Pancian. Thankojan. Danken. Thought. Kindly thought, favor, gratitude…. Early derivation of thanks and thank you. To appreciate. To recognize. To credit. To merit. To value. To give worth. Perhaps to deserve, to earn, to warrant. To respect. To esteem. To treasure. To cherish. To regard.
I hope this holiday gives all pause to really, sincerely show action of the words above. We have so much. We are so blessed. Much of the civility for which we do and can live, comes from the simple, but genuine thanking of those around us, and for all we have. Our perspective changes mightily when we realize the time we have is limited, the spectrum of our impact minute, and the course of our history finite. Use the time wisely to make others know how esteemed they are in your life. Reward the little things. Make significant those you love. My personal thanks to all of you. Have a great Thanksgiving.
Many new things are in discussion stages and in the next weeks or months, you will hear further details. I will make sure you are apprised as they become confirmed. Here are a few snippets:
*Schedule for high school - our schedule, for many reasons, will change either in the spring or next fall. Mr. Rollinger and I have collected input from staff and will meet this week, relay our information to staff once more and make a decision next week on our direction. Some implications are smoother and less congested lunch, common study hall, staff common time for development(PLC's - Professional Learning Communities), more TAP and SSR time.
*Alternative School for high school students in need of another setting is on the table. A committee will be meeting after Thanksgiving to move forward with criteria for selection of students, dynamics of the setting, etc.
*Laptops for every student, some times called "one-to-one". There is evidence that if used appropriately, this tool can be of great utility to staff and students.
*Student portfolios as a capstone and proof of academic growth will begin with this year's freshman. Seniors are beginning the process with senior projects, juniors will have increased responsibility and sophomores will be the bridge to a full-fledged senior experience that continues momentum into graduation.
*Project-based Learning(PBL) will continue to be examined. Eight teachers are currently involved in all different stages and degrees of using this contemporary and relevant approach to instruction.
*Personal Learning Plans(PLP's) that students will electronically create to map a pathway to graduation that serves future pursuits.
*Work-release credits for those who choose this program. Students will now have some minimal obligations, but will receive a credit for their time in the business world.
*Work-release credits for those who choose this program. Students will now have some minimal obligations, but will receive a credit for their time in the business world.
All of these ideas mesh with a new vision and goals connected to students becoming independent decision-makers. As these changes move forward, they will be directly related to students choosing their route to success and staff helping guide and facilitate this movement toward sound and thoughtful goals. Stay tuned.
School newspapers are a labor of love and perseverance - Mrs. Sylvia Kroger and her staff do a terrific job of keeping up. Unfortunately, the Harrisburg setting, close to Sioux Falls without much business in our actual city, and with the giant Argus monopolizing advertising and publication, it is difficult to find a venue for getting our news out. We are trying. Our relationship with the Sioux Valley News has been OK, but our difficulty is in selling the advertising to have our insert each week. So, we are compromising somewhat. We are going to an insert once every two weeks and will also publish a school newspaper in-house each month. We will try some other things in the future, but for now, we hope this will serve community needs. As I have asked before, if subscriptions from our community could go up(they are only $20 for a year) or if we could see an increase in advertising, we actually could grow this paper. But until then, we are at the mercy of economics. If anyone has any suggestions, I am open to them. Schools of our size, Madison, Garretson, Elk Point, Vermillion - they all have newspapers devoted entirely to them. My understanding is the Argus has basically squeezed any attempted paper in our town out of business and then just makes the decision not to cover us much. We really need this communication device. I know Mr. Holbeck has gone to great lengths to try to lure a paper to our city, but to no avail. A good example of the gap this lack of a paper creates was our Veteran's Day program last week. It was fantastic, but very poorly attended by our community. In the past week I have fielded some minor complaints of those not realizing we were having a program. A paper would take care of this. Even though it was in the Argus Leader, it does not meet our local needs.
Not much more to say this week. The leaves finally fall and activities end and begin in the never-ending cycle of American education. Mr. Rich Schneider's(our middle school principal) father passed away this past week. Attending the funeral in Farmer, a town of around ten people near Mitchell, there was much time to sit in the tiny, packed church and reflect on important things. My mind kept returning to two things, that I had to get out to see my father and try not to miss any chance to spend time with him before he goes on. And second, Alli Catherine Foreman, the newest Tiger in the district, just born to Mrs. Foreman. One goes, one takes the place. It all makes sense, but let's not miss the important parts. Hug your children right now. That's the important part. Events coming up in the next two weeks at Harrisburg High School:
Monday - 7:00 - FFA Parliamentary Practice
3:00- FFA Officer's Meeting
Girls' Basketball begins
6:30 - Board meeting - Liberty
Tuesday - 7:00 - FFA Parliamentary Practice
4:00 - After School Novice Debate
Wednesday - 7:30 AM - Staff Meeting
1:05 - Early Release
MID-TERMS POSTED BY 11:59 PM
Thursday - Friday - Thanksgiving Vacation
Monday - 6:30 - Dance Committee Meeting - High School
Boys' Basketball Begins
Boys' Basketball Begins
Tuesday - 7:00 - FFA Parliamentary Practice
4:00 - After School Novice Debate
Quiz Bowl Team at Mitchell
Wednesday - 7:00 - FFA Parliamentary Practice
Thursday - 7:00 - FFA Parliamentary Practice
Friday - 7:00 - FFA Parliamentary Practice
State Oral Interp. at Aberdeen
Saturday - State Oral Interp. at Aberdeen
9:00 AM - Wrestling - At SF Roosevelt
No comments:
Post a Comment