Rappahannock County Public Schools News, Feb. 27,2008
From Robert Chappell, School Superintendent:
Inclement Weather Make-up Schedule: Per the approved RCPS Calendar the following are makeup days:
· February 28- 1:00 pm Early Release; RCHS Parent Teacher Conferences 2-5 pm/6-8 pm;
RCES Staff Development
· March 27 & March 28
The remaining makeup days (if needed) in order are: March 26, March 25
Feb. 28 - Culinary and Art Classes Hold “Empty Bowls” Dinner to Benefit World Hunger; RCPS Fine Arts Advisory Council sponsors an “Empty Bowls/Art Show” for Students in Grades 6-7, and 9-12: The annual “Empty Bowls” Dinner, together with an Art Show of High School and Middle School student exhibits, will be held at Rappahannock County High School on Thursday Feb. 28. Dinner from 5 -7; Art Show 2:30 – 8:00. All who attend will be served a bowl of soup and a handmade ceramic bowl in exchange for a cash donation ($10 minimum) to fight hunger. Participants may keep the bowl as a reminder of the meal’s purpose. Proceeds will be donated to Project Concern International. Surrounding the tables in the RCHS Commons will be a student Art Show. Local artists Steven Kenny, Nol Putnam, Bonita Gowan and Corey Caulfield will judge the show. Art Categories: a) Ceramics and other 3-D media (including sculpture, metal sculpture, woodwork) b) mixed media; c) pencil / colored pencil / pastel drawings; d) tempera / acrylic paintings; e) photo; and f) possibly graphic art. There is no fee charged to see the Art Show.
Feb 28 - 6:00 RCHS Parent Advisory Meeting in Aud. Information will be presented about scheduling, course requests, graduation requirements, & special academic programs.
Question: With enrollments going down and ratios of students to teachers 10-1, why aren’t you reducing numbers of employees?
Answer: The State includes non-teachers like guidance counselors and librarians in its calculations of pupil-teacher ratios. The State also includes Special Education teachers who work with small numbers of students as required by State regulations.
· RCHS English, Math, Science and Social Studies classes average over 15 students / class.
· RCES Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies classes average over 17 students / class.
· For 2006-2007 we reduced staff by a net 1.5 positions mainly through attrition. For 2007-2008, we reduced 2 positions through attrition.
· There will be further reductions for the 2008-2009 school year. We plan to accomplish that mainly through attrition. We do not want to affect the quality of the services we provide for children.
Question: Is the High School’s Block Schedule Wasteful?
Answer: RCHS has a 4X4 block schedule. Students take four courses each semester which allows them to focus on homework and preparations for four classes at a time instead of the seven classes in the old 7-period day schedule. Each class period averages 94 minutes in length. Each class averaged 47 minutes in length in the old seven-period schedule. We do not feel the block schedule is wasteful for the following reasons:
· Teachers teach the same number of hours in the 4X4 block schedule as they did in the old 7-period schedule.
· The planning period is longer to accommodate drawing up lesson plans, grading papers, plus attending staff development and required Special Education meetings. Teachers often are asked to use part of their planning periods to cover for teachers who must arrive late / leave early for illness or emergency situations.
· RCHS has been “fully accredited” six straight years since operating on a block schedule. Before that, the school had four consecutive years of NOT being fully accredited. From an instructional standpoint, the block schedule appears to make a significant difference in student learning.
RCPS Events (subject to change) and Deadlines Feb. 26 – 28:
26th- RCES Interim Reports go home; Efficiency Review Team Makes Report to School Board 7:00 PM RCHS Aud.
28th Make-up Day - Early release 1:00 PM; RCES Staff Development; RCHS Parent Teacher Conferences 2:00 – 5:00/6:00 – 8:00; 2:30-8:00 Art Show at RCHS for grades 6-7 and 9-12; 5:00 - 7:00 Empty Bowls Dinner at RCHS.
-- Admin
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