Relationships Win Again!

As Perry Central Schools continue to work towards becoming  Trauma Informed, there have been many times when I have sat back and reflected on how overwhelming our jobs in education can be.  ISTEP/ILearn Tests,  recording grades, timely feedback, common assessments, etc. can feel like too much, at times, by itself!   Adding the concerns of Social Emotional Learning, Trauma Informed Care and other acronyms that surround the work that impacts students who have experienced very stressful lives adds to the complexity of our jobs. 

This week, I happened across an article, "What Can One Teacher Really Do About Trauma?".  I have to admit the title caught my attention.  Many students come to us with exponentially stressful circumstances that impact our classrooms and culture.  I believe in the midst of this chaos it is very human to ask this question.  What can one person do when the need is so great?

Even though the question is so complex the answer continues to come back so simple.  All our students really need is unconditional love.  Building strong relationships with students and letting them know you care for them is the most powerful thing we can do for EVERYONE around us. This article is a great read that shows us the impact of a smile, an empathetic moment, a personal question, and a joyful high-five!  These interactions do not have to take a lot of time if we are intentional. This article also provided me with hope as an educator, showing me that I can, as one person, make a significant impact for students.  I HIGHLY recommend you read the article yourself as you can find a link HERE

This Wednesday is our first after-school meeting for the junior-high teachers.  We will be refreshing ourselves about Conscious Discipline, Lori Desautel's work and more.  I am really excited for us to have the opportunity to gather together and learn from each other.  I respect each of you for being learners and having open minds - I promise this journey will be worth it. 


Important Information:

PLC Team Meetings -  Just a reminder about our upcoming PLC team meetings this month: 
    January 15 - Social Studies/ January 16 - English/ January 18 - Math/ January 22 - Island Meeting/ January 23 - Special Education (Team, I will need to change this date - sorry!)/ January 25 - Science   Please find meeting agendas in the PLC Organization Folders.  

Conscious Discipline Trainings - Lauren Blake and Kelly Cash have been working hard to create a refresher/training around Conscious Discipline principles in January.  We are going to split up into junior high and high school teams.  Junior high teachers (listed below) will meet after school on January 16th and high school will be January 23rd from 3:10 - 4:10 in the high school library.  It will be a great training.  Looking forward to learning with you!
   Junior High Teachers (January 16):  Jason, Brennan, Michelle, Abbie, Hailei, Seth, Ty, Stephanie, Pam, Keith, Heidi, Melissa, Carol, Vanessa
   High School Teachers (January 23): Debbie, Bo, Adam, Mackenzie, Jennifer, Dana, Hilarie,  Nancy, Andrea, Carrie, Josh, Kris, Diane, Mary Jo, Jill,

Career Day - Maria Sweat is working on Career Day for January 18th.  We are hosting this event earlier this year in hopes of helping students with class scheduling for next year.  More details will be forthcoming.  Career Day will be for students in grades 8, 9 and 10 and will be hosted during 3rd and 4th periods on the 18th.  We will have a schedule for students and staff to share with you early this week!  

News 44 Visits Again - On Friday, January 25th, News 44 will host another morning pep session for our students.  We were chosen again by their producers because they had so much fun last time!!!  The Pep session starts around 7:00 a.m.  More details will be forthcoming.  Mark your calendars for a fun start to the day!  We love having so many teachers be a part of this fun activity!

Homecoming- Due to the winter storm, we had to postpone Homecoming activities.  The new date will be February 8th.  We appreciate Mrs. Hagedorn and the Student Council for their flexibility!

Faculty Meeting - Tuesday, January 22nd will be our faculty meeting date!  An agenda will be posted later this week. 

IREADY Training - Just a reminder we will have IREADY training on Monday, January 14 during first and second WIN for 7th and 8th grade English and math teachers.  Please see email from Jamie Guillaume for details.  


Important Dates: 

Monday, January 14 -  IREADY Training/ Varsity Girls Basketball @ Home vs. Tell City 6:00 p.m./ School Board Meeting 6:30 p.m. HIgh School Library

Tuesday, January 15 - Commodore Manufacturing students speak at Work One Region 10 Meeting/ Social Studies PLC Meeting

Wednesday, January 16 - English PLC Meeting/ Junior High Teachers After School Training

Thursday, January 17 - 

Friday, January 18 - Career Day/ Math PLC Meeting/ Boys Varsity Basketball @ Orleans 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, January 19 - Boys Varsity Basketball @ Mitchell @ 5:30/ Girls Varsity Basketball @ NE Dubois 10:30 a.m. 

Monday, January 21st - NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King Day