Third-Year Review is Here!

  Yes, the two-person team is coming.  Mary Camp and Brenda Budd will arrive at 8:30 am.  After a brief meeting, they will review evidence and visit classrooms until noon.  After their working lunch, they will present their findings to Mary and me.  This is when they tell us how wonderful we are.  Below is a screenshot of the slide Mary Camp shared during the last Zoom meeting.  It shows exactly what they will be looking for as they walk through the school.

These are the four benchmarks noted.

Wednesday will be a Communion Service, which means we will have Liturgy of the Word followed by Communion.  Deacon said there will also be music.  Since it will not take as long as a Mass, please remain seated at the end.  Once most of the parishioners have cleared out, we will do a lockdown.  I will review the procedures with the students before we begin.  Pre-K can participate.  We will not be able to check on you, but your phone will alert you when the drill is over.  

Friday is the KickOff for the Mustang Strong Fundraiser.  Please be sure the students are in the FLC and seated by 2:15.  Parents are invited to attend, but all students will return to class for classroom pickup after the rally.  I will confirm if PK is expected to come over.  I will be at a principal meeting on Friday, so I will miss all the fun.  Be sure I'm not signed up for anything crazy.  

Now for something else I would love to share.  I am reading a book called The Meaning of Your Life along with all the other principals.  At first, I thought the book was talking to a younger generation that is lost in the world of technology, but then I read one particular page, and so many things became clear.  He talked about the left and right brain, math vs. art.  But it's not.  It's really practical vs. spiritual and mysterious.  The right side says, why am I alive?  The left side says, how can I get food to stay alive?  We all have the capacity for both.  There is so much in between that is discussed, including technology, boredom, addiction, complicated vs. complex, Tolstoy, The Matrix, and it all led to Emerson.  The author believes Emerson would be appalled at the education uniformity, technological distraction, and immediate gratification that keep our most ambitious young people anesthetized and unable to find their life's meaning.  The author said life's boredom has led to a reliance on being entertained by technology, which prevents the right brain from functioning (my very brief synopsis).  He asked, Did you ever notice that you tend to solve difficult problems and come up with good ideas in the shower?  YES!!!  I thought it was only me.  Why?  Because your phone is not in there with you.  

My point?  THIS is why PBL is important.  With tests and rote memorization, we are only activating the left side of the brain.  We need to help students fire up the right side through creativity and deep thinking.  He also talked about AI, which could take away our creativity.  He sees AI as a tool we can use to help us move through our mundane tasks faster so there is more time to ponder life's mysteries.  I agree, and I am so happy I have finally solved the mystery of shower enlightenment.

Have a great week!