Thank You Administrative Professionals!

It is so hard to describe the value of our Administrative Professionals across the district.  They are the first in line to all with all of our stakeholders!  I'm so thankful for you!  Please know that you Make a Difference!  

Our District Resource Management System-Your Diligence Equals Student Benefit! How you can help!

It's year 2 of implementation of Resource Manager (RM) barcoding of textbooks and resources.  This process is making a difference and providing opportunities for more dollars to be allocated to purchase additional resources and/or professional learning/growth opportunities for our educators.  

What is it?

An online Pk-12 resource management inventory process that ensures we only buy what we need, share what we have and repurpose what remains.  The Resource manager makes it easy to track and manage our school and district resources with an overview of our investments.

Benefits of Resource Management System:

• Effectively and efficiently manage resources
• Efficiently assign and deploy resources to teachers
• Have a more accurate assessment of the value of our assets
• Reduce losses to our district
• Make informed decisions from the data
• Books/resources can be transferred from one school to the other so we are not ordering new.  (accountability and availability)

Example of Impact prior to adopting the Resource Management System in 2016-17:

• L4L spent $300,000.00 for more resources for Reading Wonders K-5.  

Example of Impact after adopting the Resource Management System in June 2017

• L4L has only spent $10,000.00 on new resources for Reading Wonders.

That’s a HUGE savings!!

The money saved is now available to support the following: (Examples)

• Academy curriculum resources
• Professional learning to support curriculum resource adoptions
• Replenish Materials/supplies for Science/Math
• ACT prep
• Book Studies
• Empower hour materials
• Task force work
• Pilots
• Other requests to support district priorities and curriculum implementation
• Respond to an increase in enrollment

We need your help to maximize the benefits!

How do we improve the process?

• Tech Assistants have been very diligent in barcoding and checking books out to teachers and transferring books as needed.
• Once a book is checked out to a teacher, that book or resources should be accounted for by teachers at the end of the year inventory.
• Teachers return resources no longer utilized to the tech assistants at any time throughout the year. Tech Assistants will send discarded barcoded curriculum to the warehouse using the “Warehouse Return Form”  It is important to clearly label boxes.
• At GISH, there are 5 scanners in the building for department heads/Academy Lead Teachers to use to check out books to teachers.  

END of the Year Reminders:

• All resources will need to be checked in, transferred and/or accounted for by June 3rd.  
• Barb will need to have principals ensure a completed inventory of books and resources are updated by the end of this school year.

If you have any questions, please contact L4L's Barb Hardwick or enter question through "Let's Talk-gips helpdesk"! She is an amazing resource!

National Assistant Principal's Week

April 8th-12th is National Assistant Principal's Week!  The role of our assistant principals is critical to our school community. They are truly valued members of our administrative teams. The Wallace Foundation has identified five key practices of school leadership: "shaping the vision of academic success for All students, creating a positive and healthy school climate, cultivating leadership in others, improving instruction, and managing people, data, processes".  The job is demanding, yet rewarding!  Please meet and help me celebrate our GIPS admin team that are in the trenches making a difference, every day!

Middle School Assistant Principals

Melissa Beberniss-Barr MS

Melanie Smith-Barr MS

Calvin Hubbard-Walnut MS

Selena Wardyn-Walnut MS

Kayla Wichman-Westridge MS

Shelli Pfeifer-Westridge MS

   

 Grand Island Senior High Team

Greg Morrow-Assistant Principal-Student Services

Dan Phillips-Academy of Technical Sciences

Dr. Maggie Mintken-Freshman Academy of Exploration

Fawn Gernstein-Academy of Business and Communication

Greg Schlegel-Academy of Medical Sciences

Matt Wichman-Academy of Engineering and Tech

Ron Hester-Academy of Ed, Law, and Pubic Safety

Cindy Wells-Activities Director

Academy Partner Liason

Elementary Assistant Principals

Teri Ruybalid-Engleman

Angie Eberle-Dodge 

Thank you team for "Being Grand" so our students can "Thrive in an Ever-Changing World"!

How to Survive Assessment Season

Tis the season, "Assessment Season"! You have been preparing students by focusing on what they need to know and be able to do all year.  Now, it's time for our students to be "Grand".  Although the NSCAS (3-8) and ACT for students in the 3rd yr cohort in high school are important summative assessments to determine how well our students are mastering standards that will prepare them for future success, the reality is that for some, this time of the year is stressful and elevates levels of anxiety and other social-emotional responses which can have an impact on performance. 

So how do we best support students (and each other) through this time of the year?  From my search for some answers, I came across some good advice from BoysTown that I thought was worth sharing:  8 Tips for Surviving Testing and Supporting Students.  Courtney Dealy offers a few strategies and suggestions to consider implementing as students prepare for and take summative assessments.   It's important to remember what we say and how we say it to avoid adding undue pressure but hope and encouragement instead. I shared some insight about this in a previous blog and it's worth revisiting.  The quote to the left from Dr. Haim Ginott not only relates to teachers but to all that interact with children during the school day. It's a good reminder of the powerful impact we can have on others.

Aside from what I have shared, I know you all have additional ideas and resources that are making a difference and ask that you share so we can continue to grow as educators and positively impact our students.

Just in case you are not familiar with the Nebraska Department of Education State Assessment Website, I have linked it and encourage you to take some time to view the descriptions and links to resources.  There is good information that can inform assessment prep and planning in PLC's.

In conclusion, I have to say that I feel blessed to be in public education and although we experience seasons in education, just like the weather, we persevere and strive to ensure "Every Student, Every Day, a Success!"  I thank all of you for being here every day, on the front lines, making a difference.  Our students are our future and we are preparing them to THRIVE!

Check out these tweets on Twitter--Just a few examples of how teachers/campuses are supporting and encouraging through goal setting, additional study, and motivational experiences:

Jefferson All-Stars video

Jefferson All-Stars video

Spring Break Reading?

It's here and I'm sure welcomed by everyone!  Spring break is a great time to relax, rejuvenate, and reflect in preparation for assessment season and a strong finish to the end of the school year.  There are still a lot of instructional minutes left and daily opportunities to continue to make a difference for our students and prepare them for an ever-changing world!   I'm so thankful and proud of our GIPS staff and how hard everyone is working to impact our most precious asset, our students!

I recently came across a blog article from Mindsteps about expectations and I thought I would share it with you, maybe for some light reading while you are relaxing over the break. :) The title captured my interest, "Do High Standards Equal High Expectations?".  So, in thinking about the break and reflecting on my own goals, I thought it was worth the read.  During walks and visiting with teachers and other educators, I hear the language "high standards", "high expectations" and never really thought about the difference.  This blog caused me to reflect on how I use these words and how I think about students and possible biases I might have that impact my own expectations. 

Just an opportunity for me to continue to grow in my own practice and leadership. I hope you take the time to read and engage in conversations with others about the content. 

Wishing you all a happy, safe, and relaxing break!

Distinguished Educator of Literacy Award

This Thursday Dr. Amy Mancini, our Director of Assessment and Accountability will be receiving the Nebraska Distinguished Educator of Literacy Award at the NSLA conference in Kearney.  For those of you that know Dr. Mancini, you know that this is a well-deserved honor.  Not only is she an avid reader and constant advocate for reading at all levels, but her expertise and leadership around literacy have positively impacted teachers and students throughout her career.

Although Dr. Mancini's position changed this year to the Director of Assessment and Accountability, it has not impacted her passion for literacy and willingness to spread the love of reading in any way possible.  She is currently directly involved with the Nebraska State Literacy Association and will be leading an online book study that involves others from around the state! She often tweets out and motivates others to share what they are reading as well as accepting any opportunity to read to students!  She is very good at this, by the way! Feel free to invite her to your classrooms!

 I appreciate Dr. Mancini's love of learning, ongoing support of our teachers, principals and students, the way she takes action to improve outcomes, involvement in the community, and insight into how our data is impacting overall student achievement. Because of her, we are able to make informed decisions to support all of our campuses.  Dr. Mancini is a valuable member of the L4L team!

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Mancini for this recognition!

                        

It's Not What We Say, It's How We Say it!

 Parent/teacher conferences provide the opportunity to connect with families and share information regarding student progress.  The intention is always to engage in conversation and discussion in a way that improves partnerships, trust, and relationships. However, it's not always easy to find the right words and communicate in a way that helps accomplish this goal.  For some, this comes easy,  for others, not so much!  Even with the best of intentions, we sometimes fall short because of the language we choose.  How does this apply in our language choice with our students?  How often do we reflect on and carefully choose what we say and how we say it relative to our intended outcomes or goals?

This last week, I came across the release of a new book, "What We Say, and How we Say It Matter" by Mike Anderson.  It's only available for pre-order but you can read an excerpt here and get the just of the content.  It captured my interest, not only because I often reflect on my own language use and always strive to be a better communicator, but also because I think it's an area that doesn't receive a lot of attention in undergraduate and graduate education courses, however, can have a huge impact on others. It caused me to also think about our vision and how we are "preparing our students to thrive in an ever-changing world" and how language use plays a key role.

In the book, the author recognizes that we use language with the best of intentions, however, what we end up using undermine the goals.  See the chart below for a few examples shared in the book.

       

I can relate as I know I have made some of those same comments to students when I was a teacher and principal.  Although I had the best of intentions, I can see why I missed the mark in aligning with my intended goals.  I appreciate the rationale for shifting our language, the research and the examples offered in this first chapter of this book.  It was enough to make me reflect and want to share it with all of you.  I'm not advocating that you purchase the book, the first chapter is free, worth reading, and will promote reflection.

I have ordered the book and would be willing to share some of the examples/insights in future blogs if you would find it helpful.  I can see how this information could improve the conative skills students apply in teaming as well as supporting students through productive struggle! I'm excited to learn more!

Here is the link again in case you lost it in the content above. Check it out!