Waiting. . .

One of my favorite hobbies is growing my own food.  Being raised on a farm, I have always appreciated the wonder of our earth and how it works.  Collecting eggs, picking buckets of green beans, feeding the cows all brings a since of joy to my life.  Typically, I don't always have time to really pursue these things, but the pandemic has created this space for me. 

A few weeks ago, I built a raised bed and planted some green beans, herbs and wild flowers.  I have a small patch of strawberries and lettuce as well.  It has been so much fun to get up in the early morning and check my beds. . . now my problem finding patients while waiting for the seeds to sprout!  Waiting has always been a problem for me, just ask my husband.  I typically want things to happen and I want them to happen quickly!  Mother nature, unfortunately, does not have the same timeline as I do!  This morning, I even started digging up my green bean seeds to see if they were doing anything!

Learning to wait can be hard, but is an important lesson to learn, especially for me,.  My personality type can turn me into an over worker really fast, causing me to miss the important things in life.  I think taking time to raise my own garden could help me grow in the area of patients and enjoy the opportunity to just be present.  I hope this lesson will allow me to become a better wife, mom, and leader.  

I do believe that waiting is difficult for many of us - whether it is waiting out this season of a pandemic, waiting on news from a family member, waiting to achieve a goal or waiting on our student to finally "get it", it isn't easy.   If we can learn to pause and enjoy the moments that are given to us, I have no doubt that our harvest will be bountiful. 



Important Information:

Meetings on Thursday:      Math Team 9:00-10:00
                                           Science Team: 10:00-11:00
              Island Team - will check in with everyone individually

Academic Honor Recording - 7th grade team will gather via zoom to record the academic honor night presentation.  7th grade teachers can find their zoom invitation in their calendar.

AP Teachers - teachers who will have students taking AP exams in May at home, we would like to schedule a google meet for Monday, May 4th at 10:00.  Please look for a calendar invite soon!

Struggling Students - please continue to make notes about struggling students in our document.  Everyone is doing a great job reaching out to students - we appreciate your efforts.



Please continue to let us know how we can support you and your work during these last few weeks of school.

                                    

Week 4 - Groundhog Day. . .

Another great week of virtual learning at Perry Central!  Even though it has been different, I have really enjoyed speaking to all of you more often.  I get to hear so many great things that everyone is doing for our students; helping all of our students find success.  Not only are you taking time to develop engaging lessons, but you are emailing, calling, texting, etc. to make sure that you are getting the best from your students.  

   *  "My kids are doing great!  I feel like they are still working and communicating well with me."

   *  " I have really enjoyed the zoom calls, as I get to see the student's faces.  It has been a fun experience."

   * "I called a student to find them still in bed at 12:30. . . the mom let me be the wake-up call!  It was fun. . . .  and a little bit later, I was able to get their work turned in."

   * "This has given me the opportunity to talk to parents and grandparents.  I don't think I realized who these students really lived with."

  * "I really miss seeing the students everyday."

These are all comments made this week during our 'Hang-out" time.  Comments like these just warm my heart and remind me of how lucky I am to live and raise my own children in such a caring community.  When I speak with other schools, they are worried about the number of students who are not participating in their classes at all - that is not the case at Perry Central.  Our students are engaging and doing the best they can because they know all of you care for them and are pulling out all of the stops to ensure they are succeeding.  What a blessing!

Hope you have a great rest of this week.  Make sure you are taking breaks, spending time with your family, etc.  I know this time has allowed me time to be reflective and engage in healthy activities such as walking and gardening.  It has reminded me that finding balance is very important.  Wishing the same for all of you as well. 


Important Information: 

George Couros Blog:  In George's Blog this week, he shared this article, "5 ways to boost attendance in virtual class meetings."  You can find a copy HERE.  I thought it had some great ideas!

Student of the Month:  If you haven't already, please fill out the Student of the Month forms by Monday, April 20th.  Student of the Month nominees are very important to our school community and family.  If you have questions about the forms, please email Dana.  She will be happy to help you!  Thanks to Dana for pulling this together.

• April      https://forms.gle/LqfpekTSvfQrTi9b6

• May      https://forms.gle/sbrCS15Mxet6VENt5

Scheduling Update:  Dana has been working very hard to get schedule requests in Skyward so we can start building a master schedule.  This is a tremendous amount of work, especially when you can't see the students!  :-)  We hope to have requests finished soon.  We will try to keep you posted and updates.

Fun with Art -  Mrs. Poehlein asked some of her art students to recreate art work from the Chicago Art Institute.  The students did a fabulous job!  Take a look!  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iTlRkO-Ojg8gwnz7iscK05I3Bl9jERul/view?usp=sharing

Team Meeting -

Thursday, April 23                                 8:30  a.m. - English
                                                               10:00 a.m. - Math
                                                               12:00  p.m.  - Science
                                                               1:30 p.m.  - Social Studies

Friday, April 24                                      9:00 a.m. - Island                                                                            (Just to check in - all of you are working on your own PD - thanks for your time last week!) 

Important Documents:

Student Worry List - There are a few updates/ we have added a few more students to a home-visit list.  Thanks for all of your concern - keep communicating!

No Internet List 

     

Week 3 Do 5 Things - How to Not be Overwhelmed

The first time I started to think about how we could be off school for many months, my mind started racing about how I could start working on my "to-do" list that has collected dust on my desk for several weeks.  You know, it is that nagging list that seems to never go away due to unpredictable daily fires that we are all working to put out. . . I know you have one.  :-)

As we have all discovered, while our e-learning days have been going quite well, they are a little overwhelming at times.  Keeping up with the numerous options of communication (texting, emails, Facebook messenger, phone messages, etc.) is enough to make our minds whirl!  Not to mention the hurdles of learning new technology and finding new ways to reach our students.  We are all still "busy" and can easily be overwhelmed with the work and tired of looking at a computer screen! 

This week, I discovered a blog written by Jennifer Gonzalez titled "Overwhelmed? Do 5 Things."  The title along struck me and as I read it, I found her advice to be good.  I encourage you to read it - and do 5 things!   :-)

"Overwhelmed?  Do 5 Things" 


Important Information: 

Student Updates:  Over the weekend, I updated the "Students that are Struggling" list.  I know it was a hot mess and Jill Taylor gave me a few suggestions - so I think I made it better!  Please take a look at it, as I have tried to keep our end up-to-date.

       Here is also a link to the No-Internet Link.  I added Kylee Kiplinger to this list.  I spoke to her this evening and she is struggling.  She hopes this helps.  I try to keep this list up-to-date as well.  Some of the kids are getting good about sending homework back to us.  I will be trying to make the work a pdf when it works and originals will be in your mailbox.  Please ask if you have questions - I make mistakes often!  :-)

Professional Development - Many teams this week set some Professional Development goals.  On the Faculty Meeting Agenda (HERE) you can find our team notes.  For Island Team members, we will be in contact with you this week to set some goals for you as well!  Thanks for always being a learner!


Face Shield Update - To date, our Additive Manufacturing team has created over 125 visors for face shields and we have delivered a little over 75 locally in the past few weeks.  Thanks to all of our team members for their work!

Commodore News - Phil Zellers worked up his creative juices and created a Commodore News series.  He hopes to have announcements and updates that can go out to families in this capacity, along with recognizing students of the month, senior athletes and more.   If your clubs are planning any activities virtually (please run them by Phil or I first) or if you would like to give a community update - he would be a great person to be in contact with!  All he needs is a little video!  Thank you, Phil!  Here is his first broadcast.  You will find them on twitter and Facebook. . . It will be a Netflix Series soon!  Lol!

Commodore Interviews - Abe Schwartz reached out to Andrew Huber for an interview for his Athletic Training class.  The two of them together talked to students about the importance of setting goals and finding success in their lives.  It is a wonderful video - proud they both are Commodore Alumni.  HERE is the link if you would like to watch. 

Awards Program - Teachers, please do not forget to get Sheila your names for the award winners for our honor night banquet.  We will be organizing our virtual ceremony soon.  Thank you!

Weekly Meetings -

Also, due to AR meetings, we are going to change up the faculty meeting dates a bit - please let me know if this doesn't work: 

      Thursday, April 16: 

           English - Could we meet at 8:15 instead of 8:30?

           Special Education - We can email and work to find a date to meet for student scheduling (no zoom this week, unless you want one!)  

           Social Studies - 12:30 

Island - we will have individual meetings spread out in two days: 

         Josh Craney - 1:30 p.m. 

         Carol Schwoeppe 2:15 p.m. 

         Friday, April 17

           Math - 9:00 a.m. 

           Science - 10:30 a.m. 

           Jill Little 12:00 p.m. (Jill, if your Internet isn't working - just let me know)

           PE - 12:30 p.m. 

           Mary Jo - 1:00 p.m. 

           Nancy P - 1:45 p.m. 

           Kris W - 2:15 p.m.  

Week 2 - Addendum Struggling Students

Faculty and Staff,

Thank you for working so hard with our students.  The work you are doing is amazing!

As we finish our first week of classes, many of you are starting to have concerns about students and you have added them to our "students we are worried about" document (catchy title, I know.)  Your feedback is very valuable to us and we will continue to collect this data as we move forward through the end of the school year.  (The link to the document is below.)

There were a few things that stuck out to me as we discussed a plan for this group of students: 

 * The list is fairly short.  When you think of our overall population of students our kids are rocking it!  I think we should celebrate this as it is a positive reflection on the relationships you have with your students as they want to please you and value the learning you give them. 

* This is not a new list of students.  It seems that Phil or I have called these houses 1-100 times for 8th period.  :-)  This group of students NEED us - and this work continues to be difficult for them.  I have compassion for them as we know all kids do well if they can - and they are struggling right now. 

* Can we say Executive Functioning Skills?   This list also reminds me about the importance of Executive Functioning skills and students that struggle with them.  Most of the students who are really struggling right now are in grades 7,8 & 9.  It is no surprise as we know that their executive functioning skills are not there yet, as they develop well into their 20's.  Skills such as:  Time Management, Paying Attention, Organizing, Planning and Prioritizing, Following a Sequence of Steps. . . etc. are all developing and are all skills necessary for being successful at on-line learning.  Students with IEPs or several ACEs in their lives can be 3-4 years behind in development.  Eric Jensen, in his book, Engaging Students with Poverty, reminds us that these skills can and should be taught - but our abrupt change to on-line learning didn't give us much time to prepare them.

SO, how do we handle this situation in this time of abrupt change: 

1.   Take a Deep Breath - You will not be judged by the work these students do or do not do.  It is okay.  We want to do everything in our power to help them - but we have to remember we can only control what we can control and it will be okay.  :-)  We already know we are going to have to revamp our curriculum in August to fill in any holes that students may have because of this. 

2.  Our Plan for Reaching Out: 
   * Phil, Lauren, Kelly, Diane, Heidi and I met yesterday to look at this list of students. 
   * We decided to reorganize the document, placing a grade level on each tab.  We ask you to please fill out a student's name and we will make notes - adding dates - across the right side of the document.  Please tell us in the notes if they are missing assignments or you have other concerns.  There are examples of how this can look on the document. 
   * The counselors marked students they will reach out to, due to student circumstances and Phil and Levi are going to do some home visits as we do have students we haven't heard from at all.  We want to make sure they are okay. 
   * Lauren is going to create some videos for junior high students to help them with study skills and organization.  We are going to try to add some fun incentives to these!
   * We ask that teachers please reach out to families that are struggling once a week - their education is important to them and to us!  We just want to do what we can to help them.  If this gets overwhelming, please let Jody or Phil know and we will help you. 

3.  The Message:  When you speak to families, our goal is not to create more stress.  I would encourage you to start the conversation with: "How are things going?"  "I just wanted to reach out and see if I could be of any help."  I think it is important to call with concerns, but we have to remember that families are working to put food on the table, etc. 

4.  The Result:  There will be students that DO NOT complete work. . .  . and THAT IS OKAY!   For students that do not finish work, or finish it poorly - please just leave the grade book blank for them for now.

Link to Document is HERE. 

Below is a  picture of guidance from the DOE about on-line learning.  The bottom graph is what I wanted to share with you.  They are suggesting 30 minutes per subject area for junior-high/high school students.  It was just validating to me that we are doing the right thing! 




Thanks for all you are doing for our students.  We can talk more about this in our PLC meetings on Thursday.  Phil and I are always available if you have questions or concerns.     

Week 2 - Hope

Although it probably wasn't much of a surprise, the news this week of Indiana not returning to the classroom for the 2020 school year was a blow to many.  Seniors, their families, teachers, spring sport coaches and players and fine-arts students who were looking forward to the many spring events were disappointed by the news.

Not only are schools dealing with these pressures, but empty highways, silent cities, deserted amusement parks, and closed recreational facilities solidify the emptiness that some people feel.  Stories of our neighbors fighting severe diseases during this time turns us all into believers of the importance of staying home.

Even though this is an unprecedented time in the history of this earth, there is a silver lining.  On the other side of this hopeless feeling are stories of communities coming together to help feed the children and families in need, individuals making masks to and doing what they can to provide PPE for local health facilities, families having the opportunity to slow down and go fishing and more.

This week during our zoom faculty meetings, it was a blessing to see how all of you, even the face of uncertainty have found ways to come together, learn technology from each other and develop even stronger relationships with our students.  Simply Amazing!  You are the light to
                                                 so many!

Important Information:

Fun Lessons - (I know many of you have great things going on in your virtual classroom - feel free to share!  We can learn so much from each other!) 

Abbie Brockman asked her students to use Flipgrid to talk about their spring break.  Their little videos are so cute.  You can find them HERE. 

Ty Guillaume has been entertaining his class with "Guillaume Household Headlines", instead of his normal current event session due to the COVID 19 taking up a lot of new time, using loom.  You can see the links below - so you can keep up with the Guillaume house. . . good luck with that chicken                                                                  house, Ty!

                                            https://www.loom.com/share/d886897492e14258b019371a35ebbfcc
                                            https://www.loom.com/share/240d33380ea84c5e8a76ced3ef8e5703
                                            https://www.loom.com/share/9ef2f5c40ab2419a87db422f2d97f1a7

Senior Snail Mail Challenge -  Our seniors are really disappointed how 2020 ended for them.  Their graduation plans have abruptly changed in the face of this pandemic.  During times like this, I think it is important to lift each other up.  IF you feel led, I would like to encourage you to send a hand-written note (or email if you wish) to maybe 5 of the seniors and let them know you are thinking about them.  If you are worried about the stamps, feel free to drop the letters off in my office and I will make sure they get mailed!  I have included a list of seniors and their addresses in the email I sent with the Monday Moment Link.  Happy writing!

Give Me A Break - Like me, many of you are finding that you could answer emails 24/7 in the face of e-learning.  We are happy our students are finally asking questions, but the timing and volume of questions can be overwhelming.  Please remember it is okay to set boundaries for when/how you will answer questions from students and parents.   Your sanity comes first!   :-)

Another Resource - If you are interested in creating an educational "Escape Room" for students, Dana has recorded a screencastify HERE.  She shows you how to set up the program that will allow students to have fun while they learn - engaging students across the board!  Happy escaping!!

No Internet Students - Thanks to all of you who have emailed or prepared non-Internet students work.  We appreciate it!  I will be taking the work up to 1:00 on Monday.  This will allow me time to get everything organized and to the right location.  Thank you!

We are also making a plan for the students you are concerned about as well.  We will reach out to some of you for guidance/help with this plan.  You can add student names to the document HERE.

Faculty Meetings - We will continue our Faculty Meetings on Thursday, April 9th via Google Hangout:        English - 8:30 a.m.
                      Math - 9:30 a.m.
                      Science - 10:30 a.m.
                      Special Education - 11:30 a.m.
                      Social Studies - 12:30 p.m.
                      Island - 1:30 p.m.