March 12, 2020
NUTS-n-BOLTS
1. AGAIN, THANK YOU to our CLASSIFIED STAFF!!! What you do day in and day out is AMAZING! You are truly appreciated. Sometimes it's a thankless job. Just know that your work is important and you make a difference each day!
2. Please make sure that you read Superintendent Smith's emails regarding COVID-19 updates.
3. COGAT testing begins on Monday the 16th. There are between 6-9 students who will be assessed.
4. Shout out to Kim Ramsey and Steve for working to get the ELPA 21 completed!!
5. GNN has been 'glitchy' this week. Will has ordered new equipment. We will be up and running 'live' again on Monday. Until then, please choose when during 1st period it is best for you to watch with your students.
6. While being out and about, I've noticed multiple students in the hallways using the restroom. For example, two-three students from one class going to the restroom. Do the same students ask everyday to use the restroom? Do they ask about the same time each day? I know this is hard to manage because students figure out ways to 'meet up' in the restroom. However, please monitor your sign in and out sheet for restroom use.
7. Some of you have given me names for the Dutch Bros card. Keep them coming! It's super easy to admire the discipline problems. Let's start admiring the positives! I am trying to positively word 'rules' on GNN. If you have suggestions on how to better do this, I am open to suggestions. For example, how to word following the rules positively instead of no hoodies, no air pods,etc.
8. Are there things on GNN you would like me to announce? Focus on? Let me know
9. Don't forget over spring break our computers are going to be upgraded. You need to clear your desk top so you don't lose valuable documents.
10. 4 weeks left in the 3rd quarter.
11. This summer Garrison is getting a new roof. Whoop!! Whoop!! The funding for this project is coming from maintenance and reserve funds not the from the bond. I do not yet know the specifics. There have been contractor bids. This is the official form if you wanted to read it. As soon I get more details, I'll keep you updated.
12. We are one of the only schools that is not undergoing major change during the summer months. From WA HI to Pioneer's remodels to BR consolidation, making room at PPT and GP for additional students there is A LOT going on around the District. With this being said, any maintenance projects, major classroom movements will be put on hold due to the other needs around the District. You should see the spreadsheet for WA HI just for moving classrooms during construction! WOW!!
Something to Ponder
As we get closer to spring, I'm guessing that some behaviors in our pre-teen and teenagers ramps up (if they haven't already). This is a summary of the article "Decoding the Teenage Brain (in 3 Charts) by Stephen Merrill in Edutopia, January 31, 2019. This is not to excuse the unfavorable behaviors. Rather it is to understand where the student is coming from, not to take their poor behavior personally and also so that I don't lose my ever-living-shiz! 😆 I hope you find a gold nugget or two of understanding or have an 'aha' moment. We have heard this research before. Sometimes it takes more than once to learn something. :D I say this from experience.
Insights on Teenage Behavior
In this Edutopiaarticle, Stephen Merrill says that recent research has given us important new information on the adolescent brain.
• The limbic system (the seat of primal instincts like fear, hunger, lust, and pleasure) is hyperactive during adolescence, while the prefrontal cortex (the seat of self-control, planning, and self-awareness) is still developing. “It’s not youthful irrationality or a flair for the dramatic at work,” says Merrill; “teenagers actually experience things like music, drugs, and the thrill of speed more powerfully than adults do.”
• The brain’s neuroplasticity at this stage of life makes kids sponges for learning. “The same emerging circuitry that makes teenagers vulnerable to risky behavior and mood swings also confers significant advantages on adolescent learners,” says Merrill.
• Being with peers increases risk-taking, most dangerously with automobiles and alcohol consumption. “It’s never been a question of feeling invulnerable,” says Merrill; “for teenagers, there’s just something about the presence of peers that is transfiguring. They understand the risks, and take them anyway.”
• Kids at this age respond well to direct explanations. “Talking to teenagers frankly about their brain development can provide useful context for their emotional worlds,” says Merrill, “and reset their expectations about their potential for continued intellectual growth.” This includes explaining the limbic system, the malleability of their brains, and the peer effect.
• Similarly, teens are receptive to learning about self-regulation, managing stress, and considering the feelings of others. Instruction in these areas is more effective than trying to scare kids about risky behaviors.
• Peer culture and teens’ keen sense of fairness and justice can be powerful levers. Preaching about smoking’s health consequences is usually ineffective, but talking about bad breath, peer disapproval, impact on younger children, and the way the tobacco industry hooks and exploits people can change teens’ attitudes and behavior.
Little Humor
Just saying...I watched this a couple of times because I needed the laugh :D 1:43 secs
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