Lakes Community High School

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P.E. teacher Mike Gedville greets parents for his class at Back to School Night on Sept. 1.

Back to School Night gives parents a glimpse of a typical school day

Principal Steve Plank welcomed parents to LCHS during the opening remarks at Back to School Night on Wednesday, Sept. 1, complimenting the school community on the positive culture that it has created and maintained over the past seven years.

This culture was evident as parents and guardians visited their student's classes for about seven minutes each and met with the teachers, guidance counselors, administrators, and other faculty members throughout the evening. They also had the opportunity to roam through the Commons and stop by various displays set up by some of the student activities, including Art Club, FCA, and Student Council. The Booster Club was at hand to sell spiritwear, too.

Back to School Night is one of two events scheduled throughout the year for parents and guardians to formally meet with faculty members. Plank encouraged the group to visit LCHS again during parent-teacher conferences. Conferences are schedule for Oct. 28-29; more information will be released as the time nears.

Eagle Sports Headlines ————————
» Field hockey opens the season with a win – read more
» Golf takes 6th out of 18 at Lake County Boys Golf Invite – read more
» Saint Xavier women's cross country/track signs Dean – read more
» Morway plays soccer at University of Notre Dame – read more

Looped classes connect social studies, English lessons

Kurt Rowells, U.S. History teacher, instructs students who are part of the social studies-English looped program.
Photo by senior Mike Lubash

U.S. History and English III align so closely that it only makes sense to come up with a way for the students in both classes to share experiences. That's why Kurt Rowells, U.S. History teacher, and Luke Mertens, English III teacher, have teamed up to pilot a looped program for some juniors.

A looped program means that a group of students stay together as they move from one class to the other. Sometimes, the teaching team arranges to have both groups meet at the same time.

Rebecca Holst, Social Studies Department Chair, says one benefit of looped classes is for the students "to see how intertwined the curriculums are. You can't do one without the other."

The program requires quite a bit of communication to be successful, Holst says. The teachers, students, and administrators all will be involved in evaluating the program; this will help to determine if there are other natural ways to offer collaborative opportunities between the two departments. For example, Global Studies teacher Morgan Allen and English I teacher Cathy Ingram also are teaming for certain activities for their freshman students.

Physics First and Algebra I looped a couple of classes last year. Due to scheduling conflicts, they were unable to continue the program this year. However, Jori Bowen, Math Department Chair, said the freshman science and math teachers will continue to work together this year to come up with a common language for students as well as collaborative activities that will help the students to see how the two classes work together.

Students rewarded for PSAE achievements
Twenty-one students were recognized for their high achievement on the ACT portion of the Prairie State Achievement Exam. Read more.

Some things you should know...
Administrators introduce new teachers, new practices


Amy Elliott, Science B.A., Boston College M.A., National Louis University, in progress Swimming coach	Scott Hammerl, English B.A., University of Illinois at Chicago	Kate Hofeldt, Science B.A., Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Volleyball coach ACHS graduate	Neil Lesinski, English B.A., Western Illinois University Tennis coach at ACHS	Diana O'Connor, Fine Arts B.A., Illinois State University; M.A. DePaul University Choir director

The administrative team would like the school community to be aware of the following additions and changes at LCHS:

The English, Science and Fine Arts departments welcomed new teachers over the summer: Amy Elliott, Scott Hammerl, Kate Hofeldt, Neil Lesinski, and Diana O'Connor. Read more about them above.
Back to School Night is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. Parents and guardians will have a chance to meet their student’s teachers as well as the administrative team during this open house event. Parents and guardians, please remember to bring your student's class schedule.
Most Mondays will be Late-in Days, meaning classes do not begin until 9 a.m. Faculty members attend meetings during the morning hours on these days. Click here to view a calendar and the bell schedule.
LCHS also has implemented a new tardy policy for students who arrive late to their first period classes. In order to minimize the amount of time they are out of class, students should report directly to first period if they arrive to school less than 10 minutes late. If they are more than 10 minutes late, they need to report to the attendance office first for a pass. See the student handbook for more information about tardies.
Be sure to check the PASS system for grades and attendance. New this year, disciplinary records are posted on PASS.
Students who attend Technology Campus should visit the link under “Information Station” regularly for news and updates.
Members of the school community also should frequent the Guidance Department website as well as the soon-to-come Dean’s Desk site.
Faculty members continue to be hard at work to offer valuable educational opportunities to students. For example, some teachers are involved in study groups to improve reading instruction and to show how videotaping and then reflecting upon their lessons can help teachers improve their practices.