Fall is a great time of year to settle down and focus on the things that matter.  That is exactly what we are doing here at LPOHS. We have been busy setting priorities over the past few months, and now it is time to put them into action.  We have some new programs that we are implementing and some new areas of focus.

First of all, we are beginning to focus on writing again.  As we review student work, we have seen one common theme: they either struggle to write clearly and concisely or do not recognize the importance of clear written communication.  As a team, we have decided that LPO will focus on this for our school-wide goal this year.  We have already started by getting a sample of every student's writing in the school, and now we are looking at the data to see where we need to focus.  Please ask your student about the programs we are implementing to help them become better writers. 

As part of our focus on writing, we are also introducing new vocabulary words to our students each week.  It is important that we all continue to learn new words that help us clarify our thoughts and ideas, and we are doing this in a fun way at LPO.  At the beginning of each week, students get the new words and a punch card.  They can fill the punch card by using the words throughout the week.  At the end of the week, the punch cards are put into a drawing where the students can win weekly prizes for their efforts.  We are excited to see our students expanding their minds and using new words.

As the ongoing saga of cell phones continues, we are discussing new ways of keeping our students engaged in the classroom and not on their phones.  We will be running a trial with cellphone lockers at LPO.  This will be on a volunteer basis and will give us a starting point for more conversations.  The data showing the effects of cell phones in the classroom and how contrary they are to student learning is overwhelming, and we see it at LPO as well.  We are interested in seeing what our students' thoughts are. 

Finally, if you want to hear more about any of these subjects and give input, I invite you to a conversation with the Principal.  I will be doing this on November 15th and am interested in hearing from you.  I will send out invitations with the exact time later this week. 

I am excited about our new programs at LPO and look forward to another great quarter filled with learning and fun. As always, if you have any questions about anything going on at LPO, please reach out to me. I am here for you. Also, please consider attending our conversation with the principal to learn more about what is happening at LPOHS. 

Thank you all for your ongoing support of Lake Pend Oreille High School.

Sincerely,

Luke Childers

Principal 

Lake Pend Oreille High School