Greetings from the High School,

New beginnings always bring anticipation, hope, and promise! This is definitely true as we begin a new year at MOC-Floyd Valley High School. Everyone has the opportunity to start fresh, recast their vision for the future and work to make that vision a reality.

The State of Iowa is also trying to recast the vision for education. In July, Mr. Richardson and I attended the Iowa Education Summit. It is clear that the State of Iowa is very seriously trying to do what is best for our students. The speakers at the Summit identified many steps that must be taken for Iowa to once again become a leader in education. Governor Brandstad and Director Glass continued this message with the MOC-Floyd Valley faculty and staff during our pre-school meetings. While we have much to do, it was reinforcing to know that MOC-Floyd Valley is actively engaged in much of the work called for at the Summit and by our State Leaders!

One of the Summit speakers, Dr. David Driscoll, Chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board and former Massachusetts Education Commissioner, summarized school reform very succinctly, “Education reform, simply put, is student engagement in meaningful work.” He and many of the other speakers also wisely emphasized the importance ofcollaboration.

Student engagement in meaningful work and collaboration between educators and between school and home are the focal points for our efforts during the 2011-12 school year. Below are the MOC-Floyd Valley High School building goals:

1) We will emphasize student engagement and achievement through staff development and collaborative time.

1. Action Step #1—We will consistently utilize APL instructional strategies with an emphasis on higher-order thinking.
2. Action Step #2—We will utilize the Framework for Authentic Intellectual Work within our professional learning community teams.
3. We will utilize technology through the one-to-one initiative for our seniors.

2) We will increase student engagement and achievement by clarifying and following our Pyramid of Interventions and consciously engaging parents in the educational process.

1. Action Step #1—We will utilize the Pyramid of Interventions to provide academic support to students and engage parents in the process at an earlier stage.
2. We will make at least two positive contacts a week to encourage our students and strengthen the home/school partnership.

As we begin again, we pledge our very best in serving our students and fulfilling our mission of“fostering learning, excellence and civic responsibility.”

As I write this we are preparing for the Fall Parent-Teacher conferences. This is always a great opportunity for students, parents, and teachers to communicate about how to best serve and educate students. Back when I was in school, this was about the only time that parents and teachers communicated. With the advances in technology, home/school communication can be constant and thorough. Below are some of the communication options available through our school web page.

Lesson Plans and Assignments:
1) Log on to http://www.moc-fv.k12.ia.us
2) Select “High School” from the left side
3) Select “Teacher Directory” from the pull-down menu
4) Select the teacher of the class for which you would like to check
a. (Example: Bundt, Joel for Calculus)
5) Select “Lesson Plans) from the top center of the teacher page
6) Choose the subject/course from the pull-down menu
7) Click on the date from the lesson plan calendar
8) Use your back arrow to go back to the teacher directory and repeat for other classes

Student Grades:
1) Log on to http://www.moc-fv.k12.ia.us
2) Select “Parent Resources” from the left side
3) Select “HS Parent Access” from the pull-down menu
4) Parent Username = parent’s last name in all small letters
5) Password = whatever password you have registered at the office
a. If you haven’t done this, you can call the office and give Pam or Julie a password over the phone
6) Select “Progress Reports/Lessons”
7) Click on the quarter (Ex: Qtr 1) for the class you are checking
a. A list of the assignments, quizzes, tests; points possible; due date, and student score; as well as the students current grade are shown
8) Click the “back” button on the bottom screen and then select another class
9) Note, if you would like to contact a teacher, you can click on the teacher’s name on the side and an E-mail message will be opened

Student Attendance Records:
1) Log on to http://www.moc-fv.k12.ia.us
2) Select “Parent Resources” from the left side
3) Select “HS Parent Access” from the pull-down menu
4) Parent Username = parent’s last name in all small letters
5) Password = whatever password you have registered at the office
a. If you haven’t done this, you can call the office and give Pam or Julie a password over the phone
6) Select “Attendance Report”

Student Lunch Account Information:
1) Log on to http://www.moc-fv.k12.ia.us
2) Select “Parent Resources” from the left side
3) Select “HS Parent Access” from the pull-down menu
4) Parent Username = parent’s last name in all small letters
5) Password = whatever password you have registered at the office
a. If you haven’t done this, you can call the office and give Pam or Julie a password over the phone
6) Select “Lunch” (This will show you the balance of the lunch account)
7) Select “Student Lunch Transactions” for a detailed list of transactions*
a. *If you would like to deposit lunch money utilizing a PaySchools Account, you may do so at this location by clicking on “Make Student Account Deposit”
b. You will be directed through this process on screen

Daily Announcements:
1) Log on to http://www.moc-fv.k12.ia.us
2) Select “High School” from the left side
3) Select “Daily Announcements” from the pull-down menu

Contact School Personnel:
1) Log on to http://www.moc-fv.k12.ia.us
2) Select “High School” from the left side
3) Select “Teacher Directory” from the pull-down menu
4) Click the name of the person you wish to contact
5) Click on the E-mail address at the top of the page (under the person’s name)

Being accepted into college, as well as handling the cost of college can be somewhat overwhelming for families these days. Students who score well on the ACT or SAT tests increase their chances for acceptance as well as increase their financial aid packages. Below is an opportunity for students to receive free test preparation software.

ACT/SAT Test Preparation Opportunity:
eKnowledge Corporation, the leading supplier of interactive learning software for college test preparation is donating SAT and ACT Test Prep Programs to high school students across America. eKnowledge recently announced the continuation of its Sponsorship Alliance Program, donating free world class SAT and ACT College Test Preparation Programs. (These test-prep programs are valued at $200.00.)

Over the past five years, with the support of caring NFL and MLB players, and Sponsorship Alliance Partners including NFHS, eKnowledge has donated over $32 million of FREE SAT/ACT College Test Preparation Products. eKnowledge has received over 55,000 thank you letters and testimonials from grateful recipients of the donation.

The software may be ordered online or by telephone.

To order online, follow these two simple steps:
1. Visit: www.eKnowledge.com/USA
2. Enter Sponsorship Code: 31B8607802

To order by telephone: 951-256-4076, mention you heard about the donation through NFHS
There is a nominal charge of $13.84 per standard program for the cost of materials, processing, distribution and customer service. eKnowledge does not profit from this donation program.

In answering the question, “What can we expect from each other on a daily basis?” the MOC-Floyd Valley High School Faculty came up with the professional operating principles listed below. None of us can claim perfection, but we do strive to adhere to these principles.

MOC-FLOYD VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
Professional Operating Principles

*We will be positive, respectful, and proactive in all communication—with faculty, staff, students and parents!

*We will value one another and our gifts—utilizing them to best serve our students!

*We will be professional and act with integrity—

—dealing with individual concerns on an individual basis.
—presuming positive intentions.
—encouraging one another as we continuously stretch and grow.
—always keeping a sense of humor.

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to read Daniel Pink’s book–DRIVE: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. Included is a YouTube Video that illustrates the main ideas from the book. Our challenge is to apply this interesting information to how we approach education at MOC-Floyd Valley High School.