Always Be Thankful

Thanksgiving is one of the best times of the year!  It is a time for the three most important "Fs" in our lives:  family, friends and maybe a little football (especially this year since our Boilers beat IU and are going to a bowl game)!  Being thankful is really more than just a holiday, it can be a way of living.  There are many benefits of being thankful each day and in every circumstance:  

* It helps us live in the present, by noticing what you have or who you are with in the moment. 
*Being grateful has the power of changing your mood.  Living with the glass half full leaves us with a happy heart and allows us not to let life overwhelm us.
* It gives our lives meaning and helps us find our purpose and passions.

Living with a grateful attitude and heart and help us turn our most challenging days into days of prosperity and promise.  This week, I challenge you to write down 5 things everyday that you are grateful for!  I am hopeful this mindset will prevent anything from compromising your contentment!

I am grateful for:
  * For the resources I have to be able to make a healthy supper for my family and for warm water to wash dishes with  (See how this changes your attitude!)
  * For the twinkle in the eye of my 10 year old with the "Elf on the Shelf" shows up (and I forget to move him - ;-))
  * For the opportunity to work with parents - they always humble me and make me grateful for how much they care for their kids
  * For the people I get to come to work with everyday
  * For the safe and caring community we get to raise our children in everyday


School Notes: 

Holiday FUN!  I an effort to bring some fun to the last 20 days before break, we will be having some contests!! The first contest is the "SELFIE CHALLENGE!"   Each week, you will be given several "selfie challenges".  You can take a selfie with you or a group of people!  Each time we receive a picture with your face in it or an email with a picture from you, your name will be entered into a hat for a drawing!  This week, four people have the chance to win a FREE class period pass!!  Jody or Phil will happily take one of your class periods to give you a chance to catch up on some extra work or just be extra help in the classroom.

Your first "Selfie Challenge" - A selfie of you and your favorite book!!  

Please send pictures to jfrench@pccs.k12.in.us or 812-719-7316!

Final Exam Schedule:  The vote it is in!!  Final exams will stay in a block setting.  On Thursday, December 21st we will test periods 2, 4, 5, 6 and Friday, December 22nd will be periods 1, 3, 5, 7.  If you are a teacher that shares with the elementary and needs help covering your classes, please let Phil or I know and we will make sure your classes are covered. Remember, it is very important to have something very meaningful for students to do all of the way up to the final day of school!

JEANS, JEANS, JEANS:  Teachers are invited to wear jeans this week for a donation to the Holiday Helper program.  We will have a collection jar in the front office!  Enjoy the week!!

Welcome Our Guest:  There will be 10-12 guests from Brown County in the building around lunch time today, Monday, November 27th to learn about the Commodore Manufacturing program.  Thank you to Josh and Julie for making this program so successful!

PLC Data:  Please remember your 4.5 week PLC data is due by Friday, December 1st.  An email was sent on Sunday with details.  If you have questions,  please see Jody.

ISTEP:  We will be doing a lot of ISTEP retesting the next three weeks.  An email with details will be sent soon.  Please pay close attention to the information.  We have tried to limit how much time a student is out of a classroom.  If you have any questions, please see Jody.

Important Dates:


Monday, November 27th -   12:00 Brown County School Visit

Wednesday, November 29th - Kiwanis Meeting - Key Club Presentation

Thursday, November 30th - Varsity Girls Basketball @ Crawford County 5:30 p.m.

Friday, December 1st - Varsity Boys Basketball @ Cannelton  6:00 p.m.

Sunday, December 3rd - Leopold Christmas Parade  1:00 p.m.


Tuesday, December 19th - Faculty Meeting  7:20 a.m.

Influences on Student Achievement

As educators, I think we are always on the look-out for "what works" in education.  This week, I was reminded of John Hatti's work.  Hatti wrote the book, Visible Learning, in 2008, which has been coined as the "Holy Grail" for teaching.  The Visible Learning research synthesizes findings from 1,400 meta-analyses of 80,000 studies involving 300 million students, into what works best in the classroom!!  Although the book is not one you may take to the beach with you, it is one that is very worth the time to read as a educator!   

I think my biggest take-a-way from this research is that:
      1.  Relationships Matter!!  (If a students feels like they are not liked, students will actually retreat and never recover!) Taking time to build relationships will help influence a student to defy the odds and truly succeed! You will see that noted in the research several times in several ways.  (Teacher - Student relationships have a .52 affect on learning opposed to students feeling like they are not liked having a -.019 affect on learning)
     2.  Formative Assessment Strategies are one of the most valuable strategies you can engage in!  Valuable feedback has a very high affect on student achievement.  (Providing effective feedback has a .70 affect on learning/ the types of tests we give have a .12 affect on learning)
    3.  Importance of finding ways to help students engage in learning tasks and develop lessons that are engaging along with finding ways to help students own their own learning. (Students who are bored in the classroom have a -.49 affect on learning while students with a deep motivation to learn have a .44 affect on learning)
   4.  We must move from a culture of teaching to a culture of learning!  What are our own philosophies of how students learn and as professionals, what do we need to do to ensure our students are learning every day. 

Attached is a copy of Hatti's latest research that lays out the most important parts of our classrooms and their effects on student learning.  (You can find a copy of this by clicking: Here).  I hope you take a few seconds to look through is research.  It may help you determine the focus of your classroom!

* Activities with an affect size of .4 or higher have the greatest impact on learning for our students.


School Notes: 

*Happy Thanksgiving!   In a small way to say thanks, we will be having Schwartz cinnamon rolls  on Tuesday morning in the high school office.  Also, please feel free to wear jeans this week!  Words cannot really express the gratitude we have for all of you. May all of you enjoy time with your families this Thanksgiving! 

* Perry Central had 6 students participate in the 2017 Indiana Bandmasters Association All District Concert on Sunday:  Hallie Foe, Emily Flamion, Emily Binkley, Jessica Harding, Annika Haaff, and Chyanne Austin.   Hallie Foe had 2 solos in the event, which is an honor!!  Congratulations to Andrea and our band members!


* Kelly Cash is ready to help you find a Christmas Angel for this holiday season!!  Thank you to her and her team for their work with the Holiday Helper program!!


*  On Monday, November 27th, two school districts will be present to learn more about Commodore Manufacturing!  Thank you to Josh Craney and Julie Berkhouse for making this such a successful program!

* Graduation Pathways:  Thank you again to Vanessa for her many trips to Indianapolis to sit in on the Graduation Pathways Committee, put together by the Board of Education.   You can find the latest version of the draft HERE.  We are excited about these changes that will be voted on in early December!

* ISTEP retesting will begin December 4th.  Several juniors will be involved in this round of testing.  A schedule will be coming out soon!


Important Dates: 

Monday, November 20th - Varsity Girls Basketball @ home vs. Cannelton (Varsity only)  6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, November 21st - Last Day of School before Thanksgiving Break!

Wednesday, November 22nd - Boys Varsity Basketball opener @ Tell City    6:00 p.m.

Thursday, November 23 - Happy Thanksgiving!!

"Learn-It-All" Curiosity

This week on the Modern Learner's podcast, Will Richardson and Bruce Dixon were sharing about Microsoft's CEO, Satya Nadella.  Prior to 2014, Microsoft as a company was losing money and business looked dismal. Leadership at that time created a very cut-throat, driven culture; encouraging ranking of employees by points and trying to get co-workers to "one up" each other to stay on top. This way of thinking did not prove to produce the best results.  In February of 2014, Nadella was named the new CEO and with the new position came a new culture.  Satya believed in learning and collaboration.  His gentle approach believed that human beings were wired to have empathy which was necessary for creating a successful work environment.   This was a "learn it all" culture opposed to the past "know it all" bent, leading to very successful times for Microsoft.  (You can find the article here.) 

Richardson and Dixon challenged school leaders to think about the cultures in our own schools and compare them to Microsoft's most successful times. Is the culture in our schools one about having the highest GPA or SAT/ACT?  Do we believe that grades really are the only motivator?  Are students considered laggards if they do not have all As?  Do we see failure as an opportunity for growth or for a reason to believe we cannot learn?   Are we modeling our own philosophies of life-long learning to our students? 

This podcast pushed my thinking about our current culture within our own school. What does learning really look like in the 21st Century with millennials?  How can we teach thinking in this information rich world?  How do we model reflecting on growth and celebrating our successes beyond letter grades?  How can we get back to the basics of our own learning philosophies with one foot in the outcome (standardized testing, college entrance exams, GPAs) world we live in?

I know if we all continue to learn and work together, we will continue to provide the best learning environment for our students, just as Microsoft has been able to do.


School Notes: 

* Natural Helpers - Twenty students have been asked to participate in the Natural Helpers training by Crisis Connection on Monday and Tuesday.  A list of students has been shared.  If you have any questions or concerns, please see Jody.

* PLC Meeting - We will be having an after-school PLC meeting on Wednesday, November 15th from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.  We will have a short meeting to begin the work session.  We will NOT have our morning faculty meeting this week. 

* Study Island/Exact Path Training - A representative will be at school on Monday for training.  If you are interested in attending a training and have not contacted Jody, please do so immediately.

* Congratulations to Nancy Poehlein and her art students.  She and her students had 7 of the 113 entries at Brescia University Juried High School Art Exhibition.  Perry Central was the only school that had winners in 3 categories:  Emily Flamion in Ceramics, Ayron Roark in Sculpture and Brittany Brown in Fibers!  Congratulations to everyone!! 

*Dual Credits - Also, congratulations to all of our teachers for being recognized by the Indiana Department of Education for having a high percentage of students earning dual credits at Perry Central Jr./Sr. High School.  Great Job!!


Important Dates: 

Monday, November 13 - Natural Helpers (all day), School Board Meeting 6:30 high school library

Tuesday, November 14 - Varsity Girls @ Home vs. South Spencer 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, November 15 - After School PLC Meeting 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Thursday, November 16 - Varsity Girls Basketball @ Forest Park 5:30 p.m./ Varsity Boys Scrimmage @ Corydon Central 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 18 - FLL Robotics Competition


   

I Love Mondays!

Usually on Sunday nights, my kids start groaning about the Monday that is lurking ahead of them.  Even though some Sundays I feel the same way, I have started to try some reverse psychology on my own children and tell them that "I LOVE MONDAYS!"  I am usually met with the typical eye roll and half smile.  Even though it is a joke at our house, I do believe that modeling how we can choose our attitudes is important.  

In Todd Whitaker's book, "Teaching Matters", one of my favorite phrases from the book is 10 out of 10!  How many days out of ten would you like your students to be respectful and responsible? How many days out of ten would you like your students to be cooperative and caring? How many days out of ten would you like your students to be prepared and behave appropriately?  If we expect our students to do these things ten out of ten days, then we must have the same level of expectations for ourselves.  Even on days our patients are worn or we are not up to giving it our all, it is important that we fake it and demonstrate how much we care for our students 10 out of 10 days.

Choosing our frame of mind of for the day, like saying "I love Mondays", is what great teaching is all about!  When we think of the people we do business with and choose to spend our time with, we trust individuals who are kind and understanding and have our best interest at heart; not individuals who always see their glass half full.  These are the types of characteristics our students trust too! 

 So, when you are feeling overwhelmed and not up to your best, just remember "I Love Mondays!"  How you choose to take on the day does matter to everyone around you and who knows, maybe it will change your outlook for the day!     


School Notes:

Natural Helpers - Kelly Cash has been working with Crisis Connection to bring back the Natural Helper program.  It is a program where students, who have been voted on by their peers, get training on how to be helpful to their peers who may be struggling.  The Natural Helpers program will be November 13 and 14 at the PCMH medical building across 37. A list of students who will be participating will be sent to you soon.  We will work hard to make sure students make up the work they miss.  A special thank you to Kelly, Perry County Memorial Hospital and Crisis Connection for making all of this happen!

ISTEP 10 Retesting will begin soon.  Students are currently participating in remediation for English 10 and Algebra.  Testing will begin the first week of December.  We will have a schedule sent to you as soon as possible. 

Veteran's Day - Students in grades 4-8 will be participating in the Veteran's Day program on Friday, November 10th.  Sally Saalman Mosby will be the speaker and she will be talking about serving in the military and her experiences in the war in Iraq.  Sally is a Perry Central graduate.  Students in grades 7 &8 will be released around 8:05 to go to the cafetorium.  The program will begin at 8:15 and will last around an hour.   Students in band will also be participating and will miss most of first and second period. 

FAFSA Day - Thank you to Lou Ann Backer for organizing a FAFSA day for our seniors.  On this day, seniors and their families can bring in their information and get help filling out the FAFSA.  Thank you to Angie Lubbehusen and Delonda Hayes for helping on this day as well.  It is a great service to our students. 

RTI Team Meeting - Our RTI team will meet later this week.  If you have students you are worried about in your classes, please fill out the RTI form by clicking on this link!  See Jody for more information!


Important Dates:

Tuesday, November 7th - Lucy Book Study after school at 3:00/ Coffee and Conversations - 7:30 p.m./ FAFSA Day!/ Girls Varsity Basketball @ Corydon 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, November 8 - PLC Team Meeting

Thursday, November 9 - RTI Meeting 7:20 a.m./ Athletic Banquets for Fall Sports - 6:30 p.m.

Friday, November 10 - Veteran's Day Program grades 7 & 8/ Girls Varsity Basketball @ home vs. Mitchell @ 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 11 - Perry Central Band participating in U of L Band Days!

November 13 & 14 - Natural Helpers Program

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