Indiana Career Pathway Panel Discussion

Indiana is working on a new definition of a high school diploma for students in the Class of 2022.  Very soon, Indiana will dismiss the Graduation Qualifying Exam (ISTEP 10+) as the assessment that is required for graduation.  Students may be choosing a diploma type like the do now and will be required to meet a College and Career requirement along with participating in an Applied Learning Experience.  The Graduation Career Pathway Panel has been spending many hours listening to employers, students, and teachers in hopes to providing opportunities that will help students be better prepared for the 21st Century Economy.  You can find a copy of the proposed changes HERE.  

Due to federal regulation (ESSA), the ISTEP 10+ tests cannot go away and they will still be important for schools and students as they currently play a role in our accountability system.  The panel would like to recommend that these tests go back to the End of Course Assessment (ECA) after Algebra I, Biology and English 10 and students will take them as a final examination for each course.  The hopes is that the test will still have some purpose for students to work hard on the exams and be given at a more appropriate time during the high school career.  BUT, students will not have to pass the exams to graduate from high school.

I am personally excited about the idea of the changes.  I have a few concerns about transient students and the flexibility that would be available, but that is my only concern.  Perry Central is very well prepared for these changes with our internships, Governor's Work Ethic Certification, career pathways, certifications and Early College High School options.  Like always, we will rise to any challenge presented to us and we will be able to help students find their own personal success.

I encourage everyone to take a look at the proposed changes.  It is important that we provide feedback to the panel to make sure that we can align students to be successful.  We are so fortunate that Vanessa Johnson has been able to sit on the panel and will help the group make a recommendation to the State Board of Education in December.


If you have any suggestions or questions for the board, I encourage you to speak to Vanessa or I can help you send your response to the board.  Exciting changes are coming to Indiana!

School Notes:

Manufacturing Night – Josh Craney’s class and robotic teams are gearing up for Manufacturing Night on October 25^th at the Ivy Tech in Tell City.  This event is sponsored by the College Success Coalition and is a celebration of modern advanced manufacturing.  Over 17 companies in our region will be participating and students have worked closely to develop relationships and a network of experts to help them prepare for the event.  Many prizes will be given and it is a great opportunity for a free fun night for young and old.  Hope you can make it!!  The program is 6:00 – 7:30 p.m., but you can come and go as you please. 

Assembly Notes: Thank you to everyone who helped with the Hit of Hell program.  I think it is was a great assembly and program.  If some of you are interested in watching (listening) to the documentary, it is worth your time.  It is a topic that our entire community needs to be talking about.
* The video can be found at this website: http://www.hitofhell.com/

 * It is also in the Common Drive in a folder called “Hit of Hell.”  

PSAT - All sophomores and a few juniors/freshmen will be taking the PSAT on Wednesday, October 25th.  Lou Ann will be sending out a detailed schedule soon.  Typically this test runs from 8:00 - 11:30 a.m.

PBIS Lessons - The PBIS Team will be teaching lessons during WIN this week.  Please see Mr. Zeller's email for details.   

Important Dates:

Wednesday, October 25 - PSAT Testing/ Manufacturing Night, Ivy Tech Tell City 

Thursday, October 26 - Perry Central Fall Fest

Quitter Economy

This week I started listening to the Modern Learner’s Podcast, led by Will Richardson.  (You can follow this group on Facebook or on the podcast series.  Their mission is to be change agents in education and help schools meet the needs of our new economy.  It is really interesting for geeks like me who love to learn about economic development and education!)

The Quitter Economy may not be the notion many of you are thinking about.  Individuals who live and work in this economy will QUIT their way to better jobs!  Sounds odd, right?  Not really.  In this economy, individuals will use their experiences and skills gained at work to improve their resumes and quitting to gain better positions or higher paying jobs at other companies.  What young people are finding is that the only way to find value in their own skills and in themselves is to move to greener grass, instead of waiting to be recognized by their current employers. 

As educators, I think we all find the value of being a lifelong learner, but in this new economy, this notion is even more important.  The economy is becoming more and more about what you know and what you are able to DO.  Our students (and own children) will not be getting jobs for life.  They will be continually adapting and changing so they can capitalize on their own strengths. 

Even though we can always get better, I believe that Perry Central is well on their way to preparing our youth for the new world we live in.  We strive to help our students be successful by helping them grow their own network of connections and help them find ways to personalize their own learning and interest.  Our current programs such as internships, dual credits, on-line learning options and even experiences out of the classroom help provide students with confidence to make their own decisions and be autonomous learners.  All of these skills are necessary in our new world. 

Our economy and the world of education are changing.  Sometimes, it is difficult for us to live in both worlds as we strive to meet the needs of the federal and state government testing when we really want to strive for the opportunities we know will help students be successful.  But, we must continue to find ways to be flexible, open minded and innovative in order to help students achieve their own personal success. 

If you want to learn more – load the podcast app on your phone and search for Modern Learners.  I promise it will be an interesting conversation! 

School Notes:

Manufacturing Night – Josh Craney’s class and robotic teams are gearing up for Manufacturing Night on October 25^th at the Ivy Tech in Tell City.  This event is sponsored by the College Success Coalition and is a celebration of modern advanced manufacturing.  Over 17 companies in our region will be participating and students have worked closely to develop relationships and a network of experts to help them prepare for the event.  Many prizes will be given and it is a great opportunity for a free fun night for young and old.  Hope you can make it!!  The program is 6:00 – 7:30 p.m., but you can come and go as you please. 

Junior Achievement – Juniors will be participating in Junior Achievement Career Success day on Wednesday, October 20^th .  A schedule of the day will be posted soon. 

Sadie Hawkin's Dance – The PC Student Council is hosting the Sadie Hawkin's Dance this Saturday evening in the high school cafeteria.  Looking forward to a great event!

Pep Session – We will be having a pep session for boys varsity football on Friday, October 20^th.  Details will be coming soon.  For this pep session, we will be going outside to the track.  The band is going to perform along with us cheering on our boys.  Should be a great afternoon.  We may release a little earlier than normal – we will keep you posted. 

Meeting Changes – This week, we are going to cancel our faculty meeting that was scheduled for Tuesday morning.  We will be meeting after school for our PLC meeting on Wednesday, October 18^th.  Please make arrangements to be able to meet with your teams in the high school library from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Convocation – Students in grades 9-12 will be participating in a program on Friday October 20^th from 10:00 – 11:00 in the high school gym.  Students will be watching a video on Thursday called “Hit from Hell”, which is a documentary made by the prosecutor in Harrison County about the drug issues facing our community.  Then on Friday, the Harrison County prosecutor will be facilitating a panel discussion with our own prosecutor, judge and sheriff.  We will email more details early in the week.  I think it will be a great event.  Thank you to Jackie Collucci for arranging the program. 

Important Dates:

Wednesday, October 18^th – After School PLC Meeting 3:00 – 4:00 p.m./ Grades are due at Midnight/ Junior Achievement Event for juniors

Thursday, October 19^th – Great American Shake Out

Friday, October 20^th – Student Convocation 10:00 – 11:00/ Pep Session/ Opening round of sectional play @ Perry Central – starting at 6:30 p.m./ Report Cards come out/ SLOs due in the SFS system

Saturday, October 21^st – Sadie Hawkin’s Dance 

Shut the GATE!

Last summer, my husband Jediah, had a three day meeting out of town.  When he is gone, I typically have to take on the extra responsibilities of feeding our small cattle and sheep herds (which I enjoy). 
As I backed the ranger out of the garage that morning, to my surprise, I was welcomed by the entire herd of cattle staring at me in our back yard!  Now, our cows get out on occasion, but this time was different - because to get to our back yard, they had to walk a quarter mile through the woods to get there!!

Long story short, Jediah had forgotten to shut the gate three days prior and they picked the day he was out of town to explore.  After a little over an hour of chasing, running, and maybe even crying a bit, my Aunt Marlene and I were able to find the entire herd and get them back to the pasture where they belonged.  I will never forget this morning!!  The small mistake of forgetting to latch the gate ended up in a fiasco and a really good story that my husband will never live down.  I can promise you one thing - we learned to NEVER FORGET TO SHUT THAT GATE! 

Mistakes happen everyday.  Some we can laugh at and some can be very life changing.  Regardless, powerful learning is occurring. 

We should celebrate our mistakes in and out of the classroom.  All to often, mistakes are looked down upon, especially in education!  I think the entire education system teaches students to shut down, when really we should be celebrating the opportunity to learn!  This shift in a mindset has proven to be powerful in Carol Dweck's Growth Mindset research.  We must teach our students to embrace learning through mistakes! 

One of my favorite classroom activities is called "My Favorite No".  You can find a video clip HERE.  In this activity, the teacher finds their favorite mistake that a student makes and shares it with the class, allowing everyone to learn.  It is a great way to create a culture of growth mindset in the classroom and help all students know that making mistakes is a very normal part of the learning process.  (I challenge all of you to try this activity this week!)

Learning from our mistakes is a very powerful tool!  We must learn to embrace and celebrate those times.  When we do, we all remember shut the gate!   


School Notes: 

* Bill Reed, math specialist, will be here to meet with our math department on Friday, October 6th.  We will be looking at vertical alignment, grades 4-12 along with ways we can help struggling students in math.  Looking forward to a great day of learning!

* Perry County College Fair, Monday, October 2nd.  Perry Central will go from 9:30 - 10:20 a.m.  A list of students will be shared with faculty and staff Monday morning. 

* All 8th grade students will participate in the Tour of Opportunity on Friday, October 6th.  Students will get to visit several large employers in Perry County and learn about job opportunities that are here in the county.  It will be a great day for all students.  Students from Tell City and Cannelton will be participating as well. 

* Pep Session - Also, On Friday, October 6th, we will have a Pep Session for Cross Country and Volleyball teams. 

* This Friday is the end of the first 9 weeks.  Report Cards will not come out until Friday, October 20th due to Fall Break.  Also, SLOs are due Friday, October 20th. 


Important Dates: 

Monday, October 2nd - College Fair 9:30 - 10:20 a.m./ Varsity Volleyball @ South Spencer 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, October 3rd - Senior Night - Varsity Volleyball @ Home vs. Forest Park 5:00 p.m./ Commodore Table - Elementary Cafeteria/

Thursday, October 5th - Assistant Meeting during lunch in Adjunct Room/ Financial Aid Night for senior families to learn about FAFSA - 6:00 p.m./ Varsity Volleyball @ Springs Valley  5:30 p.m.

Friday, October 6th - 8th Grade Tour of Opportunity (All Day)/ Pep Session  2:35 p.m./ Blood Drive in high school gym/ Math Team Meeting