Welcome Back!
August 19, 2015
As we start the new school year, we are trying to finish up the construction and demolition clean up as quickly as we can. Our plans are to create additional parking where the old gym stood and to repair the high school drive way on the west side, south of the new strength and conditioning building to Highway 124. We are still working on the building entrances and have taken bids for intercom systems in all of the buildings. All of this work should be completed during first semester. After its finished, we will schedule active shooter training in all buildings to give us a chance to use the security cameras and intercoms in a security drill.
Maintenance and custodial have worked all summer to get the buildings and grounds ready for school. The faculty and staff are back as well and everyone is busy with last minute preparations. We all look forward to Thursday, August 20 – the first day of school for students. The fall sport seasons begin this week. The first varsity football game is Friday, August 21; our varsity softball team is hosting the Hallsville Invitational Tournament Saturday, August 22; and the first home high school volleyball matches are August 24 against Brookfield. Other activities are still being scheduled and we will be letting everyone know the schedule when it is finalized.
We have moved our school board meetings to Room 712 in the high school. If you want like to attend a school board meeting, we encourage you to park in the lot east of the Vo-Ag building and walk on the sidewalk to the exterior door on the north end of the high school. Room 712 is the first room on the left. Board meetings are the third Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. and the August meeting is tonight, Wednesday, August 19. We encourage all interested patrons to attend.
Maintenance and custodial have worked all summer to get the buildings and grounds ready for school. The faculty and staff are back as well and everyone is busy with last minute preparations. We all look forward to Thursday, August 20 – the first day of school for students. The fall sport seasons begin this week. The first varsity football game is Friday, August 21; our varsity softball team is hosting the Hallsville Invitational Tournament Saturday, August 22; and the first home high school volleyball matches are August 24 against Brookfield. Other activities are still being scheduled and we will be letting everyone know the schedule when it is finalized.
We have moved our school board meetings to Room 712 in the high school. If you want like to attend a school board meeting, we encourage you to park in the lot east of the Vo-Ag building and walk on the sidewalk to the exterior door on the north end of the high school. Room 712 is the first room on the left. Board meetings are the third Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. and the August meeting is tonight, Wednesday, August 19. We encourage all interested patrons to attend.
Resolve, not Resoluti ons
January 4, 2015
It’s easy to look back at the past year and think of the things we wish to change, or improve upon. I offer that we persevere with resolve, not resolutions. About a year ago, the district went through the process to refine our mission and vision. We have been a PLC (professional learning community) for about ten years now. If you remember, when we started that process we were doing an early dismissal each Wednesday so that our faculty could work in collaborative groups in order to look at data and improve learning for all kids. Now, ten years later, we are using one day each month as a PLC day to do that work in teams.
So I offer that we have the resolve to reach our goals, to live our mission, and fulfill our vision.
Hallsville R-IV Vision: “Improve lives through learning.”
Hallsville R-IV Mission: “We guarantee all students will reach their full potential.”
No doubt about it, it is a bold statement to say “We guarantee all students will reach their full potential.” Are we fulfilling that mission 100%? No, we are not. I’m not certain there is any way to measure the unreached potential. As an educator, I certainly have had times that I felt like I failed my students. That’s what drove me to work on getting better every day, knowing my shortcomings and working to fix them. If our students are working to reach their full potential, then they will make self-improvement a lifelong endeavor. Maybe that is all we can hope for – a generation that spends their life working with resolve.
So I offer that we have the resolve to reach our goals, to live our mission, and fulfill our vision.
Hallsville R-IV Vision: “Improve lives through learning.”
Hallsville R-IV Mission: “We guarantee all students will reach their full potential.”
No doubt about it, it is a bold statement to say “We guarantee all students will reach their full potential.” Are we fulfilling that mission 100%? No, we are not. I’m not certain there is any way to measure the unreached potential. As an educator, I certainly have had times that I felt like I failed my students. That’s what drove me to work on getting better every day, knowing my shortcomings and working to fix them. If our students are working to reach their full potential, then they will make self-improvement a lifelong endeavor. Maybe that is all we can hope for – a generation that spends their life working with resolve.