“Excellence can be obtained if you:
…care more than others think is wise;
…risk more than others think is safe;
…dream more than others think is practical;
…expect more than others think is possible.”

(Anonymous, from Tom Peter’s book: The Little BIG Things: 163 Ways to Pursue EXCELLENCE)

Week 1 in Review

Man oh man.  I knew it was going to be a good start. We looked great at the convocation thanks to MSG Rivera, MAJ Stackhouse, and JROTC. The staff picnic lunch was a huge hit.  We received not only positive feedback from several of you about our PD, but we got a ton of constructive input to how we could make our learning better and more applicable to all staff. Our Back to School night, despite limited advertisement, turned out to be a very popular event for our parents and students. They loved it, and many comments were made about how friendly and helpful our staff was Monday night.

All in all, the first days of school seemed to run very smoothly. I appreciate everyone’s comments on how helpful our new instructional coach was in solving operational issues and making sure those problems got solved. I also appreciate the cooperative spirit of the entire staff – stepping in or stepping up to make sure all important or priority matters were taken care of. And of course, no one can deny the “Pièce de résistance” of the week…our Pep Assembly and Jamboree!  Many thanks to everyone who made that happen — cheerleaders, poms, band, fall coaches, and JROTC — and hats off to Coach Fowler for a great game rally.  And the game.  What a feat! Great job football coaches for getting our players ready for a great win!  It was the best way to end an incredible week!
Go Cardinals!

Week 2 – Looking Ahead
I am excited for this upcoming week.  Here are a couple of things to remember:
1.  CAMP — We are talking to the kids this week about credits required to graduate.  Make sure you talk through this thoroughly.  Use the “token sheet” and share with the students that without exception it takes 25 credits (ie. like game tokens) for a diploma and how they go about earning each credit (or half credit).  It seems easy, but they often forget about earning credits in categories (subject areas).  And most of the freshmen really don’t understand this at all.
2.  Start strong on our literacy plan.  Make sure you remember to include your vocabulary word, SSR on Wednesday, and Eyes Past Print (EPP) at the end of the week.  My word this week will be MOMENTUM.  How could it be anything else?
3.  Don’t forget to turn in all class change requests. The deadline is FRIDAY!  Please explain to students that requests for class changes may not all be given due to large class sizes or lack of class availability in a student’s schedule.
4.  The new district Emergency Response Charts should be posted in your room near your door.  On Friday, administration will complete a building walkthrough to ensure all departments are prepared.  Do not forget to add class rosters and  paper slips for fire drills (to turn in when students are missing).  Departments in 100% compliance will be getting ice cream treats the following week.  Yay!
5.  We are having a Pep Assembly again this Friday.  Think…MOMENTUM!  At the assembly, we will be honoring the golf, tennis, cross country and softball teams.  Fall coaches, it’s round two.  Keep the spirit alive!  We will work on our new cheer,(staff, be ready to take the floor and show the students our spirit) and make sure you share with your CAMPs how the cheerleaders are introducing new cheers on the bulletin boards each week.

And in all things remember…
Excellence is a journey, not a destination.

Go Cardinals!