Dear students and parents,

 

As you may know, Mrs. Erica Harris will depart CVHS this week to tackle some new endeavors.  While Mrs. Harris will very much be missed, we want to ensure that students will continue to successfully practice and refine skills learned this year as well as engage with any new material confidently and with support.

 

The dedicated associate teacher for Mrs. Harris’ classes has been a substitute teacher in AP English classrooms and also has a PhD in Art History.  She will be available to answer questions, facilitate student participation, and keep the classroom on track. Content instruction will handled by the 9^th and 11^th grade Lead Teachers, Rachel Bohenick and Robert Houghton, respectively, and will largely be communicated via Canvas. Students will receive daily instructions for activities and content, and our associate teacher will ensure students stay on task. Students and parents can also direct questions about assignments, content, or the course to Mrs. Bohenick and Mr. Houghton, as needed.

 

Grading of assignments will be handled by multiple English department members and will be based on objective skill accomplishment and rubrics (for major grades) or completion targets (minor or daily work). The following is a basic outline of unit work you should expect to see students complete:

AP English: Assignments in AP Classroom to prepare for the AP Language test. After testing, work on college essays and brag sheets to prepare for college applications in the fall.

English 1: Complete the Romeo and Juliet Netflix Adaptation project, including individual components and group components; Complete a research and presentation project based on the Future of School—includes individual and group requirements. Presentations will either be filmed or given to Mrs. Bohenick’s classes. There will also continue to be assignments on Vocabulary.com and possibly in Pre-AP Classroom.

 

Most skills have been introduced at this point in the year, and the final cycle revolves around practice and refinement of these skills and application of them to new situations. This will allow students to be successful through independent and group work time during class.

 

We hope this transition will be smooth and students and parents will feel confident that learning will continue through the end of the school year.

 

Sincerely,

 

Ramon Moss

 

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Hello,

 

I want to start this letter by stating what an absolute joy it has been to be your child’s English teacher this school year. This job is very rewarding because I get to be around really smart, thoughtful, and kind students every day, including your child.

 

After 14 years in the classroom doing a very rewarding, but also very demanding job, I will be leaving the classroom. My decision is based on several factors--including me needing more time to be with my own children and my aging parents. 

 

My final day at CVHS will be Friday April 14. Your student will have a long-term substitute, Ms. Harris, in the class with them to monitor them and ensure they are on task. They will get their final six-week’s assignments from Ms. Rachel Bohenick, our lead freshman English teacher. More specific details will be communicated with you soon from administration. 

 

It was a very difficult decision to leave before the school year ended, but I negotiated with my new job to finish out this current grading cycle--this allowed me to teach your child how to write an essay, provide feedback, complete our novel, and go over strategies for their English 1 STAAR exam. 

 

I have been incredibly fortunate to end my teaching career with such a wonderful group of freshmen--your child has been a part of a class that is creative, kind, insightful, and hard-working. Thank you for entrusting me with their learning, and for all that you do and provide for them each and every day.

 

I started my teaching career at Carnegie and stayed for as long as I have because the administration, faculty, staff genuinely know it’s a team effort to educate and care for the amazing students we are fortunate enough to get. Although I will be gone, your child is a part of a learning community that truly wants them to feel supported and to succeed. 

 

Thank you for sending me such a fun, thoughtful, and kind person every day. It’s truly been a joy-filled and rewarding year getting to be with them, and I hope for the very best for them and for your family going forward.

 

Sincerely,

 

Erica Harris