Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020

Posted on December 3, 2020 | Leave a comment

Staff Development During Remote+ Learning
Late arrival days provide an opportunity for Stevenson faculty and staff to meet for program planning, collaboration and staff development. In order to adhere to current safety guidelines, today’s meetings required more technology and planning.
Stevenson Director of Fine Arts Jon Grice shared on Twitter the preparations he made to accommodate roomies – teachers participating in person, and zoomies – teachers participating remotely. His team discussed how they have grown as educators during remote learning and hybrid instructional strategies. While teachers were meeting this morning, we hope our student Patriots enjoyed a few extra hours of sleep!

First Semester Final Exam Week and Second Semester Planning
First-Semester Finals Week
The end of the current six-week reporting period is Dec. 11 and final exams for this semester are scheduled for Dec. 14-16. The exam schedule is posted on the Bell Schedule page.
Freshman Advisory classes will not meet on exam days and students who have three finals on one day can submit an email request to a teacher to change a test to another exam day. Teachers will require a parent or guardian to approve these changes.
Remote tutoring will be available during finals week during these hours:
Monday, Dec. 14: 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 15: 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 16: 7:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Informal pick-up games and workouts have been a traditional exam week destress activity and this semester, teacher-led workouts will be available for students each exam period. Teachers will provide different opportunities every 30 minutes of each 90-minute period via Zoom.
Part of the end of every semester is returning materials. An email will be sent to Patriot families outlining the procedure for returning first-semester books and materials and information will be provided in the near future regarding distribution plans for second-semester materials.
Second-Semester Plans
Second-semester classes will begin on Tuesday, Jan. 5 and students will be following the Patriot Hybrid Remote Days Schedule with classes beginning at 8:35 a.m. and ending at 3:25 p.m. This schedule will be posted on the Bell Schedule page by the end of this month. As a reminder, periods 1 and 6 will switch places during second semester and students will receive an email from their teachers on Jan. 4 with the Zoom links for their classes.
Additional details for second-semester in-person teaching and learning that was outlined in the Nov. 9 webinar will be communicated to Patriot families in the upcoming weeks.

STUDENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Tri-M Music Honor Society Benefit Concert
The SHS Tri-M Music Honor Society is holding a benefit concert with Changing Worlds, a local, non-profit organization promoting the arts and diversity among Chicago’s youth. The event will take place on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7:00 p.m. through a YouTube Premiere and will feature performances from Stevenson Tri-M members who hope to raise $500 through this event.

PATRIOT SPORTS NEWS

Winter Sports News from the Illinois High School Association
IHSA and its Board of Directors announced yesterday that, due to the governor’s current mitigations, low-risk winter sports will not begin until 2021. Contact days for all sports, including spring and summer sports, may be established in January but will depend on mitigations set by the governor and the Illinois Department of Public Health. In addition, IHSA and its Board discussed the possibility of moving girls badminton from spring to winter. More information will be announced at the next Board meeting on Dec. 14.
What does this mean for Stevenson? Virtual winter sport practices for Stevenson student-athletes will resume throughout the month of December. Winter sport coaches will reach out to winter sport athletes via email regarding plans for upcoming virtual practices. We will keep in touch with students and families as we continue navigating our way forward.

EDUCATION NEWS

Encouraging Creativity and Collaboration Through Makerspaces
Dedicated spaces for students to work together using a variety of tools and materials are increasing on university campuses. They are usually designed to be fun and help students foster innovation and creativity through hands-on learning. The growing number of makerspaces are being used to study best practices for creating these environments.

Declines Seen in Community College Enrollment
Fall college enrollment figures were released this month and a sharp decline in community college enrollment was recorded with a significant decrease in first-time freshmen and male students who did not return to school in the fall.

A Business Start-up Got its Start During a High School Business Incubator Class
A trio of college students who took a business incubator class in high school launched a business making baked goods free of the 14 most common food allergens. The business which began in a high school classroom two years ago is now one of many businesses that have been launched on the campus of the University of Illinois.

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