This Week at GHS: January 6

Hello Greendale High School families,

Although it seemed to go by quickly this year, I hope your winter break was filled with relaxation and good times. We are back at it for the important month of January.

This week, we have two pictures of things going on at the high school. The adjacent photo is from our annual event where recent graduates return to the high school to hold an informal panel discussion with current eleventh and twelfth grade students. The question and answer session always ranges from dorm life to academic preparedness and gets our upperclassmen thinking about life after high school.

The photo below shows another annual event, students participating in the Hunger Task Force Food for Today simulation. This simulation helps students understand how the curriculum work that they have done in their Foods classes and for Empty Bowls helps those who are less fortunate. Students experience the struggles families go through as they take on a role of a person in need who is trying to provide for their family.



There are also many important announcements in this Weekly: after-school supervision, the cancellation of semester two open house and the creation of new parent/teacher communications, quarter two final exams, ping pong and other great events coming up for parents and families. Please, read on.

Have a great weekend with your families.

Now, in no particular order…

TONIGHT/TOMORROW - Creating Our Future, an Important Community Conversation
Greendale Schools needs your help. We’ve nearly accomplished all of our goals and now it is time for a more comprehensive Strategic Plan. The world landscape has changed since 2008 and we need a plan that reflects the current realities. Please join us in a two-day conversation with Gary Marx, author of "Future-Focused Leadership," and help make a difference in Greendale Schools. The conversation begins on Friday, January 6 from 7:00 to 8:45 p.m. and continues on Saturday, January 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event will take place at the Greendale High School Library. For more information, please click here or call 414-423-2700.

Mark your calendars for a few other things in January

• January 17 – 20, Final Exam Days
• January 23, No School – End of First Semester
• January 31, Eighth to Ninth Grade Transition Night, Auditorium
  

For all date questions, please use our online calendar. Please click here to view.

Final Exams
We have made efforts to make the exam schedule both study-friendly and time-friendly for students as they navigate these important final exams, often constituting 20% of the final semester grade. Final examinations will review and consolidate the major learning objectives of the semester. All students must take exams. If there are any questions about exams or the following schedule, please contact your guidance counselor. The following are student expectations during exam week and some additional details:

• Students using our bus service will be picked up at the normal time each morning. Buses will take them home at the end of each day’s final exam session (regular time on Tuesday and 11:45 a.m. on the other days). Please see the schedule below.
• Students need to be in the classroom on time for each exam for which they are scheduled.
• If students come late for an exam, they have the option of going to study hall or leaving the building. They will then have to return during the make-up period for that exam at the school’s discretion.
• Students are generally not permitted to leave the classroom once exams begin.
• Attendance in periods where a student may have a study hall is not mandatory. Study spaces in the IMC and MPR, however, will be available all hours for those who wish to study. During the exam day, students are allowed to enter and exit the building via the main entrance if they have an appointment with their counselor or via the MPR doors if they are here to study.
• The first day of exams, Tuesday, January 17, includes teacher-guided study sessions for each class your student has. In the past, we spread these sessions out across the exam week, but student and parent feedback pushed us to do them all at the outset of exams. This way, each student is armed with as much information as possible about their upcoming exam and can create their own study schedule according to their needs. These sessions are optional, so it is possible for a student to come to school at 12:30 p.m. just to take their third hour exam. Please see the schedule below.
  

Thursday, January 12
By 3:00 p.m. today, teachers are expected to post review/exam information prominently on their websites.
Friday, January 13
Regular class day.
Monday, January 16
Last regular class day for first semester. Hour 3 teachers will distribute semester two schedules.



Tuesday, January 17
12:15 – 12:30 Teachers in classrooms receiving students for Hr. 3 exam.
Exam – Hr. 3 12:30 – 2:30 Hr. 3 Exam
Wednesday, January 18
7:30 – 9:30 a.m. Hour 1 Exam
9:45 – 11:45 a.m. Hour 2 Exam
Thursday, January 19
7:30 – 9:30 a.m. Hour 4 Exam
9:45 – 11:45 a.m. Hour 5 Exam
Friday, January 20
7:30 – 9:30 a.m. Hour 6 Exam
9:45 – 11:45 a.m. Hour 7 Exam
Monday, January 23rd
Grading/Semester Switch Activities
No student attendance.
Tuesday, January 24
First day of semester two.

New Structure for Semester Two Parent/Teacher Communications
The high school teachers value time engaged in academic conferencing with our parents through our traditional Parent-Teacher conference nights. On the other hand, for years, we have wrestled with the very low turn-out for Spring Open House. We also have thought that a late February Parent-Teacher conference session is too early in second semester to do much good. Albert Einstein defined insanity as: “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” We don’t want to argue with Albert, so we are making some pretty radical changes to our Spring Parent-Teacher contact times. Please read on:

Here is what is currently on the GHS calendar. THESE ARE BEING ADJUSTED, please see below:

• Semester Two Open House: February 2, 6:30 – 8:15 p.m. Cancelled.
• Spring Parent/Teacher Conferences: February 23, 4:00 – 7:30 p.m., Unaffected.
• Spring Parent/Teacher Conferences: February 24, 7:30 – 9:00 a.m., Cancelled.
  

The adjusted plan is:
Eliminate Spring Open House to gain additional Parent/Teacher Conference Time. We will have an expectation for a direct communication (most likely an email via the PowerGrade gradebooks) from all teachers to any parents of students new to their classroom.

• Keep the February 23 Parent/Teacher Conferences from 4-7:30 p.m. Since this is early in the semester, parents interested in meeting any teachers new to their students will still have the opportunity.
• Eliminate the February 24 morning Parent/Teacher Conference time. This eliminated time, along with the eliminated Open House, allows for additional Parent/Teacher Conference time.
• Create an additional evening of Parent/Teacher Conference time on Wednesday, April 4 from 4:00–7:15 p.m.
  

Although we understand that the loss of Open House and morning Parent/Teacher Conference time may be disappointing to some parents, we believe the benefits of this additional night of Parent/Teacher Conferences has much potential as an additional communication at a more informative time of the second semester.

After-school Supervision and Our Students
The school is very much in use throughout the late afternoon and night on most weeknights and a safely supervised, educational atmosphere must be maintained for those who use the building after normal school hours. Besides some minor disruptions and loitering, we have not had major issues, but always want to continuously improve the learning environment within our school. To that end, we are communicating with our students, our teachers, and our parents the following expectations should students need to remain in the building after normal school hours:

• At the conclusion of the school day, students remaining for co-curricular activities, teacher conferences or library use must be in those locations. All other students must vacate the building hallways by 3:00 p.m.
• Our many students awaiting pick up must do so by the Upper Gym or the front lobby doors. They must be picked up and/or out of the school building by 3:30 p.m. Students who are going to be picked up later must use the school library, which closes at 4:00 p.m., to quietly study and get homework done or they must make arrangements to be picked up at a different location, such as the Greendale Public Library or another off-site location.
• Students who are in the school later due to a co-curricular activity should wait for pick-up at either the Upper Gym or the front lobby doors when their activity is done. They must exit the school in a timely manner and not loiter in the hallways.
• School staff will actively monitor the hallways and lobby areas of the school, requiring all students not engaged in a co-curricular activity, teacher conference or library use to vacate the building in a timely manner. Students who fail to vacate the school premises will be warned and issued consequences in the event that they continue to loiter, up to and including a citation from the Greendale Police Department for loitering.
  

To allow families to discuss these expectations and to develop an afterschool plan (where needed), these updated policies will go into effect the beginning of second semester, Tuesday, January 24.

Now, there are a variety of good reasons students are in the building past 4:00 p.m. and we don’t want these expectations to cause undue anxiety on these families. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact one of our assistant principals, Mr. Joynt or Ms. Petersen.

District Parent Information Night
All Greendale parents are encouraged to attend the District Parent Information Night on January 11 at Greendale Middle School. The district-level information portion of the evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the MPR on how teachers are incorporating technology in their classrooms. Many of the schools will also be holding a school-level meeting on the same night at the middle school, either directly preceding or following the district presentation. The evening’s schedule is as follows:

• 5:45-6:30 p.m. GMS PTO Meeting - Library
• 6:30-7:15 p.m. District Presentation – Incorporating Technology in the Classroom - MPR
• 7:20-8:00 p.m. Canterbury PTO Meeting - RM 174, College Park PTO Meeting- RM 175, Highland View PTO Meeting - RM 177
  

Parents as Partners Conference
The Parents as Partners Conference will take place on Tuesday, February 7, 6:00-8:30 p.m. at Greendale Middle School. Possible sessions include Cyberbullying, Parent iPad Bootcamp, Love and Logic Parenting, Raising a Healthy Child, Teaching Early Learning Skills to Your Child, Parenting in the Middle, How to Help Your Child Reduce Stress and Anxiety, College Readiness, Is Your Child Gifted and Talented? and more. This event is free to Greendale School District parents. Childcare will be provided. Look for more information in the coming weeks.

Newly Formed Ping Pong Club Needs Help
From the Ping Pong Club Presidents, Matt Rehberg and Joe Grabowski, juniors at Greendale High School: What makes Greendale High School so special is all of the extracurricular activities it offers its students. There is everything from Math Club, which is over 100 members strong, to the Board Game Club, which was founded this year. None of these activities and clubs would exist if it weren’t for you, parents and Greendale community members. We have to ask for your help once again. We have been trying to get a Ping Pong League established here at Greendale HS. We are anticipating this League will interest our fellow students in the great sport of Ping Pong. It would provide a fun, yet competitive activity for our student body.

Our idea has one small hiccup though: we have no tables. This is the reason we have reached out to you, to ask for your support. We ask that any of you who have a Ping Pong table to please donate it to our club. We ask that you will once more be the supportive community members you are and please spread the word so we can get our Ping Pong club off the ground, literally. Please email our Staff Advisor Marissa Bernal marisa.bernal@greendale.k12.wi.us or the Athletic Director, Shane Hansen Shane.Hansen@greendale.k12.wi.us if you have and questions or wish to donate.

Senior Parents
The deadline for senior photo submission is Friday, January 13. Please email Kate Wagner with questions or check her web site for additional information kate.wagner@greendale.k12.wi.us.

Recent News:
• Check Out Our Talented Journalists
• YEARBOOK: Senior Ad Information
• YEARBOOK: Senior Headshot Photos
• YEARBOOK: Senior Goodbye Pages
• GHS Scholarships on Facebook

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