Servant Profession

Monday Moment:

"Education is a servant profession." George Couros    

 Servant Leadership can be described as putting your students first and yourself second.  Couros' observation of the education field really describes how noble our profession is.  Being a good listener, helping each students achieve their individual success, catching students being good and giving respect are all strong qualities of this type of leadership. Being a servant leader is a humbling experience that creates a caring and accepting culture - a place where we all want to be.

I feel fortunate that servant leadership is the core Perry Central Community Schools (in my opinion.)  I see this leadership style everyday in our building. Faculty, staff and students go above and beyond to ensure that each and every student has what it takes to learn; whether it is food on the table, clothes on their backs, a good friend or a helping hand. I am proud that my own children get to be apart of a community that continues to give and put others first.  A sincere thank you to all of you for giving so much of yourselves everyday and making everyone feel they matter.

Promising Practices:

The RTI team has been reading an interesting book called "Causes and Cures" by Margaret Searle .  It is a book based on brain research that can give us a lot of information about the behaviors and academic stresses our students face everyday.  Here are a few quick facts you may find interesting:

• The term executive function is used by neurologist to describe the brain processes that drive our ability to focus, solve problems, organize ourselves, remember information, learn from mistakes and manage impulses. 
• Executive skills such s planning, attention span and organization show a spike in development at the age of 5, but do not peak until late to mid-20's!! (THAT explains a few things!!  :-) )
• Genetics, disabilities, stages of life, gender, quality of family life, self-concept and stress levels all affect the natural timeline for the development of executive functioning. 
• Understanding how executive skills develop can help us figure out the best responses to academic and behavioral problems that are often mistaken for laziness, carelessness or lack of motivation. 

Stay tuned in next week for more information!  

Important Dates:  
- November 28 -   Girls Varsity vs. Lanesville  5:30 p.m.

- November 29 - 

- November 30 - 

- December 1 -   Girls Varsity Vs. Crawford Co.  5:30 p.m.

- December 2 -  Boys Varsity Vs. Cannelton  6:00 p.m.






Have a Great Week!

Thanksgiving

Monday Moment:

Thanksgiving is always one of my favorite times of the year.  Getting together with family, watching the big football game and planning our Black Friday shopping strategy is always exciting.  The conversations at the dinner table include a little bit of politics, education topics,  farming anecdotes, and of course the yearly joke that when my mom was in college, she asked if Thanksgiving would be on a Thursday again.

Most of all, this time of the year reminds me of how lucky I am to work at Perry Central.  Perry Central is more than just a place to work, it is a place I call home.  I am amazed each and every day about how much all of our faculty and staff care about kids and will go the extra mile to make sure our students have what they need.  Our Perry Central family makes me proud and I am so grateful that I get to work with each and every one of you.

What are you grateful for?  Share in the attitude of gratitude and feel free to comment at the end of this blog.

Happy Thanksgiving!  Looking forward to your posts.

Promising Practices:

This past week, Tara has been working hard to write a grant that would help us embed our Work Ethic Certification deeper into our school culture.  Through the grant process, she had to share some data that speaks to the changing student body at Perry Central.  This data, along with the challenge of teaching the millennial generation reminds me of the importance of quality classroom instruction that meets the needs of our students - and these needs are changing rapidly.  This is one of the most challenging times in education as we have to understand the executive function of student brains, make sure we are providing interactive lessons that keep the short attention span of students focused, and building relationships with each and every student!   Shew!!  I am sure glad that all of you are up to that challenge!!

Below you will find interesting data for you to look at and a chart that shows millennial needs in the classroom:

Data: 
* 35.4% of the students at Perry Central Jr-Sr High School qualify for free or reduced lunch.
* Free/reduced lunch rates have climbed in the last 15 years from 21 to 37.4% corporation-wide.
*15.5% of the county’s children live in poverty, which is higher than the Indiana average.
*Perry County was ranked 71st in per capita personal income in 2014 at $33,752, nearly $6,000 lower than the state average.
*The monthly average of persons issued Food Stamps in Perry County has risen from 662 in 2000 to 1,752 in 2015.

Chart:


Important Dates:  
- November 21st - Varsity Girls Basketball @ Cannelton

- November 22nd -   Mid-term reports go home!

- November 23rd - First day of Thanksgiving Break/ Boys Varsity Basketball @ home against Tell City

Enjoy your short week!

Monday Moment:

"We can choose to be grateful, no matter what."  Deiter Uchtodorf

This quote caught my eye this week.  I have found that the simple process of gratitude can really change a person's perspective on life.  Even in our darkest moments there are glimmers of hope.

It reminds me of losing my dad to cancer.  Obviously, it was one of the most devastating times for our family. Seeing a man who lived for working on the farm, supporting his kids and grand kids and giving back to the community he lived in, being forced quit was a heart wrenching time.  The man I was always able to lean on was suddenly relying on his family to keep him going.  Watching him leave this world and enter into his eternal life still leaves our family with an emptiness that is hard to describe.

But, I am still grateful for these times and memories of my dad.  He never complained one time about being sick and always tried to be happy when we were there.  We were able to have some great conversations and spend some of the best quality time together as a family.  I had no idea how many people my dad touched in his life until his funeral.  The number of people who stood in line just to pay their respects was heartwarming and touching.

Focusing on these positives experiences through my dad's death is uplifting and peaceful.  And even though I would do anything to have him back,  I am grateful for these experiences.  I have found having a grateful attitude can change one's perspective in life.

So my challenge to you this week is to be grateful.  Our lives can be so overwhelming at times but if we can focus on the positives and pass along the attitude of gratitude, I believe we can overcome anything.

Promising Practices:

We have a great school filled with great kids.    I know I do not need to say that out loud, but sometimes I do not think we say it enough.  This week I was able to attend a few events with our students that just made me proud.  During FedEx Day, I was reminded of how thoughtful our students are.  Every FedEx project came from the heart and they all gave back to the school or community in one way or another.  Even though this election year can make us worry about the future of America, I know the future of Perry County is bright with the leaders we have in our building.

Tuesday night were our Fall Athletic Banquets.  Our athletes accepted their awards and accolades in the most humble ways and exhibited traits of what true team spirit looks like.  They were quick to congratulate their team mates and show appreciation to the coaching staff and their parents.

And, Saturday night I traveled to the University of Louisville to watch our band students participate in the U of L Band Days.  They got to play under the big lights with over 1100 other high school band students.  They always  represent Perry Central so well by their politeness, strong work ethic and pride.

These are just three small examples of the impact our student body made in just one week!  I know they are always successful because of the role models they have as teachers, sponsors, assistants and parents.  Thanks for all you do! Hope you have a great week!

Important Dates:  
- November 15th - High School Faculty Meeting 7:20 a.m.  McDonald's Breakfast!!/ Girls Varsity Basketball @ South Spencer

- November 16th - Vocational Meeting with Jarred Howard  7:20 a.m.  (He is bringing donuts!)

- November 17th - RTI Meeting 7:20 a.m. (Finishing sharing the book)/ Girls Varsity Basketball hosts Forest Park

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Have a Great Week!

Election Day!

Monday Moment:

Election week is finally here.  I think we are all tired of hearing about the election at the local, state and national levels.  I can't say that I will miss the controversial adds, statements, newspaper articles and conversations.  Although, I have enjoyed my own kids' perspectives on the election.  They are definitely opinionated about who I should vote for, which is refreshing that they want to be apart of the process.

Even though this time of year can be exhausting, it is also a proud time to be an American.  We live in a democracy that favors equal rights, freedom of speech, a fair trial and tolerates the views of minorities.  Men and women have given the ultimate sacrifice of their lives just so we can have this right.  Voting is a fundamental process that keeps our system of government working.  It gives all of us a voice on who we want to represent us on the local, state and national level.

So, whether you are a democrat, republican, independent, libertarian, etc.  I hope you make time to vote on Tuesday, November 8th.  Franklin D. Rossevelt said, "Nobody will ever deprive the American people the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting."   So please, do not deprive yourself of that right, make sure you vote.   Whether your candidates win or lose, your opinions matter and it is the best way you can exercise your rights in this democracy.

Kid President has a great message for all of us this time of the year! Pause... Breathe... LOVE.   I am just going to stick with STEP 6. . . . . .  Click here for video.

Promising Practices:

I hope you had a chance to take a look at some of the formative classroom assessment technique (FACT)  ideas in your folders last week.  I will be adding a new one to your mailboxes today called "No-Hands Questioning".  You have probably heard this one before.  If you are looking for a way to stimulate thinking and provide an opportunity for all students to share their learning and be accountable, this is an easy one to do!!  You could even do a little turn and talk prior to the no-hands just so everyone has had a chance to think about some type of answer.

Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam define formative assessment classroom techniques as all activities undertaken by teachers, and/or students, which provides feedback that modifies teaching and learning activities.  I am always amazed at the impact FACTs have on the learning that is taking place in the classroom.  Teachers are provided with information that impacts instruction in real-time, students are highly engaged during the learning process and as a result student achievement is high.

It was exciting to see this first hand this week in the Math 7 Block class, led by Cheryl, Heidi and Jenny.  Students were using white boards to answer math problems, 3x5 cards to put numbers in order from greatest to least, small group problem solving with immediate feedback, no-hands questioning and more.  Students were engaged, happy, and enjoying the learning process.  Even though students did not always have the correct answer the first time, students and teachers were getting timely feedback that allowed the teacher make real-time adjustments to their instruction and provide support to students that allowed them to be successful.  I am looking forward to seeing more formative classroom assessment activities in the weeks to come!

Important Dates:  
- November 7th - Time Change Breakfast!  High School Library 7:20 a.m.- 8:00 a.m. (you are welcome to come and go as you please.)/ School Board Meeting 6:30 p.m.

- November 8th - Election Day!!    PBIS Data Committee meeting/ Girls Varsity Basketball Home Game 5:30 p.m.

- November 9th - Millennial Training for entire corporation- High School Library 3:00 - 4:00 p.m./ ASVAB Testing for Juniors/ FFA Crops, Entomology CDE

- November 10th - RTI Meeting 7:20 a.m./ Fall Athletic Banquets

- November 11th - Veterans Day/ Girls Varsity Basketball @ Mitchell 5:30 p.m.

- November 12th - Perry Central Band playing in U of L Band Days


Have a Great Week!