Issue 7| April 2, 2019| Lynbrook High School

Spring: The Beauty and the Bustle

With all the rain we have had, let's hope for a mild, flower-filled season and let's try to make time to get outdoors and enjoy the sunshine.

The Bustle

As you are planning for the next ten weeks of school, please be considerate of the following things:

• Run Hide Defend Drill: Don't miss the staff meeting on April 9. The San Jose Police Department will be here to review emergency protocol. The drill is scheduled for  April 23, 2019. 
• Field Trips: Thank you, Linda Sakoda for putting all of the field trips for the next two months on the LHS Staff Calendar (click the link to access the calendar).
• Due dates for projects: The second semester is a typical time to assign projects to students. In the past, we have tried tracking due dates. Teachers have asked for some way to see the due dates of projects and other high-stakes assignments. To facilitate this, I  created a calendar in Google Sheets.  This document will only be helpful if teachers enter their information. Let's give it another try. Teachers, please enter the days you have high-stakes projects, exams or writing assignments due. This calendar will only be viewable by staff.  Here is the link. You need to use your FUHSD log in to access it. 
• AP Exams May 6-17 (mostly): If you teach an AP class, please remind students that the work and requirements of other classes are not excused during AP exam time. That being said, the exam schedule is provided to assist with curriculum planning.  

The Beauty 

• Showtime! Make time to see the charming and uplifting spring musical, Beauty and the Beast. It has been many years since we have had a musical on the main stage. Click here for showtimes and ticket information. Don't miss it!
• Spring Break: Be sure to give your students and yourself a break over the break. The campus will be open April 15-19 from 7am-10 pm. It is my sincere hope that you do not need to come on campus.  Friendly reminder: The school is always alarmed on Sundays and holidays. Do not enter classrooms if the alarms are on.
• PTSA Honorary Service Awards, April 24, 2019; This a night of smiles and kind remarks as community members and staff are recognized for their service beyond self. 
• Red, White & Blue Awards are on May 2, 2019. Celebrate the students who make a difference on our campus every day. Red, White and Blue awards are given to students who make meaningful contributions on campus. Some are academic superstars; others are great students and outstanding human beings. Mark your calendar for this event.

Deadline for Summer Conference Request and Grant Requests

All grant requests and summer conference requests need to be submitted by Wednesday, April 10, 2019.  If you need assistance, email Maya (maya_baba@fuhsd.org) or drop by her office.

Supervision Duty Fulfillment— getting down to the wire

Have you completed the required supervision duties for the year?  Students really appreciate seeing teachers and staff at their extracurricular events. If you missed a supervision duty that you were signed up for, or if you have not signed up for all 4, you still have time to take care of this. Check with Assistant Principal Brooke Chan to see if there are activities that still need coverage.

CAASPP Testing complete and Science test for seniors is next up

High fives all around for a successful CAASPP testing season.  Assistant Principal Eric Wong was a master organizer and the morning yummies were a nice touch. The yogurt parfaits were delicious, and the cereal through-backs took us back to our Saturday morning cartoon days.

The LHS Govt/Econ teachers- Mike Williams, Jeff Bale, Dave Pugh, Esther Phan, and Nate Martell --will be proctoring the CAST(science assessment) during class time. The seniors will take this exam the week before spring break. This year, the juniors took the CAST along with the CAASPP. That means no state testing will be required of them next year.

Homeroom, Tutorial, and Bell Schedule Tweaks for 19-20

The school year is on a quick pace to June.  I know many of you are wondering about the plan for Homeroom in 2019-20. The plans for Homeroom are intricately connected to tutorial changes and the bell schedule tweaks. Here is a brief rundown of where things stand:

Bell Schedule Adjustments:  There were two meetings during lunch where the staff was asked questions and provided input to improve the current bell schedule. The suggestions were taken to the district Bell Schedule Input Committee.  A poll/survey is being created that will contain options for adjustments to the schedule. It will be out to staff just before or just after Spring Break. Monta Vista and Lynbrook must agree to the same adjusted bell schedule. There may be more than one round of surveying required to narrow down the options to ultimately arrive at one option that works for both schools. 

Tutorial & Tutorial Guidelines Update: The topic of tutorial came up at the monthly Advisory Council meeting. For many years, there have been ongoing, informal discussions about how students use tutorial. There are concerns that students are not using these instructional minutes wisely. There is another conversation about how teachers want to use tutorial time(i.e., rehearsals, labs, PE make-ups, etc.) Crystal Isola sent an email on April 1, asking for others to join her and form a committee to provide teachers with a framework of suggested uses and "discouraged" uses of tutorial time. The group would also provide input to update the Tutorial Guidelines for Students. The administration and a crew of helpful staff volunteers have a plan to walk campus to get "snapshots" of how students currently use tutorial. The snapshot data will be shared with the Tutorial Guidelines group to help inform their process. We will also look at how other schools in the district structure their tutorial times. We want to accomplish three things: 1. Understand how tutorial is currently being used 2. Provide a Framework of Tutorial Practices for Teachers 3. Draft Updated Tutorial Guidelines for students.

Homeroom: The following parameters were approved by FEA in early March.

Summary of Tutorial Parameters Pilot for the 2019-20 school year

1. Number of Alternative Tutorials: The district shall limit the use of a closed tutorial to no more than 10 events where the FEA unit member is expected to deliver an activity designed to promote social-emotional learning/wellness of our students (as opposed to core subject matter).
2. Teacher Support: It is recognized that some of the topics surrounding social-emotional learning and equity can be unfamiliar and challenging for staff to teach. Instructional support shall be provided in order to boost the competency and comfort level of teachers who desire such assistance. Note: this is not intended to be an opt-out clause.
3. Student Assignment:  As a default, students in the above-referenced tutorial sessions shall be connected to one of the other classes that the teacher already teaches. However, should the majority of unit members agree that a different arrangement makes more sense then the will of the majority shall be honored. As with Parameter 1, such different arrangement votes shall be subject to FEA consultation and approval of form and process.
4. Subject Matter: The use of these closed tutorials are not designed to create an additional subject matter class for any unit member.

General Plan for 2019-20: Given these parameters, Homerooms next year will consist of a teacher's existing class. Teachers will have their own students. As a result, some homerooms will have mixed grade levels. The size of homerooms will vary, too. Homerooms will meet weekly for study time, and no more than 10 times a year there will be a planned activity/lesson targeted to our school action plan.  In a nutshell, one tutorial will be "closed" for Homeroom and teachers will have their own students.

The Specifics: There is still much to be decided. There will be a survey to students and staff to follow up on the survey that was conducted in early December. We will ask some of the same questions, but some will be removed and replaced depending on the tweaks to the bell schedule and the new tutorial parameters. The following things still need to be worked out:

• Which class will be used for Homeroom?
• What activities will be planned? Who will plan them?
• What will teachers who have a prep (no students) during Homeroom do?
• How will administrators, guidance counselors, school psychologists, the student advocate, the library media teacher, and classified staff stay involved in Homeroom?

It is my hope that all of these questions can be answered by May 17. Given that there are factors beyond our control, we may not have everything decided by the end of May.

Construction update

Thank you all for your continued patience and understanding while the new quad and cafeteria are underway. As you can see when you walk by the area, the building will be fully enclosed soon. The concrete for the seat walls along the side of the quad is being poured.  We are on schedule for an August opening of the Cafeteria, and approximately 70% of the quad will be complete. We will be able to walk across the quad from the office to the auditorium at the beginning of next school year.

The gym lobby project needed to be reworked and the plans are finalized. They have been submitted to the Division of the State Architect (DSA). The gym will be closed in the summer (June 10- July 26) to prepare it for the major part of the construction project that will begin in March 2020. It is slated for completion in December 2020.

The last few months, representatives from the office staff have met with architects to design the new Guidance Student Support building (new office). We used much of the input that was offered the last time we looked at an office redesign. I have included an image to give you an idea of what the architects are envisioning. Better renderings will be shared when the final drawings are completed.

Maria Jackson, Principal | maria_jackson@fuhsd.org | Phone 408.366.7701