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Mac Principal Update

Friday, November 6, 2020
Happy Friday Mac Families!  We had a great week here at Mac with the opportunity to welcome more students back on campus to transition from class to class.  Our numbers were low (details below) but it was wonderful to see students in the halls and in our classrooms. Our students did a great job keeping their masks on and complying with the social distancing and one-way hallways.

Below are some updates, good news, and info for you as a Mac family. I hope you all get to enjoy this beautiful weekend!
MacJournalism Wins Big!
We learned today that MacJournalism is a finalist for the prestigious National Scholastic Press Association's Pacemaker Award. There are only 50 finalists for this national award and we are immensely proud of our teachers (David Winter and Jena Weber) and MacJ students for this accomplishment! Way to go MacJournalism
This is the World Premiere video performance of "Cosmopolitan" by McCallum sophomore Oliver Harrington! It is performed by the McCallum Knights of Steel and the Inside Out Community Steel Band. This piece/video was part of an ACC Arts Showcase Virtual Concert featuring Inside Out steel band that was held last Friday. We are very lucky to have a 20+ year partnership with Inside Out Steel Band and their director CJ Menge. 
MAC Writing Center 

Did you know we have a writing center to help students with essays and writing skills?

The writing center offers peer-to-peer tutoring as well as asynchronous sessions. As an alternative to our daily one-on-one sessions via Zoom, the MAC Writing Center is now offering asynchronous sessions via Google Docs.

For more information, please see the MAC Writing Center virtual bulletin board at https://padlet.com/nikkinorthcutt/MACWC2021 
Mac Student Hub
All Students and Parents - We highly recommend you bookmark the Mac Student Hub.  It is chock-full of important and useful information including:
  • Club Information 
  • Technology 
  • Links for Mindfulness
  • Directory of Mac Staff
  • & Much More!
FYI: In-Person Attendance for Nov. 2-6
Our student attendance for the first week of class transitions hovered around 85 students each day.  Most classes had 1-2 students though some classes welcomed as many as seven at a time. 
Parent Blend Night
We had a good turnout for our Blend Parent Night, hosted by teachers Elise Baughman and Karly Kehn. Thank you to everyone who joined us for this evening.  If you weren't able to join, please see the following to get caught up:
Halloween Costume Contest Winners

You can see all the costumes here.

Student Contest Winners:
  • Best Overall Costume:  Tristan Wicall as Simul Viator (Time Traveler)
  • Scariest Costume:  Gage Sanchez as Voo-Doo Doll
  • Most Creative Costume:  Zoe "River" Pena as Daft Punk
  • Funniest Costume/ Most Fun Costume:  Lily Anderson as Dolly Parton
  • Best Socially Distant Household Ensemble (family group costumes or costumes with your pets and siblings):  Alice Scott and Family as The Scooby Doo Gang
Faculty/Staff Winners:
  • Faculty/Staff Best Overall Costume:  Ms. Nikki Northcutt as Ms. Frizzle   
  • Faculty/Staff Most Creative Costume:   Officer Riley as Lego Cop
MAC Dia de Los Muertos Altar
2020 Sponsored by Art Society (NAHS).

Dia de los Muertos is celebrated throughout Mexico and Central America, the United States and around the world! Click on the link to see the photos, drawings, and artifacts that honor the souls of the deceased and participate in this tradition as a McCallum community.
https://padlet.com/anaokeefe/nx4mvdef6zkae4jt
New Fine Arts Academy Website
If you haven't already, check out the new and improved McCallum Fine Arts Academy Website. Thank you to Academy Director Heather Ramsay for the hard work put into this project. It's beautiful! 
Flex Fridays
Up until this point we have been able to have a synchronous morning and an asynchronous afternoon. We are now required to have a full day Friday – rotating on the A/B calendar. Fridays are now called Flex Fridays. Most of our classes will be using Fridays for these things:
  • Academic Advisement
  • Reteach for whole group
  • Catch up on assignments
Some classes will present new material. These classes will likely fall into the following categories:
  • Semester-long classes
  • All or nearly all students are passing
Any student who is attending face-to-face will be invited to attend on Fridays (we’re on hybrid so otherwise students will come two days per week). 
Outside Classroom Initiative

At McCallum, we are thinking creatively to meet this time head-on. We will be piloting a program to take learning outside and we need your help! Please consider purchasing much-needed items to make the Outside Classroom Initiative a success.

We hope to get more and more students and teachers outside and your donation will help get us there. You can purchase:

  • Long extension cords to get electricity out to our outdoor classrooms
  • Student chairs to be given to students who need them ***Our biggest need at this point***
  • Large white erase boards for teachers
  • Pop up tent covering for hot or drizzly days

Here’s the link to donate:  
https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/1QFEGN4037R1M/ref=cm_wl_huc_view

Anything that you can do to help us create productive learning spaces for our teachers and students outside of our classrooms is very appreciated.

Coffee with the Principal
Please join us for the next Coffee with the Principal.  We will meet over Zoom and discuss all things McCallum High School.  I hope to see you then!

Friday, December 4 @ 9:00 a.m.
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