Staff News and Announcements

Need to Know (Sunday, September 8th)

Building Collaboration Meetings for the week of September 8th:

Monday, September 9th: Building Collaboration Meetings (7:05 AM)
Wednesday, September 11th: Building Collaboration Meetings (7:05 AM)
Friday, September 13th: MHS "Team of 8" Challenge (Each team connector will contact their team - more information will be provided this week)

Monday, September 9th: MHS Administrators' Meeting (2:35 PM - Front Conference Room)

Tuesday, September 10th: Arts and Activities Council Meeting (7:00 AM - KIVA)

Wednesday, September 11th: CommUNITY Conversation: Stress and Distress

Friday, September 13th: Mason Schools Foundation Gala

You may have noticed you are not receiving the same walk-though feedback we have used in the past. The school district is working on creating a new walk-through form and feedback email. While we will still share feedback on some of the areas we have in the past while focusing on Mike Rutherford's work, we will also collect other types of information throughout the year. We will hopefully complete the walk-through form this week and share with you what it looks like.

Improve Your Instruction

What Does It Look Like to Be an Intentionally Inviting Teacher? - Article with Video Column from Educational Leadership on reminders from students on why they remember teachers who invite them to learning.
Letting Students Make the Choice - “I want to give my students more choices about their learning, but I have a hard time coming up with ideas!” Consider challenging your class to generate ideas. Who better than the students to help you come up with great ideas for learning? Article provides helpful tips and pitfalls to avoid.
Lessons In Learning - New research study from Harvard on "active learning" and increased student learning.
Tips on Feedback
30+ EdTech Websites for Teachers and Educators - Running low on ways to intentionally infuse technology into your lesson design? Check out this list of 30+ EdTech Websites for potential ideas.
Do you want to push yourself to grow and improve? The Never-Ending Conference is a great way to follow your own professional growth trail. You are able to present an area of expertise or attend a session. The opportunity is yours. Don't miss out!

Safety First

Frequently asked questions for A.L.I.C.E drill on Sept. 6th:

Morning for Students: We have adults at the entry points for all students when the door opens at 7:20. We also have admins and other staff in other areas Monday through Friday.
Lunch: If a student is being disruptive at lunch in the pods, please ask them to leave the area. Permission has been given to students with specific needs to be in these areas.
Please use the Remind app for all communication during a potential crisis. Send a text to the number 81010 with the message @bromp for those who have not joined.

Big Rock Connection

Culture Team:

Inclusive Excellence Team: (also known as MHS Equity Team): We want to recognize Marcie Blamer (Teacher Academy in A1) for being selected by the district as our new Building DEI Leader. Each building in the district will have a building Diversity, Equity and Inclusion leader that works directly with the IE team, but also is receiving specialized training to help staff and students be proactive with Inclusive Excellence in the classroom instruction. Amy Hull will continue to guide the team, but we are happy to have Mrs. Blamer taking this leadership role. Also a reminder that we want your opinions! Don't forget to fill out Stop, Start, Continue for IE work (Click!)

Personalized Learning Team: Personalized Learning and Inclusive Excellence go hand-in-hand. PL lifts the voice of all learners. That empowers Inclusive Excellence for all.

This week, we saw PL and IE come together as Sarah Boselovic helped learners personalize their reading experience. She wanted her 9th grade English students choose their own novel written from diverse perspectives. The question became "how might we help 9th graders understand what diversity really is?" Her students used the Diversity Wheel from an IE training last year and interviewed our MHS learning community.

Here's a compilation video of what Ms. Boselovic's students learned (thank you to all that participated):

Wellness Moment

This is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Week - a time to share resources and stories in an effort to shed light on this highly taboo and stigmatized topic. We use this week to reach out to those affected by suicide and to raise awareness. It is also important to ensure that individuals, friends and families have access to the resources they need to discuss suicide prevention.Know the Warning Signs and Risk Factors of Suicide

How have you been feeling lately? Mental health is a key part of your overall health. Brief screenings are the quickest way to determine if you or someone you care about should connect with a mental health professional.Click here to take this anonymous survey that provides instant results, recommendations, and resources.

Counselor's Corner

September 11 and 18: School Counselors are meeting with sophomores to help with the stress of high school and future planning during connect time.

Freshman counselors will be visiting World History classes to assist in all things high school.

Starting September 11 through October 2: counselors will use connect time to help seniors with applications questions. If you know of a struggling or stressed out senior, send them our way.

September 12: College Fair at 6:00 pm at the high school.

September 24: FAFSA Meeting to help parents with financial aid concerns at 7:00 pm in auditorium.

September 26: Senior Parent Coffee 8:00 am in Kiva

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