Volume 1 No. 3

   A
   Henry
   Quinlan
   Publication

The Principal's
Idea Notebook

Volume 1 - Number 3 January 31, 2003
		Programs Parents Center Assists in Reading Program Matching Parents Skills and Talents with School Needs School Adopts Accelerated 3 Year Program School within a School for High School Students Charter, Public School Teachers Learn from Each Other Community Invited To School "Meet and Greet" Free Car Raffle Gets Students In Gear Monthly Brown Bag Luncheon for Parents Telethon for Public Schools Training Aspiring and New Principals *Strategies for Helping Students Pass Tests and* Parents Diagnostic Tool Curricula Benefits of Teaching a Foreign Language Early Students March Through History New Thoughts on Senior Year Students Learn By Teaching Tigerman To The Rescue Read-A-Thon Launched with a Helicopter Odds & Ends Relieving The Stress During School Renovation Reasons For Improved Test Scores Mural Caps Student's High School Career Auto Dealers Partner with School of Technology**
		Editorial Policy: It is the policy of The Principal's Idea Notebook to present ideas from principlas around the country that are innovative, creative and worthy of being adapted at other schools. It is the free flow of ideas that make our education system the best in the world and most of these ideas come from School Principals. Henry M. Quinlan Publisher Programs ----- Parents Center Assists in Reading Program Raymond, MS --Raymond Elementary School is participating in two federal reading programs aimed at helping and improving reading skills. The school has purchased thousands of dollars worth of books and created a parent center that is designed to help parents help their children how to read. Also available in the center is computer lab and reading software. The Principal Cindy Gibson said that these have helped her students reading ability. January 2003 Matching Parents Skills and Talents with School Needs Roxboro, NC --Bethel Hill Charter School has created a new position - "involvement coordinator". The new coordinator will keep a volunteer log to ensure that 100 per cent of the parents are involved in the school. One of the goals according to the Principal John Betterton is to better match the needs of the school and the teachers with the interest and talents of the parents. December 2002 Students Earn Money By Doing their Job Orangeburg, SC --Dr. Emma L. Caldwell, curriculum and instruction facilitator has instituted a program that allows students to earn "tiger bucks" by doing their job - being a student. Students can earn money by exhibiting exemplary behavior, completing their homework, wearing their uniform, making the principal's list, excellent attendance and for parents' participation in school events. Every two weeks each student gets a pay stub showing how much has been deposited in his or her account. The students can withdraw form The Tiger Bank to spend at The Tiger Store is opened immediately after a PTA meeting. Students, parents and teachers operate the Tiger Store where items such as stuffed animals, super balls, watches pencils and pens stickers and more are sold. The program has proved as a motivator for students as well as parents. December 2002 School within a School for High School Students Ft. Smith, AR --Utilizing a grant the Van Buren High School will be creating two career academy programs next year. The career academies will both offer a core English class, as well as history and math, plus courses that focus on one of two career paths. The two career paths that are being proposed are business technology and medical sciences. The offerings are geared to average students ( two thirds of student body) who have an interest in one of these areas. The principal Tom Watkins says that he and his staff are trying to offer something that will motivate threes kids and that is exciting. January 2003 Charter, Public School Teachers Learn from Each Other Boston, MA --Teachers from a public school and a charter school involved in a program Project for School Innovation meet together to learn from each other. The Principal of the Neighborhood House Charter School said that we are all just educating kids. The Public School Principal Bill Henderson says that he was looking for people doing good work and to share ideas. The experience has been positive for teachers from both systems. The public school teachers are exposed to some innovations that the Charter Schools have implemented and the charter school teachers, who are mostly young, have learned from the more experienced public school teachers. As an example, At the Mather Elementary School, the oldest elementary school the teachers are using a portfolio technique that was developed by the Charter School teachers. January 2003 January 2003 Community Invited To School "Meet and Greet" Woodstown, NJ --A "meet and greet" was organized for the community and the school administration to meet and interact. The event was held and it gave an opportunity for the new staff members and the community to meet. According to Principal Bob Dickinson, it was especially useful because of the recent turnover in the administration. January 2003 Car Raffle Gets Students In Gear Ft. Pierce, FL --Seeking to motivate students to do well on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, FCAT, the St. Lucie County School District obtained a donated 1994 Oldsmobile 88 to be raffled off to the lucky student. Ninth and tenth grade students who do well or who significantly improve their scores will be eligible for the raffle. The car was obtained from the Sheriff's office, which donated three seized cars. The car will be registered in the name of the parents who must agree to insure the car. According to Principal Lin Bushore of Westwood high School other incentives will also be offered such as VCR's, gift certificates and school jackets. January 2003 Monthly Brown Bag Luncheon for Parents Oakdale, AR --In an attempt to reach the parents of her students, Principal Nancy Swearingen of the Westside Elementary School has organized a monthly brown bag lunch for parents with programs that will attract the parents. One lunch featured introduction of staff to the parents, they might not otherwise get to meet such as the Reading Recovery Teachers. The lunch includes a discussion period. Parents are encouraged to suggest topics for each month's lunch. January 2003 Training Aspiring and New Principals New York, NY --Sandra Stein, the academic dean for the new Leadership Academy at Baruch College trains aspiring and new principals. Her training program emphasizes practice of the profession's daily challenges by working out mock problems. Stein says that a principal is the lead teacher but also the lead learner in a community in which adults are learning more effective ways to teach. January 2003 Telethon for Public Schools Jefferson Parish, LA --Sal LaRock, a former school principal and a veteran of 37 years in education has organized a telethon as a fundraiser for public schools. It is the first of its kind in the nation. Now the director of community education, LaRock's purpose was to get more people involved with the schools and help the schools' general fund budget. More than 2000 hours of volunteer hours were pledged in the first day of a two-day event. December 2002 Strategies for Helping Students Pass Tests Milwaukie, OR --A basic component of the Oregon education reform initiative is the Certificate of Initial Mastery. Next year key components of the certificate will be needed to graduate. The challenge facing Principal Aeylin Summers of Milwaukie High School is that only a fifth of the students have obtained the certificate. She has embarked on a program of encouragement and reminders to the students about the tests. During the winter break she wrote 500 letters to the homes of students reminding them of the new requirements and on 100 of them she put a personal note. She also has kept the school open on days when the school is out of session to give students a chance to finish their projects. She calls these CIM (Certificate of Initial Mastery ) days and they have proven very popular. January 2003 Diagnostic Tool Pittsburgh, PA --School officials have developed a diagnostic program they call the Strategic Teaching for Educational Proficiency Exams. The core of the program is to identify student weaknesses in specific areas. The weaknesses that are shown in the pupils' fifth-grade assessments are the target of the program. Middle School Principal Donna Antkowiak wants the program expanded up to the high school level. January 2003 Top Curricula ----- Benefits of Teaching Foreign Language Early Fort Pierce, FL --On a typical morning at the Garden City Elementary School many students are walking though the halls saying "hola" and other Spanish words. This is the result of an idea by Principal Rita Johnson. She wants to teach a foreign language early in a child's life when it is easier for children to learn. She also hopes that it will address low standardized test scores. Assistant Principal Leslie Dangerfield who created a similar program at Florida Atlantic University said that children who learn a foreign language tend to score higher better on achievement tests. To start, a select group of students are participating in the program. They spend 30 minutes a day, five days a week in groups of 20 or fewer with a teacher. December 2002 Students March Through History Chino, CA --Twenty students from the kindergarten at the El Rancho Elementary School participated in a march complete with posters representative of the Martin Luther King march on Washington, The kindergarten had been learning about segregation, protests, busing and Dr. King and the march. The Principal Barbara Black said that it was a very good way to drive the message home and teach them to respect one another. January 2003 December 2002 New Thoughts on Senior Year Cherry Hill, NJ --Governor McGreedy in his State of the State Address noted that the senior year in high school for students who have met graduation requirements is little more than a rest stop before graduation. Many have expressed doubts about the efficacy of the senior year for many students. Eleven school systems in New Jersey will now be offering non-traditional options for seniors in the coming year. The options will include finding inventive approaches to subjects students care about. The system wants to offer choices to seniors who have passed the High School Proficiency Assessment and have satisfied most of their graduation options. They will be able to take low cost college courses ($33 per credit); they can work on independent study projects; perform community service; undertake an internship or enroll in a high-specialized academy at their high school. They also have the option to continue with the normal high school program. East Cherry Hill Principal John O'Breza's district is a leader in the reform push, January 2003 Students Learn By Teaching Kingston, ON --When a seventy-six year old resident approached Assistant Principal about sitting in on a computer class, Joe Pitelli, the Assistant Principal of Fr. Bressani Catholic High School suggested a student led class. It turned out to be a great success and was repeated this year for a class of 29 parents and other citizens. The students created a 12-week course that teaches the basics of word processing, resume building and graphic design. The students learned a lot about what teachers experienced. January 2003 Tigerman To The Rescue Philadelphia, PA --A young professional actor who was the victim of bullying and violence as a student has developed a character, "Tigerman with a special message for young children." Tigerman gives performances at elementary schools promoting peace, love and safety. The children respond very well to him and as Assistant Principal Carmen Alba of the Edmunds School says, He's got a knack and he will definitely be back." January 2003 Read-A-Thon Launched With a Helicopter Prescott Valley, AZ --Students at the Bradshaw Mountain Middle School were fascinated by the site of a helicopter hovering over the school field and watched one of the teachers repel from the helicopter to the ground. The students then went to the assembly where the teacher talked to the students about the importance of reading and how it will help them do what they want to do. This was the start of the Read-A-Thon program where students signed up to read a book for 15 minutes in the font office. According to the Principal Brain Buchholtz the idea was to get students to get excited about reading. January 2003 Top Odds & Ends----- Relieving The Stress During School Renovation Hamilton, OH --Garfield Junior High School is undergoing reconstruction while school is going on within the building. The Principal Dennis Malone has hung signs around the school that say, "Yield to Hamilton City Schools", "We Dig our Staff" and "School Work Ahead". The principal said that the signs provide a little bit of fun and that the students have handled the reconstruction more responsibly than the administration had though they would. January 2003 Reasons For Improved Tests Scores Bremen, OH --Rick Burns, Principal at the Bremen Elementary School had test scores on the fourth grade proficiency test jump from 51 percent to 62 percent. He attributes the change to in-service training courses geared to improving scores by faculty scores, and greater involvement by parents, including as volunteers in the school. December 2002 Mural Caps Student's High School Career Northfield, VT --Principal of the High School, Peter Evans called a student into his office and asked if I could create a mural for the school. The concept evolved into the Capstone project --an in-depth project focused on a topic of a student's choice, carried out over the period of a semester or a year. The result of the meeting was a painting divided into three 4x8 foot sections that tells the story of past family conflict and the present condition and his hopes for the future. The mural proved to be very educational and fulfilling for the student and was done within the Vermont Framework of Standards. The standards include different aspects of communication, problem solving, abstract and creative thinking and personal development. January 2003 Auto Dealers Partner with School of Technology Exeter, NH --Area auto dealers provide support, training and equipment to the Seacoast School of Technology's automotive technology program. The Association also raises funds for the program with an annual golf tournament. The dealers are facing a shortage of qualified auto technicians and are concerned the demand is greater than the supply. The program also has the highest internship of any program in the State. Principal Nancy Pierce says that the program couldn't exist as successfully without the support of the automotive industry. January 2003 Top
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