Week 2.2

Growing Excellence (+10 for ALL) 
Growing excellence is all about teaching kids to have a growth mindset.  How we respond to failure depends on whether or not we have a fixed or growth mindset.  I encourage you to watch the video below with your kids and use this activity to help your kids find their Growth Mindset.

College AND Career 
Tom Sheppard and Layne Boxell are teaching our very first College and Career Prep class at THS.  The purpose of the class is ensure that every freshman is exposed to the following concepts:

Lady Eagles Pinked Out
for Cancer Awareness

• A world with a wide variety of careers.
• The types of postsecondary institutions and the process to enter college or technical school.
• Expository writing to support English 1
• Vocabulary acquisition
• Study skills including note-taking, organization and time management
• Earning credits in every course this year.

College and career prep is a very interactive and fun class.  The kids are learning so much about what they must do now to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to pursue an education beyond high school.  I would like to thank Layne and Tom for their creativity in helping every student discover all that they can be once they graduate from THS.

1st 6 Weeks Passing Rate
The freshman passing rate for the 1st 6 weeks is 87% which is 7% better than our freshman passing rate for the 1st 6 weeks last year.  College and Career Prep is starting off on the right foot, and we look forward to even more freshman success next 6 weeks.


Google Me This 

Kindergarten students
are researching careers!

Interactive Choice Board using Google Docs are great for extension menus for students.

For more ideas, check out Digital Differentiation and watch the Google Slide

5 Hidden Features in Google Apps that Everyone should be Using


Upcoming Dates 

• 10/12 - 10/16 - Food Service Worker Appreciation Week
• 10/19 - 10/23 - School Bus Driver Appreciation Week
• Fri, 10/23 - End of 3 Wks (2nd 6 Wk Formative Assessment Due)
• Mon, 11/9 - Begin 2nd 6 Weeks Formative Assessments
• Fri, 11/13 - End of 2nd 6 Weeks & Deadline to enter 2nd FA Data into DMAC

What I'm Learning

This week I'm learning how being a connected educator helps us be more effective in the classroom.

• Connected Educator Month Calendar

AMAZING RACE

The Amazing Race is a friendly contest that I created with some administrators around the country to encourage people to use Twitter and other social media tools for professional development.  If you would like to participate, let me know, and I'll be glad to help you any way that I can.

Week 1 Tasks

Start	Roadblock	Detour	Finish Line
Create a Twitter account Here’s a video to help you make your account.	Check out Convert your Peeps into Tweeps and pick 10 people to follow.	Participate in one of following teacher chats #EdThink on Sun at 9 p.m CST or #TchElite on Tue at 3:45 p.m. CST OR Participate in the following student chat #StuConnect chat on October 8th at 9:30am CST (see link).	Share a link, blog, video, or picture with someone in your organization.  Also share with @johnwink90