Bad timing hits again.
The snow hit well after the deadlines and buses were well on the way this morning when the lake effect hammered us. Roads were slick with numerous car accidents.
Take care. Have a good day!
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Parent Tip of the Day
As a parent have you ever tried to help your children practice or drill for a very specific topic they were having trouble with, yet you had already used up the practice sheets your child brought home?
In 5 minutes using the following website you can create and print your own custom worksheets for practice or drill on most subjects.
Use the Worksheet Generator
Note to teachers: It works for you too if you need to provide additional practice opportunities for children. Subjects range from Math to Social Studies and numerous sub topics.
Most of you know the problem isn't the lack of practice materials available, it is getting the exact one you need for a handful of students that need the extra work.
In 5 minutes using the following website you can create and print your own custom worksheets for practice or drill on most subjects.
Use the Worksheet Generator
Note to teachers: It works for you too if you need to provide additional practice opportunities for children. Subjects range from Math to Social Studies and numerous sub topics.
Most of you know the problem isn't the lack of practice materials available, it is getting the exact one you need for a handful of students that need the extra work.
Monday, November 21, 2005
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Sunday Funnies
From Reader's Digest:
The school where I teach asks the parents to fill out a questionnaire, The questions are pretty basic and they include this one: "Language spoken at home?"
One family answered, "Some swearing, but we're trying to stop."
Friday, November 18, 2005
Elvis spotted?
Was Elvis spotted at a recent Indiana State Property Tax Control Board Hearing?
Who should decide how local taxpayers spend local taxpayer funded construction projects?
The state government's appointees or local tax payers?
Who should decide how local taxpayers spend local taxpayer funded construction projects?
The state government's appointees or local tax payers?
Friday's Funnies
This is a true story from my days as a third grade teacher.
One year our PTO had the idea of having an aluminum can drive as a fundraiser for the PTO. (What were they thinking!) Every Friday morning plastic garbage bags bulging with crushed aluminum cans were stacked two rows deep in the elementary hallways. The yeasty odor of crushed beer cans wafted down the corridor. PTO members actually counted the cans to see who was collecting the most.
One morning after the weekly can collection a little boy came up to the teacher and said, "Mrs. Lintz, my dad said to apologize to you for the can collection, he just can't put 'em away like he used to."
Please e-mail your funny stories to mstock@wawasee.k12.in.us
One year our PTO had the idea of having an aluminum can drive as a fundraiser for the PTO. (What were they thinking!) Every Friday morning plastic garbage bags bulging with crushed aluminum cans were stacked two rows deep in the elementary hallways. The yeasty odor of crushed beer cans wafted down the corridor. PTO members actually counted the cans to see who was collecting the most.
One morning after the weekly can collection a little boy came up to the teacher and said, "Mrs. Lintz, my dad said to apologize to you for the can collection, he just can't put 'em away like he used to."
Please e-mail your funny stories to mstock@wawasee.k12.in.us
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
The Wawascene goes national!
The following was posted on The Education Wonks website today.
Survival Guide For Parents And Students:
Editor's Choice: The Wawascene, which is written by Superintendent Dr. Mark J. Stock, of the Wawasee Community School Corporation in Syracuse, Indiana, is introducing us to a brand-new (and very exciting) use of blogging. Who would have thought that a weblog may be used to facilitate communications between school and community? The benefits of such a weblog to both parents and educators should be obvious. If your local superintendent isn't writing a blog, perhaps you should consider making the suggestion...
Sample of Friday Funnies
Please e-mail mstock@wawasee.k12.in.us one funny school story.
SAMPLE:
Two first graders were sitting outside the classroom door in the hallway. They had been in a scuffle and were in "time-out" and it was only the first week of school. They sat dejectedly.
A teacher was walking by and overheard one child say to the other, "Do you think they'll let us come back tomorrow?"
To which the other boy whipped his head around and replied emphatically, "I HOPE not, I wanted to go fishing!"
Send your story to mstock@wawasee.k12.in.us
SAMPLE:
Two first graders were sitting outside the classroom door in the hallway. They had been in a scuffle and were in "time-out" and it was only the first week of school. They sat dejectedly.
A teacher was walking by and overheard one child say to the other, "Do you think they'll let us come back tomorrow?"
To which the other boy whipped his head around and replied emphatically, "I HOPE not, I wanted to go fishing!"
Send your story to mstock@wawasee.k12.in.us
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Kids say the darndest things!
I am going to start a new feature since everyone could use a good school chuckle now and then. Laughter truly is good for the soul.
I would like to collect humorous school stories that involve children. I will feature one every week as a Friday Funny.
Criteria:
1. Good clean fun
2. True story or mostly true :-)
3. About kids or young adults
I will be placing an e-mail link on the the side of The Wawascene page that says
E-mail Doc Stock ( a nickname my kid's friends gave me. I am not sure if the nickname came because I finally finished my college work or because I fell off the pier at home - I'll let you decide)
If you do not want your name used as a contributor for your story please indicate so.
Until the web link goes up - here is the e-mail address mstock@wawasee.k12.in.us
I will put them in a folder and use one of them every week.
Don't be shy now!
I would like to collect humorous school stories that involve children. I will feature one every week as a Friday Funny.
Criteria:
1. Good clean fun
2. True story or mostly true :-)
3. About kids or young adults
I will be placing an e-mail link on the the side of The Wawascene page that says
E-mail Doc Stock ( a nickname my kid's friends gave me. I am not sure if the nickname came because I finally finished my college work or because I fell off the pier at home - I'll let you decide)
If you do not want your name used as a contributor for your story please indicate so.
Until the web link goes up - here is the e-mail address mstock@wawasee.k12.in.us
I will put them in a folder and use one of them every week.
Don't be shy now!
Monday, November 14, 2005
4 Day Week Update
A few school folks have heard the 4 day school week being discussed in the community and so I thought a clarification would be in order.
There have not been any planning meetings or administration efforts to pursue the 4 day week in Wawasee at this time.
I purposely blogged about it to create community awareness of the issue and frankly to get some feedback about it.
It was a "political trial balloon" if you will.
We will revisit it later, especially if there is any momentum for it out there.
There have not been any planning meetings or administration efforts to pursue the 4 day week in Wawasee at this time.
I purposely blogged about it to create community awareness of the issue and frankly to get some feedback about it.
It was a "political trial balloon" if you will.
We will revisit it later, especially if there is any momentum for it out there.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
The Wawascene Phenomenon
Thank you to all employees, community members and patrons for being a faithful reader of The Wawascene.
Our internet hits are going through the roof and will soon result in new information and new possibilities for this site.
Monday: 3,001 hits
Tuesday: 1,600 + hits
Wednesday: 1,800 + hits
Thursday: 1,400 + hits at 4:30 PM and counting
When you consider that only a few hundred employees probably hit the site every day, it shows that the community is bookmarking it and keeping tabs on school issues.
Spread the word. Everyone tell one person you know to check us out. I will tell you more about why...later.
Our internet hits are going through the roof and will soon result in new information and new possibilities for this site.
Monday: 3,001 hits
Tuesday: 1,600 + hits
Wednesday: 1,800 + hits
Thursday: 1,400 + hits at 4:30 PM and counting
When you consider that only a few hundred employees probably hit the site every day, it shows that the community is bookmarking it and keeping tabs on school issues.
Spread the word. Everyone tell one person you know to check us out. I will tell you more about why...later.
Comments back on now
My apologies to blog readers who tried to make comments and were told by the computer "you aren't a registered member.." Somehow the comments settings were altered and I didn't realize it. It should work now.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Take a ride on the midway!
Educators and others:
Have you taken a ride on the midway of the edu-blogosphere?
Want to know what other educators are talking about out there?
Take a ride on the midway - Click here for this week's roundup.
Have you taken a ride on the midway of the edu-blogosphere?
Want to know what other educators are talking about out there?
Take a ride on the midway - Click here for this week's roundup.
Staff survey shows tremendous changes
In 1997 the ACT (Assessment of Curriculum and Teaching) committee distributed a staff survey of 33 questions on a variety of topics from leadership to school climate. We agreed to do the survey again after a number of years to see if staff opinions had changed. We readministered the survey in the spring of 2005.
The results indicate that the staff showed increases in 32 of 33 questions.
Click here to see the SUMMARY of the categories.
Click here to see EACH question on the survey.
The blue lines show the percentages of teachers that said TRUE and the white lines show the percentages of teachers that said NOT TRUE.
One curiosity is that the only question on the survey that showed a decline was the question on "morale." However, when asked, "Do you find your work personally fulfilling and challenging?" teachers overwhelmingly said, "True."
We have been sharing the student successes, but the surveys indicate major gains in the way teachers see things as well.
Once again, the commitment and professionalism of our faculty shines through.
The results indicate that the staff showed increases in 32 of 33 questions.
Click here to see the SUMMARY of the categories.
Click here to see EACH question on the survey.
The blue lines show the percentages of teachers that said TRUE and the white lines show the percentages of teachers that said NOT TRUE.
One curiosity is that the only question on the survey that showed a decline was the question on "morale." However, when asked, "Do you find your work personally fulfilling and challenging?" teachers overwhelmingly said, "True."
We have been sharing the student successes, but the surveys indicate major gains in the way teachers see things as well.
Once again, the commitment and professionalism of our faculty shines through.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
What does our improvement mean to students?
Yesterday we showed you this graph (Click here to see) charting the improvement of Wawasee students on the ISTEP+ assessments.
What does this mean in student terms?
Well, we aren't interested in improving test scores, we are interested only in helping our students improve in the knowledge and skills they need to be successful. (For the cynics, keep saying this until you believe it. It's true! :-)
However, society keeps asking us, "How do you know if you are improving or not?" SO.....we end up looking for simpler and more clearly understand ways of showing the patterns in the data.
This what the graph means for students.
The corporation drop from 31% to 27% of students who Did Not Pass (DNP) ISTEP+ in English means that 83 more Wawasee students now possess the skills the state says they need to be successful in the next grade.
The corporation drop from 28% to 23% of students who Did Not Pass (DNP) ISTEP+ in Math means that 103 additional Wawasee students now possess the range of skills the state determines they need to be successful at the next grade level.
The corporation increase from 8% to 14% of students who scored Pass + in Math means that 124 more students moved into the top 10% of students in the state at their grade level.
The corporation increase from 7% to 8% of students who scored Pass + in English means that 21 more students moved into the top 10% in the state at their grade level.
Tomorrow, time permitting, we will look at the individual grade spans and how they differ.
Compiled with data support from Dr. Robert Cockburn
What does this mean in student terms?
Well, we aren't interested in improving test scores, we are interested only in helping our students improve in the knowledge and skills they need to be successful. (For the cynics, keep saying this until you believe it. It's true! :-)
However, society keeps asking us, "How do you know if you are improving or not?" SO.....we end up looking for simpler and more clearly understand ways of showing the patterns in the data.
This what the graph means for students.
The corporation drop from 31% to 27% of students who Did Not Pass (DNP) ISTEP+ in English means that 83 more Wawasee students now possess the skills the state says they need to be successful in the next grade.
The corporation drop from 28% to 23% of students who Did Not Pass (DNP) ISTEP+ in Math means that 103 additional Wawasee students now possess the range of skills the state determines they need to be successful at the next grade level.
The corporation increase from 8% to 14% of students who scored Pass + in Math means that 124 more students moved into the top 10% of students in the state at their grade level.
The corporation increase from 7% to 8% of students who scored Pass + in English means that 21 more students moved into the top 10% in the state at their grade level.
Tomorrow, time permitting, we will look at the individual grade spans and how they differ.
Compiled with data support from Dr. Robert Cockburn
Monday, November 07, 2005
How about some good news!!
At Tuesday evening's board meeting, I plan to update the board on the progress Wawasee students have been making academically.
Our district grows and improves in the same manner our children do, in fits and spurts. This is revealed in the data that we track as well. However, using corporation totals, we have improved in 4/4 categories. Later, we'll discuss it by grade level.
The graph shows student progress in grades 3,6,and 8 since the ISTEP+ test was revised.
Grades 4,5,7,9, and 10 do not have enough consecutive years to track.
The top lines show the drop in percentages of students who Did Not Pass the ISTEP+ test in Language and Math. The bottom lines show the increase in percentages of students who were in Pass +. Pass + means they were in the top 10% in the state on the test.
Click here to see the good news!
Tomorrow we will share the news about how many students have improved.
Prepared with data support from Dr. Robert Cockburn and technical help from Wade Wirebaugh.
Our district grows and improves in the same manner our children do, in fits and spurts. This is revealed in the data that we track as well. However, using corporation totals, we have improved in 4/4 categories. Later, we'll discuss it by grade level.
The graph shows student progress in grades 3,6,and 8 since the ISTEP+ test was revised.
Grades 4,5,7,9, and 10 do not have enough consecutive years to track.
The top lines show the drop in percentages of students who Did Not Pass the ISTEP+ test in Language and Math. The bottom lines show the increase in percentages of students who were in Pass +. Pass + means they were in the top 10% in the state on the test.
Click here to see the good news!
Tomorrow we will share the news about how many students have improved.
Prepared with data support from Dr. Robert Cockburn and technical help from Wade Wirebaugh.
The Fog
Well, I admit. I blew it.
At 5:50 am it was medium to light fog with some heavy places. The fog was shallow and I was hoping the daylight would make it non-issue like the last time. You may remember the last time. I delayed two hours and it was totally clear by 6:30 am.
Today it thickened up and conditions grew worse instead of better.
I would like to remind everyone that parents under these circumstances have the right to bring their students in or send them as soon as they feel the conditions have improved enough. Bus drivers also have the right to pull over and wait until they feel the route they are driving has improved. From time to time bus drivers and parents exercise this right. Parents that bring their children in a little late and report to the office are generally excused to class and not counted tardy unless the policy is being taken advantage of.
At the time of the decision many schools east of us were on delay and very few west of us were on delay. We must have been on the edge of the worst of it.
Hope your day clears up.
Thank you for your patience.
At 5:50 am it was medium to light fog with some heavy places. The fog was shallow and I was hoping the daylight would make it non-issue like the last time. You may remember the last time. I delayed two hours and it was totally clear by 6:30 am.
Today it thickened up and conditions grew worse instead of better.
I would like to remind everyone that parents under these circumstances have the right to bring their students in or send them as soon as they feel the conditions have improved enough. Bus drivers also have the right to pull over and wait until they feel the route they are driving has improved. From time to time bus drivers and parents exercise this right. Parents that bring their children in a little late and report to the office are generally excused to class and not counted tardy unless the policy is being taken advantage of.
At the time of the decision many schools east of us were on delay and very few west of us were on delay. We must have been on the edge of the worst of it.
Hope your day clears up.
Thank you for your patience.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Not allowed to keep them after school?
I don't know what would prompt a decision like this one, but.....at EdWonk's school the administrators have passed a decree that student's can't be kept after school by the teachers for detention or extra help on assignments.
Friday, October 28, 2005
Participating in our democracy: Do you ever feel out of the loop?
There is a new link added to the side bar on this page today.
It says "The Education Wonks." Please click on this link. It will take you to one of the national blog sites that links to many educational bloggers in America. Every Wednesday they run "The Carnival of Education" which summarizes all the major educational bloggers, most of which are teachers by the way. This "one-stop-shopping" will help you keep up with various topics going on nationally in the trenches.
I would suggest that a typical way of staying informed about issues is to do the following every day:
1. Fire up the computer and click on The Wawascene. In 30 seconds you can tell if there is something locally being communicated.
2. Click on The Super's Blog in order to link to Indiana newspapers. A quick click on one or more papers will tell you what is being reported in Indiana. This is especially important now that the legislative session is starting up.
3. Click on The Education Wonks. A quick scan on Wednesday morning or any morning, will tell you what national bloggers in education are talking about that week. You can then follow those links if you desire.
I have just followed the routine described and it took 8 minutes, including skim reading the headlines and clicking on at least one site at every stop.
Done on a daily and weekly basis, you will be informed on a local, state and national level of the things that impact our lives. Now granted, there are many days where finding 8 minutes is tough to do. But...if it becomes a morning routine or an evening "last task" you will find yourself in touch with issues that affect our lives.
By bookmarking one site, The Wawascene, at school and at home, you can follow these links and keep informed. Please try this now, or at least this week sometime. How long does it take you? It probably depends on how many links you follow or read.
Make it a daily or at least weekly, habit.
This will help us to connect to our political leaders that make decisions that affect our daily lives.
Our legislative session is about to start here in Indiana and there will be many bills that will affect public education. Just learning to use the web logs and their links like I have described is one of the most time efficient ways to stay in the loop that I know of.
Here is the big reason... :-)
This is a little "experiment" I am conducting to determine if teachers and community members will respond through technology. I believe we are on the cusp of a major technological movement in America that may provide an opportunity for community people to participate in their democracy at much higher levels than ever before. All through the technology provided by these linkages.
Please try the routine above and see how efficient you can get at moving through the sites. There are stat counters on these sites and the site operators will be able to tell if the number of clicks has gone up.
Please try it.
It says "The Education Wonks." Please click on this link. It will take you to one of the national blog sites that links to many educational bloggers in America. Every Wednesday they run "The Carnival of Education" which summarizes all the major educational bloggers, most of which are teachers by the way. This "one-stop-shopping" will help you keep up with various topics going on nationally in the trenches.
I would suggest that a typical way of staying informed about issues is to do the following every day:
1. Fire up the computer and click on The Wawascene. In 30 seconds you can tell if there is something locally being communicated.
2. Click on The Super's Blog in order to link to Indiana newspapers. A quick click on one or more papers will tell you what is being reported in Indiana. This is especially important now that the legislative session is starting up.
3. Click on The Education Wonks. A quick scan on Wednesday morning or any morning, will tell you what national bloggers in education are talking about that week. You can then follow those links if you desire.
I have just followed the routine described and it took 8 minutes, including skim reading the headlines and clicking on at least one site at every stop.
Done on a daily and weekly basis, you will be informed on a local, state and national level of the things that impact our lives. Now granted, there are many days where finding 8 minutes is tough to do. But...if it becomes a morning routine or an evening "last task" you will find yourself in touch with issues that affect our lives.
By bookmarking one site, The Wawascene, at school and at home, you can follow these links and keep informed. Please try this now, or at least this week sometime. How long does it take you? It probably depends on how many links you follow or read.
Make it a daily or at least weekly, habit.
This will help us to connect to our political leaders that make decisions that affect our daily lives.
Our legislative session is about to start here in Indiana and there will be many bills that will affect public education. Just learning to use the web logs and their links like I have described is one of the most time efficient ways to stay in the loop that I know of.
Here is the big reason... :-)
This is a little "experiment" I am conducting to determine if teachers and community members will respond through technology. I believe we are on the cusp of a major technological movement in America that may provide an opportunity for community people to participate in their democracy at much higher levels than ever before. All through the technology provided by these linkages.
Please try the routine above and see how efficient you can get at moving through the sites. There are stat counters on these sites and the site operators will be able to tell if the number of clicks has gone up.
Please try it.
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