Building Relationships & Establishing Routines

School started last week, and I must say it has been a good start to the year. I commend the staff for their efforts to be prepared for their students. Teachers are provided some planning time, but they also spend some of their personal time making sure their classroom and plans are just right.

During the next several weeks of instruction, teachers will be focused on establishing strong relationships with their students, setting expectations and establishing routines, and making connections with parents so they can be a part of their child's education.

Teachers focus on building relationships with students by greeting them with a smile and saying hello, taking time to learn their names and something about them, developing an understanding of how they learn, and taking note of what interests them. They encourage students to be involved and to participate in activities because this is good for their social and emotional development and helps them to feel connected at school. Students develop an understanding of what is expected, so teachers share what is important, clarify boundaries, and practice established procedures and routines. Teachers make an effort to communicate with parents about their students as it helps build trust and allows the parent to become a partner in education. This isn't fluff, it is the real "stuff" that makes a difference in how students relate to their teachers and classmates, understand their boundaries, and know what they will be expected to understand and be able to do.  It lays the groundwork and builds students self-efficacy and confidence in their ability to learn.

Late last week I sent out a link to a short video of our students on the first day of school over email and didn't include it in my blog. Several have asked to see it, so I have included it here. I hope you will enjoy watching it.  

Off to a Great Start

It was great to welcome all of the staff at the start of the 2018-2019 school year during the opening session on Monday. We had a pretty terrific breakfast sponsored by SCIA, Green Plains, New York Life, and Wilson Insurance. This breakfast is a long-held tradition and we greatly appreciate the support from the business community. Strong schools, communities, and businesses grow together so the support these business partners extend to the District is extremely valuable.

The Shenandoah Iowa Education Foundation also greeted the staff and several community members announced donations to join the Foundation's $100 Club. I appreciate the purpose of the foundation and I am pleased to support it.  I am excited to see the future of the Foundation and the relationship that is formed.

I also had the privilege of spending time talking with the entire staff about the importance of public education, being strong advocates, and taking great pride in being educators. I also encouraged the staff to not underestimate the powerful influence they have and the impact they make on their students' lives. Every interaction we have with our students leaves an impression, and we want it to be a positive reflection of their experience at Shenandoah CSD.   

Our staff is fully vested in acclimating to the start of the year and has spent a great amount of time preparing for the students to return on Thursday.  I am pleased with their efforts to dive in so they are prepared.  Their schedules are full but they also know how to have a great time together as well.  Having fun together in the work environment is important as it helps all of us build strong relationships and effective teams.

Our students have already had their first cross country meet and open house is tonight starting at 5:00 PM.  Tomorrow is a big day for all of us.  The students will be back and we have been planning and waiting for this day for months!  Our staff is ready and committed to making this a great school year.  Join me in celebrating tomorrow as a very special day, the first day of school for our students and staff.

Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Last week several members of our leadership team spent time in Des Moines, IA at the School Administrators of Iowa Conference.  It was a great time of professional learning, networking, and connecting as a team.  It was time well spent as there was new learning, ideas to borrow and build on, and information presented that validates the work we are doing as a district.

I had a few minutes to visit with a friend of mine at the conference who is a retired superintendent who is also familiar with the District.  He asked me to share with him some of the noteworthy work that is being done in the District.  There wasn't enough time to share everything I was thinking about as we talked but I was able to share some of the following.

• Expanded preschool to serve four-year-old students full day and added services for three-year-olds.
• Focused on creating more extended learning opportunities for students after school (179 participants) and during the summer (129 participants).
• Further developed STEM and CTE instruction.
• Trained staff to use STEMScopes science instructional resources K-12
• Provided professional learning for two staff members to instruct using Project Lead the Way at the Middle School
• Continued the TEN80 STEM class at the Middle School. Students were invited and competed in their 3^rd national competition and earned a  1^st place ranking.
• Received a grant from the Regional Planning Partnership 13 for new equipment for the CTE programs.
• Initiated student internship programs with community business partners.
• Competed in the Congressional Apps Challenge. Two of our High School Groups finished in the top five for our congressional district.
• Implemented Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (P.B.I.S) at each school. The Elementary School was identified as an emerging P.B.I.S School in Iowa.  Shenandoah CSD is the first to use this model in the GHAEA Region at the preschool level.  
• Demonstrated increased performance on the Iowa Assessments, iReady, and FASTBridge assessments.

The District enjoyed success in many areas last year which are not all listed here, and I can't wait to see what this next year brings for our students and staff. There are areas where the District is finding the need to improve.  However, our staff and leadership team are committed to making continual progress to make Shenandoah CSD a great place to be.

Much of my time this next week will be spent participating in professional learning sessions and spending time connecting and building relationships with our staff.  The days will be full, and that is okay because we are working on preparing for a very special day, the first day of school and an even better school year.

Ready for School

It is August now, and school is starting soon. I must say I love this time of year. There is a new level of energy and life on campus.  It is busy, but it has been a good summer, and it is time now to shift some of our thinking towards what lies ahead. I am incredibly excited to see what this school year brings for our students and staff because we have spent a great amount of time preparing for everyone to return.

Brand new computers are ready and waiting for our students and staff.  Efforts were also made to improve the District's wireless access. This kept our technology staff quite busy, but it was worth the effort. These tools will help the teachers facilitate high-quality, relevant learning experiences for our students.  

The custodial and maintenance staff diligently cleaned the buildings, cared for the grounds and landscaping, and ensured the installation of the L.E.D. lights in the High School gym, new carpeting in the elementary and middle school, and other projects went smoothly.  The environment looks fresh and nice.

I previously introduced the new staff members who have been hired as teachers. I appreciate the staff who have stepped forward to help them acclimate to the system, mentor and support these new professionals in our system.  

The District worked to recruit and train additional bus drivers. Finding the right people to drive is essential as the drivers are the first and last staff members to have contact with our students each day. Good people have stepped forward to go through the process of obtaining their license with the DOT to be authorized to drive a school bus. I am confident they will take great care of our students.

Many of our teachers, associates, bus drivers, and food service staff worked during the summer to support the district’s extended learning camps. They also have participated in various training sessions, meetings and classes so they will be prepared to start the school year. Our coaches have held camps and encouraged athletes to train in the offseason so the athletes will be ready to compete. 

Some of our administrators are now serving in different roles.  This change has required them to think differently about working with people, building strong relationships, developing processes and implementing procedures in new settings.  Additionally, they have been working along-side our teacher leaders planning professional development.  This is important work as we want to provide the staff with relevant, meaningful learning opportunities and also allow them sufficient independent planning to prepare for our students.

Students are registered, textbooks and supplies have been ordered, and the secretarial staff has confirmed many details so the teachers and students will have what they need for the school year.

Our team had an ambitious to-do list to complete this summer.  It has required a fair amount of planning, follow through and collaboration to make things happen but when it all comes together, there is a sense of accomplishment and pride in the collective effort that has been made.  It is a good feeling to look back and know that together we have conquered the list and are nearly ready for the students and staff to return.   I appreciate all of the time and effort that the staff has made to make Shenandoah CSD the place to be for the 2018-2019 school year.

Legislative Priorities

Several weeks ago the School Board established legislative priorities for the 2018-2019 school year.  Establishing legislative priorities is done so we can work in tandem with groups like the Iowa Association of School Boards and Iowa School Finance Information Services to promote and advocate for high-quality education services and funding to support our schools locally and across the State of Iowa.

Extending the Secure an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE), which was formerly the statewide sales and service tax, is one of the top priorities of this legislative session for our District and many others across the state.  SAVE generates approximately $980,000 in revenue for the District.  These funds are important as they are used to pay the debt on the existing elementary and middle school building, take care of larger infrastructure needs related to facilities and technology, replace equipment, and will be necessary to support the repairs and renovations that are being planned for the high school. These are critical funds for Iowa schools as they are used to ensure that facilities are cared for and well maintained.

The availability of SAVE funds will no longer be available after 2029.  While there is a fair amount of time before the revenue expires, it is important SAVE is addressed now so schools have the ability to plan and prioritize projects long term. Without SAVE districts will either defer necessary projects or request voters approve larger general obligation bonds which impact property tax.  Our District has used SAVE to pay our debt obligations.  Absent the SAVE revenue to pay this debt, property taxes would have been increased to a much higher level.  To be more specific, SAVE helped the district reduce property taxes by $1.00 for FY 18 $.94 in FY 17 and $1.04 in FY 16.  SAVE makes the difference.

Some may ask why we are talking about this in the middle of the summer while the legislative session is still months away. We are bringing this forward now as last year the legislature did not extend SAVE. There was solid support to extend SAVE in the House, but the Senate failed to vote on the issue.  It has been suggested SAVE will be a stronger priority this next session.  Many districts and supporting groups are working together raise awareness to ensure the Iowa Legislature moves forward with extending SAVE beyond the 2029 sunset.

I read a great article in the Des Moines register that highlights the importance of this effort.  You can read the same article here.

Career Technical Education (CTE) Programs

Career Technical Education (CTE) programs are a hot topic of discussion in education circles not only in Iowa but across the nation. There are many valid reasons why this is the case.  Some in business and industry consider it something that has been given little attention, and it is time to produce graduates who have the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the needs of the workforce.  Another compelling reason to strengthen CTE programs in schools is the positive impact on high school graduation rates, higher college enrollment rates, and higher wages for those students who participate in CTE Courses (Dougherty, 2016).

CTE programs are perceived by some to be an alternate path through high school that results in limited opportunities for students to attend college.  However, high-quality CTE programs are rigorous as the high school courses are often aligned with requirements for students to earn associate degrees and at times allow students to receive college credit while attending high school.

The Board established the expansion of CTE learning opportunities as a priority several months ago when goals were adopted. Currently, classes are available in fields related to agriculture, automotive technology, business, construction, health occupations, and human services.  The District is committed to strengthening the CTE curriculum, adding additional classes, and providing professional development for our staff to support this goal. Recently, Sarah F. Martin and Jay Sweet submitted a proposal for grant funding to the Regional Planning Partnership for CTE and were awarded over $11,000 to purchase new equipment.

Additionally, we are looking to develop extending learning opportunities so students can participate in more career technical classes during the summer months.  Providing summer instruction will allow students to have more flexibility with their schedules during the school year and maximize their opportunity to earn credit in more areas.

We have some limitations in our ability to include additional programming due to space limitations at the high school. We have broken some of the space barriers by working with community partners to arrange work-based learning opportunities and internships in different areas. We have also collaborated with the City of Shenandoah to use the Bricker Botanical Center downtown.  Some courses are taught at the Iowa Western Community College campus in Shenandoah. These are good examples of using existing resources, but there is more work to do and space is needed to develop stronger programs to support coding, engineering, robotics, and other related fields. These are some of the reasons why it is necessary to remodel at the High School and add an addition to the building.

This type of instruction is essential as it makes school more relevant to the learning needs of our students and keeps them engaged.  When students find purpose in their learning and make the connections to the real world they are more motivated, productive and achieve at higher levels. Continuing to provide and expand high-quality career technical education programs contributes to making Shenandoah CSD a great place to be for our students to receive their education.

Allow Me to Introduce

This past week I intentionally reserved time on my calendar to meet individually with the new teachers who are joining our team in August.  This was a good use of my time as it allowed me to form connections and communicate a critical message that they are welcomed and valued as part of our learning community.  It was great to learn more about each of them, hear the excitement in their voices, answer their questions, and understand why they have chosen Shenandoah CSD as the place to be in Iowa.   

Talking with these staff members was a highlight of my week. They are full of enthusiasm and ready to start the year.  It was encouraging to visit with some of the teachers who are familiar with the district as they are former graduates, previous staff members, or live in the general area. There are some who are new to the community and are just settling into Shenandoah.  They are looking for housing, learning where things are at, seeking out recreation and social opportunities, and trying to find childcare just like the rest of us have done when we have relocated. 

Allow me to introduce them to you.

Zach Dotzler is from Harlan, IA and will be teaching High School Language Arts and assisting with the speech program.  He was in the band at Harlan High School, but he is now a Mustang at heart.  

Jennifer Edie has been teaching preschool in Red Oak, IA.  She will be joining our staff as a second grade teacher.  Her experience with early childhood will be a great addition to the team.

Alisha Fleck relocated to Shenandoah with her family from the Maple Valley, IA, area this summer and will be teaching Biology at the High School.  Her son will be in second grade.

Jamie Geho previously taught in South Dakota.  She will be teaching fourth grade.  Moving here from out of state is a big, important decision in her life and we are glad she chose us.  She has some good background in Crisis Prevention Intervention which will be an asset to the district. 

Lindsey Lundgren was formerly on our staff as an Agriculture teacher and will now be teaching Science at the High School and Middle School.

Vanessa Keenan is from Atlantic, Iowa.  She will be joining us as a fourth grade teacher. I have to admit seeing her wear a Univerisity of Northern Iowa shirt in Shenandoah, IA, made me smile.   

Holly Martin is from Shenandoah and filled in as a long-term substitute teacher at the Middle School last year.  She will be teaching special education at the Middle School.  She is a Shenandoah CSD graduate. It is good to have her on staff full time.

Tahrae "Rae" Metzger is from Shenandoah and has been teaching early childhood in a different part of the state.  We are glad to see her return home and join our preschool team.  She has a lot of family in the area who are also glad to see her back.

Tiffany Stanton will be joining us from Offutt Airforce Base to teach special education students with behavioral challenges at the High School.  This has been a difficult position to fill. It is difficult to find teachers with the right type of training and teaching license to meet this need.  We are looking forward to growing our Special Education services in this area.

Nicholas Stuart is from Millard, NE.  He has experience teaching in Franklin, NE and also at  Boys & Girls Town.  He will be teaching Social Studies at our High School and Middle School and also serving as our assistant High School football coach.

Jackie Sunderman is from Pella, Iowa.  She has family in the Clarinda area she wanted to be near.  She will be teaching Kindergarten.

Danielle Terry student taught in Shenandoah and then accepted a position in Creston, Iowa where she taught last semester.  We are glad to have her back in our system to teach first grade.

Kady VanFossen is from South Page which means she is close to home and we are pleased she will be teaching special education at the elementary.

This was Don and me three years ago.  We were thankful to have staff and community members who reached out to support us and help us make the transition.  Jon Weinrich, Ryan Spiegel, and Jon Skillern were at our doorstep ready to help us unload the truck before we even pulled in the driveway. Others helped us find different things we needed in town and helped us make many connections to the school and community that helped us feel welcome and supported as we made the transition. We most certainly appreciated their efforts and knew this was a good place to be because of the kindness they expressed.  

As a system, we will provide an intensive orientation program and mentors to support these new teachers. These are good things to do that help staff acclimate to their new roles.  I also have found that it is the simple things that matter the most to new staff.  It is the invitation to sit with someone at lunch, a meeting or school activity that helps people know they are welcome. It feels good to be included and lessens the anxiety of being the "new" person.  Let's work together to support our new teachers, help them to feel included, welcomed, and valued as a part of the Shenandoah community and school district.