The road to excellence is always under construction.  ~Unknown source

“And I further pledge myself to Benton High School, whose ideas and traditions are worthy of all.”  We say it several times each week when we say the Pledge of Allegiance, but there are those times when we speak those words that it brings home how our goal for achieving excellence for our school and our students is really about honoring a more than 100 year tradition of our school.  I have quipped on more than one occasion that I am not in our business to be mediocre.  I feel we are all here to do what’s best.  What’s best for kids is something we say time and time again.  The old motto of our school used to be, “If it’s good for Benton, just do it.”  Here’s what our pledge opened my eyes to last Friday as we sat together honoring the excellent and honorary efforts of our seniors and senior most influential teachers – that it takes hard work to achieve excellence.

I know we worked hard this year to achieve excellence.  It means working and reworking our approach – and go from good to great.  We had to stay the course.  We could not cut corners.  We had to focus.  And we did it.  As we sit in the last days of school on the other side of the 2011-2012 chapter in our journey to excellence, I realize that our road is yet again under construction.  Years ago when I was a head coach, I always made it part of our tactical plan to evaluate what we did well and keep that as well as to take something that was stellar from our opposing team (consider this research) and incorporate that into our game plan.  It took time, and even with a year-to-year change in personnel (graduating seniors), we always got better.  I see that game plan for Benton as well.  As we close out this school year, it’s time for reflection on our tactical plan.  It’s time to look at what the other schools do that is so successful and see how that might help us achieve excellence.  It’s time for each teacher to bring that to an individual level so as to grow professionally.

This has been an exciting and rewarding year.  I wish you each a restful summer and look forward enthusiastically for what the next year will bring.  Ancora Imparo.

~Excellence is a journey, not a destination.~

Images are available through CC on Flickr:  “way ahead” by roujo.  “Benton Crest” from BHS. 

Excellence is an art won by training and habituation.  We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly.  We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.     ~Aristotle

Reflections on the Week

Seniors.  They make our days lively.  These are their final days with us, and it’s imperative that we enjoy them together.  When you think back on the year with our seniors, I hope you are all thinking about the special moments shared.  These are moments and stories that both teachers and students alike carry for a lifetime.  In this finals week of making memories, be sure you show and share excellence with them.  Our students look to us to model what excellence of training and habituation standards will be.  They look to us to care for them and to care about them.  They beg us to hold them to high standards, which they are proud to achieve with our support, encouragement, and grace.

I want to state boldly that our seniors were amazing last week when under the leadership of their class officers, CheyennE , Boo and Trevor, they made decisions to lead their class into a level of solidarity and responsibility for Thursday night’s decorating party.  Within one hour of school starting, they cleaned up their party, whether they had attended or not.  They understood that as adults we are given freedoms with responsibility.  They won in this instance because of their training and habituation, and they were excellent.  I am very proud of them for acting rightly in response to the event.  I hope you are as well.

Last week was a huge week in respect to state testing.  Thank you to all students and staff alike who worked diligently to study and show your efforts of learning on the EOC assessments.  Thank you for the attending extra study sessions, working punctiliously through your reviews, and for ensuring our students were prepared and ready to test.  Now we wait for the results.

Final(s) Week/Final Week(s)

We are down to the last 8 school days.  It’s hard for me to believe the final days are really here.  Between Monday and our last day, we have enough work to fill a month of school.  But then that seems like the standard each week for these last few months.  I will send out as many communications as possible to keep us all informed and as lock-step as we can be so that frustrations are kept to a minimum.  At this point, my best points of advice include:  smile, remain flexible, ask questions, stay positive, double check, hold students accountable, finish strong, and enjoy this time with our students.  Because somehow, the world believes in irony, this is TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK.  I have one word for that.  True.

Here is the week:

Monday:  Crash simulation for sophomores, JEPD (see meeting locations in staff email), Josten’s meeting with Class of 2013 officers during CAMP, IT @ state, Tennis team @ districts, PTA hosts TEACHER APPRECIATION LUNCH in Room 108 (Sharp’s room).

Tuesday:  Yearbook distribution, IT @state, Teacher Appreciation breakfast in mailroom

Wednesday: Freshmen to MWSU, Senior Red Finals, Senior checkout sheets distributed 1R(in your mailbox), Senior Red Check Out, Teacher Appreciation snacks in mailroom

Thursday: Senior White Finals, Senior White Check Out, W2 (for HTC students)/W4 teachers with seniors collect check out sheets, Teacher Appreciation snacks in mailroom, Senior Slideshow @630pm

Friday:  Scholarship Assembly @ 9:00 in Springer (special bell schedule will be emailed), Senior Survey taken after assembly, Senior laptop check-in (Modis Gym), Teacher Appreciation Pizza Lunch in Room 108.

~Excellence is a journey, not a destination.~

All images available in CC on Flikr: “Countdown” by Holster®; “Outnumbered” by Roger Smith; “New Year 2010 Fireworks, Singapore” by Eustquio Santimano.

The excellency of every art at its intensity, capable of making all disagreeable evaporate, from their being in close relationship with beauty and truth. ~John Keats

Reflecting on Week 35

EOC testing.  AP and Fine Arts Exhibition. Baseball.  Mousse.  The excellency of every art.  The hope that comes from reaching a major checkpoint in our journey toward excellence is indescribable.  Not to land in a cliché, but from hard work comes great reward.  I love seeing the reward come to fruition in so many venues.  I am certain that we are only beginning to look into the face of success.  As we raise intensity of our journey, we will continue to see the fruits of our labors.

John Keats claimed a theory of negative capability.  The theory allows for individuals to transcend a traditional, social context and innovate beyond what was imagined.  I imagine it’s much like positive efficacy – for Benton it is believing and claiming the excellence we know we have the ability to be.  But much like a hard fought sporting contest, we often don’t believe we are the better team until the score tells us so.   It’s time to set that record straight.

Week 36 – A Look Ahead

EOC testing continues this week with Biology and Algebra 1 along with make up sessions for English 2 and Government.  Please continue to follow testing protocols with our students.  Also, this is an important time to work with students to focus on their grades to ensure success.  There are 13 school days left in this year.  Help them make the most of every minute they have left.  It is the intensity of excellence that earns the greatest rewards.

~Excellence is a journey, not a destination.~

Images available in CC on Flickr:  ”Strength” by R.O Mania♥.

The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read or write, it will be those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn. ~Alvin Toffler

Reflecting on Week 34

As we move to finalize our Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) for Benton for next year, my research into the areas we have chosen to focus brought me to two scholarly works that changed my thinking years ago when I first was introduced to them.  The first is with systems change.  When we as a school focus on what needs to be accomplished to reach excellence on our journey, questions arise when CHANGE is proposed to the system – in this case, how we offer “school” to our students.  This RSA Animation from Sir Ken Robinson about Changing Education Paradigms continues to challenge me as to why we must never cease to embrace change in our organization.  As the world changes, we must adapt for it.  It is not only our professional obligation to prepare students for the changing world, but our lively hood demands it.  The changes we are considering — from CAMP reorganization to creating strong interventions to help our students successfully navigate our courses — though not nearly as universal as what Sir Robinson are certainly creating significant change to our organization.  At least we hope it does change our outcomes in a significantly positive direction.  Identifying the need for change, implementing change, sustaining change in order for our students at Benton High School to continue to grow in their excellence is one area that I feel defines us as a staff and as an organization.  We have grown literate in what it means to be a 21^st Century learner – we are not afraid to learn, unlearn, and relearn.

The second area that I feel we have achieved significant growth in is that of building teacher leaders.  Dr. Michael Fullan states in The Change Leader that, “Also crucial to sustained improvement is the effective succession of leaders. Leadership succession is more likely if there are many leaders at many levels. Organizations must set their sights on continual improvement at all levels, and for that they must nurture, cultivate, and appoint successive leaders who are moving in a sustained direction.”

Growing leaders in our building is a priority for me.  It takes building voice and reflection in a staff.  It takes maturity for decision-making and understanding the power of consensus. It especially takes putting the goals of the unit over the goals of the “silos.”  But most of all, growing leaders takes time.  In that time, as we change from directive, top-down decision-making of old, we must grow capacity for innovation, input, and ownership.  Building the climate of leadership is what will improve our grades, learning and results.  Fullan shares that, “Literacy and mathematics improvements are only the beginning. To ensure deeper learning – to encourage problem solving and thinking skills and to develop and nurture highly motivated and engaged learners, for example – requires mobilizing the energy and capacities of teachers.”  Please take time to watch and read the two links.  I think you will agree; your leadership will make all the difference in our school.

Week 35 – A Look Ahead

We host our 8^th graders from Spring Garden Middle School on Tuesday.  It will be an exciting day for our incoming freshmen.  The only teachers who will be working with the 8^th graders during the day are those who are assigned to them next year.  That information will be delivered after school (2:45 in Room 104) at the day visit meeting.  On Tuesday night, our staff will host parents at the 8^th Grade Parent Orientation.  Any staff member who teaches or could possibly teach freshmen or have a freshman CAMP next year is expected to attend this event.   Show time is 5:45 p.m. in Springer Gym.

This week we start EOC Testing.  Starting on Wednesday, April 25^th through May 4^th, our building will begin ASSESSMENT PROTOCOLS.  No classes should be using YouTube or streaming video without requesting permission.  Please monitor and prohibit students from streaming music.  We do not want to compromise bandwidth access during testing.  No students should be given passes during classes unless they are emergencies.  Students are not allowed to use cell phones during testing at all.  Testing rooms must be sanitized and signs will be posted showing testing rooms.  Please advise students of these protocols.

More than anything, I can never thank each of you enough for what you do for our school and for our students and parents each day.  Unless you work in this profession, you will never understand the nature of what is expected each day.  Please know, your administrative team is proud to lead and serve you each day.

~Excellence is a journey, not a destination.~

All images are available in CC from Flickr:  “Rectangular” by jronaldlee; “Lego Family” by the great 8; “Lego old skool desktop wallpaper” by Tinker*Tailor loves Lalka

Anybody who accepts mediocrity — in school, on the job, in life — is a person who compromises, and when the leader compromises, the whole organization compromises. ~ Charles Knight

Reflecting on Week 33

It’s no secret that at Benton High School our journey to achieve excellence includes growing in leadership.  Our Benton Leadership Team (BLT) is just one example of growing teacher leaders within our building to make decisions and policy to guide and direct our actions daily.  Leadership, however, is certainly not defined by positional power.  Teacher leaders – individuals who are leaders irrespective of a position – are the bread and butter of a good school environment.  Have you ever wondered if you have “leadership capacity?”

In, “What does Leadership Capacity Really Mean?” Linda Lambert states that leaders in education must be skilled in problem solving, working collaboratively, and guiding values, focus and momentum in order to “develop lasting and respectful relationships.” You should click on the link to the article to get the full details, but she states that schools function in either low, moderate, and high leadership capacity status.  After you read the criteria, at what status is Benton?  What is it that earns us that rating?  Is there opportunity for us to improve?  What would that take?

Several years ago, I came across a TED talk by Tony Robbins that has resonated with me in my leadership and in understanding why others around me do what they do.  The title of the talk is, “Tony Robbins asks why we do what we do?”  The video clip calls us to examine what motivates or inspires us in our actions – whether selfless or selfish – and what we can do with the invisible forces that shape our ability to contribute beyond ourselves..

This week your BLT made tough decisions about policies and procedures that impact us all.  They decided as a team what goals and issues to focus on, what actions were needed to achieve that focus and those goals, and how they would grow consensus from their departments to work toward and achieve our goals.  They were amazingly unified in their decisions and will be sharing with you not only their ownership, but also our accountability measures and goals.

Research often claims that the greatest contributing factor to success in leadership is the ability to grow.  No matter what you are involved in, if you are not growing, you will not going to stay excited in achieving nor will you be successful.  Growing in a high leadership capacity school requires one of the six critical factors for success to be teacher leaders accepting and owning responsibility for leadership of the school. Your leadership team made monumental steps of growth on Friday during the retreat.  This IS our journey toward excellence.

Week 34 – A Look Ahead

This week we will have our student leadership elections.  Please look and listen for announcements on information about the candidates.  This Friday is the Lion’s Luncheon for our top 10% of the senior class.  In addition, it’s our Faculty Lunch day.  It’s time to celebrate and break bread together.  It’s going to be a great week.

~Excellence is a journey, not a destination.~

All images available CC on Flickr:  “3D Team Leadesrship Arrow Concept” by thegoldguys.blogspot.com/ or www.lumaxart.com/; “Leadership” by  pedrosimoes7; “Leadership” by Dunechaser.

Dreams surely are difficult, confusing, and not everything in them is brought to pass for mankind.  For fleeting dreams have two gates: one is fashioned of horn and one of ivory.  Those which pass through the one of sawn ivory are deceptive, bringing tidings which come to nought, but those which issue from the one of polished horn bring true results when a mortal sees them.  ~Homer

Reflecting on Week 32

The victory of last week’s election still sings sweetly as I pause to reflect on the week.  It’s a great opportunity for the St. Joseph School District to know that the tide of our journey has taken us through the gates of polished horn.  It’s also great for Benton to know our part in it.  I thank each of you who voted, walked delivering flyers, posted signs in your yards, and attended our rally to show our support.  It is easy to forget that it is an amalgamation of the little things that seem to make all the difference.  In this event, the difference was a dream come true.

Dreams surely are difficult.  It has been over a year since we began dreaming and talking about the idea of a hybrid high school – a school that incorporates the best of brick & mortar and on-line learning.  It is certainly a 21^st Century educational opportunity that, sadly, was not chosen in the High Schools That Work Grant application a year ago.  But that does not mean we haven’t been taking steps to align ourselves for that dream.  Each innovation and school improvement step gets us closer.  As a staff, we are working on ways to improve student performance and success.  Our PE department was innovative in looking for a way to offer freshman hope and purpose in taking high school classes.  We will soon have all our 9^th graders visit Missouri Western State University who will partner with us to offer opportunity to our students and make sure they know what is available to them right here in St. Joseph.  New innovative approaches to the educational process that help our students succeed are necessary.  We often quote Albert Einstein in his definition of, “Insanity:  doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.”  I’d say the idea, if anything, makes a great case for innovation and change.   

Week 33 – A Look Ahead

There are a few important dates on our calendar this week:  EOC training will be held Wednesday in my office five minutes after the start of each period.  If you are giving the EOC test this year, you must attend this training.  There is no JEPD on Wednesday.  Thursday is the fourth and final ACT Academy for the April test.  Please take the time to check with your students who are in the academy to make sure they are supported.  The small things make all the difference.

~Excellence is a journey, not a destination.~

SJSD_logo_Icon at sjsd.k12.mo.us; All other images available in CC on Flickr: “Tiny Ducks Fall Asleep on a Dock” by kugel; “where bubbles go” by circulating.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by,  And that has made all the difference. ~Robert Frost

Week 31 in Review

It’s April Fool’s Day.  What an excellent day to talk about rumors.  Actually, one could almost say this is the season for rumors.  Rumors about Prom.  Rumors about people we work with.  Rumors about rules.  Rumors about elections.  After hearing too many rumors and reading several interesting quotes about rumors, I guess I can see that rumors are timeless.  Some actually really are, but what I am referring to here is rumor telling.  I think Benjamin Franklin said it best when he said, “I resolve to speak ill of no man whatever, not even in a matter of truth; but rather by some means excuse the faults I hear charged upon others, and upon proper occasions speak all the good I know of everybody.”  Mr. Franklin was a wise man.  We should take heed.  I know that when I hold others up, I feel better.  Imagine what would happen if we joined together to hold each other up during this crazy season?  It’s definitely the road less traveled by.  I’ve heard it can make all the difference. 

And so, rumors and fool’s day aside, I feel this is the “proper occasion” to share with you feedback from the UMKC consultants who were at Benton on Friday to complete a pre-assessment of our school.  It’s always interesting to hear what outsiders see and say about us when they visit our classrooms and with our staff.  Some of what they shared was what I think we already knew  – our data teams work is solid, but we have areas we can focus on to improve for next year.  But what really grabbed them by surprise was how incredibly polite and friendly our school was. From teachers to students, they were amazed at our climate.  And they felt it from the moment they entered the building and were greeted by our student at the tech help desk.  They said everyone was kind and welcoming, no matter where they went.  I guess I acted surprised by their comments, because they said I should tell our staff that very few schools they have worked with were like us. They said our kids were really amazing – going to class, greeting visitors, working on their studies. They said our staff was happy, joked with each other, and spoke so positively about our school.  Talk about spreading the word!  We have worked on improving climate for years.

It’s great to have an outside source voice what we would probably not know in our own trench.  Our relationships are good, but we all know on our journey toward excellence that we can and should be better.  I think Benjamin Franklin may just have the shocking key in his words of wisdom.  It’s a short week this week.  What positive difference will you make?

Week 32 – A Look Ahead
Hold onto your kites, friends.  Short week or not, it’s a powerful time. Monday – Benton staff election rally, 3:00-5:00 p.m. at Hoof & Horn.  Please drop in to rally and snack on hors d’oeuvres provided by your ever-grateful administration and our dear friend Roy, owner of the Hoof.  It’s a great time to take a minute and bond.  This election is for us. Tuesday – Make sure you remember to send kids to CAMP Congress,  support students in ACT Academy and vote (please).Wednesday – Early Out – CAMP lunch (please send in your order)

~Excellence is a journey, not a destination.~

Images available in CC from Flickr:  “Enchanted Wood” by Skinnyde; “Key 3” by ~Brenda-Starr~; “Draken-Kite” by Gertrud K.

To aim at excellence, our reputation, and friends, and all must be ventured; to aim at the average we run no risk and provide little service. ~Oliver Goldsmith

Week 30 in Review

In our search to better understand what persistent, copious reasons may be leading to student failures and in our attempt to create and provide appropriate interventions for our most at-risk students, we have energized both students and teachers alike to help look into what we can all do to address the situation.  One thought that continues to resonate with me…the idea that failure is an opportunity waiting to be capitalized upon instead of a final grade.  Is that possible?  What would it look like if we just changed the perspective of our thinking?  Imagine my surprise when our good friend, Karl Fisch, addressed that very question in his blog on Wednesday.  Karl is a math teacher in Arapahoe High School in Colorado.  He provides great ideas to consider and links to several through-provoking TED Talks.  You can’t miss this short, but insightful read so click on the screenshot below…

 Week 31 – A Look Ahead

It’s the last week of March.  Are you as stunned by that as I am?  Where has the year gone?  This week holds a few major events, and they are:

SPRING FEVER RELIEVER WEEK:  Student leaders jumped on this to raise money for prom.  Monday is neon day.  Join the kids in this fun celebration! Listen each day for what the next day dress code will be.

Tuesday – Senior Class meeting in the auditorium.  This is the entire class where they vote on class song and learn information about graduation.  Yes, graduation.

Wednesday – Leadership Team Meeting at 7:00 a.m. in Room 106, tornado drill at 1:15 p.m. and NHS Induction at 6:00 p.m. in the auditorium.  Junior/Senior class sponsors are invited.  Reception follows in the Modis Gym.

Friday is faculty lunch day.  Yum.

~Excellent is a journey, not a destination.~

“A light bulb but no (good) ideas… (17/365)” available in CC on Flickr by Lifesupercharger; “Head in Hands” by Alex E. Proimos; “Wit and Wisdom of Winston – Oct 2010 – Westerham Pub Wall – Those Two Imposters” by  gareth1953 Friends please read my profile. New Upd.

What is success? I think it is a mixture of having a flair for the thing that you are doing; knowing that it is not enough, that you have got to have hard work and a certain sense of purpose.  ~Margaret Thatcher

 Week 29 in Review

Here are a few excerpts from our walkthrough letter that I thought I would post…

“After every district data consult (Fall) or building walkthrough (Spring), I always send you an overview of what we discussed during our time spent with our district supervisors.  Together with our instructional coach, your Admin Team met in consultation with Mrs. Patterson and Dr. Dial for over four hours talking about our work at Benton this school year  — both the successes and challenges.  After 6 years of participating in this process, a total of 12 consultations, this is the first year I knew going into the event that, without question, we could show with quantitative and qualitative data that we had travelled our journey toward excellence and come through the year knowing exactly where we are going and exactly where we’ve been…

…The best news is that our next steps were exactly what they challenged us to improve.  In 2012-2013, we need to continue to improve our data teams process.  Specifically working on improving unpacking our power standards and improving our assessments to enable us to understand even more precisely what knowledge our students have and where the breakdown of knowledge is occurring.  We need to get smart about this.  We also agreed to continue our focus on enhancing our digital instructional toolbox and processes used in 21^stCentury Learning.  Our challenge is to tie our learning to SJSD Learner and Project Connect outcomes.  I promised we would continue our focus in this area.  Finally, we said we were continuing our journey toward excellence by continuing to build leaders on our staff and in our student body. “

 Week 30 – A Look Ahead

And this week will fly by like the crazy winds I hear we will be experiencing this coming week.

Monday iZ someone specialZ birthday. (also DS…know who that is?) Please make sure you spread the word!

Wednesday is ACT Academy first session for the April test.  Mrs. Steeby will be talking to the kids on Monday and a finalized list will be sent to you all.  Also Wednesday is our Project Lead the Way Certification visit during the entire morning hours.  Please support your IT team and Mr. Burright as they work through this process.

Thursday is an early out for building PD.  We will meet in the library at 1:00 p.m. to start.  (The motto in JROTC is…”To be on time is to be late, to be early is to be on time.”  Hu-ah!)  Please do not be late.  Also Thursday the owners of School Wires (our web page designers) will be at Benton High School for a two day filming session to create ads for their company.  Benton was one of the district’s TOP USERS and selected to be the only school in this filming.  #cardinalproud  If they are filming you, you already know it.  :))

Friday is our Spring Sports Assembly. Normal pep assembly schedule. Coach Z has the agenda and will release it on Thursday.

Finally, SATURDAY is a momentous day for Benton!  We will be walking a neighborhood leaving flyers about our election from 8:30 (meet at the East Hills Mall library) to get materials, and pass stuff out until you’re done.  It’s that simple.  Then, at noon, join us in our CELEBRATION and ground breaking ceremony for our Field House.  There will be a short ceremony and then a reception following.  It sure would be awesome if our staff could come for the 30 minute event bringing your children and spouses with you.  How amazing would that look on the news!  We will have balloons, cake and conversation.  Short and sweet.  Please don’t miss out on making a difference then on making the news!

~Excellence is a journey, not a destination.~

“A Good Walk” is available CC on Flickr by  Demmer ღ

It takes a long time to bring excellence to maturity.                      ~Publilius Syrus

Inspiration doesn’t recognize boundaries.  Interestingly, my inspiration for insight into Benton’s progress so far this year along our journey toward excellence came from the sermon in church this morning.  I’m guessing “inspiration” isn’t interested in separation of church and state, so if that is a boundary for you, please know you do not need to read any further.  If you are open to inspiration from every venue of life, you will understand that in the process of reflecting on today’s message from my pastor, Dr. Darrell Jones of Grace Evangelical Church, I realized the message did not apply only to my family – as timely and perfect as it is – but that it also applied to my work family for all the same reasons.

The inspiration in the message came in a nugget where Dr. Jones shared how efficient, hardworking, smart people look at a successful journey as the shortest route from “Point A” to Point B,,” so much so that we often look for a formula for efficiency. I agreed; in education, we live our lives as efficient, hardworking people attempting to wisely map out that successful route day after day.  But where the insightful “Aha!” moment in the message came for me was when Dr. Jones shared how God has a different measure of success for the journey.  His goal is not as much about reaching the destination, but about the JOURNEY taken to get there.  It is along the journey that we learn things – big things – and that we grow in relationship with God.  For me, His model for relationships extends to all relationships grown along my journey.  I learned this today…I need to relish that journey.  I need to make sure I take notice of the incredible lessons learned along the way (some at a great price), and I need to grow, honor and value the relationships that I make along the path toward growing Benton’s excellence.

Week 28 in Review

We met with several more data teams, and the final work continues to show signs of success in your efforts.  Thank you yet again for staying with us along this crazy journey.  It’s exciting to see how much everyone has grown.  In this next week, we will begin taking score (see “A Look Ahead” below).  As I shared with our Special Services Directors on Friday, who by the way were blown away with the data teams work and progress made by our Special Services department,  how if they (directors) had talked with our teachers about the data teams process during first quarter, the teachers in that department would have told you what they have now accomplished was not possible  Not only was it possible, the journey offered us all deep learning and great insight into one of the toughest areas to break through with a teacher – examining pedagogy.

Week 29 – A Look Ahead

We are entering the season of measurement.  It’s now time to take score on all our work we have done this year.  It is my hope that our score reflects our wins along our journey of excellence.  Our students take most of the assessments/measurements, but a few significant measures completely belong to us.  We need to really consider what that means. 

First of all, we will begin TSA testing this week and next. Students in FACS and Business who have completed a DESE designated set of courses take this exam.  The test is rigorous, but we feel like we will perform solidly.  Once the testing list is released, please encourage these students, even if the test isn’t in your department.  If we learned anything this year through our data teams study it’s that we each have an impact on student learning.  If you have any of these students, you helped contribute to his or her success.  I am sure that child would love to hear that encouragement from you.

This Thursday is our District Walkthrough.  We, as a staff and administrators, completely own this measure.  After meeting with each data team, I feel we are prepared and know our work is true.  More than anything, I know we can show your work and explain it thoroughly.  You have really worked hard this year.  It is my honor to represent you, your work, and our school to district leadership.   Before we get to Thursday, I want to thank you for your work.  Thank you for trying.  Thank you for taking this journey with us.  No one tells you enough, but we are so grateful each day for your efforts with our students.    Thursday’s review will affirm that work.  Stay posted.  We will let you know.

One last measure we will start giving this Friday and the beginning of next week is the DESE AQ Survey.  This is also one measure that we own completely.  As I was reminded just this morning, it is the journey that is important.  The learning and relationships are a part of that journey.  It didn’t come without hard work, but it has made an incredible difference.  It is my hope for each of you that the results from our survey reflect our school’s journey toward excellence.  You deserve that affirmation.

~Excellence is a journey, not a destination.~

“Points A, B” from me; “Hands of God and Adam” available in CC from Wikimedia file; “Comments and faves” available CC in Flikr by cessami; “Priorities” available CC in Flikr by catd_mitchell; Graded by me.