FROM THE DESK OF THE SUPERINTENDENT...
December 26, 2016
JANUARY 2017 DISTRICT DISPATCH
Welcome back to the new year and the beginning of the second semester. Students resume classes on Tuesday, January 3, 2017. With winter here, the possibility of late starts, early dismissals, or school cancellations is always with us. Please remember to tune in to the following radio and television stations if the weather appears threatening: KMA (960 AM), KFAB (1110 AM), KNOD (95.3 FM), KMTV (Channel 3), WOWT (Channel 6), and KETV (Channel 7). In addition, our school district subscribes to the SchoolMessenger Instant Parent Contact System. This automated telephone broadcast service enables school personnel to notify all households and parents by telephone within minutes of an emergency or unplanned event that causes a late start, an early dismissal, or a school cancellation. If you have not signed up for this service and are interested in participating, please contact the principal’s office where your child or children attend. In addition, if you signed up in the past but have stopped receiving calls, it may be because you have changed your telephone number and we are not aware of the change. If you think this might be the case, contact the principal’s office where your child or children attend and make sure your current telephone number is the one on file.
With the beginning of the second semester, teachers are aware of the importance of establishing an appropriate classroom atmosphere. Sometimes, however, it is difficult to decide whether to establish a no-nonsense atmosphere that will inhibit student misbehavior or to create a pleasant atmosphere that enhances feelings of well-being and personal relationships. The former tends to prevail, but a pleasant classroom does not necessarily mean a classroom that lacks discipline. In fact, the most effective classroom is usually the one in which the two approaches go hand-in-hand. Developing a positive and comfortable atmosphere in the classroom requires the recognition that students often arrive not knowing exactly what is expected in their new classrooms. They are more likely to develop a positive attitude if they get to know their teachers, get to know their classmates, and encounter easier academic tasks at the outset. Simple lessons lead to more complex lessons as student confidence increases. High academic achievement depends upon more than content skill development. Teachers who give no thought to their students’ self-esteem needs are unlikely to improve academic achievement, but those who focus only on self-esteem needs are denying their students the academic skills they need to be successful in life. Balance is required in order to maximize student achievement and help students have a positive feeling about school.
Please note that there is no school for students on Monday, January 16, 2017. Our teachers will be participating in professional development activities with faculty members from other Western Iowa Conference schools that day.
