Merry Christmas!

I hope you all have a safe and relaxing holiday break!

See you in a few weeks. 

Don't forget to read as much as you can during the break. :)

Where did your teacher go to college?

Learning is symbiotic in our classrooms....teachers and students

As a principal I have a unique vantage point when I enter a classroom. My role is to assess student learning and to assess teacher learning. The focus used to be on how skilled the teacher was at standing in front of a classroom and delivering the content. Student focus was on how well they could memorize what the teacher was saying, long enough to regurgitate it back onto the test on Friday. Regurgitate sounds a little gross, but one of it's definitions is: repeat (information) without analyzing or comprehending it. This is exactly the opposite of what we want from student AND teachers. We need students to learn the content, understand the content, and most importantly, know why it's important, why it works, how it connects to other subjects in school, and how it connects to life.

Teacher learning is very similar. Research shows that teachers make, during a 6 hour day with kiddos, 1,500 educational decisions. That's about 4 per second.

And what do these decisions yield? Data. 

And teachers LOVE data. (Principals LOVE data.) This is where things are different now for teachers.

Previously: Data meant something that went on a report card; something to write on the top of a paper in red ink to send home; something for the students and parent.

Now: data gives teachers instant feedback on their instruction. Effective teachers look at this data, this feedback, and learn from it. They change their instruction. They adapt their delivery. They regroup students, reteach skills, and ask their peers "Hey! Your class did awesome on that assessment and mine didn't. What did you do differently than me?! Can you teach me?"

This is why you see teacher sharing students during our intervention time. This is why teachers meet for an extra hour every Monday morning, during their prep times, during grade-level assemblies, while standing in the hallway. Teacher efficacy has the greatest impact on student learning and our teachers are always LEARNING how to be more effective.

This is also why they're so tired on Friday afternoons. They're working harder than ever before. :)

THIS is what Growth Mind-set looks like

(I totally copied and pasted this post from Bill Ferriter's blog, The Tempered Radical)

THIS IS WHAT A GROWTH MINDSET LOOKS LIKE IN ACTION.

Carol Dweck’s Mindset — which argues that success depends on our willingness to be resilient and to believe that potential isn’t determined by ability alone — has been driving my thinking for the past year.  

People with fixed mindsets, Dweck argues, are all too willing to give up when the going gets tough, convinced that they “just don’t have what it takes” to overcome intellectual challenges.

People with growth mindsets, however, see struggles and failures as opportunities to learn.  “The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it,” she writes, “even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset” (Kindle Location 184).

One of my struggles, however, was having tangible examples of just what growth mindsets looked like in action.

That all changed in our faculty meeting last week, however, when my principal shared this video describing the efforts of Malcom Mitchell, a star football player at the University of Georgia, to improve his reading ability:

Training other principals about blogging

Mr. Hilberg and I were invited to share how our teachers are using blogs to connect with families, and how our CSL teams are using blogs to share notes and data.

The principals, superintendent and assistant sup had some questions, comments, and really liked what they saw. We were like proud poppas bragging about our kids. :)

Happy Halloween!

Be safe! Eat lots of candy! (especially those Snickers Peanutbutter squares. 'Em are good!)

Wonder staff!

Two Clark Kents.

Mrs. Tullis' class made me a princess lego pumpkin. 

Office staff -without makeup. :)

A very powerful article...

As teachers and administrators, we strive to make all of our decision-making around one fundamental question: What is best for the student? Often times this means choosing student achievement and their social/emotional support over our own adult comfort.

This article is about a teacher who was becoming a teaching-coach at a high school. Her principal asked her to spend two days looking through the eyes of a student, following the student, taking the same tests and doing the same work. Her experience was very eye-opening for her.

Click here for the article

Of course, this was from a high school perspective but it reminds us that we need to do our very best to make the experience of EVERY STUDENT as intentional, as purposeful, and as gratifying as possible.

Principal Connect -Oct. 28th

Mark your calendars:

I will be hosting the first Principal Connect of the year on Oct. 28^th in our Library at 6:30pm. This is a chance for us to meet and discuss education topics. October’s topic: Common Core State Standards (CCSS): Facts and Myths. As many of you may know there is now a (almost) national standard for student learning. For Washington state, these standards are tough, but attainable. For some states, these standards are extremely rigourous. On Oct. 28th, I'll be sharing the primary focuses of these standards, how they align K-12, and how they are different than what we grew up with. Or even different from a few years ago. 

Even if you don't care about the CCSS but have other issues or questions, please drop in. 

Hablamos. Mas o menos. 

-Rob

McTake-over Night

Thank you to all the teachers who worked and students who coerced their parents into going to McD's tonight. We had a steady stream of Robert Lince Huskies all night long!

CWU Mascot at Lince

Monday morning students arrived to school to be welcomed by Wellington P. Wildcat, the official mascot of Central Washington University. A HUGE thank you to Mrs. Paulson for her efforts in promoting post-secondary education!

Some students asked if that was me in the costume. They kept mentioning something about... "well, he does has a huge head." Ouch.

Future Principal

Last night at the RL  Open House I took the opportunity to take an "us-sie" (as opposed to a selfie) with one of our 2nd graders, with aspirations of being a principal. He makes me look good. :)

Money for College at Open House on Sept. 18

We are serious about having every student go to college!

If we start planning now we can remove the barriers and excuses people use to not go. Probably the biggest reason why kids don't go to college is because it can be expensive! But we found one way around that....

At our open house on Thursday, September 18th, along with learning about what's going on your kiddo's classrooms, we will have other informational tables set up outside the library. One of these will be the GET program, or Guaranteed Education Tuition program. (Click here for website) 

A GET representative will be onsite to answer questions, provide brochures and related information, and has GIVEAWAYS FOR STUDENTS! Be sure to stop by and see what they can offer  to guarantee your child has that opportunity to go to college.

Shifts in Math Learning: Common Core State Standards

     This morning all the principals and assistant principals in the district spent two hours observing teachers at John Campbell. We watched four teachers, at different grade levels, teach math lessons. Our purpose was to look for how teachers are implementing the Common Core State Standards and the shifts in how we teach and look at and talk about math. Gone are the days when students memorize math for the sake of appeasing the teacher. We need students to know exactly what it means to "borrow and carry" not just that they are crossing out and rewriting the numbers, which is now called ungrouping and regrouping, decomposing and composing numbers. When students understand exactly what it is that a math equation is asking them to do, when those problems get harder they will have the foundation of understanding to help them think, solve, and analyze problems independently.
     For the first time in history there is a national standard for student learning expectations. For some states, the Common Core State Standards are extremely difficult, compared to what they were using. For Washington, it is more rigorous but definitely something our students can attain. The biggest thing I appreciate with Selah SD is that we have standards, math curriculum, and end-of-the-year state testing that are 100% aligned to each other. In years past, teachers had to scramble the last few months in 3rd and 4th grade to make sure students covered everything on the state testing because testing was not aligned to a common standard, and neither was the curriculum. Now, when students cover the curriculum, we know they are learning the rigorous national standards. And since the tests are all based and written around these national standards, teachers won't need to "cram" to help students feel prepared. It will be a whole year of "cramming." :)

P.S. We were very pleased with what we saw in the walk-throughs today. We saw students talking to each other about their math thinking, questioning each other and explaining their reasoning. Most importantly, we saw teachers let their students "productively struggle." When teachers give students answers, when they come to the rescue, no one learns. When a student has to really struggle and work through a problem, they've learned that concept for life.

Learning in the 21st Century

Our teachers are really working to be ahead of the technology trends. The more we can utilize the technology in students' hands, the better we can engage them. 

Here is a group of teachers sharing blogging ideas and ways they utilize technology in the classroom. This year Mrs. Carney changed jobs from the library, which she absolutely loves, to be our 21st Century Technology Specialist, something she is also very passionate about. She meets with classes for 45 minutes a week to provide them with ways to use teachnology for learning, and teaching. She also collaborates with classroom teachers to connect the learning that's going on in the classroom with  technology to provide students with the richest experience possible. 

We realize that we are preparing students for careers that may not even exist yet...using technology that definitely does not yet exist. Though we cannot control what they'll be learning, we can teach them how to learn so they'll be prepared for whatever career paths they choose.

First week down!

If they feel anything like me, they are going to sleep VERY WELL tonight! What an exhausting, exhilarating week! Today was the first day having all 8 kindergarten classes and it went great. This is a huge campus and can be daunting to some of those little ones but you'll be amazed at how quickly they will learn the campus in just a few days.

In their backpacks you'll find fundraiser packets from the Lince PTO. These fund go directly to the PTO to provide activities and items for students such as field trips, AR programs, and assemblies. Their teachers can answer your questions regarding timelines and such.

Hope you have a great, long, well deserved weekend.

See you on Tuesday!

179 more to go....

I love the first day of school! Shiny new shoes, everyone polite and on their best behavior! But what I love even more is that it is a brand new year. It is a brand new start. And we have brand new, elevated expectations for students. At todays assembly we told the students that they have the best teachers in the entire nation and that they are the best students in the entire nation.

And we really believe that. 

Our staff spent most of last week talking about our school's culture, and our expectations for students and for each other. Your child's teacher truly believes that s/he can meet or exceed our high expectations. We also believe that they ARE going to college. We no longer have the expectation set at graduating from high school. It is urgent that our students leave Selah School District prepared for higher education. That is our promise to them, and you.

2014-2015 Robert Lince Elementary theme -- I Am Going To College!

See you tomorrow!

Lince teachers back at work

They are excited and working to be ready for Monday! Teachers teaching teachers.

Welcome....or welcome back!

Hello!

I am so excited for this new school year. We are faced with the sad yet exciting task of closing Robert Lince Elementary forever. But I'm convinced that we have the most talented staff, the most capable and dedicated teachers. I couldn't imagine a more fitting way to go out...on top!!

I will be posting on this blog at least once a week with updates, pictures, and events from school, sharing the latest and greatest in the world of education, or merely posting my deepest, most personal thoughts for all the world to read.

My office door is always open, please do not hesitate to come by to say hi, ask questions, or even let me know of a concern or complaint you have. Hablo español, más o menos. :)

Here's to the best year Robert Lince has ever had!!

Cheers.

-Rob