Bam! Blink and 25% of the year is gone!
I am always humbled by the speed of each year's passing. We all know the hard work of the day-to-day running of our school can be all consuming. If we don't take time to reflect on where we are occasionally, we might end up missing the forest.
So, we've rolled out Google Apps, revised ARP (twice), secured 20 seats with two different online vendors for a year-long pilot, completed a successful fall activities season, are on the cusp of an ambitious fall musical, sent a two-year pilot for a tiered pathway-to-graduation system to the BOE for approval, had a great homecoming week, inducted 25 new students into National Honor Society, been named one of the top-291 FFA chapters in the country, celebrated the 50th Anniversary of our school, raised $65,000 for new bleachers in the South Gym, and implemented a trial run of the ACT Suite of assessments a year earlier than required by the state. And that's just a quick list. I'm sure I am missing something that should be here. (Please take time to list the accomplishment of the last 9-weeks you are most proud of in the comments.)
When I was a youth, I was the kind of person who counted down the days to some future milestone. While you may have noticed my penchant for counting, for example today is my 124th day as SPHS principal, I've stopped counting DOWN to things. A wise mentor pointed out to me that, essentially, countdowns were the act of wishing away your life, of living more in the future than in the moment before you. Confronted with that concern, I stopped counting down. This time of year, countdowns start to proliferate in schools. Countdowns to Thanksgiving, Christmas, 2nd Semester, Spring Break, or Graduation abound from now until June. If you are tempted to start a countdown, think twice about whether you'll be so eager to countdown you last days of anything 50 years from now...and try to focus on the moment instead.
Movember!
I've joined the Lumberjack Eagles team and will be growing a ridiculous beard over the next month while trying to raise money and awareness of men's health issues. I'd like to thanks John Dollar and Stacy Packard and all others who are getting involved with this drive. I have committed to a haircut from the winning team if we raise $2,000 as a school. To give you a preview of my commitment to this, here is a staff only taste of the lengths I am prepared to go:
Les Miserables!!
Thursday the fall musical, Les Miserable opens in the River Arts Center. You can order tickets from any cast member, online at http://saukprairiemusic.org/, at River Arts on Water or at the Community Center. Let's get out and support our amazing, talented music students as they tackle this ambitious musical drama!
Up-Coming Week:
Monday, Nov. 4th - Chad will be conducting screening interviews for a new EBD position. If you would like to be on the interview team for formal, panel interviews later in the month, let Chad know.
Tuesday, Nov. 5th - Special Education department meeting 7:15 AM
Thursday, Nov. 7th - ARP revision meeting - 3:20 in the Office Conference Room
I've joined the Lumberjack Eagles team and will be growing a ridiculous beard over the next month while trying to raise money and awareness of men's health issues. I'd like to thanks John Dollar and Stacy Packard and all others who are getting involved with this drive. I have committed to a haircut from the winning team if we raise $2,000 as a school. To give you a preview of my commitment to this, here is a staff only taste of the lengths I am prepared to go:
Les Miserables!!
Thursday the fall musical, Les Miserable opens in the River Arts Center. You can order tickets from any cast member, online at http://saukprairiemusic.org/, at River Arts on Water or at the Community Center. Let's get out and support our amazing, talented music students as they tackle this ambitious musical drama!
Up-Coming Week:
Monday, Nov. 4th - Chad will be conducting screening interviews for a new EBD position. If you would like to be on the interview team for formal, panel interviews later in the month, let Chad know.
Tuesday, Nov. 5th - Special Education department meeting 7:15 AM
Thursday, Nov. 7th - ARP revision meeting - 3:20 in the Office Conference Room
Things I am reading and thinking about this week:
Online Learning: A guide for schools (DPI Website)
As we pilot some online alternatives for kids, and embrace a way of learning that the rest of the world is pushing us to adopt, I've been thinking a bunch about how to govern, regulate, and manage an online learning environment compatible with our Brick and Mortar school. This web-site I stumbled upon and I spent some time exploring it this week. It seems to mainly be a resource for Charter Schools. but there are some ideas here worth considering if you are interested.
PHS offers innovative English-science Class (Sheboygan Press Gazette)
I am always fascinated by local news articles about schools that use the descriptor "innovative." I am not sure what is so innovative about this class, though I am excited by the interdisciplinary learning. I also don't understand how credit is earned here. They describe it as allowing more freedom in later years to take additional classes, but then they also say that they take the class all year for a two period block and earn 2 credits. If that is the case, the two statements are contradictory, so one of them must not be true. I'd be way more excited about this class if it was interdisciplinary for a year in a 45 minute period and earned 2 credits; that at least would be decoupling the notion of credit earning and seat-time. That could arguably be called innovative.
Boss, not Workload, Causes Workplace Depression by Kristian Sjogren
Share with me by one of our colleagues. She assures me that she was commenting on her current lack of depression and giving me credit for it. I hope she was telling the truth. In any case, I don't think any of us are surprised by this finding. I know that I will work till I drop for a boss who cares about me, values my contribution and honors my sacrifice. I hope I never make any of you feel any different.
Communicating Change: Me Before We Then Us by Gretchen Rosswurm
I sometimes get stuck at the "Us" level of explaining change without focusing enough energy on letting people explore the "Me" stage. I get it, at least intellectually, but I don't live it when I am in the middle of advocating for a change. I need to think more about this.
Be careful out there!!
As we pilot some online alternatives for kids, and embrace a way of learning that the rest of the world is pushing us to adopt, I've been thinking a bunch about how to govern, regulate, and manage an online learning environment compatible with our Brick and Mortar school. This web-site I stumbled upon and I spent some time exploring it this week. It seems to mainly be a resource for Charter Schools. but there are some ideas here worth considering if you are interested.
I am always fascinated by local news articles about schools that use the descriptor "innovative." I am not sure what is so innovative about this class, though I am excited by the interdisciplinary learning. I also don't understand how credit is earned here. They describe it as allowing more freedom in later years to take additional classes, but then they also say that they take the class all year for a two period block and earn 2 credits. If that is the case, the two statements are contradictory, so one of them must not be true. I'd be way more excited about this class if it was interdisciplinary for a year in a 45 minute period and earned 2 credits; that at least would be decoupling the notion of credit earning and seat-time. That could arguably be called innovative.
Share with me by one of our colleagues. She assures me that she was commenting on her current lack of depression and giving me credit for it. I hope she was telling the truth. In any case, I don't think any of us are surprised by this finding. I know that I will work till I drop for a boss who cares about me, values my contribution and honors my sacrifice. I hope I never make any of you feel any different.
I sometimes get stuck at the "Us" level of explaining change without focusing enough energy on letting people explore the "Me" stage. I get it, at least intellectually, but I don't live it when I am in the middle of advocating for a change. I need to think more about this.
Be careful out there!!
Started our forensics season.
ReplyDeleteStarted weekly wired Wednesday technology sessions.
Piloted positive attendance.
Heard a little bit more about Educator Effectiveness.
Honored Advanced Placement scholars.
Love the not so oblique referral of the sign of at the end to the sergeant's weekly send off to his police officers at the beginning of every episode of Hill Street Blues. It was really a pleasure to finally meet you, Chad Harnisch.
ReplyDeleteB. Tracy Madison