Friday, February 26, 2010

Principal Newsletter -- February 26, 2010

There is way too much going on to try to capture in one post.

Here, I'll focus on the slate of fantastic events up and coming, but I will urge everyone to look at a few other posts down below.

Tuesday, March 2nd is Read Across America Day and Mrs. Becker has been cooking up a parade.

Our 7/8 grade basketball team qualified for the championship game in basketball for the first time in recent history. They'll play at OES against Kingsway on Tuesday, March 2nd. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. You're invited to watch a really special team play some hoops.

The 5-8 band and choral concert is set for Thursday, March 4th at 7:00 p.m. at Riverdale High School. Can't wait to see you there!

Also see...

Upcoming events:

Monday
3:45 PM - 4:45 PM GS Faculty Meeting -- Library

Tuesday
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM - 7/8 Boys BB Championship Game, OES (vs. Kingsway)
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM GS - 2nd Gr. FT - Portland Art Museum
9:00 AM - 11:30 AM GS - Kinder & 1st Gr. FT - 3 Little Pigs (Newmark Theatre)
2:45 PM - 3:30 PM GS - Read Across America Parade

Wednesday
9:00 AM GS PTC Executive Mtg, GS Principal's Office
4:00 PM 6th gr. Boys BB game (away) v Corbett

Thursday
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM GS - (@ HS) Gr. 5 - 8 Band/Choral Concert - HS Gym

Friday
8:45 AM - 3:30 PM GS - Health Screening - Front Entryway
2:00 PM - 2:20 PM GS - Winter Sports Assembly - Gym

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Open Letter to the PTC

Riverdale Grade School PTC:

On behalf of 325 children, 30-something adults, and one twitterpated second-year principal, I am proud to extend an enormous THANK YOU!

I'm not certain to what extent everyone -- even those of us who benefit directly from your selfless efforts -- realizes just what a role you play in everyday life at the grade school. I have worked with a number of parent-teacher organizations (but only one PTC) over the course of my career. What we have -- what you give to your kids -- is something incredibly special.

I write this letter on the heels of perhaps the most important and celebrated event of the year (next to Field Day, of course) in the semi-annual PTC Auction. This year's event was a huge success, measured mostly upon the popularity of the dance floor. In a year when we are away at Smith and the neighborhood gathering point is currently a construction site, having the opportunity to see so many Riverdale parents enjoying one another in one place is a treat. The thank you letters adorning the tables said it all: your children wanted to tell you they appreciate all that you do for their education, and they did so in eloquent and simple and powerful ways.

In particular, for the auction, we are grateful to Diane MacDonald, Susie Keeton, & Torie Laurent. Shelby Quintos organized and presented the student art pieces, and Barbara Cohen masterminded the Riverdale Tree.

But for all the glitz of the auction, the daily and weekly work of the PTC is often obscured by the work it allows the professional educators to do. I took a moment to jot down a quick list of the ways in which I've been personally affected by the PTC's work:
  • Auction
  • Paddle Raise
  • Grants for Teacher-Driven Initiatives and Projects
  • Jazz Band Support
  • Community Schools Opportunities
  • Sports (and other) Fees for Students in Need
  • Green-Up Day
One of my first experiences at Riverdale came at Green-Up Day in the Spring of 2008. I was eager to ingratiate myself with my new adopted community, and very nervous. I arrived with a pile of rakes and shovels and was promptly put at ease by Carolyn Bentzinger, PTC President at the time. Though I never was able to work directly with her, I have always been grateful for that day. Maya Klein, our President last year, has been an invaluable source of guidance for me, and gracefully guided us through an incredibly tumultuous year. This year I have been blessed to work with two wonderful and passionate women -- Jeanne Foden-Vencil and Anita Scarlett. In fact, I look forward to executive meetings of the PTC every month, if only because I get to spend time with such a dedicated group of talented people.

Let me close by saying that, ultimately, we are judged by what we do for others. The RGS PTC is a group of people dedicated to providing educational opportunities for their children, who, in turn, will make a difference in the world.

Thank you.

Jeremiah

8th Grade Simulation -- How a Bill Becomes a Law

Mr. Robinson's 8th grade history classes are engaged in an incredible simulation of the processing of legislation through both bodies of Congress. Students have assumed roles, from Minority Whip to lobbyist. They are developing, debating, and editing health care legislation. This is the kind of high-engagement, high impact, activity that make Mr. Robinson's classes memorable and meaningful for his students. And it's true, as well, across the faculty at Riverdale Grade School.

But this is different.

They're using Facebook.*



(* Yes, it's absolutely safe.
  • The kids created new Facebook accounts for this occasion only.
  • Only RGS 8th graders are allowed into the forum.
  • Comments and posts are regulated for appropriate content.
  • There are alternate assignments should families determine this is not their bag.)

What I'm most excited about is Mr. Robinson's effort to turn a social networking tool -- one that is nearly ubiquitous in the social web occupied by our students -- on its head. Our students are seeing -- perhaps for the first time -- that Facebook can have legitimate academic and intellectual purposes. Almost as exciting is that the format has not diminished the face-to-face aspects of the project. Far from it. In fact, the conversational buzz in the classroom has been enhanced by the use of a networking tool they're almost all using on a daily basis already.

Nor is this experimentation with social networking in the classroom a generic school-wide endorsement of technologies that can, and do, have negative impacts on student achievement and engagement at school. We have to leverage the capacity of "Web 2.0" tools to impress upon our students that there are legitimate and academic potentials lying inert in them, waiting to be tapped.

Girl Scouts Care


On Monday, the 1st & 3rd grade Daisies and Brownies assembled 100 personal hygiene kits in the cafeteria at Smith for the Janus Youth Shelter based here in Portland.