new Learning Management System. More information will follow shortly concerning Parent Teacher Conferences.
Just a reminder to parents – the proficiency scores the district has adopted is not comparable to the traditional 100-point scale.  For example a 4 does not equal a 100, our 4-point scale is used to indicate the student's growth in meeting learning targets. A score of 2 or 2.5 shows that the student is in the process of learning the skills and strategies necessary to reach the level of complexity necessary to meet the rigor of the standards.  Meeting the standards necessary for graduation is the basis of our work here at MSAD #27. A score of 3 means the student has meet the standard a score of 4 means the student can apply the information at a higher degree of complexity, it does not mean they have a 100. We will be offering opportunities for 4 level work in both the middle and high school. We will continue to educate students, parents, and the community on this shift away from traditional grading practices.
Middle school parents are also receiving their students STAR reports in Math and Language Arts. (We no longer use NWEA.)  High School students will receive their reports during Parent Teacher Conferences on Nov. 10th.
Please contact the school should you have any questions about these new learner reports.  We welcome the opportunity to help you understand these educational changes and how it applies to your child(ren)’s progression through the curriculum.

Friday, September 16, 2016

New Co & Extra Curricular Policy Simplified


The MSAD #27 School Board passed a new Academic Eligibility: Athletic and Co-Curricular Participation policy (JJIC) at the July 26, 2016 School Board meeting.  There have been many questions about what it means so we put together a handy and helpful guide for students, parents, staff, and community to understand what it all means.



The entire policy can be found at the following url: Policy JJIC .

Finally, you will notice a small change to the blog title.  As many of you know we had some reshuffling of administrator duties.  Mr. Caron was named  Dean of Students for both VRMS and FKCHS and I was named Principal of the two schools.  With that being said that is why you see the name change because over time you will start to see more posts that pertain to the Middle School. I am also attaching the visual that helps define our division of duties.


Sunday, September 11, 2016

Laptops - Important Information!

We finished Friday of last week distributing laptops to all our students from grade 7 to grade 12! It took 2 weeks and the help of 7 different people to make it happen.  Each laptop had three steps to go through for set-up taking about 40 minutes to be ready for student use! It was a long slow process getting 400+ laptops out to the students but we did it! Thank you to the students and staff for being so patient and flexible during this time!

Our position here at VRMS and FKCHS is that the laptops (leased from and property of the state of Maine) need to be used for educational purposes.  It is not provided or intended to be used as a personal entertainment device. With that said here are some stop-gaps that we have put in place to emphasize this to all students.

1) All laptops are loaded with a program called LANSCHOOL.  It is a monitoring software that all teachers and administrators have access to view, message, and if necessary to shut down student laptops. This software provides "live" views of the work students are doing with these laptops while at school.
2) VRMS does NOT have access to the app store. Any applications that needs to be downloaded will be done under teacher direction only.
3) FKCHS students do have access to the app store.  Non-educational downloads are discouraged and we ask students to make smart decisions on what is downloaded.
4) Parents you may call at anytime to request the laptop stay at school.  We have carts in the library with charging capacity to pick up the laptop at the beginning of the day and to drop off the laptop at the end of the day.  Contact Mr. Charette or Mr. Caron to make arrangements.
5) Insurance is $40.00 and mandatory to cover damage both in and out of school. (It comes with a $100.00 deductible per occurrence.) This insurance has nothing to do with the capability to bring it home - bringing it home is purely a parental decision.
6) Students will be issued a NEW Apple ID shortly - this ID should be used at all times when at school. (Personal Apple ID's maybe used away from school for all students.)
7) All laptops have a protective case AND a carry case.  These are not to be changed and are expected to be used at all times.
8) Review the acceptable use policy paperwork - there are a few new and updated rules and procedures.

Incentive: (Found in acceptable use policy paperwork!) - Any student with no computer infractions and no damages will be allowed to keep the laptop over the summer! (Senior students will be returning the laptops before graduation.)

Finally, please understand that having a laptop is a privilege NOT a right. It is a very expensive resource to enhance and supplement the learning done in the classrooms - treat it with respect and use it responsibly, as you would any other school provided resources.






Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Water Bottle Fountains are here!

It seems like something so small but we are happy the fountains are finally here, installed and usable!  Water bottle fountains can be found on the first floor (near the nurse's office) and the other is located on the second floor (near the middle stairwell).  We encourage all students to bring a water bottle to school as a way to stay hydrated. These fountains will aid those efforts.  These fountains were made possible by the FKCHS Student Council and MSAD #27! Enjoy the cool refreshing water in your own water bottles and help save the environment. (These fountains count how many plastic water bottles we save!)





Thursday, July 21, 2016

Habits of Work reporting begins this fall!

Habits of Work reporting begins this fall!!!

Whenever I go to a parent teacher conference or have had any kind of conversation with any of my children's teachers my wife always asks - Are they doing what they are supposed to in your class? Are they respectful? Are they doing their best? It seems to me that most of the teacher conversations with other parents sound very similar, or at the very least these types of questions come up as part of the discussion.

As part of our move to Proficiency Based Education we have made the decision to separate academic learning from the very questions myself and others ask about children.  We feel an academic score should reflect learning and Habits of Work scores should reflect citizenship, accountability, and pursuing personal best.  (These were chosen as our over-arching standards!)

I have included here the matrix for Community High School and Valley Rivers Middle School.


High School Habits of Work Indicators

Citizenship
I am respectful towards self, others and environment.
I am respectful of norms, rules and policies.
Accountability
I am accountable for myself, my learning and my actions.
Pursue Personal Best
I persevere and strive for personal best.  I can demonstrate quality work ethic, use feedback and self-advocate.
3
I routinely…

2
I sometimes…

1
I need
assistance to...
  • Follow school and classroom rules
  • Use safe/respectful words and actions
  • Take care of belongings and classroom materials
  • Respect the diversity of individuals
  • Respect school property
  • Collaborate and cooperate with others
  • Take responsibility for actions and choices that I make
  • Learn from my mistakes  and seek help when needed
  • Engage in classroom discussions / activities
  • Meet deadlines
  • Am prepared and on time for class with all necessary materials
  • Demonstrate academic honesty
  • Set goals and monitor my progress
  • Persevere when met with challenging tasks
  • Demonstrate commitment to academic growth
  • Use feedback appropriately to extend my learning
  • Participate in learning experiences
  • Engage in new learning experiences




Valley Rivers Middle School Habits of Work Indicators

Citizenship
I am respectful towards self, others and environment.
I am respectful of norms, rules and policies.
Accountability
I am accountable for myself, my learning and my actions.
Pursue Personal Best
I persevere and strive for personal best.  I can demonstrate quality work ethic, use feedback and self-advocate.
3
I routinely…

2
I sometimes…

1
I need
assistance to...
  • Follow school and classroom rules
  • Use safe/respectful words and actions
  • Take care of belongings and classroom materials
  • Respect the diversity of individuals
  • Respect school property
  • Collaborate and cooperate with others
  • Take responsibility for actions and choices that I make
  • Learn from my mistakes and seek help when needed
  • Engage in classroom discussions / activities
  • Complete all assignments in a timely fashion
  • Am prepared and on time for class with all necessary materials
  • Demonstrate academic honesty
  • Set goals and monitor my progress

  • Persevere when met with challenging tasks
  • Demonstrate commitment to academic growth
  • Demonstrate positive attitude
  • Use feedback appropriately to extend my learning
  • Engage in new learning experiences

As you can see the highest score you can achieve is a 3 and the lowest is a 1.  Our teachers report on the habits of work weekly and if a students scores a 1 or 2 the teacher will be required to put in a comment as to what the specific weakness might be.  At the mid-term and semester reporting times, grade level teams work through a protocol and decide as a team what the individual student will receive as a score.

We also aim to grade the child holistically - the indicators are not a checklist but rather a guide to whether or not they are routinely, sometimes, or always needing assistance to meet these standards.   You will be able to check on Habits of Work on a weekly basis through Empower (more on that at another time). You will see individual teacher scores for each class/course and then you will see a team score at the mid trimester and the final trimester checkpoints.

The high school and middle school teachers did this as a pilot during the 3rd trimester of the last school year. This school year every student in grades 7 thru 12 will receive a Habits of Work score for each of the 3 standards.  This is a key piece to honor roll status and co- and extra curricular eligibility. FKCHS and VRMS will offer students interventions to help with these Habits of Work on an as needed basis. 

Please review the documents and start having a discussion with your child about the difference between academics (what you learn) and habits of work (the effort you put into learning)! 




Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Honor Roll Changes!

Today's Topic: The Honor Roll

 Merriam Webster's simple definition: a list of people who deserve to be honored; especially : a list of students who have received good grades in school. The first recorded use was 1909.  

We can acknowledge that Honor Roll has traditionally been a recognition of academic performance published by quarters, semesters, or in our case trimesters.  You can find that list of students in the local papers, school website, and posted in the halls of the school.  It is a tradition that has been around for a long time!

Being an Honor Roll student in Fort Kent Community High School earns the privilege of an Honors Pass, meaning you can sign out of an assigned Learning Lab and instead go to the library or into an unoccupied classroom - the idea being that you have shown responsibilities as a student and distinguished yourself as a student worthy of this extra privilege.  However, in multiple talks with students, staff, and community it has become evident that academics are but one piece of what makes an Honor Student.

In an effort to truly recognize the Honor Students in our school we will be using the following 4 categories to determine eligibility beginning this upcoming school year 2016 - 2017: Academics, Habits of Work, Attendance, and Behavior.  (Keep in mind we have a mix of proficiency implementation, the Class of 2017 being our last traditionally scored classes, the Classes of 2018 & 2019 who have BOTH traditionally scored classes and proficiency based classes, and the Class of 2020 and beyond who have fully implemented proficiency based classes.)  Depending on which class you are in determines the academic track, however the last 3 categories apply to all classes.

Academics -
  • The summative assessment average 3.0 or higher with no standard lower than a 2 AND no incomplete in any course. (Class of 2020 and beyond)   
  • The summative assessment average is 3.0 or higher with no standard lower than a 2 AND the traditional average 87.5 with no grade lower than an 85  AND no incomplete in any course. (Classes of 2018 & 2019)
  • The traditional average for High Honors is 92.5 with no grade lower than a 90. Honors 87.5 average with no grade less than an 85 AND no incomplete in any course. (Class of 2017)
Habits of Work  -
  • The majority of of indicators must be a 2 AND no indicator can be a 1. (We have only 3 indicators so it must be a combination of 2's and 3's.) 
Attendance -
  • The student must have less than 10 days unexcused for the year. (Excused absences will not effect this category.)
Behavior -
  • Students have no suspensions (in school or out of school) AND have no outstanding behavioral detentions to serve with the office or individual teachers.
The following graphics were created to help guide you in determining if a student qualifies.  Be sure to choose the appropriate graphic determined on the student's graduation date.  The end of the first Trimester is Tuesday, November 29 and will be our first run through using this format.  We will be sharing this with students during the first week of school.  I encourage you to review the information to better prepare yourself and your child for the shift we are making with the Honor Roll.

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Summer Months = Preparing for Change

It's the start of summer vacation for MSAD #27 students but we have already been getting ready for the start of the new school year on August 17, 2016!  Lots of changes will be coming to Fort Kent Community High School so this first blog post is going to be a list of those many changes.  I will have future posts that will explain each one individually. Without further ado here are the changes in no particular order (coming off the top of my head as I put this together):


  • Graduation requirements clarification for the class of 2018, 2019, & 2020. (Including: class standing, "honor" speeches, and diploma designations)
  • Full implementation of Proficiency Based Education for the class of 2020.
  • Year 2 of Link Crew for the incoming Freshmen.
  • The "reboot" of the Athletic Club.
  • Installation of 2 new water fountains with the capability of filling water bottles!
  • Closed campus for all students. (No more senior privilege.)
  • A "new" Senior Room.
  • New Honor Roll requirements for all students.
  • Teachers will be using the learning management system Empower to report out on student progress toward standards. (Parent training is coming!)
  • Implementation of Proficiency Based Diploma pathways for the class of 2020 and beyond.
  • New sports eligibility policy.
  • Conversion from NWEA testing to STAR testing.
  • Continued use of Warrior Time with specific activities for this intervention period.
  • Implementation of a Summative Trimester Assessment at the end of each Trimester.
  • Beginning of a portfolio process to demonstrate Maine's Guiding Principles with all classes.
  • The separation of Academics and Habits of Work.
  • Seminars - this is in its infancy and we hope to pilot it Trimester 2 of the new school year!


All of the following items were listed off the top of my head but with a little more time it would be possible to extend the list! Anyone who thinks not much is happening here at FKCHS, we have more than enough to keep us busy! Personally, I am very excited about these changes as they have the potential to provide opportunities that will make each student's school experience a more engaging and enriching environment.  Go Warriors!