Lead a school. Change the future.

Many of you know of my work in Milwaukee’s education reform community and my involvement as a board member of Milwaukee Renaissance Academy, a public charter middle school in the City of Milwaukee. Volunteering with MRA has been a great experience because I know the school is making a difference for our students. Our website is “under construction” but provides a glimpse of who we are as a school community. 

We are seeking a new school leader who wants to join us to close the achievement gap and who has the requisite skills and leadership to accomplish that goal. If you know of any highly qualified candidates, please forward this blog post which contains much more detail on my Milwaukee Renaissance Academy page. The deadline to apply is June 19th.

Milwaukee Renaissance Academy (MRA) is a public charter school completing its second year of operation. MRA will serve approximately 125-150 students in grades 6 – 8 during the 2009-2010 school year, with anticipated growth to 250 students in successive years. The school was founded on evidence-based best practices and the trustees are committed to the continuation of best practices, a standards-based curriculum and data-informed decision-making. Parents and students come to MRA with the expectation that they will be challenged and supported in academic and social progress. Thanks so much for your assistance.

Thoughts on a coach

For those of us whose kids play youth hockey, we’re used to the response when we talk about how much time we spend at ice rinks.  Basically, non-hockey parents think we’re crazy.  

But, at least for our family, the commitment to a youth sport comes with the promise of  coaches like Bob C.  

Parenting is a demanding job and you’re more likely to do it well if you don’t go it alone.  Youth sports has been one of the ways we connect to great adults who can help us raise our kids.

Milwaukee Winter Club, where our two hockey players compete, is full of  dads (and some moms) who have lots of experience playing hockey.  Bob was not one of those dads.  

But what made Bob a good coach–what makes any coach who signs on to coach children “good”–is the joy they take in teaching children the life lessons that competitive sports can teach.  Sportsmanship, teamwork, hard work, disappointment.  The nearly seven months that most families commit to youth hockey means that the “fun” is no sugary sweet cotton candy version.  When you win, you know you earned it.  And when you lose,  you know you gave it your best.  

And with coaches like Bob, kids learn that they are valued for who they are and what they bring to the team.   The joy Bob took in coaching his son and his son’s team mates was evident in his relationships with the kids.  He was no polly-anna where people were concerned.  While I never heard him say a negative thing about a child, he was always honest–and, it seemed, delighted by each kid’s quirks.  

That perspective served him well in coaching my “charming” daughter in the net.  I emailed him about a month before he died to say that he was one of the few coaches who could keep up with her “sense of humor.”  He responded:

Tell L. I’m very proud of her. Tell her to always keep her beautiful smile. And tell her (if you feel it is appropriate) I always tell [my kids] when they can’t get the answer they need from family or friends — get it from their gut. I consider the gut the combination of heart, mind and soul and that combo will keep us sane and happy with our choices in life.

If you allow YouTube – Dream Big – Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband – is a pretty fun song. Keep smiling.

We’ve been fortunate–a lot of our kids’ coaches have been like Bob.  That doesn’t mean we won’t miss him.

 

The Facebook Manual for USM Parents

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Tonight (April 2, 2009) at USM, parents and faculty are invited to attend our parent education session on social networking tools like Facebook, blogs, texting/chatting/IM-ing . . . . you get the picture.

Panelists include Mr. Raghunathan and Mr. Piper, representing The Dean of Students Club.  Mr Peppler will also be present to provide the techie angle (and the teacher angle!)  Anne Reed, USM parent and blogger, will round out the group.  I’ll stand in as moderator.

Hope to see you in Mellowes Hall starting at 7.  Cindy’s Homemade Monster Cookies included.

From the cutting floor: Links and songs that didn’t make the social networking presentation

Image via CrunchBase

Here are some of the resources (some serious, some not so serious) that won’t be in the parent education presentation on Thursday night at USM.

Facebook Song on YouTube

Facebook in Reality

Is Facebook Growing Up Too Fast?

When Everyone’s a Friend, Is Anything Private?

Are Granular privacy controls too complicated for users?

The Twitter Song

The Tweet Show

Support your “new” locally owned bookstores

Image by lanier67 via Flickr

As you may already know (okay, most of you know), Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops will close their doors at the end of March.

But two of the stores will live on under new ownership.  So here’s your chance to take that first step to support the new bookstores that are opening in Schwartz locations:  sign up for their email newsletters.

To sign up for Lanora Hurley’s mailing list at the new Next Chapter Bookshop in Mequon, write to newsletter@nextchapterbookshop.com.  If you would like to be added to a print mailing list, please include your street address.

If you want to be added to Daniel Goldin’s email distribution for Boswell Book Company on Milwaukee’s Downer Avenue, contact info@boswellbooks.com and put newsletter in the subject line.  Include your street address if you’d like to be included in future print mailings.

Dealing with grief and loss

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Recently, Paul Salerno, the social worker at University School Milwaukee, conducted a session for parents about helping children deal with grief and loss. Seeing the news about the loss in neighboring community Whitefish Bay, I thought parents there might appreciate some of his insights and recommendations.

First, it’s important to recognize that the way a child responds is, in part, dependent on their developmental stage.  Second, each individual has their own timetable.  So, while you’re thinking they should be “over it,” your child may still be grieving.

Speaking of “getting over it,” Paul said about a dozen times, “You don’t get over loss; you get through it.”

Among nine to 12 year olds, loss and grief is especially crushing and debilitating.  They are vulnerable to a loss because they have hit the stage where they truly understand permanance.

The Whitefish Bay student was 15, so most of children responding to this loss are probably teenagers.  On the one hand, Paul said, they will be in denial and not want to think about it, reflecting the self-absorption that characterizes the teenager.

On the other hand, teens have a magnetic need to connect, so they will be connecting to the grief of others, even those they don’t know well.  This is, at best, confusing for those around the teen, and at worst, the cause of anger, jealousy and frustration.  “Hey,” some kids will say, “Why are you sad?  You didn’t know her THAT well.”

Parents and teachers also need to recognize that a loss can cause other losses to resurface.  (Remember–we don’t ever really get over it?)

On the subject of what to say and do, Paul suggested that for those with a connection to the family, tell them you’re thinking about them or that you’re sad that they are going through this loss.

Paul recommended the following books:

Living with Grief: Children and Adolescents (Hospice Foundation of America), by Doka and Tucci

Lifetimes:  A beautiful way to explain death to children, Mellonie and Ingpen

What’s Heaven?  Maria Shriver

Sad isn’t bad:  A good-grief guidebook for kids dealing with loss, Mundy and Alley

Most of these books are for younger children.  Please make recommendations for older children in the comments section.

“I really need to check Facebook out. . . “

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Here’s your chance:  my co-hosts on Parents as Partners will be demonstrating Facebook tomorrow night (Monday, February 23 ) and you can join them (and me!) at 7 p.m. our time.

Here’s your opportunity to get onto Facebook (without signing up for an account!) and gain insights on how to become a digital parent and teacher.

Sponsored by Elluminate http://elluminate.com & Steve Hargadon at http://classroom20.com The Elluminate virtual classroom will allow participants to use audio, chat, video and desktop sharing to join in the presentation. (Steve came and trained USM teachers this fall on 21st Century learning tools).

Regular show hosts Lorna Costantini, Matt Montagne and Cindy Seibel, will welcome Nick O’Neill from www.allfacebook.com who will demonstrate 10 ways to protect your privacy on Facebook. Shonna Daly, a parent from St. Catharines, Ontario will talk about how she carried out a parent consultation using Facebook. Matt will share his experiences using Facebook and connecting with parents.

Please join us by direct link to the Elluminate classroom:
https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=2008350&password=M.612F85D6F8C95E7398CA7C70EEFFB2

And please share this with your friends!

You know you’re a hockey parent when. . . Valentine’s Day Edition, 2009

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Hockey parents are familiar with the list sent via email:  “You know you’re a hockey parent when . . .”.  Here’s a Valentine’s Day Edition update.

31.  Your romantic Valentine’s Day dinner plans are scheduled around the weekend’s hockey games.

32.  Your February 14 Facebook Status says, “Good luck at Playdowns!” instead of “Happy Valentine’s Day!”

33.  Your romantic Valentine’s Day dinner plans, already scheduled for the day after Valentine’s Day, are canceled to go watch the just scheduled game  because ‘we grabbed that sheet of open ice.’

How to get a Snow Day

Image by valianceKG via Flickr

This morning, I opened my freezer and found a white crayon.

According to my 6th grader, there’s some magic to getting a snow day.

First, flush ice cubes down the toilet.

Second, put your pajamas on inside out.

Third, lick a spoon and put it under your pillow.  And finally . . .

Put a white crayon in your freezer.

Service learning in action: It is better to give than to receive

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If recent charitable activity is any indication, the USM community has affirmed that it is better to give than receive.  Here’s a run down of some of activities.

Sixth graders spent the last several weeks earning money for chores and odd jobs.  On Tuesday, they used the money to go to Piggly Wiggly to shop for families served by Hunger Task Force.  The gift?  According to 6th grade class sponsor Christine K.’s Facebook status:   “80 boxes of food just got delivered to the Hunger Task Force….congrats 6th grade and thank you!!”

Senior Kindergarten got in on the action, too.  The Mitten Tree stood draped with new mittens, gloves, scarves, and hats for children who attend the Carter Development Center in Milwaukee.

In the Upper School, the “Giving Tree” started out covered with 125 cards representing some of the needs of the over 300 families served by Lutheran Social Services Refugee Relocation program.  If you grabbed a card, you know that the refugees, who come from places like Burma, Somalia and Iraq, asked for items like household cleaning products, pillows, and winter clothing.    And chances are pretty good that you DID grab a card, because all 125 were gone and gifts returned in time to deliver to LSS.

Finally, a bit closer to home, the US community pulled together a “out-of-uniform” fundraiser last week after learning about a student’s cancer diagnosis.  Here’s an e-mail update from Susan Z., English teacher in the Upper School:

There are a few stray dollars out there still making their way toward me, but I wanted you to know that our current total of dollars raised last Friday is about $2,250.  Every penny will go to fund childhood colon cancer research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis Tennessee, and the donation will be made in honor of  Tessa.  Many, many students and faculty in the Upper School went far above and beyond the suggested $2 minimum for the out of uniform day, parents contributed, and several people from the Lower and Middle School contributed as well.

Thank you one and all.  USM has once again demonstrated the true essence of generosity and support: what a remarkable community!

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

(Are there any I missed?  Post a comment and keep us up-to-date!)