Principal's Message 6/1/2009

BACK TO THE BASICS

We have officially reached June. The month that seemed so far away when we sat in 429 for the first time in August. It’s a month that we know would be so much better than the previous June we experienced with the previous school year. For the first year staff members, the month you pictured the students carrying you out of the building on their shoulders as they celebrate how much you helped them (maybe what you envisioned June to be might be a little different from what I described but probably similar). This month is packed full of activities, trips, and responsibilities. The students are craving less work and are more proned to fight the day-to-day instruction we are providing for them. How do we manage this while still remaining sane? Clear expectations are key to the end of the year. This can be done in three ways: with instruction, with behavior, and with our actions . Each will contribute to a great end of the year because, as much as the students are anxious for summer, so are we. Its hard to stop day dreaming of a beach and a nice view of an ocean with waves reaching for you as the sun beams massage the skin….and I digress. As we look forward to the rewards summer has for us, we need to maintain our focus of what needs to be done now so we can enter September proud, aware, and aware of what lies ahead.

As we work out the details for next year, I will need you all to maintain clear expectations within your classroom to enhance student engagement and efforts. For instruction, your basic Blackboard Configuration is very helpful. Additional techniques would be constant updates on their grades and performance. You can also review the calendar of the remaining days of schools so the students understand when the school year actually ends and know what they have to do to finish their current grade. Posting student work is a basic but extremely helpful tool. Not only does it give you the opportunity to praise their efforts, it clearly indicates the school year is not over. For those of you who are not updating because we are nearing the end, you are merely feeding into the students’ resistance to work.

As for behavior, interventions at this point are going to be your best ally. Since getting removed from class has such a high impact on student participation in trips and events, you are going to destroy any chance of a partnership with a student if you are quick to remove him or her without moving their seat or talking to him or her one-on-one. Maintain your clear expectations by being consistent when you handle situations, empowering students with responsibilities so they can communicate to the class and align with you in setting up a conducive environment for learning. Finally, it can’t hurt to review the discipline code or your classroom procedures as long as it does not take too much time.

Modeling…As the end of the year comes closer, we will have the same urges of our students to begin shutting down before the end actually is here. This only encourages our students to detach even more. We must maintain our daily responsibilities and routines. We need to put more effort into our planning now than ever. Creativity in the delivery of our lessons is vital to increasing student engagement. The more we develop lessons that are applicable or relate to the lives of our students, the more they will be inclined to pay attention. Preparation is another way to model for our students. Be prepared for them and be a step ahead so you can anticipate any interruptions and keep your students focused on the learning.

It is important now to invest the time and effort so you can walk into your summer proud and excited for next year. We can’t run up to the finish line and stop before we tear the tape. We need to sprint past that line. If support is what you need, then please do not hesitate to ask. We are here to help each other out and I will do what I can to get you across the finish line.

Attendance for the Week
Monday 82%
Tuesday 84%
Wednesday 85%
Thursday 85%
Friday 79%

Birthdays:

Sandie Murphy June 17
Terri Miles August 9
Daniel Schultz August 22
Sandy Chmielewski August 30
Wendy Perez August 31

Quote of the Week
“The block of granite, which is an obstacle in the pathway of the weak, becomes a stepping-stone in the pathway of the strong.”—Thomas Carlyle