We are Family

Here we are at the end of of August.  Back to School night has past, the first football game is behind us, and the heat is still here.  Soon the heat will fade, the long days of September will pass, and we will be carving pumpkins again.  During these days it is ever so important to take the time to share some kindness with your colleagues.  To draw from our Football team motto, “We are family”.  We are all part of the Bullpup family.  That means we support each other on the tough days and celebrate the great ones.  Let’s teach our students that being part of HHS comes with the pride of being part of an extended family.  As we shape their experiences, we can also teach them compassion for their classmates that may just last a lifetime (cue We Are Family – Sister Sledge).  Have a great weekend…Go Pups!

Time to settle in...

Time to settle in for the year.  The symbolic start to school of Labor Day will be here soon and then it is a race to the symbolic finish of Memorial Day.  Interesting how back to school is ‘labored’ and the end of school is ‘remembered’.  I know those days weren’t created for us educators, but they seem to fit.  We work hard to welcome our students back from the summer off and hope that the ‘summer slide’ hasn’t effected them too much.  When I think about my days in school, I can remember the start (the day after the Jerry Lewis Telethon) and finishing with the anticipation of summer activities.  Let’s continue to help our students make memories they’ll draw on for the rest of their lives (cue You’ll Never Walk Alone – Jerry Lewis).  Have an extravagant weekend…Go Pups!

Not Yet...

Welcome back!!! The feeling of the first day of school never gets old. As we settle in to our daily routines, let’s always keep in mind the power we have to influence. We have the opportunity to create adversaries or allies with our students. Let us all remember how good it feels to achieve and every student that enters your class begins with that goal. Also give consideration to the fact that grades can be demotivating or uplifting for a student. Though we don’t use the following scale, we can certainly keep it in our minds:
A = Excellent
B = Above Average
C = Average
NY = Not Yet
Whether the student learns in the first week or last week, they still learned. The difference between ‘Not Yet’ and ‘Fail’ is the difference between ‘Possible chance’ and ‘Certain defeat’ in the mind of a student that is trying. However measured, the feeling of success is a great motivator. Let’s make this year the best ever for our students (cue The Best is Yet to Come - Frank Sinatra). Enjoy your weekend…Go Pups!

Almost there...

We have three weeks to go until the end and things are busy as we prep for the final push to the end. Before I look too far forward, I want to take some time to reflect on how far we have come. This year we have had our share of wins: including two successful AGB visits, a WASC visit that reaffirmed accreditation, positive data in both cohort graduation rate and dropout rate, curriculum conversions, many successes in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities, and individual wins are too frequent to count. However measured, whether as objective as a win in a game or subjective as a feeling of success, 2014-15 has proven to be a really good year. On behalf of the administration team, thank you all for you hard work and devotion to our students. (cue Abba – The Winner Takes It All) Enjoy your weekend…Go Pups!

Home Stretch

Now that April is over, we looking down the home stretch. Some Seniors are looking forward to great things to come and finishing strong, others just want it to be finished, and then some just hope to reach the finish. This is a busy time when I get to meet with a number of students that are ‘sitting on the bubble’. They tell me they ‘hope’ to reach the finish and I respond every time with, “Hope is not a strategy”. That saying has meaning for all of us. Are ‘we’ collectively doing everything we can to make certain every student is given the opportunity to finish? Are we providing the motivation and pushing them if need be to the finish, or are we simply hoping they are going to make it on their own. I’ll let you be the judge. Enjoy your weekend…Go Pups!

Spring Break

Well, we have made it to Spring Break, and the end of the semester is quickly approaching. When we return, we will have testing on our doorstep, Senior Ethics will soon follow, Master Schedule planning, then AP testing, Senior jeopardy lists, and final preparation for graduation. Before all that, we have a week to catch our breath and rest up for the final 9 weeks. My hope is that you take some time to reflect on the year. Our collective success is determined by each one of us identifying our individual obstacles and overcoming them. Once we define them, we can implement a plan to overcome. In my office I have a little sign that says, “Bring It”. I look at it multiple times a day and it reminds me to take on my day with a competitive fire. Bring the hurdles, we will find a way to jump them; bring the challenges, we will meet them; bring the students, we will teach them. Enjoy the week off. You’ve earned it. Go Pups! (cue Go-Go’s - Vacation)

First Day of Spring

The first day of Spring has arrived very quietly and we may be able to attribute it to the fact we really didn’t have a Winter this year. Then again, we all know our Valley weather cycle to be the seasons of Fall-Fog Season-Allergy Season-Summer. Having not had a Winter, we can all count on a really hot summer with water restrictions that will make it more difficult. Thankfully, even with our extreme heat, our Valley is still a great place to be. I know this to be true, because every now and then I get reminded when I travel to other schools. Having made the trip to Compton High School last weekend, I have a new frame of reference that makes me really appreciate my surroundings. Yes, we have our challenges, but in perspective, we need not continue to chase something better. Have a great weekend. Go Pups! (cue Alanis Morissette – Thank U)