Beating the Odds

This announcement was just released this week from the Vision 2015 folks.  They identify 24 schools in Delaware that are beating the odds.  Four on the list are Lake Forest Schools.  W.T.Chipman Middle would be on the list because has consistently been among the highest achieving middle schools.  I suspect the poverty level is average so that's why it's not included.

Way to go Lake Forest students and staff!

Vision 2015 would like to commend a number of schools that have demonstrated through their DCAS results that they are “beating the odds.” These schools have a low-income student population that is greater than the state average and out-performed the state on math and reading DCAS. These schools demonstrate that zip codes don’t have to determine student performance.


The teachers, support professionals, and school leaders at these schools are placing their students on radically different life trajectories. From Delaware Department of Education public data, here are 24 schools that are beating the odds:

• Banneker Elementary (Milford)

• Brittingham Elementary (Cape Henlopen)

• Clayton Elementary (Indian River)

• East Millsboro Elementary (Indian River)

• Elbert-Palmer Elementary (Christina)

• Fairview Elementary (Capital)

• Hartly Elementary (Capital)

• Indian River High (Indian River)

• Keene Elementary (Christina)

• Kuumba Academy Charter School

• Lake Forest Central Elementary (Lake Forest)

• Lake Forest East Elementary (Lake Forest)

• Lake Forest North Elementary (Lake Forest)

• Lake Forest South Elementary (Lake Forest)

• Long Neck Elementary (Indian River)

• Millsboro Middle (Indian River)

• North Dover Elementary (Capital)

• North Georgetown Elementary (Indian River)

• Ross Elementary (Milford)

• Seaford Central Elementary (Seaford)

• Showell Elementary (Indian River)

• Smith Elementary (Christina)

• South Dover Elementary (Capital)

• Stokes Elementary (Caesar Rodney)

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Now is the Time to Establish Home Routines

For many families, the start of the school year means adding multiple activities and logistics. It can be a challenge to create consistency and calm when family members are going in different directions. Having set routines at the beginning and end of the day can not only help children build healthy habits but also give them a sense of security.

 

Starting out right — A good, peaceful start to the day has a powerful effect on the kind of day we have. Here are some tips to help those busy mornings go smoothly:

 

• Help your children pack up their backpacks for school the night before.
•  Make lunches, sign field trip permission slips, etc., the night before.
• Lay out clothes the night ahead.
• In a family meeting, work out a schedule for using the bathroom and getting breakfast that gets everyone out the door on time. Post the written schedule in a prominent place.
• Eat breakfast with your children.

 

After school and evening — As much as possible, set regular times for meals, homework, television, and bedtime routines. This will provide a much-needed structure to your children’s day and help them get the rest they need. To help bedtimes be relaxed and fun:

 

• Talk about the next day’s schedule so your children know what to expect. It can be helpful to have a weekly calendar posted in a prominent place. Include each person’s chores and when they are to be completed.
• Eat dinner together and talk about everyone’s day. Make it a practice to have every family member contribute at least one interesting thing they have learned that day.
• Have a family activity — play a game, work on math facts, practice spelling.
• Set rules about video games and television watching, and turn them off long before bedtime. Sometimes television images are too stimulating and make it hard for the child to get to sleep.
• Read with your children before bed.

Getting Kids Back in the Groove

Summer goes by so fast doesn’t it? It’s time now for back to school sales and all that stuff.


Parents should not only think about assembling school uniforms and book bags and school supplies for school. They also should consider doing a few things to help their children get back into the school groove. Studies have shown that when children take the same test as soon as school is out and again at the end of the summer, on average they will score lower the second time around. Losses are most apparent with math computation and spelling. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Help your children get in shape to start school on August 27 by doing some of these fun activities at home.

Math

• Find age appropriate math games to play.

• Use car times to review math facts.

• Help your children find appropriate internet sites with math activities and games.

• Provide math workbooks and puzzles for car trips and idle time.

• Provide a daily computation problem that will challenge them. Post it on the fridge.

Reading

• Visit the library and help your children find books that interest them. It’s especially important to select some non-fiction books such as biographies or books on science.

• Have your children read to you at bedtime. Ask them to tell you in their own words about what they have read.

• Take your children to local museums or art exhibits and have them read up on the things they found most interesting there.

• Start family book journals. Encourage children to keep a record of what they read, the date, title and author and a 2 sentence description. Set goals for a number of books to be read per week or month.

• Let your children see you reading. It is hard for them to be enthusiastic about reading if you don’t model that behavior.

There is still a month before school starts but now is the time to sharpen the pencils and exercise the brain.

Economic Impact of Graduates

On June 1, 2012  185 seniors walked across the stage at Lake Forest High School auditorium to receive their high school diploma.  When it was my turn to talk, I pointed out how important it was for them to have made that walk.  You see, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, those with a high school diploma will earn almost $200 a week more on average than those without.  Pay day.  Ka ching!

Here's some information I didn't have for that night.  The Alliance for Excellent Education, using a sophisticated economic input/output model, provides economic projections of local benefits based upon the data of our region.  Here's what they've told me about the Lake Forest High School class of 2012:

• Collectively, this single class of graduates are expected to earn as much as $1.7 million more in an average year compared to their likely earnings had they not earned a high school diploma.
• By the midpoint of their careers, these new graduates combined, will likely purchase homes totaling in value of as much as $7.2 million more than what they would have spent without a diploma.
• The spending and investments made by this graduating class will likely be enought to support as many as 9.5 new jobs in Delaware and increase the gross state product by as much as $1.5 million by the time they reach their career midpoints.
• As a result of increased wages and higher levels of spending, federal, state and local tax revenues are expected to grow as much as $500,000 during and average year.

Graduation from high school makes a lot of dollars and sense.  Some college would be even better.  And a 4 year college degree will likely double their income.

Celebrating Who We Are

This week the Delaware State Education Association held its annual Human and Civil Rights Awards at the Sheraton Hotel in Dover. Lake Forest was well represented.


There are student competitions in computer graphics, art and writing. Of the 23 awards handed out, students from Lake Forest won 10 of them - pretty good for a contest that is open to the whole state.

I always enjoy this event. It is a celebration of diversity. It is a way of reinforcing with our kids that many people suffered ahead of them, so that they would be free. Go to school free with freedom to choose their future. They study and write about Martin Luther King and Gandhi. They study and write about the Holocaust. They study and write about many of the little events of American history, where average people showed uncommon bravery to advocate for change.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. For a rural community, we seem to be quite diverse. Among our Lake Forest award winners at this event you find black, Hispanic, Asian, white and bi-racial students. They are all happy. They are all getting a good education. They have friends of all colors.

Among the state-wide winners there were a couple of physically handicapped students who needed assistance getting on and off the stage. The underlying message and theme of the event , “We Are One, We Are Many” is not lost on the children. They embrace each other and their differences. We’re all humans. Each of us is unique. Together we make up a community. Together we are stronger.  We are all Spartans.

Thanks to Lake Forest High School Social Studies teacher Amy Reed for her dedication to this event and to the work of the Lake Forest Education Association. She makes sure we are in the competition each year and never fails to coach several into the top three. Thanks also to North teachers Pablo Reyes and Todd Weller. The students of North are always in the trophy class as well.

This is just another example of how Lake Forest Schools help to shape our future.

Early College School District.

Imagine if you will, a school system where teachers and parents say to their children, "when you go to college" rather than "if you go to college."

The research is clear, the difference in dollars that can be earned in a lifetime for someone with some college education is huge when compared to someone with only a high school diploma. A post high school tech school certificate, associates degree or bachelors degree should be a goal for every student. It is achieveable. It is affordable.

So, we are going to work toward making Lake Forest School District an Early College School District. Our goal will be for all, yes all of our kids to have earned some college credit by the time they get their high school diploma. It is possible for some students to be be well on their way to an associate degree at their high school graduation.

How do we get there?

First we have to make sure that our curriculum is rigorous enough to prepare all children for college work. That teachers hold all students to a high standard.

Second we have to allow students to accelerate through the core classes like Math and English more quickly so their Junior and Senior year schedules have more room for college classes.

Third, we have to partner with DTCC, Delaware State University and others to make available a variety of college courses to our students.

Fourth, we need to start promising our children that when they graduate from Lake Forest High School they will have had the opportunity to earn college credit and be prepared to provide the support needed to fulfil that promise.

You know college credits may be earned from the usual local state supported institutions, but there are some good private schools who may want to get involved. There are Advance Placement classes. There are also many accredited courses available from on-line universities and we should open that door more frequently.

 We have some ground work and preparation to do here, and we need to solidify our partnerships with DSU and DTCC. We also need to seek some legislation that will allow Delaware high school students to use SEEDS and Inspire scholarship money before high school graduation.

Lake Forest Schools, an Early College School District. I like it.

Planting Spartan Sprouts

It’s Spring! Time to think about planting.

I’m looking for some babies - preferably brand new to 1 year old. I’m planting seeds for Spartan Sprouts.

Spartan Sprouts is our early contact program where we sign new parents up to work with one of our home visitors as the baby develops. We all have questions about how our children grow and what we can do to help them grow in healthy ways and our Gardeners are ready to bring the tools and the fertilizer.

This program is only for residents of the Lake Forest Community. It’s one of a kind.

A family who signs up will have a trained home visitor come to your home 4 times a year to work with your little sprout. They will help parents discover their child’s unique interests and explore learning opportunities together until the child is three years old.

This gives us the opportunity to introduce the family to the caring services of the Lake Forest School district and helps ensure that the child will be ready for success when they start school.

Here at Lake Forest, we think it is important for your child to get off to a good start and we are interested in them as soon as they arrive. Why wait for kindergarten? We are “Your best choice” school district and we think making the best choice begins at birth. We care about your family and want to see your child’s success begin early.

If you or someone you know is a resident of the Lake Forest attendance area, have a child under 12 months or are expecting and would like to consider signing up for Spartan Sprouts please let us know. Contact our Spartan Sprout coordinator, Monica Sipes at 398-8945 extension 41 or email her at mlsipes@lf.k12.de.us .