Thoughts for Back to School

I heard an interesting fact on the radio this morning.  Students who do not get the proper amount of sleep, function 2 grade levels below their ability level.  I needed to pass this along because as we prepare for the school year and start to get out students to bed earlier and earlier and up earlier and earlier, we need to remember why!

The elementary teachers at Cotton and AlBrook are working hard to prepare to implement a new literacy program.  Many of the teachers are already using these tools but have spent the summer learning about how to really change the way we teach students to read.  If you would like to search for some of these topics you can look up Balanced Literacy, www.mondopub.com, Guided Reading, and The Daily 5.  I am so excited to see what this will look like for our students this year.  There is one thing I know for sure . . . students will be reading and they will be reading at their level.  I also believe students will see great growth in their reading skills this year.  It will be different and sometimes that is hard, however, I do believe students will love this approach and we hope that will result in a greater love of reading.

Stay tuned for more exciting news from the Cotton and AlBrook schools!

The Communities Coming Together

I spent today at the Meadowlands Fair and met many wonderful people.  I met students from Cotton, saw AlBrook students and met many students from the area that are looking to attend the new school.  As I look at the work we do at AlBrook and Cotton right now, I believe we do many things very well.  However, as I meet 4 year olds that will be the first class to come to the school and middle school students that plan to attend the new school, I can't help but think . . . how will we do things even better?

One of my goals this year is to talk to people from the area and find out what they want from schools.  I know we want sports and we need before and after school care because those are items the public comes in to see.  I want to know what we want our students to know and how we want them to learn.  I want to challange students, staff, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, community members to tell me what the would like from our school.  We have an opportunity to implement technology, arts, vocational skills, science, and enhanced English and math programs in these schools but what will we do to really make a difference?

Stay tuned as we dig in to this topic/adventure!

Unexpected Learning

I joined the 3-6 grade teachers from the district this morning as they learned about the new guided reading series.  The very first activity was to read a book and share information with your neighbor and then the group.  The consultant made sure I was on task and told me I would be involved, not that I would be multi-tasking.  The book she asked me to read was about a young man who bullied students in the school and did not like the teachers or principal.  The principal noticed this young man looking out at the courtyard one day.  He was curious because he had been so confrontational the many times he was in the office.  The principal learned the boy was looking at the birds in the courtyard.  He was still short with the principal but he thought there may be something there.  He called him in another day and the discussion continued and that his grandfather has taught him about birds and he really enjoyed learning about them.  The principal used this relationship to not only inspire the boy but to build a relationship with the boy and his grandfather.

Each year we have students come in to our buildings ready to learn.  We also have students come to our doors that need to be shown the staff is worthy of their time and energy.  My goal this year, as in every year, is to work with the whole student.  I challenge the staff at AlBrook and Cotton to continue to work to get through to their students.  I challenge students and parents to work hard to understand their classmates and be a friend.  Being a friend can just be checking in with someone with a friendly HELLO in the morning.  Being a friend is not making fun of someone, laughing at them, or even leaving someone out.  Next year we will be trying to get to know our new classmates, let's spend this year getting to know our current classmates.

Summer is coming to an end . . . keep reading, start adjusting your clocks to "school time", and get ready for a great school year!

The Schools are Open!

August is here again and the schools are open.  It has been a great summer of spending time with my family, reading great books, and of course planning for the school year!  We have our test scores back and have made some really nice improvements!  This year I will be spliting time between the AlBrook and Cotton Schools.  This will be an awesome way to get to know the families at Cotton and I am looking forward to a great year.