The 4th six weeks has come to an end and we are now preparing for the "Perfect Attendance Bingo Party" that will be held next Friday, March 3rd. We had a total of 201 students with perfect attendance that will be attending the bingo party. The bingo party will be held in the Cub Cafe (cafeteria) and will be hosted by our three principals. Students will have the chance to win gift cards as well as cash prizes!
The 5th six weeks began February 20th and will end April 13th. We are now ensuing the "Attendance Race" where each grade level will compete to have the best attendance. The grade level with the highest percentage of attendance will win a movie party at the end of the 5th six weeks. The Guitar Hero Monitor has been placed at the front of the school by the library where students will see it as they are walking to class. I will place each grade's placement on the monitor weekly. Announcements will be made weekly as well on Cub News updating studetnts on the grade level that is winning the attendance race. The movie party is tentatively on our campus calendar for May 3rd. We chose to have the party after STAAR testing so we wouldn't chance losing our students' focus.
I have inquired about serving our students popcorn during the movie party. The party will be held after lunch, around 2:30 p.m., so it shouldn't be a problem, but I am still awaiting a response from my administrator. The librarian and I are working on finding a fun yet appropriate movie for the kids to watch. This is going to be a bit tough I'm afraid. We are working with middle school kids so it may be hard to please them. In addition, we are only permitted to show movies that are PG. We will just have to see what we can find.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Calendar Issue
The fourth six weeks "Perfect Attendance Bingo" party is just around the corner and looks like everything is ready to go.
However, I have run into a bit of a snag. After speaking with our administrators, it was brought to my attention that the fifth six weeks Attendance Party cannot occur prior to the state assessment, STAAR. They were concerned about it affecting our students, therefore we have decided to have the party to May 3rd instead of April 19th. I am a bit worried that our students will not see an immediate reward and lose interest in the Attendance Race, but it is our only choice.
The 6th six weeks Attendance Party will take place May 24th, a week before school is out, so that should be interesting as well. I hope that all goes smoothly and that we see some good results.
However, I have run into a bit of a snag. After speaking with our administrators, it was brought to my attention that the fifth six weeks Attendance Party cannot occur prior to the state assessment, STAAR. They were concerned about it affecting our students, therefore we have decided to have the party to May 3rd instead of April 19th. I am a bit worried that our students will not see an immediate reward and lose interest in the Attendance Race, but it is our only choice.
The 6th six weeks Attendance Party will take place May 24th, a week before school is out, so that should be interesting as well. I hope that all goes smoothly and that we see some good results.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
4th Six Weeks Attendance
There are twenty more days left until the end of the fourth six weeks, and I am dreading the day they send the data over from central office. It appears that what I had heard was correct. Attendance is low in the fourth six weeks! Everyone said it, but I didn't want to believe it. The number of absences we have in the sixth grade alone is insane. I have talked to many of my students about why they miss so much school and the reasons are usually the same, "I was sick." I do have a few that have been out for personal reasons, or in some cases their mom/dad was sick and couldn't get them to school. It's been frusterating for the teachers on our campus. It feels like every other day we have multiple parents requesting their child's school work, because their child is out sick and needs to take home their work. Then we have to take the time to try and get the student all caught up when they return. Never mind that they missed an entire unit on Plate Tectonics and that they have a major project due next week. You get the point. Students that are absent from school frequently make it difficult for themselves and their teachers.
The Perfect Attendance Bingo party that we have scheduled for the end of the fourth six weeks is quickly approaching. Only students that have had absolutely perfect attendance will be permitted to attend. This means that they have been present from bell to bell and haven't received even one tardy the entire six weeks. I'm curious to see how many of our students are eligible to attend.
Lastly, I have been informed that I need to set dates for the 5th six weeks party and the 6th six weeks party. I have been waiting for some direction from the two administrators concerning the parties, but it appears that it was my job to set dates and have them put on the calendar. I am slightly worried that there may not be any dates left on our campus calendar. I'm crossing my fingers that it all works out. Wish me luck!
The Perfect Attendance Bingo party that we have scheduled for the end of the fourth six weeks is quickly approaching. Only students that have had absolutely perfect attendance will be permitted to attend. This means that they have been present from bell to bell and haven't received even one tardy the entire six weeks. I'm curious to see how many of our students are eligible to attend.
Lastly, I have been informed that I need to set dates for the 5th six weeks party and the 6th six weeks party. I have been waiting for some direction from the two administrators concerning the parties, but it appears that it was my job to set dates and have them put on the calendar. I am slightly worried that there may not be any dates left on our campus calendar. I'm crossing my fingers that it all works out. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Moving Along
The Attendance Race is known by all now on our campus. Memos have gone out, teachers have made announcements, and televised announcments and videos are in full swing. The students seem to be interested, although I am still seeing my "regular" students absent as usual. I use the word "regular" because these are the students that are absent on a regular basis. These students are gone for reasons such as: dentist appointments, stomach aches, surgery, overslept, car broke down, twisted ankle, you get the point. I am hoping that as the end of the fourth six weeks and as the fifth six weeks rolls around, that students will be excited about the attendance competition and that daily attendance will jump up!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
The Beginning
This week was a short one. Teachers returned Wednesday and the kids came back to school on Thursday. It's a new year, and so it begins. I met with Anne Witherspoon on the advertisement/video we are creating to have played on Cub News, our campus's televised school announcements. I also spoke with one of our 7th grade Cub News reporters about what the "Attendance Race" is all about and what I want him to say on next week's announcements. I met with Rhonda White, the art teacher, who is working with some 8th graders on making a huge "Guitar Hero" monitor. We will be using this monitor during the 5th and 6th six weeks to show our students which grade level is in the lead and who is closer to winning the attendance race, and winning the party. Deborah Blansit, our attendance clerk has given me both our district and campus data for the first two six week periods. We are still waiting for the data from the third six weeks to be sent to us from central office. I tried to get in touch with Natalie Dennington, the AP at our campus that is responsible for student attendance, but wasn't able to meet up with her. I am going to have to speak with Natalie on Monday. The goal is to have the teacher's make the announcement to all of the students this Wednesday. In addition, Cub News will report about the attendance race and the parties students can win, as well as air the attendance race commercial on Friday of next week. That's all for now. I'll keep you posted.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Week #5
This week has given me a run for my money, as I am preparing my students for their semester exams and trying to plan for the Attendance Reward Program that we are implementing in the spring. It's been busy to say the least.
After reading chapter 6 in Leading With Passion And Knowledge, I have begun to ponder the quality of my own inquiry or topic of study. It is my understanding that assessing the quality of an inquiry can be difficult for several reasons, but is important for the fact that as administrators we are continually improving our practice as well as making efforts to improve our school campus.
I have read and studied the five quality indicators and thought that I might want to detail a few of these for my blog followers to have a better understanding of where I am coming from and why I have chosen my action research plan.
Action Research Question: What motivates students from a low socioeconomic status to attend school daily?
Quality Indicator 1: Context of Study
District- We are a small district with only one high school, two middle schools, and five elementary campuses.
School/Students- Our campus currently has a membership of 770 students. We are currently not a Title I campus, and16% of our students are eligible for free or reduced lunches. We received an Exemplary rating in 2009, and a Recognized rating for 2010. Approximately 21.85% of our students are labeled as economically disadvantaged.
Staff- One of the biggest frustrations that I hear from our staff is, "Why are our kids absent all of the time?" "They are missing so much information." Teachers get very frustrated with students that miss school frequently, because they are missing so much instruction and it is very difficult to get them caught up. Students that miss school frequently, thus missing valuable instruction time, also affect our mandatory state assessment scores. These test scores are often a reflection of the teacher's efforts as well. This is another reason our teachers are adamant about getting our students to school everyday.
Student Population (Race)
After reading chapter 6 in Leading With Passion And Knowledge, I have begun to ponder the quality of my own inquiry or topic of study. It is my understanding that assessing the quality of an inquiry can be difficult for several reasons, but is important for the fact that as administrators we are continually improving our practice as well as making efforts to improve our school campus.
I have read and studied the five quality indicators and thought that I might want to detail a few of these for my blog followers to have a better understanding of where I am coming from and why I have chosen my action research plan.
Action Research Question: What motivates students from a low socioeconomic status to attend school daily?
Quality Indicator 1: Context of Study
District- We are a small district with only one high school, two middle schools, and five elementary campuses.
School/Students- Our campus currently has a membership of 770 students. We are currently not a Title I campus, and16% of our students are eligible for free or reduced lunches. We received an Exemplary rating in 2009, and a Recognized rating for 2010. Approximately 21.85% of our students are labeled as economically disadvantaged.
Staff- One of the biggest frustrations that I hear from our staff is, "Why are our kids absent all of the time?" "They are missing so much information." Teachers get very frustrated with students that miss school frequently, because they are missing so much instruction and it is very difficult to get them caught up. Students that miss school frequently, thus missing valuable instruction time, also affect our mandatory state assessment scores. These test scores are often a reflection of the teacher's efforts as well. This is another reason our teachers are adamant about getting our students to school everyday.
Student Population (Race)
Quality Indicator #2: Wondering(s) and Purpose
Action Research Question: What motivates students from a low socioeconomic status to attend school daily?
This year I was nominated to serve on the Campus Site-Based Decision Making Committee, where we reviewed and made changes to our CIP (Campus Improvement Plan). One of the things that was discussed was our school attendance. The discussion was centered around how we could improve our school attendance and what possible solutions we could come up with.
Upon further research, I discovered that the majority of the students that are absent from school are students labeled as "economically disadvantaged" and are in low income homes. These are the same students that are also struggling academically, and need to be at school the most.
During lunch in the teacher's lounge, the topic is often centered around teacher's that are gripe about students always missing their class. Teachers make comments like, "How on earth is he going to pass the STAAR test if he isn't even in my class?" or "Why is Billy always sick? He is never going to get caught up at this rate"
Furthermore, there are two Title I elementary campuses in our district that have a much higher percentage of "economically disadvantaged" students, yet their attendance rate is AMAZING. This is when I decided that I would like to research this topic and attempt to make a change that could possibly improve our campus attendance.
I hope that some of this background information helps to explain where my question came from and why I would like to pursue this action research plan.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Revised SIP Plan of Action- Mission Increase Attendance
I have tried everything and am unable to figure out how to publish my revised action research plan spreadsheet. I have instead posted the link below for you all to take a look at. Please feel free to offer any additional suggestions.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmEk7YmgkWgtdFJLTU9mQk9TbzhtRVpVdTM4RXVPdWc
After meeting with my site supervisor yesterday, we made just a few minor changes to my action research plan. We will add a drawing every six weeks for students that have perfect attendance. We will draw one boy and one girl from each grade, and each will receive a $25 gift card. We also decided to change up the type of party we have each six weeks. One six weeks we will have an "open gym" where students can enjoy music, play basketball, volleyball, play on their ipods, or do what middle school kids love to do most, just sit and socialize. Another six weeks, we will offer a movie and popcorn. We don't want the kids to get bored or the excitement to wear off. For our end of the year acknowledgement, we plan on having our "Prize Patrol", or our administrators dressed in party hats and blow horns, surprise our students with perfect attendance for the year with a certificate and a small prize. This is something that they used to do years ago, but decided to do away with. After speaking with some of the teachers and staff, they brought up how much fun it was and how much the students loved this. We hope that these rewards and acknowledgments will show an improvement in our school attendance as a whole. Our students that are labeled as "economically disadvantaged" are the students that are missing school most. Our hope is that these rewards might encourage them to be at school everyday. They may not have much at home, but if we can get them to school, they may have a chance to have some fun rewards and experiences that they may not have otherwise.
I will be working with Ann Witherspoon, a seventh grade teacher and technology whiz, to create two exciting commercials or movie trailers that will be aired on our televised school announcements. This type of advertising has worked with out students in the past. Mrs. Kyle, our Technology Application teacher that is in charge of Cub News and school announcements, will have her reporters announce all of the upcoming reward parties and rewards as well as the grade level that has the highest attendance for the week. We are aiming to get these students fired up about the reward parties and get themselves to school everyday.
I will also be working with our art teacher, Rhonda White, to create a visual monitor that we will put up right in the front of the school. This is a place where every student will walk by at some point during their day. We will be using a rock n' roll theme, and design our monitor like a guitar amp (like they use on Guitar Hero). Every week we will place the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade levels on the amp, depending on their attendance for the week. This way students will have a visual motivator as well.
This reward program is going to be a lot of work to set up, but I do believe that if I stay organized and keep everyone in the loop, I can make this a successful program and hopefully succeed in increasing our school attendance.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmEk7YmgkWgtdFJLTU9mQk9TbzhtRVpVdTM4RXVPdWc
After meeting with my site supervisor yesterday, we made just a few minor changes to my action research plan. We will add a drawing every six weeks for students that have perfect attendance. We will draw one boy and one girl from each grade, and each will receive a $25 gift card. We also decided to change up the type of party we have each six weeks. One six weeks we will have an "open gym" where students can enjoy music, play basketball, volleyball, play on their ipods, or do what middle school kids love to do most, just sit and socialize. Another six weeks, we will offer a movie and popcorn. We don't want the kids to get bored or the excitement to wear off. For our end of the year acknowledgement, we plan on having our "Prize Patrol", or our administrators dressed in party hats and blow horns, surprise our students with perfect attendance for the year with a certificate and a small prize. This is something that they used to do years ago, but decided to do away with. After speaking with some of the teachers and staff, they brought up how much fun it was and how much the students loved this. We hope that these rewards and acknowledgments will show an improvement in our school attendance as a whole. Our students that are labeled as "economically disadvantaged" are the students that are missing school most. Our hope is that these rewards might encourage them to be at school everyday. They may not have much at home, but if we can get them to school, they may have a chance to have some fun rewards and experiences that they may not have otherwise.
I will be working with Ann Witherspoon, a seventh grade teacher and technology whiz, to create two exciting commercials or movie trailers that will be aired on our televised school announcements. This type of advertising has worked with out students in the past. Mrs. Kyle, our Technology Application teacher that is in charge of Cub News and school announcements, will have her reporters announce all of the upcoming reward parties and rewards as well as the grade level that has the highest attendance for the week. We are aiming to get these students fired up about the reward parties and get themselves to school everyday.
I will also be working with our art teacher, Rhonda White, to create a visual monitor that we will put up right in the front of the school. This is a place where every student will walk by at some point during their day. We will be using a rock n' roll theme, and design our monitor like a guitar amp (like they use on Guitar Hero). Every week we will place the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade levels on the amp, depending on their attendance for the week. This way students will have a visual motivator as well.
This reward program is going to be a lot of work to set up, but I do believe that if I stay organized and keep everyone in the loop, I can make this a successful program and hopefully succeed in increasing our school attendance.
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