Off to A Good Start

For about the last 7 days or so I've been wanting to sit down and write about how our year has been going thus far and I'm finally taking a moment to actually do that.  So far, the year is off to a very good start!  Each year presents new challenges, opportunities, and initiatives that can have a positive or negative impact on the students, staff, or school as a whole.

One change that has occurred this year with students is the cell phone policy.  In years past students were not allowed to use their phones at any time during the school day unless granted permission by a teacher for educational purposes.  This year students may use their phones during passing times in-between periods and also at lunch.  They can still be used in class if teachers grant permission for educational reasons.  Information is at students fingertips, so why not use that technology at times!  Feedback from students and staff will be collected throughout the 1st semester as well as attendance data to monitor the impact of the change.  Thus far students have responded to the additional responsibility very well and thus far the change has been good.

Another change that is occurring is the emphasis among staff to assess the students learning more routinely and use this to guide and plan instruction.  For example Mrs. Maxwell might ask students to share information they learned in class on sticky notes and place them on the posters that she has in class.  Based on this she can monitor what the students understand and base her planning for instruction on this feedback she gets from the students.

Some teachers are gathering feedback from students at the beginning of units on, "What they know", "What they don't know", and "What they would like to know".  This gives the teacher an idea where to start and a direction to move in that will interest the students.  These are just a couple examples of the assessment tools teachers are using to better meet the needs of students.

The last thing that has also been a big emphasis with students and staff is school pride and the climate and culture of our school.  We've talked about he we can build stronger relationships with students and families and how we can show our students we do care about them as people and not just as students.  The chart below shows how the success rate of students increases significantly when students feel as if just one person cares about them.

Making a significant change in a climate and culture will not occur overnight or even in just one year.  However, I do feel we made good progress in this area last year and with continued effort we will continue to make Belle Plaine Schools a place where every student feels safe and cared for by others who will help them succeed.