Hello IHS parents and families,
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Well, here we are--in that magical, quiet moment before a brand new school year begins. For teachers, it always feels like a calm in the midst of a storm--after weeks of professional development, staff meetings, decorating classrooms, going over class lists, making seating charts, creating lesson plans, and for many of us, getting our own children ready for the first day of school, we have a quiet moment before the whirlwind of the first day of school. Teachers feel the same way most students feel on the night before the first day of school--a mix of nervousness and excitement about what this new school year will bring. Remember that our 9th graders will begin tomorrow, Wednesday September 4th--please refer to your host school's communication for the exact schedule for your student. Our 10th-12th graders will begin on Thursday, September 5th at 8:30 with their 1st period class. We are so excited to see the students back in our classrooms again!
As Head Teacher for IHS, my role is a unique one within our district--although I am in charge of much of the administrative work that keeps IHS running on three separate campuses, I am not an administrator. I am a teacher first. This year, in addition to my duties as Head Teacher, I'm teaching 10th grade Literature and the Arts and 12th grade IB 20th Century Literature at South HS. It is an important part of our teacher-led school model to have our Head Teacher still working in the classroom--it keeps me grounded in the daily activities of the classroom and still working directly with students. And let's be clear--being in the classroom with my students is the best part of my week, without question. I'm looking forward to meeting my own students this week!
I want to give you a little insight into the work IHS teachers have been doing these past few weeks. In addition to our district-led professional development focused on curriculum adoption, universal designs for learning, and literary instruction, IHS teachers spent copious amounts of time working in small teams to plan our lessons and align our curriculum as much as possible. The goal is that IHS students are learning about a common topic, geographic region, or period of history across all of their IHS classes so that cross-curricular connections can be made and students learn from multiple perspectives and angles. In addition, IHS teachers continue to build on (3) new courses we piloted last year: 10th grade Civics, Narratives and Perspectives, and Junior Seminar. We know what went well, and what needs to change to be better, and we're excited to start sharing that work with our students.
As always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. My email address is dearinger_c@4j.lane.edu. Here we go!
Courtney
September 4--First Day for 9th graders
September 5--First Day for 10th-12th graders
September 26--IB Junior Parent Information Night (see below for details)
September 30--IHS Parent Information Night (see below for details)
October 2--IHS Opening Assembly
October 9--TESTING DAY--NO CLASSES
October 11--NO SCHOOL
9th grade: The 9th grade IHS team of teachers is looking forward to helping 9th graders get organized and acquainted with all things IHS! Teachers will be helping students set up planners, learn how to organize their Google Drive, get an introduction to Canvas, meet their librarians and take a library tour, meet our educational assistants and learn about the services available to them, learn about our Book Love program, what it means to be an IB Learner, and understand the IB and IHS mission statements. Our first unit Global Literature will introduce a new district wide online learning platform, while exploring such questions as: What does it mean to be a global citizen? How do empathy and respect play key roles in becoming a responsible global citizen? In Global Health the first unit will explore: What is necessary to live a long, disease-free life? Can you measure happiness? In Global Geography, the first unit will explore: What is Geography? What are the physical and cultural characteristics of places and regions, and how have they changed through time? We are excited to welcome the newest members of our IHS student community!
10th grade: Civics and Engagement is working on an opening unit that will provide context to the 2024 Election and the foundations of current government structures. Narratives and Perspectives is opening with a unit on the historical and philosophical foundations of early societies and states. Literature will begin with a citizen music unit with musicians from around the world, and from there will move into the reading of the graphic novel Persepolis. We are all excited to build an engaging 10th grade year!
11th grade: IHS Juniors have four courses this year, with the inclusion of Junior Seminar (lovingly called “Junior Core”) within the academic day. Junior Core students will begin the year questioning the very nature of knowledge itself and using that critical thinking to start identifying potential research topics for their Extended Essays. In IB Economics, Juniors will examine the economic lens of the world, with a particular focus on the ways in which human behavior, values, choice, resources, and mathematics intersect. IB Literature and History of the Americas courses will invite students to question, “What even is history?” and “How can literary arts explore and express aspects of identity, culture, and individuality?” Both courses will begin investigating these questions through an Indigenous, Native American, and First Nations focus, before and after The Columbian Exchange.
12th Grade: We look forward to welcoming our seniors back to their final year of high school! This year, we will focus on the 20th and 21st century worlds in our study of history and literature. History will begin the year with the question, What did the world look like in 1919? Literature will begin with a study of the personal essay, as students write personal essays for college and scholarship applications. Meanwhile, in Theory of Knowledge we will ask who we are, what we know and how we know it.
Thursday, September 26th, 7:00pm, Ed Center Auditorium located at 200 N. Monroe in Eugene
If you think your student might be interested in pursuing the International Baccalaureate diploma, or if you want to find out more about the benefits and possibilities of IB, come to this special information night led by IB Coordinator Steve Smith. This is mainly for 11th grade parents and students, but everyone is welcome. There will be an IB information night for sophomore parents at the end of January.
Monday, September 30th, 7:00pm, Ed Center Auditorium located at 200 N. Monroe in Eugene
Please join us to hear information about Eugene IHS, including discussion of philosophy and mission, curriculum, schedule, IB, and upcoming school events. This meeting is intended for parents of students who are new to Eugene IHS, but all are welcome. Eugene IHS families play an integral role in the success of our school. We value your energy, ideas, and creative thought. We hope to see you all there!
Eugene International High School offers students a chance to earn an honorary diploma at the end of our four years together. Students still earn their high school diploma from their host school--for example, a student's high school diploma is from Sheldon High School, but they also receive the honorary IHS diploma as recognition for completing our separate set of standards and requirements. Eugene IHS holds our own separate graduation ceremony at the Hult Center (my favorite night of the school year!) where we recognize graduating seniors together from all three host campuses.
In order to earn the honorary IHS diploma, students must do the following:
- Complete all required IHS courses in 11th-12th grade (listed above)
- Submit a final draft of the Extended Essay research paper (completed during Junior Seminar)
- Take at least (3) years of a world language (does not have to be the same language all three years)
- Complete (100) CAS hours (Creativity, Activity, Service) during junior and senior year
- Complete all graduation requirements for the high school diploma
**Please note that students DO NOT have to take any IB exams in order to earn the IHS diploma. IB testing and the IHS diploma are separate and do not affect the student's ability to earn the diploma.**
On Wednesday, October 2, we will hold our annual IHS Opening Assembly from 9:15-11:00 at the South Eugene HS auditorium. This event is one of only two times all year when we are able to gather all IHS students from our three campuses together in one place. Our Opening Assembly welcomes returning students back and introduces our 9th graders to our school community. We celebrate the successes of last year and look forward to all there is to come in the new school year. It is a joyful celebration of community, and one of our favorite days of the school year.
4j school district requires a field trip permission form to be signed by a parent/guardian any time a student is leaving their school grounds. For our students at Sheldon and Churchill, we will need a permission slip signed for every student in order to attend the assembly. We take students in groups on 4j school buses and we return them to school afterwards.
Our IHS Graduation Ceremony will take place on Friday, June 6 at 7:00 pm at the Hult Center! This year, we have a record number of graduating seniors across our three campuses--in June, we will graduate 211 IHS seniors! I will put important graduation information in this newsletter starting in January.