May 7, 2020

Teachers,

Congratulations on the completion of another week! Only a few more to go. In preparation for the end of the school year, I have included as much pertinent information as possible below to help explain procedures, requirements and events.

You have come this far, navigated unique times and still been able to provide a great educational foundation for our students! Take time this weekend to recharge, then push to be as thorough and professional as possible for two more weeks.

We can do it!

Thanks for all you do!
Andy Stewart

Communication

It is critical to effectively communicate with your students regarding final assignments and deadlines before finals week. As you can understand, the stress levels increase dramatically with final grades on the line. Please continue to follow the bullets below:

• Communicate often with students through Google Classroom regarding deadlines and assignments due.
• Communicate the finality of your class and when students have the last opportunity to turn in final projects, assignments, and so on.

4 Ways to Help Struggling Students

If a student is struggling in your class, please answer the following questions before alerting the administration:

1. Have you communicated with the student via Google Classroom?
2. Have you communicated with the students’ parents via email?
3. If neither of the first two steps have been answered, are you able to call the parent to provide them an update of their students’ progress?
4. If you have still received no contact or made progress after following the first three steps please inform the administration.

Supply Drop-Off

Thursday, May 21 has been tentatively scheduled as the Supply Drop-Off day for the high school campus. Students the opportunity to drop off all textbooks, Chromebooks, instruments, etc. A detailed email will be sent early next week to all parents and faculty members with instructions.

Administration will run the supply drop-off day and will plan to conduct all drop-offs in the atrium. Once you receive the communication next week feel free to communicate with Coach Hall regarding any specific details or prepare anything you may need. As a side note, we do not expect all students to attend. If students do not have anything to drop off, they will not be on campus.

Department Meetings

Department chairs have been tasked with organizing meetings to review curriculum, curriculum alignment, and ensure we are in a good place for Fall 2020. Your attendance is mandatory. The meeting will prepare you for summer break and will also help your department prepare for next year.

Professional Development

• The 36 hours of professional development are due by May 31. Please send all completed certificates to Mrs. Lillard (slillard@cacmustangs.org). Please send the certificates in as few emails as possible.
• The RISE courses have been completed by the Department of Education this past week. There are 14 courses in total. Once completed you will be up-to-date which will allow for an easier transition when individual teaching license renewals roll around.
• If you have completed your PD requirements for this year, you are able to start on the 2020-21 PD requirements early. Please see the mandate below. (Make sure you separate your 19-20 hours from your 2020-2021 school year hours if you do decide to get a jump start on next year’s requirements.)

This week the Arkansas Department of Education announced that schools can count new professional development, beginning May 1, 2020, towards a teacher’s requirements for the 2020-2021 school year. Typically, professional development for an upcoming school year can not begin until June 1 or July 1, depending on the preference of the school as noted in the Arkansas Department of Education Rules Governing Professional Development, Section 4.02. This waiver provides an opportunity for teacher’s to get a jump start on professional development for next year, if approved by the school.  Please note that this is a temporary change and we expect a return to the original June 1 or July 1 deadline next year.

What About My Classroom?

• Floors are currently being cleaned.
• You have permission to grab things from your classroom. Our facilities team is doing a tremendous job in improving your classrooms and putting them back the way they found them.
• If you have a facilities request for us to complete before the Fall semester, please click here to fill out the survey to outline any repairs/ needs. This is strictly classroom facilities (not textbooks, chromebooks etc.)

Finals and Student Grades

• We must be graceful and do everything in our power for students to pass classes. Comparable to most educational institutions we are going above and beyond to provide a thorough education. Please use good professional judgment and let the administration know if you have any questions.
• Click here to access the final exam schedule.
• All grades must be completed by May 22 at 4:00 p.m. Please review the documents below. Karen has outlined the procedures for entering and finalizing grades.

[download href=”https://cacmustangs.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/HS-Semester-Exams-and-Report-Card-Load-Instructions-1.pdf”]HS Semester Exams and Report Card Load Instructions[/download]

[download href=”https://cacmustangs.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Middle-School-Semester-Exams-and-Report-Card-Load-Instructions-1.pdf”]MS Semester Exams and Report Card Load Instructions[/download]

Middle School

• Middle School: Review the document carefully, as there have been some calculation changes due to our online grading policy.
• If a student fails a final exam, they will have one opportunity to retake the exam (the same policy you are currently adopting). If a student receives an NI on their final exam, but still earns a ME for the overall grade, they do not need to retake the exam. However, if a student receives an NI on the final exam that results in an NI for the overall class grade, they will have one opportunity to retake the final exam.
• All Middle School final exam grades should be inputted as regular test grades, NOT a final exam.

April 16, 2020

Teachers,

You’ve made it this far in a Remote Learning environment with loads of successes and just a little bit of angst! I truly believe we are through the growing pains…and before we know it the semester will be wrapping up. Below I have attempted to provide as many details regarding the rest of the school year as possible. Apart from the self-explanatory dates, there are brief explanations for certain events. 

Andrew Stewart

Professional Development

• Just a reminder – all professional development hours must be submitted by May 31, 2020. Each licensed educator is responsible for a minimum of 36 hours. 
• The required course for the 2019-2020 school year is Suicide Prevention – Looking Deeper. This must be competed on top of your 18 hours of RISE PD.

Working Calendar

• All teachers will see out their 185-day contract and will work through May 22. Final exams are scheduled to end on May 20. That gives us 48 hours to wrap up grades and other items before school is dismissed for summer. Below is a calendar of pertinent events (events are subject change or be added).

Grade-Level Meetings

Grade-level meetings will serve as an end-of-year wrap-up. I will provide instructions for how to prepare prior to your scheduled meeting time. We will discuss students, grade-level collaboration, improvements, concerns, etc. in hopes of entering the summer with clear expectations for next year.

April 20 – May 15: End of Year Teacher Evaluations

Teachers are required to sign up for an end of year evaluation here. To prepare for your evaluation please fill out the form attached here and send it to me prior to your meeting. Additionally, please prepare for the meeting by outlining

• Technology needs for next school year
• Textbook/ curriculum needs for next school year
• Classroom needs for next school year
• Any other needs or feedback

April 20 – May 15: Department Meetings

Each department head will reach out to their department to schedule an end of year meeting. The department meeting will serve as an overview of the year and allow the department to prepare and make adjustments for the upcoming school year.

Secondary Reading Day / Catch Up

• In order to maintain balance in such an unprecedented time, the CAC administration feels it is best to take breaks between now and the end of the school year. Thus, you will notice “Reading Days” scheduled on a few Fridays on the calendar above. These will serve as a time for students to catch up on work or enjoy a book and time away from the online grind.
• From a teacher’s perspective, the day should be utilized to catch-up on grading, prepare lessons, and potentially find balance away from your computer screen. This is a working day without scheduled classes to focus on and prepare upcoming lessons. Please do not prepare any work for students on April 24, May 1, and May 8.

Spring 2020 Final Exam Schedule (Grades 6-11)

Click here to view the final exam schedule. Students will prepare for exams the previous week (May 8-15) in their regular classes. Instructions are attached with the exam schedule.