Friday was North Branch Area Public Schools Community Service Day. This was the third year our students and staff have partnered with cities and civic groups to help get the area ship-shape for the upcoming summer.
Over those three years our students and staff have performed a number of wonderful duties in and around the district and I get a real sense of pride when I am driving around the district and see that work on display; the fresh coats of paint on the Lions park bathrooms in Stacy and the ball field bleachers in Sunrise, the beautiful flower gardens at the Villages of North Branch, and the squeaky clean windows at the local public library, to name a few.
There are far more service projects that aren’t as obvious but just as important. We have performed road clean-up in North Branch, groomed and tidied parks and other public areas in Harris, Stacy, and Sunrise Twsp. The partnerships that have been created across the district have been very beneficial for the community and, especially, for students.
It is very rewarding to hear from those partners after the fact. They tell how much they value the students and staff and how appreciative they are of the service projects we perform.
This year, Community Service Day included a musical concert for the lunch crowd at the Chisago County Senior Center, with songs performed by middle school music students. I hope it was a hit!
All of us hope you appreciate Community Service Day as much as we appreciate providing the service and, most importantly, the valuable lesson for students about taking care of the people and places in their community. That is a lesson worth learning over and over again in life.
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Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Year one: Four-day week
At long last, spring is in the air, and with the belated seasonal change comes another round of four-day week surveys.
For those who may not be aware, the district committed to surveying staff, students, and parents about their experiences with the four-day week. These surveys are being conducted twice this school year; once last fall and again coming up toward the end of May.
Last fall the district surveyed over 3,000 people and the response was very positive. The district also learned some things that could be improved and have worked toward making the schedule better as a result. Anyone interested in those results can visit our home page (www.northbranch.k12.mn.us) and click on “Four-day school week information” on the left side. On the research page under “monitoring” is a presentation and the complete survey report given to the school board in December.
We are excited that we have been able to make some improvements to the process, including the ability for all students to take the survey electronically, greatly reducing costs associated with printing and data collection.
Another change; if you are a parent, you will be receiving a postcard in the next two weeks with instructions on how to take the survey. Last fall, parent surveys were conducted at parent/teacher conferences.
As we near the end of the first year of implementation, the anecdotal evidence we have received has been very positive and we are so grateful for the partnerships that have made the schedule as successful as it has been. We will be analyzing savings as the end of the fiscal year draws near to make sure it is accomplishing what we hoped. Of course, as in all things, we will report those findings to you.
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For those who may not be aware, the district committed to surveying staff, students, and parents about their experiences with the four-day week. These surveys are being conducted twice this school year; once last fall and again coming up toward the end of May.
Last fall the district surveyed over 3,000 people and the response was very positive. The district also learned some things that could be improved and have worked toward making the schedule better as a result. Anyone interested in those results can visit our home page (www.northbranch.k12.mn.us) and click on “Four-day school week information” on the left side. On the research page under “monitoring” is a presentation and the complete survey report given to the school board in December.
We are excited that we have been able to make some improvements to the process, including the ability for all students to take the survey electronically, greatly reducing costs associated with printing and data collection.
Another change; if you are a parent, you will be receiving a postcard in the next two weeks with instructions on how to take the survey. Last fall, parent surveys were conducted at parent/teacher conferences.
As we near the end of the first year of implementation, the anecdotal evidence we have received has been very positive and we are so grateful for the partnerships that have made the schedule as successful as it has been. We will be analyzing savings as the end of the fiscal year draws near to make sure it is accomplishing what we hoped. Of course, as in all things, we will report those findings to you.
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Friday, May 13, 2011
Four-day weeks catching on
With the financial challenges facing public school districts not just in Minnesota but across the country, the four-day week is getting a serious look from many points of the compass. The LA Times wrote an editorial on the subject this week and highlighted some of the benefits:
There appear to be educational benefits as well. Absenteeism among students and teachers in these schools has fallen appreciably, the report said. (As a result, schools also paid less money for substitute teachers.) Students reported feeling more positive about school. Dropout rates fell, students behaved better and participation in extracurricular activities rose. Parents of young children often objected to the change because of the need to find childcare, but once the programs were in place, the report said, they often found that it was easier to find care for one full day a week than for several partial days. Test scores didn't fall, and in many cases, they rose.
We have seen indications of some of these things over the course of this year, but not all. We will certainly know more after the school and fiscal year end and we are able to look more closely at our implementation.
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There appear to be educational benefits as well. Absenteeism among students and teachers in these schools has fallen appreciably, the report said. (As a result, schools also paid less money for substitute teachers.) Students reported feeling more positive about school. Dropout rates fell, students behaved better and participation in extracurricular activities rose. Parents of young children often objected to the change because of the need to find childcare, but once the programs were in place, the report said, they often found that it was easier to find care for one full day a week than for several partial days. Test scores didn't fall, and in many cases, they rose.
We have seen indications of some of these things over the course of this year, but not all. We will certainly know more after the school and fiscal year end and we are able to look more closely at our implementation.
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Money where our mouth is
I have repeated the phrase “everyone an ambassador” at school board meetings, in public, and this column on numerous occasions. These are not just words to us, we are on a quest to create ambassadors amongst our staff and our families, and have vowed to be ambassadors ourselves.
Next fall we will host a “Principal for a Day” event in which individuals will be invited to spend a full day getting an unvarnished look at what it takes to run a school district. We hope to invite key community members with a wide range of views. Space is limited and only a handful can be accommodated for the experience to be meaningful, but if you would like to be considered, please contact me.
Also next year, expect monthly “Patron Tours,” which will allow for larger groups to get a more general, half-day look at the day-to-day operations of a public school.
Do we want to create ambassadors with these events? You bet! We are confident when you see our hard-working staff, polite and dedicated students, and our successes despite great challenges, becoming an ambassador for the district will be an easy decision.
At the district level, many are participating in important discussions at the state and speaking to legislators, bringing our challenges to the forefront. In these efforts we are working hard to be ambassadors for the district and the community.
We are dedicated to doing a better job sharing the wonderful things happening here, the exciting innovation, and the daily success stories of students and staff.
It is common knowledge that a strong school system is important to a strong community. We intend to start showing off the wonderful experience we offer here, and we hope you will join us. Together we have much to accomplish and it is together that we will get there.
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Next fall we will host a “Principal for a Day” event in which individuals will be invited to spend a full day getting an unvarnished look at what it takes to run a school district. We hope to invite key community members with a wide range of views. Space is limited and only a handful can be accommodated for the experience to be meaningful, but if you would like to be considered, please contact me.
Also next year, expect monthly “Patron Tours,” which will allow for larger groups to get a more general, half-day look at the day-to-day operations of a public school.
Do we want to create ambassadors with these events? You bet! We are confident when you see our hard-working staff, polite and dedicated students, and our successes despite great challenges, becoming an ambassador for the district will be an easy decision.
At the district level, many are participating in important discussions at the state and speaking to legislators, bringing our challenges to the forefront. In these efforts we are working hard to be ambassadors for the district and the community.
We are dedicated to doing a better job sharing the wonderful things happening here, the exciting innovation, and the daily success stories of students and staff.
It is common knowledge that a strong school system is important to a strong community. We intend to start showing off the wonderful experience we offer here, and we hope you will join us. Together we have much to accomplish and it is together that we will get there.
(end)
Read more!
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