Ms. Derrow's OCS Courses

Week of January 4 - 8, 2021

We spent the week reviewing for exams in all our classes.

End of Semester and Exam Time

We DID it!! A huge shout to all my students for completing a crazy semester of online learning! I can't believe how far we advanced in our skills of being on a computer daily and handing in all assignments remotely. I am thankful for you all hanging in there and being determined to finish your coursework. I am attaching the exam schedule for next week. As of now, I have opened my exams for both Intro to Math and Applied Science. The exams are found in the NCVPS modules section. They are titled "Final Exams". The students who came to class today have taken their exams and will not need to come to the scheduled exam time on Wednesday or Thursday of next week. The students who did not come to class today, have until next Thursday to take the exams. I will be available during the exam time if a student needs help with their exam. All students in Intro to Math and Applied Science must take the exams.

For my English II students: English II is a course that requires students to take the EOC (End of Course exam). This exam will be taken in school on Tuesday, January 12. Ms. Breymaier and I will be administering this exam to our students. Most of the students in English II will be taking the Biology exam on the same day. We will have students take the Biology exam at 7:25 and give them a break before taking the English II exam.

I have enjoyed having all of you this semester! Parents/Guardians: Thank you for all you've done to ensure your child's success in school! It always takes a village and this year it has truly taken the village and then some!

Good luck with all your exams! Second semester is scheduled to start Wednesday, January 20. Please listen for updates and check the school website frequently as we are scheduled to start coming back into the school building but things could possibly change due to the events of COVID.

As always, if you have any questions, please let me know!

December 14 -18, 2020

We made it through the week and I know all my students are excited for our holiday break! I hope you all get to spend some time with your families relaxing and doing all the things that bring you happiness. We will return to school on Monday, January 4, 2021. We have one week of classes and the following week will be our exam week. My English II class takes the EOC (end of course exam) and this requires the students coming into the building to take the exam. It is scheduled for January 12. These students will also be taking the Biology exam that day as well as it is another required EOC. Please check Wakefield's website for more information on the exam schedule. https://www.wcpss.net/domain/18269

Here is what we did for the week:

Period 1: Intro to Math NCVPS

Completed Module 2 on Fractions and Decimals
Reivewed
M2L2 CYK
Module 2 Post Assessment

Period 2: English II NCVPS

Reading Survey
Module 3 Lesson 1 CYK
Reviewed materials for exam

Period 4: Applied Science NCVPS

Completed M2 on Nonrenewable Energy Resources
M2L4 CYK
Reviewed
Module 2 Post Assessment

I think we are all in agreement that 2020 has been a challenging year. I must say that I have been very impressed with my students and admire their efforts for hanging in there and making this semester a success!! Thank you, parents, for your part in helping!

Enjoy the break and I look forward to seeing you all on January 4, 2021!

Week of December 7 - 11, 2020

It's hard to believe that we only have one more week before our holiday break. This Wednesday will be an asynchronous day for our students. This past week was a busy week for our students. Below you will see what each class has been working on. Also, please check PowerSchool as we are closing in on the end of our first semester. Exams will begin on January 13. Please watch for more information from the school about the exam schedule.

This week in each class, I had students work on a reflection for their digital portfolio. Each student who is attending Wakefield High School needs to have a digital portfolio. The purpose of the digital portfolio is to showcase what each student has learned in each of their classes by uploading an assignment they were proud of doing in the class. Please ask your child to share what they have chosen to put into their digital portfolio. If you have any questions about this, please let me know. I am available to work individually with all my students so they can get this project completed.

Period 1: Intro to Math NCVPS

Decimals
Operations in multi-step problems
Digital Portfolio

Period 2: English II NCVPS

Analyzing Text
Main Idea/Topic
Digital Portfolio

Period 4: Applied Science NCVPS

Nonrenewable Sources of Energy
Quizziz
Digital Portfolio

Have a great weekend and please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Week of November 30 - December 4, 2020

I hope you all are doing well and are healthy! Attendance continues to be an issue. I sent out an email to my first-period class and it worked for one day. I had 8 out of 10 students attend the next day. The following day, four students came to class. I know we all have issues with connectivity, health concerns, and other items that cannot be missed but I would like for all students to do their best to attend classes. We are going over a lot of information that will be covered in our final exams for your class(es). I am available on Tuesdays and Thursdays every week from 2:30 - 3:30 to help so please reach out to me if you need to schedule an appointment to make up missing assignments. If that time doesn't work, I am flexible and will work with you to make sure you can meet with me to discuss your assignments/grades.

Here is a breakdown of our week per class:

Period 1: Intro to Math NCVPS

Module 2 Lesson 2 Decimals
M2L2 Notes 1 and 2
Money word problems

Period 2: ENG II NCVPS

Module 3: Analyzing Text
PreAssessment
Main Idea
Alliteration
Simile
Metaphor

Period 4: Applied Science NCVPS

Module 2 Lesson 3: Nonrenewable Energy Resources
Vocabulary
M2L3 Activity 1
M2L3 Check Your Knowledge

All of you are great students! I am so proud of each of you giving it your best during our online learning adventure! We are almost done with Semester 1 so hang in there, reach out to me when you need help, and know that we are all in this together!

See you Monday!

Summary for the week of November 16 - 20, 2020

It was another week of great learning! Many of my students are attending but there is still room for improvement! If anyone cannot attend our live google meets, please let me know. That way, I can tell you what work to complete. Grades are updated in PowerSchool so please check your grades and complete the missing assignments. When you complete the missing work, email me to let me know that you have completed the work.

Here is what we did this week per class:

Period 1: Intro to Math NCVPS

M2L1 Notes 4
M2L1 CYK Quiz
Fraction review/completion

Period 2: ENG II NCVPS

Post-Assessment for Module 2
Introduction for Module 3: Analyzing Text
Pre-Assessment for Module 3

Period 4: Applied Science NCVPS

M2L3 Continuation of NonRenewable Energy Sources
M2L3 Notes
Friday ended with a great game of Kahoot about NR Energy

For Monday and Tuesday of next week, we will not have google meets. I will post an assignment in each class for you to complete on these days. We are off Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

I hope you all enjoy the time with your family celebrating and will be prepared to come back to live meets on Monday, November 30!

Parents: Please continue to have your child complete work hours around the house. If they have an opportunity to volunteer in the community and you allow them to do so, please document the hours. As a safety measure, wear a mask, practice social distancing, and follow all the requirements of the community organization. All OCS students are required to earn school-based hours, community-based hours, and paid hours as part of the OCS graduation requirements. If you need a better explanation of this requirement, please let me know. I am attaching the log sheet so that you all can write down the time earned daily. As a suggestion, I would have your child earn at least one hour a day doing a chore unless they are seniors and know how many hours they need to earn to complete this requirement.

Here is the OCS hour log sheet:

docs.google.com/document/d/1B7mCbCrKP4LC9h7MD1pseME1GmMaockWAie6LBLiAT0/edit

Week of November 9 - 13, 2020

This has been an interesting week. We have had a lot of learning going on even with the crazy weather and Wednesday being an asynchronous day. I would love to see 100% participation in google meets if at all possible! For those of you who are attending daily, Thank You! For those of you who aren’t, if you need to speak to me to provide additional information about what is going on and why you are not participating, please let me know. I am available during my office hours (Tuesday and Thursday, 2:30 - 3:30) and I am usually available at other times. I want you all to succeed and I know you are all capable of being successful students.

Here is what we did in classes:

Period 1: Intro to Math NCVPS:

Fractions
Module 2 Lesson 1 Notes 3
Module 2 Lesson 1 Notes 4
Word Problems

Period 2: English II NCVPS

Continued with Irony
The Eagle, the Cat, and the Wild Sow
Capitalization
Journal

Period 4: Applied Science NCVPS

Module 2 Lesson 3: Nonrenewable Energy
M2L3 Vocabulary
M2L3 Notes

I plan to spend a day next week to address assignments that are missing in PowerSchool. You can be proactive by completing the assignments ahead of time.

Here is the OCS hour log sheet:

docs.google.com/document/d/1B7mCbCrKP4LC9h7MD1pseME1GmMaockWAie6LBLiAT0/edit

I look forward to seeing you all on Monday! Have a great weekend!

Week of November 2 - 6, 2020

We are off to a good start for the second quarter. Participation in google meets was better this week but I still need everyone to participate daily. If you miss class, you still need to make up the work that was completed during that time.

Here is what we did for each class:

Intro to Math NCVPS: (Google Meet time: 8:15 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.)

Module 2 Lesson 1 Introduction: Fractions
M2 L1 Notes 1
M2 L1 Notes 2
Fraction Strips

English II NCVPS: (Google Meet time: 9:55 a.m. - 10:40 a.m.)

Module 2 Lesson 3 Introduction
M2 L3 CYK Quiz
M2 L3 Flashback
M2L3 Irony

Applied Science NCVPS: (Google Meet time: 1:30 p.m. - 2:18 p.m.)

Module 2 Lesson 2 Notes 3: The Sun
M2 L2 Vocabulary
Reading Comprehension: Energy
M2 L3 Introduction: Nonrenewable Energy Sources

Please remember I have office hours if you ever need to schedule time outside of class to get additional help and support for your class.

My hours are on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30 - 3:30.

Have a relaxing weekend and I look forward to seeing you on Monday!

October 30, 2020

I hope everyone has had a great week. I am concerned because attendance is becoming a problem in classes. We are only at the beginning of the second quarter and I need everyone to do their best to attend live google meets for instructional time. I am including the times below so that parents and guardians are aware of the daily schedule. This coming week, students will not attend school on Tuesday due to it being a teacher's workday.

Here is our daily schedule of live meet times:

1st Period: 8:15 - 9:00

2nd Period: 9:55 - 10:40

3rd Period: 12:00 - 12:45

4th Period: 1:30 - 2:18

Again, please have your child do their best to attend daily.

Here is what we did this week in each class:

Period 1: Intro to Math NCVPS

Finished Module 1 Lesson 4
Reviewed all Lessons in Module 1
Post Assessment
Introduction of Module 2: Fractions and Decimals

Period 2: English II NCVPS

ReadTheory.org
Module 2 Lesson 2: Imagery
Module 2 Lesson 2: Symbolism
Module 2 Lesson 3 Introduction: Flashback
Journals

Period 4: Applied Science NCVPS

Module 2 Lesson 1 Project: Energy
Module 2 Lesson 2 Introduction: Renewable Energy Sources
Module 2 Lesson 2 Notes
Module 2 Lesson 2: Wind Energy

We had a busy week and grades have been entered into PowerSchool. Please check your PowerSchool account to see if you have assignments missing. Again, I look forward to seeing better attendance this coming week. If you need to schedule a time to visit with me during my office hours, please let me know, I am available Tuesday's and Thursday's from 2:30 - 3:30.

I know online learning is different and not as fun as being in the school building, but we all have to remain positive and stay engaged in our school endeavors. Please know I want to see you all succeed.

October 25, 2020

Hello Everyone!

I am going to keep this email short. We are now in the second quarter of the 2020 - 2021 school year! Yay, and congratulations to all of you! This has been a crazy and challenging start to a school year but please know, I am proud and thankful for all my students. We are making it work and I need you to keep up the amazing efforts each of you put forth daily! Here is what we did last week. All grades have been finalized for the first quarter. Second-quarter is a chance to improve your grade or continue making the impressive grades you did during the first quarter.

Intro to Math NCVPS:

Module 1 Lesson 4 GCF and LCM
- Notes
- Vocab
CYK

ENG II NCVPS:

Module 2 Lesson 1
- Imagery
- Symbolism
ReadTheory
Journals

Applied Science NCVPS:

Module 2 Lesson 1
- Energy Notes
- Vocab
CYK
Glow Stick Experiment/Lab

It's going to be a great week so put your "thinking caps" on and be ready to have a fun week of learning!

October 12 - October 16, 2020

Hello Students and Families,

We have finished another week of school! Even with NCVPS being down most of the time during this week, we were able to complete assignments and move forward. Thursday, October 22 is the end of the first quarter. ALL missing assignments MUST be turned in by Monday, October 19. Some of the students are not passing classes. Please have your student/child check PowerSchool to see what assignments are missing and have them complete the work in order to earn the grade they deserve.

Here is what we did in each of my classes this week:

Intro to Math NCVPS:

Module 1 Lesson 4
Greatest Common Factor (GCF)
Least Common Multiple (LCM)

English II NCVPS:

Module 2 Lesson 1
Notes
Journal
Read Theory

Applied Science NCVPS:

Introduction to Module 2
Module 2 Lesson 1: Energy
Vocabulary
Notes

As always, email me if you have any questions or concerns. You can also call the school and leave a message for me. I try my best to return all inquiries within 24 hours.

I appreciate the participation of all my students! Keep up the good work! For those of you whose first quarter didn't turn out the way you wanted, you still have time to make improvements during the second quarter! The most important thing to do is stay on top of your school work and if you need help, you have to let me know.

Enjoy your weekend!

October 5, 2020 – October 9, 2020

Wow, the weeks are flying by and everyone who is participating in our classes is doing well. If you haven’t been participating, you need to set up an appointment with me during my office hours so we can get you the assignments you need to complete for grading purposes. As I tell all students, this quarter is for a grade, you must complete assignments in order to pass all your classes. Please check PowerSchool so that you know your current grades in each class and what assignments are missing.

Here is what we did in our classes this week:

Period 1: Intro to Math NCVPS

· Module 1 Lesson 3

o Order of Operations/PEMDAS

o Variables

· Module 1 Lesson 4 Introduction

o Greatest Common Factor (GCF)

o Least Common Multiple (LCM)

Period 2: English II NCVPS

· Brainstorming Activities

· Module 1 Lesson 3

o Greek Mythology

o Suffixes/Prefixes/Root Words

Period 4: Applied Science NCVPS

· Module 1 Lesson 3

o Air Pollution

o Water Pollution

· Post Assessment

Below is for Parents/Guardians:

Dear Parents/Guardians of Wakefield High School,

We would like to ask you to complete a brief survey on the communication you have received from Wakefield High School this year. There have been a limited number of responses up to this point. We feel more responses would paint a more accurate picture of our communication efforts this year.

Please click here to access the Communication Survey.

I hope everyone has a restful weekend and I look forward to seeing all my students on Monday, October 12!

Welcome! Week 1 August 17-21,2020

Hello to all our wonderful students! Whether you are new or a returning student, we are excited to have you in our classes!

We would like to introduce our newest teacher to the OCS program, John Harward. Mr. Harward is a graduate of ECU and has worked for WCPSS as an Instructional Assistant in SPED prior to becoming a teacher via Lateral Entry this school year. He is full of energy, full of exciting ideas to help all of our students and we are excited to have him in our program!

Classes begin this Monday, August 17. You will need to log into your wakeid account to get started with your classes. Click here to access your wake id.

Here is the schedule of when you will be participating in live instruction the first week of school:

First period: 7:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Second period: 9:55 a.m. - 10:40 a.m.

Third period: 12:00 - 12:45 p.m.

Fourth period: 1:30 p.m. - 2:18 p.m.

If you cannot get logged in, please call this number: 919-694-8100, this is the WCPSS Technical Support Line.

We look forward to seeing you on Monday!

Enjoy your weekend!

Week 2: August 24 - 28,2020

What a quick second week of school this has been! We have had a great week going over our orientation items presented by our Administrative team as well as talking about our classes and what we will be accomplishing over the semester in each class.

I am grateful for your participation daily and this needs to continue so that we can continue to learn together and achieve academic success in the classroom. We will be logging onto NCVPS during week 3! This is exciting because we use NCVPS in the OCS program to provide instruction in our core classes. Our core classes include English, Math, Science, and History classes. Please join the google meets on time in order to get instructions on how to use NCVPS and how to complete the assignments through this platform. We are going to have a busy week learning NCVPS so being in class and on time is very important!

Below are the times you need to be online participating in live instruction:

1st period: 8:15 - 9:00

2nd period: 9:55 - 10:40

3rd period: 12:00 - 12:45

4th period: 1:30 -2:18

Everyone is doing a great job joining live instruction so please keep it up and be on time!!

I'm here if you need me so reach out when needed!

Rest up and see you Monday!

Week 3: August 31 - September 4, 2020

Hello to all my wonderful Students and Parents,

It is Friday, September 4, and a three-day weekend to unwind and enjoy time with family and friends, (keep social distancing in mind)!

I am so happy with the progress in each of our classes. This week we introduced NCVPS to our incoming freshmen since this is one of the OCS learning platforms. Our sophomore class was reunited with NCVPS and they have done a great job signing into NCVPS and completing assignments daily. The first few weeks of school move at a slower pace to ensure all students are receiving the instruction needed to participate and submit assignments successfully.

During class time, please continue to participate and ask questions. If you need to ask a question and don't feel comfortable in class, I have office hours and you can stay online after class ends to discuss the materials you are needing help with.

Keep up the good work! Rest up and be ready for another great week beginning Tuesday, September 8, 2020.

Week 4: September 8 -11 2020

We had another great week of learning! Please continue to log into our google meets at the scheduled class times. If you are having difficulties with joining, please email me and let me know.

Grades are in PowerSchool so please check your grades and make sure you are handing in your assignments.

Period 1: Intro to Math NCVPS

· Module 1 Lesson 1 continuation of Notes and Activities

· Check your Knowledge Quiz

Period 2: English II NCVPS

· Module 1 Lesson 1continuation of Notes and Activities

· Check your Knowledge Quiz

Period 4: Applied Science NCVPS

· Module 1 Lesson 1continuation of Notes and Activities

· Check your Knowledge Quiz

Keep up the good work, participate in class discussions and make sure you are submitting all assignments!

Week 5: September 14 -18 2020

Good Evening Everyone,

What a great week of learning we had! All three of my classes are progressing through our materials in a timely manner and everyone who is participating knows what is expected of them. PowerSchool has been updated with your grades so please be sure to check what assignments you need to complete/submit to me for a grade. I am always available during office hours if you need time to talk about assignments and need additional support. We are at the half-way point of this quarter. Med-term grades will be posted next week, so it is very important you complete the assignments that have been assigned in class.

Here is a breakdown of each class:

Intro to Math NCVPS: Module 1 Lesson 2 Exponents
English II NCVPS: Module 1 Lesson 2 Prefixes and Suffixes/Greek Mythology
Applied Science: Module 1 Lesson 2 Air Pollution

Keep up the good work! Communicate with your parents and let them know when you need help as we continue to navigate this online learning adventure! You all are amazing students and I am so thankful I can be part of this learning adventure with you! Have fun this weekend and make sure to enjoy time away for the computer to recharge and be ready for another week of learning!

Week #6 September 21 – 25, 2020

Hello Students and Families,

It’s hard to believe another week has gone by. Mid-terms will be sent out to each student showing what the current grades are in each of their classes. I went through each of my student’s assignments and let them know what was missing and explained that all work does need to be completed and handed in for a grade. PowerSchool is always available for Parents and Students to check and see what the current grade in each class is and it also shows what assignments are missing in each class.

Here is a breakdown of what happened in each of my classes this week:

First Period: Intro to Math 1 NCVPS

We began on Module 1 Lesson 3. This module introduces the Order of Operations and working with variables. We will work on the module several weeks as it takes time for the students to strengthen math skills in this area.

Second Period: English II NCVPS

This week we continued Module 1 Lesson 2. We continued our discussion on Greek Mythology and continued working on Prefixes, Suffixes and Base Words. We will begin Module 1 Lesson 3 next week.

Fourth Period: Applied Science NCVPS

We finished up our Module on Air Pollution. The students had a great time participating/watching our class experiments. We examined a petri dish daily for a week to see if any pollutants found their way into our room. We also poured ginger ale onto a piece of chalk to explain how Acid Rain can affect buildings, statues and the environment.

There is no school Monday, September 28 so enjoy the day off and be prepared for another week of learning on Tuesday, September 29!

Week 7: September 28 - October 2, 2020

Even though it was a four-day week, our classes were filled with many activities. October 22, 2020 is the end of first quarter. Grades are updated weekly in PowerSchool so please check to see your current grade and what assignments are missing. If you need to meet with me for one on one instruction, I do have office hours (Tuesday and Thursday 2:30 - 3:30) so please reach out to me if you need additional help with any assignments.

Here is a look at what each class did this week:

Period 1: Intro to Math NCVPS:

Module 1 Lesson 3 Notes 2
Continued with Order of Operation's and introduced Variables
Check Your Knowledge: Module 1 Lesson 3

Period 2: English II NCVPS:

Continued working on Greek Mythology
Continued working on Prefixes/Suffixes/Root Words
Journal: Greek Mythology
Module 1 Lesson 3: Notes

Period 4: Applied Science NCVPS:

Completed Module 1 Air Pollution section
Introduced Module 1 Water Pollution section
Module 1 Lesson 3 Check Your Knowledge Quiz

Please remember that google meets begin at the following times. Being on time is very important because we don't want you missing out on any instructional time.

1st period: 8:15 - 9:00
2nd period: 9:55 - 10:40
3rd period: 12:00 - 12:45
4th period: 1:30 - 2:18

As always, please reach out to me with any concerns! I hope you all have a great and relaxing weekend!

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