I came across a web article recently that had to do with the use of technology by students. I thought the point in the article was at least worth consideration. Parents may want to review/consider taking more control over their student's access to technology. The article describes some of the potential harm that can come from students who have access to technology 24/7. For example, a parent could say good night as their student heads to his/her bedroom and then the student could sit in his/her room texting/chatting until 1:00am. There are obvious implications for their academic performance at school the next day. I encourage parents to do a family assessment on what technology their students have access to and when they have access. Could they be harming their academic success due to fatigue, sleep deprivation, and motivation due to access so some of these social networking applications?
Click here to check out this article.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
More Summer News
I have been out of the office for much of July traveling with family. I have had some great times, but it makes the summer go really quickly. The good thing is that I can see big jumps in progress on the building project when I return. It is exciting to see.
I will be in the office working as normal until school starts. There is much news about the school these days. With the construction, it was necessary to adjust the school year calendar. Please check out the Shepherd High School home page for the 2009-2010 calendar. Click here to jump to this page. If you look at the left side of the page, the section has two calendar links. One is "Calendar" and the other is "Text Only Calendar." The first will show you the 2009-2010 calendar in a monthly calendar format. The other simply lists the significant calendar dates for the school year. You can look at one of those links for the specifics, but the adjustments call for a longer school day by 20 minutes and a shorter school year to allow for the summer work that is needed yet this year and what will be needed next summer.
Another big item out there is the state of school financing. We are potentially facing massive cuts in our state aide. As of now, some of the reduction will be offset by federal stimulus money. But, that will only help with the short fall for the coming year and will only cover a portion of the reduction for 2010-2011. After that, there is no stimulus money left to offset the reductions. I encourage you to research this funding problem and contact your government officials as you see fit. Those who have been in education for many years view this as the worst financial crisis for schools they have seen. Please keep an eye on this topic.
I hope the summer is going well for everyone!
I will be in the office working as normal until school starts. There is much news about the school these days. With the construction, it was necessary to adjust the school year calendar. Please check out the Shepherd High School home page for the 2009-2010 calendar. Click here to jump to this page. If you look at the left side of the page, the section has two calendar links. One is "Calendar" and the other is "Text Only Calendar." The first will show you the 2009-2010 calendar in a monthly calendar format. The other simply lists the significant calendar dates for the school year. You can look at one of those links for the specifics, but the adjustments call for a longer school day by 20 minutes and a shorter school year to allow for the summer work that is needed yet this year and what will be needed next summer.
Another big item out there is the state of school financing. We are potentially facing massive cuts in our state aide. As of now, some of the reduction will be offset by federal stimulus money. But, that will only help with the short fall for the coming year and will only cover a portion of the reduction for 2010-2011. After that, there is no stimulus money left to offset the reductions. I encourage you to research this funding problem and contact your government officials as you see fit. Those who have been in education for many years view this as the worst financial crisis for schools they have seen. Please keep an eye on this topic.
I hope the summer is going well for everyone!
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