Dr. Zimmerman's TUESDAY TIP:

(An early week tip from Dr. Alan Zimmerman, a motivational and inspirational speaker)

We are as solid as we are resilient.

What Dr. Alan Zimmerman Has To Say:

A while ago, I listened to Lee Iaccoco, the former chairman of the Chrysler Corporation. And he was profound. He said, "Nothing frightens people more than change they can't control, and nothing energizes people more than change they can influence."

So very true! It's a perfect description of the economic mess we're in and a perfect description of the election we just had. No matter how you voted, it was all about change.

And as one person said, "So who's against capital punishment? I think there are a lot of people in the Capitol who should be punished.

"Well, I've been speaking on change for a long time. In fact, many of you have brought me on site to talk about "Mastering Change: Leaving Your Comfort Zone, Taking Risks, and Getting Results." It's still a popular program. And you can read all about it by going to http://www.drzimmerman.com/keynotespeaker/speakingprograms/program08.htm

But there's a new twist to the program. A lot of you are asking me how you can survive this brutal, unfair economic change that has been thrust upon us by other people's stupidity. You are asking me to emphasize those resiliency strategies in my programs. So let me give you a few of those tips right now.

=> 1. Doubt the doomsayers.

And there are a lot of them out there. Perhaps you've seen the e-mail floating around the Internet that says little has changed for the better since 1980. It reported that 80% of the world's people still live in substandard housing; 70% are unable to read, and 50% suffer from malnutrition.

Well that e-mail intrigued author Philip Yancey who wrote "Fearfully And Wonderfully Made." He spent a great deal of time tracking down the statistics from authoritative sources ... only to find out that e-mail is downright wrong. In fact, the world has made major strides in the last 30 years.

According to the best estimates, 25% -- not 80% -- of the world's population lives in substandard housing. Thirty years ago the global literacy rate was 53%; now it's 80% The percentage of people suffering from malnutrition has dropped more than half ... to 20%. And 75% of the world had no access to clean water; now 75% do.

As Yancey puts it, "Such good news rarely captures the attention of the media, which continue to portray the world as teetering on the brink of cataclysm." The news focuses on gloom and doom.

In fact, the media ... by their own admission ... say "If it bleeds it leads." In other words, they're going to report the most dire, gruesome news first and foremost.

Of course Yancey's research found out there's a lot of good news out there. But you seldom read it or hear it. So maybe it's time to doubt the doomsayers.

One more example. When I was in college back in the 60's, the rage was Paul Ehrlich's book on "The Population Bomb." He predicted huge famines would occur in the 1970's and 80's, with hundreds of millions of people starving to death. That simply did not happen.

Doomsaying population "experts" used to tell us the world population would hit a high of 20 billion, causing an intolerable strain on the Earth's resources. We would simply implode.

But then the prediction was lowered to 15 billion, then 11 billion, then 9 billion. Some "experts" now say the world's population will peak around the year 2050, and then possibly decline. In fact, the birth rate has fallen so dramatically in Europe, Russia, and Japan, "experts" are now worrying about the dire consequences of an aging population unreplenished by younger generations.

As Crawford H. Greenwalt, the president of E.I. duPont de Nemours and Company, said, "When anyone attempts to predict the future, their forecast turns out to be hopelessly shortsighted and pessimistic."

So you and I need to add a bit of healthy skepticism to all the gloom and doom news out there.

And then ...

=> 2. Put things in perspective.

I had to learn how to do that. Years ago, I found it too easy to complain when things didn't go my way. Then I visited several refugee camps in Thailand during the 1980's ... where thousands of Cambodians and Laotians were running from the killing fields of the Khmer Rouge. I soon realized ... by comparison ... I didn't have that much to complain about.

Yes, these are hard times. But do keep things in perspective. Things could be worse. You could be shot at when you leave your house for work. Or you could be imprisoned or beheaded for not worshipping the way some people think you should.

Just remember, wherever you are, you're not going to stay there. As John A. Simone, Sr., indicated, "If you're in a bad situation, don't worry; it'll change. If you're in a good situation, don't worry; it'll change."

And Robert Frost, one of America's greatest poets, said he could sum up everything he learned about life in three words: "It goes on." So keep things in perspective.

That's what Carol Tweet's daughter learned to do. As Carol wrote, "Your 'PIVOT' book is awe-inspiring. It should be on the #1 best-seller list forever. I gave it to my 15 year-old daughter to read. She started a journal based on 'PIVOT', is taking notes, and highlighting all over the book -- which I am so happy to see. She is telling her friends about it. It has given her a greater self-esteem and a positive attitude. So today I wanted to say THANK YOU. You have made a difference in my life and the lives of my family and friends."

You can get a copy of "PIVOT: How One Turn In Attitude Can Lead To Success" by going to http://www.drzimmerman.com/tools/products.htm#Books

And finally ...

=> 3. Say goodbye to the way things used to be. Your past may have included a certain lifestyle, a particular vacation spot, or even a specific position in your company. Well, those things, and a host of other things, may have to be put on hold for a while ... or even let go.

Don't waste your time bemoaning what could have been or should have been. To resist change, to refuse to adapt to it, or to deny it, is like holding your breath. If you persist, you will kill yourself.

Peter Drucker, perhaps the greatest management expert of the 20th century, said people fail because of what they will not give up. They cling to what has worked in the past, even after it has clearly stopped working.

What about you? Are there things in your life you have to let go? Are there behaviors, expenditures, or experiences you need to say goodbye to?

What kinds of things are absolute necessities in your life ... that you absolutely must hang on to? And what kinds of things are merely nice-to-have wants you could live without? Make a list.

And as you make your list, remember Sandy Ewing's comment, "Sacred cows make the best hamburgers." In other words, just about everything ... in the way your life used to be ... is up for examination and possibly cancellation.

You see ... the past is a library from which to draw information, but it's not a roadmap for living tomorrow.

Action:

Monitor who you are listening to. Are you hanging around the doom-and-gloom crowd too much of the time? Are you tuning into the grim-and-dim media way too often?

Then, at the very least, limit your exposure to those negative inputs and balance them with more positive inputs.

Make it a great week!
Dr. Alan Zimmerman

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November 14, 2008

SmartBoard Training REPEAT - Since most of you have had an initial look at how to use the mobile Smart Board, please visit http://smarttech.com/trainingcenter & click on the “Notebook 10 Video” link located on the left side. This is a great way to orient yourself to using the software/board. If you would like further training, please check out the free online training and talk to Jessica or Sue about how useful the training was or can be for you. If you still need a quick lesson or want me to work with you individually, see me about time that works for you during prep or before/after school.

Senteo – I am excited to have both teams making plans to use the Senteo software and handhelds for their formative assessments and other classroom assessments! I truly believe this will cut a lot of the time spent grading, organizing and analyzing the data following an assessment. I look forward to working with the teams to get this set up and help create a smooth process! Take a two-minute tutorial online to get started!

Upcoming PLC Dates – November 19 is a building level PLC date. If either team wants to learn how to better use the Senteo assessment hardware/software to conduct your formative assessments, I’d be happy to work with you. Wednesday, November 26th is individual professional development time and I can work with you that day on any assessment, Senteo and/or Smart Board questions.

National Young Readers Day – A big thank you to Jan and Angie Spangenberg for organizing the day and recruiting our fine celebrities!! It was fun to listen and watch.

November Observations - REPEAT Scheduled your November observation yet? Time is running out.

Attendance – Our daily average attendance for students through the October was 97.2%. Our staff attendance (includes all full time WIS staff…including me) is 95.2% over the same time period.

Interesting Opportunity – Iowa has implemented an agreement with the Ministry of Education in Republic of China (Taiwan) that will offer experienced and newly licensed Iowa teachers the opportunity to teach in Taiwanese schools for one year. Any licensed Iowa teacher with a K-6 endorsement may apply to participate in this program. This includes new teachers with an initial license. Applications for the Teaching in Taiwan program must be postmarked by April 24, 2009. For more information & the FAQ list, visit: http://www.iowa.gov/educate/content/view/689/665

Coming up…
November
17 Mon Assembly; Team PLC time; School Board Mtg, 6:00 P.M.
18 Teacher Quality Committee Mtg, 4:00 P.M.
19 Two-Hour Early Dismissal/Building PLC Teams
20 SAT Mtg, 3:15 P.M.
26 Two-Hour Early Dismissal/Individual PD
27-28 Thanksgiving Break – ENJOY!!


Website of the Week
Arranged by grade level, videos, subject areas and Smart Board links, for the
busy educator (that is you!), this site has it all.
http://faculty.usiouxfalls.edu/arpeterson/smartboard.htm
I think the next best thing to solving a problem is finding some humor in it.
~Frank A. Clark
He who laughs, lasts - DB

November 7, 2008

Staff Kudos – A big thank you goes out to Jessica, Nita and Angie for assisting with PD on Wednesday and to Michelle and Mark for being a part of the planning team. I appreciate everyone’s involvement with PLC teams and our ongoing professional development activities.

SmartBoard Training – Since most of you have had an initial look at how to use the mobile Smart Board, please visit http://smarttech.com/trainingcenter/ and click on the “Notebook 10 Video” link located on the left side. This is a great way to orient yourself to using the software and board. If you would like further training, please check out the free online training and talk to Jessica or Sue about how useful the training was or can be for you. If you still need a quick lesson or want me to work with you individually, see me about time that works for you during prep or before/after school.

Upcoming PLC Dates – November 12 & 19 are building level PLC dates. If either team wants to use one of those dates to learn how to better use the Senteo assessment hardware/software to conduct your formative assessments, I’d be happy to work with you. Wednesday, November 26th is individual professional development time and I can work with you that day on any assessment, Senteo and/or Smart Board questions.

National Young Readers Day –will be celebrated next week having students from the high school’s Unity Council read to our students. On Monday, November 10, the students will be with the 5th grade from 8:30-9:30 and with 4th graders from 9:30-10:00. A big thank you to Jan and Angie Spangenberg for organizing the day and recruiting our fine celebrities!!

November Observations - Those on cycle: get your November observations scheduled today!

Attendance – Our daily average attendance up until last Friday is 97.2%. Compared to the past few years’ first quarter percentages, it is up slightly. My thought is that high attendance indicates that this is a place where kids want to be on a daily basis. Keep up the good work!

‘Tis the Season – This is the 4th year I’ve include this message in a FWR and I’ve noticed it moves up each year as I feel I’ve already seen some of the early signs of our students’ holiday season ‘jitters’ or ‘blues.’ Although the upcoming holiday season may bring out the best in most, it can be hard on some of our students. If you have concerns about a student or family, please see Ms. Bates or myself. There are always things we can do to help – both in the classroom and as a building to support our students. Thank you for meeting the academic & emotional needs of every student.

Coming up…
November 12 Two-Hour Early Dismissal/Building PLC Teams
17 School Board Meeting, 6:00 P.M.
19 Two-Hour Early Dismissal/Building PLC Teams
26 Two-Hour Early Dismissal/Individual PD
27-28 Thanksgiving Break – ENJOY!!

"I not only use all of the brains I have, but all I can borrow."
- Former President, Woodrow Wilson, on the importance of collaboration and cooperation.

STAY HEALTHY – mentally and physically!!
He who laughs, lasts - DB

October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!!

Staff Kudos – We often overlook all the extra things our staff does outside of the school day. I’d like to congratulate and wish the best of luck to Mark and Angie! Mark, good luck to you and your cast this weekend!! Angie, me being a high school recipient of many losses to Manning and IKM combined, I’d LOVE to see you and the girls pull off the win Friday night! Good luck.

SmartBoard Training – I still have some openings Monday morning for staff interested taking some time to figure out how to use the mobile Smart Board. Sara Johnson will cover your room for 30-60 minutes while you work with me on setting up your computer and learning how to use the mobile board. Please see me FRIDAY to set up your time.

PD Nov 5th - We will be having PD from 2:00-4:00 P.M. in the IPS cafeteria. Our agenda will include the following items: composing a talk-a-loud, sharing the data from GATES (2-5), book count/access to print data, and sharing the writing prompts and scoring guide from some of the PWIM training participants.

Teacher Quality Committee next meets on Wednesday, November 5, at 4:00 P.M. This will be held in the Sue Wagaman Board Room at the central office.
PTO will have their second meeting of the school year on Thursday, November 6, at 7:00 P.M. This will be held in the IPS media center.

After School Math – We had 104 students stay for after school math this past week!! Thank you to Roger and Stephanie Ehmke & Tier One Bank for sponsoring the program. Our next after school math date is set for November 11th and Fareway will sponsor. We only have two more dates this semester (Nov 11 & Nov 25).

Coming up… November
4 Go Vote!
12 Two-Hour Early Dismissal/Building PLC Teams
17 School Board Meeting, 6:00 P.M.
19 Two-Hour Early Dismissal/Building PLC Teams
26 Two-Hour Early Dismissal/Individual PD
27-28 Thanksgiving Break – ENJOY!!

"In many instances, education is the tool that gives a child life choices." - Ruby Payne

*** REPEATED ***
***1st QUARTER FINAL ASSIGNMENT ***
If you’ve read this far, J please email, stop by or jot down on a note something positive you witnessed or heard that took place first quarter. It could be a compliment to a colleague or an inspiring story about a student. Get those to me as soon as you can as I will compile those to share out at the next staff meeting! GREAT 1st QUARTER!! Keep it up & STAY HEALTHY!!

He who laughs, lasts - DB

October 24, 2008

Thank You! – In case you didn’t read it last week J, thank you for the song, hat and Tiger t-shirt for bosses’ day. I appreciate all you do to make most days bosses’ day!

PLC – It seems like just yesterday, Sue, Sonia and I were in Denver learning about Professional Learning Communities and here we are 10 weeks into the school year living it. The teams’ work continues to head our building and district in the right direction. 4th grade is three weeks into math lab and 5th grade begins next week! Next week’s early out, will again allow curricular PLC teams to focus on essential skills and instruction within content teams. An email will be coming with locations for each teams’ meeting. Be watching for it. The K-5 PD was moved to November 5th and will take place at Inman.

Second Quarter started Monday and all 1st quarter grades were received on Tuesday! Thank you for your quick turnaround and Stephanie & I think it was the quickest and most efficient effort yet!

Observations for Teachers on Cycle – One week left in October. Do you have your second observation in yet? See me yesterday.

Classroom Cares – Rebecca Sterbick sent me an email about her 2nd grade class being involved in a character education reading program through Scholastic. Students in your class read books and Scholastic donates books to kids in needy communities. Rebecca’s email is posted in the lounge and to sign up your class, visit http://classroomscare.scholastic.com/

Webpage – several WIS staff members received a brief training to allow them to add information to their school webpage on http://www.redoakschooldistrict.com/. If you were not able to attend and would like to learn how to begin your classroom/teacher webpage, please let me know. Each classroom teacher received a 3 page handout with simple directions which Mrs. Sims put together. If you did not get a copy, but would like one, see me. Click here to start.


Red Ribbon Week is scheduled for the week of next week. Thanks to Jeannie for getting the schedule into everyone’s hands. With Wednesday being “Blue Day – Quit Singing the Blues,” staff may choose to wear blue jeans. Please post the schedule for students.


Coming up... Post & go over your Red Ribbon week schedule with kids today!!!
October 27
High school students visit classrooms: Drug Free Pledge (schedule coming!)
3:00 pm assembly in gym; PLC teams meet after school

28
School Board Meeting, 7:00 A.M. @ MS
IA Core Curriculum Mtg, 8:00-11:30 A.M. @ Shenandoah
After School Math – Tier One Bank Sponsor (Ehmkes)

29
5th Grade Math Interventions begin
2-hr Early Out/PD (Curriculum Mtgs – Locations TBA)

31
Red Ribbon Assembly, 2:30-3:00 in gym (no keyboarding)

(Reminder – we do not have students dress up nor have Halloween parties)

*** 1st QUARTER FINAL ASSIGNMENT ***
If you’ve read this far, please email, stop by or jot down on a note something positive you witnessed or heard that took place first quarter. It could be a compliment to a colleague or an inspiring story about a student. Get those to me as soon as you can as I will compile those to share out at the next staff meeting! GREAT 1st QUARTER

!! Keep it up & STAY HEALTHY!!

Go Tigers!!
He who laughs, lasts - DB

October 17, 2008

Thank You! – The bosses’ day song and polo were wonderful. The food was great and Lewis enjoyed each of the 13 desserts that were available! I’m very appreciative of everything each of you do day in and day out to make Washington a great place to work, learn, grow and laugh!

District PD – I have read through four of the curriculum team’s minutes so far and am impressed by the conversation. We are also getting some good feedback through the online survey and it appears several of the teams are not only excited for the October 29th curriculum meetings, but have set agenda outcomes already. As Mark stated in his email, next Wednesday’s PD will be building/grade level PLC time. Teams should set their own agendas and let me know what support you need. The K-5 professional development was moved to November 5th.

First Quarter ends today with grades due Tuesday, October 21. Report cards are to be sent home with students on Thursday, October 23. A reminder to classroom teachers: if a student has earned a ‘D’ or ‘F’, comments should be included on the grade card.

Observations for Teachers on Cycle – Two weeks left in October. Do you have your second observation in yet? J See me soon.

Webpage – several WIS staff members received a brief training to allow them to add information to their school webpage on http://www.redoakschooldistrict.com/. If you were not able to attend and would like to learn how to begin your classroom/teacher webpage, please let me know. If you were part of the training and need assistance, stop in and I will try to help you!

Red Ribbon Week is scheduled for the week of October 27. Jeannie and Bev have worked on the activities for the week and Jeannie will give us information of the planned activities soon.

Coming up...

October 20 Second Quarter Begins

22 2-hr Early Out/PD (Building PLC)

23 Grade Cards Sent Home

28 School Board Meeting, 7:00 A.M. @ MS

IA Core Curriculum Mtg, 8:00-11:30 A.M. @ Shenandoah

29 2-hr Early Out/PD (K-2, 3-6, 7-12 Curriculum Mtgs)

Website of the Week

Wednesday, I talked about the stress level and the tough work you all do each day.
If you need a stress reliever and it is before 8am and after 4pm, J, try this site
very non-educational website! Enjoy
http://www.therightfoot.net/mystuff/whatever/swf/bubblewrap.swf

He who laughs, lasts
DB

October 10, 2008

District PD – I continue to be amazed at the collaboration and work teams have done so far this year! The conversation has been rich and the focus on student learning is evident. The amount of new learning for staff has been enormous and you have met the challenge and continue to work harder and smarter to accomplish the goals and tests. I’ve truly seen the definition of PLCs met during the first quarter: Collaborative teams whose members work interdependently to achieve common goals linked to the purpose of learning for all. I also want to thank the para-educators who have been flexible, open to ideas and remained positive through the changes we have had this school year. It has been noticed!

Picture retakes - Thursday, October 16, in the media center. You need to notify the office of any retakes in your classroom. This would also include students absent that day or new students that came to WIS after picture day. Any staff members that were absent that day also need to have their picture taken for an ID badge.

Leadership Team - will be meeting next Thursday, October 16, at IPS. Meet in 12:15 in room #107.

First Quarter - ends next Friday, October 17. Grades are due Tuesday, October 21. Report cards are to be sent home with students on Thursday, October 23. A reminder to classroom teachers: if a student has earned a ‘D’ or ‘F’, comments should be included on the grade card.

Webpage – several WIS staff members received a brief training to allow them to add information to their school webpage on www.redoakschooldistrict.com. If you were not able to attend and would like to learn how to begin your classroom/teacher webpage, please let me know. If you were part of the training and need assistance, stop in and I will try to help you! Brenda has added the Y.E.S. Mentoring page to the main district website – check it out!

Red Ribbon Week is scheduled for the week of October 27. Jeannie and Bev have worked on the activities for the week and Jeannie will give us information of the planned activities soon.

Coming up...October Dates
15 2-hr Early Out/PD (Curriculum Teams – locations TBA)
16 Leadership Team Mtg, Linn & Haufle, 12:15 P.M. @ IPS
20 Second Quarter Begins
22 2-hr Early Out/PD (K-5 PD at IPS)
23 Grade Cards Sent Home
28 School Board Meeting, 7:00 A.M. @ MS
IA Core Curriculum Mtg, 8:00-11:30 A.M. @ Shenandoah
29 2-hr Early Out/PD (K-2, 3-6, 7-12 Curriculum Mtgs)

Website of the Week
http://photosynth.net/ -

Possible classroom use: Art, ELO, SmartBoard, Writing, or for Home!

Imagine being able to share the places and things you love using the cinematic quality of a movie, the control of a video game, and the mind-blowing detail of the real world. With nothing more than a bunch of photos, Photosynth creates an amazing new experience.

He who laughs, lasts
DB