Self-Care

Life in general can be stressful, and I think that is especially true in the education field.  We all have chosen education because of our strong desire to serve others. Too often, we are forgetting to take care of ourselves.  I am reminded of the words of Jules Alverado, "I cannot give away that which is not mine to give."  She reminds us if we do not take care of ourselves, we are not going to be able to fully help others.  So how can we do this?   Here are a few ideas about how we can learn to self-care/regulate: 

     * Meditation.  Research suggests that daily meditation may alter the brain's neural pathways, making you more resilient to stress.
     * Breathe Deeply.  Slowly inhale through your nose, feeling the breath start in your abdomen and work to the top of your head.  This practice counters stress by slowing heart rate & lowering your blood pressure.
    * Be Present.  Slow Down.  Spend time in the moment focusing on your senses, you should feel less tense.
    * Reach Out.  Talk to others, preferably face-to-face or on the phone.
    * Laugh out Loud.  Laughing lowers cortisol, your body's stress hormone & boosts feel-good brain chemicals, endorphins.
    * Get Moving.   Exercise can ease depression and anxiety by releasing endorphins as well. Take a short walk around the track, shoulder rolls or stretching can be helpful!
    *  Be Grateful.  Keep a journal or note pad to write down the good things in life.

Together, we can make this a focus and continue to lead low and slow lives that can be helpful to our community!


Important School Notes:

* Faculty Meeting - We will have our first Faculty Meeting on Tuesday, August 28th at 7:20 a.m. in the high school library.  You may want to bring your computers.  A light breakfast will be served! 

*Suicide/Mental Health Awareness - Thanks to Kelly, Lauren, Brittany and Maria our students will be getting some Suicide/Mental Health training on Tuesday during their English classes.  We appreciate their efforts during this busy time!  

* Vocational Teacher Meeting - Our Vocational Director, Jarred Howard will be here on Friday, August 31st during 1st lunch to update us on Perkins Money and other vocational information.  We will meet in Josh Craney's room.  If you need help with WIN coverage, please let me know.

* Virtual/PD Day:  On September 4th, students will have a virtual day and teachers will come to school for professional development.  Teachers should give out virtual assignments on Friday, August 31st.  Please remember that assignments should not be due for at least 1-2 days after students return to campus to ensure they have had the resources to complete the work.  A professional development schedule will be coming soon!

* Parent-Teacher Conferences:  We will host Parent-Teacher Conferences on Thursday, September 20th.  Students will be released at 1:00 p.m. and conferences will run from 1:00 - 7:00 p.m.

* SAT/ACT Prep Class:  Mr. Linne and Ms. Petty will be offering free ACT/SAT prep classes before school starting this week!  Ms. Petty will teach English on Tuesday mornings and Mr. Linne, math, on Wednesday mornings from 7:05-7:55 a.m.  Please encourage your students to take advantage of this!

Important Dates: 

Tuesday, August 28 -  Faculty Meeting 7:20 a.m./  Varsity Volleyball @ NE Dubois  5:30 p.m.

Thursday, August 30 - Varsity Volleyball @ Home 5:30 p.m.

Friday, August 31 - Fall Homecoming Varsity Football @ Home (Active and Retired Military will get in free!) /

Tuesday, September 4 - Virtual Day for students/PD for teachers   8:00 - 3:00

It's a WIN!

I love high school sports!  For me, it is a time when our community comes together to rally around our student body and cheer for one common goal: a win!  What a great cause!  Being a small, rural, community school, the events often bring back Perry Central Alumni as well!  Once a Commodore, always a Commodore at heart, right?  

This past Friday night while standing along the fence, I felt a tap on my shoulder.  I turned around to see two young men who had graduated from Perry Central just a few years ago.  They each gave me a hug and shared they hadn't been back on campus for a couple of years.  Both of these young men had spent a lot of time in my office for many reasons: conversations about not passing classes, few small discipline issues and of course we had a lot of pep talks about what the future could hold.  Back then, school was not their favorite place to be, to say the least.

As we talked, I learned that both boys had decided to join the Millwright Union.  They found a way to use their charm, intelligence and hard working skills to move their way up to very high paying jobs and even a company truck!  Both were so excited about the work they were doing.  Their eyes glistened as they told me they were actually good at math (even though they didn't get the best grades) and they were proud of their work.  Both even went on to say how they want to share their experiences with others because getting an education and finding a job that they are good at was a life changing experience.  (Their words, not mine!) 

Those two boys will never understand what an impact they had on me Friday night.  It reminded me the importance of NEVER giving up on our students, ALWAYS building strong relationships no matter what, and always looking for the GOOD in others.  Those boys came back to Perry Central that night not only to watch the game, but to touch base with the school that always believed in them as individuals.  Perry Central helped them win in the game of life!  Thanks to all of you who touched their lives! 

Also, congrats to the football team for bringing back the MarCom trophy!  It is finally back in its rightful home!  :-)  Go Commodores! 

Important Information: 

* Faculty Meeting - We will have our first Faculty Meeting on Tuesday, August 21st at 7:20 a.m. in the high school library.  You may want to bring your computers.  A light breakfast will be served! 

* Virtual/PD Day:  On September 4th, students will have a virtual day and teachers will come to school for professional development.  Teachers should give out virtual assignments on Friday, August 31st.  Please remember that assignments should not be due for at least 1-2 days after students return to campus to ensure they have had the resources to complete the work.  A professional development schedule will be coming soon!

* Parent-Teacher Conferences:  We will host Parent-Teacher Conferences on Thursday, September 20th.  Students will be released at 1:00 p.m. and conferences will run from 1:00 - 7:00 p.m.

* SAT/ACT Prep Class:  Mr. Linne and Ms. Petty will be offering free ACT/SAT prep classes before school starting this week!  Ms. Petty will teach English on Tuesday mornings and Mr. Linne, math, on Wednesday mornings from 7:05-7:55 a.m.  Please encourage your students to take advantage of this!

* IREADY Formative Assessment Tool - Perry Central is going to start utilizing the IReady Formative Assessment tool to help us prepare for ILearn testing.  This tool is going to replace Study Island & NWEA.  This Friday at 9:00, IReady will be here to provide us with some baseline training.  Junior High math and English teachers will be a part of the training.  More information will come soon! 

* Welcome! We want to welcome Rachal Mills to our Commodore Family! She is going to be a new assistant in our building!  We will be sharing her with the elementary!  Welcome, Rachal!

Important Dates: 

Monday, August 20th - Data Team Meeting 3:00 pm.

Tuesday, August 21st - Faculty meeting 7:20 a.m./ Varsity Volleyball @ Corydon 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, August 22nd

Thursday, August 23rd - Varsity Volleyball @ home vs. North Harrison @ 5:30 p.m.

Friday, August 24th  - Varsity Football @ home vs. Forest Park  6:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 25 - Varsity Cross Country @ Evansville Harrison Invitational  9:00 a.m.

"Whatever you are, be a good one!" Abe Lincoln

One of my favorite quotes of all time is, "Whatever you are, be a good one." by Abe Lincoln.  Even though I think about this quote often, it really struck me this week as we had a couple of visitors into our school, including Tim Hayden, COO of the Indiana Chamber and of course the honorable Governor Holcomb.  Both of these individuals visited on different days but had the same goal, to learn about our Internship Program and Earn and Learn (Commodore Manufacturing) opportunities.

It is exciting that people of this caliber recognize the work all our of faculty and staff are doing each day.  They are amazed by the opportunities our students have, especially in our small, rural setting and they recognize the economic impact that programs like this have on our economy.  They leave with the goal of taking ideas back to replicate. (Even though the secret to any success is not the program, but the people - and they can't have any of you!  ;-))   

Even though economic development is important to me (I am a geek), the real power of these programs that visitors just cannot fully see is that we are changing lives. Many schools across the state only celebrate and value high academic success (4-year college) but we are pushing for so much more.  We know that students need both academic and technical skill to be successful and that level of skill can look different for each student. Visitors cannot see the impact we are making on different demographic levels (homeless, foster children, free and reduced lunch, etc.) because all of our students look the same: successful. 

One of my core beliefs in life is that everyone has a purpose in this world.  We are all here for a reason.  I am so proud to work in a school that values each child, who are at various levels of skill, and helps to push them to find their own level of success.  To me, we are embracing the Honorable Abe Lincoln's beliefs and instilling that into our students. THAT is AWESOME! 

School Notes: 

* Congratulations to Andrea Clark and her family.  They welcomed Nora Grace at 11:28 p.m. on Friday, August 10th.  She was 7 lbs, 4 ounces.  Hank is very excited to be a big brother, but Dean wasn't as sure.  Andrea told Dean on the phone that he had a new sister and he said, "No!"   Best wishes to the Clark family!  

* WIN Assignments - We were able to assign all students to a WIN location through Skyward this weekend.  Individuals covering WIN should please take attendance using this system.  If you notice any mistakes on our end, please let us know so we can fix them!  

* Schedule Changes - Maria is finishing up schedule changes.  We will not make any more changes unless it is a special case.  Please do not allow students to report to the guidance office for this purpose.  Thanks to Maria for all of her work.    

*Assistant Meeting - I would like to meet with assistants on Wednesday during their lunch time in the new teacher meeting room (the small room behind the ISS room).  We just want to touch base about how things are going, answer questions and help with Skyward.  Please bring your lunch to the meeting!  

* Conscious Discipline- Thanks to all of the teams that are working on watching the Conscious Discipline videos.  The username and password was attached to this email.  Helping our students develop socially/emotionally is so important.  Thanks to everyone for being on board!
Here is the schedule:  (Some of you had overlapping dates and we can only log into the system from one computer.)
* Math Team - Next Three Mondays
* Biology Team - Next Two Fridays (They started on the 10th)
* Special Education/Social Studies - Next three Wednesdays (maybe the two groups would want to figure out where they can meet together)
* English Team - Next three Thursdays
*Islanders - /Next three Tuesdays

Please have this complete by September 14th at the latest. 

*Virtual PD Day - September 4th will be a virtual day for students and professional development day for our teachers.  More information will be forthcoming!  Looking forward to a great day of learning!

* Parent-Teacher Conferences - September 20th will be our Parent-Teacher Conference night!  Students will be released at 1:00 and we will be open for conferences from 1:00 - 7:00 p.m. 

Important Dates: 

Monday, August 13:  School Board Meeting 6:30 p.m./ Varsity Volleyball 5:30 p.m. @ Boonville

Tuesday, August 14:  Varsity Volleyball 6:00 p.m. @ home vs. Cannelton

Wednesday, August 15:  Data Team Meeting 3:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 16:  Varsity Volleyball @ Home vs. Orleans  5:30 p.m.

Friday, August 17:  Varsity Football Game    Perry Central vs. Tell City  7:00 p.m. 

August 21st - Faculty Meeting 7:20 a.m.

Grow Here

I am really excited about Perry Central's theme this year!  It can encompass so much creativity and really describes what Perry Central believes in!  Below are a few ways I believe our theme can capture our vision: 

·        

   Relationships Grow Here:  Building relationships with our students and getting to know them as individuals is one of our foundational beliefs.  We strive to gain a better understand on how we can support our students in their learning.

   

·   Academic Excellence Grows Here:  We expect ALL students to learn and we have developed numerous academic supports for our students including learning lunch, WIN, and tutoring, just to name a few!  Our students can graduate with their first year of college for FREE with our Early College High School program.  By offering over 46 dual credit classes our faculty and staff help our students be a step ahead.
  Individuals Grow Here:  We believe that each individual student has a purpose in this world. We want to equip them with the academic and technical skills that will help them be successful by personalizing their learning and expanding opportunities beyond the classroom.       

·  Social/Emotional Learning Grows Here:      Our entire corporation has taken on the challenge to learn how to be trauma informed, along with developing our own social emotional standards and curriculum for students grades K-10.  We know this is going to help us better support student learning and further develop 21^st Century Learning Skills.

·  Family Grows Here:  We are a family.  Each person that walks through our doors plays an important part in who we are as a school.  We all bleed green and believe in building our future together!

What are some ways you can see Perry Central growing?

I am so excited to grow this year with all of you both professionally and personally.  Please know my door is always open and feedback is welcome as we move forward together to create the best us.  Best wishes on a great school year! 

 School Notes: 

Governor's Visit - Just a reminder the 51st Governor of Indiana will be visiting our own Commodore Manufacturing as his tour highlights learn and earn opportunities around the state!  He will visit Friday, August 10th 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.   Thanks to Josh Craney, our partners at Jasper and Waupaca and our students for making this possible!  You are putting PC on the map!

Schedules:  Maria and I will be working hard to finalize schedules the first two days of school.  We know securing student schedules are important.  Here are a few tips for the start of school: 

  * Students are supposed to have at least 6 periods of classes in their school day (one study hall) - please let us know if you hear of students that have less.  

  * If a student is in your classroom and NOT on your roster, please send them to the office or to Mrs. Sweat so we can make sure the student has a copy of their most updated schedule.   

  * There have been updates made to schedules the last few days.  Please encourage students to log into their Skyward accounts to view their schedules as soon as they can to ensure they have the best copy. 

Welcome New Members to PC Family:   

Adam Stowe, Social Studies/History Teacher - Adam is originally from Perry County but has been teaching in KY for several years.  He is bringing his family back home.  He has a son, Brayden in the 10th grade and Emma in the 5th grade.  

Brennan Malone, Math Teacher -  Brennan is a graduate of Tell City High School and Indiana University (yes, we can still let him in, even though he is not a Boilermaker).  He has a degree in Economics and is in the process of adding education to his license.  Brennan is also helping coach football.  Green seems to be a good color for him!

Hailei Gehlhausen, English Teacher - Hailei is a graduate of Forest Park High School and soon to be graduate of USI.  Hailei will be starting the year off at Perry Central and then transitioning over to Jasper High School to finish her student teaching.  She will be teaching mostly 8th and 9th grade English this school year!  

Seth Gehlhausen, English Teacher/Remediation - Seth is a graduate of Tell City High School (his brother is Adam Gehlhausen who graduated from PC) and USI.  He will be filling in for Hailei while she is off to student teach first semester and then moving to a more supportive role second semester.  Seth has a history education degree.  Hailei and Seth did not know each other prior to PC, but they are going to make a great Gehlhauen & Gehlhausen team!

Melissa Toothman, Special Education - Melissa isn't a new face.  She will be taking Kris Walsh's place in the Life Skills room.  She has been working hard re-designing her classroom and making plans for our students!  We are excited to have Melissa in her new role!

Tim Ball, Diesel Technology - Tim is a graduate of Perry Central as well and has decided to leave industry and return back to his alma mater.  He has replaced Mr. Malone as our bus mechanic and will be teaching one period of Diesel Mechanics as we work to develop a new vocational program.  We are so excited he will be sharing his expert knowledge of the diesel engine with our students!

Sara Hubert, Instructional Assistant - Some of you may better know her as Sara James, as she graduated from Perry Central.  She will be helping in classrooms in the junior-senior high building. We are excited she has decided to join our team!

Kelly Fields, Instructional Assistant - Kelly recently moved to Perry Central school district.  She has a son who will be entering the 6th grade.  She has a lot of experience working in schools and aspires to be a teacher.  We are excited to welcome her!

Important Dates: 

Monday, August 6th - Teacher Day!

Tuesday, August 7th - Students return!

Thursday, August 9th - Varsity Volleyball scrimmage @ Perry Central at 6:00 p.m.

Friday, August 10th - Governor Halcomb visits from 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m./  PBIS Kick-Off/ Varsity Football scrimmage @ Southridge 7:00 p.m.