Fall Break and Parent/Teacher Conferences

We will be out of school for Fall Break October 14th – October 19th. We will have Parent/Teacher Conferences Tuesday October 19th from 3:00 – 6:00. Your children have been working really hard this semester and are deserving of a nice break. Hopefully the students and staff will have a chance to recharge their batteries during the break.

Report cards will go home Wednesday along with a sheet that explains Parent Portal. Parent Portal gives the parent/guardian access to a wealth of information. All you need to do is go to the website and log in. It will give you access to current gradebooks so you can see how your child is progressing in each class. It also shows discipline, attendance, and transcripts. During Parent/Teacher Conferences I will be set up in the library for anyone that needs help with the program. We will also have a training session later this year.

Some of you might notice that your child has an “I” for a grade. If your child has not completed their work to a satisfactory level then they continue on that assignment/test until they reach mastery of that topic. This is a new process that we have started this year. What we are focusing on is what the student learns, everything else is secondary. The grade that a student gets should be a reflection of what the student knows. We refuse to give up on students. We want them to continue and progress no matter how long it takes. Hopefully this will allow our students to go on and be college and/or career ready when they graduate from GCHS. See the post below for more information about the policy.

Eddie Pruett

Power of ICU

Our goal at Gibson County High School is to promote excellence in all things. We want students to be prepared to be successful in any endeavor that they might choose. In order to do this we must make sure we have students engaged in the learning process. One of the things that we are implementing this year is a change in our approach to teaching. This change is Power of ICU.

The majority of students go through school and do well most of the time. However, there may be a time that they may need help. Those students are identified and receive the help they need. We have intervention time during the school day where students may go to a teacher and get the extra help they need. We also have advisors that are keeping an eye on the grades of each of their advisees.

It is a major shift in how we look at learning and assessment. In the early years of a child’s schooling the focus is on “What did you learn.” Around third or fourth grade there seems to be a shift to “What did you make.” We see that everyday at the high school level. Our focus should always be on the learning and the assessment should accurately reflect what the student learned.

Our expectation is that every assignment will be turned in. If the teacher feels that the assignment is necessary to learn the standards of the class, then it must be done to a level that is satisfactory with that teacher. If it is not at the appropriate level, the student will work on that assignment again. It goes back to the old saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Hopefully this will keep students from falling behind, getting frustrated, and giving up.

This is a process that must have the support of the parents/guardians. We have tried to contact parents and keep them updated better than we have in the past. Hopefully this is helping. I know each parent/guardian wants his/her child to be successful. We have that same goal. Hopefully with increased communication and implementing this policy we can achieve great results at Gibson County High School.

If you have questions about the school or policy, please email me at pruette@k12tn.net. You can also call me at 731-692-3616.

Thank you for your help and support.

Football Game

We have a home football game versus our cross county rival, Humboldt. The game will start at 7:30. This will be our first home game of the season. We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you there!

New School Year

The new school year is upon us. We are extremely excited to be back in school. I really enjoy that first day when students come in and are so happy to see their friends. As we begin this year I want to say thank you to the parents/guardians for letting us educate your children. It truly is a joy each and every day in this vocation.

As we begin the year I do want to mention a few things.

1. Parent night will be August 19, at 7:00. The night will start off in the Theater.
2. We have a new football coaching staff so come out on Friday nights and enjoy some good fun with family and friends. Our first home game is August 20 versus Humboldt.

We are implementing a new policy this year. This policy will put the focus back on the amount of learning taking place in the classroom. The policy is called “Power of ICU.” I hope that this change will improve our student learning and also help create better communication between the school and parents. If you have any questions about this change please come by my office or send me an email at pruette@k12tn.net.

Please come by the school for a visit. We welcome all parents/guardians.

Website

I found a website that students might use if they are wanting to increase their ACT scores or keep from losing information over the summer break. It does cost money but it looked promising.

http://grockit.com/

The website below is free and has a list of things they can look at on the right hand side of the page. I looked at ACT and it gave some sample questions and test taking tips.

http://grockit.com/blog/collegeprep/

Report Cards

Just wanted to remind you that report cards will be going out Tuesday, March 30th.

State Tournament

Congratulations to the Lady Pioneers for making it to the state tournament! We will be in session for a half day Wednesday. We will dismiss at 11:30 for any students that want to attend the game. We will take up to three pep buses for students that need a ride. The cost is $7.00. We need that money by 9:00 Tuesday morning. If we win Wednesday, we will have school as normal Thursday and Friday. If students want to attend the game Friday they either need to ride the pep bus or see an administrator at the game. This will give them an excused absence rather than an unexcused absence.

Progress Reports

Progress reports go out Monday February 22nd.  If you have any concerns or questions please contact your child’s teacher.  You can either email them or leave a message with the office.  The office number is 692-3616.  You can also find the email address at our website, www.gcssd.org/gchs/.

Once on the main page click on the staff tab on the side and find the teacher you need to contact.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

This is just a reminder that we have some important events the week of 10/19-10/23.

1. We have mid-term exams Tuesday and Wednesday.  2nd and 4th is Tuesday and 1st and 3rd is Wednesday.
2. Parent/Teacher conferences are Thursday 3:00-6:00.
3. School is not in session Friday for Fall Break.

Welcome to Gibson County High School

Welcome to Gibson County High School where we are “promoting excellence in all things.” We have grades 9-12 and serve students from the areas of Dyer, Gibson, Kenton, Medina, Rutherford, Springhill, and Yorkville. We currently have approximately 760 students enrolled for the 2009/2010 school year. We are fortunate this year to have two new additions, a new auditorium and a new auxiliary gym. I am extremely excited about the new additions and look forward to using them this year.

Gibson County High School is large enough to offer a diverse set of classes and extra-curricular activities that encourages students to develop their own individual interests. Each person employed in this school strives to uphold the school vision, “promoting excellence in all things.” We want students that leave here prepared to be leaders in anything they plan on doing. I realize that this requires a lot from all stakeholders(parents, students, staff, and community members). Every person must commit to doing their best for the students and community here at GCHS. In order for us to accomplish our goal and make GCHS one of the best high schools in the state, I encourage and elicit help from all stakeholders.

If you have questions or want more information about GCHS, please leave a post on this blog, email me at pruette@k12tn.net, or call the school at 731-692-3616.