Scot Graden's Blog

The new gymnasium curtains have been installed at the Middle School.  This will allow for greater flexibility and the ability to have more activities occurring at the same time – safely.  I think it is fair to say we have one of the finest Middle School gymnasiums in the state.

Thank you to Mr. Brian Puffer for the effort and CARES for the funding to get this project completed.

You may have noticed that we have added a Google Translation tool to the lower right hand menu area below the “LOGIN TO SAS” section on the front page of our website.  By selecting a specific language, the entire website is converted to the newly chosen language.  It is a great way for non-English readers to stay informed about Saline Area Schools.

A special thanks to Carol Melcher and Ken Lupo for getting it set on our site.

Or I could say….

Usted puede haber notado que hemos añadido una herramienta de Google Traductor para la mano derecha herramienta zona en la primera página de nuestro sitio web. Al seleccionar un idioma específico, todo el sitio web se convierte en el nuevo idioma.  Es una gran manera para no-Inglés a los lectores a estar informado acerca de escuelas de la zona salina.

Un especial agradecimiento a Carol Melcher y Ken Lupo para conseguir que en el conjunto de nuestro sitio.

As we pause to celebrate with family and friends, we naturally reflect on the happenings of 2008 and look forward with anticipation to the new year.

Most of us can agree that in 2009 we will encounter numerous challenges in the Saline Area School community.  This list includes budgeting, curricular direction, facility needs, enrollment, community engagement…..

I have learned that challenges can be opportunities to grow and change. Working together and focusing on the needs of our students, 2009 can be a successful year.

I had the opportunity to read Jugging Elephants last week.  I was given the book right before the winter break by a fellow administrator who had recently read the book as part of her graduate school work.

In a similar format to “Who Moved My Cheese?”,  the book uses the metaphor of the circus to point out effective use of time and the importance of defining priorities. The basic premise is that it is impossible to juggle elephants, so don’t even try. Life is like a circus and you are the ringmaster. The book assigns three rings – the Self ring, the Relationship ring and the Professional ring.

Like a ringmaster has to decide which ring to be in at a given time, so do you. It teaches that you should never have a MAJOR act going on in each ring at the same time. For example, you shouldn’t take on the role of Interim Athletic Director and have your fourth child at the same time – it will cause stress in your Professional and Relationship rings!  What’s more, you need to find the right acts to place in each ring so that the WHOLE circus is a success.

It was a fast book to read, and while I was reading it, I thought “cute, but hokey.”  However, it has caused me to think about how I use my time and set priorities. With the new year in sight, and the challenges it will bring, any strategy to help focus energy is welcome.

Last year, we established the practice of having a standing 10 a.m. meeting for all administrators on snow days.  The goal is to work on issues that we might otherwise not have time to discuss when school is in session as we are rushed to get back to the buildings or department business.

On Friday, while most Saline Area School students and staff were getting a 24-hour extension of our winter break, the administrative team was learning the basics of podcasting. For those who read this blog regularly, you will recall that I have attempted a couple podcasts as a method to communicate about projects and issues with in Saline Area Schools.  The goal for our session on Friday was three fold – first, to provide the administrative team with information on how podcasts are being used to deliver information.  Second, to develop the basic skills to produce their own podcast.  Lastly, was to think about how our instructional staff might want to use podcasting to engage students in academic content and express their creativity.

Linked below is an example of a podcast that Mr. Nate Bush, a teacher at Saline High School, produced for his Digital Photography course.  Click here to watch and listen to Mr. Bush’s podcast.

The session went very well and I learned a few things about the group.  The first being that they become distracted by cool new technologies as much as our students do – picture the room full of administrators working to take their pictures using Photo Booth on their Mac laptops!

We used GarageBand to produce the audio content then added some pictures and uploaded to iTunes.  Since we were all in the same room, the audio was noisy and we all used a similar script – so our finished products were not for public consumption.  However, look for a podcast coming soon from a Principal or Director near you.

All Kindergarten and Young 5 classes from Houghton School performed for their parents and grandparents today at Saline High School. Below is a video clip of the morning performance.

The Liberty Facility Review Committee met for the second time on December 11th.  The meeting included discussions related to tax, zoning and deed issues – along with enrollment projection data. The final portion of the meeting included brainstorming ideas for future options.  The group will meet again in January to continue the conversation.  Click the link below to see some of the discussion.

Liberty Facility Review Committee Video Clip

Quick – What is the northern most country in the western hemisphere that has a rain forest within its’ borders?

I had the opportunity to watch our Quiz Bowl team in action today at the Saline High School Media Center.  They challenged and defeated Pinckney High School.  I was impressed by both teams knowledge and ability to quickly (sometimes before the question was completed) answer the questions.   We will be competing at home again next Wednesday, December 17th vs Whitmore Lake High School.  The JV match starts at 3:30pm and the Varsity match follows.  Congratulation to Coach Brodie and the entire squad.

Answer: Mexico

The Foundation for Saline Area Schools had a busy day on Tuesday.  Their regular 7:30 am meeting began at Saline High School in the “Hive” restaurant operated by the South and West Washtenaw Consortium culinary arts program.  The members then received a tour of the SWWC programs from Director Ms. Jody Gielinski and Program Coordinator Mr. Dave Jodway.

The tour included the Agriscience, Automotive Technology, Early Childhood Education, Culinary Arts & Hospitality, Electronics/Computer Servicing, Health Sciences, Machine Tool Technology, Marketing, Visual Imaging Technology and the Welding & Fabrication Technology programs.  The staff was present to explain their department and direct the explanation of the facilities and equipment.   Where students or student work was displayed, the tour group noted that the excellence in skills and technique was evident.

The foundation was back at the high school at the end of the day to help celebrate our National Merit Scholars at a reception at 5:30 pm.  Foundation President Mr. Lou Candiotti then presented the 2008 annual report to the Board of Education at the regular meeting.  His presentation noted the 22 grants awarded, totaling $31,612. “These are extraordinary times and we will reach out with extraordinary measures to provide the support necessary to maintain the tradition of excellence throughout Saline Area Schools,” Mr. Candiotti noted.  On behalf of the Saline Area School staff – we greatly appreciate the support of the foundation.

Last week, I attended the Annual Statewide Online Learning Symposium hosted by Michigan Virtual University. The theme for this year was “Disruptive Innovation and the Future of Online Learning”.  The keynote speaker was Michael Horn, coauthor of Disrupting Class, which uses theories of disruptive innovation to identify issues for schools in the 21st century.

It was a very interesting event.  I was able to talk to an MSU professor who teaches web design at Traverse City West High, Ishpeming High, and Millington High – all without leaving East Lansing. Her students are earning college credit while taking her interactive course online.

There were various types of online instruction described.  Some included limited face-to-face contact time while others used video clips to deliver lectures, and some were purely online.  Many included classroom discussion components with chat rooms for group dialogue.

One of the items that got my attention was a graph showing the growth of online high school enrollments across the country.  Based on this projection, by 2019 (only 10 years away) over 50% of high school courses will be delivered in a virtual format.

The playing field for education is changing quickly – it’s my goal to make sure Saline Area Schools is ready.