The mission of West Hills High School is to graduate critical thinkers and problem-solvers who contribute positively to society as productive, responsible citizens.
Activities for the week:
Monday: No School--Labor Day
Tuesday: Regular Day
Wednesday: Regular Day
Thursday: Regular Day: Department Chair / Leadership Meeting: 2:00, E-8
Friday: Regular Day
September 3, Monday: Labor Day--No School
September 5, Wednesday: Back to School Night for parents: Staff / Teacher Handout
September 10, Monday: Required All Faculty and Staff PLC Meeting: S-8, 7:45 a.m.
VP Interviews starting at 9:15 a.m.
September 10, Monday: Required All Faculty and Staff PLC Meeting: S-8, 7:45 a.m.
VP Interviews starting at 9:15 a.m.
September 13-14-15: Camp LEAD: ASB attending: STILL NEED 2 More ADULTS
September 19 (last names A-K) and 20 (last names L-Z):
Unity Days for 10th grade in Gym
Unity Days for 10th grade in Gym
Teachers of 10th graders please join us 1 or both days / Request Sub / teacher willing and able to join us--please do! We need you!
September 21: Minimum Day: 6 Weeks Progress grades
With the Jewish High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) falling in September, many Jewish parents or guardians will be requesting excused time off or other accommodations for children to observe these holy days with their loved ones.
This year:
- Rosh Hashanah begins on Sunday, September 9th at sundown and ends at sundown on Tuesday, September 11th.
- Yom Kippur begins on Tuesday, September 18th at sundown and ends at sundown on Wednesday, September 19th.
Please note, some students, faculty and / or staff may miss school due to their faith. All work may be made up with no deduction in credit or attendance penalty.
ADL has the tools and expertise to assist your school in handling religious accommodation requests for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur:
- For background information about the High Holidays read 5 Things to Know About the High Holidays
- For answers to common legal questions about requests related to religious accommodations read School and Workplace Accommodations for the High Holidays: Know Your Rights and Obligations
CAMP LEAD: We are looking for two faculty / staff members for our September 13-14-15 Camp Lead. If you can attend, please talk with or email Robin or Ginny. This is an AWESOME experience working with students in a beautiful Pine Valley Executive Camp location. The cabins are lovely and the food terrific! Please help us help others if your schedule allows for it. We pay for your sub and we can't take kids without you. THANK YOU TO CURRENT VOLUNTEERS!
- September “Shortcuts” Calendar Challenge - With Global Studies teachers helping 9th graders establish good tech skills (thank you to Josh Reyes for collaborating!), we talked with students and staff about some of their most commonly used Chromebook shortcuts to create this month’s calendar challenge for the library. Feel free to print your own copy and follow along or share with students. We will also provide a generic, non-calendar version of these shortcuts soon. If we missed any you think we should add, tell Suzanne in the library.
- #WHHSreads - One of our library goals is to encourage reading for pleasure. Inspired by similar efforts at Valhalla and El Cajon Valley, we invite you to share what you’re currently reading. Click here for 2 options to share what you’re reading. Just as our AVID team inspires students with staff sharing about their post-secondary education, we hope this will show students how reading is also part of our lifelong learning journey. In addition to featuring slides on our website, we will have a slideshow running at the library’s front counter. Thank you to Sarita, Tiffany, Corrie, Michelle, and Dan for helping us get started!
- Free Online Test Prep Resources - As we are already seeing students printing out tickets for the SAT and some even checking out AP study guides already, we have updated the free online test preparation resources guide for West Hills students: bit.ly/whhstestprep (1-page quick guide). Please feel free to share with students. If you have any questions, talk to Suzanne in the library.
- Library Welcome Info For New (and Returning) Staff - We have had a chance to meet many new staff members and are so happy you have joined the Wolf Pack. Here is some basic information about the library program and our services. We look forward to working with you!
- 9th Grade Library Orientations - Thank you to 9th grade English teachers (Dan, Todd, Casey, and Cathy) for allowing your classes to participate in library orientations. In addition to giving students an opportunity to learn more about library and tech resources on campus, it allowed Suzanne a chance to experiment with Pear Deck. Students have mentioned a few other teachers on campus are already using it. But, if you have not yet tried it, Suzanne wrote a blog post about her first experience that you can check out.
Welcome to the new school year! Just a few helpful reminders:
- Payday is the last working day of the month
- Insurance Buy-Out is paid September through June
- Insurance deductions are September through June
- Leave balances for the entire year have been advanced to you.
Personal Necessity comes out of your Sick Leave. No Sick Leave = No PN = No Pay. (Does not apply to GEA)
- 6/5th’s are paid September through June
- Department Chairs are paid November through June
- Having trouble logging in or resetting your password for pay stubs, contact the Help Desk at (619) 956-4357
- Questions about your pay, contact Payroll at (619) 644-8065
- Questions about your benefits, contact Benefits at (619)644-8056
Have a great year,
The Payroll Department
HELPING STUDENTS LEARN DESPITE THEIR ANXIETY
According to SDSU Professor of Psychology and researcher Jean Twenge, student anxiety is approaching 60%, which roughly translates into about 1 out of every 2 students who walk into our classrooms express having generalized anxiety regarding school. While the effects of anxiety on the brain are becoming better researched and documented, one thing is clear: anxiety at any level reduces the brain's ability to learn. So, how can we help students to learn, in spite of their anxiety levels?
- Pace Setting - Writing on Board is better than powerpoint...students can follow the pace.
- Wait time / Wait Phrases
- Reflection Activities / Exercises
- Visible Expectations posted in classrooms / on whiteboard and referenced
- Give Feedback Early & Often - See Article Below on "Seven Keys to Effective Feedback"
- Give the "Why" Behind Your Expectations or Policies
- Emphasize Learning Over Grades - See Article Below on "Too Smart to Fail"
- Use a Positive Tone in Your Syllabus and in Your Rapport with Students
- Be Consistent
- Writing about Text Anxiety
ARTICLE: TOO SMART TO FAIL
by Joseph Holtgreive, Inside Higher Education (2016)
Quote: "[Students] are simply focusing their attention on the wrong outcome. It’s understandable why so much emphasis is placed on the measurement of their performance, GPA. Without an exceptional record in high school, their chances of getting accepted into an elite university are slim. With so much at stake, they can’t afford to not focus on reaching the main goal. Yet while these students think they’re keeping their eyes on the ball, they are actually just staring at the scoreboard."
ARTICLE: SEVEN KEYS TO EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK
By Grant Wiggins, ACSD: Educational Leadership (2012)
Quote: "Whether feedback is just there to be grasped or is provided by another person, helpful feedback is goal-referenced; tangible and transparent; actionable; user-friendly (specific and personalized); timely; ongoing; and consistent."
