A Parent's Guide to Facebook

I know that Facebook is a huge part of our social culture.  But, many parents struggle with how to guide their kids because their kids are usually one step ahead of them on the learning curve.  The annotation below has several links that can help parents with this social media.  I hope you find this helpful.

Connect Safely - A Parents' Guide to Facebook

via Free Technology for Teachers by noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Byrne) on 11/8/10

Connect Safely, a resource reviewed last year on Free Technology for Teachers, has just released a new 32 page guide to Facebook for parents. A Parents' Guide to Facebook is a soup-to-nuts guide to Facebook privacy settings, profile settings, group settings, and more. For parents who "just don't get Facebook" the guide offers great explanations of the appeal of Facebook for teenagers and what teenagers do on Facebook.  The guide provides a run down of recommended settings for teenagers and explanations of what those settings mean.

H/T to Sylvia Martinez for the news about this guide.

Applications for Education
If you occasionally find yourself fielding questions from parents about Facebook and social networking, A Parents' Guide to Facebook is a good resource to refer them too.

Here are some related items that may be of interest to you:
Phishing Detection Education
Zilladog - Kid Friendly, Parent Monitored Email
Safe Computing Tools for Kids - Windows Based

Sending Large Files on the Internet

My wife, Kristi, is the media specialist for Shepherd Public Schools.  She shared the information below with me, and I thought it might be good to post for everyone.  I hope you find this helpful!

Sending Large Files on the Internet

Have you ever needed to send a file to someone electronically and the file was too large to email? With the close of the semester or grading period nearing, large files that represent a culmination of the term’s assignments or projects may need to be sent via the Internet. Whether the file is a PowerPoint/Keynote presentation, spreadsheet, video or audio file, sending these files via email is problematic due to content filters and file size limits. There are several resources that you can use to send a file to someone via the Internet if emailing a very large file is not permissible.

One of the those services is Dropbox.  With Dropbox, you can upload files and access them via any computer that is connected to the Internet. If you are collaborating with others, you can share folders or individual files bypassing email filters or file size limits. It is free, quick and easy to use Dropbox. You can install the Dropbox app and easily move files into your online Dropbox without navigating to the Dropbox website by using their application. The free Dropbox is limited to 2GB of space and if you share Dropbox with others, you can get an additional 250MB of space. If you sign up with a .EDU email, each person that you refer to Dropbox will earn you an additional 500 MB of space instead of just the 250 MB.

There is an app for Dropbox! You can sync your files and access them anytime, anywhere via the internet on a computer, iTouch, iPhone, iPad, etc.

Author’s Note: If you are interested in signing up for Dropbox, I would greatly appreciate the extra space earned if you use my personal referral link although it isn’t necessary to use this link to begin using Dropbox: http://db.tt/dHoct9T. (This is not Kristi's link... It is from the original source on the Discovery Educator Network.)

DropItToMe

DROPitTOme is a service that is used with a Dropbox account. DROPitTOme allows you to send files to your Dropbox via email. Once you connect the service to your Dropbox, you will receive a personalized email that allows you send attachments that are posted to your Dropbox. The service is easy to use and setup and most importantly, is also free to use!

(Source: Discovery Educator Network. "DEN Blog Network - December Ed Tech News You Can Use." Message to the author. 6 Dec. 2010. E-mail.)

Veterans Day Program

Shepherd High School and Middle School are hosting a Veterans Day Program on November 11th.  The high school has held a program since 1997.  The middle school started to have a program of their own, but last year the programs were combined.  Veterans are invited to attend and are celebrated at the program.  There are special music presentations by the choir and the band.  There are special readings that also celebrate the sacrifice of the veterans.

If you see this post before the program, please consider attending.  The program is in the high school gym at 9:00.  It is good for our students and is always enjoyed by the community guests and veterans.  There is a special reception for the veterans following the program.

Cross Country State Finals

I went down with Mrs. Bridges to the Cross Country State Finals on Saturday.  This was a very exciting time.  Both our boys and girls qualified.  I don't want to mention names of runners because they all did well, and I don't want leave anyone else.  The boys ended up in 3rd out of the 27 teams that qualified.  This is very good.  A few of the runners set personal records.  The girls ended up 9th.  This was also very good.  Their goals was to make the top ten, and they achieved this goal.  Both teams had tremendous seasons!

Creating a Positive School Climate - Motivational Speaker October 27th

We know when students feel more comfortable at school with a positive school climate, they are more likely to maximize their success academically.  Shepherd Public Schools takes creating a positive school climate very seriously.  Of course, we know that it takes parents, students, teachers, administrators, and support staff working together to create this.  We are very fortunate to have such great parents and students, as well as a staff members who help to establish high expectations and who are committed to supporting students so they have a positive learning environment.


There are many special programs that each building within our district has to help support a positive school climate.  This post is to let you know that the high school is hosting such a program on October 27th.  With the help of a Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribal Grant, we are able to bring in a nationally recognized motivational speaker.  The speaker is Mr. Craig Conrad.  I want to encourage everyone to check out his website for more information.  It can be found at http://www.craigconrad.com/ .


Mr. Conrad is going to present "The Unstoppable You" to the high school and middle school students during an assembly on October 27th from 8:05 until about 10:30 a.m.  After this, Mr. Conrad will interact with student leaders at a lunch meeting   He is also going to meet with the teachers during their staff meeting after school.  The day ends with a community presentation in the cafeteria at 6:30.  Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend.  One of the main goals of this program is to sustain the energy that will inspire the students, staff, and parents together to create the most positive school climate possible. We hope to see you there!

Open House/Meet the Teacher Night

I know it is a little short notice on the blog, but Shepherd High School is having an Open House/Meet the Teacher night on October 14th.  The event will be held in the auxiliary gym at 6:00.  The format will be a brief welcome and general information by me followed by time for parents to meet with individual teachers.  There will be tables set up for each department so parents can stop by and talk to any teacher they like.  Parents can also ask questions about homework expectation, major assignments, and other information related to their son or daughter's classes.  It is very informal.  We invite all of the parents to stop in and see the teachers, especially the teachers who are new to the staff this year.

School Improvement

I just wanted to send out a post to let people know about the professional development that we are doing this year.  We are using some federal Title IIa funding to bring in a literacy coach to help our staff.  She is working most intensively with English teachers, but she is also working with the the other departments on "writing across the curriculum."  This has really been positive professional development.

Another very exciting initiative is the development of a new RTI/SIP Team.  That stands for "Response to Intervention and School Improvement."  This group is going to look at data, current initiatives, potential interventions, and best practices to improve student achievement.

I will try to update more as we get further into the year, but I wanted to get the word out that we are continually trying to improve, and the teachers and administrative staff are committed to doing whatever it take to help students succeed!

Progress Reports

I want to encourage all of the students and parents to keep checking student grades through the student/parent portal of Power School.  Parents and students have web access to student progress and attendance.  There are logins and passwords for both.  If you don't know your login or password, please contact the high school office.  There is also contact information for the teacher so progress issues can be addressed directly and quickly!

First Week 2010-2011

Well, one week down already.  I am sure for many of you it seems like we were just here.  But, we have several new staff members who are starting a new experience.  It was about this time 19 years ago that I started my experience in teaching for Mt. Pleasant Public Schools at the Isabella County Jail.  I guess I had several new "starts to the year", though.  After being in the jail, I stayed in Mt. Pleasant to administer a grant program so I was in Mt. Pleasant a total of four years.  I went to Odyssey for a year, and then came to SHS for five years.  In 2002, it was time to pursue the administrative route.  I remember  there was a lot of anxiety about heading to Farwell to be an assistant principal.  Though I was only there two years, I gained some great experience.  However, it was not where I felt I had a great match so I continued to check area postings.  It was that searching that led me to Midland Public Schools.  I had a great experience there, but after only two years, I had the chance to come back to my home at SHS.  Every new start has its own excitement.  I am sure our new teachers are sensing that now.  You never know where your path will lead.  I have experience with inmates and angels, forty year olds and fourteen year olds, seniors and sixth graders, poor communities and rich communities, large schools and small schools.  I hope all have a good start of the school year, and I hope all of our teachers enjoy the start of this year as it is one more step in their personal professional journey.

New English Courses

I know that there has been some concern that Shepherd High School will no longer track students in their English classes.  Beginning with the 2010 – 2011 school year, students in 11^th grade students will all take 11^th grade English, and 12^th grade students will take 12^th grade English.  The 11^th grade classes will be an amalgamation of the previously taught American Literature and Junior English, while 12^th grade English takes the best of English Literature and Senior English.

This is not a decision that was made without thought and consideration.  There has been a perception that American Literature and English Literature were classes for the “college prep” students.  The reality is that we now have over 85% of our students going to a college or university.  If we have a college prep class that is taken by 50% of the students, yet 85% of the students are going on to post-secondary training, what happens to the other 35%?

We have also done some statistical analysis of results in the 11^th and 12^th grade English classes relative to the college readiness standards as determined by ACT.  These college readiness standards are nationally accepted standards.  This analysis indicates that there are elements from each 11^th grade class and 12^th grade class that could help our student be best prepared for post secondary success.

This curriculum position is also supported by the National Council of Teachers of English.  Here is the position statement from the National Council of Teachers of English regarding tracking or ability grouping.  The highlighting is mine.  It can be found on their website: http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/tracking   

Resolution on Tracking

·                                 last edited 2 years, 10 months ago

1991 NCTE Annual Business Meeting in Seattle, Washington

Background

Members of the NCTE Committee on Tracking and Grouping Practices in English Language Arts (K–12), who proposed this resolution, urged that classrooms should be communities of learners in which collaboration occurs among students of many abilities. They warned that when students are placed into tracked/ability-grouped classes, this language collaboration which aids learning may not occur. The committee members pointed out that placing students in tracks or ability groups, especially those based on standardized test scores, can have a negative influence on teachers' expectations of students and students' expectations of themselves. Be it therefore

Resolution

Resolved, that the National Council of Teachers of English support curricula, programs, and practices that avoid tracking, a system which limits students' intellectual, linguistic, and/or social development;

     that NCTE urge educators and other policymakers to re-examine curricula, programs, and practices which require or encourage tracking of students in English language arts;

     that NCTE support teachers in their efforts to retain students in or return students to heterogeneous English language arts placement; and

     that NCTE expand its efforts to educate the public about the effects of tracking.

We are continuing to enhance our offerings without tracking students.  Hopefully, we will be able to offer trimester electives specific to literature and/or writing.  The long-term plan is to have an Advanced Placement Literature course, which is nationally recognized. For more information see the following link http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about.html.  Regardless, everyone will have a high level of expectation.

I hope that helps some understand the rationale.  I know there will probably always be philosophic differenced to this move, but I believe it is the right direction for our English department. 

Start of the Year

Well, tomorrow is the day we open another school year. I know that students get excited, but so do the teachers and the rest of the staff. We sometimes complain because we know how busy things are going to get, but I think many of us get ready to get back into the routine.

The construction projects are almost done. If you have not been by the school recently, you will be surprised at how it looks. The parking area is complete. There are trees and plants to decorate the between the elementary and the high school. It looks really nice. The auditorium is scheduled to be done the middle of October, and there will be little touch up projects until December.

There are a lot if exiting things that happen at the school so please take time to look at the high school web site at www.shepherd.edzone.net/hs for school news.

Shepherd Teachers Come In Early For Professional Development

We are two days away from the start of school for Shepherd teachers, but some very dedicated 6th - 12th grade teachers agreed to come in early for professional development. Through federal Title IIa funds, the district has hired a literacy coach to support our school improvement goal to increase language arts proficiency. These teachers realize that fostering continuous improvement in student performance requires constantly reviewing the "best practices" and research in their field.

2010 - 2011 Start of Year Parent/Student Letter

August 17, 2010

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s):

What seems like a short time ago, we eagerly entered into the summer by closing another school year. The administrative and office staff members have been working hard during the summer to complete year-end reports and plan for the upcoming school year. We have continued to have a busy and hectic summer due to the construction projects. We also have been very busy hiring new staff. We had to hire eight teachers who will be teaching in the high school. We were sad to see so many veteran teachers leave, but we are excited to have some great new teachers on staff. Now, as summer begins to give way to fall, it is time, once again, to provide information that will hopefully ensure that the beginning of the school year goes very smoothly.

Students should have their schedules and locker assignment with this mailing. It is important to note that the drop and add process is the same as it was last year. Meetings with a counselor are being arranged by appointment only. Students/parents should call the high school office and sign up for an appointment time to speak with a counselor. The appointments are being scheduled for August 25^th and August 26^th from 9:00 – 3:00. Addition times may be added if needed. Students should be aware that they will not be able to change classes after these dates unless one of several criteria is met. These criteria are in the student handbook. Students should see a counselor during this time if they have any questions. During that same time, new students can meet with a counselor for new student scheduling.

The building will be open on September 7^th and 8^th from 8:00 – 3:00 for freshman and new students so they can pay their book deposit and check on their locker assignment. Students should take care of their book deposit before school begins to ensure that they are able to receive all of their text books. The book deposit is $10.00 and is refunded when a student graduates or leaves SHS. Students who wish to drive to school must first acquire a parking pass. Students may also use this time to pick up a parking pass with a $5.00 deposit that is refundable at the end of the year after the parking pass has been returned. These passes are for the main student lot on the west side of the building and the lot on the south-west corner of Hall and Fourth Street.

The high school teachers typically like to welcome you and your student to an Open House/Meet the Teacher Night; however, we have not been able to schedule this event for this year due to construction. When we left at the beginning of the summer, we did not know when we would be

starting this fall. Please continue to access the high school web site for information regarding school activities. We will post this information on the web page and on our sign.

Parents with students who attended Shepherd High School or Middle School should remember that we have a student management system that has a Student/Parent Portal that allows parents/students to check student progress and attendance. For those who do not have a user id and password, we will be creating those and getting them to you as soon as we can after school starts. Enclosed with this letter is a “Request For Report Card” form. Because parents can access grades at any moment through Power School, we will no longer send a hard copy report card through the mail. The new student management technology not only gives parents and students instant access, but it enables us to save postage cost by not sending report cards through the mail. However, some may wish to receive a hard copy or may not have access the Internet (Power School). In this case, please return the “Request For Report Card” form so we know that you wish to have a hard copy mailed home. We create a list of those who want a copy and mail progress reports. We will also mail home report cards to everyone at the end of each trimester.

The first day of school will start September 13^th at 8:00 with a brief opening assembly followed by each period like any other day. Students should bring their enclosed schedule with them when they come to school on the first day as we will not have reprinted copies available. Please be aware that student will receive a student handbook on the first day and the contents will be reviewed. The student handbook will also be posted to the web site for your reference.

The athletics department is once again offering passes for 2010-2011 sports. Family passes are $150 and includes immediate family, but excludes post high school children/siblings. An individual pass is $90, and a student pass is $60. Please be aware that these passes do not include tournaments including SHS invitational and state tournaments. These passes can be purchased in the high school counseling office between the hours of 7:00 - 2:30. Please make checks payable to Shepherd Athletics or have the correct amount. The office does not have money to make change.

Daily student announcements and updates related to the building are posted on the High School web page, http://shepherd.edzone.net/hs/index.php. Please use this resource to remain informed about building activities and important dates. I also try to share some educational thoughts and provide some updates through my blog at http://shepherdhigh.blogspot.com/. This blog has an RSS feed so if you utilize an RSS reader, you can have updates automatically post to your RSS reader.

We look forward to another great school year and to having the school busy with students, parents and teachers once again. Shepherd Public School is a great school in a great community. Student, parents, community, and staff working together make the difference that ensures that students meet their highest potential.

Sincerely,

Douglas J. Bush

Principal

New School Year is Close

It has been a while since I had a post. It has been a very busy end of year and summer. It is nice to see the construction is getting near an end. We are quickly getting ready for the new school year. It will be very interesting with several new staff members. I am looking forward to starting the new year, but I am not quite ready yet! I have a lot to do before students roam the halls.

Graduation - 2010

Well, we had our first graduation in our new gym on Friday, May 28th, 2010. Unfortunately, there are still some construction bugs to work out. The transformer that was installed by Consumers was too small so we could not fire up the chillers. This made it very hot with the unseasonably hot weather. The set up looked good and everything went very well. We look forward to many more successful graduations at Shepherd High School.

Students at Youth In Government

I am currently in Lansing with several students at a program called Youth In Government. This is a very cool program that allows students to actually serve all aspects of state government. The students get to use the House and Senate chambers. They get to use the committee rooms. They debate and pass bills. A youth governor reviews and either signs or vetoes passed bills. I would recommend looking at the following link to see what the program is about.

Click here to access the link.

The students arrive on Wednesday and leave on Sunday morning. There are some fun activities, but there is a lot of serious work. These students are debating important issues that impact our state. They have a chance to share their ideas and learn from others from Detroit to Gladstone. The conference is as diverse as the state. They also get to hear from current legislators about current issues.

Here is an update from the conference.

Our students did well. Luke Salisbury was honored as the Blue Legislature Lt Governor. Hadassah Huber received an award for most outstanding work in Written Press. James Newman was Honorable Mention as the best Blue Legislator. And Aaron Moore was recognized for his bill becoming law. There are nearly 800 students here and hundreds of bills, only a few of which made it into law!

Here are a few pictures from this year's trip.

Hadassah Huber and Aaron Moore are getting ready during a general session.

Luke Salisbury being sworn in as the Lt. Governor of the Blue Legislature. Luke had to run for this position at the fall conference in October.

Michigan Capitol Building

The Capitol Senate Chamber. The students actually sit in the seats, talk at the podiums, and vote on the bills!

House Chambers

Aaron Moore in Senate Committee

Me! A Self Photo Outside the Capitol

Aaron Moore speaking during his party caucus.

Hadassah Huber writing an article for the Written Press. At the conference banquet, she was recognized as the outstanding Written Press writer.

James Newman in Committee

Luke Salisbury in Committee

As Lt. Governor of the Blue Legislature, Luke had to sit at the head table for the conference banquet.

Hadassah, Aaron, and James at the Conference Banquet

Opening of the New Gym

Well, this week we were finally able to open our new gym area. Everyone was very excited. We had our opening game this Tuesday (2/16/10). Rather than write a lot about it, I am going to place a link in this post to the Morning Sun's video news article.

Click here to access the article.

It's Been A While

It has been quite a while since I posted my last Blog. I have had a hard time staying on top of things since late November. My dad passed away on November 22nd. Needless to say, it has been emotionally and physically draining, while also taking up a great deal of time to help with all of the paperwork, account transfers, estate issues, etc. My dad was one of my biggest fans. I know in this position that people aren't always going to like what you do. I have had people yell at me, threaten me and swear at me. But, I always try to do what I think is the "right" thing to do. It is easy to do what is popular, but it is sometimes hard to "do the right thing". My dad helped me with "doing the right thing." I miss him. He was so pleased that I was the principal at Shepherd High School - where he graduated, where my mom graduated and where I graduated. Of course, there are tons of other relatives, too, including my sister, folks from the early 1900s all the way to my children here now. I hope to stay more up to date as things settle back to "normal".

Parent Meetings

The counselors are conducting informational meetings for students and parents for next year's registration. There is a meeting for current 9th-11th graders on January 20th beginning at 6:30 in the High School Cafeteria. The goal of the meeting is to make sure that the students and parents have the information necessary to develop their educational development plans. The main topics are the Michigan Merit Exam, preparing for college, graduation requirements, scheduling of 2010-2011 school year, Michigan Merit Curriculum and graduation with honors. There have been a lot of changes over the years and big changes since parents were in school.

There will also be a transition meeting for the current 8th grade students. This meeting is also in the High School Cafeteria, but this meeting will begin at 7:00. In addition to some of the topics mentioned above, 8th grade students and parents will receive information about making the transition from middle school to high school. This is a good opportunity to get to know a few staff members in the high school as well as getting information to help plan for a successful high school experience.

Please consider attending the appropriate meeting if you have a student who will be registered at Shepherd High School Next Year.

Homework Perspective

I came across an article that I think might be helpful, especially to teachers and parents. The article is an interview with Cathy Vatterott, Associate Professor of Education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. In this interview, Ms. Vatterott touches on some of her findings from research related to education in the area of homework. There are some interesting points that I hope will cause any reader to pause and consider. Homework is always a topic in school reform and school improvement. This research based article can help provide some perspective on this discussion. Please take a few minutes to read the article liked below.

Click here to access the article.