Hello ILP class,

As we are heading into the fall and out of our summer, remember to adjust your sleeping pattern and study habits.  So many of you have claimed to operate on little to no sleep and drink “energy” drinks to stay awake.  Please listen to the national news and research on this and GET MORE SLEEP and DRINK MORE WATER.  Please.  Think about what you are doing to your body when you are still growing - think about what type of fuel you are giving it and how you are treating it.  

Congratulations to many of you for making your set deadlines and meeting your goals.  You have a handle on your time and seem to be managing very well.   Some of you did not make your deadline and are on academic level one.  I have attached information on the academic review process.  Please take a look if you are not familiar with this.  

Academic Review Process

In a Standards-Driven school, students are supported to move along at a challenging pace but at a pace that reflects their individual academic needs.  The Re-Inventing Schools Coalition (RISC), an educational non-profit organization, explains this educational focus as an “innovative thinking and teaching through relevant standards, effective balanced instruction, aligned assessments, and meaningful reporting.” Standards-Driven Education aligns all of our resources for learning and standards to be the constant making time the variable.  

The expectations for how standards are met are explained in a rubric format.  These standards and rubrics are available online and are accessible by students in every classroom.  Students in this model learn how to take responsibility for themselves as learners and become accountable for their personal academic growth.

These standards continue to be revised and improved in three-year cycles that reflect the vision, content areas, state standards, and national standards.

Lesson for New Teachers by Vito Perrone

Focus on Chapter 11: Relationships with Families

“… [we] can’t afford to lose sight of the parents if they truly wish to serve their students well.” 

Right from the beginning Perrone sums up the essence of his essay with this statement. The involvement of parents is a key factor in the success of the school culture and thus the students themselves. This need is evident in most school’s shared vision and their mission statements. Well before Vice President Quayle scared the general population with his family values rhetoric, educators have realized that we need to address the emotional needs of our students. What has often worried me is a perceived willingness to take over. Although there are times when the aspect of instilling morals for our students is difficult to avoid, clearly this is something that should not happen outside of the familial unit whenever possible. In order to best support our students emotionally we need the assistance of all stakeholders; we need to build a web of reinforcement and involvement that promotes awareness of student learning.

If a list of addresses or email addresses are available this is an important first contact. In the smaller schools, after the first few days, you can call each family to touch base and tell them something authentic and positive that has been witnessed in their student. In Anchorage this is difficult but doable on a small scale. At HTH, each teacher has an advisory of students – where we serve as their contact. Technology has made it possible for parents to receive multiple chances at dialogue with the staff. Perrone mentions the all too often our habit of waiting to contact parents after a problem has arisen. As an administrators, we can help prevent this by facilitating parental contact and involvement. This can also occur when an administrator is visible and out in the school.  Once we, as a staff, are operating on a level of consistent parental contact, teachers are ready to make the contact more meaningful by not only informing them of what is going on in their classes but inviting them to participate. We have witnessed this involvement become a powerful experience when planning and follow up is added to the process.  We also found getting a list of parents’ interests and passions toward the beginning of the year assisted in setting up a volunteer network.  Perrone has reminded me of how very important it is to set up the community right from the beginning.