Dear Staff,
Welcome to the Celtic Courier, Week 1! We are moving from the usual staff weekly enews to a new staff blog that we hope you will enjoy immensely. Why the change? A myriad of reasons.
One is that I believe that a principal should model digital literacy and model digital communication with key stakeholders. We cannot and should not expect staff to learn new things, learn new technology, and engage learners (and we are all learners) in different ways if we are not willing to do it ourselves.
Secondly, blog posts enable us to have two-way rather than one-way communication. You can leave comments for the entire staff to see, you can share links and other information that we can all learn from.
Thirdly, we want this to be your blog also. If you notice on the right side, you will see a place where we can add DJHS bloggers. Please send me your own blogs so we can all read and write together, building the community of literate learners that we hope to inculcate in our students. After all, an authentic audience makes us all better learners, readers and writers.
Please also send me the blogs and RSS feeds that you believe other staff are interested in so we can also add those to this blog site. Again, our hope is that this blog will enrich and increase our awareness of all of our own personal learning networks. Please send me any of those sites that you would like for me to include on the blog for easy access. We have also included the school Twitter site and also my Twitter account. Soon we will be adding yours, and we also have added #djhsedchat for access.
How else will this blog be different? We want it to include news, celebrations, appreciations from the Jerome Staff. This is where you will come to find the weekly events, as usual. But this blog format lends itself also better to embed photographs, live links, links to educational resources and videos, and develop a deeper personal staff connection.
I will send out the link via the staff email each Sunday to communicate you the week's events. What I also want from you, though, is good news from yourself, your department and the whole staff to share, so that I can include that in this blog. Blogs are a personal way to connect with others, and that is our goal.
On the blog post, you can also sign up to receive the Celtic Courier to what email(s) you wish to receive it for your convenience. Just see the sign-up on the right.
Why now? Why not? As we move into 4th quarter, spring has sprung, and it begins a renewal and awakening of life. A perfect time to come together as a staff in a different way each week, reconnecting through a blog.
And so, we start anew, and our first blog post highlights a new idea, a new garden that you will find in the staff mailroom, compliments of our very own Georgie Nosker.
It arose from the idea of focusing on and fostering staff appreciation and recognition, and George made it alive and real.
"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy: They are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."
In the staff mailroom you will find a garden that George made for us, a garden that we can use to show appreciation to other staff members who make us happy and make our souls blossom.
When you walk into the mailroom you will see this gift from us to you, compliments of Georgie's hard work and creativity. In it you will find notecards and pens to write a note of encouragement, appreciation or celebration to another staff member. When we discussed the idea with the department chairs, they suggested the mailroom for easy access to the mailboxes, So many kind hearts and good people work at Jerome. We know you will appreciate the opportunity to let them know, brightening someone's day!
Spring Break brought for me a mix of work, family time, and play. I worked three days getting caught up on OTES, learned something new (you're looking at it), traveled to Marietta with my daughter, enjoyed some dinners out with Jeff, and am rejuvenated for our last quarter together! Jeff is making slow progress, and he is looking forward to the day when he can drive on his own. Not yet, but hopefully soon!
We also welcomed a new Celtic baby over spring break. Welcome Ben Manner!
The Start of 4th Quarter this week!
By Friday-- April 4, please make sure you have completed your Dublin Final Growth Template and sent an email copy of it to your evaluating administrator. Also put a copy in your digital portfolio. This is a requirement for all teachers. We will be scheduling post-conferences soon. If you administrator has asked you to submit more information or to sign your second formal observation, this should also be completed by Friday. Friday is the deadline.
Monday-- Grades are due by 4 PM Monday. No late entries please. Please remember that your grades must be in and accurate so that George can start printing grade cards. Every time you make a change, a new grade card must be printed.
Tuesday-- Literacy team meeting in the media center 7:15 AM. Please try to review the articles that Mike previously sent. Tuesday evening Dodgeball prelims from 6-8 PM.
Wednesday-- PLC Same-subject Meeting Team time for all teams. 7:15 AM-7:45 AM. Please continue to work on looking at your diagnostic and formative assessment data going into your second semester SMART goals.
Thursday-- Valedictorian audition speeches 7th period and after school in the media center.
Friday-- Adjusted Bell Schedule for afternoon assembly schedule for the Dodgeball Finals. District Dodgeball final Friday at Scioto with the high school competition about 8 PM. Much thanks to Steve Dickman for heading up the staff team this year.
As you know, the beneficiaries for the Dodgeball Finals are personal for the Jerome family and include Dodge for Emma, Jason and Jeff Rice's family scholarship, and now Olivia from Coffman. Others also include Special Olympics and the Collelo family scholarship also.
Please take time this week to emphasize the importance of serving others to our students this week. We need to dodge for the others who can't dodge.
On Friday, we will be asking staff and students to generously contribute during the school day and at the assembly to raise support these wonderful charities. Opportunities will abound.
Want to wear Blue Jeans on Friday to teach in? Donate a dollar. Want to wear your favorite college or pro team T-shirt. Donate a dollar. Want to wear your favorite hat to teach in? Donate a dollar. Please bring your money to Carol Jacobsen and it will all be put to the district Dodgeball tourney.
Looking ahead--
April 9: Adjusted bell schedule for student elections.
April 10: Anniversary celebration. 6-8 PM. Please bring your families. Balloon animals and face-painting. Student musical groups performing. Please come out and celebrate our 10 years! Dedication of new brick patio also.
Also we will be raising money for the Wounded Warrior project. If you have any craft items, gift cards, etc that you can contribute to the Silent Auction for this wonderful charity, please let us know and we will get those items to the Silent Auction.
Have a wonderful week! Please comment and contribute to our new Staff Blog. Sign up to receive it via any email, and send us your favorite blogs and your own blog addresses so we can build a our own staff learning network.
"We can never grow weary of doing good, for we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Thanks for all you do every period of every day for every student and family of Jerome.
Cathy
