A quality high school experience can shape a student’s future. Despite the challenges that have arisen in 2020, Paraclete High School continues to provide support, community and the education our students need, through in person or remote classroom instruction.
Technology Enriched Learning
We’ve been a forerunner in the county and the country for our tech first classroom approach, which began with our 1:1 iPad policy, and continues as we instruct students from home or on our campus for our fall semester in 2020.
As classes for the fall semester begin virtually, we are committed to teaching to the best of our abilities, and new technology and software help to achieve this goal. Here are some of the apps and platforms being used to engage and teach students at Paraclete this Fall:
- Padlet – Turns a presentation, mood board, literature analysis or trifold into a creative online workspace
- Watchkin – Keeps students engaged with video content from YouTube’s libraries but without the distractions and irrelevant content
- Socrative – Quizzes, questions, and team learning with trackable results and reports so teachers can track individual student learning
- Khan Academy – Resource platform so students can practice new knowledge at their own pace
- Google Jamboard – An interactive whiteboard app to support student learning, especially in classes to show their work, like mathematics, or add notes and posts or pictures
- …and more!
Promoting Best Practices
It’s important to teach our students about being responsible digital citizens. We’re taking our existing digital citizenship expectations to a new level with our online contract for our students to learn and adhere to best practices as we all navigate regular online learning and hybrid classes.
In our online contract, students agree to follow our guidelines for expected online behavior and working standards. We believe this agreement between the student and the school is key to help develop mature students who are self-directed and organized. Encouraging online behavior with integrity and discipline will promote students who interact with their fellow classmates and instructors in a professional and respectful manner. Policies which lead to a successful online experience are spelled out in our remote learning contract.
Teacher Accessibility
We’re proud to continue offering our students superior academic support. With an average class size of 24, our educators care about the success and learning habits of each of our students. We know connectivity can be inconsistent, so we’re prepared with IT support via our Help Desk, and our teachers have outside of class time opportunities to continue learning as needed.
Others Before Self
It’s important for students to understand that this virtual learning and distancing isn’t for them, it’s for their parents, their grandparents and older people. The sacrifice our students are making is to keep each other and our community well.
It’s a lesson we live each day at Paraclete, to put others before self and family first. Whether our classes are live or remote, we have our mission and purpose and we will make sure to get these students ready!
Safe Scheduling
For our Fall 2020 Semester, we have created a schedule to support the needs of a rich academic program, connect our students with their peers and teachers, and satisfy the requirements from state and federal entities to do our part to keep our staff and students safe.
Weekly Schedule
Daily Period Schedule
Monthly Mass
The Spirit is core to the Paraclete community. Churches are permitted to hold outdoor services, and we will continue our ministry with a monthly Mass celebration with each class. Whether we gather outside with the proper safety gear and distancing measures or broadcast our service online, it is important to our core values and our community to pray together and for each other.
Committed to Our Students
While 2020 is a momentous year for all, it’s also an important time in the lives of each of our students.
- For Seniors, this is a special year as we begin the process of applying for colleges.
- For Juniors, we get all the pre-work done, so when senior year comes, we have all the prerequisites done and are ready to start narrowing down college choices.
- For Sophomores, they have a year of high school under their belts and the real work begins, with six college prep classes, but with the confidence that they can do this level of rigor here and through college.
- For Freshman, we begin that transition, from junior high student to high school students getting ready soon for driving, job applications, independent critical learning that will carry them through the next 8 years (high school and college!)
We are excited to be on this journey with you all and look forward to spending each day with our students.