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.

Snow Delays and Cancellations

As we enter the bad weather season, I wanted to remind everyone that they can use The Wawascene for immediate information on school delays and cancellations. When the decision is made to delay or cancel- it is instantly posted here. This site is guaranteed to beat all media outlets and all faculty phone chains. Barring last minute ice storms etc., this means it is normally posted here prior to 6:00 am. For those who use the radio, my second call goes to Hoosier 103.5. In all the years I have done this, I can never remember Bill Dixon getting the message wrong. I can't say that about other TV and radio programs. I do call 12 other media outlets. However, sometimes their internet connections and password protection programs are messed up and the message doesn't always get through and it doesn't always come through correctly.

Another benefit to The Wawascene is that I will often post a little information about the local road conditions we have encountered. And....when I blow the call I will grovel here and admit it. That has to be worth something.

For the benefit of those who don't already know, the following procedure explains how we make decisions:

4:00 AM: Director of Transportation checks actual road conditions starting at the north end of the district and drives to the southern end.
4:45 AM: When road conditions look troublesome, he calls the Superintendent (that's me :-) and the Business Manager, Jim Evans who goes to the office and monitors the media outlets and internet to see what conditions other schools are facing
5:20 AM: We all drive different areas and meet at the central office at 5:50 AM
5:50 AM: We compare conditions. Sometimes it is a no-brainer - but often it is hard to tell because conditions can vary widely across the district.
5:55 AM: After listening to all the opinions it is ultimately the superintendent's decision. We don't always agree, but we all drove the roads. I estimate on most days that up to 80 miles of local roads have been driven before decisions are made. Contrary to popular opinion, I do not look out my window and guess.What is the most difficult to deal with? Shifting fog, last minute freezing rain and bad timing make the decisions tough. Most of the time we are deciding one to two hours in advance what the road conditions are going to be later.
6:00 AM: We call all media outlets and start employee call chains.

Have a safe winter and drive carefully.

Congratulations Mr. Karns!

We want to congratulate Mr. Karns for his 400th career win as a Swim Coach. Mr. Karns has been the mainstay to the Wawasee Swimming program for many years. Attaining such a feat means that Wawasee Swimming programs have been consistently competitive for many years.

It is also an accomplishment for the individual athletes who have dedicated themselves to many early morning swims over the years while everyone else remains firmly snuggled up in a warm bed!

Congratulations to Mr. Karns and to the student athletes over the years that have helped contribute to Wawasee success.

Kids gone wild - Yes or No?

The NY Times poses the question, "Are kids today ruder and less civilized than in the past?"

I am not so sure it's that simple although from their surveys it sounds like most Americans think so.

I grew up in a large suburban high school near Dayton, Ohio in the 70's. There were 637 students in my senior class and their reputation wasn't good. Drugs and vandalism were rampant and police busts for drugs was a weekly occurrence. Students were apathetic and school spirit did not exist. Disrespectful and rude behavior to teachers was common.

We moved here to raise our families and enjoy the benefits of our county.

In terms of general politeness, when I walk the halls of our schools today, I see students that regularly make eye contact and smile. Many say "Hi," and a surprising number of them say, "Hi Dr. Stock." (Usually followed by, "How come you didn't call a snow delay today?" This year a small group of students even told me they were going to rent giant fog machines to put outside my house! There you go Tyler Wear - I told you I would use your name. LOL)

When I was in school I didn't even know that a school had a superintendent much less what his name was. Even if I did, I wouldn't have felt welcome to smile at them and address them by name.

In the classrooms today, many teachers say that students are more outgoing, talkative and aware than students from decades ago. However, many also say that general politeness has clearly declined. I suppose students today are more outgoing and generally more "aware" due to the increased openness of society. That can be good and bad. They are more comfortable to talk to people and share how they feel about things, which includes snapping off rude comments when angry or upset.

Maybe some of this perceived rudeness is due to the lack of formality that politeness requires. I guess I am getting old, but I even remember the exact year when my neighbors asked me to quit calling them "Mr. and Mrs. Osborne," and start calling them, "Claude and Bernice."

It seems like there are positives and negatives to raising our children to be more open.


What do you think?

Why we don't want to be Japan!

Most educators have grown weary of reading the steady supply of national "bad news" about where America ranks internationally on different standardized exams. The truth is we rank pretty well on most measures but you won't read about it very often.

Throughout this week, I will run a few short highlights that point out the good news in education that you won't find in the mass media.

I'll start with a recent quote from Joseph Renzulli, who was reporting on why a group of Japanese educators were visiting his National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. Renzulli expressed astonishment that Japanese educators with the highest test scores in the world would think they could learn something from us. This was their reply, a direct quote:

"Very simple professor. We have no Nobel Prize Winners. Your schools have produced a continuous flow of inventors, designers, entrepreneurs, and innovative leaders. We can make anything you invent faster, cheaper and, in most cases, better. But we want to learn what role this "creative productivity" focus plays in the production of creative and inventive people."

So I ask you, do you want your children and grandchildren to lead the world in the creation of ideas, products and services or to bubble in answer sheets with the world's best? It doesn't have to be an either/or question, but I'll at least settle for schools that "produce a continuous flow of inventors, designers, entrepreneurs and innovative leaders."

Source: Renzulli, Joseph: "Neglecting Creativity: A Quiet Crisis Clouding the Future of R&D." Education Week, May 25,2005.

Parent and Teacher Resources

This parent and teacher resource link was passed along by a Wawasee teacher.

Someone posted a comment after I linked to the website called "Worksheet Generator" to indicate we should be careful promoting "worksheets" because we may be too "paper and pencil oriented" already.

This is a valid caution. However, my main reason for posting was to provide a resource for parents. Parents are more likely to need a specific practice activity for home use and may have limited resources. I wanted parents (as well as teachers) to be aware of the many resources that are daily popping up on the web.

The link was not intended to endorse the overuse of any materials or methods.

End of the School Week Funnies

Blogging will be light for the remainder of the week as everyone will be busy trying to find room for another piece of pumpkin pie.

For all of you hosting guests this week - smile and ask them to help you - especially the males who think watching Thanksgiving football is a constitutional right.

This story was given to me by a patron who read it in a newsletter.

A teacher was doing a lesson on whale anatomy and the discussion came up about whether or not Jonah was swallowed by a whale. The teacher made a comment that the type of whale they were studying would not be able to physically swallow an object the size of a person.

To which a little girl interjected, "When I get to heaven I am going to ask Jonah." To which the teacher without thinking quickly responded, "What if Jonah went to hell?"

The little girl looked up and said, "Then you ask him!"

Enjoy your holiday with friends and family.

What a mess this morning!

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!

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.

Einstein says...

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."

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?

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

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

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!

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.

Root Canal or Negative Integers: What's your preference?

Could it be? American teenagers would rather go to the dentist than do math?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

New information on the 4-day week

The following link has been provided to me by a representative of the British Columbia teacher's organization.

He e-mailed me after noticing I had put the information out in front of our community for discussion on The Wawascene blog site.

The power and connectivity of the internet...it still amazes me at times.

This website is a compilation of various sources of information on the 4-day school week. It represents a variety of views, not necessarily mine or the BC teachers.

I have not personally read all of them yet, but I thought I would pass it along.

2 Hour Fog Delay

There is a 2 hour fog delay for Wawasee on Thursday, October 27.

Conditions as of 5:40 AM are - Light to medium fog covering most of the district. Some clear spots with fog hovering at tree lines and heavy fog west of 300 East towards Milford.

Have an extra cup of java.

From the mouths of babes....

This was passed along by Kindergarten teacher Cherie Sweatland from Milford School.

This morning she gave directions for the first activity and when they were set she said, "Let's get to work!"

One of the boys said, "I'm on it...my grandpa says if you don't work, you don't eat!"

Alphabet Soup

I received a 5 page letter today from the state department explaining new monitoring procedures for No Child Left Behind.

This is what it said in abbreviated form.

The NCLB legislation requires the IDOE to monitor each LEA in reviewing the SWP and SIP's as soon as EIS has it up and running.

There don't you feel enlightened!

It's a good thing I was mostly paying attention in kindergarten and learned my letters!

Have a good day. EIEIO

Another Big Fat Mandate

Are the public schools the best solution to EVERY social problem?

Read this Preliminary Draft (PD) of a bill that has passed through the Health Commission and will be presented in this year's legislative session here in Indiana.

20061293
PD 3156/DI 104 2006
PRELIMINARY DRAFT
No. 3156
PREPARED BY
LEGISLATIVE SERVICES AGENCY
2006 GENERAL ASSEMBLY
DIGEST
Citations Affected: IC 20-34-3-21.

Synopsis: Student health measurements. Requires each school
corporation to report certain student health data to the state department
of health. Requires the state department to publish an annual report
summarizing the data.
Effective: July 1, 2006.
PD 3156/DI 104 2006
Second Regular Session 114th General Assembly (2006)
A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning
education.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
1 SECTION 1. IC 20-34-3-21 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
2 AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY
3 1, 2006]: Sec. 21. (a) Each school corporation shall annually report
4 to the state department of health the height, weight, ethnicity, age,
5 and sex of the school corporation's students.
6 (b) A school corporation shall report data required under
7 subsection (a) according to rules adopted under this section. The
8 rules must include the following:
9 (1) Information regarding the importance of accurate
10 measurements and the collection of measurements for
11 improving children's health.
12 (2) Procedures for the measurement of children in a respectful
13 and dignified manner.
14 (c) Data may not be reported under this section in a way that
15 makes students personally identifiable.
16 (d) The state department of health, in consultation with the
17 department, shall publish and make available to the public an
18 annual report summarizing data collected under this section.
19 (e) The state department of health and the state board shall
20 adopt joint rules under IC 4-22-2 to implement this section.

Here we go again...another social need that is now being handed off to the public schools. Meanwhile, keep those national NAEP scores rising everyone (tongue-in-cheek).

This bill will pass because it sounds harmless and helpful. It shouldn't take too long to weigh, measure, record on spreadsheets and upload to the state every student in the school, should it?

No place in this bill does it tell the teachers what previous state-mandated curriculum they are supposed to ignore while they implement the latest big fat mandate. Just squeeze one more thing in. Every single curriculum study done in the last several years validates what every teacher instinctively knows already. There are not enough days in the year and hours in the day, to teach the mandated curriculum we already have. But hey, I guess what's one more thing when your plate already looks like it does at the church potluck!

There, I got that off my chest. To bad it will still end up the plate! :-)

Another good idea that doesn't help anything?

Congratulations Kelsey

We hear congratulations are in order for Kelsey McAdams, who recently received the Mitch Winger Courage award presented by the Indiana Girls’ Golf Association in Indy. She was nominated by Coach DeHart and received the award in a ceremony in Greenwood. She gave a speech as her part of the ceremony. Way to go Kelsey!!!! Thanks for representing yourself and Wawasee so well!

E-transcripts

Starting this year, students needing copies of transcripts for college will be able to request them by e-mail and the high school transcripts will be sent to the colleges electronically.

This should be a big help to parents and students trying to negotiate their way through the university maze.

More Information on 4-Day School Week

This link provides a fairly concise and easy to read overview of the benefits and concerns of moving to a 4-day school week.

Some have asked if we are really serious about this. I would characterize our interest as more curious than serious at this point.

However, I personally feel that the benefits may merit some serious discussion.

Moving forward from here would involve more research and study of the costs, benefits and concerns. Then we would have to take the information directly to the parents in the schools and to the greater community to see if there is any interest.

FFA National Champs!

Congratulations to Mr. Warren and his FFA students who have won the National Horticulture Judging championship this week in Ohio.

The students representing Wawasee High School were Katie Pollock, Scott Gerke, Tim Bowling, and Becky Clayton.

We are proud of you all!

Research on 4 - Day School Week

Thanks to Mrs. Baird's thoughtful post in the comment section, I have taken the liberty to provide the link to the research she refers to.

This link is from a school district that has posted for the public, a compilation of the history, the research on the pros and cons of 4-day school weeks, and their own district's journey in exploring the concept.

More info on 4-day school week

The four-day school week was a discussion at the superintendents' meetings today.

Evidently the position of the state office is that it would NOT require a change in state law, it would only require a waiver from the Department of Education, similar to snow day waivers.

In other words, the local school district would have to explain it's rationale in several areas and ask the state for an exemption from the 180 day rule.

Issues:

1. Curriculum requirements (How do we make sure we get it all in?)
2. Time on task issues (How much additional time do we provide on the other days?)
3. Extra-curricular impact (Does this limit opportunities for students after school?)
4. Community response (How do the parents and community members feel about it?)
5. Financial impact (What is the impact financially?)

A professor attending our meeting indicated that another state had mandated this in the 70's due to financial difficulties and found out that the academic impact was actually positive. The only theory that made sense was that teaching and learning became much more focused and intentional, perhaps due to more time for planning and organization.

I believe this topic will become more of a public issue in time.

I would like to hear from parents to know more about their opinions.

We have not had any formal discussions about this at the administrative level or the school board level at this time. I am just asking to find out more about your opinions.

If you are uncomfortable with the public comments section, feel free to send me an e-mail at mstock@wawasee.k12.in.us