Teaching Horizons

a blog for teachers of Horizons School

Monday, July 16, 2007

Meeting Notes July

1. Where will math fit in schedule?
10-10:45 a.m. A and B days

2. Test Daily Advisement for 4-6 weeks, beginning on our return from Jellystone

3. Students have access to computers until the privilege is abused.

4. Are we going to have universal policy in re: attendance and tardiness. We need follow-through.

5. We need to finalize daily advisement procedure.

6. We need to put pressure on parents to get studnets to school on time.

7. hall monitor --a teacher who didn't have a class would sit near the office but outside it (so as to watch that if necessary) and keep folks from wandering.

8. Decide on date for arts festival

9. Design arts form (Angie)

10. Put together assessment materials (reading, writing, math) for orientation

11. Plan orientation.

Monday, July 09, 2007

Meeting June 25

Waiting on information about integrated science program from John Wetzel.

Discussed and proposed a daily check-in of advisees with advisor. This might entail:
1) maintaining a list of students' schedules by advisor
2) Angie will form
3) Bruce exhorted us to make advisees come from the same grade group

Should we do monthly community service?

A debate team is a possibility Priscilla is pursuing information

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Want to encourage an art-friendly environment at Horizons. (In conjunction with "creative time" idea).
1) Increase creative projects in academic classes
2) Invite arts community members to give presentations, seminars, workshops, etc.
3) Have a student "art festival " at the end of each semester in the gym to showcase work.
Question: should participation be mandatory?

Suggestion: Should students complete 10 arts "experiences" including creative projects, visits to museums, lectures by visiting artists, etc. Class projects & group projects are a way to decrease pressure for solo performances.

Sally brought up the idea of school-wide term papers/research papers. Bruce and John Mark liked the idea. I brought up the idea that it's not as simple as throwing the assignment out there, that skills like research, creating a thesis, writing a paragraph, etc. MUST be taught first.

We need to make sure there is a writing assessment during orientation to help us figure out where on that list of skills individuals are and to help teachers identify students for whom a research paper might not be an appropriate assignment (some l.d. students, international students, etc.). Of course we all agreed that students SHOULD be able to write one, but....