Viking Voice
Week of September 12, 2016
Message from our Principal, Mr. Chris Laue
Greeting s Viking Students and Families!
I am pleased to welcome you to the 2016-2017 school year! For those of you who are
new to Parker, I am beginning my sixth year as principal. Prior to this role, I served as
a high school assistant principal for two years, a middle school assistant principal for
nine years, and taught agriculture for seven years. I hold a bachelor’s degree from UW
Platteville in Agriculture Education and a master’s degree in Education Administration
from Marian College.
Over the past five years, we have made significant changes in the Janesville High
Schools. We have increased graduation requirements, transitioned from a seven period
day to an eight period modified block, and this year, are instituting a number of
changes to how we assess students and report grades. All of these changes have helped
us increase opportunities for students and prepare them for college and career.
Even though Parker is a big high school with over 1400 students, please do not hesitate
to call, email, or stop in with a question or a concern. It has long been the philosophy
that “Everybody is Somebody at Parker!” I am proud to be a part of that tradition.
Sincerely,
Chris Laue, PHS Principal
743-5605
[email protected]
Quarter 1 Flex
What is Flex? Flex is an enrichment/remediation time at the end of certain “B” and
“C” days. Students will sign up next week in Homeroom on Tuesday and Wednesday. Flex 1 will last for the rest of Quarter 1 on “B” and “C” days when Homeroom is
not scheduled. Flex Options for students include among other things:
ACT PREP: Students will have a chance to receive extra help or tips in preparation for
the ACT Test in the fall.
OPEN LABS: Departments or classes are offering Open Lab time for students to either
get extra help or to explore topics beyond what is part of classes. These Open Labs will
be staffed by teachers in those departments so students should be able to have the necessary help needed.
Viking Voice
Week of September 12, 2016
ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES: These activities are designed as an extension of learning in the classroom. There are over 20 activities from Bizarre Foods from Around the
World to choir, band and orchestra practice to Insect and Leaf Collection.
TEACHER CHOICE: A limited number of teachers will be running sessions for students in their classes to come in for extra help or time to work on other interests related
to that particular class.
OPEN STUDY HALL: Students may choose to sign up for an open study hall to have
time to work on homework.
All students must sign up for a Flex Activity next week during Homeroom
**NOTE** Attendance is taken in Flex and Homeroom. Not attending either of these
do affect students ability to participate in athletic games or practices per our CoCurricular code.
Co-operative Education
Parents, this was shared with students and applies to Parker HS COOP students only.
Students that are in coop are to leave during that hour. Students may not wait in the
commons until the end of the day, etc. COOP Students in athletics or other after school
activities should still leave or arrange to work with a teacher. We do not want students
unsupervised in the building.
On FLEX days COOP students approved for the COOP Flex must leave the building. If they are in the building during FLEX we will assign the student a FLEX (that is
not coop).
Per the previous agreement, on homeroom weeks COOP students are to be in homeroom on Tuesday to get important information etc. They may be dismissed on Wednesdays, again make sure students leave the building.
The main thing is, we cannot have unsupervised students in the building. Students, our
Viking Voice
Week of September 12, 2016
COOPs are a privilege that may come with some extra responsibility.
3rd Friday Count
On Friday, September 16, 2016, Parker has its state count day also known as Pupil
Count day. It is extremely important that your child is in attendance on this the day as
it is the day that our school is funded. Please make sure your child is in attendance on
this day. Make Friday count!
Say Something: P3 APP
During our Welcome Back Assemblies Officers Ellis, Bailey, and Sullivan from the
Janesville Police Department shared information with our students about a new Janesville Area Crimestoppers initiative. The “Say Something” campaign uses a new APP
called P3 TIPS. The APP is designed to allow people to report tips to Crimestoppers. We are encouraging all students/parents to download the free APP from the
Google Play Store and the App Store.
Students will have a chance to enter a drawing for prizes by doing one (or both) of the
the following.
1) Download the P3 TIPS App
2) Sign a Banner for the “Say Something” campaign. The banner will be displayed in
the west commons as a reminder every day that students walk into Parker High School.
Youtube Video Explaining P3 TIPS
Viking Voice
Week of September 12, 2016
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
As part of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, Parker High School is running a “Say
Something” campaign in association with Crimestoppers and the P3 TIPS App. During
the next few weeks all students will have to opportunity to pledge to “Say Something.”
Students will have a chance to enter a drawing for prizes by doing one (or both) of the
the following.
1) Download the P3 TIPS App
2) Sign a Banner for the “Say Something” campaign. The banner will be displayed in
the west commons as a reminder every day that students walk into Parker High School.
Next PTSA Meeting
PTSA will have their first official meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016 at 6:00 pm.
Topics to be discussed: The budget, fundraisers, Homecoming parade/dance and more.
Please stop in and be a part of a great team!
Viking Voice
Week of September 12, 2016
Grading Changes at High Schools
Over the past two years, staff at Parker and Craig have been looking at how we assess students and how
we assign grades. The result of our work is a new grading process that will show students attain and
master skills.
High School Grading Purpose Statement: To implement grading practices that accurately and equitably report student achievement.
Grading will be based on formative and summative work.
In the past, students got points for what they completed. Points were added to calculate quarter grades,
and the two quarter grades were averaged to compute the semester grade. Now…
Eighty percent (80%) of students‘ grade will be based on summative assessments
Twenty percent (20%) of a students’ grade will be based on formative assessments.
Students will receive a semester grade that reflects all of the work that has taken place that
semester. We no longer average quarter grades at the semester.
Progress reports will be issued in the middle of the quarter and at the end of the quarter
Summative- 80% of Grade
Formative- 20% of the Grade
Standards Based Tests & Quizzes
CFA’s (Common Formative AssessmentsShort Standards Based Checks for Understanding)
Common Assessments (PLC Unit Tests)
Entrance Ticket, Exit Ticket
Standards Based Summative Tests
Practice Tests
Quarter, Semester Tests
Daily Practice
Large Projects
Small Projects
Final Essays
Draft Essay and Outlines
Lab Reports
Data Collection
Presentations
Student Involvement
Demonstrations of Proficiency
Class Activities
Portfolios
Warm-Ups
Our goal is to have students complete all work at 80% proficiency.
Learning used to be a “one and done” experience. You memorized things for a test, you took the test,
and whatever score you got (good or bad) was a part of your quarter grade. We now look at this more
like a driver’s test- students need to reach a level of learning and have multiple chances to get there.
Viking Voice
Week of September 12, 2016
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Students who earn less than an 80% on an assessment are expected to do the work necessary to show they have mastered the material at another time.
Students will be able to make corrections, relearn material, and demonstrate that they have
mastered the content throughout the semester.
Students can show their mastery of material in multiple ways- not just a pencil and paper
test.
Each teacher will have a procedure to allow students to relearn and demonstrate they have
mastered skills after an assessment.
Our grading scale looks different than in the past.
Traditional grading is on a 0-100 scale. This sometimes creates mathematical situations that penalize
students. For example, under the old system, if you take three tests and score a 30%, a 70% and a 75%,
the average would be a 58%. With the old scale, the student would fail and get an F. This is no longer
the case.
We expect students to complete all work as it is assigned.
All formative work is due when the student takes the summative assessment for that material.
Students who do not meet these deadlines will receive a 50% F.
We no longer make “extra credit” an option. Students should do the regular work, and can
redo work to improve a grade.
GRADING SCALE:
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Range
92-100
90-91
88-89
82-87
80-81
78-79
72-77
70-71
68-69
62-67
60-61
50-59
Viking Voice
Week of September 12, 2016
Textbook Returns
If your student has a textbook in their possession from last year or a previous year that was not
turned in, please have the student return the textbook to staff in the LMC. We request that the
textbook is returned directly to a staff person so that they can check your book in. This is also
important due to accruing fines for books that are not returned to staff.
New Parking Rules for 2016-17 School Year
Beginning Thursday Sept 1st 2016, all parking violations will be enforced. Only students with a
paid parking permit will be able to park in the assigned parking stalls. Parents picking up or
dropping off their students will need to park their "attended" vehicle in a spot that does not hinder bus pick up or drop off. Do not block student stalls preventing them from leaving safely. All
traffic entering the front parking circle will enter from the west of the circle and will exit to the
east of the circle. Parking in the front circle will be limited to student pick up or drop off in the
white curbed areas. The vehicle must be "attended." If there is a need to leave your vehicle then
you must park in the designated "visitor only" parking stalls in the front circle. If those stalls are
full then you must park on Mineral Pt. in the designated area. "Visitor Only" stalls are not to be
used for student pick up or drop off. Parking will be allowed on the south side of Mineral Pt, except for the two areas in front of the school that will be coned off. The yellow "Emergency Vehicle Only" area will be off limits to all non-emergency vehicles on a 365 day basis. The two
"Reserved" stalls in the front circle will be reserved for the school principal and his designee.
Junior Achievement Volunteers Needed
Classroom volunteers are needed to help Junior Achievement (JA) prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. JA classroom programs use community volunteers to teach K-12 students how to become successful business owners, good employees, effective money managers and
good citizens.
What would I do as a JA volunteer?
 Attend an informational meeting to learn how to become a JA volunteer.
 Choose the grade level, class, and school where you’d like to volunteer. (You can choose your
child’s classroom.)
 Attend a training session with JA staff to review your classroom kit of materials.
 Contact your assigned teacher to work out the classroom visit schedule.
Viking Voice
Week of September 12, 2016
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Lead 5-7 hands-on sessions in the classroom. Most classroom visits are 30-45 minutes long but
there are some single afternoon or single day opportunities available. All materials are ageappropriate for students and contain fun activities that teach important lessons about financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness skills. Teachers are present in the classroom to provide support, if needed.
Have fun.
How do I sign up?
Contact Melanie Hawkins at the JA office in Janesville. Email to [email protected] or call 608754-8760. For more information about JA, go to www.jawis.org.
Weekly Calendar
MONDAY, September 12
2:30 pm
JV / Varsity Golf vs. Beloit / Craig, Riverside Golf Course
TUESDAY, September 13
2:30 pm
JV-B Golf at Craig Invite, Blackhawk Golf Course
4:00 pm
Tennis at Middleton
4:00 pm
Boys’ & Girls’ Cross Country at LaFollette Invite, Lake Farm County Park
5:00 / 5:00 / 7:00 pm Frosh / JV / Varsity Soccer vs. LaFollette
5:00 / 5:00 / 6:30 pm Frosh / JV / Varsity Volleyball at East
THURSDAY, September 15
2:00 pm
Varsity Golf at East, Monona Golf Course
4:00 pm
Tennis vs. Beloit
4:30 pm
Frosh Football vs. Craig
5:00 / 5:00 / 7:00 pm Frosh / JV / Varsity Soccer at East
5:00 / 5:00 / 6:30 pm Frosh / JV / Varsity Volleyball at Sun Prairie
5:00 pm
JV Football at Craig
5:00 pm
Swim vs. Craig
FRIDAY, September 16
7:00 pm
Varsity Football vs. Craig
SATURDAY, September 17
7:30 am
Varsity Golf hosts Invite, Riverside Golf Course
8:00 am
Varsity Tennis hosts Invite
9:00 am
Varsity Volleyball at Delavan-Darien Invite
9:00 am
Varsity Reserve Football at Craig
10:00 am
Swim at Milton