Through the Classroom Door: March 2012
Scott McKenzie's Blog Page
Special delivery
Posted 3/30/2012 at 7:02:42 AM by Scott McKenzie [staff member]
It’s in the mail, as they say.
The newest edition of the district’s newsletter Cruiser Chronicles will be delivered next week. Issued several times a year in the Southeast Messenger, we mail the spring and summer newsletters to many of our residents.
The Spring 2012 newsletter is full of important information about the district’s financial status. The Board of Education is currently discussing the need to return to the ballot.
The Board of Education trimmed $8 million from the budget over a two-year period beginning next school year. The financial crisis comes as a result of the failure of a levy on the November 2011 ballot, reduction in funding from the state and a loss of property tax collection.
The current operating levy passed in 2009 and is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2012. Both years of cuts will be implemented at the end of the calendar year because state law does not allow a school district to operate in the red.
The newsletter is timely in its arrival because the Board is set to return to the table for talks later this month. The members are likely to decide if they will place a measure on the August ballot.
The detailed information in the newsletter provides a fiscal timeline, lists the recent eliminations by subject area and points to the district’s financially conservative decisions. It also highlights grants secured by Groveport Madison staff to secure sources of funding other than tax dollars.
While the newsletter is heavily focused on the district’s fiscal state, it also lists important dates, provides details about special events and celebrates recent accomplishments of students and staff members. We enjoy sharing information with you.
Research shows a positive correlation between academic achievement and an informed community. In addition to our regular newsletters and this blog, we update the homepage on our website on an almost daily basis and share accomplishments on our
Facebook page. The high school has a
Twitter feed now and posts a number of updates each day.
The community forums we host and the special events we offer provide wonderful opportunities for us to build new relationships and strengthen those we have worked to develop over time. Groveport Madison Schools is a special place because of our deep connections with the community.
Keep a lookout this week for our special delivery. It’s information you’ll want to share.
A whole new world
Posted 3/27/2012 at 8:00:36 AM by Scott McKenzie [staff member]
It's hard to think about next school year when Spring Break is just around the corner, but parents of kindergartners are lining up this week to register their children for 2012-13.
It is an exciting time, to be sure! Kindergarten is a milestone and one of the most important years of a child's development as he or she transitions from home to school.
We are committed in the Groveport Madison Schools to provide the most diverse educational opportunities possible to help each of our young children be successful in their academic start. We share this responsibility with our parents and are eager to help these youngsters become the best he or she can be.
Registration will run throughout the week at our Central Enrollment Office, 5940 Clyde Moore Drive. Children who are 5 by Aug. 1 this year are eligible to enroll in kindergarten this fall. Those who turn 5 between Aug. 2 and Dec. 31 qualify for Early Entrance Testing, and a child who turns 5 after Dec. 31 must wait for enrollment the following year.
Early entrance should be viewed as a means of meeting a child's needs. The key to determining kindergarten entrance is developmental readiness (as opposed to ability), social maturity, personal development and motor development.
The Ohio Department of Education offers a Kindergarten Checklist to help parents determine if their child is ready to enter school. Early entrance is designed for the exceptional child who is both academically ready as well as developmentally mature when compared to his or her chronological age.
Kindergarten has changed considerably over the last couple of decades. Today's kindergarten students are engaged in rigorous instructional program.
Our staff members are now transitioning our current course of study from Ohio's academic content standards to the newly adopted Common Core Curriculum, a national set of expectations. The new Early Learning benchmarks will be fully in place this fall.
Our Kindergarten and Early Entrance to Kindergarten packets are designed to help you prepare for this memorable new phase. When you register your child, be sure to bring the required documents such as verification of residence, birth certificate and immunization records. The packets, which include other helpful tips for success, are also available at every elementary building.
Kindergarten provides such a wealth of experiences for a child that will build a strong foundation for the rest of their academic growth. Starting school truly is an exciting rite of passage.
Building bridges in the village
Posted 3/23/2012 at 8:32:52 AM by Scott McKenzie [staff member]
It does take a village to raise a child.
In Groveport Madison schools we've spent a great deal of time making sure we have strong relationships with businesses, organizations, civic leaders and residents. We've also worked hard to extend those relationship beyond our district's boundaries.
In fact, tonight the Columbus Blue Jackets welcome our Cruiser family. The franchise extends a special offer for our students and staff to attend the game at a special price. The opportunity provides families a unique way to spend time with one another at a professional sporting event at an affordable price.
Yet this is just a very small example of the relationships we have created.
Some of the partnerships are monetary where PTOs, boosters, student clubs and special causes receive a portion of proceeds to benefit their cause. The funds provide our students with experiences, technology and other materials that otherwise would not be possible through the district’s general fund. Sometimes the money collected helps pay for medical treatment, as experienced earlier this year by teacher Kris Ensign who is suffering from a very rare form of cancer.
School-business and school-community partnerships run even deeper.
In fact, the importance of these relationships are underscored in the scope of work we put together for our Race to the Top grant. They play an integral role in the development of a student’s skills and his or her future success in the 21st century.
Recall from Tuesday’s post, a 21st century education provides students with the skills necessary to be successful in the workforce. They must be efficient with technology and its applications, but they also must be able to think critically, solve problems and work collaboratively with others in the “real world.”
As Deputy Superintendent Bruce Hoover explains in the executive summary of the RttT grant application: “Education is a community enterprise and the results will impact the people and activities well beyond the school walls. Workforce development is vital to the state’s future and is intimately tied to educational improvement.”
For example, community and business partnerships expand our students’ access to workforce development by:- Providing learning opportunities that connect to regional job-growth trends
- Engaging students in academic counseling connected to career trajectory
- Creating entrepreneurship and economic development
Mr. Hoover goes on to say: “Groveport Madison acknowledges the importance of working closely with the individuals and organizations that will be integral to our success, including parents and families, community members, business leaders, civic leaders/organizations, higher education, philanthropic organizations and federal, state and local officials/agencies.”
When we identify business and regional partners we are able to provide our students limitless experiences... and they, in turn, will one day help shape the future by bringing new ideas and fresh perspectives.
The relationships are mutually beneficially. We need them and they need us, and together the village raises the child.
A powerful machine
Posted 3/20/2012 at 10:37:30 AM by Scott McKenzie [staff member]
We talk a lot about technology. In the field of education, it’s often about how we are integrating it into the classroom to build 21st century learning environments.
Sometimes we don’t stop to explain to those outside our classroom walls precisely what that means.
First, a 21st century education does rely on technology, but it is not solely dependent on it. A 21st century learning environment is one that prepares students to develop the skills they will need to be successful after they graduate. This means they need to be able to use technology, but also able to think critically, solve problems and collaborate with others.
Building a 21st century atmosphere is about creating a system that fosters academic, emotional, social and physical development. This means we are encouraging our students to learn at a broad level in their core subject areas as well as though opportunities such as in band, choir and art.
Integrating -- or incorporating -- technology into lesson plans, classroom activities and other instruction does not mean we are building computer labs. Technology is far more than a desktop computer, laptop or iPad.
Technology is a tool one uses to accomplish a task. This can be a pen or pencil. It’s also a computer, Smart board, iPad, iPod, calculator, chalkboard or social networking software.
We are fortunate to have a number of resources at our fingertips. Groveport Madison has earned close to $1 million in grants since 2009 to buy technology and teach staff members how to use the tools.
Middle School North and Groveport Madison High School each received $30,000 this year for teacher training and associated tools through an extension of a Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant that was originally awarded during the 2010-11 school year. Middle School South was named an ARRA recipient in 2009-10.
We’ve purchased laptop carts, iPads, cameras and Smart Boards (imagine a large bulletin board monitor an entire class can see) with more than $750,000 in federal and state funds. The grant dollars specify the tools should be used in the targeted buildings with the students of the teachers on the grant team, though the district is working hard to improve technology access in all buildings.
Instructional Technology Coordinator Thea Patrick has organized several classes for staff to build their skills of integrating technology in classrooms to ensure we are using devices or software as best we can to increase student retention and achievement.
You can bet we are resourceful, too. Some tools are even free and we are eager to utilize those as well. In fact, this spring all teachers were introduced, and taught how, to use Google Documents (kind of like an online version of Word, Excel and PowerPoint), which are designed to encourage collaboration because they can be shared among multiple users. The possibilities are endless.
Technology is reshaping the world around us. A lot of it is driven by computers and their capabilities, but even those are powered by people who have learned how to think outside of the box.
Testing is in full swing
Posted 3/15/2012 at 8:11:44 AM by Scott McKenzie [staff member]
Spring has sprung this week and so has the testing season.
Students at high school have been knee-deep in testing all week. Our third- through eighth-graders begin their state assessments in a just few short weeks.
Each spring the Ohio Graduation Test and Ohio Achievement Assessments are administered across the state. The scores are compiled and used as one measurement of success for school districts on the Local Report Card.
The Ohio Graduation Test is first given each spring to sophomores over the course of a week. A student must pass all five sections -- writing, math, science, social studies and reading -- in order to receive a high school diploma.
The science section of the OGT is scheduled for today and the final piece, social studies, will be administered tomorrow. Those who do not pass each subject the first time around have several opportunities to retake individual parts before the end of their senior year. Principal Aric Thomas has lead a strong team to make certain the students are ready.
The OGT and OAA are aligned with the state’s academic content standards and help educators gauge at a broad level whether students are mastering specific knowledge to build upon their learning. In Groveport Madison, the resulting data for our students help us determine if we are delivering course materials in the best way possible.
The district regularly reviews its courses of study to ensure relevancy and adherence to established expectations and makes modifications when necessary. In fact, we have just adopted a new language arts course of study because of changes to expectations at the state level.
Ohio is one of 44 states moving toward a national standard that will introduce new requirements and align benchmarks across states (as opposed to just within Ohio). In turn, new learning outcomes and testing models will begin to be phased in over the next few years.
Assessments for the new Common Core Curriculum are planned to begin with kindergarten and first grade in 2014.
Our teachers do a fabulous job preparing our students for the tests, but parents are also an important part of the process. They serve as partners and can help ready their children for test days by:
- Ensuring children get a good night sleep and plenty of rest.
- Making certain they eat breakfast each morning.
- Boosting confidence by praising past academic accomplishments and offering encouragement.
As I mentioned, the resulting scores are just one form of measurement on the performance yardstick. Right now, the state is also considering sweeping changes to how districts will be graded across a number of indicators. The Department of Education is examining the feasibility of new report card measures and is asking the state legislature to approve its suggested model.
The changes keep us on our toes and challenge us to improve upon what we do each day. In the end, no matter what, we are eager to work as hard as possible on behalf of the students in our family to ensure they are ready to go day-in and day-out, with or without a test in hand.
Take a look at the reading rainbow
Posted 3/12/2012 at 7:34:40 AM by Scott McKenzie [staff member]
They open minds and open doors. They bring laughter and tears, drawing pictures that tell colorful stories.
Whether
on tattered, dogeared pages or viewed on a vivid technicolor display,
books are a vital to the life of a child. The words -- woven together in
thick tapestries or in short, rhythmic snippets -- bring meaning to
life.
Each
March, the National Education Association pays special tribute to one
of the most well-known -- and revered -- children’s authors of all time
to celebrate the importance of reading. Dr. Seuss’ birthday serves as a
springboard for Read Across America where children of all ages
(sometimes even adults) participate in special activities to raise literacy awareness.
There
is a deep connection between literacy and student achievement. Research
shows the stronger a student's reading skills, the better he or she will perform in school.
The
correlations are vast, from language development and comprehension to
creative thinking and problem solving. Strong readers are typically even
better in math and science precisely because of their ability to
clearly understand the words and work before them.
Teaching
literacy skills is a major aspect of our work. We want our students to
understand what they read, think critically about the content and have
the ability to convey their thoughts clearly in their writing.
Our
Board of Education recently adopted a new language arts course of study
that is designed to strengthen literacy skills at all levels. A
committee of teachers worked this past fall to identify materials that
will meet the state’s new curriculum standards (to be phased in this
fall) that also build stronger bridges from grade to grade across
subject material.
Literacy goes beyond the classroom walls. Parents play a vital role at home and should read with children early and often to help build a deep appreciation of books and strong foundation for comprehension.
The
district also partners with the Columbus Metropolitan Library and its
efforts to encourage the development of emerging readers. It’s Ready to Read Corps is a one-of-a-kind force that works in at-risk communities to provide literacy skills and school readiness information.
We
are proud of such community partnerships. In other outreach, scores of
volunteers visit our schools on a regular basis to read with our
students, often spending extra time with struggling readers to overcome
hurdles to discover endless possibilities.
Dr.
Seuss has painted some of the most memorable images with his creative
use of words. Whether swimming with one fish or two fish or red fish or
blue fish -- or even getting to know Sam and his green eggs and ham --
we appreciate imagination and celebrate invention when a child opens a
book and a world of potential.
Suit up and hit the field
Posted 3/6/2012 at 7:45:11 AM by Scott McKenzie [staff member]
Batter, up! It’s time to play ball.
The
spring sports season is underway and our student athletes are shaping
up to jump start the competition schedule in just a few short weeks.
It will soon be time to dust off the chairs and pack snack coolers to find a seat along the sidelines.
Our
Cruisers will field baseball, softball, track and field and boy’s
tennis squads. Each year, hundreds of students participate in one of our team sports.
Aside
from the victories they bring home, the experience is quite the
conquest. Last week I talked about the positive relationship between the
performing arts and a child’s development.
The
same holds true for athletics. Of course, there are the health-related
benefits, and that is a major tick in the win column in a country facing
a childhood obesity epidemic.
Students
who participate in sports are also typically better able to control
their weight, ward off illness and other health complications, have a
strong sense of self and positive self-image, can concentrate for longer
periods of time, and have higher levels of energy.
That’s
not all. Team sports contribute to physical, social and emotional
development and are an integral, enriching part of a student’s
educational experience.
The National Federation of State High Schools Associations is one source of information for studied correlations between sports and school. In short, participation helps an athlete:- Strengthen character through good sportsmanship by treating teammates and opponents with respect
- Learn to work with others toward a common goal
- Build integrity
- Develop qualities that will foster future success through practice, patience and persistence
Sportsmanship
is a major focus of the Groveport Madison athletic program. We believe
participation is a privilege and the athletes and their parents must
take the charge seriously.
In
fact, a Spring Code of Conduct Meeting will be held Wednesday (6:30
p.m. in the High School auditorium) for all parents/guardians and
student-athletes who have not attended an orientation this year.
We
are proud to offer these opportunities, though are faced with the
challenge of making changes to our program because of the district’s
$4-million deficit heading into the 2012-13 school year. The Board of
Education is currently studying participation costs and how much fees
would need to increase if we are not able to renew or identify new
sources of funding before our current levy expires on Dec. 31.
It is a tough spot and a struggle we will have to face.
Right now, we’ll focus on the winners our athletic program creates on and off the field. And to that, I say: Go Cruisers!
Spring is a song
Posted 3/1/2012 at 10:30:17 AM by Scott McKenzie [staff member]
As March blossoms upon us, I’m thinking about the sweet sounds of spring.
Lively birds announcing their return and children playing outdoors will certainly fill the air. But, there’s more.
March
brings spring concerts and the beautiful music of our students. In
fact, a month of performances kicked off this week with the middle
school and high school bands putting on their shows.
Also
at the high school, the Cruiser Theater Co. is in full swing preparing
for its production of “Grease: The School Version.” More than 60
students are involved in this year’s musical.
I don’t think I am going out on a new spring limb to say it will be electrifying! C’mom, it’s Grease lightning!
Bound
to be a great production, many students throughout the district will
get a sneak peak of our new director’s first show just before it opens
March 29. The show runs through that weekend (show times and details are
available here).
Next
Thursday (March 8), the high school band plays with the Junior High
band. The week after, the district hosts a band contest that will draw
hundreds of young musicians.
Providing
students the opportunity to participate in band, choir and the visual
arts encourages learning at a broad level: academically, socially,
physically and emotionally. We place strong emphasis on creating a
curriculum that promotes the education of the whole child and creates an
environment conducive for 21st century learning.
Participating
in the performing arts always gives students rich opportunities and
invaluable lessons. The arts help a child develop abstract thinking,
critical analysis and creative problem solving skills, which are all
crucial in a global society.
Our approach to what we offer students is research based. There are scores of studies (including this one
from one of the foremost leading organizations of 21st century
education, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development)
that show the positive correlation between the arts and student
achievement.
Yet,
the stark reality is many of these opportunities will be eliminated if
we are not able to maintain our current level of funding. The Board of
Education just approved a list of cuts to close an almost $4-million
deficit. Another round of reductions that would include the performing
arts is on the block if we are not able to renew or identify new sources
of funding before our current levy expires on Dec. 31.
While
this is the difficult reality, it will not dampen the spirits of those
tuning up to perform. Nor does it make the sounds of spring less sweet.
For now, we shall enjoy the songs our students have to offer.