Wrapping Up 2014

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

It was nice to see the well organized and well run Christmas\Holiday Store at Chauncey Davis Elementary this past week.  I have never seen anything like it!  The selection of gifts (and all for a quarter!) made at least two little girls (my own) very happy to be able to buy presents for their family.  I talked to several other students about their "shopping experience" and all were very excited for their purchases, and grateful for the opportunity.

After touring the store, I walked down the hall and saw the smooth running gift wrapping team!  What a great tribute to our community--all of the caring people giving up their time to serve the

students of our school.  They made a lot of children happy and I was glad to see this great event.  Elementary students donate much of the proceeds to the HAVA Animal Shelter.  Thank you to Linda Buchanan and Bev Buchanan for all the hard work, and to everyone else involved who helped make this event possible.

District Updates

As we end the week prior to Christmas Break, I wanted to give some recent updates on a few things in the district.  The year is flying by and we have had lots of things happening!

You may have seen the new emergency defibrillators in the district.  We have one located in the elementary hallway and one also in the Koplitz Field House lobby.  Because the buildings host such a wide variety of public events, and the fact that we employ 100 people, I think it is a good idea to be prepared.  We are working to organize First Aid/CPR training for staff.  I will share more on this in the near future.

Elementary staff may have also noticed workers installing a classroom intercom system this week.  The intercoms are connected to the campus intercom system and should be a big improvement in alerting elementary classrooms to various events or situations.  Thanks to Gary Wilson and his entire crew for all of their work and efforts to install these systems!


Smarter Balanced Resource Site

In January, we will be doing some work around the new state testing logistics for this Spring.  We have been developing resources for staff to utilize to familiarize themselves with the Smarter Balanced exams.  You can preview the Smarter Balanced Assessment Resource Page and provide any feedback you might have.  The page contains information on the new tests, sample questions, and other useful content.  More to come on this...

Have A Relaxing Break!

I hope all of you have a safe and relaxing break these next two weeks.  We have a great staff working hard to educate kids here in South Bend.  It is certainly a pleasure for me to work in such a fine school district.

Thankful...

This is my first Thanksgiving in a new school district in 13 years, and also my first as a school superintendent.  As Thanksgiving approaches tomorrow I have been reflecting on the recent changes in my career and shift to the South Bend School District.

I am Thankful.

I have found the South Bend School District to be a special place, and a school system supported by a community I am proud to call home.  The people here are friendly, caring, and value hard work.  The staff in our school are some of the best I have ever worked with, and care without limits for the students we serve.

Like any school, we have our challenges.  However, it is my belief that our challenges give us means to come together in accomplishing our endeavor to educate students.  It is through these challenges we develop our passion, refine our practice, and demonstrate to our students that we will do everything it takes to ensure they learn.  I am proud to be part of the team in South Bend, and thankful for having such excellent people to work alongside.

In today's schools we find students and families who struggle with different aspects of life.  These struggles often carry into our classrooms.  It is important for we as educators to remember that each child comes with their own individual story.  We should encourage all students to find something for which to be thankful, and to use that thanks to inspire goals for their lives.

As you partake in your Thanksgiving tradition, I encourage you to be thankful.  We have good things happening here in South Bend and certainly much to be thankful for...

Reaching students' parents

How often does our comfort zone dictate how we interact with parents?

There are numerous reasons why we need to involve parents, and varying aims in doing so.  The aim I'd like to address here is that of keeping our parents up-to-date on what their child is doing in class, with the hope that they will re-enforce or help with accountability.

This aim is usually always easier said than done.  Except for the weekly or monthly classroom newsletter or occasional "run-in" at the grocery store, it can be difficult to keep our parents informed.
Nonetheless, we can't afford our parents not being informed of what their children are doing in class.  Even if we believe some parents don't care or have the time, we should strive to help them help their kids---our students.

How has parent and/or family situations changed for today's student?

Families are busy.  Our students' parents (both mom's and dad's) work hard to provide for their family, and might not always be able to dedicate the time they would like to be involved with their child's education.  To complicate matters, how often do our students lose papers, assignments, or other things we would love parents to see?  How often does a family sit around the dinner table and talk?

What can we do to increase parent involvement and support, if even a little?

One Option:  Create a Class Facebook Page

Showing parents what their child is doing in school can be powerful.  Using a classroom Facebook page can be a good way of sharing classroom video, pictures, and other announcements that before was not as easy to do.  Using a smartphone or tablet, teachers can keep parents up-to-date on what their student is doing in class.

Erika Harmer, first grade teacher at Chauncey Davis Elementary, provides a good example of using a classroom Facebook page to connect with parents and families.  The page is closed only to parents to ensure privacy, and is updated on a regular basis.  This provides parents qualitative information on what their children are doing in class.  Using this information, parents can engage their children about what they learning and show interest using authentic information.

In addition to posting regular updates, teachers can also post questions parents can ask their kids about their learning, give them ideas of how they can supplement their student's learning, or send out simple kudos and encouragement.  Posting the week's learning objectives, spelling words, or other learning ideas will promote positive parent-student interaction and has the potential to show students the value of education outside of school.

Parent involvement is a good thing, and has a positive impact on students.  As educators, we should do what we can to help.  A classroom Facebook page is an easy tool to use, and can be an effective means of engaging our students' parents.

First Quarter of 14-15 School Year Complete

First Quarter of 14-15 School Year Complete

19th District Legislative Members Dean Takko, Brian Hatfield, and Brian Blake visited with principals and students on October 29, 2014

The school year at South Bend Public Schools is flying by...  Halloween marked the end of first quarter for the 2014-15 school year and South Bend is moving ahead strong.  As superintendent, it has been a privilege to attend athletic events, visit classrooms, talk with students and staff, and collaborate with principals in striving to provide quality learning opportunities for our students.

Below are some updates of things happening in the district.  If you have any questions, always feel welcome to drop by and visit.

Technology

According to Google information, in the previous 7 days (Oct 27 to Nov 3) there were 262 active users in Google Drive and 1,402 docs created by South Bend School users (students and staff).  I have to admit, when I first saw these numbers I was a little surprised at how high they showed.  However, with our new Chromebook cart in the high school being used by Mr. Friese and Mrs. Haugan in multiple classes, as well as Google Drive use in Mrs. Emmett's class, Mr. Lee's class, Mrs. Hoyt's class and others (forgive me for not knowing everyone's use), I think these numbers are accurate.

I am impressed with the desire of staff to learn new things along with our kids.  This shows students that "we" don't always know everything, and that learning new things is a continual part of life.

State Assessment

You may not be aware yet, but there is a movement in Washington mounting to eliminate the linkage of state assessments to graduation.  My belief is that we spend too much time and resources on high stakes testing, and that the end product of high stakes testing does little (to nothing) to advance student achievement.  The State Board of Education is considering changes to linking state assessment to graduation.  I sent this letter to State Board members last week.  I encourage those interested to (respectively) make your feelings known to those who have the power to change policy.

Columbia Virtual Academy (CVA)

CVA-South Bend (as of today) has 50 students enrolled or in progress of enrolling.  The program is growing much faster than anticipated.  We are excited to have Joel Bale join the CVA team and who is currently training to help serve students.  Anyone interested in a CVA opportunity should contact Jon Tienhaara.






And finally...

I am very much enjoying working and living here in South Bend!  We have a great staff and community.  We have great kids.  There is always something more we can do to better our students' education.  If you have ideas I would love to hear them.  Feel free to drop by anytime.

Be...

I was inspired by this creation found in the lobby of Chauncey Davis Elementary School.  Principal Kresta Byington made this display with the intent of highlighting some of the student traits teachers and staff value.

Three of these traits (among others) I believe are vital to teach and encourage in our students.



Be... Creative

Creativity is something I believe we need to promote in our schools and classrooms.  This can be challenging because it requires us to allow students (and teachers) to follow their interests, which may lead them outside our safe, contained, way of "doing" education.  We need to refrain from giving our students the notion that there is a "right answer", and should encourage our teachers to innovate without fear of failing.  Education should have the freedom to be authentic, real, and open ended.

Be... Yourself

How often do we hear all students need to be "college ready"?  How often does "education" attempt to mold all students into one "correct" and "standard" definition of success?  Students are unique.  Children come to school with individual talents, interests, and ideas.  We need to provide an educational environment that grows all students' innate strengths.  Students should feel safe to express their ideas, learn to find answers to their own questions, and create according to their interests.  We should refrain from conforming students to one way of being, to always doing things the "way we do things", and suppressing talents we "know" just won't be useful.

Be... A Thinker

What do students do with the things they learn?  Do students just go through the motions of school?  Of course they do.  We need to teach students how (not what) to think, how to apply their learning to their own ideas, and how to find answers to their own questions.  Rather than educating students to simply memorize facts they already know how to find on Google (simplistic example), we should provide opportunities for students to apply their talents to produce new information or products.  Rather than students simply learning what someone else thinks, students should learn to question why that knowledge is relevant.  More important, what can they do with that knowledge or how can they make it better?

Schools need to be a place where all students grow as individuals.  Schools need to be relevant to students and meaningful to their being.

Be...

Getting Started

     As superintendent, I have the opportunity to see what is happening in the district from a high vantage point.  As someone who has spent several years in the classroom teaching, spent time as a school principal, and my career in a small school district, I know all too well how school district decisions and actions can be perceived (good, bad, or otherwise) according to individual perspectives.
     It is my goal to keep school staff, students, and other interested stakeholders up-to-date on school district happenings, plans, and other useful information.  To help this goal, I will be publishing information to this blog.  My hope is this will inform those who are interested, and encourage positive dialog among all involved with the school district.  I will also be sharing some of my educational beliefs, classroom tools I think are interesting, and various curricular resources I think people might find useful.
     If you ever have questions, ideas, or just want to talk about education in general, I would love the opportunity to visit with you.  Feel free to drop by my office or contact me via phone or email.