Ready? Engage.

Posted on by

School started.  It’s been a few crazy busy weeks as you can imagine.  And no matter where I am in St. Joseph, so many people both in education and within the community stop me and ask, “How is school going so far?” It’s a typical question to ask a principal.  But I do often wonder if people ask me that in a way that someone asks of an octogenarian, “How are you doing?”

At Benton High School, I am honestly and happily able to report this is the best school year start I have experienced as a principal.  Now I do follow that up with a humorous search for some sort of wood product to knock on, but I am soundly serious about it being the best start ever.  I can’t quite place my finger on the single factor contributing to our solid start, but if I were a betting woman, I would place a bet on the fact that our staff has decided to engage our students at a level we never have before.

P8300911

SAFE & CIVIL SCHOOLS:  This year, our staff decided to focus on engaging our students at being safe in school.  Our professional development has led us to talking with our students about behaviors that are important to the learning environment and general civility (“We don’t use that mouth in the South”), and I am noticing more staff members and students working together to make this happen.  Our honest conversations about expected behaviors have allowed us to quickly build trust, and with that we have grown a early, strong foundation for learning to happen.  Additionally, our staff also learned that it is tough to “raise” 900 students, and that we have to back each other up in order to do this job together.  I have found myself sharing two important sayings with different people that I think we need to incorporate into this message for my staff since it really has taken hold at our school:  It takes time to learn to work as a team, and it takes a village to raise a child.

WALK THROUGHS:  Another level of engagement is having the three administrators conduct walk throughs on a highly regular basis. It’s amazing how this has raised the level of visibility not only of our administrative team, but the teachers and students as well.   As the feedback of the walk through is shared with all three parties, it allows us to collaborate on issues to improve school operations at a level we have never experienced before.  I am really sort of amazed by it at this point.    The walk through data collection document I created (see “Are We Engaged?) in August is one that I have been test driving and using to give feedback to our departments as well as to talk with students. The students have definite opinions about what does and doesn’t help them learn in the classroom.  Connecting what the teachers are teaching to what the students think they are learning seems so easy,  but what an eye-opener that is turning out to be!P8290910

STUDENT VOICE:  This year, we started by asking our student government leaders to take ownership in several of our academic and operational initiatives to see if that helped our students engage with our staff.  It was a hit.  Our Student Council President returned to the microphone after three years of a secretary taking care of the task to read the school announcements.  In addition, we have also asked our Senior Class President to share the Word of the Week — one aspect of our school’s literacy plan.    Our students have started to seek out new initiatives for school improvement and are using student government and partnering with their teachers to make a difference in our school.  I feel like this is one area we have barely tapped the potential, and I look forward to seeing great things happen with our student leadership.

CAMP:  At Benton High School, CAMP stands for Cardinal Advisement and Mentoring Program.  This is an advisement program that I feel our staff has made shine.  Not only did our teachers initially “draft” for students in their CAMPs, but now they have spent an entire year with the same students who are back with them for year two.  These students spent the first year with their CAMP teacher talking about their grades, understanding their national and state assessment scores (such as MAP EOC or ACT scores), as well as discussing what they want to do after high school or what classes they want to take next semester.  CAMP is special. This year our great counseling department has decided to take the CAMP program to a whole new level.  They are giving themes to each week.  They are making daily announcements talking to CAMPs and reminding them of what work needs to be completed.  They are asking staff and students about what big concerns we have at our school so we can deal with them during CAMP.  We are still working on data, but we are working with data with purpose.  I see CAMP becoming more efficient and more effective.  I knew CAMP and counselors were a good fit.

Like I said earlier, I can’t put my finger on any one thing that has helped our school year start better this year, but it really is better.  I heard one staff member tell another one that it seemed so good this year they were just waiting for the other shoe to drop.  I’ve heard several conversations among staff and students claiming the excitement of what a good year it has been so far, many wondering how and why.

I know how and why.  Because it’s a good year.

341 thoughts on “Ready? Engage.”

  1. I really love your blog.. Great colors & theme. Did you create this web
    site yourself? Please reply back as I’m hoping to create my own personal site and want to learn where you got this from or
    what the theme is called. Many thanks!

    Feel free to visit my site قابلیت Blend اینستاگرام

  6. Fantastic beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your web site, how can i subscribe for a blog website?
    The account aided mme a acceptable deal. I had been tiny bit acquainted of this
    your broadcast offered bright clear concept

    Here is my webpage: Proxies Cheap

  7. Hi are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world but
    I’m trying to get started and set up my own.
    Do you require any html coding expertise to make your own blog?
    Any help would be really appreciated!

    my site; daftar slot

  9. What’s up everyone, it’s my first pay a visit at this website, and piece of writing is genuinely fruitful in favor of me, keep up posting
    these posts.

    Feel free to visit my blog :: link bokep anak kecil

  10. A person necessarily lend a hand to make significantly posts I might state.

    That is the very first time I frequented your web page and to this point?

    I amazed with the research you made to create this particular submit
    amazing. Fantastic job!

    Visit my website: paito warna hk harian 6d rajapaito

  11. Aw, this was a very nice post. Taking a few minutes and actual effort to
    create a really good article… but what can I say…
    I procrastinate a whole lot and don’t manage to get nearly anything done.

    my site :: ngentot anjing

  12. I’m very pleased to discover this website. I want to to thank you for your time just for this fantastic read!!
    I definitely enjoyed every part of it and i also have you saved as a favorite to check out new things on your blog.

    my web blog anak haram tetangga

  13. My partner and I stumbled over here from a
    different website and thought I might as well check things out.

    I like what I see so now i’m following you. Look forward to exploring your web
    page repeatedly.

    My homepage: link resmi

  14. Heya! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any problems with
    hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing many months of hard work due to no data backup.
    Do you have any solutions to protect against hackers?

    Feel free to visit my web site: download film panas

  15. Hello my loved one! I wish to say that this article is amazing, nice written and include almost all important
    infos. I’d like to look extra posts like this .

    Review my web page: nonton bokep tanpa VPN

  16. I need to to thank you for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoyed every
    little bit of it. I have you bookmarked to
    check out new stuff you post…

    My web blog – Find out here

  17. I used to be recommended this blog by means of my cousin. I am no longer certain whether or not this publish is written by way of him as
    nobody else recognise such exact about my difficulty. You’re wonderful!
    Thank you!

    my site :: ngentot pembantu

  18. Do you have a spam issue on this blog; I also am a blogger, and I was wanting to know your situation; many of us have developed some
    nice procedures and we are looking to swap methods with others, please shoot
    me an email if interested.

    My website – ngentot pembantu

  19. Hi there! Quick question that’s totally off topic.

    Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly?

    My web site looks weird when browsing from my apple iphone.
    I’m trying to find a template or plugin that might be able to
    resolve this issue. If you have any recommendations, please share.
    Cheers!

    Review my blog post: Togel838

  20. I constantly emailed this web site post page to all my contacts, for the reason that
    if like to read it next my links will too.

    My blog post :: updateviral.wiki

  21. Hey! This is kind of off topic but I need some advice from an established blog.

    Is it tough to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick.
    I’m thinking about creating my own but I’m not sure where to
    start. Do you have any tips or suggestions? Thank you

    My page – Aticle here

  22. Good way of telling, and pleasant paragraph to take facts on the
    topic of my presentation focus, which i am going
    to deliver in school.

    Here is my site; terpesona.wiki

  23. You need to take part in a contest for one of the finest sites online.
    I most certainly will recommend this blog!

    Also visit my webpage; Buy Shared Proxy

  26. Useful info. Fortunate me I found your site unintentionally, and I’m stunned why this accident did not came about earlier!
    I bookmarked it.

    my web page :: viralxy.pro

  27. It’s truly a nice and useful piece of information. I am glad that
    you just shared this helpful information with us. Please keep
    us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.

    Take a look at my blog post – ngentot nungging

  28. For latest news you have to visit web and on internet I found this web site as a finest web
    page for newest updates.

    Visit my webpage olabahis giriş

  29. I’ve been browsing online more than 4 hours today, yet I never
    found any interesting article like yours. It is pretty worth enough for me.
    Personally, if all site owners and bloggers made good content as you did,
    the internet will be a lot more useful than ever
    before.

    Take a look at my homepage – Indoviralupdate.ink

  30. My brother suggested I might like this web site. He used to be entirely right.
    This publish truly made my day. You can not imagine just how a lot time I had spent for this information! Thanks!

    Here is my blog post; yangviral.wiki

  31. Your way of telling all in this piece of writing is truly nice, every
    one can without difficulty understand it, Thanks a lot.

    Also visit my page … click here

  32. Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could add to
    my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates.
    I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe you would
    have some experience with something like this. Please let me know if you run into anything.
    I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.

    Feel free to visit my web-site :: NH88

  33. Sites for random video calls are trending right
    now for people looking to socialize. From my perspective, these platforms are a great way
    to meet new people.

    What’s really great is the ability to instantly
    connect without any hassle. Well-known platforms
    such as Monkey and Omegle make chatting enjoyable.
    From video chats to global conversations, there’s something for
    everyone.

    Have you tried any of these platforms? Let me know your thoughts below!
    Do you think these apps are worth it?

    Also visit my web-site :: video chat

  34. I’m not sure exactly why but this web site is loading extremely slow for
    me. Is anyone else having this issue or is it a problem on my end?

    I’ll check back later and see if the problem still exists.

    Also visit my blog post: tanteindoviral.live

  36. Hi, i think that i saw you visited my blog thus i
    came to “return the favor”.I am attempting to find things to
    improve my website!I suppose its ok to use a few of your
    ideas!!

    my page انجمن بازی سنتر

  37. Howdy are using WordPress for your site platform?
    I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and
    set up my own. Do you require any coding expertise to make your own blog?

    Any help would be really appreciated!

    Feel free to visit my blog: xnxx.com

  40. Its like you read my mind! You appear to know so much about
    this, like you wrote the book in it or something.
    I think that you can do with a few pics to drive the message home a bit, but other
    than that, this is fantastic blog. A fantastic read. I will certainly be back.

    Feel free to visit my blog post: important source

  41. Thanks , I’ve just been searching for info approximately this
    subject for a long time and yours is the best I have
    came upon till now. But, what about the bottom line?

    Are you sure concerning the supply?

    my webpage Phising dan website penipu

  42. Howdy! This article couldn’t be written much better! Reading through this post reminds me of my
    previous roommate! He continually kept preaching about this.
    I am going to send this post to him. Fairly certain he will have a great read.

    Thank you for sharing!

    my blog post Phising dan website penipu

  43. Superb blog! Do you have any tips and hints for aspiring writers?
    I’m planning to start my own site soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
    Would you advise starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option?
    There are so many choices out there that I’m totally
    confused .. Any suggestions? Appreciate it!

    my webpage … over here

  44. As thhe admi off this site iis working, nno dooubt very quickly iit wiill be well-known, due to
    iits fature contents.

    my website new-bokep.com

  46. Hi! Someone in my Myspace group shared this site with us so I came to give it a look.
    I’m definitely enjoying the information. I’m bookmarking and will be tweeting this to my followers!
    Great blog and brilliant design.

    My page; website phising dan tunnel

  48. You’ve made some really good points there. I checked
    on the internet for more information about the issue and found most individuals will go along with
    your views on this site.

    Here is my web-site: video sex viral

  49. 틀림없이 귀하가 언급한 것을 상상합니다.
    당신의 가장 좋아하는 이유는 웹에서 가장 단순한 요소로
    고려해야 할 것처럼 보였습니다. 저는 당신에게 말합니다,
    저는 다른 사람들이 그들이 분명히 모르는 문제를 생각할 때
    화가 나 확실히 느낍니다. 당신은 부수적인 영향 없이 모든 것을 스마트하게 정의하고, 최고을 정확히
    맞췄습니다. 다른 이들이 신호를 받을 수 있습니다.

    확률이 높게 더 얻기 위해 다시 올 것입니다.

    고맙습니다

    my page; 비아그라 판매

  50. Wow, marvelous blog structure! How lengthy have you ever been running
    a blog for? you made blogging look easy. The whole
    look of your site is magnificent, let alone the content material!

    my website: Pompeii Megareels Megaways

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *