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: Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday: No school
Tuesday: Regular Day
Wednesday: Assembly Day Schedule: Teachers signed up to bring their students to the theater period 5A or 5B for the "Say Something" Assembly. Teachers not attending the assembly, please allow your students a break during the passing period and then have them return to you.
5:15 p.m. "If My Parents Only Knew" event in our Theater (see below for more info)
5:15 p.m. "If My Parents Only Knew" event in our Theater (see below for more info)
Thursday: Regular Day:
Friday: Regular Day: Lunch on the Lawn (weather permitting)
Thank you to Don Rutledge, Lucas Hondos, Jennifer Romanowski, Carrin Edwards, Suzanne Sannwald, Aimee Reid, and John Hoadley for meeting as part of our Literacy Team on Friday. Using this powerpoint to facilitate the day, your responses to our literacy surveys, and with our Literacy Consultant, Lin Kuzmich, we created this DRAFT Purpose and Goals for sharing and discussion in the next two weeks. We then will ask Department Chair and Leadership to discuss and share feedback from their departments, and potentially, adopt a three year plan with a focus on Vocabulary, Complex Comprehension and Writing. We are also proposing the Lin Kuzmich be part of our whole faculty Professional Development time in August when we return to campus to really focus on literacy and how to move our "good student learning" results to GREAT student learning results.
One critical area Lin shared with us is the research on "What works in teaching literacy skills--speaking, reading, writing, and listening?" From the powerpoint, check out slides 9 and 15 (our current ELA data is incomplete as we are scoring our practice SBAC / CAASPP exams on Tuesday coming up). Slide 9 gives you the summary of our student data for the focus on literacy and our student needs; Slide 15 is the research proven strategies (shared before but an excellent reminder to all of us) on what is proven to work with students in this area.
This short article explains WHY we need to stop dong some of our former practices with the teaching of vocabulary in isolation. All the research shows that teaching academic language and vocabulary within context gets the most learning value with students.
We can get a start on Vocabulary now with this list of research proven strategies for teaching academic language and vocabulary within context.
One practice that has to stop is "word lists", vocabulary in isolation (write word definition, now use it in a sentence) and crosswords or word searches. They do nothing for long term learning, comprehension, or application in the future. They are fine in the very short term or if one needs to "fill time" however, they are not strategies to actually teach academic language or help students know and understand HOW to understand the vocabulary and apply it correctly in the future.
Common Lit online FREE resource for literacy; Data tools built in that allows teachers to target specific skills and holistic reporting to teachers regarding results PLUS areas to work on for students. Syncs to google classroom; Has both fiction and non-fiction text; Similar to Actively Learn but just another literacy option.
Hello GUHSD Teachers and Counselors,
In the last year, GUHSD refreshed all teacher and counselor computers. Unfortunately, a manufacturing defect is going to require almost all of the 13” Mac laptops (517) deployed last spring and this August to be tested and updated. You can see more about the issue on the Apple website.
ETS is working on a plan with Apple to visit each comprehensive site to perform the updates in a 1-3 day period. School visits will start in mid-February and continue into March. During that time ALL teachers with a qualified Mac will need to turn it into a designated location for 1-2 days while the update is applied. A Chromebook loaner will be provided for use during that time.
The update involves erasing all data from the hard drive. Teachers and counselors will need to back-up all data in advance (a good practice to have anyways!). To assist in that process, ETS will be pushing Google Backup and Sync to all recently deployed Mac computers on Wednesday, January 23. This application connects your hard drive to your GUHSD Google Account. All files in your Mac user profile will be synced to your Google Drive. Instructions on how to configure Google Backup and Sync can found here. Please configure it ASAP, the backup will occur in the background over a series of days. If you need support, please contact your Site Tech or call the HELP Desk.
Please Note: All staff members are individually responsible for backing up their files. Google Backup and Sync is the only district-supported method at this time; however, staff members may use their own backup process.
Once a schedule is finalized, we will notify everyone involved so proper planning can occur.
ETS is dedicated to supporting your use of technology in the classroom and in your jobs. We understand that this is a major inconvenience and apologize for the disruption. Doing this update is a big endeavor and we thank you for your help.
Rick Roberts, ETS Executive Director
Bob Clay, Technology Services Director
Dan McDowell, Instructional Technology Director
Based on recommendations from Student Senate and teachers last year, we are going to focus our 5th Period Class Competition during the MLK Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Drive recognizing two divisions:
1. Total Volume (Most cans collected)
2. Per Capita (Number of items collected divided by the number of students on your class roster)
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Ardy Riego. Thank you for your time!
Tuesday, January 22, 2019: Scoring of Grade 11 ELA Practice CAASSP: Thank you to those who have signed up to support these efforts. We are moving towards a whole school participation next year and this semester asked for volunteers. Due to calibration, volunteers are asked to commit for a full day of scoring. It is not possible (as we originally thought might be) to have folks participate for one prep period. We still welcome all who would like to participate. Contact John Hoadley for more information and order your sub through the sub system. Please complete a blue form with Ginny and this will be "School Business". We meet in E-8 this day--bring your laptops.
January 23, 2019: Assembly Day schedule for Sandy Hook Promise "Say Something": This is a PERIOD 5 VOLUNTARY sign up to bring your classes to the THEATER. Other schools have reported this assembly is BEST in a smaller venue (thus NOT the whole school in the gym) when partnered with TEACHERS planning on using this information within their curriculum, either reaching back to discussions and focus from previous learning, or looking forward. The assembly is a single, energetic speaker, but the message tends to get "lost" in the vastness of a school gym, thus the idea to use the Theater and to have a sign up. It is focused on how to intervene when you see bullying and how to respectfully intervene to NOT be a "bystander". See this Sandy Hook Promise short video for more information. Priority is to GRADES 9 and 10, but please do sign up if you feel passionate about having your students hear this important message. Thank you to those of you who already signed up. We have room for two more classes if two teachers want to sign up. Please contact Josh Reiderer if you would like your classes to attend. More information to teachers who signed up regarding which assembly time they are attending is forthcoming this week.
January 23, 5:15-7:45 p.m.: "What I Wish My Parents Knew": WH is hosting this regional information / workshop night for parents in the East County in partnership with Santee School District, Mending Matters, and San Diego Youth Services. Topics came from our own students from a survey we sent out. Santana, El Capitan and West Hills parents invited explicitly for information to parents from teens. Check out the flier page 1 and page 2.
January 23, 5:15-7:45 p.m.: "What I Wish My Parents Knew": WH is hosting this regional information / workshop night for parents in the East County in partnership with Santee School District, Mending Matters, and San Diego Youth Services. Topics came from our own students from a survey we sent out. Santana, El Capitan and West Hills parents invited explicitly for information to parents from teens. Check out the flier page 1 and page 2.
January 28-February 1, 2019: Great Kindness Challenge Week: West Hills will be participating in this national week. Each period 3 teacher will get the Great Kindness Ideas list and ask teachers to review the list with students. We all then focus on and participate in the Great Kindness Challenge for the week. We can all use a little more kindness in our lives! We will be encouraging social media postings of our kindness as well as whole school opportunities. We want to start 2019 off with continuing kindness and good will. Here's a short video to help explain it...
Wednesday, February 13, 2019, 5:30 p.m. West Hills Freshman Showcase:
Our best opportunity to show off, we welcome all 8th grade families to preview our high school and JOIN the PACK! We need as many teachers, programs, and people here to inform and energize families to enroll at West Hills! This night is our true "Open House" since we are in the "Open Choice" window in the District where all schools are open for enrollment regardless of where you live. THANK YOU DEPARTMENT CHAIRS and COORDINATORS for your support and participation! More information to come....
GUHSD Published Multi-Year Calendar for Staff (This includes the staff work days and start of school year for teachers and classified published by the District)
GUHSD Multi-Year Calendar for Students and Parents (this is the "easy to read view for three years for parents and students but does NOT include faculty and staff start of school year and work day options during holidays). Sent via I.C. to all parents and students.
If My Parents Only Knew: January 23, 2019 at West Hills High School
In partnership with Santana High School, El Capitan High School, San Diego Youth Services and the Santee School District, we invite all parents in the community to join us for honest and informative discussion from Santee and Lakeside teens around the topics of Suicide Prevention, the pressures on teens today, how to communicate with teens today and much more! Opening with a key note speaker for about 15 minutes in the West Hills Bob Guess Theater for the Performing Arts, we then move into break out sessions where panels of teens will share on a topic and an expert moderator will then facilitate a conversation with parents and community members around that topic. You will be able to attend 2-3 sessions in this one evening. Please see this flier for parking and an overview and this flier for a list of the break-out sessions to choose from. for more information.
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| Mrs. Robin Ballarin |
Welcome to our second semester! We are very excited to CONGRATULATE all of our HONOR ROLL (3.5 GPA and higher) students and our PERFECT ATTENDANCE (not missing any school for any reason) students! Your hard work and dedication results in these kudos--THANK YOU for investing in yourselves! Thank you, too, to all parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings and community members who support every student on our campus. We also want to CONGRATULATE ALL of our ALPHA PLUS students! This unique award was conceived by Mr. David Hunter, first ASB teacher and Assistant Principal of West Hills. He visioned an award in which each teacher would choose one student from each class period to be their "Alpha Plus". Students who had stood out as the one who improved the most, or demonstrated leadership and dedication to the subject matter the most, or who just impressed the teacher with their character in exemplifying the "West Hills Way" the most that semester. Mr. Hunter wanted West Hills to celebrate the development of leadership "among the many" and so we celebrate each and every student on this list and the many who have received this prestigious pin and award throughout their high school career. Here's to continued great good success for all this year!
Class of 2023: Freshman Showcase
All are welcome..please share with family, friends and anyone searching for a great school for their students!
Best Buddies will be selling small bouquets of flowers on Valentine's Day again this year!
Please come to room PD4 at lunch or break in the days before Valentines Day to place orders and pay for the flowers. Bouquets are $5 each and will be ready for pickup at snack and lunch on Valentine's Day.
A limited number of extra bouquets will be available on Valentine's Day, but they sold out in less than 10 minutes last year, so please pre-purchase them!
