Skip to main content

Superintendent’s Coffee Talk for May, 2017



Superintendent’s Coffee Talk for May, 2017

Upcoming dates, events: May 10th Honors Convocation, final HS concerts 5-15, 5-16, commencement is Sunday, May 21st, last student day Mon. May 22nd. (Teachers are on contract for two days following the end of the student year). Seniors are finishing up May 10-11; seniors traditionally finish early.

Thursday, August 17th is the first day of school for the 2017-18 school year. The full calendar is available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzNNwJp2xvrKUTFaZ0RDQVNGY28/view

Commendations: Spring activities success has been tremendous - top-ranked baseball team, quiz bowl state champs, Skills USA and FFA national qualifiers, the list goes on!

Thanks: We are grateful for the tremendous parent volunteerism that made post-prom a huge success and is spearheading another great PTO Fun Run event scheduled for Friday, May 5th.

Foundation: The Norris Foundation will award more than 30K in scholarships to graduating seniors at the May 10th Honors Convocation to help them pursue their post-secondary dreams. The Foundation golf tournament raises funds for this and other Foundation initiatives including classroom innovation grants to teachers. The annual golf tournament is June 19th and is accepting registrations.

Recent events: First ever statewide ACT administration to all juniors was April 19th and went off without a hitch. We did not have class that day for freshman, sophomores, or seniors.

Strategic Plan areas:
21st Century Learning
Communications
Inclusiveness and Engagement
Transitions

Key Strategic Plan initiatives:

District mobile app: http://launch.customschoolapp.net/norris160/
1:1 deployment (Chromebooks) for 9-12 fall, 2017 (and more mobile cart deployment K-8)

New math curriculum is Pearson Envisions and will be used K-8, initial training on the new texts and materials will occur in May.

We have nine retirees this year, and a number of others leaving district for personal or career promotion reasons.

The Board is considering how to finance needed infrastructure projects and upkeep including HVAC, re-roofing, bus barn expansion, driveway expansion, parking lot resurfacing, kitchen renovations, etc. This discussion may factor into and include fields development discussion. The district will only be able to incrementally move forward on accomplishing these projects since special building fund levying capacity is limited under general fund restrictions. Thus a bond issue to address some of these may need to occur, deliberation and discussion on timing and sizing of it will be determined by board after lengthier needs analysis and detailed cost estimating.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Marathon Training Nutrition Commitment

I had a two-bag-a-week habit...Bazooka Joe himself had to stage an intervention for me. I have been training for the Lincoln marathon, which goes off  a week from now. A month ago, I decided I would get aggressive with my nutrition because I figure an old runner like me (43) needs every possible advantage if I want to crawl across the finish line in under four hours much less 3 1/2. So I set out to eliminate empty cards and refined sugars from my diet about five weeks ago.  I thought that this would be a good means of enhancing my nutrition while also improving my chances of turning in a good performance on race day.  I said goodbye to the chips and candy, and mourned the loss of my fries and popcorn... There definitely is a connection between intake and output.  How you eat, how you sleep, and whether you're drinking enough water- all those things contribute to outcomes on race day, not just miles and pace. ...
2 comments
Read more

Tech Integration Tips from Coachella Valley USD

Coachella Valley USD is presenting on their mobile learning initiative at the National School Boards Association convention (March, 2015).  They have spearheaded one of the largest iPad rollouts in our nation at the  PK-12 level with over 20,000 students receiving iPads. Key recommendations from the CVUSD team that I heard: Devices don't matter if you don't have the right attitude. Mindset is essential and enthusiasm is vital. There has to be a paradigm shift in schools from "IT" to Ed Tech. T3s are Teachers Training Teachers. Coachella is leveraging the power of peer modeling and teacher expertise to help tech integration become a reality. The tech team must be decentralized. If you want your tech personnel to really impact teaching, they have to be out in buildings, reaching out to teachers. Fixing technology (keeping network up and on and repairing devices) alone will never fulfill technology's promise. Transformational use requires committed tech inte...
Post a Comment
Read more

Responding to a crisis event in schools: Panelist comments for Nebraska School Public Relations Conference

It's my pleasure today to address the Nebraska School Public Relations conference and share some thoughts as one voice on a panel for Responding to Crisis Events in schools. Whether it is recovering from the decimation of an F-4 tornado, responding a to a bus accident that resulted in dozens of students being transported to local trauma centers, or reacting to situations where volunteers or staff members committed egregious or embarrassing acts, it's essential districts have effective communication protocols for tough situations. Here's my simple advice, earned through experience: ·          “Guano happens.” Saw that on a bumper sticker the other day, and it’s a relevant point in crisis response: Respond to what the situation gives you; each scenario you encounter is a bit different. ·          Have (and consistently review during mundane and routine times) clear internal communication protocols. · ...
Post a Comment
Read more