Parents Corner

Tuesday, August 1st 2017

Information from the Ohio Department of Education:

Two additional graduation options available for the class of 2018 only 
As you are aware, students in the class of 2018 who entered grade 9 after July 1, 2014, are the first to earn diplomas under the new graduation requirements. In addition to satisfying the high school curriculum requirements, students in Ohio must meet one of three existing pathways to earn a high school diploma. Information about the three pathways to graduation can be found here.

We expect that most students will meet one of the three existing pathways and districts should continue to work with students, as appropriate, to meet these requirements. However, the recent budget bill authorized two additional options only for students in the class of 2018 who entered grade 9 between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015. These options provide an opportunity for those students who do not otherwise meet one of the three existing pathways to graduation to earn a diploma. 

The two additional graduation options are:

Option 1 – Available to all students in the class of 2018.

Students must take and pass courses that constitute the curriculum requirements and take all seven end-of-course exams. If the student receives a score of “1” or “2” on any math or English language arts test, the student must retake the test at least once.

Additionally, students must meet at least two of the below requirements:
  • Attendance rate of 93 percent during the 12th grade year;
  • Earn a GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale in all courses completed during 12th grade (must complete at least four full-year courses);
  • Complete a capstone project during 12th grade that the district or school defines;
  • During 12th grade, complete a work or community service experience totaling 120 hours that the district or school defines;
  • Earn three or more College Credit Plus credits at any time during high school;
  • Earn credit for an Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate course and earn an AP exam score of 3 or higher or IB exam score of 4 or higher at any time during high school;
  • Earn a WorkKeys exam score of 3 on each of three test sections;
  • Earn a State Board-approved industry-recognized credential or credentials that equal at least three points;
  • Meet OhioMeansJobs Readiness Seal requirements (under development).

Option 2  Available to the students in the class of 2018 in career-technical programs.

Students must take and pass courses that constitute the curriculum requirements and take all seven end-of-course exams. Students must finish a career-technical program that includes at least four courses in a single career pathway and complete at least one of the options below:
  • Earn a total score of proficient or better based on all career-technical exams or test modules;
  • Earn an industry-recognized credential or credentials that equal 12 points;
  • Complete a workplace experience totaling 250 hours with evidence of positive evaluations.

The Department is in the process of updating its website to reflect the new options. More detailed guidance and additional resources will be provided in August. 

Questions?

If you have questions about graduation requirements, call (614) 466-1317 or send an email to gradrequirements@education.ohio.gov.



Wednesday, July 27 2016

Know! E-Cigs, Vape Pens, and Throat Hits - Oh My!

 

You have more than likely talked countless times with your child about the dangers of smoking cigarettes, and the importance of steering clear of them – and that’s great because teens seem to be getting it. But while teen smoking has steadily declined, teen vaping has become all the rage.
The question now is whether or not you’re having conversations on the topic of “vaping” when you talk to your children about substances? Do you even know what vaping is exactly? If you answered “no” to one or both questions, you’re not alone. “Vaping” through the use of electronic cigarettes, vape pens, etc., is new territory for many of us parents, but without exception, it’s a topic we need to learn more about and a conversation we must have with our sons and daughters.
So let’s start with the basics. Vaping is the act of inhaling vapor into the lungs. While the internet provides an endless selection of portable vaporizers in terms of shape, size, features and power, the electronic cigarette (e-cig) and vape pen are two of the most common vaping devices used among youth. E-cigs and vape pens alike contain a battery-operated heating element that converts a liquid mixture, often called e-liquid or e-juice, into an inhalable, fog-like mist. The sensation one feels when taking a puff on their device is called a throat hit, which can be weak or strong, depending on what’s in the juice.
So what exactly is in the juice? It’s hard to say precisely, since e-cig manufacturers are not required to report their ingredients. Typically however, the liquid is a base mixture of propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin, which are considered GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Most e-juice also contains flavoring, of which there are hundreds to choose from, including cotton candy, bubble gum, candy corn and many more that would entice most young people.
Among those teens who vape, the majority report vaping the flavoring only, however, 13% of eighth graders and 22% of high school seniors say they add nicotine to the mix, 6% to 7% of eighth, tenth and twelfth graders say they vape marijuana or hash oil, and some youth simply report having no idea what they’re vaping.
When it comes to vaping nicotine, marijuana, or having no clue what’s in the juice, the negatives are pretty obvious, and the conversation of non-use is clear. But how do you respond when your teen says, “It’s just flavoring, not nicotine, not marijuana. It’s safe.”
Good question, here’s why. Some experts say the heating element in these devices can transform these “safe” solvents, flavoring agents and various vape oil additives into carcinogens and other dangerous toxins that wreak havoc on the lungs. However, the challenge is that there are no conclusive studies proving the dangers. But at the same time, there are no conclusive studies showing vaping of any kind to be safe either. And that’s what makes it dangerous! It is the unknowns.
California-based Teen Therapy Center said it best in their blog regarding the dangers of the unknowns:
  • The fact is, there have not been sufficient scientific studies done on vaping devices.
  • Vaping devices are relatively new to the market and kids are crazy to get their hands on them.
  • We don’t know the long term health risks. This makes every teenager with a vape pen a lab rat!
What we do know, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is that: “Potentially harmful constituents… have been documented in some e-cigarette cartridges, including irritants, genotoxins, and animal carcinogens.”
When cigarette smoking became all the rage among teens so many years ago, the risks were not clearly known. The same may hold true for vaping. The most important thing we can convey to our children is that breathing anything but fresh, clean air into their lungs is a potential hazard to their health both in the present and in the future, and it’s simply not worth the risk.
Some say the heating element in these devices can transform these “safe” solvents, flavoring agents and various vape oil additives into carcinogens and other dangerous toxins that wreak havoc on the lungs. Others say this is not the case.

Visit starttalking.ohio.gov to get the conversation going !!!

Monday, April 11 2016
End of Year Assessments Bell Schedule

The spring administration of the state End-of-Year assessments at the high school will be given April 14 – April 20, 2016.  All students currently taking English 9, English 10, Algebra 1, Geometry, Biology, US History and/or Government will complete the appropriate assessment during the testing week.  We want our students to have a quiet and relaxed testing atmosphere, so we will operate on a delayed bell schedule during the testing days for any student not taking a test.


Students scheduled to take an assessment are expected to start school at the normal start time as testing will begin at 7:35 AM.  All buses will run on their regular schedule.  Students that normally ride the bus may do so at their normal time and there will be a quiet supervised study hall in the cafeteria until the end of testing.  Attached is a document with the testing schedule and bell schedule for the testing days. It is important that students who are not testing behave in a positive manner as they are representatives of GLHS throughout the community. If your child is not testing, please talk with him/her about using this time to review, complete, or get ahead of any upcoming projects, papers, presentations or assignments. One of our strands in our Graduate Profile is for our students to be a Responsible Community Member and this is the perfect opportunity for them to demonstrate this.


If you have any questions regarding the End-of-Year assessment schedule, please contact the front office at 614-478-5500


Friday, March 11th 2016
College Credit Plus Information


Dear Parent or Guardian:
If you and your children are thinking about a four-year university or two-year technical college after high school, it’s likely that you’re already getting ready both financially and academically. During the 2015-2016 school year, more than 32,000 students got a jump start on college and reducing their costs toward college degrees by participating in the College Credit Plus program, which is available free of cost to you wherever you live in Ohio.

Ohio’s College Credit Plus program offers students in grades 7-12 the chance to earn college credit from any Ohio public college or participating private college while earning high school credit for each college course, if the student qualifies academically. All associated costs are free to qualified students seeking credit from public colleges. There may be limited costs for students seeking credit from private institutions.

Ohio has never offered your child a better start on a college education. A College Credit Plus student enjoys the opportunity to pursue more challenging classes and explore college interests sooner. Your child can earn anywhere from a few college credits to a year’s worth while still in high school. Participating in College Credit Plus can reduce your child’s time in college and greatly reduce your family’s higher education costs. Beginning summer 2016, a summer term will be included in the program. A college’s summer term may begin as early as this May.

Nonpublic school and home-school students also can apply to take part in College Credit Plus. The first step is to create a SAFE account to submit a “notice of intent to participate.” Instructions for creating a SAFE account are here, and the notice of intent form can be found at www.ohiohighered.org/ccp, under “Forms.” Next, your student must apply and be admitted to a college or university. Upon receipt of a notice from the college or university stating that your student is admitted to the program, use your SAFE account to apply for state funding, required for your student’s College Credit Plus participation.

If you are interested in having your child participate, we urge you to start today. The deadline to submit the “Notice of Intent to Participate” is April 1.
Here are your next steps:
  1. Talk with your child’s school.
    Your local school district is required to provide you with information about the College Credit Plus program.
    If you haven’t received an email, letter or call yet, check your district’s website.
    The district also must hold a public meeting before March 30 to explain the program, and it must invite participating colleges and universities in your area to attend.
  2. If you have questions about College Credit Plus, visit our FAQ page to see if the answer to your question is there.
  3. If your question is not answered on the FAQ page or you do not receive timely information from your school, please contact the Ohio Department of Education toll- free at (877) 644-6338 or via email at ccp@education.ohio.gov. Your child’s school and your area colleges will have the information you need to do your part on time.

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In the meantime, have your child meet with his or her school counselor—you’re welcome to attend also—to talk about whether College Credit Plus might be a good fit for your child.
  1. Once you have the facts, contact or check the website of participating colleges in your area. Here are all the public and private colleges in the state. Ask them for College Credit Plus application forms, instructions and a list of criteria they will use to determine if your child is college-ready for admission to that institution.
    Once your child is admitted to a college under College Credit Plus, he or she will be able to register for college courses. Again, conversations with the high school counselor or a college advisor can help your child decide which of the many available college courses would match his or her needs and plans.
  2. Have your child register for classes and provide a copy of his or her schedule to the high school counselor for review.
6.
Ohio has many hardworking students, and we want to see all of them rewarded with a greater array of options for their futures. Please start talking to your child about College Credit Plus today.
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Sincerely,

Dr. Lonny J. Rivera
Interim Superintendent of Public Instruction Ohio Department of Education

John Carey Chancellor
Ohio Department of Higher Education 


Friday, February 12th 2016


College Credit Plus Process for 2016-17 Starts Feb. 15

Summer session added; students must declare intent to participate by April 1

Students intending to participate in the second year of College Credit Plus, the successful program that provides Ohio students with the opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school, can begin the notification process for the 2016-2017 school year on Feb. 15. College Credit Plus debuted at the start of the 2015-2016 school year, with more than 32,000 students enrolling to take advantage of the opportunity to get a jump start on college and reduce their costs toward a college degree.
College Credit Plus provides students with the opportunity to take college classes offered by any Ohio public college or university, or from any participating private postsecondary institution, at their high school, on the college or university campus, or online. The program allows students to explore college interests sooner and to earn college credits toward a degree before graduating from high school. It is free to families when students take courses offered by Ohio public colleges and universities.
Beginning Feb. 15, public high school students may notify their principal of their interest to participate, and non-public and homeschool students may send their letter of intent to participate to the Ohio Department of Education. All students must declare their intent to participate by April 1, including students who participated in the first year of College Credit Plus.
In an effort to give more students and families the opportunity to save on the cost of college, College Credit Plus now includes a summer term. Credits earned by taking courses through College Credit Plus during a summer term will be applied to students’ high school and college transcripts during the fall. Students and parents should check the summer term registration deadline for the college or university from which the student intends to take courses.  Additional details and participation information are available at www.ohiohighered.org/ccp.
“As a parent, I have great appreciation for how this program can save families money in their total costs for college. Strengthening opportunities for students to earn college credit in high school has been a priority for the Kasich Administration, and I am delighted with the progress we have made to create lower-cost pathways to help students get a certificate or degree for their careers,” said Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor John Carey. “Getting a jump on college gives students firsthand knowledge about the variety of courses available in college and the learning strategies associated with success in college.”
“College Credit Plus is a huge win for Ohio families, and we have seen tremendous enthusiasm for the program across the state,” said Interim State Superintendent Lonny J. Rivera of the Ohio Department of Education. “By earning college credits in high school, students can reduce the cost of and time in college. This means they can enter the job market and take advantage of exciting opportunities sooner.”
Ohio has significantly strengthened support for high school students to earn college credit over the past few years in its effort to make the pursuit of a college degree more affordable. The most recent state budget allocated $10 million to credential more teachers for college-level instruction and provide competitive grants to universities for teachers to become credentialed for College Credit Plus courses.
Ohio Department of Education Contact:Kim Norris(614) 728-5959
Ohio Department of Higher Education Contact:Jeff Robinson(614) 752-9487

Wednesday, January 20th 2016
Performance levels set for 2015-2016 state tests in English language arts and mathematics


The State Board of Education has approved the recommended cut scores proposed by more than 100 teachers and content experts in English language arts and mathematics who served on standard-setting committees this school year. These committees proposed five performance levels for the tests, outlining the scores that students minimally must earn to achieve each performance level (Advanced, Accelerated, Proficient, Limited and Basic). Department staff analyzed the results and recommendations and prepared projections for the expected performance of Ohio students on the new state math and English language arts tests. See the cut scores and projected performance here.




The new cut scores indicate that Ohio is raising expectations for what Ohio students must learn in school so they can graduate from high school with multiple options for their futures. We expect that in a few years our students will meet the challenge of the higher expectations — and that a decreasing number of graduates will need remediation to succeed. In the short term, however, we project the number of students who score Proficient or higher, especially in English language arts, to decrease and that more students will score at the Limited performance level. Also, more students will need supports to achieve higher standards.




For the next step in the standard-setting process, measurement experts from Ohio’s test vendor will provide projections based on early returns of state tests to validate the performance levels. For more information about the standard-setting process, see this Web page.



Tuesday, January 19th 2016


"Why Arts Matter: Five Qualities for Successful College Applicants in STEM"

This Thursday, January 21st, at 7:30pm in H137 (Band Room), the Gahanna Lincoln Music Departments will host a free seminar with Collegewise counselor and presenter Meredith Graham regarding the important role of the Visual and Performing Arts in college life and the application process. 

Meredith Graham is a trained chemical engineer and experienced college admissions professional, having counseled at Cornell, Boston University, Kent State, and Purdue. Her background in the Arts includes playing trumpet and bagpipes, singing, dancing, textile arts, and drama. 

Join us to learn more about why Visual and Performing Arts are keys to successful college preparation for students interested in STEM majors. FREE and open to all Gahanna students and parents. 




Tuesday, January 12th 2016
Testing Windows Announced for 2016-2017
The dates for 2016-2017 state test windows are now available for Ohio's State Tests in English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies; Ohio Graduation Tests; and the Alternate Assessment for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities.
Ohio’s State Tests in English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies
The overall test windows appear below. Later this year, the department will announce guidelines for selecting a specified number of consecutive test dates within these windows.
  • Summer 2016: Grade 3 English language arts, July 11-15; high school end-of-course tests (online only), July 18-29.
  • Fall 2016: Grade 3 English language arts, Nov. 7-18; high school end-of-course tests, Dec. 5, 2016-Jan. 13, 2017.
  • Spring 2017: English language arts, March 13-April 14; mathematics, science and social studies, April 3-May 12. 
Ohio Graduation Tests
  • Summer 2016: (Optional): June 13-26.
  • Fall 2016: Oct. 24-Nov. 6.
  • Spring 2017: March 13-26.
Alternate Assessment for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities
  • Feb. 20-April 14. 
The department will announce dates for the 2016-2017 Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment later this year.


Tuesday, November 10th 2015
More Opportunities for Juniors and Seniors to Graduate in Ohio
Below is the new testing option for students required to take the OGT :


House Bill 64 and the Ohio Revised Code require the State Board of Education to adopt new rules permitting a student who began ninth grade before July 1, 2014, choices for graduation that incorporate new graduation options. During the September 2015 meeting, the State Board voted on the intent to adopt the proposed rules below. The State Board expects to adopt the rules at its December 2015 board meeting. The rules then will take effect on Jan. 1, 2016.

Proposed New Testing Options for Students Required to Take the Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT)

New graduation requirements: Students who began ninth grade on or after July 1, 2014, must meet their course requirements and one of the following options for the testing requirement:
  1. A total of 18 Graduation Points across all end-of-course tests;
  2. A remediation-free score on the ACT or SAT; or
  3. A composite score of 13 on the WorkKeys and an approved industry-recognized credential.
Students who began ninth grade before July 1, 2014, must meet their course requirements and their current testing requirements, the Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT), to graduate. However, new proposed options will allow students additional ways to meet graduation requirements. This means that students who must pass the Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT) may:
  1. Current: Use old graduation requirements (OGT);
  2. New: Use new graduation requirements (see the three options above); or
  3. New: Use new testing options to fulfill old graduation requirements (see table below for potential new options for these students).
Get more information here: http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Ohio-Graduation-Requirements/Graduation-Requirements-2014-2017/Proposed-New-Testing-Options-for-Students-Required



Thursday, October 28th 2015
Ohio Standards Telephone Town Hall Meetings
Beginning Oct. 26, The Ohio Standard Coalition will host seven telephone town hall meetings to help parents better understand Ohio’s Learning Standards and aligned assessments. Callers who join will have the opportunity to hear from local educators and Ohio Department of Education staff about Ohio’s academic standards, the upcoming PARCC score release and Ohio’s State Tests. They also will have the chance to have their questions answered live.
Please share this information with your parents and encourage them to participate in these calls. For more parent information, please visit http://www.theohstandard.org or http://education.ohio.gov/Parents. Click here to join the town halls online. The dates for the telephone town hall meetings are:
  • Monday, Oct. 26, 7-8 p.m.
  • Tuesday, Oct. 27, 7-8 p.m.
  • Wednesday, Oct. 28, 7-8 p.m.
  • Monday, Nov. 2, 7-8 p.m.
  • Tuesday, Nov. 3, 7-8 p.m.
  • Wednesday, Nov. 4, 7-8 p.m.
  • Thursday Nov. 5, 7-8 p.m.

English and Math Updates for 2015 State Tests
Sample items for Ohio’s State Tests in English language arts and mathematics are now available on the Student Practice Site. Find links and descriptions for these resources on the department’s Practice Test and Sample Items Web page. Students may log in as guests to access five to eight new sample items for each of the following tests:
  • Grade 3 and high school English language arts; and
  • Grades 3-8 mathematics and high school mathematics, algebra and geometry.
These new items join the practice tests for science and social studies on the site, offering students more opportunities to learn what to expect on state tests. Additional English language arts sample items for grades 4-8 will be released in December



Wednesday, September 30th 2015
Graduation Requirements for classes of 2018 and Beyond
The graduation requirements for the classes of 2018 and beyond include curriculum and three options to show readiness for next steps in college and careers. To graduate through the industry credential and workforce readiness option, a student must earn 12 points through a State Board of Education-approved industry-recognized credential or group of credentials in a single career field and achieve a workforce readiness score on the WorkKeys assessment.

At its September meeting, the State Board of Education set the readiness scores on WorkKeys for students choosing this option for high school graduation. The WorkKeys assessment has three sections: reading, applied mathematics and locating information. Students in the classes of 2018 and 2019 must earn a total of 13 points across the three WorkKeys sections; students in the class of 2020 and beyond must earn a total of 14 points. Students also must earn at least three points on each section of the test.


Tuesday, August 19th 2015
New Seating in Our Auditorium
We hope you have had a chance to see the newly renovated GLHS auditorium.  One of the new additions within the renovation process is the addition of wheelchair access seating.  Several of the seats can now be reconfigured to accommodate patrons who use a wheelchair.

The special seating with wheelchair access seats (and a seat for a companion) will be held until 10 mintues before each program.  After that time, the seats are released to the general patron population.  These seats may be reserved by contacting the high school office (478-5500) or the director of the program.

Handicapped parking is also available in the front of the auditorium as well.

Tuesday, August 18th, 2015
Open House at GLHS on August 19th

Dear Parents and Guardians of GLHS Students,

On behalf of the staff at GLHS, I would like to invite you to our Open House scheduled for Wednesday, August 19th from 7:00-9:00 pm at GLHS. The Open House will operate on an open two-hour block of time. The open two-hour block of time will enable parents to flow in and out of the classrooms while teachers share general information about their classes. Parents will have the opportunity to meet with teachers and schedule dates and times for Parent-Teacher Conferences on 9/21/15 and 9/28/15. Students will be completing a LHS Open House Schedule today while at school. They will list their courses and should give you the schedule today after school. This way you will know where your student's classes are located.

We will email an attached list of teacher room locations for the evening. We will also post the list of teacher room locations on our school website.

We will have a select group of students help as guides so parents can get from one room to another.


We hope to see everyone tomorrow night for our Open House at GLHS. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the school office at 614-478-5500.


Sunday, August 16th, 2015
Welcome Back Letter!
Below is the Welcome Back letter sent to parents GLHS last week:



Dear Gahanna Lincoln Students and Parents,

The 2015-16 school year is upon us and the entire staff at Gahanna Lincoln High School is excited and ready to go!  For those of you whom I have not had the opportunity to meet, my name is Bobby Dodd and I am the principal at GLHS. 

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you and discuss my background and my educational philosophies.  As a former teacher and coach for over thirteen years, I believe it is important to create a culture where students believe they have the opportunity to be successful.  That being said, students must also take advantage of their opportunities to be successful.  Success just doesn’t happen.  Success is earned.  One of my favorite quotes about success is from Aristotle, “Success is an art earned by training and habituation.  We are what we repeatedly do.  Success, then, is not an act but a habit.”  We are going to challenge our students at GLHS.  Our students need to respond with perseverance and resiliency.  Students will encounter pinnacles and obstacles throughout the year.  It is imperative that our students continue to grow when they reach the top and use the feedback given to them when they are struggling to achieve success.  It is imperative to grow from our failures.  As motivational speaker and author of Shift Your Brilliance Simon Bailey says, “Failure is feedback. Feedback is the breakfast of champions.”

I believe it is important to use innovative teaching methods to help students grow and compete with other students around the country.  You know as well as I do, our society is constantly changing.  We need to prepare our students for these changes.  Our teachers will use different methods of instruction to help our students adjust and be prepared for the opportunities of tomorrow.  As administrators, parents and stakeholders, we need to support different teaching methods that may be different from how you and I learned while we were in school.  While our students may struggle at times adjusting to different methods, it gives our students and teachers the opportunity to differentiate their learning.  It is necessary for us to embrace innovation and continue to support different methods of instruction that help us continue to be a leader of innovation in our state.  We need to continue to focus on innovation in and out of the classroom.  Last summer, I read Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Confidence in Us All, by David and Tom Kelly which explained the need for continuous effort towards innovation, “The organizations, communities, and nations that thrive are the ones that initiate action, that launch innovation cycles, that learn by doing as soon as they can.”  We will continue to focus on innovation to provide our students with the best opportunities to succeed and compete with other students from around the country.

GLHS continues to be a dynamic place with many educational and extra-curricular opportunities for our students.  Our vision remains strong as we are educating our students for the challenges of today and opportunities of tomorrow.  One area of opportunity for our students is the new fabrication laboratory (“Fab Lab”) that will be operating at GLHS.  Mr. Kunselman is our lead instructor in the Fab Lab.  He will be teaching a variety of engineering courses and offering students the opportunity to work with state of the art equipment to manufacture products for purchase (http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/gahanna/news/2015/08/11/fabrication-laboratory-program-incorporates-high-tech-industrial-tools.html ).  Students will also have the opportunity to learn about business applications by selling products to our local stakeholders and consumers around the state.  We are also excited about our new digital academy that will be in Clark Hall and the abundance of educational opportunities it offers for our students.  Students will be able to earn credits differently than they have in a traditional school setting.  Our teachers will work with students and help facilitate the curriculum so students have the opportunity to create a more flexible daily schedule where they can earn more credits and take different classes at GLHS.  Finally, we have a new foreign language lab to utilize different learning methods to learn languages more effectively and efficiently.  

We are continuing our focus on our core values at GLHS of Purpose, Respect, Integrity, Diversity, and Excellence.  Our theme this year at GLHS is “One Team, One Mission, No Limits.”  We will incorporate each of these values and our theme into our mission of educating students for today and tomorrow.  We will use these core principles to guide us as we continuously seek to improve our teaching methods for growth of the whole student, inside and outside of the classroom.  We encourage all of our stakeholders to participate in this journey with us by encouraging behavior of our students that focuses on P.R.I.D.E. and communicate with our teachers to learn more about the innovative learning opportunities for our students.

The staff at GLHS worked very hard this summer to improve in their profession.  We had many teachers who received professional development by attending conferences and enrolling in classes.  I believe as a school and community we grow together.  If you follow my twitter account (@bobby__dodd) you will often see me use the hashtag #WeGrowTogether.  As adults, we need to always search for opportunities to grow, whether it is in our profession or as humans.  The best way to grow is by utilizing collaboration and working with others.  The education field is no different. The staff at GLHS takes pride in their craft and is constantly looking to improve to help our students.

Two of our teachers at GLHS, Cindi Macioce and Chris Wagner, recently attended a Broadway Teachers Workshop Conference in New York City.  They were able to collaborate with other instructors from around the world and work together to discuss possible changes to their instructional strategies this upcoming year.  At the end of last school year, Mrs. Macioce earned the 2015 Columbus Parent’s Teacher of the Year Award.  (http://www.columbusparent.com/content/stories/2015/08/back-to-school-cynthia-macioce.html)  This is a great honor for one of our staff members.

The summer allows our teachers time to expand their knowledge and gain useful professional development from a variety of resources.   There different training opportunities consisted of:
  • Attending the SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) Conference to help improve student culture at GLHS.
  • Participating in project based learning workshops to create classroom projects driven by problems and allow students the ability to collaborate and create solutions.
  • Collaborating with other central Ohio teachers to develop summer enrichment opportunities for Middle School students that encourage reading and writing about current events involving social and civic issues.
  • Attending summer conferences such ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), Ohio ILE (Innovative Learning Environments), Licking County High School/Middle School Administrator Summer professional development, OASSA (Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators), HSTW (High Schools That Work), and Battelle for Kids Connect for Success conferences.
  • Completing classes such as Linking Reading and Writing, Literacy Work Stations, Advanced Human Development, Creating a Google Apps Classroom, Teaching the Short Story, and Teaching Shakespeare to Children & Young Adults to name a few.
  • Completing workshops such as the CPM (College Preparatory Math) workshop hosted at Clark Hall for our math instructors and intervention specialists.
The learning that took place this summer helps our school and community grow.

As a member of the GLHS staff and building principal, I feel it is important to discuss how I have been growing as an educator.  An area I focused on this summer was collaboration and improving the school culture. I read Michael Fullan’s The Principal: Three Keys to Maximizing Impact and gained valuable information on being a team player and becoming a change agent.  I also read On Common Ground: The Power of Professional Learning Communities by Barth, Dufour, Eaker, Eason-Watkins, and Fullan.  These books did a great job on defining what it means to be a lead learner and how to develop collaborative environments so all of our staff and students can succeed.

Another area where I am growing professionally is improving the school culture and creating an environment of excellence.  I read Baruti Kafele’s The Principal 50: Critical Leadership Questions for Inspiring Schoolwide Excellence and was fortunate enough to hear him speak at a conference this summer.  His book focuses on building relationships, increasing engagement with stakeholders, and gaining professional development for the school leader and his staff.  The 50 questions allow me to visualize what type of leader I want to be and how I can assist my staff in creating an effective learning environment in every classroom. 

I enjoy reading different books, blogs, and social media feeds to grow professionally.  I usually concentrate my readings on educational and leadership areas.  As we know, reading is a great way for all of us to become more knowledgeable and also a great way to relax.  When we take time to read, we model for our children and students the importance of knowledge, growth, and education.  One of my favorite books I read this summer was Todd Gongwer’s book Lead…for God’s Sake! It’s a book that has a sports background but a foundation that allows the reader to determine what motivates them and what drives their passion.  I suggest reading this book to anyone who enjoys reading about leadership and likes a book that really makes us think deeper about life.  Another good book is David Brook’s The Road to Character.  This book tells stories about famous individuals who overcame different obstacles in their lives to teach us life lessons.  Both of these books are similar because they focus on leadership and character traits that lead to positive environments.

On behalf of the staff at Gahanna Lincoln High School, we are excited to be able to work with your students this school year.  As we prepare our students today for the opportunities of tomorrow, we will encounter many different paths along the way.  As parents and community members, we need to understand that preparing our students for these opportunities means we will need to change our traditional educational practices.  The timing of change is everything as Seth Godin states in his book Tribes, “Change almost never fails because it is too early, it almost always fails because it is too late” (p. 119).  As I stated above, let’s take advantage of the opportunity that change presents and create an educational experience for our students that is unmatched in our area.  As educators, we will not be able to do this alone.  I invite you to join us in this cause and meaningful endeavor.  We need to work together to make a difference in our students’ lives so they will help the Gahanna community to continue to grow and help make Gahanna Lincoln High School one of the best schools in the country.

In order to stay connected with everything going on at GLHS, please remember to follow us on Twitter @GLHSLions, follow me on Twitter @bobby__dodd, like us on Facebook at Gahanna Lincoln High School Lions, and utilize the school website (http://www.gahannaschools.org/Schools/Lincoln_High_School/SchoolLincolnHigh.aspx) to locate important forms and information regarding GLHS.  You can also use Remind to receive text messages regarding events and information at the school.  Just text the number 81010 with the message @glhsinfo in the body of the text message to receive messages from GLHS.  Also, please make sure we have your updated email address so you can receive emails from GLHS.  Please contact the school counselors if you need to update your email address with the school. 

Again, it’s great to be a part of the team at GLHS and the community of Gahanna.  Remember to plan on attending our Open House at the high school on Wednesday, August 19th from 7:00-9:00 pm.  Please contact the office if you have any questions regarding the start of the new school year.

Aim Higher,

Bobby Dodd
Principal
Gahanna Lincoln High School





Sunday, August 2nd 2015
Ohio's State Test Fact Sheet
The Ohio Department of Education has released information regarding standardized testing for students for the 2015-16 school year.  The document released by ODE focuses on: How long will the new tests be? When will districts be testing?  What will the tests look like? Which students will need to test? and Where to get more information regarding the process.  Here is a link to the copy of the document.





Sunday, August 2nd 2015
The Welcome Center at GLHS has Extended Hours

In order to get students enrolled and/or able to start the first day of school or soon after, the Welcome Center will be open until 6:00pm on the following dates:  8/3, 8/4, 8/6, 8/10, 8/11, 8/12, and 8/13



Thursday, April 16th 2015
Graduation Information
Please read the important 2015 GLHS Graduation Information located on the Gahanna Lincoln High School Home Page.  Please pay close attention to dress requirements, payments/fines for students, and parking information.

If you have any questions, you can contact the office 478-5500.


Monday, April 13th 2015
Prom Information

The Gahanna Lincoln High School Prom is from 8:00 pm to 12:00 am this Saturday (April 18th) at the LC Pavilion (405 Neil Avenue, Columbus).  Prom ticket prices are $40 each.  However, if the student's parents sign the Prom Promise online form or print the form out (attached in this email) and sign it, the ticket price will be $35 each.
The tickets will be sold on Tuesday, April 14th and Wednesday, April 15th in the concession stand for those who want to pay via cash or check.  The tickets will be sold only during Lunch periods (4th, 5th, & 6th periods) and after school on Tuesday, April 14th and Wednesday, April 15th in the concession stand.  If you choose to pay via credit card, you can purchase online at https://www.localevelevents.com/events/details/1085.  Tickets will not be sold at the event.
The shirts that are given to students will be distributed during the Prom.  Students are responsible for picking the shirts up when they leave the event.  Also, due to large amounts of photos not picked up the past couple of years, the pictures will be available online through Studio 187.  Students will be able to download and print out pictures.
If students are bringing other students who attend school outside of the Gahanna Jefferson School District, the students will need to list an emergency contact phone number and have a student identification card from their current school or their driver's license.

If you have questions, please contact Mr. Wagner at the high school via email wagnerc@gjps.org or by calling 614-479-1608.


Friday, April 10th 2015
New Resources from the Ohio Department of Education - Text Messages
The Ohio Department of Education has set up mass text alerts that anyone can receive.  There are different messages to text in order to receive different messages regarding different topics:

To receive texts regarding information for Families with Students in Middle and High School:
Text OHED HS to 468311

To receive texts regarding information for College Credit Plus (CCP):
Text OHED CCP to 468311

To receive texts regarding information for Autism Scholarships:
Text OHED AU to 468311

To receive texts regarding information for Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship:
Text OHED JP to 468311

Also, the 2015 School Report Card will be issued in January 2016.  The 2015 Report Card will look very similar to the 2014 Report Card because the new state assessments will need data to create benchmarks for student scores.  The PARCC data from the assessments taken this Spring will be available in October 2015.  The AIR data from the assessments taken this year will also be available in October 2015.

ODE has also released resources for educators, parents, and stakeholders to help keep our communities and schools drug-free.   Take advantage of the resources provided to help keep our students and schools a safe place to learn.


Monday, March 30th 2015
Intent to Participate in Dual Credit Classes at GLHS
Any students who are intending on taking dual enrollment courses next year at GLHS will need to have an Intent to Participate form completed and turned in to the school counselors by April 1st.

Please access the link below for more details:
https://www.smore.com/8bn8w


Monday, March 30th 2015
Free Piada Stick with Purchase of a Piada, Pasta Bowl, or Salad
Visit Piada and get a free Piada Stick with the purchase of a piada, pasta bowl, or salad when you mention "GLHS".  We are still winning the #piadamadness contest for Ohio.  You can see how we rank at mypiada.com/piadamadness

Sunday, March 15th 2015
College Credit Plus (CCP) - Library Resources
InfOhio has released a new website that contains students and parents information regarding College Credit Plus.  The site contains tools and strategies for students, teachers, parents, and school counselors to assist with the College Credit Plus process.

Sunday, March 15th 2015
Transition to New Assessments: Impact on Building Report Cards

The Ohio Department of Education has released a new document explaining the impact the new state assessments have on the district and building report cards.  Some important changes to look at in the future include:

  • End of Course Exams data counting toward district/school report cards;
  • The indicator for gifted students in the district will increase;
  • Valude Added will be coming to the HS level
As always, we will continue to share information with you as we receive it.


Thursday, March 5th 2015
Senior Parents: Senior Pictures and Yearboooks
A message from the yearbook staff:

Since the start of the school year, we have been working hard to plan and produce this year’s yearbook and we would like to remind you to order before our May 1st deadline. Our book has recently received multiple Ohio Scholastic Media Association recognitions for our writing and photos, including a 2nd place overall ranking in the state recognition. We have also been awarded 2nd place by the National Scholastic Press Association for our 2014 book. Our 2015 yearbook costs $75 and can be ordered off of our website, glhsyearbook.com.

Senior Pictures:
ATTENTION ALL PARENTS: All senior photos must be submitted to glhsyearbook.com by March 31st. If no photo is sent in we will utilize school pictures instead. Size ratio is 8’ by 10’ but we will make adjustments as necessary if photos need to be cropped at all. We suggest that pictures be in portrait orientation and be from the shoulders up, but the choice is yours.

Senior ads:
Each year, we give parents, family, and friends of seniors, the opportunity to include a message, pictures, and memories to their graduates in our yearbook. Messages can be sent directly through email, info@glhsyearbook.com, mailed to the school, or dropped off at the high school. We will create the ad for you and send you proof so that you can ensure your message and/or pictures are exactly how you would like them to appear. The prices are as listed:

Full page- $135 black and white and $260 color

Half page- $80 black and white and $160 color

Quarter page- $55 black and white and $105 color

Checks can be made payable to “GLHS Yearbook.” Pictures can be sent on a disk, emailed, put on external removable drive, or by sending the originals in with your students so yearbook staff can scan them and return them. These messages must be in by Friday, April 17th, to be included in the yearbook. We apologize in advance but we can’t accept anything after this date.

Please call or email with any concerns. Parent messages will remain confidential until the book’s release in June and will be handled directly by the Ad Staff Business Manager.

We can be reached at info@glhsyearbook.com if you have questions or concerns.

Thank you very much for your continued support throughout your student’s high school years.

Sincerely,

The Pride Yearbook Staff



Tuesday, February 24th 2015

Information Regarding National Honor Society
The applications for the junior class went out to prospective NHS students on February 9th, 2015.  If a student did not receive an invitation and believes they have a 3.5 cumulative GPA, please see the administrative assistant in the Guidance Office for clarification.  For those that did receive an invitation, applications are due March 5, 2015.

Thursday, February 12th 2015

PARCC English Language Arts/Literacy Practice Tests
PARCC has released practice tests for the English Language Arts/Literacy tests.  You could look at these to see what type of questions and answers will be expected of your student on the assessments.


Ohio Department of Education's College Credit Plus Website
ODE now has has a portion of their website dedicated to College Credit Plus.  Check it out for information regarding how to proceed in signing up for courses through College Credit + and Frequently Asked Questions regarding College Credit Plus. 


Wednesday, February 10th 2015

Gahanna Lincoln High School - Ohio New Assessments Testing Schedule and Bell Schedule
With Ohio standardized testing window approaching, Gahanna Lincoln has posted the testing schedule and bell schedule information for parents and students on the school website.  

Thursday, February 4th 2015

Information on Student Participation in State Tests
The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) has released a document explaining student participation in state tests.  ODE released this because many districts are receiving communication from families who are discussing the possibilities of refusing their student's participation in state tests.  The article gives more information about state testing and why students need to participate.  No law allows a parent or student to opt out of the testing and their is no opt-out procedure or form.  The document discusses consequences for students, teachers, and districts when students do not participate in the state tests.  If you have questions, ODE has supplied an email address to contact for answers: statetests@education.ohio.gov

At GLHS, we encourage our students to participate in the state testing.  With the information that we have received from ODE, we believe that students need to take each of the end-of-course assessments in the required areas (discussed below in earlier posts in this blog) in order to have the opportunity to graduate, regardless of the pathway/option they choose to graduate.  For example, if a student decides that they plan on attending a vocational school and earning an industry credential, they will still need to at least take the end-of-course assessments in the required courses or they will not be able to graduate.  

We will continue to provide you with the most up to date information that we receive regarding the state assessments.



Tuesday, February 3rd 2015

College Credit Plus Meeting for Parents and Students - February 12th at 7:00 pm at GLHS




Monday,  January 26th 2015
Gahanna Schools are closed for Monday, January 26th 2015
Gahanna Schools are closed for Monday, January 26th 2015



Wednesday, January 21st 2015
8th Grade High School Scheduling Night
If you were unable to attend the 8th Grade (soon to be Freshman) Scheduling Night, please access the links below to see the presentation that was made and the documents that were distributed.  Please contact Kalena Falk, Freshman Experience School Counselor, if you have questions 614-479-1625.
Freshman Scheduling Presentation
Freshman Scheduling Handouts



Tuesday, January 20th 2015
Ohio's Options for a High School Diploma

Ohio now has multiple options for earning a high school diploma.  Please access this link to check out a video and PowerPoint that the Ohio Department of Education has created to explain the different options students have to earn a high school diploma.  The video can also be viewed below:




There is also a Frequently Asked Questions page on ODE's website that answers many questions that parents and students have regarding the new graduation requirements and diploma options.


If you have any questions about industry credentials and what types of credentials will be accepted by ODE for a student graduation, feel free to participate in a conference call in January.


Tuesday, January 20th 2015

State Builds Career Planning Tool for Students
The Ohio Department of Education has made some changes to the Ohio Means Jobs website.  The website hosts a career interest survey plus dozens of short videos explaining what it means to be a chemist or purchasing agent or social worker. It also ranks careers by expected salary and future demand in Ohio, and shows students some of the education and skills they need for each.  Check out more of the article about the career planning tool here.



Thursday, January 8th 2015
Friday is an "A" Day at GLHS

With the recent school cancellations due to inclement weather, we are going to change our original A/B Calendar for a day.  Friday, January 9th will be an "A" Day.


Thursday, January 8th 2015
Update to Ohio Graduation Requirements and End-Of-Course Exams

The Ohio Department of Education has recently updated their "Frequently Asked Questions" of their website to include more information regarding the new Ohio graduation requirements and the end-of-course exams.  The link to the information can be found here

Please read through the questions and let us know if  you have any questions what the information means to our students at GLHS. 



Thursday, January 8th 2015
No School today for Gahanna Jefferson Public Schools.

Tuesday, January 6th 2015
No School today for Gahanna Jefferson Public Schools.


Monday, December 29th, 2014

This information below was recenlty released by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE).  ODE also released Social Studies and Science information including test specifications and practice tests.  The information below addresses House Bill 367 and a change they have made regarding science and the end-of-course testing for science.  What #2 below means is that our current Freshmen now have the option to take either the Physical Science end-of-course test or the Biology end-of-course test this year.  What has not been made clear is if student who are currently in Physical Science this year have to take the Physical Science end-of-course exam this year or can choose to take the Biology end-of-course test next year (or whenever they take Biology in HS). 
Here’s what you need to know about House Bill 367, passed Wednesday by the General Assembly and awaiting the governor’s signature:

2. Science test requirement

Freshmen in 2014-2015 school year will have the option to take the required end-of-course test in either physical science or biology. Since the majority of Ohio students already are required to take biology, the required end-of-course science test for graduation will be biology starting with freshmen starting in 2015-2016 (current 8th graders) school year. Biology will be the only science end-of-course test requirement for freshmen in the Class of 2019 and beyond.


3. Integrated math options

The law now accepts integrated math end-of-course tests as a math end-of-course test requirement for graduation. This gives flexibility to districts that use integrated math I and II instead of the algebra I, geometry and algebra II curriculum.


4. New tests transition

Finally, students will now be able to earn graduation points, to be assigned by the state superintendent, if an end-of-course test was not available when they earned credit for a required course. This applies to courses taken before and during the 2014-2015 school year. This will be helpful to students on block schedules who completed high school courses during summer or fall 2014, before end-of-course tests were available.




Saturday, December 13th 2014

GLHS PTO: Night with the Blue Jackets






Come out to support the Gahanna Lincoln High School PTO by purchasing tickets to the Columbus Blue Jackets game vs. the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, January 27, 2015 at 7:00 PM at Nationwide Arena.  Tickets start at $30, which includes a FREE Blue Jackets hat and $6 from each ticket goes toward the PTO.  That's not all, 20 people from the group will be randomly selected to high five the players before they hit the ice that night.  



To purchase tickets you may go to www.bluejackets.com/gahannapto or print out the flyer and have your child turn it into the main office addressed:

Attn: Julie Bryant- GLHS PTO,

Blue Jackets Tickets.



Please turn all order forms to Julie Bryant by January 12, 2015 or visit the link.  All tickets purchased will be available at Will Call. 



For any questions please contact Julie Bryant at jmmbryant@yahoo.com




Tuesday, December 9th 2014

Next Generation Assessments and New Graduation Requirements - Parents Night
Recently, Gahanna Lincoln High School hosted an information session for all Freshman parents regarding the Next Generation Assessments and New Graduation Requirements for the state of Ohio.  During the session, we discussed the new graduation requirements for the Class of 2018 and the new end of course assessments the Freshman will take this year.  Please access this link  to view the handouts we distributed to parents during the session.

There will be a cram session for Freshman students on Monday, December 15th from 6:00-8:00 pm on the 2nd floor of Jefferson.  Students will work with Link Crew members to learn more about taking exams at GLHS and some of the areas to focus on when it comes to preparing for the exams.


Sunday, November 30th 2014

New Graduation Requirements - Assessments

The selection below was taken from the Ohio Department of Education's website regarding the new graduation requirements for the Class of 2018.  Some areas to focus on below are highlighted and explained in more detail below the selection below:

Assessments

In addition to course credits, students will earn points toward graduation on seven end-of-course exams. These exams will replace the Ohio Graduation Tests.
The courses in which students take an end-of-course exam will be: English I and II, algebra I, geometry, integrated math I and II, physical science, American history and American government. Beginning in 2015-16 districts may have the option to use the state end-of-course exams to replace their current course final exams and use the state’s test as part of the class grade. This will help avoid double testing in future years. 
Students can earn from 1-5 points for each exam, based on their performance.
5 – Advanced
4 – Accelerated
3 – Proficient
2 – Basic
1 – Limited
Students who take physical science, American history or American government as part of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or college dual credit programs can use their scores from the programs’ end-of-course exams in place of the state end-of-course exam scores to accumulate graduation points.
A student who earned high school credit in any of the above courses before July 1, 2014, automatically will receive a score of three points per course exam toward the total points needed for graduation. Middle school students this year who take one of these courses for high school credit must take the corresponding state end-of-course exam in this school year.



  • "earning points toward graduation" - students will now earn points for the 7 end-of-course assessments they will take.  Students will need to earn a certain amount of points determined by the Ohio Department of Education in order to graduate.
  • "end of course exams in English I and II...." - students will need to obtain a certain score on the assessments in order to earn enough points to graduate.  The courses the students will need to take are mentioned above.
  • if students take Advanced Placement courses or dual enrollment classes in the subject area of the courses listed above (courses that are tested), students will have the opportunity to earn points towards their assessments and graduation if they score in the appropriate range for ODE.


Friday, November 28th 2014

PARCC English Language Arts (ELA) Writing Rubrics
The PARCC Summative Assessments will include three performance-based tasks, each culminating in a prose-constructed response (PCR) item. The narrative writing task requires that students write using a text stimulus, but the response is scored only for written expression and knowledge of language and conventions. The other two prose-constructed responses, associated with the Research Simulation Task and the Literary Analysis Task, are scored for reading, written expression, and knowledge of language and conventions.

PARCC has developed draft generic rubrics for the scoring of the three prose-constructed response items. The language of these rubrics is aligned to Ohio's New Learning Standards in English Language Arats, the PARCC writing evidences, and the PARCC content specific performance-level descriptors at the given grade level.


Ohio's New Graduation Requirements
I addressed the new graduation requirements in a blog post in September (scroll down in this blog).  The new graduation requirements are different for our current freshman (Class of 2018).  Visit the Ohio Department of Education site for more details regarding the graduation requirements.  The site discusses:

  • Required courses students need to take to graduate from high school;
  • How the assessments students need to take to graduate will be administered;
  • Exam retakes that students may need to take if they did not pass previous exam attempts;
  • How the new graduation point system will work for students in order for them to graduate;
  • How there is now more flexibility and options for students and families to graduate



Wednesday, November 26th 2014

PARCC (Partnership of Assessment for Readiness of College & Careers) Practice Tests
The PARCC website has many different resources on it for teachers, students, and parents to access.  This link specifically deals with practice tests and how PARCC is different from previous tests that your son or daugther may have taken.  This would be something good to look at to see what the tests look like and what your son and/or daugther will be experiencing.

Terms to Know
In the education field, there are many accronyms and abbreviations that can often times leave people confused.  Here is a good link that describes what many of the terms mean that you may hear from time to time.

PARCC Grade and Subject Specific PLDs
PARCC created PLDs (Performance Level Descriptors) to include both policy claims, which describe the educational implications for students who attain a particular performance level on the PARCC assessments, as well as general content claims, which describe in broad terms the knowledge, skills, and practices students performing at a given performance level are able to demonstrate at any grade level.  You can look at the PLDs for each Math and Language Arts at each grade level by accessing this link.  This information provides you with a rubric of what is expected of students and where students will score based on their PARCC responses.

New Bill Would Limit State Testing to 4 Hours Per Student Each Year
Interesting article discussing limit our state testing to 4 hours per student each year.  Right now, it is projected that students will need approximately 9-10 hours to complete the testing process.  The four hours the bill seeks is lower than the five hours that students have previously spent each year on the Ohio Achievement Assessments and Ohio Graduation Tests.


Tuesday, October 28th 2014

Permanent Improvement Levy FAQs

Below are some Frequently Asked Questions regarding the Permanent Improvement Levy (Issue 1) which is on the November ballot.




Wednesday, October 22nd 2014

The New Local Report Card System







Highlights of the new Local Report Card System:



a.       The new report card system uses an A-F grading scale.  There are 6 components (categories) and 10 graded measures that will make up the overall grade.  At this time, districts and buildings are receiving individual grades for each measure. Grades for the components and overall grade for the building and district are slated to begin in 2016.




Components are listed on the grade card such as "Achievement"
Measures are listed on the grade card such as "Indicators Met" and "Performance Index"

 


   


b.      An additional High School Measure, Prepared for Success, will be added to the grade in 2016.  At this time, the information is being reported only.  This Measure includes the following information:


1.       College Admission Test (participation rate and percent receiving non-remediation score)


2.       Honors Diplomas Awarded (percent of population with Honors Diploma)


3.       Industry Credentials (percent of students with a credential)


4.       Advanced Placement (participation rate and percent scoring three or above)


5.       Dual Enrollment Credit (percent earning at least three credits)


You can view building grade cards at http://reportcard.education.ohio.gov/Pages/default.aspx


Tuesday, September 30th 2014

2014 Learning Differences College Fair


Image: Learning Disabilities College FairGahanna Lincoln HS will host a free Learning Differences College Fair October 8th, 2014, for students with learning disabilities.  The fair will be from 6:30-8:30 pm in the HS Cafeteria.

Representatives from numerous universities and colleges, including: The Ohio State University, Newark Campus; Central Ohio Technical College; and, Muskingum College will be on hand to discuss their programs and answer questions about services available to accommodate incoming college students with learning disabilities to achieve their career goals.
The event focuses on post-secondary educational opportunities for students with learning differences; however, all high school students and their parents are invited to attend to talk to college representatives.

Learning differences can include ADHD, Dyslexia, as well as other auditory and visual processing difficulties.

For more information, contact GJPS Case Manager Phyllis Solove @ 478-5500 or solovep@gjps.org or the GLHS Guidance office @ 478-5508


Friday, September 26th 2014

NEW GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS: Frequently Asked Questions

The Ohio Department of Education has come out with a page for Frequently Asked Questions regarding the new Ohio graduation requirements.  Parents can utilize this page for specific questions they may have about the new graduation requirements.

Here is some other information regarding the Ohio New Graduation Requirements:







Wednesday, September 19th 2014

The PASS Room at GLHS

The PASS room is a space at Gahanna Lincoln High School where we have teachers available to assist students who may need academic assistance in any content area. The room has computers located in it for students to use. The PASS Room is a great resource available to our students in order for them to be successful.

The PASS room is now open before and after school. GLHS has two Athletic and Academic Intervention Coordinators each afternoon from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm (except Fridays). The PASS Room also has at least one Academic Intervention Coordinator each morning from 6:25 am - 7:25 am.

Please make sure your son and/or daughter takes advantage of this great opportunity to receive academice assistance.  If you have any questions, please contact the school and ask to speak with Mr. Gagliardo.



Wednesday, September 3rd 2014

NEW GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS?  ALMOST READY TO GO

Ohio House Bill 487 has established new requirements for our students to earn a high school diploma.  There are different requirements are based on what year in school your son or daughter graduates.  The new graduation requirements based on HB 487 take effect with the class of 2018 (our current Freshman class). These are students who are entering ninth grade for the first time in the 2014-2015 school year.  Students in the classes of 2014 - 2017 and those who are repeating ninth grade this school year will continue to operate under Ohio’s current graduation requirements (our current Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors).

Let's look at the graduation requirements for our current Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors.  Nothing has changed with their requirements.  Students still need to earn 20 credits to graduate.  The Ohio Department of Education has a nice checklist that details what students need to do to earn their diploma.  If you have any questions about the requirements for your son and/or daughter, feel free to call the high school office to speak with a school counselor.

Graduation requirements for our current Freshman and our middle school students are similar regarding earning credits.  Students still need to earn 20 credits:

What is new for the Freshman class are the end-of-course exams that students will need to pass in order to graduate.  At this time, it has not been determined what is a passing grade on the end-of-course assessments.  Students will take end-of-course exams in the following classes:
  • Algebra I
  • Geometry or Integrated Math I and II
  • Physical Science
  • American History
  • American Government
  • English I
  • English II
Students who are in Advanced Placement (AP) classes, International Baccalaureate (IB) or dual enrollment courses in:
  • Physical Science
  • American History
  • American Government
may take assessments aligned to those courses in lieu of end-of-course exams.

The end-of-course exams will be broken down into 2 parts.  One portion of the exam is a "performance-based" exam.  This will take place in the February-March time frame.  The other part of the exam is a "computer-based" exam which is offered in May.  We will have more information on what these exams look like in the near future.  Here is an article posted in January that explains the tests and what they may look like in the future.  Here is a link to the PARCC website (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers - the company that is making the tests) that will give you some more details on the tests.

The Freshman class will also need to meet one of the following criteria to graduate:

1. Earn a passing score on 7 end-of-course exams.  Scores are set by State Board of Education (these scores have not been set as of today).

2. Earn a "remediation-free" score on a nationally recognized college admission exam such as ACT or SAT.  The state of Ohio will pay for all 11th grade students in the Class of 2018 (current Freshman) to take the exam free of charge.

3. Earn an industry-recognized credential or a state-issued license for practice in a career and achieve a score that demonstrates workforce readiness and employability on a job skills assessment.  (This is where we will work with our career center to increase the number of students who are utilizing the programs at the career center).

The Ohio Department of Education has created a graphic detailing this information.

What are going to do to inform our students, parents, staff, and community stakeholders on the new graduation requirements?  We will have informational meetings during the school year (beginning with Parent-Teacher Conferences) to explain the new requirements.  Our new Program of Studies will contain all of the information needed for parents to understand the new requirements.  Our Freshman school counselor can also answer any questions that you may have regarding the new requirements.

The district administration will be working with the teaching staff to educate them on the new requirements and answer any questions they may have regarding the requirements.  We will use our staff meetings and department chair meetings to focus on the requirements and what it means to our students and staff. 

The staff at GLHS will continue to keep  you updated on any new information that we find out regarding the new graduation requirements.  Please stay tuned for information meeting dates and times.

To follow the latest updates on graduation requirements, click here



Friday, August 22nd 2014

GLHS OPEN HOUSE - TUESDAY, AUGUST 26th (7:00-9:00 pm)


On behalf of the staff at GLHS, I would like to invite you to our Open House scheduled for Tuesday, August 26th from 7:00-9:00 pm at GLHS. The Open House will operate on an open two-hour block of time. This open two-hour block of time will enable parents to flow in and out of the classrooms while teachers share general information about their classes.  Attached is the list of teacher room locations for the evening.  We will also post the list of teacher room locations on our school website http://www.gahannaschools.org/Schools/Lincoln_High_School/SchoolLincolnHigh.aspx

We will also have students help as guides so parents can get from one room to another. 

If you have any questions, feel free to contact the school office at 614-478-5500 or email Mr. Dodd at doddb@gjps.org


GLHS WELCOME BACK LETTER

Dear Gahanna Lincoln Students and Parents,

The 2014-15 school year is quickly approaching. The entire staff at Gahanna Lincoln High School is excited about the new year. For those of you whom I have not had the opportunity to meet, my name is Bobby Dodd and I am honored to be the next principal at GLHS.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you and discuss my background and my educational philosophies. As a former teacher and coach for over thirteen years, I believe it is important to create a culture where students believe they have the opportunity to be successful. That being said, students must also take advantage of their opportunities to be successful. Success just doesn’t happen. Success is earned. One of my favorite quotes about success is from Aristotle, “Success is an art earned by training and habituation. We are what we repeatedly do. Success, then, is not an act but a habit.” We are going to challenge our students at GLHS. Our students need to respond with perseverance and resiliency. Students will encounter pinnacles and obstacles throughout the year. It is imperative that our students continue to grow when they reach the top and use the feedback given to them when they are struggling to achieve success. It is imperative to grow from our failures. As motivational speaker and author of Shift Your Brilliance Simon Bailey says, “Failure is feedback. Feedback is the breakfast of champions.”

I know what it is like to have to persevere when confronted with academic struggles. From high school to graduate level classes, I have always had a difficult time adjusting academically. It didn’t matter how good of a school I attended at the time or how good my teachers and professors were, I did not adjust well to new academic situations. My struggles included poor academic practices such as not utilizing my time outside of class effectively, not taking advantage of collaborating opportunities with my classmates, and not utilizing all of the resources I had at my disposal to help me succeed. But in each instance of my schooling, I found a way to confront my academic challenges and eventually succeed. Please understand this didn’t just happen. I earned it, as Aristotle says, with training and habit. Spending the extra time with teachers and professors, maximizing the use of my resources, and working with other people enabled me to succeed. I realized I needed to make these things a habit in my life in order to succeed after I was finished with school.

I believe it is important to use innovative teaching methods to help students grow and compete with other students around the country. You know as well as I do, our society is constantly changing. We need to prepare our students for these changes. Our teachers will use different methods of instruction to help our students adjust and be prepared for the opportunities of tomorrow. As administrators, parents and stakeholders, we need to support different teaching methods that may be different from how you and I learned while we were in school. While our students may struggle at times adjusting to different methods, it gives our students and teachers the opportunity to differentiate their learning. It is necessary for us to embrace innovation and continue to support different methods of instruction that help us continue to be a leader of innovation in our state. We need to continue to focus on innovation in and out of the classroom. This summer, I read Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Confidence in Us All, by David and Tom Kelly which explained the need for continuous effort towards innovation, “The organizations, communities, and nations that thrive are the ones that initiate action, that launch innovation cycles, that learn by doing as soon as they can.” We will continue to focus on innovation to provide our students with the best opportunities to succeed and compete with other students from around the country.

We are extremely proud of our successes at GLHS. Take it from someone who is coming in from another district, Gahanna has an abundance of excellent programs, organizations and teams that set us apart from other schools. A great example of this is the musical production of Hairspray performed this past year at GLHS. It was an amazing production that many staff, students, and parents played a vital role in to make it such a success. It was truly a team effort. You could see in the faces of the staff members, students, parents and community members how proud they were of our students. As my family and I sat in the crowd, it was evident that everyone had ownership in the performance. I still hear people talk about the performance like it was yesterday. That is truly something special. The performance was a great example of teamwork and collaboration. If you look at other groups at GLHS such as our teacher, athletic teams, school counselors, administrators, secretaries and custodians, they epitomize teamwork and collaboration. Our successes are built from the foundation of a collaborative environment where as professionals we focus on our duty to our students and community.

GLHS continues to be a dynamic place with many educational and extra-curricular opportunities for our students. Our vision remains strong as we are educating our students for the challenges of today and opportunities of tomorrow. One area of opportunity for our students is the new Innovation Generation program recently established in our school district. This program is a new state initiative allowing Central Ohio high school students to gain skills needed for jobs of today. Central Ohio districts had the opportunity to focus on a variety of programs that were beneficial to their districts and communities. Gahanna Jefferson has chosen to focus on advanced manufacturing/engineering and health care due to the industry partners in our area. With the grant funds, GLHS is now equipped with a distance-learning lab where students and staff have the opportunity to connect globally with other classes and schools. In addition to the distance-learning lab, Gahanna Jefferson also has a mobile fabrication lab (Fab Lab) where students and staff have access to laser cutters, 3D printers, and robotics among other technological resources. Students and staff have the opportunity to work with advanced technology and local industry leaders such as DynaLab and other engineering and manufacturing companies to continue to build relationships with the local business community. Innovation Generation has also allowed us to offer a course titled Introduction to Engineering. This course utilizes curriculum from the Project Lead the Way educational engineering program. We are excited about the new opportunities for our students and staff as we continue to prepare our students for the opportunities and challenges of tomorrow.

We are continuing our focus on our core values at GLHS of Purpose,Respect, Integrity, Diversity, and Excellence. Our theme this year at GLHS is “Everyone Counts.” We will incorporate each of these values and our theme into our mission of educating students for today and tomorrow. We will use these core principles to guide us as we continuously seek to improve our teaching methods for growth of the whole student, inside and outside of the classroom. We encourage all of our stakeholders to participate in this journey with us by encouraging behavior of our students that focuses on P.R.I.D.E. and communicate with our teachers to learn more about innovative learning opportunities for our students.

The staff at GLHS worked very hard this summer to improve in their profession. We had many teachers who received professional development by attending conferences and enrolling in classes. I believe as a school and community we grow together. If you follow my twitter account (@bobby__dodd) you will often see me use the hashtag #WeGrowTogether. As adults, we need to always search for opportunities to grow, whether it is in our profession or as humans. The best way to grow is by utilizing collaboration and working with others. The education field is no different. GJPS Superintendent Francis Scruci recently wrote about our district staff and how they continue to improve while school is not in session (http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/gahanna/news/2014/07/15/straight-talk-summer-doesnt-mean-break-for-everyone.html). The staff at GLHS takes pride in their craft and is constantly looking to improve to help our students.

Two of our teachers at GLHS, Cindi Macioce and Chris Wagner, recently attended a Broadway Teachers Workshop Conference in New York City. They were able to collaborate with other instructors from around the world and work together to discuss possible changes to their instructional strategies this upcoming year. Also during the summer, Mrs. Macioce earned the 2014 Educator’s Voice Secondary School Teacher by the Academy of Education Arts and Sciences International (http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/gahanna/news/2014/07/29/educators-voice-macioce-earns-secondary-school-teacher-honor-from-academy.html). This is a great honor for one of our staff members.

The summer allows our teachers time to expand their knowledge and gain useful professional development from a variety of resources. Many of our intervention specialists took part in training this summer to become highly qualified in different content areas. This will enable our teachers to work with students in multiple content areas, collaborate with other teachers, and build stronger relationships with students. We have also hired highly qualified teachers from surrounding districts to fill vacant positions at GLHS. These teachers bring experience to GLHS in utilizing different types of teaching methods and we are excited for them to be a part of our team.

As a member of the GLHS staff and building principal, I feel it is important to discuss how I have been growing as an educator. One area I looked to focus on this summer was communication tools. I wanted to make sure that we are doing everything we can at GLHS to communicate our message and keep our stakeholders informed. I read Eric Sheninger’s book Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times last month and it touched on a variety of new useable forms of communication tools that we will use at GLHS. Another area where I am growing professionally is focusing on creativity and innovation in education. We need to continue to educate all of our stakeholders about the importance of innovation in education. By reading different books and communicating with my personal learning network using social media, I believe we can create a vision for GLHS that incorporates all of characteristics that make our community great: the families, industry, leadership, traditions, and passion for the growth of our students.

I enjoy reading different books, blogs, and social media feeds to grow professionally. I usually concentrate my readings on educational and leadership areas. As we know, reading is a great way for all of us to become more knowledgeable and also a great way to relax. When we take time to read, we model for our children and students the importance of knowledge, growth, and education. Some of my favorite books that I have read this summer include Tribes by Seth Godin, The New School by Glenn Reynolds, Creative Confidence by Tom and David Kelly (as mentioned earlier), and The ONE Thing by Gary Keller. I suggest reading any of these books as they don’t only relate to education but also they focus on the basic principles of leadership.

One of the blogs I enjoy reading is The Connected Principalwhich includes posts submitted by principals from all over the world. Another blog I enjoy is Educational Technology and Mobile Learning. It focuses on the different types of technological resources and tools that are currently be used in classrooms. Finally one of my favorite blogs to read is The Principal of Change by George Couros. George focuses his writings on leadership and good teaching, but also writes about experiences we all deal with in life. Books, blogs, and other readings allow me to analyze great minds in education and visualize how we can incorporate different concepts and methods at Gahanna Lincoln High School for years to come.

A group of people who know I love to read is my family. Not only am I thrilled to be a part of the Gahanna Jefferson school district, but so is my family. I have three daughters: one in college at Ohio University, a soon-to-be freshman at Gahanna Lincoln, and an eight year old daughter who will be in the third grade at Blacklick Elementary. We recently returned from our family vacation eager to take the next step in our lives of transitioning to Gahanna. While moving and changing schools are normally arduous tasks, my family and I are using the transition as an opportunity of change. This change allows us to self-reflect and realize how fortunate we are. Sometimes change can be scary and leave people with a feeling of a sense of insecurity. The challenge of change is overcoming those feelings and taking advantage of the opportunity change creates for you. In our case, it is the opportunity to be a part of something special in a great community with great people.

On behalf of the staff at Gahanna Lincoln High School, we are excited to be able to work with your students this school year. As we prepare our students today for the opportunities of tomorrow, we will encounter many different paths along the way. As parents and community members, we need to understand that preparing our students for these opportunities means we will need to change our traditional educational practices. The timing of change is everything as Seth Godin states in Tribes, “Change almost never fails because it is too early, it almost always fails because it is too late” (p. 119). As I stated above, let’s take advantage of the opportunity that change presents and create an educational experience for our students that is unmatched in our area. As educators, we will not be able to do this alone. I invite you to join us in this cause and meaningful endeavor. We need to work together to make a difference in our students’ lives so they will help the Gahanna community to continue to grow and help make Gahanna Lincoln High School one of the best schools in the country.

In order to stay connected with everything going on at GLHS, please remember to follow us on Twitter @GLHSLions, follow me on Twitter @bobby__dodd, like us on Facebook at Gahanna Lincoln High School Lions, and utilize the school website (http://www.gahannaschools.org/Schools/Lincoln_High_School/SchoolLincolnHigh.aspx) to locate important forms and information regarding GLHS. You can also use Remind to receive text messages regarding events and information at the school. Just text the number (424)-543-6350 with the message @glhsinfo in the body of the text message to receive messages from GLHS. Also, please make sure we have your updated email address so you can receive emails from GLHS. Please contact the school counselors if you need to update your email address with the school.

Again, it’s great to be a part of the team at GLHS and the community of Gahanna. Remember to plan on attending our Open House at the high school on Tuesday, August 26th from 7:00-9:00 pm. Please contact the office if you have any questions regarding the start of the new school year.


Aim Higher,






Bobby Dodd

Principal

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