Remember to Count

Well here we go.  Only 4 days remaining and the heat is truly on for all of us.  Busy is the operative word and at times, things just get crazy.  More than ever, we should remember to stop, count to ten, and breathe.  The end of the year is very stressful for everyone:  Teachers, Students, Staff, and Parents.  Everyone has their stress points.  That is why it is so important to support each other during this final push.  Encourage a student along the way, the words you deliver just may be the motivation that gets them through.  Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend.  See you Tuesday for the final push.  Go Pups! (cue: Europe – The Final Countdown)

Friday the 13th

With only 14 days remaining in the school year, we have reached Friday the 13^th.  Crazy how this day has such folklore.  Many of the tales are rooted in the middle ages when on Friday the 13^th, 1307, King Phillip IV of France called for the arrest and immediate conviction of all Knights Templar of the Masonic Order. The reaction of the Knights Templar was to seek refuge and hiding in adjacent countries concealing their wealth and continuing their vast banking networks in secret.  One day in history that gave birth to several legends that continue today.  Our mission today is parallel, though we are not convicting hundreds of innocent people.  We are however, trying to seize every moment with our students, attempting to set them on a path to legendary status.  That mission is daunting and worth the effort. Enjoy your weekend…Go Pups! (cue: Stevie Nicks – Edge of Seventeen)

Senioritis

We are into the final grading period, Senior Ethics has past, CAASPP testing is completed, and AP tests are on the horizon.  Yes, if looks and feels like the end of the 2015-16 school year is approaching very fast.  Before it gets here lets all work together to combat the senior-itis that infects so many this time of year.  Unfortunately, there isn’t a derivative of penicillin that will cure it and we certainly know it’s effects.  The only thing we can do is remind students that grades matter, stay in the game and focused, nix the bad habits, and make good decisions down the stretch.  Good advice may be the only thing we have to fight with and yet, it may be just what the doctor would order. Enjoy your weekend…Go Pups! (cue: Prince – Let’s Go Crazy)

Test Prep

Well Spring Break showed up quickly and Easter past just as fast.  Now we have the final push to the finish as we navigate through the season of testing. I was asked once why we spend so much time preparing for testing in high school and my answer came as a shock to them.  “It’s what we do”, I said.  We prepare students for the next level, whether college or career.  We prepare them by mirroring some of the things they will experience in a safer environment, such as high stakes testing.  We prepare students to be successful so when they take the certification exams for their career, they have taken big tests before.  We prepare students.  It’s what we do.  Enjoy your weekend of weather…Go Pups! (cue: The Cars - Magic)

Surrender

While ‘Spring Break’ doesn’t conjure up the same mental images it used to when we were in college, the sentiment is the same.  The crazy road trips some took as students to Matzatlan, Encenada Beach, or San Diego have been replaced with restful time with family, a book, or a drive to the coast.  Yes…age has it’s rewards.  Whatever your plans are, I wish you time.  Surrender the things that are troublesome and take some time to relax and enjoy the beautiful weather.  It will be glorious.  Enjoy your week…Go Pups! (cue: Cheap Trick – Surrender)

Spring is in the Air

We welcome March with warm weather and the promise of more rain.  Along with that allergies have set in as the tree blooms have beautified our landscape.  The Valley!  What a fantastic place to live.  Opportunities for outdoor activities are everywhere and just think, from the Central Valley we are only 12,500 miles from anywhere in the world! As great a Springtime is, it is a very stressful time with all that is going on around us.  All the more important to slow everything down.  Sounds like a great plan for a Friday.  Enjoy your weekend…Go Pups! (cue: Proclaimers – 500 Miles)

Illuminate the Light Bulbs

The Spring semester is in full bloom and filling with activities.  Testing, college applications, testing, scholarships, testing, letters of reference, testing, and a host of other activities.  Did I mention testing?  From benchmarks to State testing to AP testing, yes, there is a bunch of testing to come.  As you shepherd our students through lessons, remember that each of them has that internal light bulb.  With every lesson, we have the chance to pull that invisible string on their chin and illuminate the bulb. Once we do that, their drive to answer their own questions will come from within.  Spring is full of transformations.  Why not start one today?  Enjoy your weekend…Go Pups! (cue: Mozart – The Marriage of Figaro)