Challenge Day

Tomorrow we will be an interesting day. We are hosting a "Challenge Day" for our 7th and 8th graders. Challenge Day is a national organization that addresses bullying in the schools. I'm excited about tomorrow, as there has recently been a spate of news, both locally and across the country, about bullying in schools. Challenge Day addresses bullying head-on and then challenges them to "be the change." I'll post more after tomorrow about how it went, but if you'd like more info on Challenge Day, their website is www.challengeday.org.

Here comes the tests!

Over Easter break I got a note saying that our CST tests had arrived. I guess they are unavoidable, unfortunately. It's always an anxious time of year (especially for a new principal!) as it seems everything we do gets boiled down to this one test. We've made some pretty big changes, especially in the middle school, as a result of our last few years' test, and I am really looking forward to see if they pay off. Specifically, we've worked to eliminate the combination classes during core instruction, and increased the instructional block for mathematics. Since middle school math was our lowest area, hopefully these changes will help bring those scores up. Next year, I want to continue emphasizing math and work on implementing some whole-school programs to help bolster our students in the lower grades so they are better prepared for the middle school program. Also, we will look closely at implementing benchmark assessments to be able to know how students are progressing throughout the school year to better alter our course of instruction during the year.

I know that not all the good things our teachers and staff are doing for the kids will show up on these tests, and that is one of the biggest complaints about them. I try to keep everything in perspective, as I know the tests are important as a measure of student progress, but should not be the thing that dictates our every action. Trying to find that balance and keeping the big picture in focus is a difficult job!

Parent survey

It's the time of year when we are starting to look towards next year and begin making plans. to that end, I'd like to get feedback from our parents and families. I've created a parent survey to get your input to help guide us as we plan for next year. This survey is anonymous, as I want people to feel comfortable with leaving both positive responses and constructive criticism. The survey is available online through a link on the district's home page (www.thsd.k12.ca.us) or directly at www.surveymonkey.com/s/QWMCFB3. We do have paper copies available in the office, but I figure if you are into blog reading, you are probably into online surveys!

Tweeting...

I have recently set up a Twitter account for our schools. To be honest, I've never really seen the point of Twitter for social networking because I really don't need to know what anyone is doing at every single moment of the day. However, you can't argue the practicality of pushing out information to folks at the push of a button. My thought behind the Twitter account is to be able to send out notices about snow days (probably done with those for this year!), reminders of minimum days, or emergency information. I don't really plan on using it that often, as I don't think I'll be tweeting about what I'm having for lunch. Also, one of the practical issues I'll have to overcome is the filter at school. When I checked today, Twitter is blocked by our filter. I'll have to work away around that to make it work (probably just ask a student to help me!). If you are interested in following us on Twitter, we are at www.twitter.com/thschools.

Awards and hams!

This past week has been one of acknowledgment and accomplishment. Wednesday night, we had many of our students participate in the Tuolumne County "History Day" competition. Our students had many great projects, and special congratulations to Sarah Peterson who took third for her paper on mining, and Johnathan Olsen and Tyler Inwood with their project on the impact of the John Deere tractor took first place! John and Tyler now go to Pasadena to represent Tuolumne County at the State level competition! Super work guys, and nice picture on the front page of the newspaper!

Also in the newspaper were the results of the Pinecrest Invitational ski/board tournament I wrote about earlier. Included in the article was a picture of Danny Kelsay, one of our 2nd grade skiers! Good day for Twain Harte in the local media!

Last night I attended the "Employees Who Make a Difference" Awards presentation. This is an annual award given out by the Tuolumne County Association of California School Administrators. We were proud to nominate Sharon Gianelli from Pinecrest School, Michelle Dake from the district office, and Kathleen Olsen from Twain Harte Middle School. These folks (along with everyone else at our schools!) really do make a difference in our student's lives.

When I finished up with the awards banquet, I then returned back to school to catch what I could of the Family Talent Show, and spaghetti feed that B.O.T.H. was sponsoring. There was a great turn out, but by the time I got there, it was nearly over. I did get to see the grand finale act, however. Dylan, a 7th grader, balanced a 4-layer cake on his head for one minute! It was death defying! Everyone seemed to have a good time, and I'm looking forward to seeing the video, as I've heard rumors of an act titled "Ode to an Armpit." I'm sure the actors' parents must be so proud...

Ski season & Pinecrest Invitational

Last Friday was the conclusion of our ski program for this year. I want to say a huge thank you to Betsy Griffith and all of the parent volunteers who make this program possible. With the amount of work involved, I'm sure this program would not be nearly as successful without their help. Personally, I've been pleased to have the ability to brush up on my skiing skills, and see the kids on the slopes, some testing the waters for the first time, some who've grown up on the slopes. I know my mom has also really enjoyed getting back into skiing (Hi Mom!).

Today we had the 39th annual Pinecrest Invitational. It was great to see the teachers from Pinecrest and parents from both Twain Harte and Pinecrest. There was some spirited friendly teasing between the parents from the two camps. The kids all did well, and congratulations to Pinecrest Elementary for taking the overall title once again.

An interesting side note, after the competition concluded, I hit the slopes with some of the kids, and we skied until the lifts closed at 4:00. I then drove several of the boys home, and I was heading by school, I saw our 8th grade volleyball game was still going on, so I popped in for a few minutes. It was great to see 4 of the girls who competed at the ski tournament playing on our volleyball team! Oh to have that much energy still!

What's new

It's been a long time since I've updated this blog. Just fallen out of the habit, and am now going to try to fall back into the habit!

Things have been humming along at school. Last Friday was the end of the second trimester. The teachers have been doing great work with the kids and getting them ready for the CST tests in May.

We have completed our noon-league basketball season and have just started volleyball. The school teams played their first games today, and I know the 6th grade girls crushed Curtis Creek. Our 7th and 8th grade teams were away, so I don't know the results of those games yet.

The biggest challenge over the last couple of weeks has been trying to keep the kids off the ice on the blacktop. Even when it is nice and sunny, the blacktop right at the base of our blue wall stays icy pretty much all day. I believe this is categorized as an "attractive nuisance" as the kids seem attracted to the fun sliding like moths to a flame. Oh well, that's why I get paid the big bucks?