Racing for Respect

Racing for Respect: Thank you to all who were able to make it on Sunday to our 14th Annual Race for Respect. The weather was awesome and it was great to see so many people come out just to be together and have a great time. It is a good thing that we were all winners today because I was feeling happy about my under 8 minute per mile run time, until I finished and learned that Laura Leff, our rock star runner, had run the whole course twice before I finished it once. Looking forward to the 15th anniversary next year! (Click here to view a video compilation of the event that is also linked to the homepage.)

Great Week: We had another great week around the District. Thursday was a highlight because we had a rare Thursday night football game against crosstown rival CBA, and our Marching Band provided the half-time show. The weather was great and we estimated about 2,000 people on hand to see our students perform. Good stuff!

Anti-Bullying: The last time I had an opportunity to speak to our high school students we spoke about what role they play in continuing to set a good tone for the other students; especially those in the younger grades. I am very proud of our students and how they represent us as a community. We also spoke about turning the corner on bullying and ending it in our schools once and for all. They agreed that people need to do less by-standing and take more responsibility for having a bully free environment.

I reminded them about a link that we have right on our District home page where they could report bullying or situations that could turn into bullying. I was very pleased that a student already used that resource to report a situation that was working its way into a bullying incident. We were able to use the information to make the situation head into a different direction. As community members we are very fortunate to have the respectful and positive students that attend our schools.

Teacher Evaluations: Our teachers are continuing to work on the goals that will help to define how they are evaluated. This is creating some stress, but I am confident that our teachers will create targets that increase student achievement, and that they will do so in a way that will make them models for other schools to emulate.

Coming up this Week...This week we will be establishing our redistricting transition team meetings, finishing up open houses (West Genesee High School on Thursday), and wrapping up what has been a very successful September.

Have a wonderful week-

Chris

What Do I Think?

I have been very appreciative of this late season nice weather! With the clear skies that we have had, I have gone running early in the morning when I can see the moon, stars, and the sun all at the same time. I know that this won't last, but that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy it while we have it!

Thanks to all of you who have been able to attend our various Open Houses. It means a lot to your children and our faculty and staff as well. About half of our buildings have had their Open Houses so far, and we will finish up next week. It is always great to see everyone.

Race for Respect: On Sunday, September 23, the 14th Annual Race for Respect will be held at the high school. This event is deeply rooted in our desire to bring a culturally diverse community together for a common event and DOES NOT raise money for any cause. In fact, the race just about breaks even each year. It is meant as a way to bring our community together, have some fun, and be healthy. I am hoping that you can join us this year. Information about the Race for Respect can be found by clicking here.

Questions about Changes in Education: Education as we know it is in the process of undergoing major changes. Several parents and community members have asked me what I think about these changes. I am generally an "adapt and overcome" kind of person so my answers might not be too surprising to you, but I thought I would include a few of the questions with my answers below:

Question 1:  Are the "Common Core Learning Standards" a good thing for my child?

Great question.  The Common Core Learning Standards, or CCLS as you will see in different publications, represent a Federal initiative to even the playing field in terms of what is taught (right now in English, Math, Social Studies, and Science) to each student at each grade level across the country. This initiative is to be implemented by each state.

The Common Core Learning Standards, from my view as a parent and a superintendent, are a good thing. I have a senior who over the summer went on many college visits. At each school the academic diversity among incoming freshman was clearly evident, and that diversity only represented different students within the United States. The CCLS, over time will decrease the academic diversity, at least in the US, and would allow college professors to know exactly what skill sets their incoming students have, which could be very powerful.

I also think that the CCLS will bring about more creative content and curriculum from publishers. With so many states having so many different standards, the publishing companies have to create different material for different locations, eating into time, research, and dollars. Unified standards would mean that those same publishers can concentrate on material development, delivery, and innovations to include technology. I find this to be an exciting possibility for students.

My concern about the CCLS is that there is currently nothing on the radar screen for the arts, electives, or the social sciences. I can't really draw, sing, or play an instrument, and I completely understand that there are far fewer jobs in the arts than the sciences, but I absolutely believe in educating the WHOLE child. My hope would be that these areas are not forgotten over time at the federal, and then the state level.

Question 2:  Are we testing children too much?

Another great question. I think we need to define what a "test" is considered to be. For many, state assessments are the tests that seem to keep coming out of nowhere. The concern would be that this increase in state testing is severely taking a toll on teacher creativity (they have to teach to the test, essentially), and that whatever a child scores on the assessments paints the picture of that child. Good or bad, that is how the child is perceived through the eyes of the state, school, and peers, throughout their school experience.

My oldest son was halfway through his Kindergarten year when I became a superintendent. I have watched both him and his younger brother progress through each grade as a parent and as the educational leader of the District. I think from this experience I have learned that the state tests have changed greatly. They more accurately reflect "real life" situations and experiences than ever before.

I would also say that due to the physical number of state assessments, teachers have had to cut out certain units of study along the way. For instance, the "model rocket" unit (for those readers around my age). That extra time allows teachers to teach all of the testing material before the test, which is actually given well before the end of the school year. This does frustrate me both as a parent and as a superintendent, and if I was Commissioner of Education and all of these assessments were proven to be necessary, I would give them all at the end of the year which is similar to what happens in high schools today.

On the flip side, I am a fan of a concept called "Data Driven Instruction" which means teachers use data collected from any assessment we give a child to change how individual children are taught. To collect data, teachers would use a variety of instruments like online exercises, quick quizzes, projects that can be graded, etc... and evaluate the data to see if an entire unit needs to be taught, or if concepts within a unit need to be stressed. This decreases boredom in the classroom, and allows the teacher to provide additional assistance to those who need it, along with additional instruction to those who demonstrate they are ready to move ahead.

This is a blog and not a book, so I am going to hold off until the next blog to write answers to a couple of other frequently asked questions regarding educational changes. If you would like me to explain my answers more fully or you would like to have a conversation, please feel free to contact me. Thanks to the 6,000 or so of you that read my blog each week and have a great weekend!

Chris

A Great Opening Week!

Thank you for a great opening week! As with the beginning of any school year, we are working out some of the kinks that arise. However, we are heading into week two with many things to be thankful for, and I am looking forward to meeting all of our new Kindergarten students. (To view a quick video slide show of the first few days, click here.)

Weekend Activities:

Over the weekend I had an opportunity to watch a good old fashioned football game on our grass field in the rain and wind. While we came up just short against a very competitive Fayetteville-Manlius squad, I was very happy to see so many of our Modified athletes on hand to thank the community for raising enough money to run a full slate of modified athletic events this year. I think that the parents appreciated their efforts, especially in the downpour that drenched us all as the game began!

I was then able to watch the Marching Band conduct final preparations for their competition that took place on Saturday evening at East Syracuse Minoa. The Wildcats finished in first place with a score of 80.2 which is a great first effort. Congratulations.

I then had to quickly jump into a suit and head out to Skaneateles to be part of a fundraising event for an organization called Todd's Fund. Todd's Fund has given thousands of dollars to families in need within our own school District. I would mention all of those on the Board, but I know that they would much rather continue providing opportunities to needy families and children in Central New York than to be recognized. Please accept my thanks for helping our families and students.

Recess and the Press:
Also this weekend an article ran in our local newspaper about a neighboring school removing recess from elementary students schedules this year. Click here to read the article.  I received many positive comments about the importance that we place on healthy choices and physical activity, and I am very appreciative of those who took the time to comment. I did want to address quickly how my comments made their way into the article, in case any readers thought that we were taking an opportunity to weigh in against another school.

I had received a questionnaire from a reporter about recess in general. It asked do we have recess, if so how frequently, do I feel that recess is important, etc...  Some of my responses were used in the article. I want to make it clear, however, that while I am very much in support of recess for our children, the questions were not presented to me in a way that would have lead me to believe that the answers would be used as a contrast to a school that is choosing not to include recess for children.

It is important that I mention that because at the end of the day, ALL of us are trying to help children. Differences in how we are trying to accomplish that goal are respected within our professional circles. Had I known that the questions I was given would be used in the way they were, I would have probably chosen not to comment or I would have used this space to speak about our inclusion of recess.

I am looking forward to another great week getting to know new students, working out problems that occurred the first few days, and preparing for Open Houses.

Enjoy your week as well-

Chris

And...Action!

You might be surprised when I say that I find the first day with staff more stressful than the first day with students. This has always been the case for me, and I think it has to do with how important setting the tone for the year actually is; especially in an organization as large as ours. All staff e-mail messages may reach everyone, but nothing beats human interaction and actually speaking to them in person.


Opening Day:

This will be my fifth opening day at West Genesee and my thirteenth overall as a Superintendent of Schools. While I do support recycling plastic, paper, and glass; I do not support recycling speeches. Our staff deserves a fresh message each and every year that is exactly tailored to what we have gone through and what we are about to experience.

What will be the theme for this year?  Revitalization. The formula to our success is not complex, but the components are essential to both personal and professional relationships. We value trust, communication, collaboration, unification, composure, and consistency. Trust is trust and is developed over time, and you either mutually have it or you don't. All of the other traits can come and go if you let them and sometimes when a relationship has been established and moving forward for a period of time, it is necessary to go back to what made those butterflies appear in your stomach the day that you met that special someone, or in my case that special group of 900 employees, nine Board of Education members, and many thousands of community members.

Revitalization does not necessarily mean change. It means appreciating what is there and collectively finding different ways to make things even better for our students and for each other. That is the message and the goal for this school year. I am very excited to help make it all happen and I sincerely appreciate your continued support.

First Days of School:

Please remember that Wednesday and Thursday are half days for students grades 1-12. (Kindergartners will start on Friday.) I am appreciative of your patience as we work our staff through state mandated trainings during this time. We have awesome substitute teachers, but there is extreme value to consistency in the classroom and without these training times you could expect to see your child's teacher out of the classroom probably 10 to 15 times this year. Thankfully, we can address our needs through the half days and things can remain consistent in the classrooms.

Also, please remember that beginning on Wednesday there will be school buses and student drivers out on the road again for the morning and afternoon commutes. A few extra seconds of paying attention can go a long way. I will reinforce this with the students as well during the first couple of weeks when I meet with them in student assemblies.

Save Modified Sports Update:
On a very positive note, the Save Modified Sports Boosters were able to accomplish their goal of raising enough money to operate a full schedule of modified sports for the 2012-2013 school year. They have also planned some awesome events for this school year to prepare for the 2013-2014 school year including laser tag, dodge ball, three-on-three basketball, and several other activities to help keep our modified youngsters on a field or court for another year. I could not be more proud of their efforts and their organization in general. By the book, determined, organized, and for a good cause. Simply awesome. Check out our Facebook page and the Save Modified Sports website (http://savemodifiedsportsatwg.com/) for the exact dates and times of their upcoming events.  You can also follow them on Twitter (https://twitter.com/SaveModSportswg).

Speaking of Twitter, now is the time to sign up and follow me on Twitter at @cbrownwgcsd as I look forward to another year of keeping everyone very informed.

Enjoy the first week of school and I wish all of you the very best school year!

Chris

The Final Stretch

Once we have had our Marching Band Preview and our Football Blue and Gold scrimmage, you know that the first day of school is right around the corner. Things are coming together nicely.

I had an opportunity to tour all of the buildings late last week, and we are ready for students. I would like to thank our custodial and maintenance crews for their efforts this summer that have our buildings and grounds looking fantastic!

Food Service Update - I had promised that I would give you an update on changes in our Food Service Department regarding meals for this year. If you click here you will be taken to a page that presents a picture of what the new nutritional requirements will be. Even with these changes, you will see that for our first lunch day, September 7, pizza is being served.  Encouraging your children (as I will mine) to give eating healthier a chance is very important, and I appreciate your open mindedness as our Food Service staff works to manage these new Federal guidelines.

Anti-Bullying Program - It was great to see our West Genesee student developed (and operated!) anti-bullying program, Stop the Hate, Spread the Hope have a presence at the New York State Fair. If you get a chance stop by and see them in the Time Warner Cable Building. I am very proud of what they have accomplished, and we are trying to find ways to work their programs into our anti-bullying education programs. Nice work!

Thanks for a Successful Supply Drive - I would also like to thank the West Genesee PTA/PTO District Council (and coordinator Tracy Corcoran with her band of very generous volunteers) for sponsoring the school supply drive that was held this past Saturday. Many West Genesee students were able to get school supplies thanks to the kindness and generosity of this group and the community at large. Events like this one continue to be more necessary as the economy puts pressure on hard working families in our community. Again, thank you to the community for the effort!

Remaining Initiatives - I will be spending this week putting the finishing touches on how we will implement our redistricting plan, how we will organize and operate our Principal and Teacher evaluation system, and how I will be welcoming staff back to school for their opening day.

I also hope to sneak out to the Fair a couple more times. So have a wonderful week and look for my next post that will be on the cusp of the beginning of another great school year.

Chris

Almost There!

Well, here we are into August which means that summer school activities will be coming to an end soon and we are deep into planning for the fall. As we prepare for the return of our students and staff, here are some quick updates:

Redistricting:
The redistricting letters have all been mailed, so anyone being impacted should have received their letter by now.  The Frequently Asked Questions portion of our redistricting link will continue to be updated, so check that page on a regular basis. The street and map lists that are to be considered final as of Monday, August 13, have also been uploaded to the website. 

Annual Professional Performance Review:
I am working with the building principals to create goals for each building for the 2012-2013 school year.  The principals in turn will be working with classroom teachers impacted by the new evaluation system (not all teachers have to be evaluated under the new system).  The goals will center around growth areas for each building (those areas might be different by school) and will funnel back to the Strategic Plan for the District. 

Nutritional Guidelines Update:
I mentioned that there would be some menu options for you to take a look at for school lunches this year under the new nutrition guidelines, but I will have to save that for later this week or weekend because they are still being finalized. I did want to mention that a focus on wellness, allergies, and nutrition will also be a part of some of the changes that are being made in each building.  Last year East Hill Elementary School made these changes and that success will be used as a model.

That's all for now, but look for more frequent posts as we get closer to September!

Chris

Mid-Summer Update

I hope that you have found ways to enjoy all of this warm weather that we have had. I probably should have broken down and bought some short sleeve dress shirts!  Maybe next year.

We continue to have a busy summer at school. You should have received my letter that gives an update on the many different initiatives that we are working on and things are still moving forward at what feels like a lightening pace.

Redistricting Maps and Street Lists - Our website (click on the redistricting link from the home page) does have all of the updated attendance boundaries for our 2013 redistricting project in two separate files; one with streets listed in alphabetical order, and one with the actual maps.  Anyone who will actually be impacted by the redistricting can expect to receive a personalized letter in the next two weeks. If there are any questions, please be sure to contact me. A list of frequently asked questions will also be created in a couple of weeks and placed on the website.

School Begins on September 5 (as a half day-Students Attend in AM) - Also, please remember that school begins on Wednesday, September 5 and that September 5 and September 6 are half days for students in grades 1-12 with students attending in the morning. Our Kindergartners (our last group of half-day Kindergartners in fact) will begin their journey on Friday, September 7. (Please note:  all calendars for the 2012-2013 school year are now available from the website by clicking here.)

Marching Band Highlighted in New York State School Boards Periodical, On Board - In case you missed it, there was a wonderful article about our Marching Band recently in a publication called On Board that you can find by clicking here. (For the version that includes pictures, click here.) I liked that the article was more about how many students are involved in our band, how they accomplish their goals, and the value of working together; instead of articles that has just referenced wins. I continue to appreciate all of the hard work with our Director of Fine Arts, Bill Davern, our Marching Band Director, Mike Stachnik, the Marching Band staff, and all of our "bandies" put in.  Congratulations, and I am looking forward to another inspirational effort this year.

New Nutritional Regulations - Food and I go way back, and I have been eating school lunches since I was in first grade (a long time). I can even remember a time about fifteen years ago when our lunch lady made another math teacher and me our own pan of lasagna. Those were the old days when our food service staff could cook and prepare just about anything they wanted. Those times have changed due to increased regulations surrounding childhood (and adulthood, I suppose) obesity. The ingredient list has shortened, the flexibility has been compromised, yet our staff have continued to invent meals that our students like to eat and enjoy.

There are some additional nutritional regulations coming into play for the 2012-2013 school year that will provide even more guidance in terms of portion size, meal content, and recipe choices. Our food service staff have been working within these new guidelines this summer to prepare menus that our children will eat. All of our meals will be healthier, imaginative, and tasty but they will probably not look the same as what children have eaten in the past. I would ask you to help me reinforce that even though the food might be a little different and healthier, it still tastes good.  In my next blog I will include a sampling of these new meals so you can get a taste (pun intended) of what is to come.

Continue to enjoy this weather, and I will post again in a week!

Chris