Through the Classroom Door: May 2011
Scott McKenzie's Blog Page
Nearing the end of the road
Posted 5/26/2011 at 6:44:18 AM by Scott McKenzie [staff member]
This is one of my favorite times of the year, but it's not because school's almost out.
I actually miss the kids during the summers while they are gone. I find the end of the school year energizing because I get to see the sense of accomplishment on nearly every child's face.
I like this time of the year because I know our teachers and support staff have made a difference.
I see it in the smiles of the students at choir concerts and band performances. I see it demonstrated in the pieces of art on display and the packets of classroom work teachers collect to be sent home.
I know students have succeeded when scholarships are handed down to high school seniors and when academic honors are bestowed upon others for their efforts.
I will see it as parents beam with pride at their children -- high school graduates -- as they cross the stage Friday evening during our 128th commencement.
And, I see it in the tears our parents dab away when their child does graduate... from kindergarten. The youngsters know it too, but not as profoundly. They're just excited to be big kids next year.
We will close the doors soon on the 2010-11 school year, but it will not be forgotten. Many of us will stick around the next few months working hard to be sure next year is even better.
Around the bend and back again
Posted 5/23/2011 at 3:15:27 PM by Scott McKenzie [staff member]
(photo courtesy of the Southeast Messenger)
Sometimes it pays to walk in circles... and I can’t wait to do it again, and again.
That’s right, walking in circles. Well, laps in fact, but let’s not split the difference.
We’ve started a new initiative in Groveport Madison called Super Walk to show the connection between academic progress and physical fitness. Parents, teachers, students and grandparents alike recently joined me for our first go ‘round on May 14 for the mile-long journey in Cruiser Stadium.
We’ve put a special emphasis this year on health and wellness in the district through the encouragement of the Board of Education. A good deal of research shows students who are more fit tend to perform better in school than their less healthy peers -- and we want to be sure to do our part.
I especially want to thank Joe Goodyear and Mike Becker for helping to
promote this event. Both Joe and Mike are physical education teachers at
Glendening Elementary and Groveport Elementary Schools, respectively.
They are great role models for our kids and this initiative.
The Super Walks were actually inspired by a doctor from the OhioHealth network who started Walk with a Doc. The Mount Carmel program was so successful it’s expanded to include more than five locations a week in its five years.
In Groveport Madison, we will meet at 9 a.m. the second Saturday of every month (except July) at Cruiser Stadium to walk our laps. At our next get together, representatives from OhioHealth will attend. They will offer participants free health assessments and information to encourage healthy eating habits.
A visit to my office should be convincing evidence I’m committed to being fit and find a little exercise during lunch can be a great mid-day pick-me-up. I’ve squeezed a treadmill behind my desk and have outfitted it with a homemade shelf to prop books and papers to read while I walk.
So, between now and the next time we head out to walk in circles, I'll be walking in place in my office.
Where dreams come true
Posted 5/19/2011 at 7:28:38 AM by Scott McKenzie [staff member]
In a year of hope for many students, it’s been one where dreams are becoming a reality.
Better yet, they are making it happen.
Cruiser Academy opened its doors this fall and is a new home to students who struggle in a traditional high school setting. It is a place where those enrolled have been given an opportunity to recover from a credit deficiency.
The reasons the students have fallen behind are plentiful -- some have moved from state-to-state; some dropped out of school somewhere else; some have had medical limitations -- but none of it matters to the staff who teach, counsel, advise and support the students.
The Cruiser Academy team has dedicated itself to helping those enrolled reach their goals and plan for life after graduation. Students in the Academy work through web-based curriculum at their own pace and are assisted by teachers in one-on-one settings.
Administrator Bill Young says it best this way ... "Because of this program, the students can erase the past and write themselves a bright and glorious future.”
Bill celebrated earlier this week with the Cruiser Academy Board of Directors the progress the students have made since the Academy opened this fall. As of today, 42 have completed all of the necessary requirements for their diplomas and will participate in the high school’s commencement exercises at Celeste Center next weekend.
Even better, roughly 400 have participated in the program. More than 250 have enrolled as full-time students and 180 students from the high school who were one or two credits shy of their requirements have taken part in the Twilight program.
Simply put, these are feats these students thought might never be possible. Guidance Counselor Amon Dobbins is moved by the experience.
He tells me: Once the kids understand no one is holding them back, there is nothing that can keep them from realizing their dreams. They see they can go as far as they want to go ... and once they know that, they take off. It is exciting to see, especially when they come in and they do not have a lot of hope. They start to make advances ... they see they can do school.
He couldn’t be more right.
Tyler Fitzgerald said he “thought that there was no way possible” for him to graduate. Kyle Graham said if it wasn't for CA, he “most likely would not have graduated.” Samantha Harter said her time at Cruiser Academy “put me back on track” and Michelle Jordan said once she started she learned she’s “actually doing it.”
There’s a light at the end of the tunnel for the students in the Academy, and hope for a productive future. They’ve demonstrated an impressive amount of commitment and have taken hold of their dreams.
Open for business
Posted 5/16/2011 at 11:30:15 AM by Scott McKenzie [staff member]
Students will rush through the doors in just a few short weeks as summer break hits us, yet those doors won’t slam shut.
We’ll be here with open arms! We are in the midst of putting the final touches on our summer school plans and are excited about this year’s offerings.
Everyone looks forward to the season’s break and a few lazy days, yet summer school affords our students so many opportunities.
Summer school gives some the chance to extend their learning while other classes provide the intervention needed to help students catch up academically. Regardless of why one enrolls, most students benefit from the smaller class sizes and the opportunity to work in independent settings with an instructor.
This year, we are offering a range of classes for students at all levels. They are:
- Summer Transition for incoming 9th graders struggling with math and/or reading
- Ohio Graduation Test Intervention and Testing
- Summer School/Credit Recovery at Cruiser Academy
- Enrichment Camp for grades 4-7
- Physical Education Summer School
- Kindergarten Camp
- Third Grade Reading Summer School
Parents can register their children by calling 492-2520.
There are plenty of other opportunities throughout the region to consider if the options we’re offering in Groveport Madison don’t meet the needs of your child. The Groveport Parks and Recreation department, Ohio State University, Otterbein University, and COSI all offer academic based camps that will allow your child to maintain or even build upon their academic progress.
And, don’t forget the library’s Summer Reading Club! Every child should enroll just for it’s simple -- yet rewarding -- pleasure.
As we close the chapter on the 2010-11 school year, there is an open book in store just around the corner this coming August when school resumes.
Ready, set, go!
Posted 5/12/2011 at 8:35:15 AM by Scott McKenzie [staff member]
It won’t be a walk in the park; it should be even better.
In fact, it will be super.
That’s right, it will be a Super Walk ... and I would like you to join me on Saturday. We’ll meet at 9 a.m. in Cruiser Stadium and walk four times around the track, a mile.
This weekend’s “walk with the superintendent” is the first in a series I plan to host the second Saturday of every month (except July). It is my way of sharing my passion for exercise with you, our students and the community.
See just what I mean ...
More importantly, it’s also a way to demonstrate the link between physical fitness and academic success. Study upon study shows, students who are more fit tend to perform better in school than their less healthy peers.
On top of that, as a nation, we are facing an epidemic of childhood obesity. Studies about that point to the increased likelihood students won’t -- or can’t -- be accomplished in school.
Locally, more than 30 percent of children are obese or overweight in Franklin County. And that weighs heavily on our hearts ... and minds.
The Board of Education and district officials have put a special emphasis this year on health and wellness and that impact on student achievement. We are spearheading (and finding success with) various initiatives, and students and staff from two schools will help with the Super Walk efforts each month.
So, we are on a mission in Groveport Madison, and we want you to walk the walk we talk. And that’s why I want you to join me for our Super Walk.
One mission. One mile. One Super Walk.
Chasing the rain away
Posted 5/9/2011 at 6:26:26 AM by Scott McKenzie [staff member]
Rain sure can be a damper. It'll throw a wrench into best laid plans and it's dreariness can zap energy in a flash.
Yet, it looks like we've turned a corner with the weather. Warmer days are here and it appears we aren't going to be waterlogged this week.
I say, it's finally time to head outside and stretch those legs -- and it couldn’t come at a better time.
I’m inviting the community to walk with me at 9 a.m. Saturday in Cruiser Stadium. Inspired by a local fitness program through Mount Carmel called Walk with a Doc, I’ve been eager to get “Super Walk” off the ground.
We’ll gather the second Saturday of each month to cruise the track because, simply, fresh air and exercise does a body good.
Healthy, active lifestyles are important to the development of a child. Scores of studies underline the positive connection between academic success and staying fit.
We've spent a fair amount of time studying the correlation this year in Groveport Madison Schools. In fact, the Board of Education has requested it be a focus of our work.
Joe Goodyear and Michael Becker, physical education teachers at Glendening and Groveport elementaries, are just two staff members who have dedicated themselves to promote healthier living. They will be on hand with a some of their students to help kick-off Saturday’s event.
We know exercise improves concentration, helps people think more clearly and releases stress, so significant support for the relationship between school and “play” should come as no surprise.
Data from the American College of Sports Medicine show that students who are active are able to raise their grades. A study by the Journal of School Health concluded that students who were physically fit performed better on standardized math and English tests than their peers who were not as healthy. A similar study by the American Heart Association also reports a positive association between physical fitness and academic performance.
Our nation is facing an epidemic of childhood obesity and we want to do our part to help raise awareness and change behaviors. If we can impart the importance of making positive choices to improve wellness, we gain healthier kids who are better fit to succeed in school.
With a little luck, a strong dose of sunshine on Saturday will set our feet a sail with renewed energy for our Super Walk. If not, we’ll chase the rain away and keep moving right along on our mission.
P.S. I’ll check back with you later in the week for a weather update and to share more details about the program.
No house calls, but a calling
Posted 5/5/2011 at 7:31:41 AM by Scott McKenzie [staff member]
Just as the teachers who head our classrooms each day, those who watch over the health and wellness of our students are called to their profession.
National School Nurse Week begins Monday on the heels of National Teacher Appreciation Week. It’s a week that has been set aside since 1972 to recognize the efforts made by such special individuals on behalf of our children.
This year's theme Vision, Voice, Visibility: Sail toward Healthy Horizons points to the overall positive impact school nurses have on the well-being of our youth.
A healthy body makes a healthy mind. By the very core -- the heart -- of what our nurses do to keep students healthy, they advance academic success and life-long achievement.
Our school nurses are on the frontline, and are often the first to provide healthcare to our students. They help diagnose illnesses and guide children to further medical care.
They are listeners, caretakers and mentors. They hold hands, offer hugs and wipe away tears. They provide stability and daily support for children who have chronic illnesses.
Governed by a specialized practice of nursing, they have offered their careers to public service. We are lucky to have them here with us in Groveport Madison.
I offer my special thanks -- and encourage you to take a few moments to share your appreciation -- with them for their innate ability to care for and take care of our children as they answer their calling.
Diving in ...
Posted 5/2/2011 at 7:32:25 AM by Scott McKenzie [staff member]
With spring break behind us, we jump right back into the swing of things this week.
Students in grades 3 through 8 are set to take the Ohio Achievement Assessments, beginning with the reading portion of the test on Tuesday.
From there, the testing schedule fluctuates a bit, depending on the grade level. The week will look like this:
Wednesday
Math: Grades 3, 4, 5 and 8
Thursday
Math: Grades 6 and 7
Science: Grades 5 and 8
The OAAs help us measure a child’s progress. While the resulting scores will give us just a snapshot in time, combined with other assessments the data allow us to measure a child’s progress over time.
The OAA scores are also used by the state as a yardstick on the Local Report Card. Last year Groveport Madison earned an effective rating for student performance, which would be equivalent to a “B” on a traditional grade card.
Our students have prepared all year for this week’s assessments, and I am confident they will do well. Our teachers have worked hard to equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to perform as best as they are able.
With all of that said, it’s important for us -- as parents and educators -- to keep a calm attitude about the tests. If we appear anxious, they’ll become uneasy. There’s no need to “cram” or review a year’s worth of work. The OAAs measure what a child has learned at this point in the year for a given level in school.
The Ohio Department of Education offers a special section on its website devoted to the OAAs. You can look at sample questions, gain a better understanding of what’s expected of students by the end of each grade and learn how the tests are scored.
The best preparation will come by encouraging a good night’s sleep and feeding an empty belly in the morning at home or with breakfast offered at school.
So, here’s hoping a week’s worth of rest and relaxation has left our students recharged and ready to dive in. Full steam ahead!