Files to Download: Daily Prog. Report, Assessment & Arts Exp.

Click here to access:
Arts Experience form
Daily Student Progress Report
Assessment cover sheet & writing prompts

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.

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....

Another Year

Agenda Items:

Restructuring Schedule:
Math every day?
Spanish every day?

Integrated Science Program

Reflections on our vision as articulated in 2006
1. Standards:
a. Are we using the Horizons Plan?
b. Are we attending to non-course competences?
c. Is the grading system useful? We need to be vigilant about keeping students informed and aware of the grading system.
d. Are we holding to our desire to keep kids here that want to be here? Are students informed/remembering/respecting the contract?

Formal art instruction

Is class attendance required?

How can we institute Creative Time?

How do we handle labs?

Course offerings:
Jay will do 3-D animation 4 days a week
Bob and Priscilla will teach World Cultures
Bruce may teach Latin: Foreign Language? Humanities (with Roman history)?
Doug will teach Decision Making. Will psychology be a science or the other component of the humanities section?

Current History & Gov't Curriculum Links

History:
Trip 1 Study Plan docHistory of Us support materials (teacher guides)
Quiz questions (episodes 1-8) (glossaries and quizzes available at each webisode page)

Three Worlds Meet DVD info
Jamestown, Williamsburg, Yorktown DVD info
Presidential Memorials, War Memorials DVDs info

Government:
SDS American Government topics (by episode)
SDS School American Gov't Info page (shows topics covered in each video)
SDS School American Gov't Netflix page
SDS All About American Government site
SDS American Government Quizzes

Free Public Access Wifi

http://www.wififreespot.com/dc.html
http://wififreespot.com/

Washington DC Public Libraries, National Mall, Outside Library of Congress, Supreme Ct.
Williamsburg Libraries
Travel Plazas

Restaurants: Panera Bread, McDonalds, Krystal, Schlotsky's, Caribou Coffee
Also: Staples, Whole Foods

U.S. History Questions from CultureScope (1)

Here is a link to the CultureScope U.S. History questions.