Weekly Update 6/29/12

Updates for the week:

I met with a representative from the AEA in regards to our professional development next year.  We had chosen to focus on integrating technology into the classroom and the AEA has put together a plan for our teachers.  In reviewing the plan with the AEA rep, I liked the fact that the plan integrated multiple platforms for our teachers to learn about.  This should be good learning for all of us.  

In buildings and grounds we continue to work on renovations to the daycare and publications lab.  Insulation and sheetrock has been installed in the daycare and we will begin mudding and taping next week.  Some of our student workers put a coat of primer up in the pub lab and a new coat of paint should go up early next week.

Much of our time was spent this week trying to get everything organized for our bandwidth increase.  We essentially go dark over the weekend if we can’t get this taken care of by the end of the day today.  The good news is that we have taken care of everything we can on our end and are ready to go.  Hopefully Mediacom can have their end up and running by tonight.

We continue the process of searching for a replacement for Mr. Elbert who took the principal job at Ft. Madison.  The HR committee met on Thursday evening to discuss applicants and potential interview dates.  Interviews will be scheduled for 7/11/12.    

Have a great weekend!

Weekly Update 6/22/2012

In looking back over my schedule for the week there were certainly a lot of meetings, but they were all productive and necessary for our continued success at Assumption. Highlights from the week:

Board Meeting – The three main items that were discussed: a potential partnership with St. Ambrose on the development of athletic facilities, board member rotations, and the schedule for principal interviews.  We also amended the cell phone policy to be more consistent with our acceptable use policy and the 1:1 initiative for next year.  

I met with several teachers on schedules and responsibilities for next year.  We continue to look at ways to improve the master schedule and provide the best possible options for our students.

There were two meetings on Tuesday that I attended: a meeting with the Assumption Foundation and our annual special education meeting with the AEA.  

Wednesday was all about professional development with a phone conference with Nicole Peterson at the AEA regarding Title II funds and professional development for our teachers.  It is always nice to get some input from an outside source, and she also offered suggestions on how we could improve a few things  concerning Iowa core curriculum.   I also attended a webinar on the C-Plan,  Iowa’s new state electronic reporting tool for schools.  It doesn’t seem too complex, but looks can be deceiving and it will take some work to convert all of our documents over to this program.  

We continue our facilities projects this summer. This week we completed the replacement of the domestic hot water lines in the tunnels of the school, significantly decreasing the likelihood of a breakage and flooding of the school.  Other projects include:

Completing the removal of our old degraded lab stations in the physics lab and floor replacement.

 

Rebuilding, refinishing and fixing the gas outlets on the tables in one of the science rooms to provide a better setting for lab and group work. 

Remodeling the pub lab to be more conducive to group work.  This room will have two separate group study rooms along with an area for large group meetings.

 

Finally, the remodel of the daycare continues.  We passed our HVAC inspection today and will now begin the installation of insulation and sheetrock.

Weekly Update 6/14/2012

This was certainly one of those weeks where things were busy, especially for the summer.  The week began with Emily Faulhaber putting on a very successful Fresh Start Picnic for our incoming freshman class.  It was such a great event for our students.  Speaking of the freshman class we are projecting that our final number will be well over 120 students!   Thanks to all the dedicated parents, students, faculty and staff that are working to make this another great year.  Great things are coming.

On Monday evening I attended the Scott County Advisory Committee meeting.  It was a great discussion centering on what we do as a diocese to provide board of education development.  I believe the consensus is that we will extend our board orientation to some of the schools in the south of the diocese to help them be more effective.

I was out of the office on Tuesday and Thursday of this week attending a conference up in Cedar Falls.  The conference centered on board development and human relations processes in schools.  While this might not sound exciting or even interesting, it most certainly was.  It was great to hear examples of how outstanding boards operate, and different steps an educational leader can take to ensure that they keep the board informed and help to develop the mission of the school.  The HR portion provided a lot of detail on how to develop a good HR plan, hire, mentor, evaluate and develop people within schools.  I learned a lot those two days.

Much of Thursday was spent on catch-up of email and phone calls.  I also spent some time working with Julie and Tammy on the master schedule.  They have spent countless hours working to iron out all the potential conflicts and ensure the best possible schedule for our students.  It is great to see this attention to detail and level of caring for our students.

Friday was another crazy day with more catch-up on emails and phone calls and several meetings with teachers on schedule changes and adjustments in teaching load.  All went very well.  We have also already started to receive applications for the principal’s position.  I am hoping to have collected a good pool of applicants by the end of June and begin interviewing in early July. 

Have a great weekend.

Weekly Update 6/7/12

A couple congratulations to some of our fellow Knights:   Willie Argo was selected in the 22nd round of the Major League Draft to the Tampa Bay Rays.  We all wish Willie the best of luck, and look forward to seeing him in the Major Leagues!  Girls’ soccer once again had an incredible season, and won their first round game at state on Thursday.  Keep it up ladies, and as Coach King says, “Bring home some hardware!”

A lot of time was spent on state reporting this week.  On June 20^th our spring EASIER report is due to the state.  This is a time consuming process, but we are in the final stages before we certify the report and get approval from the state.  I’m sure this sounds a lot of fun to everyone.  Trust me, it’s not.  

We began the renovation of the Physics lab this week.  This project should help to improve not only the aesthetics of the room, but also the safety.   It also provides a greater seating capacity and creates new ways to arrange the room making it less restrictive and more conducive to group learning.

I had a web meeting with Lee Morrison, superintendent of schools and Lee Iben, President of Regina this week.  Conversation centered around school finance and the optimal way ways to fund our schools.  It was a good conversation and I look forward to seeing what comes from the ideas that were shared.

Thursday morning was spent over at the AEA doing some more work with the ICAT tool, which provides us with the ability to analyze our curriculum and see how it aligns to the Core Curriculum.  Thursday’s conference taught us how to analyze the data our teachers entered during the winter.  As a school we chose to focus our attention on 21^st century skills and I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of the Iowa Core that we already cover.  The challenge for us is not in coverage, but the depth in which we cover each of the components.  During these meetings the word “mastery” is frequently used when referring to how concepts should be covered.   We need to continue to strive for mastery of concepts and not just coverage.  I know our teachers are up to that challenge.  

Have a great weekend.

Update for the Week 6/1/2012

With the start of summer it takes a little time to adjust to the lack of “noise” that usually echoes through our hallowed halls.  It certainly feels a little strange to walk around and not see a single person, but luckily for us it won’t be long before students return and the hum of activity is back.

First, congrats to the boys’ tennis team on their State Championship!  I believe their win wraps up our fourth Des Moines Register All-Sports Championship.  What a great accomplishment for our student-athletes.  We should all be proud of their dedication and commitment to success.  

The first part of the summer is usually spent cleaning up any loose ends that were put on the back burner  because of end of the year activities .  This year is no different.  This week we finished up the master schedule, calendar, and student handbook, we determined scholarship grants and held our end of the year meeting with our auditors.   Despite the students getting some much needed time off, we are all still working hard to make sure that next year begins in a positive way.  Thanks to all those who are making sure that happens.  

We continue our preparation for next year’s 1:1 initiative.  We are in the final stages of device testing and hope to have a decision made by late June.  Updates will be sent via email, so be on the lookout if you have a junior or senior student.  

The daycare addition is progressing well and the electricians will be starting next week.  We also have committed to the replacement of approximately 500 feet of domestic hot water pipes located in the tunnels beneath the school. Given the construction practices used in the 1950s, these pipes are covered in asbestos and the constant trapping of moisture has sped the corrosion and deterioration process. After evaluation by three qualified plumbing contractors, it was determined that replacement is essential, and delaying replacement would create a significant risk of flooding within the school as the result of a bursting pipes. This project will be completed this summer.  

If time permits we will begin renovating a couple classrooms in the academic area.  The first is the physics room, which needs some serious upgrades.  The second is the publications lab, which could be upgraded to provide an environment more conducive to learning in an online world. 

Have a great weekend!