As I was visiting with the Juniors last Friday in all of their English classes, there was a moment when we were discussing the flow of this most ominous year, academically, in their high school careers. I mentioned the number of school days left (37) for their first semester of their junior year and there was a collective sigh of hope, and astonishment, that was followed by a smile. While visiting with the teachers in our Faculty Meetings during the lunches on Tuesday, I mentioned the number of school days left before Winter Break (35), and there was the same reaction. With both groups, we discussed the importance of staying focused while remembering that there are always end-dates to semesters that mark the passage of significant periods of time. In these moments, with these two distinct groups, there was an instant look wherein each person took themselves to a place of peace and serenity. The message is simple this week for our parents: there are only 33 days left until Winter Break, which really means only 29 regular school days due to our Final Exam Schedule. The old adage is true, “high school is a whirlwind and goes way too fast for a parent”. Hang in there, and let’s all hope, as parents, that we are in a good place with our children and get to be a part of their happy place. The family relationship is of the most importance. It’s always a great day to be a Chaparral! The Teacher Mr. Armando Vazquez, Algebra II and Boy’s Soccer Coach. This is Mr. Vazquez’s 13th year of teaching and 4th year at Westlake HS. He coaches the JVB Boys soccer team at Westlake HS. He has been coaching soccer for 10 years. The Lesson This week Mr. Vazquez’s algebra II classes are engaged in multiplying matrices. In Mr. Vazquez’s class students are truly engaged! When we walked in, students were working ferociously, collaborating and asking questions. Mr. Vazquez was literally running around the room answering questions, checking answers and giving students feedback on their work. After students practiced their skills multiplying matrices by hand Mr. Vazquez modeled how to perform the operations on a graphing calculator. The Inspiration, Engagement, and Beyond Mr. Vazquez has obviously built an amazing classroom culture. Throughout his lesson students were laughing, and excited to solve the problems they were given. That said let’s hear what his students have to say: Following up this learning students will be using matrix multiplication to solve systems of linear equations and 3 variable systems of equations. Once they feel comfortable writing an equation matrix, they will then start applying this knowledge to real life problems that involve multiple variables.
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Steve Ramsey: WHS Principal BlogPrincipal's Weekly Reflections Archives
May 2019
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