Mr. Rose's Blog

Spring Blog

roset — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:41:20 +0000

What a winter it has been! Hopefully the snow is over for this year and we can look forward to beautiful spring weather. Students and staff at the Academy are off to a great start for 2nd semester. As we approach spring break we are encouraged that our 1st round of benchmark assessments show marked improvement over our fall results. In most cases students at the Academy are performing as well or above their counterparts at other schools. The benchmarks inform the students and teachers which areas to target for further instruction and reinforcement. They are a great tool used to evaluate each student individually so that we can work to meet everyone’s unique needs.
Recruiting for next year is underway and we are recieving applications each day. Interviews will soon begin and we will have a better idea of who will be joining our school next fall.
Students are working with Ms. Cardwell on course selection and registration for next year. We are excited to be adding Honors Anatomy and Physiology, Advanced Physical Fitness, Network Administration, Advanced Placement English 11 and Advanced Placement US History for next year!
In our career courses, medical students are preparing for thier clinical hours at Westchester Manor and our Information Technology students are preparing for thier certification exams.
We are focused on developing strong character traits in our students and as an example, a group of our teachers recently participated in the Habitat for Humanity project. We have plans to volunteer again in June.
I hope that everyone has a safe and restful spring break. As we return, I look forward to students remaining on task and focused for success leading up to final exams. We have an opportunity to do something very special this year, and I know that we can meet our goals!

November Blog

roset — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:01:59 +0000

Wow! It has been a busy few months at the Academy. Over the past two months we have completed 1st quarter and recognized our A and AB honor roll students with an academic breakfast and certificates of achievement. I am proud of all the hard work of our students and staff. This work is paying off and preparing us for our exams and End of Course tests coming in January.
With only a few weeks until testing, the school is focused on mastery learning of the standard course of study goals and objectives. As I visit classrooms students are engaged in projects and activities. I see evidence of cooperative learning and students working on skills and information that they have not yet mastered. Benchmark scores have shown improvement and have given our students clear learning targets. Saturday Academy has been a very positive program and we look forward to the progress that we will make for the remainder of the semester. I hope that even more students take advantage of our Saturday Academy program and in school tutorial sessions.
Academy students are giving of themselves to help others. I am proud of our school’s participation in “Give a kid a coat” and collection of canned food for the hungry and less fortunate. Recently groups of Academy students began visiting seniors at Skeet Club Manor. Thanks to all the students and staff who have dedicated thier time to these wonderful community projects.
As we approach the holidays, I encourage everyone to stay focused om learning. I am confident that we will have excellent success as we complete the fall semester. It’s hard to believe that the year is almost half over already! Time really does fly when you are focused on excellence each day.

September Blog

roset — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:09:42 +0000

What an exciting time to be at the Academy at Central! Our new technology for classrooms has arrived and teachers are recieving training and beginning to use the tools with their students. Teachers and students are using Smartboards and Smart Response systems as part of the instructional process. Math teachers are utilizing new technologies and math manipulatives to enhance student learning. In English classes, students are engaged in research projects, grammar exercises, and literature study. This year students are reading at a much greater rate outside of class to build thier skills. Social studies and science classes are learning a great deal of new and exciting material. Many hands on projects and classroom discussions are evidence that the students and teachers are highly engaged. Students in Spanish, Medical and Buisness are learning many new things and are applying thier new knowledge to solve problems, create projects and deepen understanding. Physical Education students are enjoyinh our partnership with the Hartley Drive YMCA! With October upon us, it is important that we stay focused and work to learn the material that has not yet been mastered. I look forward to the results of our first round of formative assessments. Those results will help us to focus our efforts on individual student improvement. I am proud of our start to the year! Students, I challenge you to keep working extremely hard to be your personal best. I know that each of you is ready to meet the challenges that lie ahead!

Old Blog Posts

admin — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 03:16:48 +0000

February 27, 2009 1:30pm

It is a very exciting time at the Academy at Central! Recruitment of new students for next year is now in full swing. Applications are coming in and the caliber of students that are interested in our school is ever increasing. This bodes well for our continued growth and improvement as we move into the future. The district deadline for submitting an application is March 6th. Once all applications are received we will begin the process of face to face interviews, always my personal favorite. It is so exciting to meet new people and have the opportunity to invite them into our family. If you are a current student or parent of the Academy and know of others who may want to enjoy the great opportunities that the Academy offers, please encourage them to contact us for more information. We will be happy to assist them and answer their questions about what we do!

The 10th grade writing test is just around the corner and Academy students have been working hard to prepare and polish up their writing prowess! This year Mr. Rose will offer special incentives to those who perform their best. The first offering is based on attendance. Each student who is present on the day of the test will be invited to the first ever “Lunch with the Principal”. Mr. Rose will provide Pizza and time to socialize and unwind from all the testing stressors. The date for the writing test is March 10th. Our makeup day for anyone who might be sick is March 11th. I hope that each student will be present on the 10th and work to their peak ability on this test!

As a reminder, students should remember to keep class time sacred. That means that we do not use any cell phones or music devices during instructional time. We have built in time between classes and at lunch for students to enjoy these privileges, students please appreciate what you have been given and respect the learning time. Another concern of mine is with our SMOD. Please understand that you are expected to abide by the SMOD guidelines given to you as you entered the Academy. If you cannot meet the requirements for any reason, see me so that we can work together to help you stay within the guidelines of our policy. I appreciate your attention to these matters and your attention to upholding our high standards for dress, conduct and academic excellence!

Lastly I want to remind students and parents that special assignment forms need to be completed and returned to school as soon as possible. We must make determinations on whether or not students continue in our option school next year or return to their home school of assignment. If a student does not return the form, I will not have a way of requesting them to return and they will automatically be assigned to their home high school. Under the reassignment process, students must remain in good standing academically, behaviorally, and must have excellent attendance. Once a student is granted permission to attend an option school such as the Academy at Central, they may be subject to reassignment at any time for not maintaining any of these areas. We want each and every student to be successful and achieve to their highest ability at the Academy. I feel a personal responsibility to ensure that each student is making positive progress toward earning a high school diploma, gaining preparation for work in a career and preparing for the rigors of college work. If you have any questions pertaining to the assignment process, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I am so proud and honored to serve as your Principal! I promise to do all that I can to lead you in the pursuit of learning and personal success. I encourage all of you to join me in our quest to make the Academy at Central a world class educational experience for all that are fortunate to attend! Thank you!