Wawasee property tax rate is the lowest in the state

Since property taxes are currently a hot topic in the Indiana legislature and will continue to be for some time, I thought I would share some information about the WCSC tax rates.

Because the Wawasee area has so many lakes and lake property, Wawasee School Corporation is ranked second in the state in property wealth per pupil. This property wealth, called assessed valuation (AV) impacts property tax rates by driving them down.

Wawasee Community School's property tax rate is now the lowest of any public school corporation in the state. This ranking data is available on the internet by clicking here and then clicking on "Top 10 corporations" under the title "Delve Deeper into Data." Then click on 2004 tax rate (before CAGIT).

These rankings are based on the latest state figures using 2004 (before CAGIT) tax rates. CAGIT stands for County Adjusted Gross Income Tax which some counties have used to lower dependence on property taxes. Using before CAGIT taxes is a better picture of the true tax impact.

You will see two school districts ranked lower than Wawasee on the chart. However, Brown County's tax rate says 0.000 because apparently they don't have their assessments done. The other one, Prairie Township in Laporte, is evidently not a public school system like ours because it has no students. I assume they are taxing the whole county for some administrative school services under the Prairie Township title.

The highest rate in the state is Medora Community School Corporation at 2.4755. The state average was 1.4457 and Wawasee had the state's lowest public school tax rate of 0.8605. So what does that actually mean for a tax payer? Let's say that your property tax bill shows about $1,000 going to schools. (Remember, not all property taxes are school taxes although in most counties it makes up a pretty good chunk of it.) If you lived in the higher tax rate areas your bill could be around $2,877 for schools. If you were just taxed at the state average you have approximately $1,680 going to schools.

Another way to look at it is to add $292.60 for every $50,000 of assessed valuation in your home over and above your current WCSC property taxes. This is what you would pay if your home was taxed at the state average. If your home was located in the highest school tax area of the state you would have to add $807.50 for every $50,000 of assessed valuation in your home.

Some people have said the only reason the rates are so low is because the home values around the lakes are so high. That is true. However, if you owned a home of similar value in another school district you would pay THEIR tax rate not ours. Having said all that, while we would like to take credit for such low tax rates we should remind everyone that we (meaning administrators and school board members) have minimal control over tax rates and no control over the funding formulas the state uses. When your property VALUES go up, it lowers the taxing RATE to fund the formula. The school system does NOT get more revenue just because the property values increased. In fact, the state essentially withholds state revenue and sends it to other schools. While towns and municipalities can often capture some increased revenue when AV’s go up, schools cannot. In fact, this year and next year mark the first time in my administrative career that our school system received no new money through the state funding formula.

When the debt payments for Wawasee Middle School come off the tax rolls in 2007 I am sure it will help maintain our "lowest" tax rate status in the state of Indiana by driving them even lower.

However, there is good news and bad news for local taxpayers in this situation. When our AV is high and tax rates are low, the state funding formula will kick in and try to drive those rates up closer to our state designated “target tax rate.” The state’s purpose in this is to try to create a little more tax rate equity across the state.

New Laws Affecting Education

In the 2006 Indiana General Assembly there were 155 education related bills introduced. Thirty-five bills affecting education were passed. Here are the items that passed in various bills that may be of local interest.

1. When moms and dads live in different school districts, the parent with physical custody may now elect either school district tuition free if they do so within 14 days before the first student day

2. Requires a principal to notify a parent if a student who is at least 18 years old is interrogated by a police officer at school in a situation where the student is a suspect

3. Special purpose buses (the small white school buses you see in WCSC are special purpose buses) cannot obstruct exits or emergency exits in the bus (It means the golf team has to careful where they pile their golf bags ;-)

4. Authorizes the state board to oversee consideration of statewide cooperative purchasing of school supplies and materials, encourages pooling of liability and property and casualty insurance, permits sharing services with other school districts, plans to upgrade financial reporting systems for school corporations

5. Principal must report to law enforcement if a school employee is harassed or battered by another person

6. If a person knowingly possesses a knife on school property or buses and intended it to be used as a weapon it is now a Class B misdemeanor

7. ISTEP - Before Oct. 1, 2006 the department of education shall review ISTEP and make recommendations reflecting: a long term plan that is simple, less time consuming, less expensive, prompt results, fall AND spring testing, measures individual growth each year, moves to on-line testing, makes grade 10 test into a college prep test. The new program will be called REACH

8. Raises the drop out age to 18 unless the student proves financial hardship, illness or court order

9. Permits a student who is at least 19 and not enrolled in school, or 17 with school permission, to enroll in a "fast track" college program at Ivy Tech that will permit a high school diploma to be earned while enrolled at the college

Some bills that failed to pass:

1. Kindergarten tax credits (vouchers)

2. Open Door Law changes (this would have required a 48 hour public notice every time a board member called other board members to discuss board issues)

3. Referendums on school construction projects

Friday's Funnies

Actual misphrased excerpts from student science exam papers

Charles Darwin was a naturalist who wrote the organ of the species.

Benjamin Franklin produced electricity by rubbing cats backwards.

The theory of evolution was greatly objected to because it made man think.

Three kinds of blood vessels are arteries, vanes and caterpillars.

The dodo is a bird that is almost decent by now.

To remove air from a flask, fill it with water, tip the water out, and put the cork in quick before the air can get back in.

The process of turning steam back into water again is called conversation.

A magnet is something you find crawling all over a dead cat.

The Earth makes one resolution every 24 hours.

The cuckoo bird does not lay his own eggs.

To collect fumes of sulfur, hold a deacon over a flame in a test tube.

Parallel lines never meet, unless you bend one or both of them.

Algebraical symbols are used when you do not know what you are talking about.

A circle is a line which meets its other end without ending.

The pistol of a flower is its only protection against insects.

The moon is a planet just like the Earth, only it is even deader.

We believe that the reptiles came from the amphibians by spontaneous generation and study of rocks.

English sparrows and starlings eat the farmers grain and soil his corpse.

By self-pollination, the farmer may get a flock of long-haired sheep.

If conditions are not favorable, bacteria go into a period of adolescence.

Vegetative propagation is the process by which one individual manufactures another individual by accident.

A super-saturated solution is one that holds more than it can hold.

A triangle which has an angle of 135 degrees is called an obscene triangle.

Blood flows down one leg and up the other.

When you haven't got enough iodine in your blood you get a glacier.

It is a well-known fact that a deceased body harms the mind.

Humans are more intelligent than beasts because the human branes have more convulsions.

For fainting: rub the person's chest, or if a lady, rub her arm above the hand instead.

For fractures: to see if the limb is broken, wiggle it gently back and forth.

For dog bite: put the dog away for several days. If he has not recovered, then kill it.

For nosebleed: put the nose much lower than the body.

For drowning: climb on top of the person and move up and down to make artificial perspiration.

To remove dust from the eye, pull the eye down over the nose.

For head colds: use an agonizer to spray the nose until it drops in your throat.

For asphyxiation: apply artificial respiration until the patient is dead.

Before giving a blood transfusion, find out if the blood is affirmative or negative.

Bar magnets have north and south poles, horseshoe magnets have east and west poles.

When water freezes you can walk on it. That is what Christ did long ago in wintertime.

Have a great weekend!

Educator's Affirmation

I have taken a few excerpts from an article making the rounds on the internet. This was forwarded on by Mrs. Thornburg and Mrs. Brady. It comes from a posting titled, An Educator's Affirmation. I edited it for length.

Schools don't teach values? The critics are dead wrong. Public education provides more Sunday School teachers than any other profession.

You want heroes?

For millions of kids, the hug they get from a teacher is the only hug they will get that day. An Argyle, Texas kindergarten teacher hugs her little 5 and 6 year-olds so much that both the boys and the girls run up and hug her when they see her in the hall, at the football games, or in the malls years later.

A Michigan principal moved me to tears with the story of her attempt to rescue a badly abused little boy who doted on a stuffed animal on her desk .. one that said "I love you!" He said he'd never been told that at home. This is a constant in today's society .. two million unwanted, unloved, abused children in the public schools, the only institution that takes them all in.

You want heroes?

Visit any special education class and watch the miracle of personal interaction, a job so difficult that fellow teachers are awed by the dedication they witness.

There is a sentence from an unnamed source which says: "We have been so eager to give our children what we didn't have that we have neglected to give them what we did have." What is it that our kids really need? What do they really want? Math, science, history and social studies are important, but children need love, confidence, encouragement, someone to talk to, someone to listen, standards to live by. Teachers provide upright examples, the faith and assurance of responsible people.

You want heroes?

Then go down to your local school and see our real live heroes. The ones changing lives for the better each and every day! None of us are perfect, but I would put our profession up against any when in comes to being heroes!

Full day K in 07/08?

Governor Mitch Daniels is promoting full day kindergarten programs in 07-08.

I would support this if all schools receive full funding to implement it. As so often happens it comes as an unfunded mandate or it comes at the expense of current programs.

Ms. Swartzentruber, our Curriculum Director, held a Reading meeting with Kindergarten and first grade teachers yesterday and this was a popular topic. The curriculum requirements have gotten so much higher that there is little doubt that most educators would support this move if it is funded appropriately.

Let's hope Republicans and Democrats can lay aside partisanship games and work together for public education next session.

Bird Flu Planning ?

Have you seen the Chick-fil-A ads with the cow saying, "Eat more chicken?" Hmmm. We might want to rethink that one!

This was just posted 35 minutes ago and was forwarded to me courtesy of Bill Dixon at 103.5 FM. Just thought you might like to read it first here.

This is NOT an emergency announcement in anyway, it is just an announcement regarding a federal planning initiative.

The federal government has begin discussing long range plans for how the nation's schools would handle continuing education in the event of a pandemic flu outbreak. If this type of outbreak were to happen schools would be affected for weeks not mere days. This means that education would have to continue in a coordinated fashion without physically being in school.

While this is still a pretty remote possibility - the feds nevertheless feel planning should start just in case. I am sure the state department of education will pass along more information in the next few months.

More on college

"Fresh Thoughts" is the name of the Indy Star newspaper's online editorial page for college students. This provides college students a forum for editorial opinions.

Here is one college student expressing how important it was that his parents exposed him to the idea of going to college while he was still in middle school.

For you parents looking at college tuition.....

New Indiana Reading Initiative

Rumor has it...Indiana has announced a new Reading initiative called, "Getting ahead with books."

Friday's Funnies

I teach preschool, 2 year olds. When I was Pregnant with my 3rd child, I saw no reason to tell my class because they were so young. As the year was coming to an end, I grew quite large. One of my little darlings came up to me and said," Miss Ilene, your belly is getting very fat!" I asked this little boy if he'd like to know why, and he said yes. I told him I had a baby in my tummy. He walked away, saying nothing. The next day, this happy, never cry child pitched a fit when his mother tried to leave. She pulled him aside and they talked for a few minutes, and the little boy calmed down, and the mom was grinning from ear to ear. I asked what happened and she said, "Adam thought you might eat him, you've already eaten a baby."

At Math time, I told the kids that we were going to talk about Even and Odd. One boy yelled out- "I know that story. It's in the Bible! " After I quit laughing, I said- "I think you mean Adam and Eve. "

Every school year with first, second, and third graders I do an activity I call "The United Shades of America." We match our skin color to "people color" paints and paint portraits and walls, make hand-print murals, and celebrate who we are and how we look. The colors are called everything from cinnamon, peach, and mahogany, to toast. When one third-grader's skin color matched the "wheat" color, he became so excited, he hollered, "I'm finally Student of the Wheat."

My first grade class and I were on a field trip. We were walking along a board walk that stretched over a wetlands area. Along the board walk were little plaques with donors names engraved on them. I heard one boy ask another, "What do you think all these names mean?". The other boy responded, "They must be the names of people who fell off and died!".

Have a great weekend!!

1st Annual Mentor-Mentee Banquet

Approximately 120 people attended the first annual mentor/mentee banquet for Wawasee Middle School recently. The North Webster Community Center donated the room and kitchen for the event.

The WMS Mentor Program pairs adult volunteers with middle school students who meet together once a week for 30 minutes or so. The program seeks to provide additional adult role models and positive relationships with adolescents.

Congratulations to all mentors and to Dr. Jon Mark who was chosen as Mentor of the Year based on length of service and volunteer hours contributed. There were many other worthy mentors who contributed to the program and they were all recognized that evening.

If you are interested in joining the volunteer effort contact Katie Jones at WMS at 457-8839. Please consider joining the volunteers. It takes 30 minutes a week and there is a waiting list of students to be matched up.

School Board Meeting Highlights

At the WCSC Board Meeting last night the board:

• Heard a parent concern regarding a student conflict. Dr. Stock explained the school district's policy and practice regarding discipline of students for incidents that occur outside of school
• Accepted a donation for NW Elementary from the Indiana Swap Shop to be used for needy children
• Recognized Mr. Phil Metcalf for receiving a state award on behalf of the Career and Technical Center for the Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) Workshop held annually in conjunction with the Warsaw Career Center
• Recognized Mr. Randy Warren and students Becky Clayton and Sarah Banghart for their work on the FFA District Leadership Contest
• Approved claims, personnel actions, Milford 6th grade trip to the Ford Museum and the FFA National Contest overnight trip
• Approved the purchase of a new student management system and internet based grade portal
• Approved Rex Miller as the Milford Library board replacement
• Approved advertising for bids on the replacement of the deteriorating WHS press box
• Dr. Stock reported on the gathering of information regarding a future recommendation on reopening the pool and current planning underway for possible summer school programming
• Ms. Swartzentruber reported on the Alternative School noting that the academy has increased 131 credits earned in one month and reviewed the student testing schedules for the remainder of the school year
  
  The next meeting will be held on April 18th at 7:00 PM

Academic Super Bowl Results

Congratulations to all those involved with Academic Super Bowl. At the NLC competition in Goshen, Wawasee received 3rd place overall. In individual competitions, the math and science teams received 2nd place. Finishing with 3rd place were the social studies and interdisciplinary teams.

Way to go, Wawasee!

Good job Warriors!

Sectional Basketball Champs. Regional finals at Blackford County.

Another great job from the student athletes and the coaching staff of Wawasee High School.

I appreciate so much the sportsmanship of our athletes and our coaches and adminstrators who seek to uphold high standards in an age where we often feel like we are swimming against the tide of culture.

Great season guys. Hold your heads high.

Friday's Funnies

Responses from students to various quiz questions.

Q: What happens to your body as you age?
A: When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental.
Q: What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?
A: He says good-bye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery.
Q: Name a major disease associated with cigarettes.
A: Premature death.
Q: How are the main parts of the body categorized? (e.g., abdomen.)
A: The body is consisted into three parts - the brainium, the borax, and the abdominal cavity The brainium contains the brain; the borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels, A, E, I, O, and U.
Q: What is the fibula?
A: A small lie.
Q: What does "varicose" mean?
A: Nearby.
Q: Give the meaning of the term "Caesarean Section"
A: The Caesarean Section is a district in Rome.
Q: What does the word "benign" mean?'
A: Benign is what you will be after you be eight.

Have a great weekend!

WCSC Board seeks candidates for Milford Library Board

By state law, the local school board is required to appoint at least one position to each community library board. Due to Pat Hurd's resignation on the Milford Library Board, it is my understanding that there is an opening for an east Jefferson township or Van Buren township resident.

Milford Library Director Julia Frew would be able to answer any particular questions about the duties. If anyone is interested, please mail or e-mail a letter of interest complete with biographical information to Dr. Mark J. Stock here in the corporation office, and your materials will be submitted the school board for consideration.

Regional Weekend!

Wawasee Gymnasts, coached by Nika Prather, will be in the IHSAA Valparaiso Regional Friday evening. Led by Laura Capps 5th place in the Floor Exercise and 3rd place in the Unevens (5th in the All-Around), Wawasee advanced as a team, finishing 3rd in the Wawasee Sectional.

Way to go gymnasts!

Dropouts leave because school is "boring?"

Why do almost 30 percent of our students drop out of school? According to the Christian Science Monitor...

Now, a new survey, released Thursday, suggests that the problem, while deep, can be fixed. Most students don't drop out because they can't do the work. Nearly 90 percent had passing grades when they left school, according to the survey of dropouts by Civic Enterprises. Their major reason for opting out? The classes were too boring.

I suppose in our MTV, iPod, DVD, Hi-definition, instant gratification world called middle-class life in 2006, listening to a lecture could be considered less than dramatic entertainment.

But that doesn't mean it is not important.

Warriors win back-to-back sectionals!

Wawasee beats Northwood in the championship game Saturday night.

Wawasee has replaced 4 starters this year and yet worked their way back to sectional champs again!

Good job Warriors! It was nice to see the gym packed with Wawasee green.

The regionals will be held in Blackford which is northwest of Muncie.

Warriors beat Raiders!

Warriors beat Northridge and will go to the sectional finals Saturday evening at 7:30 PM.

Goshen news article here.

Go Warriors!

Sectionals Tonight

Like this photo? Want to see a Warrior basketball player thinking dunk? Don't get excited - I said "thinking" about dunking.

Click on the side bar link titled "Warrior Photoblog" to see more Warrior photos. This photoblog comes courtesy of journalist and photographer Ora Freeman who has started his photoblog to show some of the excellent photos that don't always make it to the newspapers.

Catch the Warriors in action tonight against Northridge at 6:30 PM in the Northwood Panther Pit.

Friday's Funnies

While doing some assessments with my Kinders for the first 9 weeks, I had Joel sitting at my table working with colors and numbers and shapes. Pushing some plastic circles, triangles, squares and rectangles across the table to Joel, I asked him to name them and then slide them back to me. He looked at me for a moment as if to say 'Are you for real?' then shrugged his shoulders and began: 'Janet', he said, pushing a circle towards me. 'George' (a rectangle), 'John' (triangle) ....It was all I could do to NOT fall in the floor exploding with laughter as he continued to name all the shapes I had given him!!

Tim wanted to show little Karl something funny but Karl ended up with the punchline:
Tim: "What's a doggie say?"
Karl: "Woof!"
Tim: "What's a kitty say?"
Karl: "Woof!"
Tim: "What's a cow say?"
Karl: "Woof!"We were already chuckling, but this was the topper:
Tim: "What's Daddy say?"
Karl: "No."

We were riding home from school in our minivan. Donovan was sitting directly behind me. She said (with a bit of a whine), "Mommy, I got an owie at school today." I said, "I'm so sorry, Honey. Where is it?" She said, "It's on my hand. If my hand was this country, then my owie is right below Utah."

At our house with 2 very strong-willed boys living here, we have had many discussions about forgiveness. Our children have been taught that Jesus said to forgive others, "seventy times seven." The other day when Ben did something to upset Ryan, I reminded Ryan that he needed to forgive his brother. Ryan quickly announced, "I think I have forgiven him the maximum number of times."
Ryan, Age 10

Have a great weekend!

WCSC teachers work IHSAA state meets

Congratulations to three Wawasee teachers who have been chosen to represent IHSAA state championships this winter season. Wawasee teachers involved in the IHSAA State Championships for winter sports 2005-06 are:

Roger Karns, Social Studies Teacher at WHS, served as a diving judge for the Boys' Swimming Championships,
Pam Schumm, ScienceTeacher at WHS, served as an announcer for the Girls' and Boys' Swimming Championships
Jay Smith, WMS Science Teacher, has an evening Girls' Basketball Championship game this Saturday.

Way to go Warriors!

K12 Planet Down Again

For those parents who have tried to use the parent internet connection to check on your children's grades, we apologize for the poor service especially at trimester grade time.

We received the following message from the software company:

Due to an error in the database used by K12Planet, service is currently unavailable. Chancery is working to correct the problem as quickly as possible. At this time, we do not have a specific time when service will be restored. Our expectation is that we'll require an additional 48-72 hours to correct the problem.

We understand the impact that a disruption in service has to teachers, parents, students, and administrators. Our team is committed to providing you with the most secure, reliable, and available service. We appreciate your continued patience.

Kim Whibbs Support Analyst Chancery Software

Go Warriors - Win Sectional

Stop by tonight. The Warriors play Lakeland tonight at the Northwood Sectional.

Go Warriors!

Indy Star - HS recruiting on the rise

This news article from the Star says high school recruiting is on the rise.

As more and more private schools recruit, middle school students are getting invitations in the mail to attend various high schools. If the legislature allows public school choice it could lead to widespread "recruitment" of students, especially athletes.

I am not opposed to public school choice but I am not sure I like the idea of overt high school recruitment of students.

Team manager with autism - suits up - scores 20!

Uplifting story right here.

Right when you think America's sports mad culture goes too far, a coach steps up and rewards an autistic student's hard work and dedication as team manager and lets him suit up for a game.

Who would have thought he would shoot the lights out of the gym!

Friday's Funny

By Andy
from PA

I have two kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own second-grade classroom a few years back.

When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and experience a little public speaking. And it gives me a break and some guaranteed entertainment. Usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it to school and talk about it, they're welcome.

Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater. She holds up a snapshot of an infant.

"This is Luke, my baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his birthday. First, Mommy and Daddy made him as a symbol of their love, and then Daddy put a seed in my mother's stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord."

She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not to laugh and wishing I had a video camera rolling. The kids are watching her in total amazement. "Then, about two Saturdays ago, my mother starts going, 'Oh, oh, oh!'" Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. "She walked around the house for, like an hour, "Oh, oh, oh!'" Now the kid is doing this hysterical duck-walk, holding her back and groaning. "My father called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn't have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my mother to lie down in bed like this." Erica lies down with her back against the wall.
"And then, pop! My mother had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like psshhheew!"

"Then the middle wife starts going push, push, and breathe, breathe. They start counting, but they never even got past ten. Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother . He was covered in yucky stuff they said was from the play-center, so there must be a lot of stuff inside there."
Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat. I'm sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, if it's show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder - just in case another Erica comes along.

Have a great weekend!

Slippery Slope?

Florida has approved teacher pay and bonuses based upon standardized test scores. Article here.

Most people know I have no problems with the limited use of standardized testing to evaluate changes in student performance patterns in a school district. But I limit their use to trying to decide if our teaching interventions are changing the patterns of student achievement. I think tying employee pay directly to these results may prove to be a slippery slope.

Why? In all social science research, isolating the independent variables that affect student learning is very problematic. It would be hard to implement such a plan fairly and consistently across the state. Denver, CO had a plan that was based more on teachers accomplishing various training programs and skill sets. That sounds like it would be a little fairer.

Just my .02.

Carnival of Education Week 55

Take a stroll down the midway of the Carnival of Education. It's a who's who of the Educational Blogosphere. Click here or click on the link on the side bar called The Education Wonks to sample a variety of offerings from teachers who blog and other bloggers who submit their posts to Ed Wonks.

Enjoy the weather and sunshine this afternoon/evening. What a beautiful day! Sometimes I forget what the sun looks like.

Teacher shortage looming across America?

From the Des Moines Register:

Fewer people are choosing teaching as a profession in Iowa. A trend that educators say stems from low pay, increases in college tuition, negative publicity about schools and pressures brought on by the federal No Child Left Behind law, which demands steady school improvement. New teacher licenses decreased 23 percent from 5,831 to 4,508 between fiscal 2000 and 2005, according to the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners. The state is bracing for an even greater drop this fiscal year, with only 2,166 initial licenses granted so far.

I have seen first hand Kosciusko county teachers doing more for kids under more difficult circumstances than ever before in our profession. My hats off to them.

Teaching is one of the most honorable and yet difficult professions there is. I hope our young people do not give up on entering the profession as appears to be the trend in this news article.

Our students need dedicated and caring professionals now as much as they ever did.

Warriors win sectional, Karns - Coach of the Year!

The Wawasee Warriors won the 2006 IHSAA Sectional Championship at Wawasee Middle School on Saturday, February 18. The Warriors advance seven athletes to the State Championships, including all three relay teams.

Warrior Coach Roger Karns was named Indiana Swim Coaches Association Sectional Coach of the Year.

Times-Union article here.

Shanna Zolman article in Gazette

Most Shanna watchers already know this. Story in Fort Wayne Gazette on ex-Wawasee star now playing for Tennessee.

Friday's Funnies

Things I learned after my very first Valentine's Day Party in Kindergarten:

1. Never attempt to have a Valentine's Day party with 5 year olds without a slew of parent volunteers present.
2. Never plan a craft activity AND passing out Valentines. It might take all day.
3. Never try to stick to Weight Watcher's when 19 kids bring you in your weakness: chocolate.
Karri at Milford

True Story unrelated to Valentines Day:

My first year of teaching I had a little girl named Pam in the third grade. She had a new illness of some kind every day. One day on the way to Phys. Ed. class she developed a sudden and severe limp about 50 yards from the gymnasium doors. "I can't take gym today Mr. Stock, I have 6 stitches in my foot," she groaned. By now, I knew her well so I patted her on the shoulder, smiling to myself and said, "You'll need to tell Mr. Lintz all about it." She limped into class. "Mr. Lintz, Mr. Lintz," she blurted out, "I can't take gym today I have 6 stitches in my foot." He said, "Sit down on the bleachers Pam and take your shoes off." He got the class started on warm-ups and sat down beside her. She had loosened her laces but had not removed her shoes. He told her again to take off her shoes and turned back to the class. He changed their calisthenics routine and turned back to Pam. She had her shoe off finally, but did not remove her sock. "Pam, Pam, please take off your sock now so I can see your foot," he requested. She carefully and painstakingly slid off her sock. Mr. Lintz lifted her foot up and looked it over carefully. "Pam, I don't see any stitches."

"They ain't put 'em in yet!" she replied.

Have an " ice" weekend!

Another Wawasee grad makes good!

In yesterday's issue of USA TODAY, they published lists of their 2006 All-USA Academic Teams. One of our former students, Lucas Speakman, made their 2nd team! This means that they consider him among the top 40 college students in the country!

Luke, now a college senior, has already published two articles. One is titled "Computational chemistry research on benzaldehyde molecule and gallium pentahydride."

Yeah - what he said!

Way to go Luke.

Thanks to Stephanie Szynal for the info.

Five facts about IQ

Here are five interesting facts about IQ. Click here for the article.

1. Staying in school makes you smarter.
2. Your birthdate could affect your IQ.
3. That book-smarts-vs.-street-smarts thing is true
4. You're probably "smarter" than your grandpa.
5. What you put in your mouth can affect your brain.

Thanks to Cheryl Conroy, teacher at North Webster, for the link.

Spring ISTEP bill is dead

The Indy Star says spring ISTEP testing is not going to happen this year. Article here.

Poll: Adults scoff at homework complaints

What do parent surveys reveal about homework? Here is a short article on the subject.
A few points were:
• Less educated parents spend more time helping kids with take-home assignments.
• The most affluent parents spend the least time helping their kids with homework.
• Women spend an average 46 minutes a day helping with homework. Men spend 35 minutes.
• Black parents spend more time than Hispanics or whites on homework help.
• Public school students spend less time on homework than kids in other schools

Across the nation, a majority of parents feel the amount of homework is about right.

My personal observations of my own children's homework patterns show that they mostly are finishing up math problems and the miscellaneous extra assignment. However, I have relatives in other states who live in large suburbs of major cities who report tremendous amounts of nightly homework on a regular basis even in their elementary schools. They thought it was too much but they went to a PTO meeting and the parents were arguing for MORE homework. Hmmmm.

Board Meeting Highlights

Last night the WCSC Board of School Trustees:

• Accepted a $1,000 donation from the Knights of Columbus for Milford School
• Accepted $750 donation from the Syracuse Lions Club for the Academic Super Bowl
• Approved retirement letters as of June 2006 for Randy Aalbregtse, Dena Chapman, Linda Harkleroad, Jane Modesitt, and Garry Ringler
• Approved resolution to begin the process for replacing the WHS press box
• Heard a report from Dr. Cockburn on the duties of the Data Technician
• Heard a report from Dr. Stock highlighting teacher training on "Classroom Data," The HS Civil Rights Audit, the writing coach position and the All Write Consortium, and heard a report on The Wawascene blog site. The site is averaging almost 90,000 hits a month now. The Wawascene will soon feature it's first "podcast." It will be a short 2-3 minute audio explanation of student progress on ISTEP.
• Heard a report from Ms. Swartzentruber on Reading Committee meetings, Writing Committee Meetings, and an Alternative School Program update. In addition to attendance, the Alternative School will now require progress towards credits in order to remain enrolled. The Calendar Committee report will wait until the General Assembly finishes this spring because there are several bills that could affect school calendars.

Valentine's Day Funnies

Calling all readers. Do you have any funny Valentine's Day stories?

Our Friday Funnies this week will focus on Valentine's humor.

Click on the link on the sidebar where it says "E-mail Doc Stock" and send me your story. If you want to be anonymous remember to say so!

PS: Announcement to ALL Males!!!!! THIS is Valentine's Day. Today!! Have you seen all those hearts and flowers? Does it remind you of anything? Just trying to save you some grief!

Now Recruiting - SUPER PEOPLE!

At Wawasee Middle School Mentoring we believe our Mentors aren't SUPERHEROES, but they're SUPER PEOPLE doing HEROIC things! And we need you to be a SUPER HERO too! Adult volunteers are needed to meet with WMS students for only 1/2 hour per week! Call us today and learn how you can make a big difference in the life of a child and your community! Contact Katie Jones: jonesk@wawasee.k12.in.us and visit our website by clicking here.

Snow Make-Up Day Announcement

Snow Day Reminders:
Friday, February 17th and Monday, February 20th are both snow make-up days now. Any additional cancellation days this year will be added on to the end of the year. That means June 1 and June 2 would be the next available days. Sorry to ruin your Monday morning! :-(

Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Friday's Funnies

First graders are a hoot. Today we honor first grade humor!

When introducing compound words I was trying to evoke the response "homemaker" from my first graders. I asked, "What do we call a person who chooses to stay home and care for their home and family full time?" A little first grader answered, "a maid?"
Wawasee Teacher

I had a group of first grade students having lunch in my room for an accelerated reader prize. They struck up a conversation about where milk comes from. One student said with confidence, "Do you know where chocolate milk comes from?" The other students looked thoughtful but couldn't come up with an answer. He said, "From a chocolate cow."
Colette Berg - Wawasee first grade teacher

When I was a principal I hosted a "First and Last Annual Comedy Review Breakfast" to try and help our staff shake off their winter doldrums we all seemed cursed with. Everyone brought a dish and one funny school story as their "ticket" in. This was a first grade story told by one of our veterans at Pierceton Elementary School.

The teacher was discussing the concept of "community living places" with her first graders. She asked the students to name different types of housing people can live today. One student raised her hand in classic first grade "Welcome Back Kotter" fashion. "Ooooh, Oooooh - Houses," she blurted out. Another hand goes up, "You can live in a trailer!" "Very good," the teacher said, "Any others?" A student says, "People can live in an apartment," said one bright little boy. To which another quiet student jerked up his hand and added, "I know one almost like an apartment. They could live in a condom!" he said proudly!

Getting NCLB right

Many readers have heard about the law, No Child Left Behind (NCLB). This law replaces the "soft bigotry of low expectations" (a phrase used a lot by NCLB supporters) with the "hard bigotry of impossible expectations."

The law requires every school in America to achieve 100% proficiency among all student groups on state assessments like ISTEP by the school year 2013-2014. Schools that fail to meet this target will be labeled "failing" and will have sanctions or consequences. The consequences aren't as severe as they sound although the final step is that state could take your system over. They wouldn't know what to do with them if they had them. Proponents of more local control (me) might say they already control most of it now. :-)

Here is a short movie cartoon about "getting NCLB right" this time when the law is up for reauthorization by congress. The cartoon is put out by the American Federation of Teachers.

Click here.

Property tax relief to fail?

The Indy Star says here in this article that property tax relief is likely to fail because no one can agree on how to do it.

My opinion? They should have raised the state sales tax 2 cents instead of 1 cent back a few years ago. The deficit likely wouldn't have happened or it wouldn't have been so severe. Some of the draconian cuts and changes that have happened since then would not have been such an issue. Indiana still has a lower sales tax then some states even with the past increase.

But...the state legislature has shifted funding responsibilities to the local property tax owner to rescue state budget woes. Now they are being pressured to create funding streams to relieve property tax increases and they can't agree on how to do it - especially in an election year.

Yet many patrons are not aware of the fact that most of the local property tax rate for schools is controlled by the state legislature through the funding formula - not your local school boards.

Welcome new readers!

I want to welcome new readers to The Wawascene. We set a new record this week with 7,300 hits in one day! Thank you for continuing to spread the word to friends and neighbors.

Soon to come to The Wawascene - podcasting. Stay tuned. :-)

School Counselors are Recognized

School Counselors Celebrate during National School Counseling Week,
Feb 6-10, 2006


National School Counseling Week , sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), will be celebrated February 6-10, 2006 at Wawasee High School, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of professional school counselors to the school system. This week will highlight the impact that counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career.

“Every day, school counselors work with counseling programs that address the personal/social, academic, and career needs of all students,” says Barbara Blackburn, ASCA president. “Their ultimate goal is to enable all students to achieve success in school and to become responsible productive members of our society.”

Wawasee High School will celebrate this week with posters, balloons, and special announcements and information for students. Parents and students are encouraged to contact any of the high school counselors if there are questions about the school counseling program at Wawasee. Information specific to Wawasee High School’s Guidance Department can be found on their updated website, which is accessed through the school district website: http://www.wawasee.k12.in.us/. More general information can be found on ASCA’s website, http://www.schoolcounselor.org/.

Counselors in the Wawasee School District are:
Shannon Fry, HS Director
sfry@wawasee.k12.in.us

Steve Hunsberger, WHS
shunsberger@wawasee.k12.in.us

Missy Blackmer, WHS
mblackmer@wawasee.k12.in.us

Roger Voirol, MLF
rvoirol@wawasee.k12.in.us

Elaine Miller, SE
emiller@wawasee.k12.in.us

Dr. Betty-Jo Roberts, WMS
broberts@wawasee.k12.in.us

Mike McCoy, WMS
mmccoy@wawasee.k12.in.us

Cindy Pierce, NW
cpierce@wawasee.k12.in.us

Our counselors serve a variety of student, parent and social needs within the school system. We thank them for all they do on behalf of students.

WNDU incorrect?

Someone posted a comment this morning that WNDU is still saying Wawasee has a delay.

They must still have it up from yesterday.

Tuesday is regular schedule.

Way to go Krista!

Wawasee High School sophomore Krista Spearman broke a nineteen year old school record in the 100 breast stroke with a time of 1:11.55 at Thursday night's sectional preliminaries at Warsaw High School. The old record was held by Cynda Guimond with a time of 1:11.69.

Why can't a school be run like a business?

School announcement is on the post below this one. But don't stop reading now!

Have you ever heard someone say, "If they would just run schools like a business...."

Here are several things that make public schools different than private businesses.

1. Public schools have multiple purposes:
When parents were asked to identify goals for public education, they listed the top 5 goals of public schools as: prepare people to become responsible citizens; help people become economically sufficient; ensure a basic level of quality among schools; promote cultural unity; and improve social conditions for people.

Businesses on the other hand are dominated by private rather than public purposes, such as increasing total revenues, net profits, dividends to investors and other bottom-line outcomes. Even seemingly broader social goals such as customer and employee satisfaction are still a means to an end of higher net profits in the private sector. Public purposes are broad and complex reflecting the pluralistic society we live in. Private company goals tend to be focused and "bottom-line" oriented.

Because public and private aims are different, so are the decision-making processes between schools and businesses. This leads to point two:

2. Schools make public decisions through democratic deliberations of policies and practices
If all corporate decisions were opened to investors, journalists and the larger public, the differences between them might soon diminish. Public debate and deliberation is a fundamental difference between running a business and running a school district.

3. Evaluating Success
In recent years schools have been asked to be more like a business by being more "bottom-line" oriented. Unfortunately, standardized test scores is still the most used evaluation method for determining the bottom-line. There is nothing wrong with testing. Yet, go back to point #1 and read the top five goals again. You don't even see Reading, Writing and Math listed as a specific goal. Most parents view Reading, Writing and Math as a way of helping their children achieve some higher personal or social purpose. Good for them. (On a side note - the very first goal of public education was to learn to read The Bible so that the public wouldn't be deceived by "the old deluder Satan." The Old Deluder Satan Law was passed in Massachusetts in 1647.

In summary:

The reason why public schools will never be run like a business is because they are publicly governed not privately managed and they have multiple purposes not a single focus.

The only way to run schools like a business is to take the public out of the public schools. As long the public is part of the equation, and I believe they should be, they will continue to operate under multiple purposes - and that - my friends - is the "bottom-line."

Some content from this post came from, "Why Can't Schools be Like Businesses," by Larry Cuban in The School Administrator, February 2006.

Two Hour Delay Monday

Wawasee will be on a two-hour delay for Monday, February 6th.

Noooo - it's not just to give a break to those who stayed up late watching the Stupendous Bowl last night! :-)

There is glare ice underneath the skiff of snow in many places especially the county roads. Many roads look better than they are. Whatever you do, don't lock up your brakes this morning.

Hopefully, a little time will give sand and salt crews a chance and allow us to work on the parking lots as well.

Friday Funnies

Today we will share teacher insights into....

How to tell you've been teaching for awhile....

I can tell I've worked with little children a long time. My daughter was messing with my necklace the other night. She kept lifting up my hair to see the necklace. Someone behind me asked, "What is your daughter doing with your hair?" My first thought was, "Probably a head lice check!"
Cindy Brady
Wawasee teacher

I knew I had been teaching 3rd grade awhile when my wife looked at me so disgustedly one day and said, "I am NOT one of your third graders! You do NOT need to explain it to me three times in three different ways!"
Dr. Stock
3rd grade teacher

In the old days you could always tell which ones were the teachers in the bank line on Fridays because they often had a purple smear on the side of their face from purple "black-line masters" used to make the worksheets.
Anonymous

Remember the friendship pins with the little beads on them that the elementary children used to give you years ago? I went to a meeting one time with a group of adults. We sat down in chairs in a circle. I crossed my legs and looked down and everyone was staring at a whole string of friendship beads that the kids had given me. I had pinned them on my shoelaces in front of the kids so they would know I appreciated it. I had forgotten all about them. I spent 5 minutes trying to explain. I gave up. I think you have to teach elementary to get it.
Anonymous

You know you went to school awhile ago if you can pass the sniff test.

Here goes...close your eyes, hold the stack of papers next to your face. Sniff deeply. If you smell the purple ditto ink still wet from the teacher running the worksheets during the break period...that means you went to school awhile ago. However, if you remember sneaking a smell of the wet papers while you were CRANKING the papers out by hand in the work room, then you really have been teaching for a little while! :-)

Mark

Don't forget to e-mail your funny stories to Doc Stock. Link on the sidebar.

Two hour Delay Friday

Heavy fog developed after 5:00 AM - especially around the lakes. Spotty before that.

Two Hour delay for Friday..

The high school staff meeting with Dr. Stock this morning will be rescheduled on another day.

We apoolgize for the late posting on The Wawascene but we were unable to access the web site until 6:30 AM.

Have a good day.

Daniels and Reed spar over ISTEP move

The Journal Gazette said today that Daniels has questioned Reed's estimates on moving ISTEP to the Spring.

Story here.

Dr. Reed comes out against Spring ISTEP

Dr. Sueellen Reed, State Superintendent of Public Instruction has asked legislators to reject the bill moving ISTEP testing from fall to spring.

More from the Star here.

Local Control: A thing of the past?

Not too long ago Wawasee had a board seat open between elections. During the board interviews a candidate asked the current school board members, "What do you know now, that you wish you had known when you ran for board election?"

What a great question. I think all four board members agreed that they didn't realize how much of what schools must do is controlled by the state and federal government.

Now along comes Governor Daniel's, "Driving Money to the Classroom" initiative. It really isn't Mitch's idea, as the concept is being pushed in many states across the nation. The concept is deceivingly simple. Who could be against spending more money on instruction? Unfortunately, careful reading of the details reveals a continuation of a very troublesome trend. What little local control has been in place is being systematically shifted to the state level.

The Journal Gazette discusses the bill. Click here. At the bottom of the page the Gazette links you to the actual bills.

If you have an opinion on the bill, click on the "Write your legislator link" on the sidebar and send your state representatives an e-mail.

In memory of fallen soldier Todd Fiscus

We have received word that Todd Fiscus, husband of Milford Middle School teacher Mrs. Paula Fiscus, will be honored on the Tuesday CBS Evening News as the Fallen Soldier of the Day.

Under the weight of it all....

IHSAA proposes "multiplier" for private schools in athletic classes

Studying the state championships for athletic teams in Indiana is generally understood to be a "who's - who" of Catholic education.

The Indy Star reported recently on a new IHSAA proposal to implement a "multiplier" that would move a Catholic or private school up a class in athletic competition. This presumably is an attempt to "level the playing field" against schools that recruit.

When Wawasee went to the dome and lost to the Catholic school, Indianapolis Roncalli in the state championship, it was clear to most that their ability to recruit helped them land quite a few Division I athletes. Of course with a break here or there we could have still been in that game. Yet it was obvious to even untrained observers that the Roncalli recruitment efforts had resulted in a team with a lot of "speed" which Coach Rietveld has long touted as a key ingredient to football success.

Here is a link to the article.

Friday Funnies

A four year old was at the pediatrician for a check up. As the doctor looked down her ears with an scope, he asked, Do you think I'll find Big Bird in here? The little girl stayed silent. Next, the doctor took a tongue depressor and looked down her throat. He asked, Do you think I'll find the Cookie Monster down there? Again, the little girl was silent. Then the doctor put a stethoscope to her chest. As he listened to her heart beat, he asked, Do you think I'll hear Barney in there? Oh, no! the little girl replied. Jesus is in my heart. Barney's on my underpants.

I teach various high school math subjects. This particular morning, I had my Geometry class discussing ways to prove triangles congruent. There was a student on the front row who was struggling with the topic. He decided that he had had enough geometry for the day and put his head down on the desk. I asked him to sit up and pay attention.
He lifts his head and proceeds to lash out about how stupid math is, how math is boring is, how he will never use this after high school, etc. Then he looks at me and says, "No one will ever use this stuff. Do you use math in your job?"
There was a second of silence, then a student in the back called out,"He's a math teacher, you idiot!" After the laughter died down, we managed to get back to the triangles, but the young man in the front didn't say much the rest of the class.

This one I found from a UK teacher website:

An elementary private school teacher was putting on the annual Nativity scene with her class and unfortunately poor Virgin Mary went off sick on the day of the drama performance. Another child offered immediately to take her place.
She went on stage and looked down at baby Jesus in the manger.
This aspiring young actress then ad libbed in a real north east accent:
" Ken 'is, he's richt lik' ees dad!"

Have a great weekend!

Wawasee Schools are Now Closed Wednesday

Wawasee has changed the delay to cancellation.

Many county roads remain unsalted and sanded. We had hoped that the delay would allow them enough time to reach all the main roads

School is closed.

Two-hour delay Wednesday

Wawasee will be on a two-hour delay for Wednesday the 25th.

Icy, slippery road conditions make it hazardous where there isn't sand or salt.

NOTE: Dr. Stock's presentations on Using Classroom Data Tools will go on as scheduled at Oakwood Inn starting at 8:00 AM in Conference Rooms 1 and 2 at the Inn.

Citizen's Guide to the Legislature

The Indy Star has given a review of many of the main pieces of legislation working their way through the Indiana General Assembly at this time.

Click here for the run-down.

Text-messaging: I don't get it.

I will admit it. I haven't quite figured out the new generation's fascination with text-messaging. Listening to my 21 year-old daughter's cell phone beep and knowing that she just paid $.07 to read the message "Whassup?" or it's equivalent, seems silly to me.

However, the NY Times says this is what's behind it:

This may be the universal attraction of text-messaging, in fact: it's a kind of avoidance mechanism that preserves the feeling of communication - the immediacy - without, for the most part, the burden of actual intimacy or substance.

Hmmmm.

Self-discipline trumps smarts for success in life

Here is a good dose of common sense for once.

Researchers say that "self-discipline" is a better predictor for success in life than "smarts."

Click here for Washington Post article.

Friday's Funnies

I passed out a snack to a class of kindergartners. One young man looked up at me and told me that he wanted to share his cookie. (He had licked, smeared and slobbered it all over his face.) I told him no thank you, and explained that I had gained weight over the winter break and needed to be careful about eating snacks. He looked at me and I could tell his little mind was thinking. I started to feel bad and decided I WOULD choke down the cookie somehow! But then he said, "Teacher, its ok, really, I think you look the same fatness!"

A fifth grade class was in the media center for a dictionary/thesaurus lesson. As I went over the vocabulary words to be used in the assignment, two boys immediately jumped up and began strutting around when I said the word “haughty.” “That’s me!” each one proudly proclaimed. Seems they got “hottie” and “haughty” a little confused. Their classmates (and teachers) had a good chuckle over that.
Teresa Kent

True story - Kindergarten teacher comes to me in the office, and said a parent called her and said she's sure glad I was back from the illness and hoped there would be no more. Her daughter had come home after a day or two with the teacher replacement and told mom she had a "prostitute" teacher while Miss Kern was away.
Ronald Helmer ~ Saginaw Michigan

Have a great weekend!

What time is it?

What a fiasco!

Click here to find out what time it might be somewhere in Indiana, depending on what time of year it is and what time zone you might be in.

Oh well, at least the economy will REALLY take off now!

74 Eastern
18 Central

But who's keeping score!

Wake me up when it's over. Whoops, what time should I set my alarm for! :-)

Two hour delay Wednesday

There will be a two-hour delay.

Icy roads everywhere. No county salt trucks out.

Drive careful.

Click here for the animated version.

More rankings for Indiana

Yesterday I posted some of the good news about Indiana's rankings. Today we will list the areas we could improve as a state.

Early Childhood Education

Indiana ranks....
39th out of 50 states and DC on participation of 3 year-olds in pre-kindergarten
48th out of 50 states and DC on participation of 4 year-olds in pre-kindergarten

High School to College Pipeline

Indiana ranks....
28th in high school graduation rates
49th out of 50 states on high school readiness for college

Now for the good news regarding college....

Indiana ranked....
16th out of 50 states on the college enrollment rate of high school graduates
19th out of 50 states on their college graduation rate of enrollees


Who can explain this anamoly? We are next to last in high school graduates prepared for college, but we are 19th in graduating those who enroll!

Hmmm.

Things you won't read in a statehouse news release!

America is obsessed with rankings and ratings. I suppose it is our sports-mad culture that is the culprit.

In any case, here are some statistics you won't read in a statehouse news release. Mostly because they are generally positive, and that's not the agenda these days.

Click here if you wish to read the actual pdf document on Indiana or any document from any state in the US.

NAEP report card: (1=best, 51 = worst)

Indiana is....
16th out of 50 states and DC in 4th grade reading
15th out of 50 states and DC in 4th grade math
23rd out of 50 states and DC in 8th grade reading
20th out of 50 states and DC in 8th grade math

Achievement Gap: (1=best, 51=worst)

Indiana is....
20th out of 50 states and DC in reading gap between poor 4th graders and affluent 4th graders
20th out of 50 states and DC in reading gap between white and African-American 4th graders
3rd out of 50 states and DC in reading gap between white and Latino 4th graders

Certification of Secondary Teachers in Core Academic Areas (1=best, 51=worst)

Indiana is....
2nd out of 50 states and DC in % of secondary school classes in core academic subjects taught by qualified instructors

Tomorrow: Where Indiana could improve,

Friday's Funnies

A little preschooler got on the bus one day and told the bus helper not to help her with her backpack because she had her show and tell in there. So the bus helper just shrugged and buckled the little girl into her seat belt. They heard a loud screech! The girl had her CAT in the backpack!
Amy Lindsey

One hot summer day the principal was wearing a golf shirt for the day when a bee buzzed into the open collar of his shirt. He immediately tore out his shirt tail and danced around till the bee flew out. He ran to the restroom and dropped his drawers to tuck his shirt tail in. A little boy stepped into the restroom with his mouth agape. The principal smiled and said, "Haven't you ever seen anyone tuck their shirt in before?" To which the little boy said, "Yeah but I never thought about principals wearing underwear before!"
Jeff Neumannn, Warsaw, IN

I was doing a Character Counts lesson on cooperation. I asked my kindergarteners if anyone could tell me what cooperation means. A little girl raised her hand and said, "Someone in my family had a cooperation and died!"
Vicki Wells, Stuart, FL

A mother was teaching her 3 year old daughter the Lord's prayer. For several evenings at bedtime she repeated it after her mother. One night she said she was ready to solo. The mother listened with pride as she carefully enunciated each word right up to the end "Lead us not into temptation" she prayed, "but deliver us some E-mail, Amen."
Readers' Digest

I was trying to hook up a laser disc player and was having a heck of a time getting it connected to the TV and VCR. I asked the kids to sit still for a minute and give me a second to fiddle. When I asked them if they knew what fiddle meant, Kelsey stood up and said, "You know...she has to go to the bathroom."
Chris Gulotta, Tallahassee, FL

Don't forget to click on the "Doc Stock" link on the sidebar and e-mail your funny school stories.

Have a great weekend!

Spring ISTEP anyone?

A bill requiring ISTEP testing to move to the Spring has advanced forward in the Indiana legislature.

I'll admit, testing students at the end of the school year seems logical to most people. Aren't most tests given at the end of the instruction? Well, it depends on whether the goal is to rank and rate schools or whether the goal is to help students learn? Let me put it in medical terms. They can't decide whether to give the patient an autopsy or a diagnostic exam.

Currently the fall tests are supposed to help staff make adjustments and reteach students who have problems on the tests. The problem is the results are so slow returning that very little remediation is really done on the basis of the results.

I would like to see a relatively short computerized assessment given in the fall, accompanied by another assessment in the spring to assess growth. This could be combined with a state requirement for each school district to have it's own writing assessment program in place. This would spare much of the expense of hiring state wide readers to handle the scoring.

The diagnostic test is given in the fall, and the autopsy (excuse the gruesome metaphor) is given in the spring. The writing samples can be handled internally based on statewide criteria.

After having said all that, my chief wish is that they would quit using us for a political football and allow our teachers time to adjust to all the changes.

My .02

Building your baby's brain - one connection at a time!

Did you know that between the sixth week and fifth month of a mother's pregnancy, the baby's brain grows about 100 billion cells? Some of these cells are connected at birth, but most are not.

During the first five years of life (and afterwards too but a lot slower) the child's brain is hard at work connecting all those brain cells. By the age of three the child has all the connections it will ever need. From age three on the brain actually gets rid of connections it doesn't need or use! Do you see why the window of opportunity is so important?

I am asking a favor from every person who reads this post.

I am asking all of you to skim through this list , and choose one activity. Please think of someone you know that is under 5 years of age do one of these simple activities with them OR e-mail this to someone you love and ask them to do it FOR you.

Then, last but not least, please return to this forum and under the comment section leave a very short sentence telling us how you "connected" with your child, grandchild, niece, nephew or neighbor.

Tell everyone you know about this and let's see if we can generate some community "buzz" for the Dekko Foundations Before5 program.

Here are additional links provided by the Dekko foundation on child development.

Every day for a week or so I will bring this post back to the top to draw attention to it. Let's see if we can get a few hundred posts up by next weekend.

Our children deserve the best we can give them.

Sharon M. Wright 1953 - 2006

Syracuse Elementary teacher, Sharon M. Wright, age 52, passed away last week in her residence after losing a battle with leukemia. She was born to Harry G. and Catherine M. Fackler and was a lifetime area resident. She graduated from Fairfield High School in 1971, Goshen College in 1977 and received her Master's Degree from Ball State University. She most recently taught Kindergarten and Reading Recovery.

A memorial service was held today at 1:00 pm at the Syracuse Church of the Brethren. Her complete obituary can be viewed here.

All who knew Sharon will tell you she was a kind, gentle person with a caring spirit and a winning smile. Her husband told me today that she never gave up, and five days before she passed away she still knew she would return to her classroom and to her colleagues. It was not to be.

She is survived by her husband Jay T. and daughter Sarah Marie Wright and son Timothy John Wright .

To send condolences to the family in Mrs Wright's memory please visit www.owenfamilyfuneralhome.com

A special thanks also goes out to all the many parents, volunteers, and teachers from North Webster and Milford who volunteered to teach at Syracuse this afternoon so the Syracuse staff could attend the services.

We truly appreciate the "pitch in" effort that continues to be a big part of the Wawasee family.

Shanna Zolman Fanatics / Tennessee Fans

For all you Zolman fans and Tennessee watchers, it seems some of you threw objects around the house when the TV network left the Tennessee game with 2 minutes left.

This is passed along by blog reader Mark Grady:

WSBT TV-22 did not cut away from the Tennessee game as a local decision. The cut-away was a network decision (as was the one last year when they left coverage of Purdue). The CBS viewer opinion number is 212-975-3247. The network contact info is: CBS Television Network 51 West 52nd ST New York, NY 10019

Pity the recipients of a complaint call from a rabid Tennessee Zolman fan!! :-)

Friday's Funnies

Every Friday we run comical stories about school children. Here are this week's selections. Remember to e-mail in those from the local area by clicking on the "Doc Stock" e-mail link on the sidebar.

At Math time, I told the kids that we were going to talk about Even and Odd. One boy yelled out- "I know that story. It's in the Bible! " After I quit laughing, I said- "I think you mean Adam and Eve. "Chris Minch ~ Stuart, FL

A kindergarten student at my school was sent to the office for saying a rather naughty word in the cafeteria. I talked to him about using other words to say when he was angry. We practiced "shucks", "darn", "rats", etc. I told him my favorite word was "dag nab it!". He said he liked that one, we high- fived each other and I went off feeling like I helped him. I later walked back in the office to find him still sitting there. He jumped off his stool, ran up to me and yelled "DAMN RABBITS!!" while grinning ear to ear!Mary SlavinStuart, FL

I was wearing a long, colorful skirt made out of that broomstick material when I was trying to explain the word "brag" to my First Graders. I was pretending to brag about being the fastest runner in the whole class. I was going on and on when a little boy raised his hand and said, "You can't run fast wearing that CURTAIN!"Chris Minch~Stuart, FL

A school teacher injured his back and had to wear a plaster cast around the upper part of his body. It fit under his shirt and was not noticeable at all. On the first day of the term, still with the cast under his shirt, he found himself assigned to the toughest students in school. Walking confidently into the rowdy classroom, he opened the window as wide as possible and then busied himself with desk work. When a strong breeze made his tie flap, he took the desk stapler and stapled the tie to his chest. He had no trouble with discipline that term.

Indiana Democrats discuss full day kindergarten

Indiana Democrats are proposing full day kindergarten. Click here for a news release.

With the increase in curriculum expectations and the number of parents working, more and more people are finding the half-day kindergarten arrangement to be difficult.

Probability for success? Not very good until the economy improves.

Why is the solution to everything... "Make a New Law?"

Here is a link that shows a proposed law for Indiana to outlaw air guns on school property.

It's not a great idea to have air guns at school, but why does every solution have to be "make a law" against it? I would think the 3-inch thick Indiana School Law Book on my desk that is 1,370 pages long, would be enough.

Current laws against vandalism, threats, intimidation, and bullying should be sufficient to cover most problems like this.

No point in making a criminal out of a student who forgot his brother's BB gun was under the back seat of his locked car. The problem is not the air gun. The problem is when the object is used inappropriately and we already have laws governing inappropirate behaviors.

Currently "air guitars" at school are more of a distraction than air guns. :-)

Current society's solution to every perceptible concern seems to be to try and outlaw it.

Just my .02

Snow Make-Up Day Announcement

Wawasee's snow cancellation day will be made up on Friday, February 17, 2006. The next available snow make-up day is Monday, February 20, 2006. That day is still open so let's hope we don't need it. Please be aware of these days as you plan ahead on your calendars!

Have a good day.

Buckeyes 34 - Notre Dame 20

:-)

I told you Joy S.

Welcome Back!

Welcome back everyone.

Some have asked questions about why we have school today when it is a holiday. No real philosophical answers to give you. That's just the calendar the majority approved.

The calendar committee approved the calendar well over a year ago so I am sure they weren't thinking about bowl games, festivities and holidays when they put the options out.

I am sure everyone will be clearing out to get home and watch the Fiesta Bowl.

GO Buckeyes! :-)

I have to say that since my sister is an OSU grad!

Have a safe break and a Merry Christmas!

Everyone be careful and have fun, whether you stay home or travel.

Think about the reasons for the holiday season and enjoy time with family and friends.

The central office will still be open for business from 7:00 am till 3:00 pm most business days if any employees or patrons need to conduct any school business.

New Features

Time, Temperature and Weather:
You will notice the time and temperature flashing up in the corner of the screen. Clicking on this link will take you to weatherunderground.com for full weather forecasts for this area.

Banner Ads:
A committee of volunteers has started working on creating an educational foundation that we will discuss later. One initial funding source is going to come from passive internet solicitations through the ad banners you see at the top. The group intends to work on mission statements in January. One current mission under discussion may involve the use of mini-grants to Wawasee teachers to support them in creating unique learning opportunities for students.

In the meantime, until the foundation is organized, a number of community-minded local businesses are planning to make donations to needy Wawasee children. Those businesses will be recognized through the banner ads. Any businesses that would like to help out students who need dental appointments, glasses, field trip money, or educational supplies, should e-mail me at mstock@wawasee.k12.in.us to discuss how we can help you as well.

What does The Wawascene offer our local businesses? Strong local exposure. We currently average 2,500+ hits per day. Our record to date is 6,981 hits in a 24 hour period. If we can help the local economy and you can help the local children, it is win-win for the kids.

It is not as simple as improving ISTEP scores, - it's about our children. Click on the banner ad to send me an e-mail and I will contact you to discuss how you can help our kids and how we can help your business.

Thursday - On Regular Schedule

Main roads are good, secondary roads are fair with some snowy spots still melting. Tertiary roads are still snow covered but things are melting and salt trucks are out. There must have been more ice over by Fort Wayne or else ours started melting earlier.

Caution is still in order but unfortunately it is another typical Kosciusko county winter day.

During the night it warmed up and started the melting. Around 3:00 am some fog started to develop but by 4:45 am it had gone away.

Have a good day.

Board Meeting Summary

Here is a brief summary of the school board meeting held Tuesday, December 13, 2005 at 7:00 pm.

At last night's board meeting the board voted to:

Accept a donation from the Syracuse-Wawasee Kiwanis for the Academic Super Bowl
Approve claims and personnel recommendations
Approve 10 easements for the Syracuse water tower project
Approve dual credit articulation agreements with Ivy Tech College
Approve tax anticipation warrants from the Indiana Bond Bank
Approve the January board meeting date of January 17th - one week later than normal
Approve Orientation to Life and Careers as a mandatory freshman class for 2005-2006
Approve credit increases at WHS:
10 credits to be a sophomore
20 credits to be a junior
30 credits to be a senior

Heard a report on adult GED classes (Dr. Stock)
Heard a report on possible alterations to the Career and Technical Building (Mr. Metcalf)
Heard a report on ISTEP scores (Dr. Stock)
Heard a report on high school grade distributions (Mrs Stevens)
Heard a report on a committee studying a 501c3 Educational Foundation (Dr. Stock)

Wawasee School Board members are President Dallas Winchester, Vice President Mary Lou Dixon, Secretary Marion Acton, Member Brian Dawes, Member George Gilbert.

The WCSC Board normally meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:00PM in the central administration building.

Making Laws

Here is a link that shows the current list of laws that will be under consideration by the Indiana General Assembly.

The list is by topic starting with the Senate and then the House.

It is interesting to see the wide variety. Did you know there is a law regarding disorderly conduct at funerals?

Scan the list by topic and click on the topic for a more complete description of the law. More will be added and modified as time goes on.

Did you know there is a proposed law allowing the use of ISTEP scores on a teacher or administrator's personnel evaluation?

What do you think of that?

Over the next week or so we will take a peek at the proposed laws affecting education.

To e-mail your opinion of any of these bills to your representative, just put your zip code in the box and click on the blue "Write your legislator button" on the sidebar. Presto, it will tell you who your legislators are. Scroll to the bottom and put in your address and you are "good-to-go."

They want to hear from you. While it is true that many professional lobbyists write these bills, it is your legally elected representatives that carry the bills and ultimately must respond to the will of the people in a representative democracy.

Snow Make-Up Day

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend in the winter wonderland.

Now the bad news. The snow-makeup day will be Friday, February 17th, 2006.

Mandate Mania

The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette today ran an editorial on the burdens facing public schools.

The public schools of America have been asked to do so much that their plate looks like a styrafoam plate at the church potluck. Is the styrafoam about to crack?

Wawasee veteran teachers may recognize the list of curriculum mandates that were quoted from the various decades because Mr. Smith, our previous superintendent, used this list in his speech to our staff my first year at Wawasee.

The link to the animation is here. Click on "The Burden" at the top and then scroll to the bottom and click on "Animation."

Friday's Funnies (School cancelled)

For those who slept in - school is cancelled for Friday, December 9.

Every Friday we run funny stories about kids and teachers. Remember to e-mail your contributions to Doc Stock (e-mail link on the side.)

By Teacher
Paula Markley

During Indiana studies we were discussing Robert de La Salle, the first white man to enter Indiana. One of the students asked who the first man ever was. Another student said it was Adam. From there students started asking, "Who was the first to..." It had turned into quite a discussion and we were looking up "firsts" in the encyclopedia.

One student then asked, "Who was the smartest man?" Another student immediately responded, "Solomon."

A girl spoke up and said that was their Sunday School lesson and that he had a 1000 wives.

The boy who had asked the question replied, "I thought you said he was smart!"

By Parent
Dana Brandt

The day after watching "Jackie Chan's Around the World in 80 Days, my four year-old daughter and I were waiting at the bus stop to pick up my oldest daughter. Our friendly Asian neighbor waved politely as he walked his German Shepard. My four year-old daughter looked up and said, "Look Mom, there's Jackie Chan walking his poodle." I laughed and said, "That's not a poodle!" Embarrassed, but never missing a beat she said, "Well that's not Jackie Chan either."

By Teacher
Valery Ahrens

One of my students has echolalia, meaning he repeats things he hears others say. Some experts say these echoed phrases have little or no meaning. However, one afternoon at the beginning of the school year, when I was just getting to know the kids, this particular student found use for a choice phrase he heard on the bus radio on his way to school. I walked past him and noticed he wasn't working on his puzzle... "You need to get to work on that job," I commented. Imagine my surprise when the reply I got was, "Take this job and shove it. I ain't workin' here no more."

I'm pretty sure he meant it, too.

School Cancelled for Friday

School is cancelled for Friday, December 9.

Road conditions as of 4:30 am:

The wind picked up a little more and the north/south roads are drifting. Single lane tire tracks on most county roads. The road crews are out but they couldn't get started till early this morning. The snow is dry and powdery due to cold conditions.

A winter wonderland.

Have a great weekend. We'll post the make-up days later today perhaps.

2 Hour Delay for Friday

Wawasee will start on a two-hour delay for Friday , December 9.

If there is a decision to cancel it will be made prior to 8:00 am.

Stay tuned.

Miscellaneous reminders

Just a reminder that you can get your information on snow delays and cancellations first here on The Wawascene.

Here is the weather report for the Syracuse area. (Don't get your hopes up!! :-)

Friday Funnies are tomorrow. I have some cued up but don't forget to e-mail me (e-mail link is on the sidebar) if you have a funny story about kids.

Parents out there - you have some funny ones too! Send them in. I can give you credit or keep it anonymous - your choice.

It's all about the kids. Charts and graphs look pretty and we are encouraged when the little lines go in the right directions - but remember it's all about the kids.

These are kids - not numbers!

It is very important that we put a "human face" on the data. These are not numbers - these are children!

The top two lines going down tell us that 126 fewer students were in the Did Not Pass category. This means there were 126 additional Wawasee students who achieved proficiency levels in Math and English, that might not have done so in 2002 when the data was first gathered. That is over 5 CLASSROOMS full of students!

The line moving upwards shows that the number of students in the top 10% of the state in Mathematics has doubled since 2002. This means there are 167 additional students scoring in the highest 10% in the state of Indiana in Math. That is 7 MORE classrooms full of students that are in the top 10% of the state that weren't there in 2002. The red line shows there is no change in corporation totals for students scoring in the top 10% in Language.

That my friends, is the student side of the data.

Graphing the Student's Progress

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here is the graph showing how Wawasee students did on the latest ISTEP+ test . (Hint - if you click on the little diagram of the sheet of paper with the arrow turning located at the end of the toolbar, it will rotate the graph so you can see it right side up.)

The top lines going down show the drops in percentages of students who Did Not Pass (DNP) the ISTEP + tests. In this case the numbers going down is a GOOD thing.

The bottom lines trending up, show the increases in students who scored in the top 10% of the state, which they call Pass+. In this case if the numbers went up it is a GOOD thing.

The grades represented in these graphs are 3,4,5,6,7,8,9 and 10. The corporation totals of course, do not tell the whole story. There are some grade levels that stayed even or decreased in some categories but there are numerous grade levels that showed absolutely tremendous gains. Averaging them all together shows the total corporation on one graph.

Wawasee students continue to make gains!

ISTEP+ scores have just arrived. Here is a quick overview based on our first glance. Tomorrow we will post the graphs and explain the impact on children.

Overall, Wawasee corporation students continue to show strong gains in the percentage of students meeting proficiency standards on the ISTEP+ exam, mostly in Mathematics. The biggest bright spot shows up in the tremendous increase in the percentages of students showing up in the top 10% of scores in the state.

Here are a few highlights:
Grade 5: 24% of the students were in the top 10% in the state in Math
Grade 5: Only 16% failed to meet Math standards
Grade 6: 27% of the students were in the top 10% in the state in Math
Grade 6: Only 12% failed to meet Math standards
Grade 8: 14% of the students were in the top10% in the state in Math
Grade 3: 13% of the students were in the top 10% in the state in Math

Grade 7: We have to do by hand so I will post them tomorrow.

Summarizing key points:
Math proficiency is increasing much faster than Language Arts
Middle grades 5-8 are showing the largest gains.

Tomorrow we will post graphs and more detailed explanations that help put a "human face" on the data. After all, these are not numbers. They are children - may we not forget it.

Holiday Stress: Let it go, Let it go, Let it go!

As we enter the home stretch before the holidays, remember that what matters most in life cannot be bought.

"Holiday stress has been an increasingly relevant issue for people,” says Russ Newman of the American Psychological Association. His polling has found that although workplace issues stress us out most of the year, seasonal issues move to the foreground in December.

The hit meter rises again!

Thank you to Wawasee patrons for staying in touch with your school district and passing the word along regarding The Wawascene blogging phenomenon. We continue to get e-mails and contacts from people who are regular readers who do not even have students in our schools.

By this afternoon, The Wawascene will exceed 13,000 hits just since Monday morning of this week!

Within a few weeks we will announce our first advertisers whose donations will go to needy students.

Any potential advertisers who wish to help children and actually benefit their business at the same time, need only click on the banner ad box and an e-mail prompt will pop up. Send it to me and I will get back with you.

Friday's Funnies

Here is a cute Kindergarten story submitted by Syracuse Elementary teacher Deborah Nelson.

After assessing a child on his letters and sounds, the teacher told him, "You did a great job on your letters and sounds!" To which the child replied matter-of-factly, "Well, that's because I have a really great brain!"

Here is one from my Principal days.

I was walking down the hallway the next fall after I had been promoted from elementary principal to curriculum director in the same school district. I passed two first graders standing at their locker, and said, "Good morning," and continued down the hall. I overheard one first grader ask the other one, "Who was that?" The boy replied, "That's Mr. Stock. He used to be our principal last year. I think he is the secretary now."

Aren't kids cool. They know who really runs the school!

Here is one more miscellaneous observation. Remember the post a few days ago about kids today being more informal and outgoing? I was walking down the Milford hallway today when a little third grader passed and said, "You own this school dude. You rock!"

Now, do you pull him aside and give him a lesson on formality or do you smile and walk on? He didn't seem sarcastic so I smiled and walked on.

Have a good weekend!

"10 Moral Concerns of No Child Left Behind"

The National Council of Churches has released a position statement that comes from a subcommittee of the organization.

This attachment is worth reading over, especially if you are not familiar with some of the controversial aspects of the No Child Left Behind law. This law requires every school in America to have 100% of its students reading and doing math above proficient levels by 2014 or be labeled a "failing school" under the law.

Most people with common sense would say that requiring every student in America to be "at proficient levels" by 2014 or your entire school FAILS might, just might, be a little unreasonable.

Common sense is not so common I guess.