10.18.21

Requesting Time:  A reminder that there is a glitch in the time off system.  No matter if you're requesting a sick, bereavement, personal or professional day you will get an error message when you submit your request.  Please know that your request was submitted and you only need to do it once. 

Craft Fair: Thank you to everyone who helped out and supported the craft fair this past Saturday. Special thanks to Mr. Bates, Mr. Nee, and the rest of the maintenance staff for their important roles.

“Whole Child Whole School” Initiative

For quite a while now, we as a district, have been paying attention to the needs of the whole child. A child who feels safe and is well-cared for mentally and physically is much more likely to focus, participate and learn. 

When the student support team, counselors and administrators, are given a referral or encounter a situation with a student or group of students we apply the "whole child" approach. No matter if the student intake is done with the counselor or the administrator, all parties are involved to ensure we are doing what is in the best interest of the whole student.  Sometimes, that includes counseling, other times it leads to discipline, and still others it includes an element of both. 

However, the student support team can not do it alone. It truly needs to be a whole school initiative. If you feel a student is not themselves, let the student support team know, but please reach out to the family directly.  You are the one observing the behavior up close, can describe it best, and you can direct the parents to reach out to the student’s counselor if they are looking for more help. 

I am a firm believer that the first outreach to home should not be a negative one. Imagine how the phone call would go with a parent about a suddenly underperforming student when you have already had a positive interaction.  To this end, I am bringing back “Positive Postcards.” The postcards will be available in the front office in the coming weeks. You simply fill out the postcard with your note of encouragement or success, fill in the student’s name and address, return it to the front office, and we will drop it in the mail. An acknowledgment of a job well done on the refrigerator at home can instill pride in the student as well as the parent. 

As our Mission Statement reads in part: This school is a community that strives to develop confident, civic-minded students who achieve ambitious career goals that lead to personal fulfillment, economic independence, and a positive impact on their community. We have always been supportive of one another and our students. I recall the endless number of times the vocational staff have had a conversation with a student in their program when the student was not giving their respect and full attention to an academic instructor.  Equally important, the number of times the academic staff has help vocational staff, develop lessons in math, or help break down text materials. 

All of this was done to support the whole student and their education. Please remember this is who we are as a school community and something we should always strive to be a part of and improve upon.  

“Whole Student Whole School”

Mark

Homecoming: Thank you to all the staff and volunteers that helped make our first student dance in 2 years a huge success! We had 400 students participate and enjoy a fun-filled evening! Special thanks to Matt Fallano for his oversight, Bob Mello for his logistical and grill support. Who could forget DJ Amy C and her fresh princess Cassie Johnson? An additional thanks to Sandy Baldner, Katie Berry, Tom Hickey, Tom Hart, Rob Gentile, Cole Hoadley, Lisa Bellantoni, Michelle Craig, Christine Fortin, Eddie Carll, Carolyn Rutkowski, and Officer Adam Hill for chaperoning. I final thanks to all the shop instructors and students who helped get the venue ready. The Courtyard never looked so good! A true community event that was much needed by our students.

Turning the tide: All of us need to continue to enforce the school rules and expectations including hats and mask-wearing. I recognize the repetitive nature of telling the students to put their masks on properly and to take their hats and hoods off, but if we do not all do this we will not be successful. This too is a true community effort.

From the Vocational Office:

Advisory: The RSVP deadline for the Fall Advisory Meeting was this past Friday. At this time, department heads should begin following up with any advisors who have not yet responded. Please mark their response (No, Remote, In-Person) in the RSVP column of your advisory list.

Open House: Here is the link to the Open House schedule for both academics and vocational staff. There are two tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet. Schedules are still being adjusted, so please continue to check back. 

Vocational Student Volunteers: Please use this form to list the student volunteers who will be supporting your program at the open house. Students would be expected to be there from 9am - 1pm on Saturday, November 6th.

Budgets: This is a reminder that shop budgets are due no later than Oct. 29th with technology requests by Oct 25th. A draft of your budget will need to be reviewed by Keith prior to the Fall Advisory Committee meeting on Oct 28th and can be updated with your advisor's input if needed. Keith will be holding meetings with department heads in advance of the advisory meeting to review budgets.