Reply to HS Back to School Night: Very low attendance

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Our BTS HS night is a little over two weeks from now, the teachers will have taught for a month before they meet the parents. It's better this way, because by then the teacher actually knows a bit about your kid. Kid has told the parents about school, which spurs more interest to go meet the teachers. Maybe BTSN is happening too soon?[/quote]

Teacher here. I would love this[/quote]

At BTSN you have exactly 10 mins in the room with the teacher and dozens of other parents. You can’t have a sidebar with the teacher. They do their power point presentation and typically ask you to fill out an index card.

I agree the first week of school is a bit early, but it does give you an idea of the teacher’s personality.

As a longtime Sherwood parent, here’s what I didn’t like about BTSN last night:

They told everyone it started at 6:30. Turns out there was an activities fair/clubs expo at 6:30 and you weren’t meant to go to homeroom until 7:00. Not cool.

Such a fair benefits students, not parents.

In years past, they would start in the auditorium with remarks by the principal and pta. Missed opportunity for the relatively new principal to directly address parents imho. The short video they played in homeroom could have been an email—it certainly didn’t impress anyone.

They need to stop with the “One Sherwood” bit. It’s meaningless and annoying.

On a positive note, I enjoyed the warm welcome by the poms at the entrance. They do something similar at SEC schools (and maybe elsewhere) where it’s part pep rally.

Imagine what they could have done if they started in the auditorium and led with a pep rally followed by remarks from the principal and the pta—and perhaps the athletic boosters. So many teachers are local and have kids in the pyramid. Many parents went to Sherwood.

Try harder, Sherwood.

PS - The talking points about having advisory every Wednesday and limiting students from getting help to that chunk of time “so they can socialize during lunch instead of focusing on academics” were next level ridiculous. Please don’t insult us by trying to craft a narrative that limiting access to help is for their benefit when we know you are doing it for the teachers. On a positive note, several teachers made clear they are available during lunch (e.g., the good teachers).

PPS - The bit about absenteeism and only having one day to make up missed work following being sick = Stupid. If a kid has covid or a stomach bug or pneumonia or whatever, they don’t belong in school. Period. And if a kid is sick enough to stay home, then they aren’t equipped to stay on top of school work. Given the talking points I heard in multiple classes, I get it: Sherwood ostensibly has an issue with a select group of kids who give zero Fs about school and realize they can barely show up and still pass. Deal with them however you like, but don’t be so rigid with kids who are clearly trying. Fix the problem you are trying to solve, don’t create new ones. [/quote]

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