Don't wait. The time will never be right!

Don’t wait!  The time will NEVER be just right.

Zig Ziglar

Parent Blog - January 11th, 2016

From our cafeteria wall, organized by our counselor and contributed by a friend of the district, this canvas reminds us of the big picture of success that each of us contribute to and enjoy together.

There are no shortcuts...

Reflection:

In an interesting sort of way, I was happy to be back at school this week after our winter bacation. Of course the down time was rejuvenating, but the familiar routines and procedures here comforted and assured me that we are all in a good place in our lives. Connections with staff during our PD times, including everything from the meals and community to the passionate discussions about pedagogy, reinforce the belief that diversity, experience, passion for learning and care for students as individuals are integral to good teaching. Together, this describes us corporately and individually. I am honored to work alongside each staff person in the building, as we create a better future for our students.

Christmas Gift of the Year: FITBITS

Showing off their new technology, staff at Winfield Middle School proudly hold each other accountable to reaching physical goals using competitions, banter and friendly cajoling to push each other to do their best. We do want to be that school, through and through, for our benefit as well as the students.

“How many steps for you so far?”

For example, I actually listened to the flight attendant last time as she gave instructions on what to do in the rare situation that we lost cabin pressure and the oxygen masks fell down from the bulkhead. Standard safety instructions and procedures require us to don our own masks first, even if it means we are temporarily postponing the care of our child.

AS LEADERS, WE MUST TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES BEFORE WE CAN OFFER OUR BEST TO THOSE AROUND US.

Our Best is Admirable

Speaking of students, guests who are visiting our building praise the students for their behaviors and attitudes as they walk the halls, flow through lunch routines and display enthusiasm and excitement to see outside familiar faces. It is almost like we really are becoming  “that” school. Energy erupts when students see their peers with the understanding that teachers care enough to intervene when necessary but allow enough risk and failure so students learn the concept of “natural consequences.”  

Natural Consequences

For instance, a student may choose not to do an assignment and think that it will be fine with no real consequences. As adults, we know in real life, we all must pay our cell phone bill or suffer the natural consequences to our credit rating, drop our data package or go to a new pre-paid plan. Similarly, assignments can't really be skipped. Let's all persist as we finish assignments, raise the bar and do what it takes to get the most out of this opportunity afforded us--an opportunity called a public education.

Finally, the patterns and routines of a typical school day reinforce our societal norms of getting up, going to work and managing one's affairs. We spend time teaching and reteaching and maybe even reteaching again. We see growth and setbacks, yet we persist. Then our audience grows, changes, matures and learns, and confirms we have done what we are called to do.

In the photo of a graph, a student tracks and displays her own ELA grades, noting and celebrating her own progress personally and authentically. She knows how hard it was to reach grow!  Nice job!

DISTRICT SPIRIT WEEK Schedule aligning with the High School

Monday - 1/11/16:  BED HEAD DAY - (messy hair day)

Binder Meetings during school hours--teachers gather to collaborate and build the best learning environment possible.

Tuesday - 1/12/16: SLIPPERS DAY

District Principals meet to plan, compare and collaborate as well.

The local VFW hall is hosting a Pizza Party at Central Office for those students that contributed to an essay contest with possible financial and national implications.

Wednesday - 1/13/16: FUZZY SOCKS DAY

Thursday - 1/14/16: PJ DAY

Friday - 1/15/16: CLASS COLOR DAY

Our building math teachers will take some extra time to tune their plans, presentations and procedures with an outside consultant bringing an additional perspective to the department.

Upcoming

Jan 18 - MLK Day, unless it is a snow day make up

Jan 19 - Board of Education Meeting

Jan 20 - Early Release Professional Development Day

Feb 15 - President’s Day

Trying to progress in setting up new habits, eating better and exercising more follows the Fitbit trend. Health can be measured physically, academically, physiologically, cardiovascularly, aerobically, socially, nutritionally, and even emotionally. At school, we can’t just address one category but must often address all our students’ needs together and collectively. A student struggling with hunger or emotional stress because the police were at the house the night before, or even just a bit of interpersonal drama, may not function to their fullest capacity. We may need to listen for a minute, just to allow a student to process. Regardless of how we see our roles, schools end up as the village that supports communities to raise the children. We are honored to do so!

Conclusion

As principal, another privilege afforded me is watching teachers discuss teaching with a continuous consideration of the impact of various techniques, methods and structure. I wish I could invite any cynic to join me in the observation of true collaboration without competition that happens so often in our little middle school. Even the greatest cynic might gain a new insight. Asking the questions of “How can I increase my impact?” or “What reaches kids the most?” and “What are other teachers doing that impacts students?” gives us all a platform to build and reach greater heights together.

We are gearing up for a great time of learning. The beginning of this semester will lead us into a good stretch for accomplishing big goals. Stay tuned while we get into some effective routines while avoiding those messy snow days as much as possible.

Thanks

Tom McCracken