Welcome 2009-10

Welcome to the new school year, 2009-2010. I am excited about what lies ahead for this year. Major budget cuts can not stop us from making this our best year yet.

Our professional development plan and school goals were laid out last spring. This has given me time to purposefully align collaboration and professional development opportunities. Our overarching goal is to become a true professional learning community (PLC) driven by assessment for learning around the targets of writing and gender responsiveness. That is a mouthful!

There have been many changes throughout the building during the summer break. Some changes have had major challenges, but all are designed to make us more dynamic in servicing the needs of our students. I have a strong learning curve ahead, but I am determined to grow in my knowledge and use of technology to reduce costs while enhancing education and increasing personal productivity.

This blog is the first of my changes. I will use frequent posts to keep you informed rather than weekly paper bulletins. It is my expectation that you check the blog at least once a week and use it as your primary source of basic information. I will be learning so please feel free to give feedback, post comments and ask for additional items.

Second major change is the beautiful digital signage board in the entry. This was purchased by the Parent Advisory Committee as a new communication tool. This too has a large amount of learning required. In fact I expect to be the local expert after a few weeks of implementation. But until then........ I am able to schedule different screens throughout the day and/or week. We can use it to display pictures of school and class activities if you upload pictures. Announcements and recognition can be given to students, parents and staff with frequent updates.

The District has entered into lease agreements for printers and copiers. This will save large amounts of money over the year. You will be trained to send documents to the printer and then will be able to access them when you are ready. The old Priport should still be used for large amounts of printing, such as when you print 100's of copies of an item, or when you need construction paper or tag board. Think dynamic and standardized, which overall is most cost effective.

These are just a few of the changes you will experience in the first week of school. As a PLC we will muddle through together.