WACO Jr./Sr HS News

February Board Report- Jr./Sr. High School

2012-02-15T17:45:00.000-06:00

Secondary Board Report- February 2012

Professional Development during the past month at the Jr./Sr. High School has focused on the following:

January 18, 2012

Focus- Curriculum Mapper

HS Staff

2:00 HS Library

Equipment- Laptop & Projector

Curriculum Director Tina Whalen instructed the staff on the process of eliminating pieces of the Core Curriculum that didn’t align with the particular class and standard. Staff were given time to work through their maps and complete the process.

January 25, 2012

Focus- Gradual Release

HS Staff

2:00 HS Library

Today’s PD was a continuation of the session that was shortened by Pat Coen and Tim Graber meeting with staff members. Staff watched a couple videos about Learning Goals and Success Criteria. In our prior Gradual Release session we discussed the similarities between the Gradual Release model and the work of Margaret Heritage. The videos went more in depth about Heritage’s work and how to use Learning Goals and Success Criteria.

February 1, 2012

Focus- Technology, The Warrior Way

HS Staff

2:00 HS Library

To begin PD today we ad a discussion about the direction staff members would like to see our school go in regards to technology and more specifically we talked about equipping our school with I-pads or Mac Book laptops. Bert Miller is planning to submit a grant to the Riverboat Foundation for either I-pads or Mac Book laptops. We had a good discussion about what were viewed as the pros and cons for each. Jeremy Klopfenstein then shared a presentation he had put together about the pillars of the Warrior Way and the plan to share this with the students. Remaining time was used by staff to work on Curriculum Maps.

February 8, 2012

Focus- Assignment calendars, Curriculum Maps, and making Parent contacts.

HS Staff

On this day I was home ill. Staff were instructed to update their assignment calendars on their individual web-sites. They were also asked to contact parents of students who were struggling. Staff members also had the option to work on Curriculum Maps.

February 15, 2012

Focus- Gradual Release of Responsibility, The Warrior Way

HS Staff

2:00 HS Library

Equipment- Laptop, projector, handouts

Our next step in our learning about the Gradual Release of Responsibility model will be to videotape teachers doing a Focus Lesson that includes a purpose statement and modeling. Prior to watching videos of each other doing the Focus Lessons we will watch a couple samples to learn to focus on what the students and teacher are doing rather than evaluate or judge what is occurring in the classroom. The main emphasis will be to identify what high levels of teaching and learning look like in the classroom and how we know whether it is occurring in the classroom. Teachers will also be reviewing what the key components of an effective Focus Lesson are.

The Behavior Team will also work to design lessons and activities that will be used in the upcoming weeks that introduce and inform our students about the Warrior Way pillars.

Students at the Jr./Sr. High School also completed the winter series of MAP testing recently. These tests measure the growth of the students in Math and Reading. As you may remember NWEA MAP Tests have been used for the past four years at WACO. This is the first year however that the testing is being done with students up to the 12^th grade. Each child learns differently so NWEA developed computerized adaptive assessments that test differently, allowing teachers to see their students as individuals – each with their own base of knowledge. With flexible delivery options, our assessments can scale to fit the needs of our students. Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) tests present students with engaging, age-appropriate content. As a student responds to questions, the test responds to the student, adjusting up or down in difficulty. The result is a rewarding experience for the student, and a wealth of detailed information for teachers and administrators. This data is used to set individual growth goals for students as well as by teachers to better understand the skills students possess and the skill sets students are ready to learn. Info from these tests also provide data teachers and administrators when we are designing courses and placing students in courses that will best meet their individual needs.

Some of the data compiled by Tina Whalen from the most recent testing is below:

College/Career Readiness (CCR) Lexile Comparison

2011-2012 MAP Data

Grade	Total	Below Grade	At/Above Grade	At/Above CCR
7	38	19 (50%)	19 (50%)	6 (16%)
8	35	13 (37%)	22 (63%)	5 (14%)
9	36	13 (36%)	23 (64%)	9 (23%)
10	34	15 (44%)	19 (56%)	9 (26%)
11	42	14 (33%)	28 (67%)	19 (45%)
12	35	11 (31%)	24 (69%)	23 (66%)
7-12	220	85 (39%)	135 (61%)	71 (32%)

College/Career Readiness (CCR) Math

2011-2012 MAP Data

Grade	Total	Below 235	Alg 1 Ready	Alg Comp.	CCR
7	41	25 (61%)	4 (10%)	9 (22%)	3 (7%)
8	35	26 (74%)	10 (29%)	8 (23%)	1 (3%)
9	36	13 (36%)	10 (28%)	7 (19%)	6 (17%)
10	34	10 (29%)	13 (38%)	7 (21%)	4 (12%)
11	39	8 (21%)	14 (36%)	15 (38%)	2 (5%)
12	35	12 (34%)	9 (26%)	7 (20%)	7 (20%)
7-12	220	94 (43%)	60 (27%)	53 (24%)	23 (10%)

On January 31^st Aaron Thomas, son of former Aplington-Parkersburg football coach Ed Thomas spoke at WACO. In attendance were students in grades 4^th through 12^th as well as staff members and 40-50 community members. Aaron shared a brief video about the tornado that struck Parkersburg as well as the events around the shooting death of his father. Much of his message focused on overcoming adversity and how we can make the most out the opportunities that are right in front of us. Aaron’s talk centered not only on his own experiences but how students, staff, and members of the community can each do their part in taking pride in your community, supporting one another, and taking advantage of opportunities that are right here at WACO. His message was very powerful and was received very well by everyone in attendance. Some students went as far to say that he was the best speaker they had ever heard at WACO. A video of his presentation at WACO can be seen at:

Aaron Thomas Speech at WACO

On January 26^th and 27^th a team from United Action for Youth came to WACO to work with a group of students known as the SWAT Team. These are a group of students led by Mr. Klopfenstein and myself who are committed to making the learning environment at WACO a place where students are excited to be and people feel they can excel as individuals and as learners. The UAY group taught the students about teamwork and how to be leaders among their peers. The SWAT Team had identified areas of need at WACO so the UAY team also focused on skills and strategies that would address these areas. Are couple of the areas of focus were respect, bullying/harassment, drama, more activities, and a few others. Students who went through the two day training had a great experience and I am very excited about what this group will be doing the remainder of the school to improve the climate at WACO. UAY will also be returning in March to work with a team of staff members as well.

On February 3^rd, WACO held a “Texting and Driving Awareness” night during the girl’s shootout vs New London. Players and students wore t-shirts with a message about the dangers of texting and signs were posted throughout the building as well. A public service announcement was also read during the evening to share additional info about the initiative. I am part of a committee through Henry County Health that is designing a program that we will also be presenting at schools in the coming months.

Todd Werner

Jr./Sr. High School Principal

Zane Morrow-The WARRIOR WAY!

2012-01-26T22:38:00.000-06:00

This year at WACO we've introduced the Warrior Way to our students and staff. The Warrior Way was created to define what we are about at WACO. Students chose the characteristics of respect, pride, persistence, strength, adaptability, and integrity as the core values of the Warrior Way. Last Thursday night at the wrestling meet many of us got to see one of our students be recognized for living the Warrior Way. Zane Morrow personifies the Warrior Way with his pride, persistence, and strength. The really neat thing is that he has had an influence on more people outside the WACO community than many of us realized. Go to the link below to see a person who lives by the code of the Warrior Way.

http://www.kcrg.com/sports/local/Zane-Morrow-His-Time-to-Shine-138099003.html#commentform

January School Board Report- Jr./Sr. High School

2012-01-19T14:07:00.000-06:00

January 2012

Jr./Sr. High School Board Report

Our primary focus prior to and just after Christmas break at the Jr./Sr. High School has been to prep the students for semester finals. Semester finals were held January 9^th and 10^th followed by a teacher work-day on January 11^th. Semester finals went very smoothly and for the second straight year the weather cooperated very nicely.

Since December 14^th we’ve had just a single professional development day (January 4^th) at the Jr./Sr. High School. On this day Mr. Coen and Board President, Tim Graber met with staff members at the Secondary Building about future decisions the Board would have to be making as we move forward. After the meeting we had just a short time to spend on staff development. In our time we read portions of two articles, one by Margaret Heritage, Formative Assessment- Making It Happen In the Classroom and The Purposeful Classroom- How To Structure Lessons With Learning Goals In Mind, by Nancy Frey and Doug Fisher. Fisher and Frey are the proponents of the Gradual Release of Responsibility model we have spent time learning about this year while Margaret Heritage focuses on formative assessment based on learning goals and success criteria established by the instructor. Her current work focuses on data used for school improvement, learning progressions, formative assessment, and teachers’ use of formative assessment evidence. Groups of teachers read portions of each article and shared with the group how the two models were similar and also different. Although the session was very short we engaged in a good discussion and will return to the topic at a PD session in the near future.

Winter sports are in full gear this time of year. The Warrior Invitational Wrestling Tournament was held January 14^th. Thirteen teams attended and as always a great tournament was put on by our coaches, athletic director, and all the workers who contributed to a great day of wrestling at WACO. A special thanks to all those who helped with this big event.

The Junior High held their Winter Concert on December 20^th. As always they put on a very impressive show! A job well done by the students and instructors, Millie Youngquist, Denise Freyenberger, and Tom McNamar.

In the December report I noted that the Student Council held their Blood Drive at the Jr./Sr. High School. A total of 44 units of blood were collected that will serve as many as 132 patients with potentially lifesaving blood.

Todd Werner

Jr./Sr. High School Principal

Why Do We Have To Do This??

2012-01-04T22:34:00.001-06:00

Teachers and parents often hear this from our students and kids regarding numerous things we ask them to do at school or at home. If we as educators and parents can effectively communicate "WHY" our students and children should experience enhanced success when learning new concepts, skills, or strategies. As I've spoken about in earlier blog postings, as a staff we are spending time this year during professional development learning about the Gradual Release of Responsibility model, and primarily Focus Lessons. The Focus Lesson is the time when the teacher demonstrates, models, and shares their thinking with students. This is a key time when the teacher uses the student's attention to introduce the concept, skill, or strategy they will learn. One of the most important features of an effective Focus Lesson is establishing purpose for the learner. The purpose statement should clearly explain expectations, the learning goal, and how the activities are linked to the learning goal. Doug Fisher states, "When teachers have high expectations for students, communicate those expectations, and provide the support necessary to achieve them, student performance soars." If we as teachers and parents want to answer "WHY", have a clear and concise purpose statement that will help students and children understand why and experience success during the learning process. I encourage all parents to not just ask what your child did at school, but instead ask them if they can tell you the purpose of what they did in class. As always, I also welcome you all to come and visit us at WACO and experience the teaching and learning that occurs all day, every day.

What Can We Do Better?

2011-12-02T22:44:00.000-06:00

Over the course of a school year we are always asking ourselves this question time and time again, "How can we do things better?" There are always so many things that come up that we would like to improve on and the difficult part of this can be identifying what to change, how to change it, and how do we tell whether the change was effective? We recently received a lot of really great feedback from the SIAC Committee that met and shared thoughts about what is going well at WACO and what can be improved. This information from the SIAC group will be very beneficial to school improvement, but it is always important to collect as much input as possible to make sound decisions when it comes to school related matters. What I'd like to ask from those of you who read this blog is to submit your input about what you feel WACO does well and what WACO can do better to prepare our students for challenges they will face in the future. Feel free to respond here in this forum, respond to my e-mail: Todd.Werner@wacocsd.org, call me at 319-256-6200 or 319-361-3389, or stop by school anytime to share your thoughts. Your thoughts are valuable to us and I look forward to hearing from you about what we can do to make WACO the best school it can be!

Gradual Release at WACO

2011-11-17T21:56:00.003-06:00

During the last couple weeks teachers at the Jr./Sr. High School have spent their time on Wednesday's after school studying about the Gradual Release of Responsibility. Gradual Release is a model of instruction that teachers began to learn about last year after attending two, day long sessions in Burlington with Doug Fisher, one of the designers of Gradual Release. The Gradual Release model has four components that shift the responsibility of learning gradually from teacher to student during the instructional process. This year we are focusing on just one part of the model, Focus Lessons. The Focus Lesson is the portion of instruction in which the teacher establishes purpose and uses modeling to present the skill or knowledge. Before we even went into Gradual Release however we spent some time defining what learning is at WACO. The discussion that followed led to these definitions of learning at WACO:

A change in behavior.
Experiences that bring about relative change as seen through personal growth and mastery.
Learning should be transformational not transactional.
Gaining knowledge and/or skill in various ways to positively benefit a persons overall life or well-being.
Gaining knowledge and/or skill through experiences.
Students are challenged to bring out the creative aspect.

After these definitions of learning were created teachers were asked to use these statements as a guide to reflect on the learning process that occurs within their classrooms. When teachers reflect on the planning, instruction, and assessment, are they in line with what we have identified as learning at WACO? I welcome parents and community members to visit our classrooms and seeing learning in action.

During upcoming professional development sessions we will concentrate on learning to effectively communicate purpose to students and about various strategies teachers can use to model learning.

ASVAB Test

2011-11-09T10:44:00.001-06:00

The ASVAB Career Exploration Program is a career planning and exploration program that combines a multiple-aptitude test with an interest self-assessment and a wide range of career exploration tools. The ASVAB (Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery) is intended for use with students in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades, as well as students in post-secondary schools. The Program provides tools, including the test battery and interest inventory, developed by the Department of Defense to help high school and post-secondary students across the nation learn more about career exploration and planning. Results of the aptitude test and the interest inventory enable students to evaluate their skills, estimate performance in academic and vocational endeavors, and identify potentially satisfying careers. These results are integrated with work values to help students identify and prioritize possible career choices. Students are encouraged to consider their own work-related values and other important personal preferences as they explore the world of work and learn career exploration skills that will benefit them throughout their work lives. This year 39 WACO students in the junior class took the test and participated in the program. Representatives from the Iowa National Guard out of Mt. Pleasant administered the test to our students and this week shared results with the students and took them through the career exploration program. Students were able to explore career interests, school requirements, and check employment forecast for a variety of careers they have interest in. Guard representatives also shared that WACO students produced some of the highest scores of any students at schools they work with. The ASVAB scores can also be a predictor of performance on the ACT and SAT college entrance exams and serve as a good practice for these tests as well. Overall, the program was very positive for our students and I look forward to seeing how the ASVAB can be a useful tool for our students in the future.

Community and School Collaboration

2011-11-06T22:24:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the gap between blog posts!

Last Thursday I spoke to the Wayland Economic Development Group about what is currently happening in our school and what our goals are for the future. This group works to promote economic development in the Wayland area and support existing business to help keep the community moving forward. For a small community Wayland reaches many places around the globe via multiple businesses and products. Establishing a strong relationship between the school and the business's in the community is vital for the future of each. For business's it is important to have a good understanding of the people they serve and the pool of people from which they will look to hire for employment. As a school we must provide students the required skills to support the business's either as skilled workers or as customers who have the financial means to support business's. After speaking with this group it is important that the school become an active participant in the Wayland Economic Development Group and become and active participant in the planning of the economic future of Wayland. As many small towns are struggling and finding it hard to survive it is very encouraging to see such a proactive group of community leaders who are determined to see Wayland succeed. It was a pleasure to speak to them and I look forward to working with them as we each work to face the challenges that lie ahead.

I will share a copy of the presentation given to the Wayland group asap!

THE WARRIOR WAY!

2011-10-27T10:03:00.000-05:00

During the 2010-2011 school year we created Behavior Teams composed of teachers and administrators at both the elementary and secondary buildings to focus on school climate and enhancing the learning environment for all students. This past summer when the Behavior Team met to discuss ways that we can improve the climate at WACO and enhance school pride among our students, staff, and community we wanted to focus on the characteristics or pillars we thought would identify the type of individuals that could leave our school and be successful, we called it- THE WARRIOR WAY. But instead of our committee creating the traits we gave this task to the students at the start of the year and allowed them to come up with what they thought would represent THE WARRIOR WAY. From the students the characteristics of persistence, adaptability, integrity, strength, pride, and respect. Next, each trait was assigned to a class who will learn about the trait and how it applies to the way we do things at WACO. Later in the year, each class will have the opportunity to present their pillars to the student body and how they displayed THE WARRIOR WAY through their actions that represent the particular pillar. WACO students will also be selecting and participating in a service project during the year to learn about giving of themselves and to gain the experience what they can do to make a difference or give back to society. Students hear THE WARRIOR WAY quote of the day each morning and signs are hung throughout the building emphasizing pillars and THE WARRIOR WAY. Our goal is that THE WARRIOR WAY will become the way things are at WACO and be representative of the type of students, staff, and community members we have in the WACO school district.

Iowa Core @ WACO

2011-10-19T16:51:00.000-05:00

Today for Professional Development we brought the entire K-12 staff together to focus on the Iowa Core. Over the last several years the entire staff has worked diligently on identifying and defining the current reality at WACO. As a member of MISIC (Mid-Iowa-School-Improvement- Consortium) K-12 teachers have used curriculum mapping to document what exactly they are teaching our students at WACO on a daily basis. The next step of the process is the actual alignment process. As a district we will identify gaps, overlaps, or inadequacies that are revealed through the evaluation of the maps created by teachers. To keep this in perspective, it is important to understand some terms that help everyone understand what alignment to Iowa Core Curriculum means. Curriculum can be divided into three categories: intended, enacted, and assessed curricula

· Intended curriculum: the content target for the enacted curriculum, often captured in content standards or other similar documents.

· Enacted curriculum: the content actually delivered during instruction in the classroom and other learning settings, and how it is taught.

· Assessed curriculum: the content that is assessed to determine achievement (Porter, 2004).

One of the six Iowa Core Curriculum Outcomes (#4) is: District leaders and other educators monitor and use data to increase the degree of alignment of each and every student’s enacted curriculum and other relevant educational opportunities to the Iowa Core Curriculum. The thinking behind this outcome is that…

“If district leaders (administrators, teachers, and the school board) and other educators monitor and increase the degree of alignment among the intended, enacted, and assessed curriculum, then the quality of instruction will improve and student learning and performance will increase.

Even at this point in the process, there are still questions from staff members about the relevance or value of the process and how it all fits in the big picture. As an instructional leader it is my responsibility to establish the purpose for our teachers and guide them in understanding how this fits into the vision of WACO schools. When teachers see the connection between the Universal Constructs, Characteristics of Effective Instruction, Smarter Balanced Assessments, and other pieces of the process we will move towards providing our students a world-class education and the skills they need to succeed on whatever path of life they follow.

Twitter, an Educational Resource

2011-10-13T22:49:00.000-05:00

A few years ago when Twitter first got started I often thought to myself, "what a waste of time, who cares what Ashton Kutcher is eating for lunch!" Later, I was introduced to it a bit more at a training session held by the Great Prairie AEA and still did not see any benefits for using Twitter. This past summer while attending the Iowa Education Summit in Des Moines I attended many of the sessions with long-time friend Roger Teeling who is the K-8 principal at Lisbon. As we listened to the speakers during the summit Roger shared with me the live interaction taking place via twitter from those in attendance as well as some who were not present but following via Twitter. That realtime sharing of thoughts and ideas from so many educational leaders was impressive and showed me how Twitter can be a valuable educational resource. Since the summit I have established my own Twitter account and am currently following 48 different people who outside a couple people connected to my beloved Hawkeyes are educational in nature. At this time I also have 17 people who follow me via Twitter. Twitter has proven to be a GREAT resource of current information and a way to exchange ideas and information that can be spread to others who can use and pass on this info to others. Every few days I try to share items with K-12 staff members that may be a benefit or of interest. I am still in the learning stages of usig Twitter and plan to find even more ways to use it as a learning tool. My goal is also to spend a portion of Professional Development time in the coming weeks to share the benefits of Twitter with WACO staff. If you are interested in following I can be found @ToddWerner1. Below are some links to sites that share more of the benefits Twitter can provide.

http://www.toprankblog.com/2010/01/twitter-tips-polls/
http://johntaylorsblog.com/benefits-of-twittering/
http://cooper-taylor.com/2008/08/50-ideas-on-using-twitter-for-education/
http://cirrelia-thaxton.suite101.com/using-twitter-for-educational-purposes-a287131

How to Handle Bullying

2011-10-11T18:51:00.000-05:00

As I was looking through Twitter today I came across this article about how to deal with bullying in schools. Although I don't believe bullying is a big problem at WACO, I am not naive enough to think that it is not occurring at WACO. We have great kids here but they are still just kids who are going to make poor choices from time to time. When I was teaching at Linn-Mar prior to coming to WACO we were a pilot school in the state of Iowa for implementing the Olweus anti-bullying program. We taught students how to define and recognize bullying and then strategies that can be used to handle bullying. I've always been hesitant to say stop or eliminate bullying because so much of what kids do is out of our hands. However, if we can effectively educate students about bullying and how harmful it can be we can hope that students will make better choices when they interact with their peers. The following article is a good summary about how to handle bullying.

Bully-Proof Your Kids

By Laurie Tarkan

Published October 11, 2011

With Lady Gaga leveraging her immense popularity to bring attention to the issue of bullying and the nation's first anti-bullying law going into effect in New Jersey this fall, there’s a real opportunity to make a major dent in the problem that was once dismissed with the platitude “boys will be boys.”
With this hyper-focus on bullying, there’s a greater chance that a victim of bullying will get help before it becomes too damaging. As a parent, there’s a lot you can do to prevent your child from being bullied.
Understand what bullying is
“Bullying is when one or more kids intentionally make a child feel less powerful or important,” said Joel Haber, an expert in bullying and author of Bullyproof Your Child For Life. It’s not fighting or aggressive behavior between two kids, where both have equal power. Bullying can be physical, verbal, or what is occurring more commonly, cyberbullying.
Talk with your kids often
You want your children to be comfortable talking to you, so keeping open communication with your kids. Start routinely talking about bullying. “Tell your kids that it’s normal for kids to be mean to other kids and if it happens to you, it’s ok to talk about it,” Haber said. When talking about your child’s day, ask questions like, who did you have lunch with today, who’d you play with at recess? Did you have fun at recess? Ever notice any kids that get left out or teased? This will raise his awareness and make him more comfortable discussing the issue.
How not to become a victim
“Bullies pick on kids for who knows what reason,” said Dan Rauzi, an expert on cyberbullying and senior director of technology services and programs at Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “A lot of times there’s no rational reason behind it."
But there are certain responses that might attract the attention of a bully. Talk to your child about not responding reactively to a bully. “Bullies will target kids who overly react just to get them going, to watch the show,” Rauzi said.
Also, be sure that you’re not raising a victim, Haber said. Parenting in an overly disciplinarian way may make a child feel powerless, and can set him up for being a target of a bully. Don’t ever say things that make kids feel powerless and small, such as “Do what I say or else;” “If you don’t listen, you’ll be grounded forever” or “If you do that again, I’ll embarrass you “.
Early warning signs
Most kids won’t come to their parents and report they’re being bullied because they may not recognize it for what it is, or because they’re ashamed and embarrassed. “Most kids go to school because they want to connect. Their social lives become really important,” Haber said. “Look for signs that your child is not wanting to go to school." Your child may complain of physical problems like stomachaches or headaches. Warning signs include difficulty concentrating on schoolwork, missing personal belongings, trouble sleeping or eating, having few friends and bullying others.
If your child is the target of a bully, there are several steps you need to take if your child describes being bullied.
• First empathize. Tell your child that it’s not his or her fault and that you know it’s tough to be bullied. Share a story of when you were bullied if it applies, tell him or her you’re proud of them for telling you, but don’t get melodramatic or overreact (he or she is probably already upset about it).
• Write down everything that has happened so that if you do call the school, you can present objective data rather than an emotional argument.
• Make a plan, but don’t take over. Brainstorm with your child about what to do. Assure her that you’re not going to deal with it in a way that will make it more embarrassing.
• If it’s a small incident, you don’t necessarily have to tell the school. But if it’s affecting your child’s ability to feel safe, then tell the school, and make sure the complaint is kept confidential. Some schools now have bullying prevention specialists.
• Don’t tell your child to hit the kid back. That can make a bully more aggressive and it makes the victim part of the problem. Try to get your child to use non aggressive strategies to handle it.

Governor Branstad in Washington County

2011-10-09T23:27:00.000-05:00

On Thursday I had the opportunity to attend the town hall meeting held by Governor Branstad at Washington HS. The main topic of discussion, the new Iowa Education reform blueprint, One Unshakable Vision. Also with Governor Branstad were Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds and Linda Fandel who is the special assistant in the area of education for the Governor's office. The draft focuses on three areas: Great Teachers & Principals, High Expectations & Fair Measures, & a Spirit of Innovation. The blueprint is a comprehensive over haul of the current system of education in Iowa with a vision of returning Iowa to the top educationally in not only the US but globally.

The goal of the town hall meetings is to gather input and allow the Governor to engage in conversations with people around the state. As expected one of the primary areas of concern around the plan is how it will be supported financially by the state. With a goal of increasing teacher pay and also incorporating a system of mentor/master teacher opportunities, districts across the state will incur a greater financial burden. Governor Branstad stated he hopes to better allocate current money and also lower state costs in areas such as health care through other initiatives such as creating a healthier Iowa. Based on the current proposal the secondary building alone would need to add two additional staff members to fulfill the goals of the plan as well as cover increased pay for nearly all remaining teachers.

WACO has already implemented some parts of the plan by using MAP assessments as well as end of course assessments. MAP assessments provide detailed, actionable data about where each child is on their unique learning path. End of course assessments have also been used and are intended to measure learning and guide future planning. These end of course assessments also allow teachers and students to focus in on skills that have not yet been mastered and continue to build those needed skills to enhance future learning.

This is an exciting time in Iowa as we look to reestablish ourselves as leaders in the educational world. The draft proposed by Governor Branstad and his team is a system wide revision that will transform our schools so our students are better prepared to compete in the global economy. I encourage you to look at the plan and share your thoughts about the blueprint proposed to reform Iowa schools.

View the plan at: http://educateiowa.gov/

Monday October 3rd, 2011

2011-10-03T14:25:00.000-05:00

First I want to say a huge "Thank You" to all involved in planning and organizing the great events during Homecoming weekend at WACO! The tailgate served nearly 400 people who came to celebrate their WACO heritage. As someone who is not originally from this community it was great to see the amount of pride and support so many had for their former school. The communities that form WACO are based on strong family values and tradition. Tradition is defined as...The transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way. One of the traditions that has been shared from generation to generation at WACO is that hard work and doing things the right way will provide you the opportunities to succeed in life. Based on the number of people who attended the tailgate and then the even larger number who attended the game, WACO has provided a strong foundation for many people to achieve great things beyond these walls. It was a pleasure to speak with many former graduates and I welcome you all to come by anytime to visit again. It's an honor to serve as principal at WACO and after the weekend I have an even greater sense of pride for this school and community.

50 Year Celebration at WACO

2011-09-29T21:51:00.000-05:00

This week has been homecoming week at WACO High School. Homecoming is always an exciting time for students and alumni, but this year that takes on a whole new dimension as WACO celebrates the 50th year of football. As coach Edeker spoke to the community at last night's coronation, he spoke of tradition and how tradition also includes the way a team plays the game. As I looked at the Junior class hall decorations the other day I learned that WACO football has only had four losing seasons in the 50 year they have played. That is a record that even some of the more high profile programs in the state may not compete with. As impressive as that record is, Coach Edeker spent more time talking about the sportsmanship these teams have displayed and the way they have gone about achieving such high levels of success. Coach pointed out that not only is it the players that have played a role in this success but it has been the community who has supported the teams and taught them the value of hard work, sportsmanship, and pride. Through all the years many different players and coaches have come and gone through the WACO football program and contributed to the tradition of success. The one constant however has been the community. The communities that make up WACO schools are built upon the values of pride, respect, determination, and a strong work ethic. The same values that have guided 50 years of football to such high levels of success. This year at WACO we call this "THE WARRIOR WAY" and our plan is to take this belief to every student within our walls and not just those on the football field.

Rigor & Relevance at WACO

2011-09-28T08:41:00.000-05:00

During the last several weeks I have been attending a class in Ottumwa called Assessing Academic Rigor to Ensure Proficiency and World Readiness. The purpose of the class is to build the capacity of administrators to...
- Understand rigor and how to support classroom level instruction and student learning.
- Become even more effective coaches and evaluators.

The goal of the this instruction is to facilitate school staff in a collaborative effort of academic press to measure and increase classroom rigor in instruction, assessments and objectives, in order to meet the demands of continued education and, ultimately, college or the workplace. What is rigor you may ask? Rigor is the expectation that students will be able to perform at levels of cognitive complexity necessary for proficiency at each grade level, and readiness for postsecondary education and the workplace (including advanced training).

The basis of this approach is built around the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy cognitive domains. These domains are Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create. The other aspect of the training incorporates four Knowledge Dimensions- Factual Knowledge, Conceptual Knowledge, Procedural Knowledge, and Metacognitive Knowledge. Combined these domains and dimensions provide a map that educators can use to assess multiple facets of instruction and determine our effectiveness inrelation to Rigor and Relevance.

The classes have been very good thus far and I look forward to sharing this information with our staff and have already been applying this learning when I talk with teachers about daily instruction and also as we discuss goals and professional growth.

I welcome you to visit WACO to see teaching and learning in action!

WACO News, Friday September 23, 2011

2011-09-23T16:05:00.000-05:00

Last spring, Tom McNamar, Band Director at WACO proposed the idea of offering a guitar (not "geetar") class for our students. When students demonstrated a strong interest in such a class we decided to move forward with building guitar class into our schedule. This semester we are offering a high school and junior high classes that are going great. Students are learning basic guitar skills and learning songs that kids are familiar with and eager to learn. Hearing "Sweet Child of Mine" from Gun's-n-Roses or "Dueling Banjos'" the theme from the movie Deliverance, are common in class. It's really fun to listen to the kids play outside after school while waiting for the buses. To this point the new classes are a big success!

WACO Professional Development, Sept. 21, 2011

2011-09-21T20:57:00.000-05:00

As we do every Wednesday, today staff spent the afternoon after students were dismissed working on professional development. This school year we have four primary focuses for our professional development time. Those areas are in Technology, The Iowa/Common Core, Gradual Release, and the Characteristics of Effective Instruction. Thus far our time has been spent primarily on technology where staff have learned how to build calendars, web-sites, and use technology as a tool to better serve our students and support learning. Through technology we also intend to improve communication with parents and the community and create a more collaborative approach to educating the youth of the WACO community. The results I have seen thus far are outstanding and I encourage you all to go to the WACO website to observe how WACO staff will be using technology to communicate and enhance learning. Visit https://sites.google.com/a/wacocsd.org/homepage/

WACO News Monday Sept. 19, 2011

2011-09-19T16:04:00.000-05:00

Today was a very good Monday at WACO Jr./Sr. High School! Was able to spend a good portion of the day in class watching and participating in the great teaching and learning taking place here at WACO. It is neat to see classes where students are actively engaged in the learning and teachers are structuring classes that encourage the students to participate in thought provoking discussion and required to use critical thinking and problem solving.

WACO on CNN.com

2011-09-15T16:41:00.000-05:00

Near the start of the school year, Sally Holland, a writer for CNN called looking for input regarding the challenges smaller rural schools face. As a staff we met and shared our thoughts and ideas that I then shared with her during a phone interview. The link below takes you to the article.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/09/13/rural.community.education/index.html?hpt=us_c2

Thursday September 15

2011-09-15T16:30:00.000-05:00

One of the best things about my job as a principal as the opportunity to visit multiple classrooms throughout the day and build relationships with all students. Thus far this year, that has been a focus of mine and the students here at WACO have allowed me to do this a great deal without many interruptions due to the occasional poor choice. Each time I visit a classroom I document the visit using an application called E-walk on my I-pod that allows me to document whether the purpose is clearly established, what the teacher and students are doing, how the instruction is being delivered, and the measurement being used to gauge learning. This data will then be shared with teachers to allow us to look for trends and provide us a way to reflect on what is occurring in the classroom. One of my main goals for the year is to focus more time on the instructional leadership aspect of being a principal and do more to challenge our teachers on a daily basis.

I welcome parents and community members to come visit a classroom and see the outstanding teaching and learning that occurs here every day.

Wednesday Sept. 14

2011-09-14T10:48:00.000-05:00

Good morning WACO! It's good to be back and blogging! Within this blog will be information about activities and events occurring everyday at WACO. Since this is the first blog of the year I would like to share that the year is off to a very good start. The students are doing a great job focusing on learning and the staff has been working very hard to prepare for a great year and are doing some great teaching to help our students learn the skills they will use to succeed at whatever they choose to do.

Today being a Wednesday means we are dismissing early today and will be spending time with staff this afternoon doing Professional Development. Our main focus thus far has been on technology and how we can use it to communicate more effectively with all stakeholders, which is one of our secondary goals. It is very exciting seeing the progress we are making and I am very eager to see how this enhances the connection between the school and the community. I welcome you all to check out the websites our teachers are creating to learn more about the great teachers we have here at WACO and see what the students are learning and will be learning.

Please feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions of how we can continue to improve the cooperative effort to educate our students.

Great Start!

2011-08-23T22:37:00.000-05:00

Now that we are two days into the 2011-2012 school year, I'd like to thank everyone for an awesome start to the new year! It's been great seeing the building come back to life with the students returning and the staff working so hard to get everything off on the right foot. Getting to know the new seventh graders as well as all the new students to the district has been great and I look forward to getting to know all of you even better as the year goes on. It's great to see returning students showing new people around the building or welcoming them to a table at lunch. We truly have some of the best students anywhere!!