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Highland Park High School
Principal's Weekly Update
October 26, 2020. Issue 10
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Hello Giant Families and Happy Halloween,
A lot of important information to share with you this week as we move into the second quarter. I thank you in advance for reading through this entire email, as I know we are all inundated with electronic communication daily.
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Halloween
While Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, please be reminded of our costume policies should students decide to dress up on screen.
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Community Days
Based on feedback from students, staff, and parents, it is apparent that our Monday Giant Schedule days are incredibly challenging with 40 minute class periods and only 5 minute passing periods. There is also a clear desire for students to be able to make meaningful connections with teachers, staff, and peers through in-person opportunities.
As such, most Mondays beginning 11/16 will now become “Community Days.” On these Community Days, students do not “attend” class at a set time but, rather, access pre-recorded lectures and digital curriculum materials and may respond through email, discussion boards, collaborative documents or assignments at a time and pace of their own choosing. Teachers will support students through pre-arranged meetings suchs as office hours, individual meetings or small group collaborations. All of these can be done remotely or in person, but any such meetings will be held during the time of the regularly scheduled class period.
By changing the teaching and learning style on Mondays (Community Days), we hope that students will find more flexibility in completing lessons and assignments, while also seeking individualized or small group support with their teacher, which is often challenging during large group meetings held remotely. We also hope that more students will be able to enhance their connections with teachers, staff, and peers by accessing opportunities on-campus, if so desired.
Our first transition towards Community Days will be Wednesday, November 4 (due to the different schedule that week, specifics shared below). Later in November, we will gather feedback from students and staff about what worked and areas for needed improvement to make future community days that much better. We will then expand our services to ensure all students are invited for an on campus experience, possibly including but not limited to Link-Crew gatherings, SEL workshops and select course or teacher-specific sessions. Additional details about the remaining community days will be shared closer to those dates.
Students should know that beginning 11/4 and on subsequent Community Days, their teachers will post on Schoology by 8:00 am a lesson, assignment, or update. These days are at the discretion of the teacher and may be used for an opportunity to review, catch-up, meet with peer groups or begin new material. Students are expected to sign into Schoology on these days by 3:00 pm and complete work as indicated. However, students do not need to complete their classwork during the regularly scheduled period; rather students have flexibility in using their time during the day. Attendance will be taken via student usage of Schoology by 3 p.m.
Information about and registration for our first Community Day opportunities will be shared soon!
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Election Week
Please know that schedule for the week of November 2 is as follows:
Monday, November 2 - Synchronous Giant Schedule
Tuesday, November 3 - Election Day, No School
Wednesday, November 4 - Community Day
Thursday, November 5 - White Schedule
Friday, November 6 - Blue Schedule
We know that an election during this already challenging time may leave our students feeling hopeful, worried, or both. We recognize that there are many different emotions and we are hoping to support our students immediately following the election if it is needed.
As mentioned earlier in this letter, Wednesday, November 4 will be our first Community Day. Many students will be only focused on school that day and, as previously noted, we will be providing those learning experiences. Teachers will be sensitive with due dates and will not assign anything due this same day. If students are in need of support, we have created a schedule to offer different sessions.
First, our counseling department will provide continuous virtual drop-in services from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm. Students will be greeted by someone from the counseling staff and assigned to breakout rooms with adults. Students will be able to enter individually or in groups. Second, we are hoping to prepare some other sessions that are both educational and supportive in nature. We will share those options with students later this week.
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Celebrations and Recognitions
The HPHS Social Studies Department seeks to prepare students for a pluralistic and information-rich world by strengthening students' knowledge and critical thinking skills in history and the social sciences, sharpening students' understanding of justice through a lens of equity, and supporting students' social and emotional well-being as they navigate the high school experience. Click here for a small sampling of what the Social Studies Department has been up to during remote learning this fall!
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Final Week of the Semester
This year, we are not having a traditional final exam week. Rather, we are simply having a final week of the semester. During this week (and those that precede this week) teachers will have flexibility in how they both assess and support students. During the final week of the semester, each teacher will still meet with students in some meaningful way during each of their designated periods. Some teachers may give a traditional test or have a final assessment (paper, project, presentation, etc.). Some teachers may also use the time to teach new content. Some teachers may use the time to meet 1:1 or with small groups of students to provide individualized support. Students will be made aware of these final week plans during the first week of December or earlier so that they may plan and prepare accordingly. Students should contact their teachers by the second week of December if they have three or more assessments on any given day so that arrangements can be made.
Our schedule will be:
Monday, December 14 - Blue Schedule
Tuesday, December 15 - White Schedule
Wednesday, December 16 - Blue Schedule
Thursday, December 17 - White Schedule
Friday, December 18 - Institute Day, No Classes
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Quest Cafeteria Update
Starting this week, all HPHS students have access to free meals from our food provider, Quest. Meals will be available for pickup on Mondays and Thursdays, from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM at the Circle Drive. Please fill out this Google Form if you are interested in food pickup so that enough meals are prepared. You only need to fill it out once (not for every pickup date). This flyer provides more specific details including the types of food being provided.
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I hope you all have a safe and sweet Halloween,
Debby Finn
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Highland Park High School 2020-21
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