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.