Rachel's Challenge/Legacy

We were fortunate enough again last night in the Norton community to be touched by the memory and work of an Angel. In a follow up to Craig Scott's presentation from last year, Larry Scott (Rachel and Craig's uncle) came and spoke to the NHS students and then at night to the NMS community. The message is very clear...kindness and compassion really go a long way. The interesting thing is that these concepts are so easy to grasp and simple to follow if we just make a commitment to them everyday. Change will not happen overnight, but random and deliberate acts of kindness are contagious and one person CAN make a difference...just ask Rachel Scott and those that she touched. Please contact me if you have interest in joining a Friends of Rachel Club or finding out more about Rachel's Challenge.

NMS vs. NHS

Part of the responsibility of being the new guy at any school is the school newspaper interview, which is was lucky enough to be a part of recently. One of the questions that came up was, "what is your advice for 8th graders preparing for high school?" I jokingly said to the girls, "how much time do you have?" I gave a pretty standard answer about being "prepared" and staying organized but I'm not sure I was able to truly give the answer the justice it deserves. I think the answer can be very complex for some people and yet very simple for others. I'm a little too old to remember back to my 8th grade year and what I did to ready myself for high school but having gone through high school I think I can offer a little advice for our 8th graders preparing for NHS. 1. Expect what you anticipate about HS to be nothing what you expected, it's just different from NMS. 2. You will have a lot of in school work and homework...it WILL prepare you appropriately for college. 3. Use your planner, it will help you stay organized. 4. Don't be unnecessarily absent and get to school on time. 5. Eat breakfast and lunch, you'll need the energy to get through rigorous 90 minute classes. 6. Become involved in some sport or afterschool activity, it will help you stay connected with the school and you'll get to meet people who have the same interests as you. 7. Develop relationships with teachers, it's not "kissing butt"...it's networking that will help you academically and give you a sounding board when you're feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. 8. Bring your lunch as much as possible...tan food isn't the best choice too often. 9. If you're visiting Mr. Dewar's office, whenever possible bring in a medium regular coffee...it will get you places. 10. To quote Mr. Dewar, HS is what you make of it so apply yourself and enjoy the ride. Don't get hung up on the "pebbles" of your HS career. You will have tough times. Focus on the "rocks" and good times. It goes quickly. I've solicited some help from current and past NHS students to give their advice. They ARE the experts!

Communication, or lack thereof?

I found this little snipit written in a recent article by Peter Gobis to be telling and troubling as well. As someone who has spent 15 years as a coach and 30+ years as an athlete, communication amongst players is so crucial. Verbal and non-verbal communication can often be the difference between a win and a loss. Take the non-verbal communication between Tom Brady and Deion Branch in yesterday's 23-20 OT win by the Patriots. On the tying drive in the 4th quarter Brady knew Branch would read the defender and break off his route. When he did, the ball was right there for him to catch. These guys spend countless hours together and learn how to communicate verbally and non-verbally. It's important that we recognize the important learning tool that technology is and embrace it when we can, however, at some point people need to put the phone down and TALK! Are we going to get to the point where athletes have PDA's on the field?? Anyways, read the blurb I have attached and see what you think. Oops, gotta run...text message coming in. :)



"It's a growing phenomenon, an epidemic if you will among female students, female student-athletes - being able to converse. With the advancement of technology, many an area high school coach has noticed the deterioration of communicative skills among their team members. North Attleboro High AD Kurt Kummer is recommending a public speaking course to be installed as part of the curriculum.

Foxboro High field hockey coach Melissa Bordieri has instituted a method to eradicate some of the madness. "If they want to talk to me, it's face to face or call me on the phone - no texting, no e-mails. That's an inexcusable absence!"

Texting and Driving

The new texting and driving law goes into effect today, and it seems as if the population that is most directly aimed at (teens)...is more concerned about how to get away with it and prove that the police cannot prove they were texting while driving. Many teens claim that it won't stop texting and driving, and that may be the case, but with an initiative such as this if ONE life is saved from the law then it's well worth it. It reminds me of the starfish story...one person CAN make a difference potentially in the lives of many by refraining from texting while driving. The message that these teens are missing is that the law isn't being put in place to be a hassle or curb their instant gratification need, it's there for their personal safety. I've always said as a driver that I'm not worried about the way I drive. I'm worried about the way others drive. I've attached a link to some interesting PSA's and stories about the topic, enjoy...but hopefully you're not reading this while driving!!!

MCAS

As we sift and sort through the latest MCAS results and attempt to make sense of what was positive and what we need to work on, I am trying to give food for thought based on how our students respond to MCAS. Many of our students, even those who passed their MCAS with flying colors, have reported that they are very disenchanted with the length of the test and specifically the open response portion. In a day and age of instant gratification, they want to be able to come up with the answer NOW! What would take me two sentences to write in a text message, they use 8 words to complete the same thought. Many of the students simply skim over the open response section or don't read it all based on its length. Maybe instead of "designing" better MCAS test taking students, we design a better MCAS test which accentuates our students academic and technological strengths?? The test "is what it is" and it doesn't appear that it's going anywhere so our job as educators is to find strategies to get our students to a point where they can all have success with it.

Longer School Year??

Today President Obama announced that he would be in favor of an extended school year. He didn't say specifically how much longer the year would be or what the school hours would be, but it's an interesting topic that will be heavily debated...especially amongst educators and current students! There are certainly two schools of thought here. The data shows that a country like China, which has a school week of 6 days, has produced more successful students. The US in some instances is outsourcing for jobs which allows them to pay less but also get more qualified candidates. Studies in the US have shown that a 4 day work week yields the best working results. I think it comes down to the individual and the expectations that are set at a young age. I was taught that if you wanted to accomplish your goals that hard work was the key. I'm not sure going to school MORE would have yielded me better results as opposed to the results I was able to achieve. It's definitely a great topic for debate. The DVD "One Million Minutes" helps explain this topic a little better.

Rachel's Challenge

In an effort to keep the momentum that was built last year around Rachel's Challenge, Rachel's Legacy (year two of the program) has been proposed and hopefully will be presented to our school and family community sometime late fall. Last year really brought into focus the need for adults and students to be sensitive to the dangers of bullying. Rachel's Challenge was able to give us all an outlook on the importance of compassion. Friends of Rachel groups were formed at the high school and the middle school. Rachel's Legacy should set us in motion again and provide the reinforcement of just how important treating other people truly is.

Healthy School Food?

I have heard a lot of scuttlebutt lately about schools changing over to "healthier" school food choices. The federal government unfortunately has a lot to say as it relates to school systems and who they choose to feed their students. This article is just, dare I say..."food" for thought. Enjoy!

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2010/09/27/cooking-up-change-in-school-lunches/?hpt=C2

Norton Middle School

I am extremely excited, honored and humbled to have been selected to represent Norton Middle School, the students and staff, as the Assistant Principal. I will do my best to help contribute to the continued growth and leadership of this great institution. This will hopefully be my first blog post of many. Let's get off to a great new school year.