If you have had a discussion with me on grading in the last decade, you know I hold on strongly to the ideal that not all education days are built the same. Some days are more valuable than others based upon influences including the school calendar, the time of year, upcoming school events and other factors. This in part is why we have a year long rolling grade system for our courses.
- Well, here we are. We have 8 school weeks in a row, and with mother nature's blessing, we will have only one day off during that time - in week 7. Time to think big, plan ahead and make everyone of these not-so-equal days count for all their worth. I look forward to seeing what experiences you bring to your students over the next two months.
Mark
The wheels on the bus: In recent weeks, I asked staff to comment on out-of-district students and their perceived inability to stay after due to transportation. We are looking at adding one late run a week so if transportation was truly the factor, these students could stay after with their teachers for a myriad of reasons. Thank you to Michael Mahoney for putting together this bar graph for your viewing.
Building security: Please continue to lock your classrooms and shops when you leave for the day. This small safety measure will go a long way in better securing our building. Thank you.
The week ahead: A reminder that Friday is the the SkillsUSA District Competition at Greater New Bedford Vocational. So besides the 100+ students, we will be sending a number of staff members to chaperone. Please prepare your lessons with this event in mind.
Building updates: While you've been away work continues on upgrading our facility to make it a better and safer learning environment. Thank you to Mr. Moorhead, the maintenance staff, Scott Gilmartin and a number of 3rd party providers that worked around the building this past week.
- Check out the new Grey Room, which used to be the Green Room, which will forever from this day forward be known simply as Room 317. Room 317
- A number of classrooms in the 100s recieved new flooring over the vacation week. We will continue in the science wing during the April Vacation Week.
- Work has begun on redesigning a number of our entrances with new interior doors in preparation for the planned addition of security doors over the summer.
- Work has also begun on cleaning out the front display case for this summer's renovations. As a result, the pictures that were in the small display case outside of Student Services have been taken down. If you would like any of these photos for your personal archives please stop by the main office this week to claim them.
Finally, I would like to champion a not so new idea for the building: Professional Learning Networks. Cosmetology and Graphics along with Tina Palmer have already embraced this idea and there maybe others of you out there hiding in the shadows.
A professional learning network is a community of like-minded, usually field or trade specific individuals from multiple buildings, that meet and discuss trends, difficulties and limitations they face as well as best practices and successes in their subject areas. Cosmetology and Graphics have hosted teachers from other vocational schools at SST, while Tina meets with other math instructors regularly. I, myself, used to be part of a social studies group back in the day.
These meetings can be electronic, but I believe they work best when at least started as face-to-face discussions. I encourage you, if this is something you might be interested in, to come and talk to a member of the leadership team about putting together a partial day meeting here at the school in the spring.
You will be hearing more about this as we move throughout the spring and into next year. This will be one of my Smart Goals for the 2020-2021 school year.
Mark
Hope everyone enjoy their week away and I look forward to seeing you employing the 3Rs--Renewed, Recharged and Reinvigorated--upon your return.