Message from the High School Director of Instruction - Santa Fe Indian ...

Santa Fe Indian School - sfis.k12.nm.us/

SFIS Academic News

Volume 2, Issue 1 Aug-Oct 2011-12

Message from the High School Director of Instruction

I hope you are all well and enjoying this beautiful time of the year. We are over nine weeks into the school year, having finished our first quarter on October 14 of the school calendar. In a few days, you will receive your child's progress report based on this quarter. I strongly encourage you to take time to review your child's grades with him or her. Please keep in mind that these grades are not official grades for accumulating high school credits; rather, they are the grades your child has acquired at this halfway point toward the end of the first semester, which is December 22, 2011. The grades your child will have earned by December 22, 2011, will be the official grades that will be posted on the school transcript.

Let's continue working together for the benefit of our children. If you need to speak to your child's counselor or me, our numbers are posted in the Parent/Student Handbook, or call the main office at (505) 989-6330.

In closing, I want to share many wonderful things that have transpired at the school during this first quarter, about which I encourage you to read in this newsletter. If you have suggestions for ways we might better serve our children at SFIS, please share your ideas by calling me at (505) 989-6330. If I am not in the office, ask for Ms. Theresa Chavez or Ms. Jennifer Williams. Thank you.

Sincerely,.

Felisa Gulibert

Welcome New Staff

The academic department welcomes the new faculty and support staff members who have joined the SFIS school community for the 2011-12 school year.

In the Mid School Academic Program: Christie Abeyta, Santa Clara Pueblo Jonathon Haack, Santa Fe, New Mexico Thomas Sullivan, Absentee Shawnee/Creek Aaron Cajero, Jemez Pueblo

social studies teacher math teacher science teacher P.E. teacher

In the High School Academic Program: Doug Smith, Navajo Nation Carlos Santistevan, New Mexico Marty Carvlin, Chicago, Illinois David Escalante, Oxnard, California Jonathon Tafoya, Santa Clara Pueblo Nancy Delfino, Boston, Massachusetts Cindy Roybal, Bull Creek, New Mexico

chemistry teacher science teacher Spanish teacher math teacher in-school suspension psychologist P.E. teacher

2011 Santa Fe Indian School Homecoming

Congratulations to this year's 2011 homecoming court:

King Queen Junior Prince Junior Princess Prince Escort Sophomore Princess Freshman Prince Freshman Princess

Isaac Gutierrez Hannah Trujillo Austin Nieto Aspen Tenorio Brannon Tsethlikai Peshawn Bread Devin Sherwood Kaitlin Quintana

Santa Clara Pueblo Isleta Pueblo Santo Domingo Pueblo Laguna Pueblo Zuni Pueblo Comanche/Blackfeet/Kiowa Nambe Pueblo San Felipe/Santo Domingo Pueblo

This quarter Santa Fe Indian School experienced the best Homecoming ever. The 2011 Homecoming included many events that engaged the students, faculty, administration, parents, and guests in exciting activities. Our annual events included the homecoming court competition, theme days, parade, powder puff game, talent show, pep rally, dance, class competitions and football game. The junior class was the overall champion of the class competitions. The seniors were the winners of the money war, which was designed as a fundraiser for the classes. The students participated in pajama day, jersey day, crazy hat/sun glasses day, crazy hair/ class color day, and school spirit day.

The week ended with an action-packed Braves 2619 victory over the Espanola Sun Devils. The win was witnessed by a great turnout of students, staff, parents, alumni, and visitors. Many fans tailgated and a special cookout was organized by parents for the football team. It was a game that inspired the home crowd and promoted school spirit. Thank you to everyone who supported the Braves. A significant achievement for the students during homecoming week was their behavior. They conducted themselves in a positive manner and had no incidences at any of the activities. The students will have many unforgettable memories.

Sotomayor Visit to SFIS Truly Supreme

On September 7, 2011, the Santa Fe Indian School, through its Leadership Institute Program, hosted United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. The Justice spent most of the day on our campus visiting with students, teachers, tribal leaders, and staff. Her time on campus was part of a weeklong visit to learn more about the Pueblo communities of New Mexico. The school community found the Justice to be incredibly personable, kind, and sincerely interested in knowing our population. The highlight of the day was the wisdom she shared during a closed all-school assembly in the Pueblo Pavilion. Later, she visited classrooms, met with the faculty, and had lunch with Governors with food prepared by our SFIS Culinary Arts students. Keep an eye out for more information on her visit on the SFIS website.

Computer Training Allows Parents to Check Grades

and Attendance

NASIS Portal training was offered to parents during the morning on both days prior to the student/parent/teacher conferences. The training informed parents how to electronically access student grades and attendance whenever they would like. Twenty-one parents attended the training sessions. The NASIS training will be offered again the morning before the student/ parent/teacher conferences on February 17 and 24, 2012. For more information on the NASIS Portal, contact Jennifer Williams at 505-989-6308.

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SFIS

Spoken Word Team

Making a Difference

The Santa Fe Indian School Spoken Word CD, Moccasins and Microphones, was entered into the Native American Music Awards ("Nammys") in five categories, including Debut Group of the Year and Record of the Year. The Native American Music Awards ceremony was held in Niagara Falls, New York, on Friday, October 7, 2011. Although the team did not win an award, we are very proud of their work and want to say congratulations to the Spoken Word Team for such prestigious nominations.

The Spoken Word Team has also been selected to receive the Melissa Engestrom Youth Artist Award at the 2011 Santa Fe Mayor's Recognition Awards for Excellence in the Arts. The team will receive an award at a ceremony and dinner on Thursday, October 27, at the Santa Fe Com-

munity Convention Center. In addition, they attended a private reception with Santa Fe Mayor David Coss on Thursday, October 20.

Special Education Parents' Night

The Santa Fe Indian School Special Education Department has scheduled the annual Special Education Parents Night on October 21, 2011. The training includes a tour of various special education classrooms, hand-on experiences with current technology, a Bureau of Indian Educational survey, and an overview of all special education services provided at SFIS. Refreshments will be provided and door prizes will be given from 4:30-6:00 PM. All parents of students with special needs are encouraged to attend.

2011 Fall MAP Testing

Santa Fe Indian School uses an assessment tool called Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) to gauge student growth in the subjects of math, reading, and language arts in grades 7-11. Seniors do not take the MAP test. The test is given in the fall, winter, and spring every year. The graphs below include only scores of those students who took the MAP test at SFIS from 2009 to 2011. The results suggest that the longer a student attends SFIS, the better their MAP scores. New student scores are not included in this cohort.

Class Goals

As a commitment to making good choices, students by grade level met at the beginning of the year and decided on class goals. Every quarter the Director of Instruction reviews the data for each goal to gauge how the students are doing as a

class . She the n shares the data with students to inform them of the status of their goals. The goals for each class are:

12th Grade Class To increase the grade point average for 2012 from 2.7 to 3.0 or higher by the end of the school year. To increase the attendance average from 90.35% to 95% by the end of the school year. To decrease the incident reports from 18% to 15% or lower by the end of the school year. To increase the number of 2012 GATES recipients from 6 to 10 or more.

10th Grade Class To turn in all homework assignments and have the highest GPA for the 1st and 2nd semesters. To decrease the number of behavior referrals and incident reports by 15% compared to the last school year. To decrease the number of tardies and absences by 15% compared to the last school year.

11th Grade Class To work for the highest GPA in the high school. Our goal is to move from 2.496 to 3.0. To pass the SBA. To reduce our incident reports by 10% as compared to last school year. To hold prom off campus. To fundraise the most money for class activities.

9TH Grade Class To earn the highest GPA of all the high school classes and maintain this GPA throughout the 2011-12 school year. To have the lowest number of incident reports in the high school during the 2011-12 school year. To stay drug and substance free.

How are Students Doing the First Quarter?

The charts below show the average GPA and attendance for grades 9-12 for the first quarter of the 2011-12 school year. The number of incident reports is also shown. At this time, the juniors have the highest GPA, and the seniors have the best attendance and fewest incident reports.

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