Saturday, February 3, 2018

Happy Saturday!

I can't believe it's already February! I apologize that I missed communicating during the whole month of January. The month flew by in a blur.

We are getting ready for course selection 'season' at P-CEP. The master schedule is built (and teachers assigned to classes) based on students' requests, which makes it very important to pick the right courses. Please see this Course Request Parent Letter for detailed information and deadlines for the upcoming course selection.

Upcoming Events: 
2/5 - Reports cards distributed to 3rd hour teachers
2/6 - P-CEP Student of the Month breakfast @ SHS @ 7:30 am 
2/8 - 8th grade Curriculum Night 6-8 pm PHS Cafeteria

2/16-2/19 - Mid-Winter Break
2/22 - High School Course Selection Deadline
Gretchen Andridge- ELA and IB Depts.- BA/BD and MA from EMU & Marygrove- My Educational Philosophy is two-fold: "Work hard, practice a LOT and push yourself to be creative" mixed in with a Robin Williams quote, "You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it."

A personal goal of mine is to take long road-trips with my family, that have moments where my risk-taking side is tested. A professional goal I have is to build all of my lessons around project-based learning that is student directed.

I have three boys, ages 25, 21 and 8 and a husband who is also a teacher. I enjoy reading, hiking and being outdoors and playing games in my spare time. I'm passionate about quality treatment of animals and the environment and taking an active role in our local community.

PHS is a spirited, fun-loving, hard-working, talented and smart collective of people who fill a learning institute with purpose.

I've just finished reading 'The Book of Joy' by Gyatso, the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Did you know that the Class of 2022 Curriculum Night is February 8, 2018?
Eighth grade parents will receive high school registration information. P-CEP counselors/administrators will provide parents and students with curriculum information and answer questions. P-CEP District families will meet at the following times in their assigned schools:
Last Names A - L at 6:00 p.m.
Last Names M - Z at 7:00 p.m.
Locations: Canton Cafeteria, Plymouth Cafeteria or Salem Auditorium, watch for signs. All Charter and Private School families: 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Canton High School - Canton Little Theater


Did you know that the Michigan Department of Education released its Parent Dashboard for School Transparency? This new online data portal provides charts that break down eight different statistics: performance summary (proficiency); progress summary (growth); graduation rate (four-year cohort); advanced coursework; on-track attendance; English learner progress; and assessment participation. Each of these are compared against statewide averages and other schools with similar demographics. You can check it out at https://www.mischooldata.org/  by clicking on the parent dashboard tab in the upper left.

Did you know that P-CEP counselors organized a "Beating the Winter Blues" Stress Less week before final exams? The week was spent encouraging students to focus on positive mental health and taking care of themselves. They had music in passing periods, therapy dogs, yoga, positive words of affirmation, etc. all to help students stress less and raise awareness of mental health.