The Sky’s the Limit

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As we begin this new school year, our theme has been determined – The Sky’s the Limit.  When you stop to consider the innocence of children and the limitlessness of their dreams, you realize just how true this concept is. Already this year, teachers are working hard to make sure that every child receives the best education that White Oak Intermediate School can offer and therefore, assure that those dreams are realized.

Come Monday morning, boys and girls will enter this building with backpacks full of new school supplies and heads full of new ideas. What they do not know is that we, too, are full of new ideas—and new skills.  The teachers of 2010-11 have an exciting journey mapped out for this group of students.

Success is not a destination…….it is a journey, and on our campus, The Sky’s the Limit.

What YOU Know About TAKS?

It is most definitely that time of the year again for our intermediate students. Already our fourth graders have completed their state assessment in Writing, and all three grades will soon be faced with the Reading and Math TAKS tests (And let’s not forget Mr. McBride’s 5th grade Science TAKS test). With benchmark testing behind us, teachers are spiraling in on skills that are sure to increase student confidence and production. The level of commitment and passion being exhibited by all of the instructors is to be commended. Students are engrossed in learning and specific needs are being tackled based on the data that has been collected. Consequently, I think that this video is exactly what we all need. I do hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

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Hold Hands and Stick Together

Last Sunday, the pastor ended his sermon with a statement that has stuck in the forefront my thoughts. I plan to share his statement later on in this posting, but allow me to take you back for just a moment.

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I know that you remember the poster labeled with the above title. The first time I took the time to read this poster, I thought, “That is so true.” I think that I stood there and nodded my head with each revelation. I may have even uttered under my breath a few “Amens.”  It was inspiring to read Robert Fulghum‘s recollections. I urge you to click on the title and reread his thoughts for yourselves. Most likely it will bring you back to some unforgotten truths.

Returning to my original thought, the subject of the sermon was kindness, and while the pastor did not draw upon Fulghum’s statements, he did transport us back to our childhood. The observation was made that valuable life lessons could have been gained from the many children’s films to which we were repeated exposed during our younger years.  One specifically mentioned was The Beauty and the Beast. The lesson, and his memorable statement, was this, “Unlovely things must be deeply loved before they can become lovable.”

I absorbed that statement and began to think about students and what we must do to bring about the educational transformation that must take place during this school year. We have been gathering data on each student since the first day of school and using that data to help formulate an academic plan to ensure success for each student. For some, the plan develops more easily, and for others the plan demands that we teach more deeply before we reach that teachable stage where the goal can be realized.  The level of commitment on the part of our White Oak Intermediate teachers to take students where they are and transport them to new heights is admirable.  We believe ALL students can be and will be successful. The entire faculty believes together we can move the most frustrated student into his own realm of success. And like we all learned as children, and it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

You Make Me Proud!

Yes, I am very proud. This is my grandson, Tyler. This is the first time he has ever sung in public, and I know it takes a lot of courage to get up in front of a large group and perform. He has many talents, and you can read about some of those on his blog, Tyler’s Talking. He is also a member of Mrs. Carrington’s Bright Spots, Gifted and Talented group. You make smile with pride!

Stop By and See Me!

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I want to invite each of you to stop by and see me when you get a chance this year. There have been some changes that I think you will enjoy.  The back section of my office has been converted into a place where you can sit down out of sight and enjoy something to drink or have a snack and glance through a magazine.  We all need a place to relax sometimes. I hope that you will find my office to be a refuge from the hectic day that you may sometimes face. Please feel free to bring your computer and let’s learn something together!

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A very special thank you to Laura Odom, Shaynee Elder, Kelli Jester, Krysal Isgitt, Shelly Smith, Cindy Day, Karen Dickson, Suzanne Woodburn, and Michael Gras for helping to make this office all that it is today.

Best of Its Kind

Exemplary_Site-ings“Exemplary” – look it up and you will find all that you need to know about our intermediate staff. According to my online dictionary,

exemplary |igˈzemplərē|
adjective
1. serving as a desirable model; representing the best of its kind

For the second year now, our campus has been rated Exemplary by the Texas Education Agency, and this honor is well-deserved.  The teachers here at the intermediate campus care about the success of all children not only within the classroom but also outside the walls of this building.

I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked during the past eight weeks, “How are you enjoying your summer off?”  I fight back the urge to smile. The students left at the end of May, but I have yet to leave. This can honestly be said of every staff member. We accept the fact that our lives are to serve as “desirable models” even when we are not standing in the classroom, and we place serious value on that responsibility.  Whether we are gathering personal experiences to be shared with our students, researching to build online curriculum, holding grade level meetings in our homes during the summer months to plan for the upcoming school year, or participating in professional development training, our teachers always have children at the forefront of their thoughts. This consistency in the teaching character of White Oak Intermediate is what makes these teachers “the best of [their] kind”, and because we do what is right for students, students in return do what is right.

Congratulations to our students, parents, teachers, and administrators for all the hard work that went into the attainment of this prestigious goal.

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A Fork in the Road

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The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear,

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no steps had trodden black.

Oh, I marked the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sign

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

~Robert Frost~

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Each day as teachers, we face forks in the road. The decisions, or reactions to circumstances, will make all the difference. What kind of difference are you going to make today in the lives of your students?