The Cardinal Way

Sense of Community

I can depend on those around me and they can depend on me.

Your classrooms are a community, our school is a community, and Southport is our community. In each of those places, working together is vital to our success. We can only achieve this success if we can depend on those around us. We need each other. Too often, we try to do it all on our own and solve the problems we are facing by ourselves. In a world of exponentially increasing complexity, no one person can do it alone. The problems are too complicated, too difficult to solve by ourselves. The skills it takes to be a great solo performer are very different from those it takes to work in a group. We need to be intentional about teaching the skills needed to work in groups. Education systems too often only reward the great solo performer when the team skills are vital to our future success. We need to teach students how to depend on each other and make sure they know they can depend on us. We do not need more individualism and self-promotion. Take some time this week to talk to those in your community about the importance of working together and depending on each other. Together we will find success!

Thank you to:

• everyone for your help with ILEARN Biology Testing on Wednesday!
• James Thorpe for taking care of our grounds in a week where we have seen all four seasons!

Week 32: Grateful Friday Challenge:

Friday! Friday! Friday! It’s hard to improve on that -- we have a weekend coming up and the weather forecast for next week is looking much warmer! The stresses of returning from the hybrid schedule can make you question yourself, your teaching strategies...maybe even your very existence. Ok, that may be a little much, but the weeks (and another change for the year) have definitely added some different and new stressors.

Some of the best ways to deal with the stress are to be reminded of all the good we do...all the reasons that we love our job...all the reasons our kids are amazing. To do that, your #SHSGFC is to take the following statement and fill it out. Take the time to fill it out for at least one colleague.

A teacher who has a particularly strong influence on my life, but maybe doesn’t know it is ___________.

A moment that stands out for me with this teacher is ______________________________________.

To spread the love, gratitude, and the #SHSGFC, the bonus challenge is to print the document linked below, pass it out during your iPass and give students the opportunity to complete this statement for one of their teachers at SHS. Then find some time before you go home today to deliver the notes to those teachers.

We all need reminders; we all need to feel gratitude. Spend the day spreading joy and celebrate what makes us great!

Be An Influencer!! Thanks for another great week. We are one week from May!!!!

With banners flying as we go! #FlyAsONE

Hope you enjoy this weeks 180 Days of Learning Posts

Mrs. Schott's Math 10 students are learning about the properties of line segments. Students discussed midpoints on lines and how those points on a segment divide the segment in half. Students used different examples of lines with segment bisectors to determine the length of the line or each of the segments. Students also learned the proper way to label and describe those lines using different math terminology.

Mrs. Schnepp's AP Biology students are studying evolution. Students discussed homology in different animal structures. Students compared animals that have similar structures, like wings in bats and butterflies. They also learned about and discussed the homology between arm structures in various animals. They looked at the similarity in bone structures from animals like whales, cats, and humans. The students were able to make connections between these structures and use evolutionary principles to connect those ideas.

Mrs. Frantz, who will be a new science teacher at SHS next year, is working with her Honors Biology students in a PBL unit about animal enhancement. Students had to research different animals that live at the Indianapolis Zoo. The project asked students to create an enhancement to enhance animal behavior based on their normal settings in the wild. The project's goal was to learn about animal behavior and how DNA impacts the physical features of animals and can also play a large role in animal behavior.

Mrs. Wyatt's Honors English 11 students have been reading John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. As a break from reading and to prepare for some of the moral dilemmas that will occur in the last parts of the book, students took time today to discuss some philosophical questions in connection to the reading. Through a Socratic Seminar, students had to discuss some broad questions about morality and connect that to their reading. As virtual and in-person students observed the conversations, they were able to leave comments and make additional connections in a Google chat while small groups were answering questions about these issues.

Website: http://websites.msdpt.k12.in.us/sh/
Location: 971 E Banta Rd, Indianapolis, IN, United States
Phone: 317-789-4800
Twitter: @SHS_Cardinals