CHS Open House - Tuesday, Aug 20th

Please join us:

Tuesday, August 20th

6:00-7:30p

  

For all CHS families to come meet our staff and tour our school.

Student iPad Resources

In our efforts to streamline our communication as well as collaborate and share with each other, the apps listed below are chosen to help you in your classes/studies.

You were notified that all 'email' communication between you and your teacher will be handled with your school email ONLY. Your school email consists of your Student ID (ten numbers) in the front of @chadronschools.net. If you are having issues with finding your student id you are always welcome to ask Mrs. Hinrichs, Mrs. Larson, or Mrs. Berry. If you are having issues getting in to your email please ask Mr. Paopao or Mr. Mittleider.

The following apps shown in the picture below, if not already, you will need to download/install from the App Store. The apps are completely FREE and are very easy to use. If you have questions in regards to the app please make sure to ask your teachers.

From right to left: Google Drive, Note Anytime, Evernote, StudyBlue

Google Drive

Because we are a GAFE (Google Apps For Education) district we rely heavily on the use of this application. With this app simple documents and spreadsheets can be created and shared amongst teachers and students. The app primarily serves as a sharing and collaboration place for the majority of your teachers, so they will be expecting you to have this app downloaded/installed onto your iPad. 

Note Anytime

Made popular by your very own Mr. Bach, this app will serve you best for note taking, annotating/editing on top of .pdf's, sketching, etc. Because of its versatility along with its ease of use, this go to app will benefit you greatly.

Evernote

Like Note Anytime, this app also serves the purpose of taking notes, saving and sharing of notes as well as the ability to record audio and/or video as notes. This app develops your archiving and organizational skills.

StudyBlue

This simple app serves the purpose of your study buddy. Teachers will create and share audio or visual flashcards that you can use to study with. You can also create your own flashcards that you can share with others to help you study for that very important test/quiz. 

First Day of School Schedule!

Here's a quick review of the high school schedule for our first day of school.

Thursday, August 15

• 7:55 - 8:30   General Assembly for all Students in Auditorium

• 8:30 - 9:30   Block 1
• 8:30 - 8:58  1A
• 9:03 - 9:30  1B

• 9:35 - 10:35  Block 2

• 10:40 - 11:40  Block 3

• 11:40 - 12:20  Lunch

• 12:20 - 1:30   Block 4

Friday, August 16

• Will be the normal 1:30 Dismissal Schedule

Orientation/iPad Deployment Dates and Times

High School Orientation/iPad Deployment

New students:  Orientation for incoming CHS freshmen and new/transfer students will be held Monday, August 5th at 6:00 p.m. in the CHS Auditorium.  In addition to receiving information on schedules, activities and lockers, the Technology Department personnel will be discussing iPads (digital citizenship, insurance, etc).  Each student who wants to receive an iPad MUST attend this meeting with a parent.  Refreshments will be served and students will have an opportunity to find their classrooms and meet representatives from various clubs.  Questions?  Carolyn (432-0725)

Existing students:  iPads will be checked out to existing students from Tuesday, 8/6 through Friday, 8/9 from 10 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.  Both the student AND a parent must be present.  Please enter through the doors on the east side of the high school and proceed to the Technology Office.  Questions? 432-0718

Are iPads Saving Dollars?

I was recently asked why Chadron High School still ordered textbooks for a couple of classes since we have iPads available for students. I thought I'd take the time in this article to respond for the public.

Schools mostly agree that there is not a huge savings in overall costs from textbook purchases when implementing a 1:1 technology format for students. Generally, any money saved from less orders of textbooks is spent in the purchase of 1:1 devices, network infrastructure, or software. The greatest savings from a 1:1 program is in paper and copier toner expenses. Also, we need to keep in mind that our 1:1 iPad initiative is voluntary, not every student has chosen to accept an iPad.

When updating textbooks, we use a yearly rotational cycle of our many departments. This year our Social Studies department was due on this rotation. We ordered an updated text for US History which is the required junior-year class offering. One of our goals was to explore an 'ebook' offering for a text, at this time many publishers are not offering ebooks at much of a discounted rate versus a hard copy text. We were able to find a publisher that offered both versions (ebook and hard copy) for the same cost. We are excited to see how this format benefits students in the availability of interactive lessons.

We believe a physical text for US History is still important for assigned work and due to the poor shape of the old texts, they really needed replaced. In addition, our juniors are now taking the state's NeSA Social Studies tests and we want to ensure that our students are provided the most current material aligned to the state standards. As with any class, these textbooks are not the curriculum for the course, they provide a guide for the course as well as homework and practice sets with many assessment resources. Textbooks still need the support of supplemental resources which vary from activities, labs, discussions, or a multitude of digital formats.

However, we did not order any textbooks for our other Social Studies classes such as, Government, World History, Geography, Civics, Psychology, or Sociology which are all in this same rotational cycle.  I felt this was a great savings in the purchase of textbooks for this department.

The only other textbook order this year was a specific computer certification class (A+) which we have not been able to offer for many years. A+ is a computer class designed to prepare students for a year-end certification test. Our teacher and Student Liaison visited with other Nebraska teachers last spring to determine if we needed the books for this class.  We agreed to purchase the textbooks after we learned that this course does not have an ebook offering and that the text is needed to guide students through the complete program in preparation for the certification test.

With only 5 1/2 months of iPad use in the building, I think we are doing a very good job of developing digital supplements for our curriculum. Again, we need to keep in mind that iPads are deployed on a voluntary basis, some parents are still 'wary' about the iPads and some find it a financial burden to insure or pay deductibles for insured devices. At this point, not every student has an iPad.

So, we are seeing some savings from our 1:1 iPad initiative in textbook orders but we've noticed even more savings in paper and copier toner expenses. Our Tech Department estimates that we may have reduced these costs by close to 70% for our high school this past year.  

More important than savings is student preparation for tomorrow's world.  We are confident that the digital blending of instruction in the classrooms is better preparing students for future jobs, training, and educational preparation. We are excited to venture into our first full year of our 1:1 initiative as we continue to explore new ideas to offer instruction and digital skills for students and staff.

Senior Exit Survey Shows Students Very Pleased!

At the end of each school year, Chadron High School contracts with LifeTrack Services, Inc. to conduct a non-biased senior exit survey. We just received the results for the graduating class of 2013. 54 seniors responded to the survey this year. I've included my notes in comparing these results to the past couple of years. Thank you to all of our seniors for providing this important information which helps provide focus for our efforts for continuous improvement of our school.

1. Did you have a positive learning experience at Chadron High School?
• Yes - 100%
• No - 0%
• Slightly up from past years
2. Was the counseling department helpful and supportive meeting your needs?
• Yes - 98.1%
• No - 1.9%
• Similar to past years
3. Did your teacher encourage you to continue your education?
• Yes - 100%
• No - 0%
• Similar to past years
4. Were enough elective classes offered for you to explore different career opportunities?
• Yes - 83.3%
• No - 16.7%
• Slightly down from past years
5. Do you think you will be able to easily find a job that can support you?
• Yes - 94.4%
• No - 5.6%
• Up from past years
6. Did you ever experience significant harassment from other students?
• Yes - 18.5%
• No - 81.5%
• Slightly down from past years
7. Chadron High School provided a safe learning environment?
• Excellent - 46.3%
• Good - 44.4%
• Average - 7.4%
• Below Average - 0%
• Needs Improvement - 1.9%
• Similar to past years
8. Chadron High School maintained a drug-free environment?
• Excellent - 25.9%
• Good - 46.3%
• Average - 25.9%
• Below Average - 1.9%
• Needs Improvement - 0%
• Similar to past years
9. Chadron High School provided a strong foundation in the use of technology?
• Excellent - 70.4%
• Good - 20.4%
• Average - 7.4%
• Below Average - 0%
• Needs Improvement - 0%
• No Response - 1.9%
• Significantly higher than past years
10. Teachers generally held high standards and demanded quality work?
• Excellent - 59.3%
• Good - 31.5%
• Average - 9.3%
• Below Average - 0%
• Needs Improvement - 0%
• Similar to past years
11. My teachers were knowledgeable about the curriculum being taught?
• Excellent - 64.8%
• Good - 29.6%
• Average - 3.7%
• Below Average - 1.9%
• Needs Improvement - 0%
• Similar to past years
12. I was challenged to experience academic growth each year?
• Excellent - 59.3%
• Good - 38.9%
• Average - 0%
• Below Average - 0%
• Needs Improvement - 1.9%
• Similar to past years
13. Rules were enforced consistently and fairly?
• Excellent - 42.6%
• Good - 35.2%
• Average - 16.7%
• Below Average - 1.9%
• Needs Improvement - 3.7%
• Similar to past years
14. What area(s) do you plan to pursue immediately after high school? (mark all that apply)
• 4 Year College - 68.5%  same
• 2 Year College - 16.7%  higher
• Voc/Tech School - 1.9%  same
• Work Full Time - 14.8%  higher
• Work Part Time - 13%  same
• Military - 3.7%  same
• Other - 1.9%
15. Overall, how would you rate Chadron High School as a learning environment?
• Excellent - 66.7%
• Good - 29.6%
• Average - 3.7%
• Below Average - 0%
• Needs Improvement - 0%
• Similar to past years