Grace

The act of grace has been on my heart this week.  Grace can be defined as: the exercise of love, kindness, compassion, favor to benefit or serve others.  Sometimes a more simple definition is forgiveness and support.  We all need grace.  This act of kindness and compassion is also necessary in our learning environments as well.  Children and adults a like are trying to wade through this messy world and life, frankly, can just be overwhelming.  We all have a story; a battle we are fighting.  Being able to have an opportunity to learn and work in an environment that supports the needs of all of those who enter the building is what makes our school a special place.  Thank you for being a school of empathy, understanding, and grace. You are creating a safe learning environment where our students can thrive.  

School News: 

Updated Grading Scale: Teachers - the new grading scale has been updated in Skyward. You may notice a letter grade changing here and there.  An email to parents will be sent home early this week.  Please let us know if you have any questions!

Sunrise Spirit!!  - Channel 14 will kick off their Sunrise Spirit road trip this year at Perry Central on September 1st.  This is a food-drive program.  All of the food will get to come back and serve our own community.  The pep-rally runs from 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m. on September 1st.  Please help us get the kids excited!!

Virtual Day - September 5th with be a virtual day for students and professional development day for teachers.  Please be sure to follow the virtual day protocol.  Looking forward to a successful day!

8th Period/Tutoring - 8th Period and morning tutoring will begin this week.  8th period runs Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3:00- 4:00 p.m. and Wednesday mornings from 7:15 - 8:00 a.m. with math support.  

Commodore Table: Luke Bishop is starting the Commodore Table on September 5th.  This is a free, hot meal for community members. Please help spread the word about this wonderful service.

* You can find several important documents in the Teacher Resource Folder on your Google Drive.   

Important Dates: 

Tuesday, August 29 - Varsity Volleyball @ H vs. NE Dubois/ Cross Country @ Boonvile
   
Thursday, August 31 - Varsity Volleyball @ Tecumseh  6:00 p.m./ Varsity Cross Country @ North Harrison/   Sunrise School Challenge - Building of CANS  3:00 p.m.

Friday, September 1 - Sunrise School Spirit   5:55 a.m. - 7:00 a.m. High School Gym/ Varsity Football Away @ Crawford County 6:30 p.m.

September 19 - Parent-Teacher Conferences
September 22 - Family Fun Night @ Mulzer's Park

Wet Cement

This quote struck a chord with me today. Whether in our professional or personal lives, the choices we make everyday have a profound affect on the children in our community. We know that a child's experiences in life can affect their brain development and alter their behavior. We also know that the brain, particularly in childhood, can recover and the largest factor in making these repairs are relationships.    

At our faculty meeting last week, the Book Club shared their take-a- ways from the Fostering Resilient Learners book they read this summer. They shared with us some tid-bits of the book and reminded us of the things we can do to help students learn.  Heidi's 2 x 10 strategy seemed very doable. She reminded us that if we can take two minutes to talk about a personal interest to a student ten days in a row that it can help develop a relationship!  Dana's reminder that just being present in the classroom everyday and welcoming all students with a smile helps students feel safe, and we know that safe feeling is key!  Stephanie reminded us that it is more beneficial to respond than to react. If we can balance between empathy and holding students accountable, we can really change the environment of our classroom.  Vanessa reminded us of the importance of these three parts of the problem solving steps:  reassuring, validating and repairing.   All to often, we skip to respond and resolve without that deep listening that would help us understand and our students to feel like they were listened to.

In our book club discussions, Mackenzie Petty pulled out one of the most profound statements in the book, "rather than focusing on what we cannot control, lets focus on the parts we can influence."  As an educator, if we can focus on building relationships, responding to situations calmly, and showing empathy to those around us, we can make a deep, positive impression in so many lives.

   

School News: 

Solar Eclipse - We will release students at 1:00 on Monday to report to the football field.  Please remind yourself about the presentation you should give at the beginning of 5th period! 

Sunrise Spirit!!  - Channel 14 will kick off their Sunrise Spirit road trip this year at Perry Central on September 1st.  This is a food-drive program.  All of the food will get to come back and serve our own community.  The pep-rally runs from 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m. on September 1st.  Please help us get the kids excited!!

* You can find several important documents in the Teacher Resource Folder on your Google Drive.   

Important Dates: 

Tuesday, August 22 - Varsity Volleyball @ H vs. Corydon Central   5:30 p.m.

Thursday, August 24 - Varsity Volleyball @ North Harrison  5:30 p.m.

Friday, August 25 - Varsity Football @ Forest Park  6:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 26 - Varsity Cross Country @ Evansville Harrison 9:00 a.m./ Varsity Volleyball Tip-Off Tourney @ PC  8:30 a.m./  Farm to Table Event - Main Street, Tell City

Welcome 2017-2018!

Welcome Back!  It seems like yesterday we were ending the school year and now we are back with new pencils, new rooms and new lessons!  Last week, we welcomed back many familiar, smiling faces and over 28 new students to Perry Central Jr./Sr. High School!  We had a great week with Rachel's Challenge and a kick-off to our PBIS initiative, Commodore Pride.

As I watched those smiling faces come through the doors on the first day, I couldn't help to think about the stories, life experiences, anxiety, grief, anticipation hiding behind some of the new backpacks and crisp ironed clothes. The professional development we were apart of this summer reminded me that we all have a story and we are all human.  We know that students cannot learn until they feel safe and have a relationship with the one that is teaching them.  

I was also reminded of the hope you give our students each and every day.  You provide a safe place for them to learn, grow and gain confidence.  Thank you for taking time to develop deep relationships with our students and working hard to understand them the best you can.   Continue to seek to understand and be slow to judge, as you always are.  Thanks for being a place of safety, kindness and advocacy for our students.  Perry Central is truly a special place because of all of you!!

School Notes: 

* Vanessa Johnson attended a IDOE Graduation Pathways Panel Members with our State Superintendent, several DOE Board Members and Legislators on Thursday! This was the first of several meetings. Her job is to represent all teachers across the state of Indiana and help develop recommendations to the Legislature on graduation requirements for students.  Thanks, Vanessa for representing us so well!!

* Varsity Volleyball opens this week with a home game against Booneville at 5:30 p.m. on August 14th!  Good Luck to Melissa and our coaches and athletes!

* Varsity Football will open against Tell City on Friday, August 18 @ 7:00 p.m.!  Good luck to Coach Gibson and his coaches and athletes as well!!  Beat the Marksmen!!

* Perry Central FFA will be cooking the meal once again for the Farm To Table Event taking place on Main Street in Tell City on August 26th.  It is a great evening to celebrate Perry County agriculture as all of the food will come from local farmers.  FFA members will be meeting with the Quality of Life Committee on Monday during lunch to make final plans.  Thank you to Carrie Guillaume and the Perry Central FFA for serving our community!

* You can find several important documents in the Teacher Resource Folder on your Google Drive.   

Important Dates: 

Monday, August 14 - School Board Meeting 6:30 p.m. High School Library/ Varsity Volleyball @ Home 5:30/

Tuesday, August 15 - Faculty Meeting 7:20 a.m./ Varsity Volleyball @ Cannelton 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 17 - Discussion Meeting 7:30 a.m.

Friday, August 18 - Varsity Football @ Tell City  7:00 p.m.