The mission of West Hills High School is to graduate critical thinkers and problem-solvers who contribute positively to society as productive, responsible citizens.
WH 2020-21 FAQs to students and parents
Admin Responsibilities 2020-21
The events in our Capitol on Wednesday have left us with a wide variety of feelings including anger, sorrow, fear, and deep concern. The promise of the United States is still here, living within each of us. I was touched and inspired by these words from Dr. Bob Brower, President, Point Loma Nazarene University when he noted, in part exactly what I want to say:
ASCD has this resource for teachers if helpful in guiding discussions with students and each other. It is important to allow for discussion, examination, and thoughtful discourse between and among all of us.
The past [days], however, have been confusing, frightening, and heartbreaking as I witnessed the events in the Capitol. Cherished ideals, spoken and written about across generations, were threatened by violence and hate that tore at the foundations of our nation. These actions must have no place in our society now or in the future.
Our future, if we are to make a difference, must be compelled by a spirit of reconciliation, humility, forgiveness, and grace ... and through us to change the brokenness and division in our own lives, communities, and throughout our nation. As a university community, we must seek to understand and respect the other, we must ensure justice and end discrimination and racism, we must make our enemy our neighbor, and our differences must be the debate of our ideas, not the divisiveness of our actions.
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| WH Admin & SRO waiting for family to pick up their new bicycle! |
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- Daily attendance and participation
- The attendance tab will be activated in the parent portal for week 2. This means attendance is ¨live¨ and taking attendance resumes it´s traditional importance.
- Students can mark themselves participated but teachers can reject, override, or develop another method. [See linked doc below for thorough information]
- Course scope set at 60% of normal
- Weekly hours of instruction for 9th and 10th-grade classes lowered from 10 to 7 hours.
- Mandatory live Zooms allowed either during the scheduled time OR at another time during the school 8 am - 3 pm school day. The District recommends setting outside the bell schedule times for teachers who don't want to live Zoom during their class time or are on leave. WH Deparment Chair & Leadership team will be creating a schedule this Thursday at our meeting.
- ***Please note that ¨required Zooms / video conferencing need to be written into your syllabus and re-published in writing to parents and students. Please see this email content sent Jan. 7, 2021 to all.
- ***Please also keep in mind that we need to keep our own bell schedule in mind for any Zooms / video conferencing, even on Mondays. Life is confusing enough for everyone. Let´s stay as consistent as we can. Please give feedback to your Department Chair or any member of DC / Leadership including any Admin.
COVID-19 Surveillance Testing for Employees During Winter Break:
Mollison Complex will be open during Winter Break (Closed on Christmas and New Years Day) Monday through Friday, 10:00am - 6pm.
Reminder: The following testing schedule for all GUHSD staff is:
Last name A-E: test between January 11 and January 22, 2021
Last name F-L: test between January 25 and February 5, 2021
Last name M-R: test between February 8 and February 19, 2021
Last name S-Z: test between February 22 and March 8, 2021
What is surveillance testing?
Surveillance testing, also known as routine testing, involves testing people on a regular basis to identify individuals who may be carrying the virus yet be asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic.
The purpose of surveillance tests is to monitor the current state of the epidemic and slow the spread of the virus through early identification. It is used to monitor things like whether the COVID-19 virus is moving into new areas, whether it is affecting some groups of people more than other groups of people, or whether the number of cases is going up or going down.
Who should be tested and how often?
School and district staff members are essential workers who may have contact with students or other staff. According to the California Department of Public Health, school districts and schools shall test staff periodically, as testing capacity permits and as practicable, with the recommendation being to test all staff over the course of two months on a rotating basis, where 25% of staff are tested every two weeks.
Where do I go for testing?
GUHSD has access to a designated COVID-19 testing site for East County School Employees only at our very own Mollison Complex, located at 301 N. Mollison Ave. At this time reservations are not available. Hours are 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM. Follow the signs to the portables closest to Mollison Ave. Bring your school or district ID badge and your smartphone (not required) for ease of registration.
The San Diego County Office of Education has established additional surveillance testing sites specifically to serve school employees. A list of these sites can be found here.
School employees may also be tested at any of the county’s public testing sites, which can be found here.
What do I do with my results?
Test results should be submitted to COVIDtestresults@guhsd.net as soon as you receive them. Test results are highly confidential, and access to them are limited to HR leadership. Should your results record positive, please stay home and notify your principal/supervisor immediately.
If any staff member chooses to make arrangements for their own testing through their healthcare provider, the County of San Diego, or any other testing location, the staff member must submit their results to COVIDtestresults@guhsd.net as soon as they are received.
Participation by Design: Increasing Student Memory, Attention, & Participation in Any Learning Environment
January 20 and 27
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm (Online)
Register Here
This workshop is led by Katie Anderson who is part of Conscious Teaching (who also brings us Grace Dearborn). All GUHSD teachers and counselors will be paid the professional activities rate for participating.
Details:
January 20 - Part 1: Memory & Attention - In this interactive 80-min session participants will learn how memories are formed and how the brain pays attention. Multiple strategies for how to get and keep student attention, and what to do with it once we have it to improve memory and learning, will be presented. Strategies will include how you create rigor and mitigate learning loss through the use of low stakes assessments, equitable homework, and partnering activities.
January 27 - Part 2: Participation & Group Work - In this entertaining 80-min session participants will learn various ways to improve student participation and increase academic rigor during content reviews, whole class Q&A, and group work. Strategies for classroom and online teaching will be covered. Participants will come away with multiple ways to move reluctant students past their own resistance and keep them gently "on the hook" for participating, without cornering or confrontation.
