2009 OCT NewsletterFinal.pub - Heather Boyd

Mr. Douglas McEnery, Principal
DoDEA
Mr. Kenneth Harvey, Asst Princi-
Issue 1
Rota, Spain
October, 2009
Mission Statement
We will empower all students to learn to their maximum potential and to be productive,
responsible members of a dynamic, global society.
Target Goals
Student Performance Goal 1: All students will improve writing skills
Student Performance Goal 2: All students will improve critical thinking skills
Inside this issue:
Office Announcements
2
STUDENT-TEACHER-PARENT CONFERENCES
SAC/Activities/Clubs
3
November 13, 2009
GradeSpeed
4
0900 through 1500
School News
5
School Liaison Officer
6
Halfway to the end of the first semester is a great time to talk with your son or daughter and
his or her teacher about academic progress. At this point, the grades our students receive are just progress
grades. The permanent grades for courses are those that are earned for the semester, which include both
first and second nine-week grades and the semester examination for high school courses.
Admirals Around Campus 7
Admirals in Class
8
Admirals Around Town
9
Yearbook/ASACS
10
Guidance Counselor News 11
ISLI Opportunity
12
Nurse News
13
Contact Information
14
This year we are changing our conferences and putting the emphasis on the students. One of our big goals
is to increase student involvement in their education. Having each student participate in the dialogue with the
teacher and the parent is a critical part of helping each student assume more responsibility and ownership of
his or her learning.
In the middle school, grades 7-8, we will conduct student led conferences by appointment. The students have
been given the appointment slips to send home inviting parents to come at specific times on the 13th of November. Student led middle school conferences will be held in the middle school teacher’s classrooms. Report cards will be handed out at the start of each student led conference.
In the high school, we are going to require that all students come to conferences. Even if the parents are
unable to come, we will expect the students to attend long enough to talk with their teachers. The high
school student/parent/teacher conferences will be held in the multi-purpose building like last year.
The high school conferences will begin when you pick up your teen’s report card in the new multi-purpose
building between 0900-1500. All teachers will work through lunch as well to better serve our families. High
School teachers will be scattered throughout the multi-purpose building auditorium to assist you in seeing whomever is currently available and reducing any waiting time as much as possible.
I highly encourage you to include your teen in the parent/teacher conferences on Friday. Our goal as a school is to help each student to become
responsible for his or her own learning. This is a great opportunity for parents to hear from both the teacher and their son or daughter about the
progress being made and the recommendations for improvement.
I hope to see all our DGF families on November 13th.
Doug McEnery
Principal
It’s Conference
Time!!
David G. Farragut High School Friday, November 13, 2009
“2nd Cup of Coffee” Parent/Teacher Conferences
The high school will hold parent conferences in
the MPB from 0900 to 1500. We will not break
for lunch to help parents who can only attend
during their lunch break.
Student-Led Conferences
This year the middle school format for conferences will be different. Students will be
conducting individual conferences with their
parents. This ensures that students take responsibility for their own grades and work.
A letter was sent home to parents with details about this conference format and a
scheduled time and room for the student
conference. The response slip either approving the scheduled conference time or
asking for a new time should be returned to
the assigned teacher and room no later than
November 4.
If parents would still like to speak with individual middle school teachers, please call or
email that teacher to schedule a time for that
day. Middle school teachers will be in their
rooms observing and helping with the student led conferences all day.
We would like to stress how important it is
for you and your child to attend either the
high school or middle school conferences.
Please take an active part in your child’s
education!
We would like to invite you to our “2nd Cup of Coffee” monthly school/community meeting. It will be held Wednesday, November 18 in the School Information Center Conference Room from 10am‐10:45am. At 9:45am there will be an optional tour of the current middle school/
high school campus for all new PCS parents in the community. “2nd Cup of Coffee” is an excel‐
lent chance for parents to meet with the princi‐
pal to address any issues or concerns they may have and a chance for the principal to announce any new school events or initiatives and ad‐
dress any community concerns. Light refresh‐
ments will be served. We encourage all middle/
high school parents to join us! School Office Reminders
ATTENTION STUDENTS (& PARENTS): If you have to
leave school during class for a medical appt., to attend a
family ceremony, renew ID card, etc., please get your pass
either before school starts or during lunch to avoid class interruptions.
PARENTS: If your child is going to be absent or late to
school, please try to call 727-4183 before 09:00 hrs. to avoid
having your child’s name on the unexcused absentee report
which is run daily by the attendance clerk. If the main office
isn’t aware where your child is, you will be called.
In addition, please be reminded that the school must be notified if your family is taking a trip. The “Family Trip” Form
must be filled out prior to leaving and the trip should be approved by the administration. Also, students are required to
take this form and attain the homework they will be missing
from their teachers while they are gone. This work is due
when they come back to school.
DoDEA
Issue 1
Rota, Spain
School Advisory
Committee (SAC)
Page 3
CONTACTS:
Tammy Schaefer
[email protected]
What is SAC?
SAC stands for School Advisory Committee. The committee includes teachers,
parents, coaches, and students. We advise the principal on issues, concerns and
recommendations that the community
may have about our school. Our goal is
to improve the delivery of educational
programs and support services to the
students at DGF Middle and High
School. We meet 4-5 times a year and all
parents are invited to attend.
The next meeting is December 2 at 1630
in the school office.
Kelly Morgan
[email protected]
Vicki Kase
[email protected]
Marva Campbell
[email protected]
High School Clubs & Activities
Greetings Rota! Do you know what programs your middle and high school offer to students? Below are just a few of the many clubs and activities offered at DGF Middle/
High School. If you have any questions and/or your child is interesting in joining,
please feel free to contact any of the sponsors listed below.
National Honor Society
Contact Pam Cleaverley
[email protected]
Membership in the National Honor Society is
one of the highest honors that can be
awarded to a high school student. To be considered, students must have earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and lived up
to the Society’s goals of scholarship, service,
leadership, and character. Current Rota NHS
members serve the school and community in
many ways: collecting materials for the ASPIRE program and helping to deliver them in
Morocco, volunteering at RAWL, tutoring,
acting as runners at bazaars, babysitting so
that parents can attend Sure Start meetings,
and fundraising for scholarships and various
charities. Incidentally, they have a lot of fun
too! Next March we will induct new members
into the society. If students meet the above
qualifications, they may submit an application
for consideration by the faculty and the NHS
faculty council.
Pensamientos
Contact Linda White
ten works, collecting artwork, using digital
photography and computer editing/
graphics/desktop publishing programs to
design and produce the collection. This
year's book will be a bi-annual production
covering school years 2007-2008 and 20082009. Group meetings will be announced in
the daily school bulletin.
Art Club
Contact Linda White
[email protected]
Art Club is open to middle and high school
students interested in the visual arts. Special
projects like mask-making, mural painting,
clay work, or fundraising to sponsor study
trips can be explored after school. Posted
hours and meetings will be announced in
the daily school bulletin. Upcoming projects
include a school mural, a new DGF/Rota
High School logo design, and for those
interested in digital design, the making of a
DGF/Rota High School calendar. Former
art students are welcome to utilize the studio for independent art projects--all that's
needed is a bit of time and your ideas/
inspiration!
[email protected]
DGF/Rota High School's literary arts journal
showcases student writing and art. Yearly
goals include gathering poems or other writ-
Odyssey of the Mind
Contact Christopher Tutty
[email protected]
It is a program for students from Kindergarten through college. Up to seven students work on a team facilitated by an adult
coach to solve a multi-faceted problem.
This program challenges the students to
create solutions that require higher level
thinking skills. Every year there are five
problems, plus the primary age problem,
from which to choose. Each has many requirements and an expenditure limit. The
team members must make all decisions
without outside assistance. In late March,
the students present their solutions at the all
DoDDS Europe Odyssey of the Mind tournament. First place teams in each problem
and division are invited to attend the World
Finals in the United States. The season will
begin in October.
Yearbook Club
Contact Linda White
[email protected]
It is a program for middle school and high
school students. Students will plan, organize, design, promote, and sell the upcoming
school yearbook. A web-based platform will
be used to create the yearbook pages and
students are primarily responsible for taking
the pictures that will end up in the yearbook. Positions are available for photographers, writers, editors, marketing, and designers.
DoDEA
Issue 1
Rota, Spain
Page 4
GRADE SPEED IS HERE!
GradeSpeed at Rota High School
At Rota High School, in addition to his or her DoDEA network and email accounts, every student has
an account for GradeSpeed, the online gradebook that our teachers use. GradeSpeed allows students
and parents to view their grades and absence information from anywhere in the world. We ask that
the child share this account with their parents but if the parents want to, they can create their own
account. An individual parent account is particularly useful if you have several children spread out at
the high school and elementary school – you would only have to log in once and then choose which of
your children’s classes you want to check on.
About thirty percent of our parents last year had their own account and those are still active. Any
parent who is interested in setting up his or her own account can do so at the GradeSpeed site:
https://dodea.gradespeed.net/gs/ After the account is created, it needs to be approved to prevent unauthorized access to student information. Once it is approved, you can log on and view absences, assignments and grades that the teacher has posted and can email teachers with just a click.
When using GradeSpeed, we ask that parents remember that teacher’s primary job is to teach and
while communication with parents enhances the educational experience, parents need to be reasonable
about expectations on responsiveness. As they always have, teachers will communicate with parents
promptly and appropriately as time permits. Please keep this in mind when emailing a teacher
through the Parent Connection. Also, teachers have different assignments due at different times and
each teacher has different rates for grading and posting assignments. When you go to GradeSpeed be
aware that the grades might not have been updated yet. If you have any questions about GradeSpeed
accounts, please don’t hesitate to contact William Brogan ([email protected], 1-8-7270191).
DoDEA
Issue 1
Rota, Spain
Page 5
NOTE FROM THE INFORMATION CENTER ...
A note from the Librarian…
Parents, first I just want to thank our three terrific volunteers that are covering the lunch
hour in the library: Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Beck, and Mrs. Christensen. They have been invaluable
in processing our new books and in supervising the students during lunch. Without them, the
library would be closed during this time! THANK YOU!
And on another note, I have compiled reviews/descriptions of our 900 new Accelerated Reader
books, mostly from Amazon.com, as a way to connect our students to books they might be interested in reading. I have a printed copy of all these reviews (including the Reading Level of
the book) in the library, all English teachers have a copy, and our school secretary includes
two reviews each day in the student bulletin. If you would like a copy for your home, please
send me an email request, and I’ll send you the Word files. It is broken into 10 files.
[email protected] Printing them will take nearly 100 pages or more, so I suggest saving the trees and just saving the files to your home computer. The books are not in any kind
of order…just how they were processed coming out of the boxes. Never have our library
shelves been so full of new, exciting books for young adults.
David Wass,
Information Specialist
From the Art Department ...
Donations to Art Department: we are accepting any gifts of dish detergent,
hand cleaner, saran wrap, duct tape, or large family size margarine tubs.
Please deposit in 7811 in the kindergarten wing--and thank you for your generosity!
DGF Fall College Fair
Thursday, November 19, 2009 from 1430 to 1545 @ DGF HS MPR
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED within the Rota community to participate in the DGF HS
College/Career Fair. Alumni from colleges in the U.S. and abroad are needed to share first-hand
experiences and knowledge about the universities that they attended. Each volunteer will be
asked to request recruitment information from the university he or she would like to represent. We need volunteers to be
available on Thursday, November 19th from 1400 to 1600. Alumni will represent their schools and meet with the students
and parents to discuss college opportunities. If you are interested in helping with this annual event, please contact the Guidance Office at 727-4580 or e-mail [email protected].
Attention Parents!
Parent volunteer(s) wanted to help with paperwork. If you would like to volunteer at the
high school on a regular basis, please contact the science teacher Jamie Matteson at
[email protected]
DGF School Liaison Officer
My name is Barbara Peters and I am your new School Liaison Officer. I have worked closely
with families for the last five years through our base Ombudsman program and with the Carl
Vinson Family Readiness Group. My experience has equipped me with the necessary skills to
bring the following services to our military families and students.
The School Liaison Officer is the primary point of contact between the military installation, the local school administration, parents and the community at large. The Navy School Liaison Officer (SLO) program helps installation and regional commanders work with state departments and local school districts to ensure school personnel are aware of the
stressors on military families brought about by frequent transitions and extended deployments. These education professionals are located on all major Navy installations and serve as "ombudsmen" between Navy families and schools.
Specific responsibilities include advising the installation commander on all K-12 grade educational matters; fostering a
responsive, cooperative relationship between school representatives and the military community; and maintaining school
transition support for military children.
Parents, school personnel and community members with questions on school-age military child education are encouraged to contact their local School Liaison Officer.
What is a School Liaison Officer?
The School Liaison Officer (SLO) serves as the liaison between the installation commander, military agencies and
schools by providing assistance in matters pertaining to student education. The SLO also implements the Navy's Strategic Planning for Education Advocacy K-12 recommendations in order to ensure Navy Families have access to quality
educational opportunities.
School Transition Services (PCS Cycle): SLOs assist families with school transfers and help "level the playing field"
for military children and youth.
Deployment Support: SLOs connect educators to the Navy deployment support system to inform about the cycles of
deployment and the tools that are available to assist educators in working with Navy children.
Command, School, Community Communications: SLOs serve as subject matter experts for installation commanders
on K-12 issues, helping to connect command, school and community resources.
Home School Linkage and Support: SLOs assist Navy families by gathering and sharing information on home schooling issues, policies and legislation from local school districts and leverage Navy Child and Youth Programs resources to
support these families.
Partnerships in Education (PIE): PIE creates a volunteer network of resources to support installation and community
members who have a vested interest in the success of all youth.
Post-Secondary Preparations: SLOs leverage installation and school resources to provide graduating military students
with access to post-secondary information and opportunities.
Thanks much,
Barbara Peters
PSC 819 Box 14
School Liaison Officer
FPO AE 09645
DSN: 727-1104
Rota, Spain
Comm: 34-956-82-1104
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Web: https://www.cnic.navy.mil/Rota/Relocation/SchoolLiaisonOfficer/index.htm
DGF Cheerleaders lead the Cheer Clinic for kids ages 4 to 12. Cheerleaders Victoria Quinones and Jacob Baker prepare for Cheer Clinic. Left‐Michaela Texador volunteers at MWR Kids Night Out/Tops in Blue performance Right‐Spirit Week was a blast! An example of the stu‐
dents participating in Wacky‐
Tacky day!
Dave Wass and Elaine Hermann welcome new DGF stu‐
dents Mackenzie Frye at the Student 2 Student program at a pizza luncheon! Progress on the new DGF High School—
signs of life….palm trees! Using Data to Differentiate Instruction (UDDI) at DGF Students in a Spanish 2 class at DGF High School reviewed concepts for a unit test using strategies to reach multiple
intelligences. Groups of four to five students rotated from station to station every 17 minutes. Each station was developed with a different learning style in mind: analytical, verbal-linguistic, visual-spatial and kinesthetic. The class
went fast and students seemed to be able to understand concepts better when presented in such a variety of ways.
DFG Students Enter
Local
Newspaper Contest
A team of four students in upper level Spanish classes have entered a local contest. The objective of this competition is to
create a digital newspaper where the content of the articles and the use of multimedia will be evaluated by a team of professionals. These students have made a commitment to meet during lunch and after school to bring to our local and global
readers the latest news from our community in the first bilingual digital newspaper created by a group of high school students in this area. The students will be using 21st century skills, critical thinking and collaboration in this authentic situation to improve their Spanish. Our team is called “Los trotamundos” (the Globetrotters) to reflect our identity. The newspaper begins online publication the week of November 2nd. All students at DGF and all our community members will be able
to improve their Spanish skills and be informed of the latest news with the work of this enthusiastic team.
Senior Anita Dowden represents Rota Naval Base in the annual Virgin de Rosario Festival in Rota.
Anita Dowden is recognized by the Queen. Mr. Demeritt and Mr. Birch Freshman classes visit Ronda and the Cueva de Pilata for Honors DoDEA
Issue 1
Rota, Spain
Page 10
YEARBOOK
2009-2010
PRE ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK ONLINE
and SAVE until Thanksgiving!!
Here are the sites to order yearbooks—
beware—there are lots of extras! http://
shop.jostens.comcustomer.aspCID=271
219&mscssid=E9S6P8FP3D298JG4HGRD 2FB80V8V2T6A or www.shop.jostens.com From the Yearbook Staff and Ms. White
Buttons/windows should read: K‐12 USA Armed Forces… Europe… Middle Enter school name exactly like this, no periods— David G Farragut Buy now and save! Linda White Yearbook Adviser [email protected] School pictures were a success due to the
enormous help of two parent volunteers.
Big thanks go out to Kellie Morgan and
Isabel Benson--thank you for your time and
help! Also thanks to Mr. Brogan for helping with the tech equipment. Picture packages should be back before Thanksgiving
for your holiday mailings.
This month is the big sales push for the
DGF Yearbook which is priced at $50.00
right now. There is an early bonus incentive to order on-line before Thanksgiving.
After Thanksgiving, the on-line price will
be $55.00 until January. After January,
orders placed here at the school will be
$60.00 per book. Please ask your student
to bring home the flyer with the web address and log in information and ORDER
NOW! Maybe Santa wants to bring a Yearbook to your student next spring, when
books will be distributed! Thank you for
your support, The Yearbook Staff
727.1879, 956.82.1879 Oct. 24-31 is Red Ribbon Week. Red Ribbon Week is the oldest and largest drug prevention campaign in the
country. Red Ribbon Week serves as a vehicle for communities and individuals to take a stand for the hopes and
dreams of our children through a commitment to drug prevention and education and a personal commitment to
live drug free lives with the ultimate goal being the creation of drug free America.
Parents are the BEST “prevention” for alcohol and other drug use. Talk to your adolescent: listen more than you
talk. Consider these questions to start an open dialogue with your adolescent about drug use. The younger the
initial age of use, the more likely an individual is to develop long term substance abuse/addiction issues.
How far would you go to be popular?
How much peer pressure do you feel?
How do you feel about drinking?
Ask yourself, “Am I modeling healthy problem solving, decision making, and socializing skills?
Would you want to be friends with someone who feels that everything is okay?
How easy was it to make a decision about where you stood?
What would have made it easier to make a decision?
Do you think making an early decision about peer pressure makes it easier to resist? Why or why not?
What are some of the strategies you have used to avoid negative peer pressure?
What have you done to use peer pressure in a positive way?
How can the use of alcohol cause stress in a person's life?
Would you want to get in the car with someone who had been drinking alcohol? Explain.
What are some of the consequences of under age drinking?
What impact could drinking have on your future goals? Explain.
Remember, alcohol IS a drug.
Referrals to ASACS are confidential.
Elizabeth Hill, LPC, CAS
ASACS Counselor, 727-6422
DoDEA
Issue 1
Rota, Spain
Page 11
ACT
American College Test
December 12, 2009
The second ACT test of the school year is on Saturday, December 12th.
The ACT Plus Writing is available in December. Registration must be
done online and you will need a voucher number in order to take advantage of the DoDDS discount. The registration deadline is November 6th.
Please stop by the guidance office for a free sample test, a voucher for
your fee reduction, and to have any questions answered.
We have two computers here for your use as well. Stop by during lunch,
seminar, or after school and I will be happy to help you register.
JANUARY—SAT I and SAT II
SAT REASONING TEST
&
SAT SUBJECT TEST
Saturday, January 23, 2010
The third SAT testing date of the school year is Saturday, January 23rd .
Registration deadline for this test is Tuesday, December 15th . This
might be a good time for juniors to start taking the SAT Reasoning Test.
You may register online at www.collegeboard.com Please stop by the
guidance office for additional information, a free sample test, and additional study material. Brand new study books are available with ten
sample tests for your use. Do not delay!
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT
LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
28 February – 5 March 2010
We are looking for students in grades 10‐11 interested in being selected to represent DGF High School, Rota, Spain at the 29th International Student Leadership Institute held at Oberwesel am Rhein, Germany, February 28th – March 5th, 2010. The focus of the 6‐day institute will be the instruction and development of leadership skills with students from DoDDS, host nation, and schools of the international community. This year’s participating schools will include students from Belgium, Czech Republic, Den‐
mark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Italy. Topics of the institute will be the following: characteristics of leadership: envisioning; con‐
sensus seeking: negotiation; creating rewards; creating an image; gaining legitimacy; advo‐
cacy; coalition building; perspective taking; plus, a variety of interest group sessions. The students will also participate in an Issues Forum, whose theme will be “Euthanasia: When, if ever, is it justified? Should governments control what a person can do to their body? Could the right to die put pressure on vulnerable people?” Stop by the guidance office and pick up an application by Thursday, November 12th.
DoDEA
Issue 1
Rota, Spain
FROM THE NURSE …
FLU SEASON IS UPON US!
Let's continue to be vigilant. Staying well and strong and able to fight off illness and fatigue is possible if you follow a few practices:
*
hand washing
*
plenty of rest
*
good diet
*
staying up to date on all immunizations
*
cover coughs and sneezes with the elbow (not the hand)
*
exercise
Please call the nurse's office if you have any questions.
The new landline phone is 727 1878 and cell 187-27-0207.
Shakes are still made and available in the nurse's office, Rm. 7810.(This is a new
location until Dec. 09).
IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS
The Immunization Clinic now has all the necessary vaccines available. Please
have your child updated on all school required vaccinations. Menactra and
Hepatitis A are the most commonly needed ones. These are required for
school attendance.
Thank you for keeping your child in school and protected.
Peggy Klain, RN.
School Nurse
DoDEA
Issue 1
Rota, Spain
Page 14
Rota Elementary/High School 2009 School Year Calendar
1st Quarter School Calendar
Monday, August 31
Begin First Quarter and First Semester
Monday, September 7
Labor Day - Federal Holiday
Friday, September 18
Teacher Training - Half Day Dismissal at 11:30
Friday, September 25
*School Improvement/Early Release at 13:30
for ES and HS
Friday, October 2
NO SCHOOL for ES and HS – SCHOOL
IMPROVEMENT
Monday, October 12
Columbus Day - Federal Holiday
Friday, October 30
*School Improvement/Early Release at 13:30
for ES and HS
Thursday, November 5
End of First Quarter (47 days of classroom
instruction)
2009-2010 EARLY RELEASE DATES
Release time-1330
Friday, September 25
Friday, February 26
Friday, October 30
Friday, March 12
Friday, December 11
Friday, April 30
Friday, January 15
Friday, May 14
CONTACT US:
MAIN OFFICE: COMM 011-34-956-82-4181 or 727-4181
Principal: Mr. Douglas McEnery
E-Mail: [email protected]
Assistant Principal: Mr. Kenneth Harvey
E-Mail: [email protected]
Guidance Counselor: Elaine Hermann
[email protected] 727-4580