June 1

Hello Team,

For my final Comet Notes, I just want to say thank you.  I am grateful to everyone who welcomed me into the Comet family two years ago and gave me the opportunity to grow professionally.  In short, thank you for your willingness to partner with me in supporting our students.  I wish you all a happy summer break and an even better school year.

Sincerely,

Joel Villaseñor

May 25

Hello Team,

Here are this week’s announcements:

• On AP Testing:

  • All AP exams have shipped to the College Board for grading. 

  • A late exam arrived defective, and therefore a student will complete a final exam on Wednesday.  

• On Care referrals:

  • While Care referrals are no longer being accepted this year, please continue to contact our advisors, social workers, or administrators for student support. 

Thank you,

Mr. Villaseñor

May 18

Hello Team,

Here are this week’s announcements:

• On AP Exams:

  • We are officially done with Week II of AP testing.  These exams were shipped to the College Board yesterday, Saturday, May 17.

  • Late testing will happen this week on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Participating students have been contacted by email with information about time and location.

    • AP Testing 24-25 

• On Care Team:

  • The final meeting of the year will take place on Wednesday.

Thank you,

Mr. Villaseñor

May 11

Hello Team,

First, happy Mother’s Day!  I hope everyone can enjoy this beautiful Sunday with their families.

Here are this week’s announcements:

• On AP Exams: 

  • We are officially done with Week I of AP testing.  These exams will ship to the College Board Monday, May 12. 

  • Week II begins tomorrow with AP Calculus AB in room 1007.  For this exam, students are allowed to use a graphing calculator.  Students received an email reminder on Friday.  

  • As of now, late testing is scheduled for May 19, 21, and 22. 

  • AP Testing 2024-2025

• On Care Meetings:

  • Due to AP testing, the Care Team did not meet last week and might not meet this week.  However, we ask that you continue to submit your referrals.  Our team members at the Wellness Center will continue to review your submissions and urgent matters will be handled accordingly.

  • The last day to submit Care referrals is Monday, May 19. 

Thank you,

Mr. Villaseñor

May 4

Hello Team,

Here are this week’s announcements:

• On AP Testing:

  • Testing begins Tuesday, May 6th.  If you haven’t done so yet, please review the schedule HERE. 

  • With the exception of one class (AP Computer Science A), all AP students testing this week received passes.  The remaining students will receive passes tomorrow. 

  • All AP students have received email reminders about the AP exams.

    • Please continue reminding them to arrive on time with a fully charged Chromebook (and charger). 

    • Also, make sure students remember their College Board student account information.  On exam day, they will need to sign in to Bluebook using the College Board student account information to access their digital AP Exam.  Saving their password on their device won’t work. 

    • Remind students that phones will be collected at check-in.  Phones will be returned to students only after they submit their exams, not during breaks.  I recommend leaving them at home.  Smartwatches will also be removed.  

  • Students enrolled in any AP Art class will meet with Dr. Leipham on Thursday, May 8.  These students may be pulled for the entire day.  Please allow them additional time to submit any assignments you assign that day.  I will contact the affected teacher by Thursday. 

Thank you,

Mr. Villaseñor

April 27

Hello Team,

Here are this week’s announcements: 

• On AP Testing:

  • Students taking a fully digital and hybrid digital exam will access Bluebook using their College Board student account credentials.  Please ensure that all students taking a digital AP exam are able to log into Bluebook using their College Board student account credentials.  Students can access Test Previews in Bluebook in order to get a sense of the app and its embedded tools.  

    • Teachers of digital AP Exam subjects should make it a class assignment for students to locate their College Board student account information and sign in to Bluebook before exam day.

    • Students should check to ensure all their digital AP Exams are appearing on their Bluebook homepage.

• AP Testing 24-25

  • In the testing schedule, any exam labeled “D” is a digital exam, those labeled “HY” are hybrid digital. 

  • On May 8, Dr. Leipham will meet with all AP art students in room 406 to help them finalize and upload their portfolios. The names of these students will be shared by May 8.

    • These students will remain in room 406 for most of the day.  Please allow them extra time to turn in any work assigned or collected that day.

Thank you,

Mr. Villaseñor

April 13

Hello Team,

Here are this week’s announcements:

• On ELPAC

  • Tomorrow, Monday, April 14th, we will be administering ELPAC make-ups for the speaking portion of the assessment.  This will happen during Periods 3, 4 and 5 in room 1007.  A list with student names can be accessed HERE.  I will visit your class to pick up the students or call so you can send them.   

• On AP Testing

  • Students taking a fully digital and hybrid digital exam will access Bluebook using their College Board student account credentials. Please ensure that all students taking a digital AP exam are able to log into Bluebook using their College Board student account credentials. Students can access Test Previews in Bluebook in order to get a sense of the app and its embedded tools.  

    • In the below testing schedule, any exam labeled “D” is a digital exam, those labeled “HY” are hybrid digital. 

• AP Testing Schedule 

  • On May 8, Dr. Leipham will meet with all AP art students in room 1007 to help them finalize and upload their portfolios. The names of these students will be shared by May 8.

Thank you,

Mr. Villaseñor

April 6

Hello Team,

Here are this week’s announcements:

• On AP Testing

  • AP exams are just around the corner.  If you teach an AP class, begin checking that your students have access to the appropriate sites (e.g., Bluebook).  Also, remind students to acquire the required and acceptable assessment materials/tools if they do not already have them (e.g., graphing calculators, rulers, No. 2 pencils, black or dark blue ink pens).

  • Click Here to View the Testing Schedule

• On ELPAC Testing

  • Make-ups for the speaking portion will be held Monday, April 14th during Period 3 and 4. 

• On SST Interventions

  • Any recommended accommodations/interventions are just that, recommendations.  Our hope is that you will consider our team's feedback to more appropriately support your students.  Please implement these recommended supports faithfully.  Doing so allows us to have a clearer idea of ​​where students are struggling and how we can best support them if something isn't working.  

Thank you,

Mr. Villaseñor

March 30

Hello Team,

Here are this week’s announcements: 

• On ELPAC:

  • Last Friday, we administered make-up exams.  We tested 33 students.

  • We have completed approximately 83% of the reading, writing, and listening sections.  We have completed approximately 66% of the speaking section.  Combined, these percentages put us at about 62%. 

  • Because we need to reach the minimum threshold of 90%, I plan to pull students weekly in the future until that happens.  I plan to continue with these efforts on Tuesday. 

  • Last but not least, I want to shout out Ms. Ortiz for helping me this past Friday.  Thank you!

• On AP Testing:

  • I plan to solidify a testing schedule before spring break begins. AP teachers, remember that you will be proctoring tests outside of your subject area.  I’ll reach out as soon as I have more information to share.  

Thank you,

Mr. Villaseñor

March 23

Hello Team,

Here are this week’s announcements:

• On AP Exam:

  • Our exam order has been processed.  As stated previously, at this point, exams cannot be canceled or added.

  • Students will need to accept The 2025 AP® Exam Terms and Conditions prior to taking their exam/s.

• On ELPAC:

  • I was optimistic about Thursday and Friday's numbers because we did everything we could to pull students who didn't show up on their own, however, it seems we haven't reached the minimum threshold of 90%.  59% of our students completed the speaking portion this past week.  To date, 78% have completed the reading, writing, and listening sections.  

  • We have until May 31st to increase the number of participants. In the coming weeks, I will begin scheduling make-up sessions for the RWL sections.

  • Once again, thank you to everyone who has supported the ELPAC team over the past few weeks! 

Thank you,

Mr. Villaseñor

March 16

Hello Team,

Here are this week’s announcements: 

• Part II of ELPAC testing is happening Thursday, March 20, and Friday, March 21.  Students will be provided with passes on Tuesday and will also be emailed information about the testing time and location.   

• The AP Exam order has been submitted.  At this time, exams cannot be canceled or added. 

Thank you,

Mr. Villaseñor

March 9

Hello Team,

Here are this week’s announcements: 

• The speaking portion of the ELPAC will take place on Thursday, March 20, and Friday, March 21.  They will be all-day test sessions.  Students will be pulled from class in 30 minute segments.

• If you are proctoring the speaking section, remember to complete the Moodle training by March 11.  Please contact me as soon as you're done so I can sign your timesheet and tell you who to email it to.  

• March 14 is the last day to edit the AP exam order.  Please assist any last-minute students in registering for the appropriate exam.  Contact me directly, sooner rather than later, if any issues arise. 

• I will be attending an off-campus PD from March 12-14.  If you need to contact me, please do so via email.  I apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause. 

Thank you,

Mr. Villaseñor

March 2

Hello Team,

Here are this week’s announcements: 

• First, I want to clarify the following (again):

  • Under an SST, any recommended accommodations/interventions are just that, recommendations.  Our hope is that you will consider our team's feedback to more appropriately support your students.  Implement these recommended supports faithfully.  Doing so allows us to have a clearer idea of ​​where students are struggling and how we can best support them if something isn't working. 

  • Under a 504 Plan or IEP, accommodations, modifications and/or other interventions are legal mandates.  We are legally obligated to provide students with these supports regardless of your view or interpretation of their needs.  This is particularly important when these students are struggling.  You want to make sure you have given them all the help listed in their respective plans.  Please contact the students' case managers if you ever need clarification on any support listed.    

• Second, huge thanks to all the teachers who helped me get students into the ELPAC testing rooms this past Tuesday and Wednesday!  74 students have yet to complete the reading, writing and listening sections.  I'll reach out soon, when I know what the next big makeup day will be.

• Students with particular accommodations will be pulled out on Tuesday, March 4th.  Currently, there are four students on my radar.  All four have been contacted.  I’ll be pulling them out two at a time.  I'll contact their teachers early Monday, so you know who they are.

• The speaking portion of the ELPAC will take place on Thursday, March 20, and Friday, March 21.  They will be all-day test sessions.  Students will be pulled from class in 30 minute segments.   

• If you are proctoring the speaking section, remember to complete the Moodle training by March 11.  Please contact me as soon as you're done so I can sign your timesheet and tell you who to email it to.   

Thank you,

Mr. Villaseñor

February 23

Hello Team,

I hope everyone had some free time to rest.  Here are this week’s announcements:

• ELPAC makeups will take place this week on Wednesday and Thursday.  Passes will be delivered on Monday.  Students will also receive an email tomorrow with the scheduled exam day.  Please remind students to bring their Chromebooks charged on test day.  The exact schedule is as follows:

• Due to the low initial turnout, this second time I plan to visit classrooms on exam days to pull the students who do not attend on their own.  Again, I apologize for any disruption this may cause.

• As we look ahead, please note that Part II of ELPAC will take place next week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and possibly Friday.  This second part will cover the speaking section.  The danceroom will serve as the testing room this time.  

Thank you,

Mr. Villaseñor

February 9

Hello Team,

Here are this week’s announcements:

• Part I of ELPAC, which focused on the reading, writing and listening sections, was completed on Wednesday.  A little over 100 students tested.  Thank you very much to everyone who helped me proctor the exam!

• ELPAC Make-Up Day 1 is scheduled for February 27th.  We will try to complete all pending reading, writing and listening tests on this day.  Teachers, please share this information with your students.  I will send a reminder email to all applicable students after the break and will also share new passes.  

• On Wednesday, February 12, I will meet with the ELPAC proctors who will help me administer the oral portion of the exam.  This will be a short meeting.  The objective is to introduce participants to Moodle, the training site.  We will meet in the TRC at 12pm. 

• Teachers, remember that Part II of ELPAC, which will focus on the speaking portion of the assessment, is scheduled for March 4, 5 and 7.  Please plan accordingly.    

Thank you,

Mr. Villaseñor

February 2

Hello Team,

Here are this week’s announcements:

• I again want to thank the English Department for allowing me to interrupt their classes last week to talk to students about the upcoming ELPAC exam. 

• ELPAC student passes were shared with teachers last week.  If you have not already done so, please hand out passes to students by the end of the day tomorrow, Monday, February 3rd.  Students should bring passes with them on test day.   Also, remind students to bring their Chromebooks charged.  Thank you!

• Lastly, Part I of ELPAC testing is happening this week.  The schedule looks like this:

Please reach out if any questions or concerns come up.

Best,

Mr. Villaseñor 

January 26

Hello Team,

Here are this week’s announcements:

• I want to thank all of the ELD teachers for opening their doors to me last Friday so I could talk to our students about the upcoming ELPAC exam!  

• I want to remind all other English teachers that I will be visiting classrooms this week to talk to all other EL students about ELPAC.  My plan is to briefly remove the appropriate students from your class.  I will visit English classes during each period and speak to students immediately outside of their classroom so as not to take them for too long.

• I want to remind all staff that the following rooms will be used for the ELPAC: 1303, 1007, 317 and 308.  Our custodial team will begin preparing the classrooms to meet testing requirements this week.  I’m going to ask you not to alter their arrangements.  However,  if you must, please re-arrange them after use. 

• Part I of the ELPAC testing schedule will look like this: 

Thank you, 

Mr. Villaseñor 

January 19

Hello Team,

Here are this week’s announcements:

• In an attempt to facilitate student attendance and completion of the ELPAC exam, I plan to meet with all appropriate students to clarify what the assessment is and when and where it will be administered.  During this visit, students will receive an informational letter to take home to parents.  Again, the letter will explain what the ELPAC is, who’s required to take it  and the dates it will be held at our school.  The presentation should not last more than 10 minutes.  

  • I will visit all ELD classes on Friday, January 24.      

  • I will visit all other English classes on January 27 and 28.  Keeping in mind that not all of your students are required to take the ELPAC, as of now, I plan to visit your classroom, pull and speak with those labeled “EL” on IC.  Again, my talk should be no more than 10 minutes.   

• If you’re proctoring the ELPAC, I sent out calendar invitations for scheduled training.  Respond to them before the end of the week.  Please contact me directly if any conflict/concerns arise.  Again, a big thank you to everyone who agreed to help!    

• Reminder: IEP and 504 case managers, when scheduling meetings, use the Teacher Rotation Spreadsheet to ensure teacher participation.  To provide parents with meaningful feedback about their students - as well as not waste teachers time - invite at least one teacher of record.  If the next teacher on the spreadsheet is not your student's teacher, you can ask them to substitute for one of the teachers of record.  Yes, you will be compensated for substituting a class. 

Thank you, 

Mr. Villaseñor

January 12

January 5

Welcome back Team!

Here are this week’s announcements:

• Please review the following document prior to Period 4 on Monday to get acquainted with the scheduled school-wide lessons.  Remember, we’ll be on Collaboration hours for the first week.

  • SWL (Semester Two)  

• Part I of the ELPAC will take place February 4th and 5th from 8:30am to 12pm.  During these two days, students will complete the reading, writing and listening portions of the assessment.  Part II will happen March 4th, 5th and 7th.  During these days, students will leave class at different intervals to complete the oral portion of the assessment.  Please review the following document to gain a clearer understanding of the testing schedule:

  • ELPAC Testing 2024-25  

• In an effort to provide EL students with more support options, I will begin offering tutoring after school in Spanish.  I will share a flyer with the time and location next week. 

•  Lastly, as you return from vacation, I encourage you to treat this week as the first week of school.  Take time to review classroom norms and expectations, but also provide students with opportunities to develop their community.  In other words, reinforce your learning community’s atmosphere.  After working with your students for a semester, you have a better idea who they are, the strengths and areas of growth they bring with them.  Help them find success in your classrooms by continuing to place them at the center of your instruction.

Have a great week!

Mr. Villaseñor

December 15

Hello Team,

Here are the semester’s final announcements:

• School-wide lessons have been finalized for the start of Semester Two.  Many thanks to the MTSS/PD Committee for helping us pinpoint topics of interest!  In particular, I want to thank the following people for creating and providing us with a lesson: Ms. Estranero, Ms. Ruby Chavez, Ms. Ghijsen, and Mr. Zabala!  Please review the following document to get acquainted with the lesson topics and schedule.  Remember, we’ll be on Collaboration hours for the first week.

  • SWL (Semester Two) 

• The ELPAC (Reading, Writing and Listening portions) will be held February 4th and 5th.  Students will take the tests during the first three periods of the day.  More information will be shared with proctors later this week.  Make-up exams and the speaking portion will be determined at a later time.    

• This semester, a total of 102 Care referrals were submitted.  Working to help our students overcome the various difficulties that many of them face would be an impossible task without your support.  Thank you for helping the Care Team to better support our students! 

I'm sure there's stuff I'm forgetting, however, for now, this is it.  I wish everyone a great winter break!   

Thank you!

Mr. Villaseñor

December 8

Hello Team,

Here are this week’s announcements:

• On requesting classroom support:

  • When contacting members of the Safety Team for help with students, in addition to sending us direct emails, also submit a Care referral.  This is particularly important when the request for help is related to patterns of disruptive behavior.  Doing so allows us to systematically document concerns and solutions (or attempts).  You can find a link to the Care Reference on our school website, in my email signature, and HERE.

  • As a first step measure, please continue working with our students and their families to try and resolve classroom concerns.  When this happens, also document your communication with students (and/or family) by using the PLP feature on IC.  Contact me if you need help with this. 

• On SST, 504 and IEP accommodations:

  • Please remember that we are legally required to provide students with the accommodations and/or modifications listed in their 504 plans or IEPs.  To avoid unintentionally keeping these supports from students, in the future, I recommend that you review their plans as soon as you notice them struggling in your class.  In other words, before you fail a student with a 504 Plan or IEP, you need to make sure you have done everything you were supposed to do to help them find success in the classroom.  Contact case managers if you need help reading a 504 Plan or IEP.

Thank you,

Mr. Villaseñor

December 2

Hello Team,

Three more weeks until our next break!  Make them your best and let me know how I can help.  Here are this week’s announcements:

• On AP Exams:

  • 285 students enrolled in class/es with the College Board this year.  In total, this group registered for 477 exams.     

  • Out of all students who expressed interest in taking their AP exam/s, only six still need to make their $5 payment.  I plan to remind these students of  the pending payments this week. 

  • During the next three weeks I’ll be uploading 504 or IEP-related accommodations to the College Board for all appropriate students.    

• As we approach finals, remember that students with 504s or IEPs may have assessment accommodations on their plans.  If necessary, review your students' documents to ensure they are provided with the support we are legally required to provide.  If necessary, please contact students’ case managers for clarity.   

• Lastly, I want to shout out Mr. Gatenby for the awesome work he and his students are doing around Lit Circles!  Most, if not all, of the NTN pillars are present in this weekly activity.  I was particularly impressed with students' willingness to share vulnerable reflections with their team members.  Again, kudos Mr. Gatenby! 

Have an awesome week y'all!

Mr. Villaseñor

November 17

Hello Team,

Here are this week’s announcements:

• The AP exam order was successfully submitted on Friday.  285 students registered with the College Board with a total of 476 exams.  Huge thanks to all teachers who helped students with their online enrollments!  Special thanks to Ms. Garcia for managing the finances portion of this whole process!  Lastly, if I interrupted your class (by phone or in-person) to bug students about last-minute registrations or payments, I appreciate you too!  Moving forward, students who wish to register for an exam will be charged an extra $40 on top of the original $5.  The same is true for canceling an already-ordered exam. 

• The Care Team will not be meeting this week.  As of last Wednesday, the Team is caught up with all referrals.  If any new issues arise this week, please email a Care Team member (e.g., APTS, advisors, social workers, etc.) APART from submitting the referral. 

• Lastly, remember that for many of our students the holidays may not always be a time of joy.  Differing socioeconomic circumstances at home can cause feelings of anxiety which could manifest themselves as behavior issues.  In other words, students may express uneasiness if they worry about having to go without the stability the school setting provides for a whole week.  Please be mindful of this as we get through the week.     

Thank you!

Mr. Villaseñor

November 10

Hello Team,

I have one announcement this week:

• I’ll be submitting the AP Exams order by Friday, November 15th.  56 students have yet to visit Ms. Garcia.  I sent those students the following message:

• Good afternoon JLHS Student,

You are receiving this email because you have not paid for your AP Exam.  Please reply to this email to let me know if you plan on taking the exam.  If you want to take the exam but don't yet have the money, for any reason, let me know and we can work something out.  Similarly, if you know you are not taking the exam, again, for any reason, also let me know.

I must submit exam orders by November 15th (next Friday).  Late registrations or cancellations will cost you $40 extra per exam.  If possible, let's avoid having to pay extra money.   

• AP Teachers, I shared a document with you containing the emails of all the students I contacted.  Please review the document early on Tuesday and circle back with your students.  Let your students know that I will not be ordering an exam for students who don't confirm their intent to take the exam/s.  This should happen by mid-day Thursday, November 14th.  Again, talk with your students and have them email me back.  If you prefer, you can also collect their responses and send them my way.

Thank you!

Mr. Villaseñor

November 4

Hello Team,

First, a message to our AP Teachers:

• If you haven’t done so yet, please schedule a class appointment with Ms. Garcia so that all AP students have an opportunity to pay for their exams.  Ideally, all payments will be made by November 8th.  I’ll begin contacting students who haven't paid on Friday.  Again, thank you for helping us with this work!  

Regarding the mid-semester slump and making it feel less difficult in the classroom, teachers can try the following: 

• Use a mix of lectures, discussions, group work, presentations, and hands-on activities to keep things fresh. 

• Incorporate real-world case studies or relevant current events to spark interest. 

• Divide students into small groups for discussions and collaborative projects. 

• Encourage peer review and feedback to foster accountability.

• Offer students options for assignments or project topics to align with their interests.

• Allow for some student-led discussions or presentations. 

• Provide regular feedback on assignments and progress to help students stay on track. 

• Use formative assessments to gauge understanding and adjust teaching accordingly. 

• Acknowledge the mid-semester fatigue and discuss strategies for staying motivated. 

• Incorporate brief "refreshment" activities like quick brain breaks or energizing discussions. 

• Encourage students to take breaks, practice mindfulness, and prioritize self-care. 

• Promote healthy habits like staying hydrated and getting enough sleep. 

• Celebrate small wins and acknowledge student effort. 

• Incorporate gamification elements like points or rewards for participation. 

Lastly, I want to remind teachers about our school's resource page.  There you'll find instructional tools and other related resources.  I invite you to check it out and make use of any ideas you find appropriate for your classroom and students.  Please reach out if any questions/concerns arise. 

Thank you!

Mr. Villaseñor

October 27

Hello Team,

Please complete the survey below to provide input on the following topics:

• School-wide Lesson topics

• Classroom activities that help lessen the burnt out feeling that often accompanies the mid-semester slump.  

Survey: SWLs and the Mid-Semester Slump 

Thank you!

Mr. Villaseñor

October 20

Hello Team,

Here are this week’s announcements:

• First, as we approach the end of October, I encourage you to create and administer a survey where students can anonymously share how they’re feeling.  Collecting this type of feedback can make it easier on teachers to plan for instructional changes necessary to improve our students' learning experiences.  If you decide to do this, I encourage you include the following questions:

  • What experiences have helped you learn?

  • What experiences have not helped you learn?

  • What do you like best about this class? 

  • What do you like least about this class?

  • What is still unclear?

  • What are you curious about?   

• Second, thank you to all teachers for being so welcoming of me and the rest of the admin team during our weekly visits!  It’s been a pleasure seeing the awesome and varied work you all do.  In particular, it’s been great seeing the different ways in which you attempt to provide our students equitable and meaningful learning opportunities.  While I appreciate your correspondence, I want to remind you that any feedback or questions you receive after an admin visits, unless specified in said feedback, is meant for self-reflection purposes only, no need to respond (unless you want to).

• Lastly, I want to thank our AP teachers for helping students enroll on the College Board website.  At this point, all students have registered for their exams.  During the next two weeks, Ms. Garcia will continue to collect student payments.  If you haven’t done so yet, please reach out to her to schedule a class appointment.  Remind students to take the registration form with them.      

Have a great week!

Mr. Villaseñor

October 14

Welcome Back Team!

I hope everyone had a relaxing and joyful week! Six weeks until our next break!  We got this! 

This week’s announcements:

• AP Teachers, make sure you have shared Join Codes with all of your students by the end of the week.   

• AP Teachers, please contact Ms. Garcia to schedule an appointment for your class to pay for their AP Exams.  Take your students to your appointment as a group, don't send them a few at a time.  Ms. Garcia will send students back to class who go to the Bank without a class appointment.  She’ll allot 30 minutes for each class to visit, so please take your students at the beginning of your assigned time so there is enough time to get through everyone.  Lastly, remind your students that AP Exam payments are cash only this year.  No credit or debit cards will be accepted for AP Exam payments.

• Teachers, remember that in order to systematize and facilitate teacher participation across SST, 504 and IEP meetings, all case managers will make use of the same spreadsheet.  Thank you for doing your part in ensuring we offer families supportive and meaningful meetings!    

Have a great week!

Mr. Villaseñor

September 29

Hello Team,

Contact me if you’re a certificated staff member interested in learning more about the 504 Case Manager role, its responsibilities and compensation.  

Also, remember that a student mustn't have an SST, 504 or IEP for you to provide them with accommodations you know they need.  Please work with your students and, when appropriate, their families, to help them find success in your classes.  

Remember that we’re required to provide listed accommodations to all students with a 504 Plan or IEP.  Reach out to the student’s assigned case manager if you don’t know what these are.  

Thank you,

Mr. Villasenor

September 15

Hello Team,

Two short announcements this week: 

• First, moving forward, I'll be using the rotation spreadsheet for 504 meetings and SST meetings requiring a teacher.  I will continue to invite all appropriate teachers to these meetings, however, the expectation will be that the teacher who's on call for that day/period will attend.

• Teachers, when submitting a CARE referral related to a student's academics, attendance and/or behavior in your class, apart from submitting the referral, and when appropriate, reach out to parents.  CARE Team members are ready to work with your students, however, more often than not, your most effective partners will be the students' guardian/s.  Please keep them informed and reach out to them when conflicts arise in your classroom.  After doing this, log your communications in IC by using the “Contact Log” feature on the student’s IC profile.  

Have a great week,

Mr. Villasenor

September 8

Hello Team,

The following announcement is for AP Teachers: 

• If you’re teaching an AP course and haven’t done so yet, please check that you’re able to access your College Board account and your class section/s.  Please share Join Codes with students sooner rather than later.  Also, Apart from focusing on collecting and delivering Income Eligibility forms to the DO, during the next week (or two), I'd like to ensure: 

  • All of you have completed the necessary course audit and have set-up AP Classrooms.

    • If you haven't done this yet, please upload appropriate documents to AP Course Audit.  Reach out to me if you need help doing this.  I plan to meet  

  • All AP students receive the appropriate Join Codes.

    • If you haven't done so yet, please provide students with class time to create their College Board accounts (if needed) and join the online course.

September 1

Hello Team,

Here are a few reminders:

• If you’re teaching an AP course and haven’t done so yet, please check that you’re able to access your College Board account and your class section/s.  Please share Join Codes with students sooner rather than later.  As mentioned Friday, Mr. Zabala and I will visit AP classes on Wednesday to review AP exam costs, deadlines and other info.  We’ll try to keep these presentations short. 

• If any of your students are already failing your class/es, I encourage you to have one-on-one conversations with them about where their struggles lay.  If you already had these conversations and nothing changed, please consider calling home and working with parents/guardians to better understand why/where a student may need extra help.  Please log these interactions in IC.   

• I want to clarify that we, the admin team, do not expect teachers to reply to our feedback after we partake in non-evaluative visits.  We share notes, primarily, for self-reflection.  

Thank you!

Mr. Villasenor

August 26

Hello Team,

Here are this week’s announcements:

• If you’re part of the PD Committee, please attend our first meeting happening Tuesday at 3:30pm in the TRC.  

• If you’re teaching an AP course and haven’t done so yet, please check that you’re able to access your College Board account and your class section/s.  With the exception of one teacher, all others have Join Code/s to share with students.  Please share these with students sooner rather than later so they too have access to the online resources.  Lastly, I’d like to visit all AP classes during the first week of September to remind students about the importance of submitting Income Eligibility forms.  I’ll schedule these on a Google Calendar and share them with you by the end of the week. 

• Our first CARE Team meeting is on Wednesday.  These are weekly meetings.  Referrals will be reviewed and addressed in the order in which they arrive.  You can access the CARE referral form by clicking on the following link: CARE Team Referral    

• If any of your students are already failing your class/es, I encourage you to have one-on-one conversations with them about where their struggles lay.  If you already had these conversations and nothing changed, please consider calling home and working with parents/guardians to better understand why/where a student may need extra help.  Please log these interactions in IC.  Feel free to reach out if you need help communicating with Spanish-speaking parents.       

• If you run or plan on running an extracurricular program and/or club, please fill in the following spreadsheet with the corresponding information: Extracurricular Programs/Clubs 

• Admin will continue visiting classrooms this week.  Again, our goal is for each teacher to have two visits per month, minimum.  These are non-evaluative visits.  We’ll try to provide feedback at the end of each visit.  Feedback will be emailed to you.  We look forward to seeing what your students are up to!  

Have a great week!

Mr. Villasenor

August 19

Hello Team, 

First, huge thanks to everyone who followed the SWL schedule this past week!  You rock!  Please take a few minutes to complete the following survey so we can improve our efforts around this work: Survey: Initial SWLs 

Second, kudos to all teachers who continue providing students with community-building activities even though we’re past the first few days of school.  For example, I want to shout out to Ms. Hellebrandt for her Tea Party Formation activity.  Awesome work!

Lastly, I want to remind everyone that our first CARE Team meeting is scheduled for August 28th.  Any CARE referrals submitted now will be discussed then.  Please reach out to me directly if my involvement is needed prior to the 28th.  Thank you for continuing to place our students’ academic and socio-emotional wellbeing at the center of the work that you do!

Have a great week!              

Mr. Villasenor

August 12

Hello Team,

Again, thank you for a great start to this new school year!

Here are this week’s announcements:

• All SST and 504 Plans have been shared with the appropriate teachers.  If any questions or concerns arise regarding any of the documents, please contact the corresponding case manager.

• As part of their role, 504 case managers are required to check in with their students monthly.  My goal is for all students with 504 Plans to meet with their case manager by the end of August. As the first month, these meetings should be short.  As the SST Coordinator, I plan to manage those cases the same.  I apologize in advance for any disruption this may cause to your classes.             

• On Friday a couple of teachers informed me that they forgot to present the SWL during the designated period.  Due to this, I was offered the following recommendation: announce the day’s SWL at the start of the period in which it’s supposed to be presented.  Starting tomorrow, Monday, August 12th, we’ll begin this practice.  Feel free to email me feedback on this matter if you think it works or if it only adds stress to your day.    

• Please be mindful of this week’s SWLs.  Click on the following link to access the schedule: SWL: Semester 1  

  • The following presentations have been translated to Spanish:

    • Building Community 

    • Why School Matters 

    • On Respect 

  • The presentations’ corresponding links can be found on the actual lesson plans.

  • I’ll translate the last two presentations by Wednesday.

Have a great week!

Mr. Villasenor 

August 5

Hello Team,

I hope everyone had a relaxing summer break.

As we prepare for the start of the school year, I’d like to share the following announcements:

• First, I want to thank Ms. Baldock, Ms. Cabigas, Ms. Chavez, Ms. Estranero, Ms. Gutierrez, Ms. Ramirez, Ms. Telebrico, Mr. Wu and Mr. Zabala for attending the School-Wide Lesson (SWL) summer sessions.  It was awesome listening to and exchanging ideas with all who showed up.  As a team, we attempted to create and arrange the initial SWLs the most appropriate and sensible way possible.  I'm grateful to everyone who showed up and helped with this task.  I look forward to finalizing my review of the lessons and sharing them with everyone.

• Second, we’ll be on Collaboration Schedule the first seven days of school.  Prepare to present one SWL a day, starting on Friday, August 9th, and ending on Friday, August 16th.  Most lessons should take between 25 to 40 minutes to complete.  Remember, the purpose of school-wide lessons is to help with the development of our learning community's sense of unity and cohesion.  These lessons serve their purpose only when they’re presented school-wide.  Please plan for their presentation accordingly.

• Third, all SST and 504 Plans will be shared with the appropriate teachers by the end of the work day on Friday, August 9th.  Remember that, like an IEP, 504 Plans are legal documents.  We are responsible for providing students with all of the accommodations and modifications listed on their documents.  I recommend you review all 504 Plans, as well as SSTs, before the start of the work day on Monday, August 12th.

• Lastly, I scheduled the first CARE Team meeting for August 28th.  While social workers will review referral submissions before then, we will not meet as a team until the aforementioned date.  If at any moment you believe my involvement is required on any given matter, don't hesitate to reach out directly.    

Comets, I wish you all an awesome 2024-2025 school year! 

In collaboration,

Mr. Villasenor 

Previous Editions of Comet Notes

July 22

Hello Team,

The SWL planning session is happening July 25 and 26 from 9am to 2pm in room 701, the new Teacher Resource Center.  The plan is to discuss and develop the lessons we'll be presenting at the start of the school year.      

A calendar invite was sent in May.  Please reply "Yes" if you plan on attending.  Attendance is voluntary.  Lunch will not be provided, however, attendees can time-sheet their participation. 

Click on the following links to see the planned agendas:

• Agenda for 7/25/2024

• Agenda for 7/26/2024

Contact me if any questions or concerns arise.  

Thank you!

Mr. Villasenor