Math Is Cool

Math Is Cool -- Here's a photo of the Math Is Cool fifth-grade team. It was so impressive that these four students took first in state this spring. Congrats to Simon Waichler, Lauren Fitzmaurice, Sebastian Hogness, Tyler Bergevin-Krumme and coach Ray Leaver.

New elementary principal

I’m excited to announce that Dr. Brian Patrick has been selected as the new principal at Methow Valley Elementary. Dr. Patrick said he was honored when I called to offer the position. He accepted with great enthusiasm!

We had a tremendous slate of candidates for this position. Brian received the top scores in both the committee interviews and the community forums. During reference checks, teachers and administrators raved about his ability to connect with children and lead teams to accomplish ambitious goals.

Brian earned his Ph.D. in geology and taught college for many years. He experienced a mid-career change of heart and became a high school science teacher in 1995. He earned National Board certification – the highest certification for K-12 teachers – in 2007. I’ve attached his resume for you to review. He loves the outdoors, including mountain climbing and cycling.

We look forward to doing an ice cream social or some other fun event in August so you can meet him. Thank you to all parents and community members who participated in the selection process!

Here's what colleagues say:

Spencer Welch, Principal Program Leader, University of Washington

Dr. Brian Patrick is a remarkable person who is committed to helping all children discover their passion for learning. He is a deeply ethical and wonderful colleague. His infectious enthusiasm for life and for learning have a positive effect on everyone with whom he works. He will be a truly magnificent principal.

Steve Rabb, Enumclaw Middle School Principal

When I read your posting for the position, I was struck by the use of language that seemed as if Brian could have written it himself. The first thing that struck me was your desire to have a leader who has a vision for creating “a culture of kindness.” Not only have I never seen this language in a job posting, but this is the exact phraseology he has used while helping me lead the last two years in my building. As school disciplinarian, he refers to himself as the “Ambassador of Kindness.” Another key area was your desire to have a systems thinker who asks good questions and uses them to find the answers. Dr. Patrick is a seasoned practitioner in the art of reflection. His vast and varied experiences offer him a broad and rich system perspective of how vital education is to the health and well-being of each individual child. He uses his insight into the stories of kids and families to facilitate reflection with staff asking how we can best help individual children write their story with a future and hope.

Mike Nelson, Enumclaw School District Superintendent

Last month, I was on a plane traveling home from a family vacation. I began talking with the person sitting to my left. She told me that she was a counselor in a neighboring school district. After I shared that I worked for the Enumclaw School District, she asked if I knew Brian Patrick. I said, “Of course!” She then proceeded to share how Brian calls her every week or two checking on a high-needs student who moved from Enumclaw Middle School to her school in a new district. She said Brian always asks how the student is doing and asks her to tell the student that the staff at Enumclaw Middle School called to make sure she is doing well. This story typifies the educator that Brian Patrick represents.

Levies pass: Moving forward!

Here's great news for the first blog post in a long time.

Two levies to support Methow Valley kids passed this week. Hooray! The Maintenance & Operations Levy passed with 67 percent and the Capital Projects & Technology Levy passed with 60 percent.

I'm excited because these levies will mean expanded opportunities for kids in the classroom. At Liberty Bell, we'll offer digital photography and video productions. At the elementary school, we'll offer more instructional support to help struggling students in math and reading.

We'll have new technology to enhance learning, and teachers will get more all-around training because of the levies. We'll also address critical building needs such as the elementary roof, which has a water drainage problem.

That's in addition to the areas the M&O levy already supports: athletics, arts, field trips, nursing, and more. As you can see, this support is absolutely huge to maintain a high-quality school system.

There's a lot of enthusiasm in our schools right now, as we discuss how to grow and challenge ourselves to create even more opportunities for students across the spectrum. This vote of confidence makes us feel proud and lets us know that the community values the work we do.

So, thank you Methow Valley voters! We will work hard to show you the value of your investment. What a great gift to our children!

A thoughtful tribute to Sean McCabe

Last Sunday's memorial service was a great tribute to Sean McCabe. I particularly appreciated the student testimonials relating to Sean's care and concern for the well-being of others, as well as Laura's heart-rendering recolllection of the man she called her best friend and soul mate.

I thought Sean's spirit really came through during the ceremony, from his classroom jokes to his fierce competitive spirit to his love of family. This is a man who lived his life fully and loved to be challenged and engaged.

I appreciate how generous the MVSD staff has been in reaching out to Sean's family through the donation of sick leave, meals, cards, and assorted acts of kindness. This is an incredible staff; the depth of humanity always touches me.

To Laura and family, thank you for sharing Sean with us. We're much better having known him.

Staying ahead of the flu

Greetings all --

Now that our new website is live, I'm planning to post blogs more frequently to update you on goings-on around the school district.

The big news right now is the flu. It seems to be hitting the elementary school a bit harder than Liberty Bell. We have about 15 percent out at MVES and six percent out at LBJH/LBHS.

I talked to other superintendents this morning, and it seems most districts in the region are at about 10 percent of students absent. Orondo got hit a couple weeks ago and peaked at 36 percent absent. I'm hoping our experience here in the valley is not as severe.

We are working with school nurse Laura Brumfield and the health department to follow best practices in dealing with the flu. We're regularly cleaning classrooms and other public spaces and reviewing good hygiene with kids (wash hands, cover mouth, etc.) We're also on the lookout for kids who might be sick to help them get the care they need.

As we receive information from local clinics on immunizations, I'll update this blog. For now, let's make sure we all get a lot of rest and stay hydrated!

Welcome back!

It was great to see the excited faces of kids as they came back to school on Wednesday. They ran up to teachers and friends to say hi and share the latest news in their life. Parents seemed happy, too. I always love checking out the big-eyed kindergarteners as they enter school for the first time.

One little boy came up to me at the school entrance on Thursday and whispered, "I don't know where I'm going." I enjoyed escorting him down the long hall to Ms. Daniels' room. He seemed relieved as we turned the corner to see the classroom. School must seem like an awafully big place when you're stepping into the building as a five-year-old.

A big thank you goes to teaching and support staff for all they did to help launch a successful year. The buildings are clean, buses inspected, classrooms prepared ... and now we have the kids back ready to learn. It's going to be a great year!

Hooray for summer school!

Here's a quick shout out to MVSD teachers Kristy Caesar and Barbara Wells, as well as para-educator Tammy Hill and students Jennie Stahl (LBHS 09) and Karlee Heitman (LBHS 10) for their great work during July in our summer school program.

This was a grant-funded program that supported 21 elementary students in reading and math. The program offered 16 days of instruction, with a final day of horseback riding, singing and sandwich eating at Moccasin Lake Ranch.

Jeff Monahan added greatly to this year's program by working with kids on basic gymnastics skills. Math, reading and gymnastics -- a pretty good combination. I wonder if the kids learned how to read while doing a cartwheel. Or maybe they mastered a back flip while reciting multiplication tables. Now that would make a good YouTube video!

Seriously, though, students exiting the program showed better reading fluency and improved basic math skills. We're confident it will give them a leg up when they return to school on Sept. 2.

This program was funded by a generous private grant. We're so appreciative of private citizens and organizations that support student learning here in the valley. What a great gift -- to help a child learn.

Time Magazine published a recent piece on summer learning and how more time for kids in school is a priority for the Obama administration. Not sure what this means for the future, but it's definitely worth a conversation -- especially when you consider that Japanese and Korean students attend schools about 225 days a year, compared to 180 for the U.S.

The Time story is here: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1910973,00.html

If you live in the valley, summer school should be featured in this week's MV News. We hope to make this an annual program.