Big 10 Football is back!   It was so nice to have something to watch on TV that I could get excited about! (Especially the Boilermakers - and those lucky Hoosiers!)   Even without fans in the stands, the fake crowd noises made the weekend seem a little more normal, which is what we all needed!  This small addition to the weekend helped all of us find normalcy during this tough time.  Our entire community shares many of the same worries: worried about loved ones getting sick, job stability, putting food on the table, making sure the socks AND masks are clean,  etc.  It can all be overwhelming.  
     This week, we will be returning to school and just like the return of Big 10 football, for many of our students, it will be the sense of normalcy they need. Even during these tough times, our community knows their children will return to school feeling welcomed with warm smiles, caring relationships, engaging lessons, and grace when needed.  It is a time for all of us to come together and find ways to support each other.   Together we will be a strong, flexible and vibrant community!  
            Even though the return of Big Ten Football has given us some normalcy, nothing compares to the safe and caring environment you provide our students!  

Important Information: 

Self-Care: To help maintain our strength,  it is important remember your own self-care.  Laurie Desautel has a great article called "5 Simple Ways to Manage Stress."   I encourage you to check it out!  Laurie reminds us that we can take stressful times and with proper exercise, breathing and self-talk our brains have the capacity to change our mindset in times of stress. Taking care of yourself ensures you have the strength to support others.  Remember, you cannot give away what you do not possess!     

         Also, to help keep you going this week - here are a few surprise and delights!

* Massage Chair - thanks to Shelly Kunkle for getting a massage chair in the high school teacher's lounge!  Stop by and check it out!

* Jeans Week - Normally, red is not a color I get excited about, but this week is National Red Ribbon Week!  In honor of this drug-free prevention week, you are invited to wear your jeans and your red attire! (Except for Friday, which will be Crazy Green Day as we prepare for another sectional game!)   Wednesdays are also Red for Ed days!  (I don't have much red in my closet, but I will do my best!  Lol!)

Monday's Schedule for Teachers: 

        8:00 - 9:00 - Time to check-in with students/ check email, etc. 

(You can see what students will be attending on Monday HERE. by clicking on the 10/26 tab)  I will continue to reach out.  Please let us know if there are others we need to invite.  

        9:00 - 9:30 - 7th and 8th grade English and Math teachers to Elementary Cafeteria for ILEARN TIDE resource training

         9:30 - 10:15- Faculty Meeting    High School Library

        PLC Meetings as needed.  

Monday's Schedule for Assistants: 

* A list of students who will be attending on Monday can be found HERE.  Please look for the tab that says 10-26.  The students that will be attending are highlighted and I have tried to list out to the side the work they need to complete.    Please meet up with students in commons area and utilize the library, Flex room, Alternative School Room and Commons Area for locations to help students.  It is important to keep them spread out.  Please make sure they have all of their work completed.  The gym should be open for breaks.  (Please make sure students wear masks.)  I am going to let all of you determine who you will work with, etc.  If you find yourself without a lot to do, please ask teachers if they could use some help.  Thank you!

Junior High - Ron Clark Activity:  Friday, October 30th during 3rd period, we will have a short activity for our junior high students in honor of Red Ribbon Week!  More information will be forthcoming, including a surprise and delight. The lesson will be short.   If you want to assign some students to create a sign and chant (on their own time) that would be super!  We will have them share with the school in some type of virtual way soon!

     Also, if you are a leader of a team, could you please add your team name to this document: 

                                   RON CLARK DOCUMENT  

Updated On-Line/In-Person List - We know that keeping track of students and if they have considered themselves on-line or in-person is difficult.  I have tried to pull together an updated list.  You can find the list HERE.  You will want to continue to check this list for updates.  We will also email you with changes after Monday.  

Free Classes and Textbooks for
Dual Credit Credentialing

 

STEM Teach offers a variety of professional development opportunities to Indiana K-12 Teachers from a combination of independent and public higher education institutions at NO COST to schools or teachers.

These offerings include:

• Graduate and undergraduate courses in content areas such as biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, psychology, computer science and technology
• Online workshops from higher education institutions designed specifically for K-12 teachers to enhance STEM instruction
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• Raffles for STEM classroom kits

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Visit www.stemteachindiana.org to learn more.  

 

   I saw this post and thought about each and every one of you!   What a great Virtual Day we had on Friday.  Thank you for all of the rich conversations and feedback that you are giving to our students.  You are all ROCKSTARS!

We are knocking on the door to Fall Break!  Congratulations to our Cross Country team for representing Perry Central so well.  Cole Hess, Seth Guillaume, Alyssa Goffinet and Vanessa Barger are all advancing to the regional at Crawford County this Saturday.  The varsity girls will start sectional action against North Posey on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at South Spencer High School and our football team will open in sectional play next Saturday at Springs Valley!  

It is a full week of action and we are grateful to be playing during this crazy pandemic!  

To celebrate this week, we will have spirit week!   Teachers are welcome to dress up to spirit week attire or wear jeans this week with your PC wear!    You can see student dress up days below.  

Best wishes to all of our athletes and coaches!

Important Information: 

Faculty Meeting -   On Tuesday, October 13th we will have a faculty meeting on Tuesday during our normal times and locations.  Lunch will be provided as always.  Looking forward to having lunch with all of you. 

Junior High Team Building - On Friday, October 16th during 3rd period, Lauren Blake has been working hard to plan our first team challenge of the school year for the 7th and 8th grade!  Last year, we started with some Ron Clark Challenges, we hit a pause button and needed to reset to make sure we were COVID friendly.  This year instead of having school-wide challenges, we are going to promote team challenges within the classroom.  

3rd period is when almost all of the junior high teachers have a junior high class.  If you teach 7th and 8th grade students 3rd period, that will be your team!  On Friday, Lauren has developed a scavenger hunt (team development event) that will end in a Surprise and Delight (cup cake with the team color on it).  Here is a document that shows the teachers and the color you will be.  We will share all of the details during our faculty meeting on Tuesday.  DOCUMENT HERE

Extended PE - The 7th grade students will be taking a hike on Friday.  Pam has made COVID friendly arrangements.  The class time they miss will be minimal.  Please be on the look-out for information from Pam.  

Grades - Just a reminder that grades are due this Wednesday at midnight.  Report Cards will be ready to pass out by 7th period on Friday.

Next Virtual Day - Our next virtual day will be the Monday we return from Fall Break.  Please make sure students know where they will find their assignments on this day.  We will be inviting students to school again that day that need extra help.  

 

Connections

 

The quote to the left was a post by Laurie Desautel on Facebook.   It really hit me hard as this past week was a bit tough.  I often reflect on our students and their needs; so many students who are enduring or have endured situations and experiences that they have not asked for.  Missing dads, foster homes, children of the system, abuse, poverty, etc.  I will never understand how it really feels. It is overwhelming at times.  We are supposed to teach these kids math and English and they are trying to figure out how to survive day to day.    

I have had many kids sit in the big chair in my office in pain.  Some crying, some cussing, some pleading and others just trying to survive. They are not always reasonable or nice, but I know their dysregulation is not a choice but a result of all they have endured.  

Even though the daily grind is a lot for our students, I do have hope.  Brain research shows that with enough connection and love we can start the long process of rewiring their brains.  Sometimes this approach doesn't feel like we are teaching students any lessons but in reality we are!  We are helping them build trust and find ways to stay regulated, keeping them in their pre-frontal cortex.  Helping students strengthen those positive neurons that help them stay regulated will not only help them be ready to learn but also be able to keep a job and raise a family of their own.  I can't think of any better life skill than that.    

I have always connected with Laurie Desautel's words  "Connection Over Compliance".  Coregulation, relational touchpoints, preventative, relational discipline. . . All of this work is a shift but I can't think of a time where it is more needed.  Our students and our families are hurting/struggling.  This is when they need us the most.  We are making a difference each day.  The work you are doing is hard, but you are saving lives.      

Important Information: 

Second Semester Changes - Below is a link to a document that lists second semester changes for students moving in and out of on-line.  The document includes elementary students as well as students in our building.  For students moving back to face-to-face we will be adding their schedules into Skyward.  We will not remove them from your on-line grade book unless you ask us to for grading purposes.  At the end of the semester we will need to work together to ensure their semester grades are accurate.   For students moving on-line, you will want to take some time this week to talk to students about your on-line classes and help them make the transition.  We will continue to update this document.  Please let us know if you have any questions/concerns.  

                     Second Semester Changes Document

Remediation List - Please remember to fill out the google form below for students you feel would benefit from coming to school on virtual days for extra help.  We are asking to have this information by the end of the day on Monday.  Thanks to all of you who have filled it out so far.  Virtual Google Form

Virtual Day Schedule - Just a reminder that this coming Friday is one of our extra Virtual Days.  We know you still have a lot of work to do, so most of the time is yours to provide time for collaboration, working with on-line students and feedback.  October 9th is also the end of the 9 weeks.  Making a plan for students who were on-line transitioning back into the classroom and vise versa will be important.  

    Also, for virtual days, we hope to continue to provide time to work on our guaranteed and viable curriculum and reading across the curriculum work along with preparing for state testing.  Please see the virtual day agenda below: 

8:00 - 8:30 - Preparation for the day/ Assistants may come to you and ask for help getting virtual day students caught up

8:30 - 9:30 - PLC Team Meetings - Please plan to meet in your groups at your own desired locations.  Agenda Items will include:   * Update and Reflect on Scope and Sequence (we want this to be a living document)      * Re-read/Discuss selected portion of Mike Schmoker Book (we will provide this to teach team)   * Goal Setting

9:45 - 10:30 -  State Testing Update for High School Math and Science Teachers - High School Library

Lunch will be provided.   A more detailed morning agenda will be provided Friday morning.  

Important Dates: 

October 6th - On-Site Readable English visit/ On-Site Early College Visit

October 13th - Faculty Meetings during lunch  (Lunch will be provided)

October 14th - PSAT Exam for all 10th grade students, along with a few 9th and 11th graders.  Dana will be providing information shortly.

Have a great week!