Weekly News and Notes

This is, in all likelihood, the last edition before school closes, so, as Jerry Springer would say, "Now it's time for my final thought."

It seems ironic in some ways that this last Weekly News for 2012-13 comes exactly one year after I came to Medway for my site visit. I remember it being a sweltering day, and I couldn't find my shoes. I started to sweat profusely, necessitating a change of shirt, and I arrived here for my afternoon tour and meetings with students, staff, and administrators. I remember some of the questions verbatim, the insight of the students, and the concerns that some folks had mapped out in our brief time together. I was actually a little nervous - after 11 years in one school, and six as an administrator, I was leaving everything and everyone I knew behind.

A year later, and I've learned much more than I could have imagined from all of you, our students, and the community. (And that's without going into MMS, something I'd never heard of, much less used, before this year).

I've learned about your frustrations and challenges, some of which I share.

I've learned about chaperoning fan buses and the rabid following our community and students have for our athletic teams.

I've learned about the effort and hard work so many of you put into 500+ Advanced Placement tests each spring, and what 90+% college-bound means.

I've learned about Atlas, Itslearning, PD360, Blackboard, Project Lead the Way, Carnegie, Links, Move, and IPEC... and probably a few other acronyms I'm forgetting.

I've learned that the concern about students roaming referenced in my interview last year really references the same half-dozen or so kids, who somehow still have tread on their sneakers.

I've learned that indoor graduation is more comfortable than outdoor graduation, once the thermometer goes above 85.

I've learned that scheduling needs to start in January.

I've learned that the wireless network does not work well in the gym or art corridor.

I've learned that people really care about what is written on the PD360 walk-through observations, and that the feedback inspires some great dialogue, albeit virtually.

I've learned that Medway students, contrary to popular belief, are NOT the worst dancers on the planet. I've seen worse. Though watching the awkward swayings of mostly Caucasian students to bad music is not my idea of a fun night.

I've learned that our kids genuinely care about each other, through a variety of actions, both subtle and explicit.

Ditto for our staff - toward each other and kids.

I've learned that I should have opened a Dunkin Donuts on the corner of 109 and 126 around 2003, though that probably would have meant not being here, for I would be retired on an island somewhere.

I've learned that most of our kids love to do well, and sometimes we just need to give them the context to do so. Thinking of the toy drive and body image presentation still gives me goose bumps.

I've learned that I don't need to bring breakfast the Friday after a payday, and that I probably shouldn't count carbs on those days either.

I've learned that being 20 minutes away from home makes for a much saner wife and happier daughter, who actually gets to see her father from time to time. Note: I didn't say much happier wife, even though I'm sure she is glad that I'm not 37 miles of country road away from home.

I've learned that an 8:04 start time is much more palatable than 7:10.

I've learned that people actually read my Twitter feed - 1200 tweets and 401 followers later. People actually read for various degrees of information, be it a retweet or a game update.

I've learned that the bench outside guidance is actually pretty comfortable - but that I could probably go longer than 54 minutes without sitting on it.

I've learned, somewhat recently, the difference between a variable and an unknown, the role of primary sources in education, the importance of writing, what people's dream classrooms would look like in terms of technology, and, all too often, what prospective applicants have done when confronted with a difficult student behavior. (Those are all variations on our application questions).

I've learned that promising 50 kids for the Medway Clean Sweep was a good idea, and bringing 120 was even better.

I've learned that Dave, Sue, Nadine, and Linda gave their lives to Medway High School, and that I'm proud and humbled to have worked with them despite for a short time.

I've learned how to schedule from a technological standpoint, and while the result doesn't make everyone happy, I hope I can keep getting better at it. Except study halls. I hate study halls.

I've learned that being department chair is, in fact, a challenge unto itself, and I will miss being the English department chair. Music, art, and PE: you're stuck with me.

I've learned that I can get my Weekly News out every Friday. Except once. But FirstClass was down that Friday night. Other than that, it was pretty religious, and I think people got a thing or two from it.

Finally, I've learned that we have done a lot, worked ourselves hard, and deserve a rest. While, as Robert Frost said, "we have miles to go before we sleep," we're at least at a rest stop and ready for that figurative nap.

So 365 days later, beads of sweat may still form in dealing with some aspects of Medway High School - the 95-degree graduation day comes to mind - but this no longer seems like a new place. I thank you for making the last calendar and academic year so professionally and personally meaningful. I share with anyone who asks how fortunate I feel to have landed at Medway High School, and I hope you all realize how much we all appreciate the hard work you put in on behalf of our students and our profession.

Coming Attractions

I hope to publish a summer edition highlighting our new hires, some info for the fall, and a state of the union, if you will, but right now, it's time to enjoy the start of a respite!

Weekly News and Notes

Well, everyone, this will be the last Weekly News and Notes to come out on a Friday this year. I plan on sending my final one out on the Monday before the last day of school. Next year, I expect to have some enhancements and additional contributions, and hope to also add in some sections where we celebrate the many things that are being done so well here at Medway High School, but more on that later.

First off, on a very personal level, thanks so much to all of you who offered me such kind words on Wednesday and Thursday. Truthfully, when my grandfather lost my grandmother last summer, I was concerned about how he would react in terms of his own will - after 61+ years, you can imagine it being tough on him. These connections with students and knowing that people gain something from his story really helps keep him going. He's already talking about coming back next year. The reaction from the students and from all of you is something that means a great deal on a very, very personal level, and for that I am very grateful.

So, back to business:

Our hiring committees are in full swing. We are finalizing candidates for foreign language, English, and history, and hope to soon have finalists selected for mathematics. We also are working hard to find someone for music. To the many of you who have been on screening committees, or have volunteered to have folks teach a lesson in your classes, we appreciate the time and sometimes inconvenient scheduling of these opportunities.

In truth, I have been in 20 interviews in the past month for the first round alone, a process that is exhausting. We are committed to bringing great to Medway, for our students deserve nothing less before them in a classroom and our staff nothing less beside them in a workroom.

Scheduling

I hope many of you will be able to stop by the scheduling forums next week. I have been working fairly non-stop on the schedule since early May, and I have learned a great deal about the process - enough to make this easier next year, and to know some things that will help make things better. Now, the schedule is imperfect, and we will still have students in study hall, but I hope you will at least understand some of the background as to some of the decision-making.

I've been thankful for the support of the department heads along the way, particularly with regard to teacher assignments and looking at schedules of best fit. Moving forward, I do expect to have some different opportunities with regard to the scheduling process, some of which I will explain next week.

Finally, I appreciate everyone's patience. I'm not trying to be patronizing - I know how tense not knowing what the coming year's teaching assignment is can be. I frequently found my schedule out in the middle of July or August, which was frustrating, particularly when I taught seniors, they left, and I had some more time at my disposal in June to meet with people and gather materials. So I feel your pain/tension - and will work to get these schedules established - and the process completed - more expeditiously next year, around MCAS, graduation, and summative evaluations, of course.

That about does it from me on this week - more to come with the final edition of the year. See you next week, and best of luck with getting everything together for finals!

Weekly News and Notes

First, thanks to everyone who attended graduation last week and provided me some feedback. It was extremely helpful to have so many people with a sense of history and tradition give me the background, in particular Ms. Guilfoil. Beyond that, it was nice to incorporate some new pieces that I'm told had not traditionally been part of the script, including putting the faculty in the graduation program and recognizing you collectively at the start of graduation.

While I know many of you had the occasional struggle with some seniors this year, and there was a pervasive rash of senioritis throughout the fourth quarter, I had great support from the senior class this year, as a group. By and large, they were respectful, polite, and responsible. I had a terrific time learning from and working with the class officers and advisors, and I will miss their counsel and follow-through. That said, it has provided me with a solid baseline as I look ahead to the future.

Lastly, the comments I have received have been by and large positive, in that graduation flowed well, was efficient and largely positive. That said, we're always looking for ways to improve, so if something jumps out, let me know. (Some of you have already offered some constructive ideas, for which I'm appreciative).

Speaking of: class elections will take place next week. Please refer to the High School conference messages posted by Mr. Christie regarding the schedule.

Handbook Updates

Our handbook revisions went to both School Council and School Committee in the past week. Most of the updates provide clarification on procedures that have been in place and just needed clarification, while a couple included some revisions.

We had many great conversations about topics ranging from class dues to electronic devices to dress code to chemical health, and the support has been fairly unanimous. I know there are many that will remain uncomfortable with the mere presence of cell phones, iPads, and laptops in their classes, but the town and School Committee has endorsed a "bring your own device" policy, and, thus, they aren't going away. Our discussions focused on what to do and what the consequences could be for consistent misuse of these items without teacher permission.

You can expect a summary next week of all the changes/updates. Again, there is nothing that will catch anyone truly off guard.

My sincere thanks to all who helped out on the handbook committee: Sharon Aigler, Sharon Guilfoil, Spencer Christie, Diana Rodgers, Jay Rojee, Amanda Webster, Grace Lamond, Dot Pearl, Shanley Heller, and Rob Pearl.

The Schedule

In the interest of transparency, and to respond to some concerns about the perceived secrecy about the schedule:

At this point, I have run the schedule about 4-5 different times. Each time, it has spit out classes meeting at different times, with different levels of balance. Truthfully, it's about finding the right order/sequence of running classes to ensure the greatest number of students get into classes they've selected.

On top of that, there will be some chess when certain classes move into different periods and create staff conflicts, on the basis of what the students need.

So... the short answer is not to get your hopes up for one class or another, or one particular schedule or another, or to expect that something you may have seen on the board last week is set in stone. I've repeated that fairly consistently, but some people are still asking questions, so it's just easier to work under the shroud of secrecy, inform the department chairs as necessary, and then solicit feedback as it is needed/desired. Please, if you have questions or requests, come ask. I can't promise that everything will be honored, but I'm doing my best, and I can promise you at the very least that I will listen.

Hiring Committees

We are in the process of finalizing candidates for history, English, tv/video, French/Spanish, music, and math, and our hope is to get all of those candidates to the final stages in the next week. Obviously, in an ideal world, we would be interviewing and selecting candidates before school ends, so we can put those teachers in touch with people with whom they'll be working closely come the fall.

Many thanks to those of you who have volunteered your time to read resumes, design questions, and interview:

Dianne Kaeli & Betsy Lynch: foreign language
Christine Ryan & Chris Jacobs: English
Amanda Webster: music
Neill Brandon and Kristin Oleksy: history
Spencer Christie, Maureen Coutu, Diana Rodgers: humanities leader
Jon Jasinski and Kelly Bliss: STEM leader

We have also had at least two students on every committee, who have been extremely insightful. Again, thanks to those who have suggested students to serve and for encouraging their leadership on campus.

Have a great weekend!