SCH Weekly

Greetings SCH Family,

It was great to get into the schools and serve lunches this past week. Kudos to our Food Service staff for preparing and executing such a high quality lunch program!

This week is Red Ribbon week where we ask kids to pledge to stay drug free. Too many families, including mine, have had to suffer because of the pains associated with drug addiction. Any efforts to keep kids off of drugs are worth the investment.

As a final note, come see your favorite Hammond football teams this weekend as Sectionals begin! I’ll be at Morton v Hobart!

-Scott

A reminder from the Curriculum Team:

All grades for the first nine week grading period need to be finalized no later than Tuesday, October 22nd at 3:30 p.m. If a teacher misses this deadline, he/she will need to notify the principal because principals are the only ones who can request a gradebook be unlocked to make changes.

Gavit Middle School 8th Graders will visit the ACC on Tuesday, October 22nd to learn about the amazing programs that the ACC offers.

A big ACC Tiger Welcome to Gavit MS – and to all and any Hammond 8th grader who wants to check out the programs at the ACC. This is especially important as students consider the Graduation Pathways and how to prepare for their future.

Last week was National School Lunch Week and what a wonderful week of celebrating it was! Across the district we served 39,877 student lunch meals and 336 adult/visitor lunch meals in just those 4 days! We celebrated with fun décor, live music (thank you to kitchen staff member - Ms. Nicki’s son - for playing for our Harding students!), and Special Guest Servers! There are too many pictures to include in this newsletter so we hope you can check out our Facebook & Twitter pages for all the photos – search for ‘@SCHLunch’ on either platform to find us!

Head Start Parent Committee officers and Policy Committee representatives will be attending the “What Have I Gotten Myself Into?” training this Thursday morning at Morton Elementary. One of the foundational elements of Head Start is to ensure that parents are involved in making policy and program decisions for their Head Start program. The training is designed as a way for the officers and representatives to learn and understand more about their roles and responsibilities as part of the decision making process in Head Start. They also will go through how to conduct a meeting, including how to make motions and take a vote. A number of Head Start parents that have served as Parent Committee officers and/or Policy Committee representatives have gone on to hold similar roles on elementary PTAs.

Happy employees are more creative, innovative and dedicated than their unhappy counterparts. Environments that foster engagement in work correlate well with feeling valued, secure, supported, and respected.

Disengaged workplaces result in:

• 37% higher absenteeism
• 49% more accidents
• 60% more errors

A few steps to changing the disengaged environment might include:

1. Greeting everyone that you encounter every single morning
2. Delivering honest “Praise and Recognition” whenever you get the chance
3. Making the work meaningful and relevant
4. Empathizing with others
5. Stressing mental, physical and socially healthy practices
6. Leading by being observant and empowering
7. Taking opportunities at displaying initiative
8. Listening and providing feedback that encourages
9. Opening up and having meaningful conversations
10. Smiling (“Please and Thank you” are helpful sentiments)

At a workshop for bully awareness, parents were asked if their child is a victim of bullying. Immediately their hands shot up, reflecting the obvious majority of this large group. When asked how many in the audience have children who are bullies, not one hand was raised. Hard to believe that a school could be full of victims, but no bullies!

This example highlights one of the most fundamental problems with combating bullying. Not many parents want to admit that their child is capable of intentionally hurting another. This denial makes it very difficult to coordinate an effective plan of action which encompasses both home and school because the parents don’t always acknowledge the problem.

Another obstacle to dealing with bullies in the school setting is the fact that many people don’t have a clear idea of what actually constitutes bullying. There are many misconceptions which often results in under reporting, especially with girls bullies whose actions tend to be more insidious. Social media has also become a popular forum for aggression, which further complicates prevention efforts.

Having a child with special needs can increase the probability of bullying because of issues such as social skills, impulse control, communication deficits or physical differences. Teaching students assertiveness tools and empowering the bystanders to support the more vulnerable children have proven to be effective strategies.

Children, parents, administrators and teachers all have to be on the same page and use the same language when addressing bullying issues. Ignoring or minimizing the problem sends a dangerous message that this negative behavior is “acceptable.”

The Indiana Department of Education is currently working to clarify the definition of bullying in effort to increase school accountability through annual reporting practices. There are updated resources, definitions and information on the IDOE website.

We have had many phone calls, e-mails, form submissions regarding PowerSchool questions. Some questions may have gone unanswered, sorry for that. For any new question submitted, we’ll be asking the Teacher Advocates to help answer. From now on, please direct all questions about PowerSchool Unified Classroom to this link: SCH PowerSchool Help. Then, if you don’t get an answer in a timely manner, send an email follow up.

Held during the third full week of October each year, National School Bus Safety Week is an excellent way for all to address the importance of school bus safety. National School Bus Safety Week is October 21-25, 2019 and the theme is "My School Bus, The Safest Form of Student Transportation!"

The SCH Transportation Department will be posting articles on its Facebook page highlighting the importance of school bus safety throughout the week. Our Bus Drivers will also do a oral review of safety tips and rules each morning with their students.

Monday: NHTSA School Bus Safety

Tuesday: ABC Action News article (Springfield Township accident)

Wednesday: NWI TImes article (Portage Bus Crash)

Thursday: NWI Times article (School Safety starts well before the bell rings)

Friday: NWI Times article (Reckless homicide)

Monday, October 21st

• Edison ES - Cheerleading - 3:15 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
• Hess ES - “Make it a Good Night Monday” live read aloud on Facebook - 7 p.m.
  

Tuesday, October 22nd

• Edison ES - Chorus - 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
• Edison ES - Soccer - 3:15 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Morton HS - Governor Study Table - 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, October 23rd

• Edison ES - Cheerleading - 3:15 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
• Edison ES - Girl Scouts - 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Lincoln ES - PTSA Meeting - 3:30 p.m.

Thursday, October 24th

• Administration Center - Public Work Session - 5:30 p.m.
• Administration Center - Special Board Meeting - 6 p.m.
• Administration Center - Executive Session - Immediately following the board meeting
• Edison ES - Brownies & Daises - 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Edison ES - PTA Taffy Apple Fundraiser begins
• Edison ES - Soccer - 3:15 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Hammond HS - Trick or Treat & Choir Event - 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Lincoln ES - Trunk or Treat (current Lincoln student's only) - 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Morton HS - Governor Study Table - 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• O'Bannon ES - Fall Family Fun Night - 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Friday, October 25th

• Edison ES - Basketball - 3:15 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Eggers MS Football (Championship) @ Gavit MS - 7 p.m.
• Franklin ES - PTA Trunk or Treat - 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Hobart HS Football (Sectionals) @ Morton HS - 7 p.m.
• Kenwood ES - Coffee and Conversation with the Principal - 9:45 a.m.
• Lincoln ES - No preschool
• Morton HS (HAPA) - The Little Mermaid - 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Saturday, October 26th

• Morton HS (HAPA) - The Little Mermaid - 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Morton HS (HAPA) - The Little Mermaid - 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Morton HS - Cross Country (Semi-State) @ New Prairie HS

On October 10th, Maywood ES held a spectacular Open House. It was full of fun, food, and excitement. We had the Bishop Noll Mariachi Band who performed several great songs. Mr. Tony Salinas came and talked to our families about LDP and learning Spanish. In addition, many of our staff and families donated great dishes to our event. We had tamales, tacos, a book fair, and spent time visiting our fabulous teachers and showcasing student work. We had an awesome time!

An update from the Superintendent is distributed at the beginning of the week.

View previous weekly updates from Mr. Miller here.

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Email: schadmin@hammond.k12.in.us
Website: www.hammond.k12.in.us
Location: 41 Williams Street, Hammond, IN, USA
Phone: (219) 933-2400
Facebook: facebook.com/SchoolCityofHammond/
Twitter: @SCHK12