If you're a parent of a fourth grader you are more than familiar with the online assignment students are to complete with their families. If not, I encourage you to check out the fourth grade WIKI/assignments section on the HP website (or through the HPPTA website). I was sucked in last weekend reading the many student responses about how they came to be in Texas. We have many, many families who can trace their Texas roots back several generations, and truly, everyone comes from everywhere. In the handful of questions posed by our fabulous fourth grade teachers, I have now learned that Alex's great, great, great, great grandfather is believed to have fired the first shot (from his wagon no less!) in the Texas Revolution. I've learned Kaden's great grandfather came from Sicily for a better life, that Ruby's great grandfather worked at NASA and helped cool the "original first 7 astronauts' space suits", that Bennett's great, great, great grandfather, by way of Tennessee, came to Texas because his crops and livestock were burned in the Civil War. I now know Avalon's great grandmother walked to Texas from Piedras Negras, Mexico and that Ashleigh's ancestor preached the first Protestant sermon in English the year of 1844. And I now know that many of our fourth graders have parents or grandparents who made their way to Texas more recently (such as I, five years and counting!) due to a job transfer, in search of an advanced degree, or simply a way to beat the cold and move somewhere warm. We all have a story and we're all connected around the common theme of that quest for the better life for ourselves and for our families, as well as the indomitable human spirit that manages to keep us going in the face of incredible odds. Hats off to fourth grade teachers for giving students a chance to connect over their Texas roots, regardless of how grand or humble, old or new. A great way to jumpstart your Texas SS TEKS!
In my continued goal of being a life-long learner (and model for staff and students), I am now involved in the pilot program of the National Board Certification for Principals, an initiative supported by AISD. This 18 month program, which I will complete with three other AISD elementary principals and two AISD high school principals (along with a couple of hundred other principals across the country), has many components to guide my growth as a school leader; one component requires a series of surveys for our communities at large. This initial PARENT ONLY survey, followed next year by an exit survey, comprises questions around parent engagement in our school; I will also be administering surveys to staff, a core group of students, my peers, and the community at large. Your answers will become a part of Highland Park's continued school improvement. Your responses will be anonymous and the system will ask for some personal information (i.e., name, e-mail address, phone) for the purposes of auditing and quality of data. However, this information will not be used to identify you and you may submit your responses free of this concern. Technical support is available if needed once you log-in to take the survey. Thanks in advance!
Your link is personal to your feedback group (CURRENT HP PARENTS) and must not be shared or forwarded. Please access the survey from the following address: http://login.chpd.com/login/pc4ut/56139
Please complete this survey by September 30, 2011. You must complete this survey in one sitting. You will not be able to close the survey and resume later. As your feedback is important to this initiative, please ensure you access the survey at a time and in an environment conducive to completing it.
