Thankfulness

This has been one of those weeks where we all hug each other a little bit harder, try to connect with our kids a little bit more, and take the time to have a little bit more personal reflection on love, life, and questions none of us can really answer.  Though we can't ever know the reason why bad things happen to good people, especially those who are the most vulnerable among us, I do know that we can and should use these moments to not only reflect but also look ahead, and hopefully, come out on the other side as better people. 

Within the sadness we all felt this week over the Sandy Hook tragedy, we also kept things going for our own kids because, simply put, that's what schools do each day.  We do it because we love those we work with and we know they deserve to have goodness and joy still a part of their lives.  So that's what we did this week. 

Parents, such as Jay Plotkin and Moira Castanon, at school on Sunday, trying to get the staging set for Monday's student picture celebrating our 60th campus anniversary.

Third grade teachers engaging and facilitating the learning for their third graders with all things Medieval Faire, a great HP tradition that I hope lives on forever.

Kinder classes attending a special assembly by Creative Action, helping with the performance of The Shoemaker and the Elves.

And first graders in Ms. Ferguson's classroom, making a class list on all things they are thankful for this year.  I think it's an appropriate list to leave you with as we close out 2012 because we all do have much to be thankful for this holiday season, knowing there are others who are struggling - and rightly so - with finding reason to be thankful for anything.  Truly, lots of love and hugs your way.  Have a joyful season wherever you find yourself, see you in 2013, and know I continue to be thankful for each of you and the joy you bring to my life.

Ms. Ferguson – having a job at Highland Park and teaching this class of amazing 1^st graders

Zac – family, friends, shelter

Chander – Ms.  Ferguson

Jack S – food in our bellies

Ian – wonderful friends in this class

Solana – our school, nursing homes

Emmylou – friends, my family, teachers

Audriana – my family, friends, and that I am able to go to school

Megan – my mom and dad

Evan – my city and my teacher

Oliver – food and smartness

JP – family, food, my house and school

Jack F. – I’m thankful for us

Sarah – cars and a warm bed

McKinzie – my family

Matthew – friends, teachers, school and Ms. Workman

Leo –money

Cody – doctors and nurses

Victoria – the holidays

Lucky – my mom and brother Jazz

Emily – my family, friends, school and home

Tough Conversations

On Monday, Cari Land facilitated a very fruitful meeting with me and several representatives from The Center for Elimination of Disproportionality and Disparities, part of The Texas Health and Human Services Commission.  We met with Project Manager Sheila Sturgis, as well as the Center's Melonee Carter and Demaris Nicholson.  Some great dialogue surrounding Courageous Conversations and ways to examine our own personal biases about race.  Ms. Sturgis presented some eye opening statistics from the most current studies and we left the meeting with a planned joint training involving Kealing Middle School staff during our 13-14 preservice week.  These are sometimes difficult conversations to have - being color blind is not the answer - and I know we'll gain much personal insight from the work we will do together. 

Fifth grade teacher Kati Guimbarda Dean also recently tackled a tough subject in her language arts classes.  Connected to the class novel Maniac Magee, she had her students explore the Myths of Homelessness, with students conducting research around those myths and creating images and findings through the use of GlogsterEDU.  The pictures and words are powerful reminders that homelessness is most often not a choice and some common preconceived notions are not necessarily true.  This activity further served as a reminder that the use of multimedia arts tools can and do act as powerful change agents in our world.  Job well done and some sobering information for us all.



Science Fair Arrives!







Thanks McCallum HS students & UT's Marlo!



It was all things Science Fair this week, with the cafeteria and halls full of 290 tri-fold boards highlighting experiments and research on everything from vortex rings to product testing of window cleaners to an explanation on The Myth of Vampire Leaks.  Adults in attendance at our first ever Family Science Night, including co-chairs Juli Berwald and Tina Barrett, along with fifth grade science teacher Janet Matetich, agree with me that this year's crop of projects truly are the best yet.  I was thrilled to see that many project ideas came from some type of personal experience - this seemed to make those projects that much better as students had a personal reason to research. Such as Sarah's project on infant jaundice and bilirubin (baby brother Liam had it as a newborn!) and Trevor's research on retinal detachment - something he experienced this summer. In addition to today's oral interviews with a few McCallum HS advanced science students plus one UT student, our Thursday Family Science Night gave each fifth grader a chance to explain their project to adult attendees.  This extra component gave much meaning to the projects for our students and we are hoping to open the evening up to all K-5 entrants next year.  The students were very eager to share rationales, the hypotheses, the workings and findings of the experiments or research, as well as their conclusions.  They were also able to reflect and explain what they would do differently next time and (perhaps most importantly) any possible next steps in their research.  Cool.  Many budding scientists among us and I couldn't be prouder of the work done. 



 

Loved the DBI strategies I saw in use when I visited Mrs. Bachman's language arts class. Students were working on reading fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary and used Tableaux to help with their understanding of words such as weeping and miserable (from the novel they were reading, My Father's Dragon).  What was really cool though was seeing Moses in action, toward the end of the lesson, test out the DBI strategy Hot Seat.  He was a very convincing cat from the story and answered audience questions about his motivation, feelings, and more quite ably.  Building comprehension in meaningful, authentic, and motivating ways.  Can't wait to see more!



Kudos to Mrs. O'Donnell and her fifth grade math students for a truly engaging Van de Walle lesson on equivalent fractions.  The paired activity, with the use of counters, allowed students to create fractional parts in arrays, then further writing an equation showing the equivalent fraction.  They got it, they were discussing it together (socializing intelligence!), and they were able to explain their thinking to me. 

Finally, some other cool images from the week involve the third grade annual Medieval Unit.  Posted in our third grade hallways, and in anticipation of the upcoming Medieval Fair performances, we have student created shields and movie posters connected to the novel The Castle In the Attic.  Much more coming including a re-formatted performance in a couple of weeks.  I'm looking forward to it, but in the meantime, check out some of the student work below.



Fruits of our labor



Kinder Use of Art in study of Native Americans



Sometimes a plan comes together.  It's been one of those weeks after a holiday break where you begin to see the fruits of hard work on the part of staff, students, and parents.  I started my week at a STAAR update training with Alyssa Absher, Beth Finkle, and Janet Matetich.  Dr. Ervin Knezek of lead4ward led the half day district PD on our state's new accountability system.  My fellow attendees and I plan to share the information with all teachers at our December 13 staff meeting, but my big take-aways centered on our current arts integration/creative classroom intiatives.  What were those connections, if any, to the standardized test, like it or not, that serve as our school's measurement?  Dr. Knezek specifically mentioned the power of teaching students processes in addition to content in the elementary school.  Memorization of facts and figures are a part of what we do, but if students do not understand the underlying processes that lead to content, they will struggle in middle school and beyond.  I immediately thought of our Process and Product displays, along with the TEKS Process Standards, and the extra bit of thinking about those processes, along with reflection, we are asking of teachers and students.  We are by no means there yet, but we're on the path and that was heartening to know.  Teachers are beginning to use these strategies as a natural part of their instruction (see a recent pop-in to Kinder teacher Ms. Nazar's classroom and DAR in action!) and it's just one of those tingly moments that make you glad to be on campus.

The power of Higher Blooms was also mentioned as a must in being STAAR ready - think analyze and create which are at the top of Bloom's Taxonomy - and the importance of transference of knowledge/concepts across many disciplines and also presented to students in many different forms and ways.  MindPop's Dr. Hasty talks about transference a lot and how the arts allow for this transference of knowledge.  Cool! 

Though much is still unknown about STAAR and what it means for our school, I do know what I see in this school and in our classrooms.  Kids learning, kids motivated about being here (hovering just over that 98% ADA), and how teaching creatively and making arts connections bring so much to our kids beyond a test.  The power will be in what we see years down the road I suppose (you hear me talk a lot about the type of people we are producing beyond high school), but I know teaching and learning is better at our school because of the work we are doing. 

We received a Superintendent's BLOG award at this week's Extended Cabinet Meeting.  Wanted to share, thanks AISD for recognizing all the effort that went into The Kennedy Center visits at Brentwood Elementary, as well as Highland Park.  It is because of our school community efforts that we were able to pull this off on HOOT Day, so thank you, thank you Scotties.  Visit over, but good things still happening at HP.

As you know, Highland Park fifth graders are participating this year in the Legacy of Giving program.  Their first semester work has come to an end, with HP families, per Academic Program Specialist Kathryn Boehme, collecting "3,199 pounds of food which will serve 2,559 meals to food insecure families across Central Texas."  Additionally, HP "collected 254 coats, and together, Legacy students donated more than 3,600 coats to kids in Central Texas."  Very proud of the meaningful work done, with special thanks to fifth grade teacher Kati Guimbarda.

Finally, what is there to say about our front of school landscaping.  Wow...and wow!  Those of us who have been here a few years (seven and counting for me!), know what a long, long process this has been.  Even before I arrived on the scene, parents have been meeting, making plans, raising funds.  Truly, several years, but updated landscaping is now our reality and it looks awesome.  Special kudos to Sean Compton and the PTA boards past and present for this last push, Wes Amberboy for holding steady conversations with AISD for the last few years, and so many more who have helped make this happen.  Check out a few pics below, there are still some smaller projects remaining, but what a welcoming site for all who enter our doors.  Congrats parents...you did it!

Highland Park Does The Paramount!



If ever there was a day to give thanks for the work of our students, staff, and community arts partners, this was it.  All K-5 Highland Park students and staff. along with approximately 100 3rd grade parents traveled today to The Paramount Theatre in downtown Austin to see third grade stories come to life on the stage.  Fifteen buses took us to our destination today (yep, 15 - thanks AISD transportation for keeping us safe!), we were promptly seated, and the magic began shortly thereafter.  Not only did we get to hear a bit about the storied history of the theatre from the wonderful Jennifer Luck, but student playwrights introduced themselves and their work - their work - then we were all treated to short skits by Paramount's The Story Wranglers.  We saw Skippy Hippy and the Disco Chicken, Toolman, and the really funny The Babies Who Suck their Thumbs.  Plus many, many more.  I kid you not, this was one of those experiences we all will remember, most especially the students who were recognized as writers.  They were beaming when they hit the stage to take a bow at the end.

Jennifer, Pierce, Chad, Stacy, ALL wranglers, plus Maica...my hats are off to you as your energy and love of what you do serve as those role models kids need to see.  True passion for the written word and true passion for the theatre.  WooHoo third grade playwrights!

I give thanks for all of you, none more so than our Highland Park community. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and remember, we will have Round 2 of Story Wranglers in the spring.  We'll keep you posted.



Buses lined up & ready to roll!



Staff Development and More

Great staff development day on Monday!  We started the morning with our GT update hours training for grade K-5 teachers.  Laine Leibick focused on various types of research/tools and focused quite a bit of time on the Texas Performance Standard Project.  This site provides a wonderful tool for teachers to access grade level enrichment projects/ideas and all teachers left with homework to complete before our next training after winter break- access the TPSP site and peruse the projects that potentially tie into an existing unit of study, create a list of resources for one project, and develop a timeline for one project with the goal of implementation late this year.  Mrs. Leibick also mentioned Sandra Kaplan's Habits of a Scholar and used a cool DBI strategy to facilitate groups creating tableaux around one assigned attribute of scholarliness. My group created a tableaux on the attribute of "curiosity" and not only was it fun to do with staff, it also helped develop deeper understanding of what it means to be intellectually curious.  Great training.

The morning's work dovetailed nicely when teachers (now including special area folks) travelled to Maplewood for our continued DBI training.  Creative Action provided the staff development, we did a variety of activities separated by grade level pairings, and all were related directly to the TEKS across various content areas.  I saw the second/third grade group work with Frank on creating tableaux to explain perpendicular lines and a pattern movement game (Who Started the Motion) to teach our K-1 students about patterns.  Pretty cool to see our Mrs. Olson lead first out of the chute and yep, very hard to catch that she was indeed the "leader".  End of day teams competed to see who could first develop an A-Z list of DBI attributes - artsy, original, motivating, quality, understanding, voice, yearing to learn to name a few - and it was a great wrap-up to all we'd done.  Thanks Creative Action and Mindpop as always.

Mr.s Olson, Mystery Pattern Leader!



Coach DeLine implemented a truly engaging DBI lesson I was able to catch this week, The Showdown at the Bone K Corral.  Nothing new for him, but I was impressed with his Sheriff Lazy Bones character, the student "skit", Deputy Bill (aka Bill Russo), and how it all aligned with the study of the human bones, academic vocabulary, and movement, movement, movement that measured a variety of skills students are to master.  Fun, meaningful, engaging, and most importantly - they got it!

Finally, it was all things International Week!  Debbie Esterak has worked tirelessly on this along with several other parents, there was a well attended potluck on Tuesday evening, followed by today's cultural assemblies and booth tours.  Kids and adults were able to see several performances showcased from around the world (I caught the Irish dancers) and everyone always enjoys the annual event.  Here are some pics highlighting cultures around the world...



Authentic learning

It was a good week for learning.  Legacy of Giving is under way in fifth grade, with the collection pod now on campus, decorated inside and out.  Fifth grade students are collecting canned goods and Coats for Kids, hoping to fill the pod to the brim.  Let's help them reach their goal as they join other participating schools and our CLASS program in giving back to others.  True learning at the grass roots level. 

Additionally, third grade students travelled to Red Bud Center to learn about water conservation and even made a pledge to conserve.  I hear it was a great day for all. 

The annual fourth grade Veteran's Day program was moving and brought many a tear to those in attendance.  When the Scottie Singers sing the songs for each armed forces branch and veterans of those branches stand in recognition, including those who must be helped to stand by family members, we all get goosebumps and kind of lose it.  Thank you, thank you Veterans for all you have done for our country, its citizens, and for the opportunity to thank you for your service and for our students to learn from your example.  We salute you a thousand times over.



Air Force Veterans Recognition



I continue to see great learning in class visits this week.  Ms. Proffer's kinders left me impressed with all things math, from the Number of the Day journal activity all were doing to the DBI strategy Countdown to Ten to the Fingers manipulative Ms. Proffer had created.  Student pairs then used their white slates to write as many "10 combination" number sentences they could think of together.  It was also neat to hear the students who were ready to take it to the next level be able to additionally share their combinations and the "pattern" they chose, ie beginning their pairs in a 1,2, 3 order.  Those kinders rocked the math and so does Ms. Proffer. 



And never let it be said that principals don't pitch in and try to do their part with all things creativity and continue their "learning" as well.  In support of our superintendent and our district, we met up one afternoon to practice a dance in anticipation of next week's State of the District.  Not sure if we have the moves down, but we sure did try and it was a hoot to see George L and Mike G "bustin' the moves".  Tuesday, November 13, 6:00 pm, Burger Center.  Some cool administrators with a lot of heart - love my McCallum Vertical Team!

Finally, Process and Product Displays.  We have 23 completed so far, most taken down this week or next, and all really well done.  Posted around our hallways and in a couple of classrooms, these simple tools help teachers showcase the Standards/Goals, Processes, Products, and Teacher/Student Reflections related to one teacher created lesson.  They had to include at least one creative teaching strategy and I am beyond impressed at the level of detail that went into most of these displays.  So why do it?  Many reasons.  Our work is public (as it should be) and we want all stakeholders to see the learning that really goes into a final product.  Those neat and pretty research papers, book jackets, power points, or posters have a lot of stuff that go into them behind the scenes.  Students are reading various text, working in cooperative groups, researching, participating in class discussions, completing graphic organizers and rough drafts, using a creative teaching strategy such as tableau or reader's theater, and much, much more.  In other words, there's a heck of a lot of learning that goes into that final product and those processes...those are the core of what we want kids to learn. To analyze, synthesize, transfer, create.  To think.

And a by-product to the processes?  Those powerful, now we're done teacher and student written reflections. Great stand alone learning tools in and of themselves.  When you write it down, you remember it a bit better, you are forced to think beyond the final product.  Reading through the reflections, teachers and students walked away thinking about what they learned, what they enjoyed, what they didn't and what they would do differently.  Don't know about you, but I think that's pretty powerful.

Wrapping up this first round of P and P displays, teachers went on a learning walk Thursday afternoon to view, discuss and record observations about the 23 Process and Product displays we have up so far this year; we debriefed in the library afterwards.  In addition to giving some well deserved kudos to the creators of the displays, the comments I heard included "great opportunity for students to be creative", "authentic assessment", "lesson taught proved the students learned", "liked the integrated curriculum", "reflections led to a whole new project/discussion", and "I want to do that lesson too!"  Simple? Sure.  But a lot of bang for the buck with such a simple tool.  This is how we all grow, teachers, students, and yep, principals too.  Great work Scotties!  Keep it up and let's keep the growing and learning going for all of us.