Happy Friday! I hope everyone has enjoyed their first full week back after Christmas break. Didn't think I would be typing that on January 25.
Last night we had our 8th grade parent registration meeting. Attendance was not bad, we did record the meeting so that will be available to parents who were unable to attend.
During our CIA meeting on Wednesday we discussed the academic honesty and retake policy for honor classes. I plan on sharing this document with you in the next couple of weeks to get your feedback. I realize that everyone has different thoughts and beliefs, so I will not get unanimous vote on it, but the goal is to come up with a policy that we all can work with. This is all new to us, so as we move through this process, some changes may need to be made. I think it is good to reflect back on these types of things after a year and ask am I happy with these results? Were there any consequences of our policy that I did not consider? Are these consequences acceptable? Do we need to tweak our policy? I do plan on scheduling a parent meeting for those students that qualify for the honors program. This hopefully will be mid February.
In the CTE world, we need to do our comprehensive local needs assessment or better known as the CLNA plan this year. We will be scheduling our spring advisory meeting for early March to get this requirement done. This is part of the Perkins requirement. We get roughly $22,0000 in Perkins funds every year for CTE courses. Purchases from these funds must be directly tied to our CLNA and the priorities we identified.
Looking ahead, the annual school board retreat is on January 29. Before the retreat, the board will meet to discuss the findings of the facility study. During the retreat, the boars will hear from the music staff and the administrators will go over the Iowa Performance Profile.
Have a great weekend,
Mark
Assistant Principal's Happenings
It looks like I'm making up for not writing in last week's Friday Focus, so hold on.....
Thought(s) of the Week:
1) Catching kids with grade problems early -- As I've been making my rounds and we start getting some momentum built in Q3, I've noticed some students are struggling with their grades. My conversation with them is "this is currently a small problem that can be fixed pretty easily. If we wait too long, it will become a big problem that will be much harder to fix." I encourage you to have this conversation with any student you are already concerned about for grades.
2) Amy Davis and I are trying some new things regarding attendance this semester. We are trying to make more personal phone calls or emails home daily when a student has been gone for the morning but not yet called out by a parent. Thank you, Amy, for all your help! We are hoping this will help us encourage more attendance and also help us keep better tabs on kids that are absent.
Which leads me to...
3) I sometimes struggle to know how much information to share with teachers regarding the background stories of students that have been absent, out of respect for the student. But please know that you are welcome at any time to inquire about students you are concerned about. If you are worried or need to know more in order to make a decision about schoolwork, please ask.
4) We are almost through January:)
5) The following are excerpts from Boys Town's book, "Well-Managed Schools":
"The Conflict Cycle follows a predictable pattern: First , there is a stressful event that triggers an irrational or negative belief..... These negative thoughts trigger negative feelings and anxieties, which drive inappropriate behavior..... The inappropriate behavior provokes others who then mirror those negative behaviors..... Their adverse reaction increases a student's stress, triggers more intense feelings, and drives more negative behavior. This leads to even more anger and frustration on the part of those around him or her. This cycle continues until it escalates in a no-win power struggle." (See image below).
One part of this quote that caught my attention was how a student's reaction to stress often includes irrational or negative beliefs. Recently I was part of an IEP meeting where it was revealed the student often spoke of himself in very negative terms, calling himself derogatory names for being "stupid". This type of neagtive belief would result in him withdrawing from class and not fully participating (and therefore not fully learning to his potential, and becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy!).
Another student recently told me that they "are dropping out anyway -- so why do her grades matter?" Another example of a very powerful negative and irrational belief.
Be on the lookout for the stories that kids tell themselves about their ability or situation -- and the stories we tell ourselves about a student's ability or motivation. We tend to see what we expect to see. It is a challenge to look beyond the behavior and try to see the root cause or negative beliefs that need changing.
How we respond to inappropriate behavior can either help or hinder this Conflict Cycle. Responding in a calm manner no matter the circumstance helps defuse a situation. Thank you for all of your patience and continued work with all of our kids!
Upcoming Activities
Friday, January 26
TBD - HS Northern Festival of Band - UNI
4:00 pm Boy/Girl Basketball @ CB AL
5:30 pm Varsity Girl Basketball @ CB AL
7:00 pm Varsity Boy Basketball @ CB AL
Saturday, January 27
TBD - HS Northern Festival of Band - UNI
9:30 am Boy Wrestling @ KP
10:00 am Boy/Girl Bowling - Le Mars Invite
Sunday, January 28
2:00 pm Large Group Speech State Performer Showcase
Monday, January 29
TBD - State Show Choir
3:30 pm Boy/Girl Bowling - Sweet 16 Lanes
5:00 pm JV Boy Wrestling @ MOC
6:00 pm Freshmen Girl Basketball vs. Hinton
Tuesday, January 30
4:00 pm JV Boy/Girl Basketball vs. SC North
5:30 pm Varsity Girl Basketball vs. SC North
7:15 pm Varsity Boy Basketball vs. SC North
Thursday, February 1
4:00 pm JV Boy/Girl Basketball vs CB TJ
5:30 pm Varsity Girl Basketball vs. CB TJ
6:00 pm Freshmen Boy Basketball @ CS East
7:00 pm Varsity Boy Basketball vs. CB TJ
Friday, February 2
TBD - High School Honor Band @ Ames
TBD - High School Honor Band @ Vermillion
12:30 pm Boy/Girl Bowling @ Council Bluffs
4:00 pm JV Boy/Girl Basketball @ SC West
5:30 pm Varsity Girl Basketball @ SC West
7:00 Pm Varsity Boy Basketball @ SC West
Saturday, February 3
TBD - High School Honor Band @ Ames
TBD - High School Honor Band @ Vermillion
8:00 am Large Group Speech @ TBD
12:00 pm Boy Swim Team - District Meet @ Ames
Monday, February 5
1:00 pm Boy/Girl Bowling Conference Meet @ Sweet 16
6:00 pm Freshmen Girl Basketball @ Gehlen
7:15 pm Freshmen Boy Basketball @ Gehlen
Tuesday, February 6
4:00 pm JV Boy/Girl Basketball @ CB TJ
5:30 pm Varsity Girl Basketball @ CB TJ
7:00 pm Varsity Boy Basketball @ CB TJ
Friday, February 9
Morningside Jazz Festival
State Swim Meet @ Iowa City
5:30 pm JV Boy Basketball vs. Spencer
7:00 pm Varsity Boy Basketball vs. Spencer
9:00 pm Snowball Dance
Saturday, February 10
State Swim Meet @ Iowa City
Crimson and Black @ Benton Show Choir Competition
9:00 am Freshmen Girl Basketball vs. Heelan
10:15 am Freshmen Boy Basketball vs. Heelan
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