I know they don’t show it but our teachers have been working extra-hard this year. There’s a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes that have been uniquely stressful.
We created a time in each school where teams of teachers have almost 90 minutes each week to collaborate and plan together. It’s most noticeable at the high school where they do it every Wednesday, causing a 2 hour late start for high school kids. In the elementary and middle schools we’ve managed to create that time within the school day, so it’s not obvious to the general public when it happens.
During this time, which we refer to as PLC time (Professional Learning Communities), all the teachers for one grade level or all those who teach the same subject, plan and confer on the best strategies for teaching your children. Much of this time has been spent in the development of curriculum, or teaching units, that are aligned with the state and national standards. We also require these units be developed to represent the best teaching practices from Learning Focused Strategies. Some schools even pay teachers for extra time after school to do this.
We also use the PLC time to analyze student performance results on bench mark tests and on the new state test known as DCAS.
DCAS is the second contributor to stress on our teachers. It is all new. It is administered on-line. It still has some bugs and kinks to work out. The tests at each grade level have been assigned cut scores that are much higher than the old test, causing the experts to predict that more of the children in Delaware will fail to reach proficiency. It’s like changing the score needed to pass an exam from 70 to 85. Whoever normally scores between 70 and 85 will now fail.
The good thing is, because the test is administered on-line, we can do it a couple of times and get results immediately. So, our teachers have reviewed student performance on DCAS and made adjustments in their teaching. They will give the DCAS again in January and then again in May.
Finally, the state will be redesigning the teacher evaluation to include student performance measures in each teacher’s evaluation. Next year, if students don’t gain a year academically as measured by DCAS and other tests, the teacher cannot be rated exemplary.
So, is it any wonder that our teachers may be feeling a little stressed? The holiday break is welcome this year - perhaps more than usual.
On behalf of Lake Forest School District we wish all of our families, those of our children and those of our employees, a very restful, family-filled holiday season and a happy, successful New Year.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Principal - The hardest part of the job
Tuesday, December 14 is Principal Recognition Day. I’m not sure why this date was selected, but I understand there may be declarations signed by major government officials. WhooooHooooo!
It’s not likely something for which they make numerous greeting cards. There is no need to purchase a gift for your favorite school principal. It’s just a special day to remind you that good schools don’t become good schools without good principals leading them.
At times I have written about the principal’s job being the best job in any school district –especially the elementary principal. But there is one aspect of the principal’s job that is the most critical to student success. It is complicated, challenging and can be emotionally draining. That is teacher evaluation.
It is the job of the principal (and assistant principal, too) to evaluate the performance of each teacher. The evaluation should be viewed as a way to help teachers become better teachers, but the tool must also be used to remove teachers. Poor teachers do not stay in the classroom because of tenure laws as many people think. Poor teachers stay in the classroom when they are not being evaluated properly.
Years ago, teachers were evaluated (hopefully each year) by the principal, who would drop in on a class or two, make some notes and fill out a form or check list giving the teacher a score in each identified area. The principal would go over his/her observations with the teacher and that would be that.
Today it is a little more complicated. The teacher evaluation process in Delaware is called DPAS II. It has a number of required parts.
1. The teacher completes a goal form, establish targets for the year.
2. Teacher and principal meet to go over goals.
3. Before the teacher’s teaching can be formally observed the teacher must complete a pre-observation form.
4. Teacher and principal meet to discuss what the principal will be seeing.
5. Principal observes the lesson.
6. Teacher and principal meet to discuss the lesson.
7. Principal completes a formative evaluation.
8. Near the end of the year the principal and teacher review the goals and discuss whether or not they were reached and why.
9. Teachers in their first three years must then receive a final evaluation.
10. Teachers with continuing contracts may go through this cycle every two years.
This must be done for every teacher. It is very time consuming and seems to require more conferencing than observing.
Most teachers are good teachers who take their work seriously. They work hard and want to do better every year. But, we’ve all known a few stinkers. Maybe you had one in school or maybe your children have had one. They smell up the school until a principal has the courage to tell them they stink.
It’s hard telling someone who has invested a college education in this career that they maybe don’t belong in education. It’s even harder sometimes to convince them that it is true and to prove it with evidence collected from the process above.
That’s why the principal is so critical to school success. That’s why they deserve special recognition.
It’s not likely something for which they make numerous greeting cards. There is no need to purchase a gift for your favorite school principal. It’s just a special day to remind you that good schools don’t become good schools without good principals leading them.
At times I have written about the principal’s job being the best job in any school district –especially the elementary principal. But there is one aspect of the principal’s job that is the most critical to student success. It is complicated, challenging and can be emotionally draining. That is teacher evaluation.
It is the job of the principal (and assistant principal, too) to evaluate the performance of each teacher. The evaluation should be viewed as a way to help teachers become better teachers, but the tool must also be used to remove teachers. Poor teachers do not stay in the classroom because of tenure laws as many people think. Poor teachers stay in the classroom when they are not being evaluated properly.
Years ago, teachers were evaluated (hopefully each year) by the principal, who would drop in on a class or two, make some notes and fill out a form or check list giving the teacher a score in each identified area. The principal would go over his/her observations with the teacher and that would be that.
Today it is a little more complicated. The teacher evaluation process in Delaware is called DPAS II. It has a number of required parts.
1. The teacher completes a goal form, establish targets for the year.
2. Teacher and principal meet to go over goals.
3. Before the teacher’s teaching can be formally observed the teacher must complete a pre-observation form.
4. Teacher and principal meet to discuss what the principal will be seeing.
5. Principal observes the lesson.
6. Teacher and principal meet to discuss the lesson.
7. Principal completes a formative evaluation.
8. Near the end of the year the principal and teacher review the goals and discuss whether or not they were reached and why.
9. Teachers in their first three years must then receive a final evaluation.
10. Teachers with continuing contracts may go through this cycle every two years.
This must be done for every teacher. It is very time consuming and seems to require more conferencing than observing.
Most teachers are good teachers who take their work seriously. They work hard and want to do better every year. But, we’ve all known a few stinkers. Maybe you had one in school or maybe your children have had one. They smell up the school until a principal has the courage to tell them they stink.
It’s hard telling someone who has invested a college education in this career that they maybe don’t belong in education. It’s even harder sometimes to convince them that it is true and to prove it with evidence collected from the process above.
That’s why the principal is so critical to school success. That’s why they deserve special recognition.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Public Schools = Divided Nation
It’s 1950. The public schools imagined by Horace Mann have evolved. Now everyone can go to school and everyone can graduate from high school. But, everyone must go to school only with people of the same color.
That’s right, in 1950 it was not only standard practice, it was flat-out illegal in 17 states for children of color to go to school with white kids. The promise of an American public education was laid out on different paths. Parents had complained over the years. Some filed suit, but the U.S. Supreme Court determined it was OK to have separate schools as long as they were equal.
Of course, you didn’t have far to look to find evidence that in most every community, the standard was separate and unequal. Eventually, with a case known as Brown vs. Board of Education, the Supreme court was persuaded that children should no longer be separated by color in public school.
I was a child at the time with no idea what was going on. I grew up in the country attending the neighborhood elementary school. My first classmates of color appeared when we all rode the bus into town to the large junior high about 1964. Some of Lake Forest’s teachers still recall attending their segregated schools and the trauma of integration here in the late 60s. In Delaware, the Indian population had a separate school as well.
The battle to integrate the schools was not easy. Many would point out that their objective was not for their kids to go to school with white kids. They just wanted their kids to have the same opportunities. Some who fought the battle faced unimaginable violence. Students integrated schools in some towns only under the watchful protection of the police or the National Guard.
There were separations in gender in those days as well. There were no teams in athletics, nor were there athletic scholarships for college. Many prestigious universities were not open for women. Women were to stay home and care for the babies. Maybe they could be nurses, or secretaries or teachers.
It’s hard for our children today to imagine such a world. Thank goodness those days are in our past. Our constitution and our culture saw to the evolution of our public schools. Now our schools look nothing like the public schools of other nations.
Last week a gentleman told me this story. He has five adult children: #1 is a neurosurgeon, #2 a school teacher, #3 is looking for work after 6 colleges in 7 years, #4 was born with a number of physical disabilities, brain damage and severe seizures, and #5 was hit by a car at age 11. The accident left the youngest brain damaged, crippled and blind.
All five of his kids were educated in the public schools and even his youngest eventually completed college. He points out that the odds of getting 4 college grads out of his brood would be slim in most any other country but the good old U.S.A. He also says that #4, with the severe disabilities, would have had her medication withheld by law in some countries, sentencing her to a sure death at an early age. Instead, the public schools of his community gave her the best care and training available anywhere.
America’s schools have improved continuously over time. Yes, it’s true, while we were improving; other countries have been zooming ahead with their own version of public school. Many resemble the United States of the 1950s, supporting only the dominant culture, sorting and selecting and providing limited opportunities for immigrants.
We want to compete globally, but we don’t want to go back to the 1950s. Ever.
That’s right, in 1950 it was not only standard practice, it was flat-out illegal in 17 states for children of color to go to school with white kids. The promise of an American public education was laid out on different paths. Parents had complained over the years. Some filed suit, but the U.S. Supreme Court determined it was OK to have separate schools as long as they were equal.
Of course, you didn’t have far to look to find evidence that in most every community, the standard was separate and unequal. Eventually, with a case known as Brown vs. Board of Education, the Supreme court was persuaded that children should no longer be separated by color in public school.
I was a child at the time with no idea what was going on. I grew up in the country attending the neighborhood elementary school. My first classmates of color appeared when we all rode the bus into town to the large junior high about 1964. Some of Lake Forest’s teachers still recall attending their segregated schools and the trauma of integration here in the late 60s. In Delaware, the Indian population had a separate school as well.
The battle to integrate the schools was not easy. Many would point out that their objective was not for their kids to go to school with white kids. They just wanted their kids to have the same opportunities. Some who fought the battle faced unimaginable violence. Students integrated schools in some towns only under the watchful protection of the police or the National Guard.
There were separations in gender in those days as well. There were no teams in athletics, nor were there athletic scholarships for college. Many prestigious universities were not open for women. Women were to stay home and care for the babies. Maybe they could be nurses, or secretaries or teachers.
It’s hard for our children today to imagine such a world. Thank goodness those days are in our past. Our constitution and our culture saw to the evolution of our public schools. Now our schools look nothing like the public schools of other nations.
Last week a gentleman told me this story. He has five adult children: #1 is a neurosurgeon, #2 a school teacher, #3 is looking for work after 6 colleges in 7 years, #4 was born with a number of physical disabilities, brain damage and severe seizures, and #5 was hit by a car at age 11. The accident left the youngest brain damaged, crippled and blind.
All five of his kids were educated in the public schools and even his youngest eventually completed college. He points out that the odds of getting 4 college grads out of his brood would be slim in most any other country but the good old U.S.A. He also says that #4, with the severe disabilities, would have had her medication withheld by law in some countries, sentencing her to a sure death at an early age. Instead, the public schools of his community gave her the best care and training available anywhere.
America’s schools have improved continuously over time. Yes, it’s true, while we were improving; other countries have been zooming ahead with their own version of public school. Many resemble the United States of the 1950s, supporting only the dominant culture, sorting and selecting and providing limited opportunities for immigrants.
We want to compete globally, but we don’t want to go back to the 1950s. Ever.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Public Schools = Great Nation
I leave myself notes here and there about what the next blog might be about. There are too many now. I seem to have a mini-log jam.
Next week is National 4-H week. I could write about how 4-H is a great program for developing young leaders and how we are fortunate to have a strong 4-H network here. I could point out how I was involved in 4-H for 10 years or more and how I credit the public speaking experience in 4-H to first making me comfortable in front of a crowd.
Next week is National School Lunch week. I could write about how important the school lunch program is to so many of our children. Let’s not forget that is also breakfast. I could write about what great nutritional quality and variety is found in the school lunch program and what a great bargain it is, even for those who pay full price.
October is Parent Involvement Month. I could write about the importance of parent involvement to a child’s success in school. How parents are a child’s first teacher. I could write about the many ways parents can be involved that are helpful. I could also tell some crazy stories about parent involvement gone bad.
But, since NBC put up a tent last week and sponsored a whole series of programs on Education Nation and since all the other news networks seemed to focus on public education last week, it looks like I better stick to the bread and butter.
What launched all of the attention to public education was the release of a new documentary entitled “Waiting for Superman”. I haven’t seen the film but I understand it documents what is viewed as the decline in public schools in the United States and highlights some unique schools that are making a difference.
Horace Mann said, “The public school is the greatest discovery made by man.” Now old Horace grew up at a time when education was made available only to those with the means. Poor children weren’t given opportunities to learn to read and write and understand numbers. Many children wondered what it was that happened in that big building they passed as they walked to work.
The young United States uniquely developed the idea of the public school. It was always deemed the responsibility of the local community, town or borough to provide for their children’s education. There was a time where finishing the 8th grade was good enough to function well in society.
The reach of the public school evolved through the first half of the 1900s. Soon every child had the opportunity to go to high school. There they separated the wheat from the chaff. The really smart ones with resources prepared for college. Of the others, the girls were prepared for home arts – cooking and sewing. The boys were given a strong dose of industrial arts and shop classes.
The history of the public school is a history of America becoming a great nation and it’s too long of a story to finish in one sitting. I’ll write more. Maybe I’ll tell more of the integration of our schools, the impact of the space race and factors that led us to where we are today.
Next week is National 4-H week. I could write about how 4-H is a great program for developing young leaders and how we are fortunate to have a strong 4-H network here. I could point out how I was involved in 4-H for 10 years or more and how I credit the public speaking experience in 4-H to first making me comfortable in front of a crowd.
Next week is National School Lunch week. I could write about how important the school lunch program is to so many of our children. Let’s not forget that is also breakfast. I could write about what great nutritional quality and variety is found in the school lunch program and what a great bargain it is, even for those who pay full price.
October is Parent Involvement Month. I could write about the importance of parent involvement to a child’s success in school. How parents are a child’s first teacher. I could write about the many ways parents can be involved that are helpful. I could also tell some crazy stories about parent involvement gone bad.
But, since NBC put up a tent last week and sponsored a whole series of programs on Education Nation and since all the other news networks seemed to focus on public education last week, it looks like I better stick to the bread and butter.
What launched all of the attention to public education was the release of a new documentary entitled “Waiting for Superman”. I haven’t seen the film but I understand it documents what is viewed as the decline in public schools in the United States and highlights some unique schools that are making a difference.
Horace Mann said, “The public school is the greatest discovery made by man.” Now old Horace grew up at a time when education was made available only to those with the means. Poor children weren’t given opportunities to learn to read and write and understand numbers. Many children wondered what it was that happened in that big building they passed as they walked to work.
The young United States uniquely developed the idea of the public school. It was always deemed the responsibility of the local community, town or borough to provide for their children’s education. There was a time where finishing the 8th grade was good enough to function well in society.
The reach of the public school evolved through the first half of the 1900s. Soon every child had the opportunity to go to high school. There they separated the wheat from the chaff. The really smart ones with resources prepared for college. Of the others, the girls were prepared for home arts – cooking and sewing. The boys were given a strong dose of industrial arts and shop classes.
The history of the public school is a history of America becoming a great nation and it’s too long of a story to finish in one sitting. I’ll write more. Maybe I’ll tell more of the integration of our schools, the impact of the space race and factors that led us to where we are today.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Delaware Superintendent of the Year
In June, the Delaware Chief School Officers Association elected me Superintendent of the Year for 2011. It's a nice honor, but I'll be honest with you, the main reason I was selected was because I was the Past President of the group. It's sort of automatic.
There are no trophies, cash awards or new cars that go with this recognition. Still, it is an honor.
I didn't even mention it to the Lake Forest Board of Education at the time. No big deal I thought. But, recently they indicated they wanted to start working on my job performance evaluation so I decided it was time to tell them. If we don't toot our own horn once in awhile, who will?
Along with the appointment goes the expectation to complete an application to be considered for National Superintendent of the Year which is awarded by the American Association of School Administrators. Working on that application has caused me to reflect. This is my 37th year as an educator and my 23rd as a school superintendent, so there is a lot upon which to reflect.
I love my job. It's a job that seems uniquely designed for someone with my temperament and skills. I've tried to figure out just why that is. Here're some of the things I like about being a school superintendent:
• Variety – I lose interest in routine things. This job calls for knowledge and confidence in dealing with the weather, construction, teaching, testing, psychology, communications, leadership, motivation, sports, politics, law, finance, nutrition, safety, transportation – seemingly everything.
• Problem solving – Got a problem that needs resolved, bring it to this desk.
• Calm command – I’m naturally laid back and easy going, which comes in handy when I have staff members or parents who are about to explode.
• Humor – If the things kids say and do don’t make you laugh, then you’re in the wrong business. Humor can also be useful in relieving tension in a serious situation.
• Perspective – I find myself explaining things from the perspective of different players, depending on the situation. Can you understand the point of view of the parent? The teacher? The student? The neighbor?
• Diplomacy – Lots of times I don’t solve problems, I just get the right people to sit at the table together and they solve them for themselves.
Of course the best part about being a superintendent right now is that I get to be the Lake Forest Superintendent. There can only be one of those at any one time. The community is supportive. The Board of Education has the best interest of students in mind. And, all of the students are well behaved, good looking and above average. Wait a minute, is this Lake Wobegon?
There are no trophies, cash awards or new cars that go with this recognition. Still, it is an honor.
I didn't even mention it to the Lake Forest Board of Education at the time. No big deal I thought. But, recently they indicated they wanted to start working on my job performance evaluation so I decided it was time to tell them. If we don't toot our own horn once in awhile, who will?
Along with the appointment goes the expectation to complete an application to be considered for National Superintendent of the Year which is awarded by the American Association of School Administrators. Working on that application has caused me to reflect. This is my 37th year as an educator and my 23rd as a school superintendent, so there is a lot upon which to reflect.
I love my job. It's a job that seems uniquely designed for someone with my temperament and skills. I've tried to figure out just why that is. Here're some of the things I like about being a school superintendent:
• Variety – I lose interest in routine things. This job calls for knowledge and confidence in dealing with the weather, construction, teaching, testing, psychology, communications, leadership, motivation, sports, politics, law, finance, nutrition, safety, transportation – seemingly everything.
• Problem solving – Got a problem that needs resolved, bring it to this desk.
• Calm command – I’m naturally laid back and easy going, which comes in handy when I have staff members or parents who are about to explode.
• Humor – If the things kids say and do don’t make you laugh, then you’re in the wrong business. Humor can also be useful in relieving tension in a serious situation.
• Perspective – I find myself explaining things from the perspective of different players, depending on the situation. Can you understand the point of view of the parent? The teacher? The student? The neighbor?
• Diplomacy – Lots of times I don’t solve problems, I just get the right people to sit at the table together and they solve them for themselves.
Of course the best part about being a superintendent right now is that I get to be the Lake Forest Superintendent. There can only be one of those at any one time. The community is supportive. The Board of Education has the best interest of students in mind. And, all of the students are well behaved, good looking and above average. Wait a minute, is this Lake Wobegon?
Friday, September 10, 2010
Professional Learning Community
I’m going to assume that the average person doesn’t think too much about teachers and what they do when they’re not teaching. All of our teachers have a daily planning time. That is a requirement of the local contract. Teachers need time to plan for the lessons to come. They need time to meet with parents, meet with the principal, prepare materials, make phone calls or send e-mails to parents, grade papers – you get the picture.
You may have heard that Delaware was one of the first 2 states to be awarded funds from the federal government under the Race to the Top (RTTT). Delaware gets about $110 million. This money will be helpful over the next 4 years but it comes with strings attached.
One of the attached strings built into the Delaware RTTT plan is to provide 90 consecutive minutes of weekly collaborative time for teachers. The 90 minutes of time for collaboration with peers – like all Math teachers or all 4th grade teachers – must be in addition to the already scheduled planning . We call this 90 minute time PLC for Professional Learning Communities. PLC time must happen during the regular work day.
You might imagine the challenge this represents.
Don’t get me wrong, the 90 minutes of time to collaborate with peers is well supported by the research. Teaching has for too long been an isolated activity. Teachers have for years planned alone, created exams alone, graded papers alone, studied alone. The research suggests that teachers who plan together are able to develop higher quality lessons; provide greater consistency between teachers; study new teaching practices; and hold their students to higher standards.
Each of our schools has managed to make a schedule giving all core teachers 90 minutes of PLC time within the school day except the high school.
The seven period schedule at the high school makes it difficult to free up an entire department (like all of the math teachers) for 90 minutes at a time one day a week and still allow for an individual planning period. So here’s what we’ll be doing this school year to create weekly PLC time at Lake Forest High School.
Each week that has five school days will have a 2-hour delay on Wednesdays for high school students only. This will give the high school faculty time to meet and plan collaboratively first thing in the morning. We did this last year about a dozen times and felt it worked well. The RTTT requirement to have PLC time each week seems a bit much, but we will make good use of it.
We appreciate the community’s past cooperation with these scheduled delays at the high school and thank you in advance for your cooperation this year. Now we owe you some good results.
You may have heard that Delaware was one of the first 2 states to be awarded funds from the federal government under the Race to the Top (RTTT). Delaware gets about $110 million. This money will be helpful over the next 4 years but it comes with strings attached.
One of the attached strings built into the Delaware RTTT plan is to provide 90 consecutive minutes of weekly collaborative time for teachers. The 90 minutes of time for collaboration with peers – like all Math teachers or all 4th grade teachers – must be in addition to the already scheduled planning . We call this 90 minute time PLC for Professional Learning Communities. PLC time must happen during the regular work day.
You might imagine the challenge this represents.
Don’t get me wrong, the 90 minutes of time to collaborate with peers is well supported by the research. Teaching has for too long been an isolated activity. Teachers have for years planned alone, created exams alone, graded papers alone, studied alone. The research suggests that teachers who plan together are able to develop higher quality lessons; provide greater consistency between teachers; study new teaching practices; and hold their students to higher standards.
Each of our schools has managed to make a schedule giving all core teachers 90 minutes of PLC time within the school day except the high school.
The seven period schedule at the high school makes it difficult to free up an entire department (like all of the math teachers) for 90 minutes at a time one day a week and still allow for an individual planning period. So here’s what we’ll be doing this school year to create weekly PLC time at Lake Forest High School.
Each week that has five school days will have a 2-hour delay on Wednesdays for high school students only. This will give the high school faculty time to meet and plan collaboratively first thing in the morning. We did this last year about a dozen times and felt it worked well. The RTTT requirement to have PLC time each week seems a bit much, but we will make good use of it.
We appreciate the community’s past cooperation with these scheduled delays at the high school and thank you in advance for your cooperation this year. Now we owe you some good results.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Back to School
We’re back. Thanks for waiting patiently.
This is a much later start than usual for us. Many other districts started school a week or so ago. We delayed this year because of the major remodeling going on at the middle and high school. The work was all scheduled to be done by mid-August, but as they say, “This isn’t our first rodeo.” We know lots of things get in the way of construction staying on schedule.
So, when creating our school calendar the Lake Forest Board of Education agreed to wait until after Labor Day. All in all, I have to say it was a very wise decision.
The teachers have been in this week. We always spend a few days learning how to be a good Spartan teacher. They’ve studied the latest teaching strategies that we’ll use in Lake Forest. They’ve met and heard from all the school leadership. They’ve learned how their work will be evaluated and what they need to do to be successful. They’ve spent time on plans for next week and getting their rooms ready.
There has been little turn over at our elementary schools this year. There will be just a few new teachers and all the buildings are the same as we left them. There is one new principal at East Elementary. Mrs. Piavis comes to us from Maryland with a world of great experience.
W.T.Chipman Middle school has had little change as well, but the school has received a major interior facelift that the kids are going to love - new lockers, new paint, newly remodeled library and a beautiful new mural in the entry way.
Lake Forest High School has just too many changes to mention. The new additions for fine arts and physical fitness are open and beautifully equipped. Ten classrooms have been totally rebuilt. Technology, Consumer Science and Art rooms are getting total make-overs and won’t be ready for the first day. There’s a new assistant principal, Theodora Morris; a new dean of students, D.J. Lopez; and a bunch of new teachers in the Math and Science Departments.
We look forward to the new year in the Lake Forest School District where we have just one focus – student success. See you soon.
This is a much later start than usual for us. Many other districts started school a week or so ago. We delayed this year because of the major remodeling going on at the middle and high school. The work was all scheduled to be done by mid-August, but as they say, “This isn’t our first rodeo.” We know lots of things get in the way of construction staying on schedule.
So, when creating our school calendar the Lake Forest Board of Education agreed to wait until after Labor Day. All in all, I have to say it was a very wise decision.
The teachers have been in this week. We always spend a few days learning how to be a good Spartan teacher. They’ve studied the latest teaching strategies that we’ll use in Lake Forest. They’ve met and heard from all the school leadership. They’ve learned how their work will be evaluated and what they need to do to be successful. They’ve spent time on plans for next week and getting their rooms ready.
There has been little turn over at our elementary schools this year. There will be just a few new teachers and all the buildings are the same as we left them. There is one new principal at East Elementary. Mrs. Piavis comes to us from Maryland with a world of great experience.
W.T.Chipman Middle school has had little change as well, but the school has received a major interior facelift that the kids are going to love - new lockers, new paint, newly remodeled library and a beautiful new mural in the entry way.
Lake Forest High School has just too many changes to mention. The new additions for fine arts and physical fitness are open and beautifully equipped. Ten classrooms have been totally rebuilt. Technology, Consumer Science and Art rooms are getting total make-overs and won’t be ready for the first day. There’s a new assistant principal, Theodora Morris; a new dean of students, D.J. Lopez; and a bunch of new teachers in the Math and Science Departments.
We look forward to the new year in the Lake Forest School District where we have just one focus – student success. See you soon.
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