RAIDERTI ESFALL 2020

MIDDLETOWN AREA HIGH SCHOOL 1155 N UNION ST MIDDLETOWN, PA

contact usPh: 717-948-3333 Fx: 717-948-3359 Main Office: op9on 0 A<endance: op9on 2 Guidance: op9on 3 Nurse: op9on 4 Cafeteria: op9on 5 Athle9cs: op9on 7

14 PSAT for Juniors

OCT

02 End of 1st Marking Period

03 NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS Staff Development

05 ASVAB Exam for Sophomores

09 & 10 Picture Days

18 Senior Interview Workshop

25-30 NO SCHOOL Thanksgiving Recess

NOV

Welcome,to our New Teachers!

Ms. Madison Mackewicz

Special Education

Ms. Cindy Raney

Science

Ms. Becky Stout

Science

Subscr ibe to the all-new “C ARNE S’ CORNER” YouTube playlist to v iew week ly me ssage s

f rom MAHS P r incipal, Mr. Mike Car ne s.

C lick on the logo to v iew an episode which ex plains the me aning behind …

Show them how

great you are!

A few weeks into this very unusual school year, we sat down with the teachers in the High School Social Studies Department to find out how they are handling the challenges of teaching in 2020.

Being a teacher in 2020 feels like being a first-year teacher on repeat. Every. Single. Day. “How do I do this?” “Where do I find that?” “Who are my students?” Transi9ons between periods are filled with cleaning desks, trying to figure out where each of your students is learning from so you can take a<endance, and making sure you didn’t leave anyone behind in the Zoom wai9ng room.

But when asked what the biggest difference between this year’s teaching and teaching in a pre-COVID world, the answer was resoundingly the same from each of Social Studies teachers. “The biggest thing I’m missing is not seeing all my kids,” said Mr. Leroy O’Neill. “I don’t enjoy that at all. I lose touch with them and I don’t see their faces and their reacIons. I love being with my students. If I’m sharing my screen during a presentaIon, I can’t see all my students at once and I miss that connecIon with them.” Mr. Josh Rytel added, “We don’t know what else is going on at home. Is something stressful happening at home that is affecIng them? Are they dealing with anything personal?” Ms. Lynn Fallinger agreed, “You can build relaIonships in class much faster than you can online.”

Teaching High School in a COVID World

“We have to be prepared for the unexpected, be highly organized, and have a backup ready to go.”

- Mr. Jose Or9z

Then add to that the physical barrier of face coverings. “With a mask, students can’t see my sarcasm and know that I’m just joking,” said Mr. O’Neill. “So that’s why I choose to wear a shield. It’s important to let them see us smile.” Mr. O’Neill has even no9ced a difference when gree9ng students in the hallways. In past years students would respond when he spoke to them, but now many are hiding behind their masks and choosing not to even reply.

Those concerns show just how much our teachers care about their students; not just academically, but personally. Teachers are caregivers and nurturers by nature. Gebng to know each kid in each seat, no ma<er where that seat is located, is what is important. Due to the new learning environment of 2020, teachers have had to spend more inten9onal 9me during class to get to know their students. Mr. Jose Or9z shared, “Usually by October you learn who your kids are, but I feel like it’s probably going to be like New Year’s before I know them this year.”

Teachers also face the challenge of keeping remote students engaged. Ms. Lisa Cooper shared, “One of my kids was distracted because they were babysiRng a younger non-school age kid.” They have also no9ced that in-person students are interac9ng less in class because they can’t see all of their classmates. Therefore, teachers are being inten9onal about increasing student par9cipa9on by bouncing back and forth between Zoom kids and in-person students to help foster discussion and interac9on rather than wai9ng for volunteers to answer ques9ons.

Fortunately, the high schoolers themselves have been helping their classmates stay connected. If a classmate gets kicked off Zoom and then returns to the wai9ng room, a classmate will no9fy the teacher. Everyone has to look out for each other to help work through the technology bugs. Teachers have been so impressed with how students are handling the new instruc9on model. Mr. Rytel shared, “My Zoom crashed and I couldn’t finish out my class period, but the remote students were in break-outs so they could conInue working. The next day I discovered that the class had stayed engaged for the final fiUeen minutes without me and had completed their work.”

Jenna Alford and Shivam Patel

Janelle Leggore and Josh Brandt Belinda Schroll and Gavin Hickoff

Alexis Jefferson and Antonio Koser

Teachers have an unending list of technical bloopers, some of which provided some entertainment like being muted while teaching for an extended period of 9me before being informed; or vice versa as in Mr. O’Neill’s case. “One Ime I forgot that I sIll had on my microphone and I was talking to other teachers in the hallway. The students in my classroom and via Zoom were hearing everything I said.”

With a few weeks under their belts, the teachers acknowledged that they are star9ng to get the hang of the new teaching style and se<ling into a groove. While it is s9ll not easy, it helps that the Social Studies Department has developed a suppor9ve team environment. Mr. Or9z, the Social Studies Department Chairman, explained it this way, “Each member of our department has their own strengths. We lean on each other for ideas and suggesIons. Every person on the team has played a preWy big role in each of the other teachers’ classrooms.” When they hit snags, they talk to each other to get advice. They share ideas that worked, and didn’t work, and help each other with resources. And as a result, they are conquering 2020, one day at a 9me.

MAHS Social Studies Department: Lisa Cooper, Lynn Fallinger, Jose OrIz, Leroy O’Neill, Josh Rytel, Camryn Shank, Dale Shreiner

HOMECOM ING COUR T2020

2020 Homecoming Queen

Serina Gurm escorted by Gyles Adderley

YOUR “NEW” GUIDANCE STAFF

A P SCHOLARS

Daniel Brenner – AP Scholar with Honor (Class of ’20) William Brown – AP Scholar (Class of ’21) Jordyn Dupes – AP Scholar (Class of ’20) Dane Ebersole – AP Scholar (Class of ’20) Delilah Fuentes – AP Scholar with Honor (Class of ’21) Cayla Garman – AP Scholar (Class of ’20)

Benjamin Hursh – AP Scholar (Class of ’20) Amanda Lee – AP Scholar with Honor (Class of ’21) Connor Leiby – AP Scholar with Honor (Class of ’20) Emma Lovell – AP Scholar (Class of ’21) Belinda Schroll – AP Scholar (Class of ’21) Isha Shah – AP Scholar (Class of ’21)

Advanced Placement (AP) Scholar Awards are academic dis9nc9ons for students to cite among their creden9als on applica9ons and resumes. The AP Scholar award is granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams. The AP Scholar with Honor award is granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

MAHS was recently informed that the following students from the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021 earned these dis9nguished awards:

Ms. Yvette Howard

Career Counselor

Mr. Sean Burke

Internship Coordinator

Mrs. Cheryl Friedman

9th & 11th Grade Counselor

Ms. Kaitlin Walsh

10th & 12th Grade Counselor

Mrs. Jessica Welsh

Guidance Secretary

The MAHS Guidance Department experienced several personnel changes this year. The open posi9on of Career Coordinator was divided into two separate roles. Ms. Yve<e Howard, former Guidance Counselor, moved into the posi9on of Career Counselor, and Mr. Sean Burke, Business Educa9on teacher, added the role of Internship Coordinator to his plate. Ms. Howard’s vacated counselor posi9on was then filled by Ms. Kaitlin Walsh who is new to MASD. Mrs. Friedman and Mrs. Welsh stayed in their current roles.

So when you call the Guidance Office, be sure to speak clearly, because we now have a Ms. WALSH and a Mrs. WELSH in the Guidance Department!

Dear MAHS Parents:

The District was provided new guidelines by the PA Department of Educa9on for taking a<endance for virtual learners. The video below was provided to high school students on Tuesday, September 15th. The first por9on of the video provides the informa9on necessary for students to understand how teachers will record the class a<endance of students while learning virtually, which is the main purpose of my communica9on with you. There is addi9onal informa9on in the video as far as the expecta9ons on remote learning days, as well as, students comple9ng their incomplete coursework from the 4th quarter of the 2019-20 school year.

THIS VIDEO is from our school announcements on September 15, 2020. The informa9on I shared with the students regarding a<endance runs from 0:50-5:10 in the video.

Here are the new a<endance guidelines that were shared with students: • Class a<endance will be no different for students on days they physically a<end school. • Homeroom a<endance will not change either. Students are required to physically show up to homeroom each morning

whether in the school or virtual. • There are two parts to a<endance when taken in a virtual environment: ◦ Being on the class Zoom physically is the first step, which is no different than what has occurred in the first few weeks of

school. ◦ Students must be “meaningfully engaged in class.”

• Meaningful engagement – As men9oned in the video, each teacher may determine this differently and it may change as it will be measured by what is done in class. Teachers should be communica9ng their expecta9ons to students prior to Monday. The reason this part was added is that the PA Department of Educa9on wants to ensure that students are meaningfully engaged and it is now part of a student a<ending school while learning in a virtual environment. If you ever have ques9ons about your child’s a<endance regarding the engagement piece, please reach out to the teacher of the class in ques9on for clarifica9on.

• In addi9on to a student being meaningfully engaged in the lesson in real-9me, there may be 9mes where students are having technical issues at home or wherever they are learning (this was not men9oned in the video). If a student has technology access issues or something inhibits their ability to access the informa9on in real-9me, students should be provided the opportunity to s9ll be engaged in the class and be marked present. This will be more of the excep9on than the rule. If this situa9on occurs and the student meets the expecta9on, they should be marked present. Think of this as a poten9al asynchronous situa9on that may occur due to a student’s inability to access class. In this case, students should be in contact with the school and their teachers to inform them of their situa9on.

Hopefully, this helps you understand some new guidelines as we all navigate this new learning environment. Our students have been awesome naviga9ng the new landscape and we will all con9nue to get be<er as we gain experience. I appreciate the pa9ence and coopera9on you have shown in difficult 9mes.

Michael Carnes, M.S. MAHS Principal

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The Middletown Area School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in its programs or employment practices as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The following persons are responsible for coordination of the District’s efforts to meet its obligations with regard to non-discrimination: Section 504 Coordinator - Mrs. Krystal L. Palmer, Director of Special Education; Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator - Ms. Heidi L. Zula, Director of Human Resources; Title VI and Title IX Coordinator - Dr. Lori A. Suski, Superintendent of Schools.