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.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
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!
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!
Friday, September 4, 2009
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!
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!
Monday, August 3, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Welcome to Methow Valley Schools
This is my first blog entry. How exciting! As part of our school district's website redesign, I decided to create a blog to comment on our shared effort to create great opportunities for kids through our Methow Valley schools. This blog will complement the communication we do through "Superintendent's Corner" in Methow Valley News and a wide variety of articles and columns in MV Pride.
My hope is that it will be a chance to engage in dialogue about our schools, both in terms of our successes and how we can improve. I hope you will join me in this endeavor!
My hope is that it will be a chance to engage in dialogue about our schools, both in terms of our successes and how we can improve. I hope you will join me in this endeavor!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
