Transitions

A special thank you to all of the TJ parents who joined us this evening for our Rising 5 Parent Information night. Transitions can be a bit overwhelming. Your presence helps us make this process a little less scary. It is important to not only be responsive to students, it is important to be responsive to the needs of the parents and the community. Our program tonight has changed over the past couple of years based on feedback from parents. Thank you to the parents who provided us with questions and feedback. We will continue to work with TJ to complete our transition activities for both students and parents. We look forward to collaborating with you!

A Good Reread

Over this past break, I reread the book 15 Fixes for Broken Grades by Ken O'Connor, which was followed by a discussion with Ms. Johnson today. We agreed that this is a book that can lead to both and emotional and philosophical discussion. I believe it is a must read for anyone who is involved with teaching and learning: school and home!

Another thought provoking book on the same topic is Rick Wormeli's Fair Isn't Always Equal. This books gets to the heart of meeting students needs and providing essential feedback.

These two coupled together are a great combination to spark the fire in any discussion!

Rest and Relaxation

I hope everyone is taking time over this break to rest and relax. I know that past couple of days have been very relaxing as I have had some time outdoors and with family. It's nice to sit back and enjoy having some time to think. This past week, I was working on the master schedule, which makes us think about next year, and changes that have to be made, or things that need to be tweaked. As you know, from previous entries, Virginia is working on a growth model to measure student growth - the crux of making this accountability measure happen - the master schedule of course. I have always said that no single thing in schools has a greater impact than the master schedule. It truly affects everyone in the school - yes, bigger than the budget. Therefore, it is so important to constantly revisit and revise the schedule to meet your organizational needs every year. It was nice to be able to work on the schedule when I had time to think - the trouble shoot - and review as needed.

Spring Break

I hope everyone enjoys the much needed spring break. Take some time over this break to read a great book or engage in a conversation about learning. Most of all, enjoy sleeping in. We will be back to the early start Huskies before you know it!

Technology and time

Last week I sent an email to the staff about the use of technology and how sometimes it makes us more efficient and sometimes it doesn't. For the past couple of weeks, I have been, for the most part, sans internet and cable TV. The good news is that I have been very productive in my spare time. So my question is, does the technology really make us more efficient? I encourage everyone to think about what technology you currently use and ask yourself if it makes you more productive. If not, is it something you can part with, or use less of? Time is such a precious resource and I think that any time we can figure out a way to capitalize on that we should. Take some time to think about where you spend your time - Do you need it? Does it make you better at what you do? If you can part with it, what will you do with your time?