Bits & Pieces...

Given the lull in adminstrative activities within PPSD and the HIGH LEVEL of activities with regard to Winter Concerts, Holiday Dances and Secret Santas throughout our schools -- I thought I'd take the next day or two or three just to share some of my favorite quotes/thoughts/expressions:

The following is excerpted from a magazine called Bits & Pieces -- to subscribe to or find out more about this publisher and publication log onto: http://www.motivateandinspire.com/

• It's never TOO LATE to be who you might have been. (G. Eliot)
• A moment's insight is sometimes worth a life's experience. (O. W. Holmes)
• Don't cry because it's over -- smile because it happened. (Unknown)
• I would not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum. (F. Willard)
• A child's life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark. (Chinese Proverb)
• 3 Things in human life are important: The 1st is to be kind. The 2nd is to be kind. And the 3rd is to be kind. (H. James)

Enjoy your day!

A Little Levity

PEP Days of Wishes
On the 1st Day of Christmas -- PPSD
Brought to “We” --1 Parent Involvement Policy.
On the 2nd Day of Christmas – PPSD Brought to “We”
2 Grand in funding and yes just -- 1 Parental Involvement

Policy On the 3rd Day of Christmas – PPSD Brought to “We” 3

Elementary Honor Classes 2 Grand in funding and yes ooh yes

just – easily understood Parental Involvement Policy On the 4th day

of Christmas PPSD Brought to “We”4% more curriculum rigor....

across every Grade in our school community, 3 Elementary Honor

Classes, 2 Grand in funding and 1 Parental Involvement Policy.

On the 5th day of Christmas PPSD Brought To “We” 5 Core

District Goals 4% more rigor, 3 elementary honors classes

2 grand in funding and 1 parental involvement policy. On the

6th, 7th and 8th days of Christmas PPSD brought to “We”

Sports teams for the 2 new K-8 Facilities, 5-core

goals, 4% - more rigor, 3 elementary honors classes, 2

grand in funding & yes 1 parental involvement policy.

On the 9th day of Christmas PPSD Brought to “We”

9 – BOARD MEMBERS, 8, 7, 6 grade sport teams,

5 core goals, 4% more rigor, 3 honors classes 2 grand

in funding &1 Parental Involvement Policy. On the

10th day of Christmas PPSD Brought to “We” 10

Parent Workshops 9 Board Members, 8, 7, 6

grade sport teams, 5 district core goals, 4% more

rigor, 3 elementary honors, 2 grand in funding

& by now I'm sure you guessed it 1 parental

involvement policy. On the final days of

....Christmas PPSD Brought to “We” .....

14 Schools Achieving A. Y. P.!!!!!!
10–Well Planned Parent Workshops
9 – Present Board Members
8, 7, 6 grade sport teams
5 District Core Goals,
4% More Rigor!!!!!!!
3 Honors Courses,
2 Grand in funding
AND

A Parental Involvement POLICY!

New Internet Provider...New Email...New Troubles?!?

Hi All -- I've been out of commission given I've changed my internet provider. Please note the new email address at the top of this blog.

I'll chat with you all tomorrow.

Stay warm!

Ciao

Just ONE will Do!

Ok Folks…So you want change…and you think you are up to it? Well here’s an opportunity for you to test the waters! The BOE is looking for (1) Good Man or Woman! Are you IT?

And before anyone asks --- I “AIN’T” interested! Why? Let’s just say – I think there is a conflict of interest. I have never done well with process and procedures (a.k.a. Pomp and Circumstance) that “restricts” my ability to TELL it LIKE it IS! How IT is -- When it IS! There are legal requirements such servitude would stymie this GOD given gift of mine! And at the end of the day…I MUST always be able to say What needs to be said!

So, there you have it!

But -- I know there are those of you out there that have mastered the ability to bide your time and tongue…and have the eloquence, people-skills and political savvy to be an asset to the BOE, our students and our Community.

If you’ve ever wondered, thought you could, thought you wanted to, or are just curious about the people and the process of the BOE machine – I urge you to take up this opportunity to peer into the inner workings of this very intense and important civic duty.

HERE are the particulars:

Interested resident - submit the required paperwork no later than January 7, 2009.

Candidates must comply with the following requirements:

Complete a Plainfield Board of Education nominating petition

Provide the Plainfield Board of Education with a one (1) page letter of explanation why he/she wishes to be a member of the board within the above prescribed seven-day period; and

Be available for an interview with the Board within seven (7) days following submission of the completed Plainfield Board of Education petition.

All interviews shall be conducted during a public session meeting of the board.

Completed packet should be sent to:
Gary Ottmann, Business AdministratorPublic Schools of Plainfield
1200 Myrtle AvenuePlainfield, N.J. 07063
Tel. 908-731-4344

And the People Said...

YES Indeed!

TGIF : Thank GOD It's FRIDAY!!!

Gang Awareness Symposium

Gangs are a rising problem in the State of New Jersey and Plainfield is starting to see its fair share of the unwanted activity. Come and join the YWCA as they discuss street gangs.

Featuring: The Street Warriors of Newark

TONIGHT: 7pm – 10pm
YWCA
232 East Front Street
Plainfield

There will be guest speakers, entertainment and a special awards ceremony to honor some of Plainfield’s Youth.

Parents, Educators, Students and Plainfield Community:

It’s time to “TAKE CHARGE of our Community!”

Drop Out: Why? -- How WE can Change IT!

Why do kids drop out?

A 2005 survey of high school dropouts provided some very interesting insights into why kids drop out. The survey, conducted for the Gates Foundation, showed that of those who dropped out:

Almost half (47 percent) cited a lack of interest in class among the reasons for dropping out. They reported being bored and disengaged from high school. Incidentally, many who gave this reason also had higher grade-point averages and hung around with people who had dropped out.

Almost 70 percent said they were not motivated or inspired to work hard. Many of them felt that they could have graduated had more been demanded of them academically. Many had to drop out for personal reasons ranging from the need to get a job and help support the family to pregnancy.

What can be done to make high school more

challenging and meaningful?

Personalize learning! Enable students, teachers, and parents to develop a learning plan and graduation pathway that ensures each child graduates while meeting high standards.

Make it relevant! Show students the real world applications of their education through different lessons outside the school building. Learn about music in a music store or by doing an internship with a local musician or band.

Teach the importance of chemistry and photosynthesis by spending one day a week at a working farm. Just because it's learning doesn't mean it can't be fun!

Provide mentors and meaningful relationships! Research consistently demonstrates that kids do better in school and remain engaged if they have a good relationship with one adult in the building. These relationships include academics but go beyond if necessary to offer students assistance and insight into items outside the classroom.

Give teachers flexibility! Teachers need flexibility to work differently and freedom to design exciting and innovative lessons. They also need options to expand their own education. Empower and invigorate teachers with opportunities for new approaches and ideas so that they can ensure high academic achievement for all of their students.

ENOUGH SAID!

This information is a continuation and exact copy lift from the article cited in yesterday's post. For more information about this organization or to sign-up to received their newsletters, articles and info flashes - check out: http://www.wholechildeducation.org

The Simple Fact of the Matter Is...

From time to time I receive an eLetter,e-Article or other value-add information from The Association For Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) “Whole Child” initiative. I could not –NOT- share this poignant, honest and timely subject matter as articulated by ASCD with the Plainfield Community.

The following is an exact copy of their latest article. I urge you all – educators, parents, teachers, community members and business owners alike to read this informative communique. YOU will never be the same, think the same or continue to do the same…

PART I...

Support Innovative High School Redesign

Did you know that every 29 seconds a student drops out of high school? That is 6-7,000 kids lost every school day, or 1.2 million kids lost every year. Among African-American and Hispanic students the graduation rate is about 55 percent, or roughly one of every two students.

What does life hold for the students who drop out?

Over their lifetime, a high school dropout will earn $260,000 less than someone who completes high school and $1 million less than someone who completes college.

Education means better health. According to the Centers for Disease Control, The U.S. death rate for those with fewer than 12 years of education is 2.5 times higher than the rate of those with 13 years of education or more.

A high school dropout is 3.5 times more likely than a high school graduate to be arrested.

What about the societal cost of dropouts?

A 5 percent increase in the number of male high school graduates would save the nation almost $5 billion in costs associated with incarceration. Dropouts from the class of 2004 will cost the nation more than $325 billion in lost productivity, taxes, and wages over their lifetime.

Stay Tuned Tomorrow for PART II...

Citation Notes: For more information about this organization or to sign-up to received their newsletters, articles and info flashes - check out: http://www.wholechildeducation.org

PPSD - Parent Survey

Parents -- the Plainfield Public School District is conducting a Parent Survey in cooperation and coordination of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA). This event only happens every 7-10 years. Consider this a once in a life time opportunity to share your vision, your concerns and your ideas with regard to how our schools are doing and how they can improve!

I took the survey and it is VERY thorough; covering a range of topics and areas that parents have often commented are important to them. I urge you to please share this link with as MANY Parents as possible. Post it on your individual school sites, your PTO blogs, your community blogs etc... It is as important to our community as voting in this past election was to our country!

The link to the survey can be found at the "Bottom: Mid-center" of our District Home page which is provided here: http://www.plainfieldnjk12.org/index.htm

Pass it on!

Can "I" get a WHAT! WHAT!!

OK Ladies & Gentlemen – here are our last 10 “I’s” of Effective Parenting as authored by Principal Kafele.

I hope you have taken this opportunity to truly embrace and engrave these 50 “I” principles shared with you over the past two weeks in the hearts and minds of you and your children. Create some fancy plaques with graphics, personal family photos and frames and create a VISION Wall for your home. Let the sentiments of these adages reestablish, reaffirm and/or redirect the mindset of your family with regard to education in cooperation with parental involvement.

And finally – If we are ever going to position the Plainfield Educational System to be the conduit by which our children reach their maximum intellectual, social and civic potential – than YOU and I must begin to own our part in the SUCCESS STORY of Plainfield Public Schools.

Without further ado – your final 10 “I’s” of effective parenting:

41. I teach my children conflict resolution.

42. I teach my children coping and survival skills.

43. I monitor my children's media exposure.

44. I monitor who my children spend their time with.

45. I provide for my children while not depriving them of their needs.

46. I teach my children about good hygiene and grooming.

47. I monitor my children's attire and overall appearance and have a say in what they wear and how they wear it.

48. I talk to my children about respecting adults.

49. I talk to my children about proper relations with the opposite gender.

50. I talk to my sons about respecting, valuing, appreciating and getting along with other young men.

Can "I" Get A Witness?

A continuation of our list of positive parental affirmations as excerpted from Principal Kafele’s 50 “I's” For Effective Parenting; ...31-40…

31. I assist my children with determining a purpose in life.

32. I assist my children with understanding that they have an historical obligation to achieve.

33. I encourage my children to be determined to desire success from within.

34. I encourage my children to develop a vision for success.

35. I require that my children are goal-oriented.

36. I talk to my children about societal issues & problems as they relate to individual and community empowerment.

37. I talk to my children about expected and acceptable behavior both in and out of school.

38. I discipline my children appropriately.

39. I teach my children positive values.

40. I teach my children about household responsibilities.

3rd Times the CHARM!

As all other bloggers have noted and it's important enough to REPRINT here too:

Tonight - 7 PM @ Emerson School

LWV is Hosting a Community Forum

on School Funding ...Achievement Gaps...

Real or Imagined ?!?

Hope to see you All THERE!

All Those in FAVOR...Say "I"!

The following is a continuation of our list of positive parental affirmations as excerpted from Principal Kafele’s 50 “I's” For Effective Parenting.

Given the comments from an avid reader (and I DO appreciate my readers) I feel it necessary to make the following remarks. In totality I believe the information presented by Principal Kafele is both relevant and applicable to our community. What should be understood is that most history read in our classrooms/schools are non-specific to African or Latino Americans ergo the writer's admonishment to specifically address that historical gap of this student population.

It is fair to say that we all get a general history about America in terms of Caucasian Americans through school's traditional curriculum? The inclusion (callout) to these two ethnicities should be viewed as a call to consciousness for the parents of these social groups to "ensure" they expose their children and give them a solid understanding of "their" historical context/content in this land we call America.

So -- in that vain -- I ask all readers to do your internal edits as you deem appropriate, but do not ask of me to change a passage to read differently...but rather do as my avid reader friend has done...and share with me your offense/differing of opinion. Let's not avoid the conversation --At least we dialog whereby both will gain a different perspective/respect for the other -- even if --in the end we agree to disagree.

Now for your next 10 "I's" of Effective Parenting:
-------------------------------------------------------

21. I don’t ridicule and demean my children.

22. I refrain from negativity in my interactions with my children.

23. I take my children to African and Latino-centered educational programs and activities.

24. I expose my children to a wide variety of activities

25. I assist my children with their homework.

26. I review my children’s homework.

27. I require that my children study - even when they do not have homework.

28. I attend functions and meetings at my children's school.

29. I go to my children's school to meet and interact with teachers and administrators.

30. I encourage my children to believe in themselves.

The "I's" Have IT!!!

The following is a continuation of our list of positive parental affirmations as excerpted from Principal Kafele’s 50 “I's” For Effective Parenting

Discuss this list with your children, ask them what each means to them and share some examples so that they are clear what these adages mean to you. And don’t forget… ADD them to your VISION Wall so that these become a regular part of your life and your attitude as you interact with your children day-to-day.

...

11. I remind my children that they represent me at all times.

12. I spend quality time with my children

13. I communicate with my children regularly – both speaking and listening.

14. I have high expectations for my children, despite my own setbacks.

15. I constantly encourage my children to search for the genius and creativity that lies within them.

16. I constantly challenge my children to achieve excellence.

17. I hold my children accountable for achieving academic excellence.

18. I strive to motivate, educate and empower my children daily.

19. I do not accept mediocrity from my children.

20. I tell and show my children that I love them.

...