February 9, 2024
The counselors have been busy this week getting the students registered for next year. Once we have all the request in, I'll schedule department meetings. I am looking for someone who is interested in teaching the video media class next year. If this is something you may be interested in, please come and see me.
Please make sure you are checking on students accommodations and modifications on their IEP's. This can be found by clicking on the orange triangle with an exclamation mark. It is the general ed teachers legal responsibility to make sure this is getting done. If you are not making these accommodations or modifications, Mr. Moss or myself can't defend you. This can cause legal issues for you.
Next week we do have in-service work, CIA will be sending out more details on this. Sped teachers will be meeting in the library with other district sped teachers. CTE teachers will be meeting with the MS CTE teachers.
Looking further ahead, next shelter drill is on 2/29 at 1:45. The end of the 2nd trimester is on Feb. 26. Trimester 2 grades will be due on 2/28 by 8:30 am.
Have a great weekend,
Mark
Assistant Principal's Happenings
Announcements:
1. Happy Super Bowl Tailgate Day! Please enjoy the food and festivities. Happy Friday!
2. With Mark gone today, I am more likely to stay near the main office.
3. Mark and I will be running reports for Juniors and Seniors with Opens to make sure they are still eligible after Midterm.
4. Looking for some fun on a Friday night? Come join the fun at SnowBall 9-midnight in Carey Gym. Thank you to Mrs. Isebrand, Mr. Bahr, Mrs. Cunningham, and the StuCo for doing all the lead work for this.
5. This may be considered a thought of the week, but I will put it here -- as Q3 grinds on, it is tempting to cut corners simply because I'm tired of fighting the same battles with students, constantly. I was reminded this week that consistency is the key to any discipline effort, especially with teenagers. Keep being consistent, even when tired. It will pay off in the end.
6. Along that line of thought, in conversation with a fantastic colleague this week I was reminded of some of the best advice I received from my mentor teacher in my first years of teaching: "Adam, you deserve what you tolerate". That sounds pretty harsh, but it is actually empowering. I am in control of my classroom and can demand high standards. I can expect much from my students and will support them to achieve it. The same is now true for me in this new AP role. I'm still learning. Let's support each other in this.
Thought(s) of the Week: "Trusting our Colleagues, part I: Relational Trust"
More from Elena Aguilar's book "Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resistance in Educators". This time from Chapter 4: "Build Community". I am borrowing liberally from pp.101-102 in her book -- verbatim at times:
One big idea from this chapter is relational trust, defined as the trust that's a result of interpersonal social exchanges that take place in a group setting. Three findings from research:
1. Student learning is impacted by the amount of relational trust among adults. Where there is high trust among staff and between staff and parents, students thrive. If trust is low, students are negatively impacted.
2. For trust to exist, each group of adults who work in a school need to understand their own obligations, and they need clarity on what others do. We depend on each other. Without each other, we can't achieve our goals. Role clarity is critical for trust to exist. It may be hard for me to trust my school's assistant principal, for example, if I'm often wondering, What does he do all day? He's either in the hall talking to kids or he's locked up in his office alone... (author's words, not mine, but fitting nonetheless:)
3. Trust is influenced by the conclusion we draw about our colleagues' intentions. If I believe that my colleague is here to serve kids I trust her more. Many factors influence how we draw conclusions about my colleagues' intentions. These include our previous interactions with them, as well as assumptions about their race, ethnicity, gender, age, and educational background. We are all quick to tell ourselves a "story" about someone else's intentions -- it happens all the time. The trick is to catch myself in that moment and remind myself to not jump to conclusions.
Next time..... we will dig into questions to ask when I don't really trust my colleague.
One job of a leader is to help establish trust between adults in our building. If you have thoughts on how I can do this better, I would love to have a conversation sometime.
Together,
Adam
Upcoming Activities
Friday, February 9
5:00 pm 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
TBD Crimson & Black @ Benton Show Choir Competition
10:15 am Freshmen Boy Basketball vs. Heelan
Monday, February 12
TBD - Freshmen Boy Basketball - City Tournament
9:00 am Girl Bowling State Qualifying @ Sweet 16 Lanes
4:00 pm JV Boy/Girl Basketball vs. Sioux City West
5:30 pm Varsity Girl Basketball vs. Sioux City West
7:00 pm Varsity Boy Basketball vs. Sioux City West
Tuesday, February 13
TBD - Freshmen Girl Basketball - City Tournament
9:00 am Boy Bowling State Qualifying @ Sweet 16 Lanes
Thursday, February 15
TBD - Freshmen Boy Basketball - City Tournament
TBD - Freshmen Girl Basketball - City Tournament
Friday, February 16
7:30 pm HS Band Concert
Saturday, February 17
8:00 am Large Group Speech All-State
Monday, February 19
Jazz Band Festival - Le Mars
Friday, February 23
7:30 pm Choir Concert
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