November 3, 2023

Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a great week. Don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour on Sunday. 

I won't be in the building today as Tessa has oral surgery mid morning so I'll be with her all day. I will check my emails during the day so if you need something I should respond sometime today. As we enter November, the first semester will be ending quickly. After today, we have 27 days of instruction and 3 days of semester tests. 

Our Fall season activities have all come to an end. The winter activities will be kicking off quickly. Girl's wrestling did start this week, followed by girls basketball, bowling, and boys swimming next week. Boys Basketball and Wrestling start the following week. 

Dates to keep in mind: Midterm for quarter 2 is 11/16. All PASS Plans need to be done by this time. For those really planning ahead, day 1 of semester test will be on December 18. This will be the odd periods. Day 2 is on December 19 and will be the even periods. December 20 is the make up day. Trimester 1 ends on November 15. Those grades will need to be finalized by 11/17 and we will send midterms and trimester report cards home at the same time. 

Please continue to make calls home to parents when their student is struggling. If you are seeing classroom behaviors, please let the parents know this as well. The easiest calls to make is to let a parent know how much their child has improved or how well they are doing. These calls make the first type of call home easier when the parents have heard good things about their child. 

Have a great weekend!

Mark

Assistant Principal's Happenings

Thoughts from the chrome dome:

1) Just breathe:)  That's what I told myself on Tuesday.  It was a pretty quiet day, overall, but I was just grumpy.  I needed to check myself before I did or said something rash.  When I taught ethics for Mentoring at my previous job, many of our case studies centered around something that happened when the educator was stressed out or tired.  Bad things ensued and licenses were lost.  Sometimes I need to step back from the situation, take a few breaths, and pray for wisdom and patience before addressing a student or situation.

2)  Some more highlights from Boys Town training last month:

 

The BT model starts with relationships.  This may be surprising at first, considering that we think of BT as a discipline tool.  But if I can develop a relationship with my toughest customers, the more likely they are to listen to what I have to say.  This is also a good time of year to reassess where I'm at with developing some student relationships, and reflect if I've "given up" with a few hard-to-love kids.  I have a group that fits this description, and they all eat first lunch -- things are adversarial right now because I no longer trust them.  I probably need to work on redeveloping some positive relationships.  It's going to take some work, so stay tuned.

Boys Town Top Tools for Building Relationships:

A) Be kind. 

Everyone responds better to kindness, including kids.  Also, we are modeling politeness - something in short supply in society.

B) Express empathy.  

Everyone wants someone to care about them and their success.

Even while correcting behavior, empathy can be a powerful tool:

"I know you're unhappy about what just happened....."
"I understand how disappointed you feel....."

"I can see this is important to you....."

BT makes the point that "bullies" often lack empathy and perspective-taking skills.  When we help students become more empathetic, we build a more positive and safe school.

C)  Show concern.  

This can be like empathy, above, but it can also be just taking an interest in what they like, teams they are part of, the part-time work they do, etc.

D) Give dignity.

Acknowledge student input and opinions.  If they are confused, rephrase questions in a respectful manner without making them feel stupid.  Show patience and listen.

E)  Communicate respect.

Make eye contact while communicating pleasantly and enthusiastically; use humor when appropriate -- these things help foster a community where students feel a sense of security, belonging, and respect.

So many of you do these things so well.  Let's lean into these best practices again now as we become tired and look forward to Thanksgiving break.  Just breathe:)

3)  Now, if you have actually read this far ......  For a little fun, I propose starting the Super Secret Fun Committee, or SSFC for short.  This committee is exactly what the name implies -- it will look for ways to create some fun in the building, and membership is super secret.

Why, you ask? 

 A) We could use a little levity now and again, and I would like us to start to consciously work on staff cohesion and community.  "Fun" is a good way to start.

B) Why 'super secret'?  First, it is just more fun.  Second, if people complain, I'm the one that can take the heat.  The SSFC gets the joy of creating fun and community without having to deal with any naysayers. 

"Crocktober" is a great way to start (thanks, Greta!!).  I have a few other ideas, too.  We will only be limited by imagination and my pocket book.  If you are interested, please send me an email!

Together--

Adam

Upcoming Activities

Saturday, November 4

NWI HS Honor Band Auditions - Sioux Center

Friday, November 10

7:00 pm Fall Play - Little Theater

Saturday November 11

7:00 pm Fall Play - Little Theater

November 15

End of Trimester 1

Opus Honor Choir - Ames

Thursday November 16

All State Music Festival - Ames

Midterm Q2

Friday, November 17

All State Music Festival - Ames

5:30 pm JV Girl Basketball vs. Unity

7:00 pm Varsity Girl Basketball vs. Unity