|
Principal’s Update
November 2009 Supporting Our Kids I have been the PreK-12 Principal of the Wakefield-Marenisco School for exactly three months. My tenure most definitely feels like it has been longer than that; however, this is due to aggressively working to instill some fundamental changes in order to foster a safe and productive learning environment. The most challenging aspect of creating this environment, at least in this school building, is the PreK-12 set-up. If one was principal of merely a high school, which housed only grades 9-12, the make-up of stakeholders would be much more homogenous and therefore would have similar goals and expectations. For example, when the parent group of stakeholders only represents teenagers - their needs, such as a drug-free campus, perhaps, are alike. In the case of our school, in the same half-hour of any given day I might see a second grader who was called, “dork” at recess, work with a senior who is short three credits to graduate, email 7-12 staff about the computer lab usage, take a call regarding bus arrival times from a parent of a Kindergarten student, and have to call law enforcement because a sophomore brought liquor to school. Of course this list is hypothetical, but the point I am trying to make is: Where is my time to be an instructional leader? When can I work with staff to align curriculum to improve student achievement? Where do we find the time to design and test a differentiated instruction pilot program that calls for two periods of team teaching in the junior high? Part of my job is to create the time to work to implement measures designed to improve instruction. As parents, you have an opportunity to assist me in that endeavor - simply by supporting what we do. Parents and the various communities which make up the school district in which they reside need to support all students in a number of ways. In fact, education reformer Jerry Wartgow, in his book titled, Why School Reform Is Failing and What We Need to Do about It, states that, “…parental involvement and family and community influence are the primary determinants of student performance.” Mr. Wartgow is originally from Butternut, Wisconsin, a short drive from us, and has worked for over forty years in education in a variety of posts, one of which was Superintendent of Denver Public Schools. What his statement means is that the more positive support you as parents and community members provide to your children, the better grades they will earn, the higher test scores they will receive, and the more success they will experience. As parents you can do the following to help your children: Ask your children how their day at school was - focus on the positives.
Show an interest in their homework and projects - not by just asking them if they are finished, but asking them to show their work to you and ask them to explain what they have to do and why.
Attend extracurricular / after-school functions such as concerts, plays, and sporting events.
Communicate with the school / utilize our Internet-based SDS parent access option. Perhaps you could set aside some time each evening to do this with your child(ren).
Express interest and concern for your child’s future. Foster discussion regarding college and potential careers.
Show your children you value their accomplishments in school and life.
Demand that the school offer more rigorous curriculum, ask us to challenge your children, and support us when we do. As a community, we all need to support our school and the education it provides. Our school can and should be a focal point of this community. The students, your children, need to hear that education is important and that their school can and will be the ticket to becoming a successful, competitive, productive member of society. The point here is that the more you as parents show you value education and support your children, the more we as a school district can focus on increasing student achievement. With your help, I can turn my full attention to the one of the most important parts of my job: being an instructional leader.
Thank you for your time and feel free to contact me anytime regarding this information, Matthew A. Spets, PreK-12 Principal
|
