We would like to remind you about a change next week. We will have our first Early Release Day of the school year next Tuesday, September 13th. Our students will begin class at 8:45 am and be released for the day at 2:10 pm. Our buses will run as normally scheduled in the morning and depart around 2:15-2:20 pm in the afternoon. This time is dedicated to professional learning for our staff. With any changes to our bell schedule, there comes an adjustment period. Please feel free to share any feedback you have after this first Early Release Day. We will have our first No Homework Night of the year on that same Tuesday evening.
These two events take place the day after our annual Back to School Night. Back to School Night is Monday, September 12th, beginning at 6:30 pm. We look forward to visiting and meeting with you on our campus. Our teachers are ready to tell their story to you about the year your child will have them. You should have received an email on Wednesday detailing the evening and a printable copy of a blank student schedule. Last Friday, I had the opportunity to visit all of our senior English classes. When I was an administrator at WHS previously, I would venture into senior English classes sporadically throughout the year. This usually coincided with major events, and it was a time for some solid reminders. My visits Friday were as memorable and fun as ever. My reminders were simple: let’s make good, quality decisions so as not to limit all of our futures. Let’s be mindful of the influence of peers and to always do the right things which are many times the smallest of things. We talked about our ability to tell our story-not to allow one event to define who we truly are. We even talked about our future class reunions-you might want to follow up on this one. We even discussed the unique environment that exists at Pride of the Hills High. There was not a message delivered that you have not delivered as a parent. That is why I call them “reminders”. As a parent, I have seen the impact a teacher, coach, director, counselor or administrator can have by simply relaying our community’s expectations. We talked about this wonderful start of the Class of 2017. This is a tremendous group of kids as can be seen by the exceptional leadership they have displayed for our other students. It has been one of the best starts, if not the best start, I have seen since 2002! This is truly a special class of seniors. While visiting 28 classes over 8 periods in one day can be a whirlwind, the ability to connect directly is one of the joys of being able to work with our students. One of the intriguing take-a-ways on Friday may help guide us in how seniors still may want to be treated. I was talking about using folks on campus as resources for large issues (college applications, admission, college choice, managing relationships, etc.) as well as giving us feedback for smaller concerns. One small concern that was resolved was the purchasing of additional microwaves for our students to be used for breakfast and lunches. This was a nice surprise for our students. Some of our students were discussing how everything seems to be a “big” issue in their homes since they “will be on their own” soon. This group mentioned how everything now turned into an adult conversation for any of the smallest issues. The response from our students was that our kids, even seniors, sometimes just need a “cheeseburger and large milkshake” to help them navigate this period of time. So maybe next time a quick trip to their favorite burger place might be in order when we feel obliged to impart wisdom that needs to last a lifetime. It's always a great day to be a Chaparral!
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Steve Ramsey: WHS Principal BlogPrincipal's Weekly Reflections Archives
May 2019
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