Valentine's Week at a High School and After… Including NYC Trip

February 10 - 22

OMG!!!  It is Monday at 2:00 pm and the natives are restless.  Someone must have put something in the water.  At 2:00 today there was a fight over a cell phone between friends, a kid that disappeared from the office and reports of students and Facebook messages being sent back and forth about trying to buy guns.  I really feel like there should be a handbook for all Assistant Principals electronically that is updated each day when these items come up.  I mean, I am learning so much about all of this.  It is "On The Job Training!!"  So between 2:00 and 4:00 pm it was crazy kid stuff with items from over the weekends and fights that have occurred.  I mean really, some of the things are nutty.  My friends and I in high school did some crazy things to each other but we knew when to stop.  Apparently this past weekend on Friday, a group of kids egged another student from another school's house.  On Saturday the kids went back to the house they egged to apologize and got into a huge fight with the family which resulted in physical punches.  A different group of kids were gong to go back and make things right and apologize on Sunday- really????  I mean when they did not accept the apology the first time, what makes you think it is going to work out the next time???  Well the word is the dad of the family had a gun and threatened the kids with a gun.  So now we are in investigations with other schools, their SRO's and students trying to figure out the real story and what we can do to end the problem and get the kids to move on so everyone is safe.

Tonight we also had our Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) meeting at the school.  This included an opportunity for students, teachers, parents, community members and anyone else to talk about the needs of the school and what the district can do to ensure that all students are successful.  The meeting called for a lot of interaction and statements about what North can do to help students be successful.  The comments were very interesting and insightful as to what students, teachers and the community would like.  It will be interesting to see what is put together for the entire district as far as needs and desires.

LCAP Meeting

This week has been nutty.  On Monday we had another issue with kids in the back of the school so now we have two issues going on at the school.  Issue 1) We had a group of kids decide to work with another group of students from a neighboring high school to egg a house. Then they went back to apologize for egging the house and the one kid got beat up.  So then they group that egged went back to try and apologize again and dad came out with a gun, or so we are told.  Ummm…. really, you go back to apologize?????  Do these kids think we are idiots???  Needless to say this has contented to blow up and the police are involved now.  There was a three hour meeting between the schools the other day to try and come to some kind of solution for this whole situation.  To top it off these are athletes and basketball no less, which we are in season and now while we are investigating the situation, there are people who are saying the schools are dragging their feet.  Which is not true.  The truth is that we have Issue 2.  Issue 2) we are having some Hispanic students arguing with some African American students which is causing a lot of problems that we are dealing with for the safety of all of our students.  This has taken hours upon hours to deal with because we don't have any one incident that is leading up to the issues.  We have many different kids involved.  We have a lot of non-students and adults that seem to be causing some problems and we are having to bring in parents and have conversations with them about the situation, hence rehashing the story and getting more information then piecing together what we know.  It has been a very long week and therefore a lot has not gotten done that I was hoping to do.  The other assistant principal, RIch is dong a great job helping to try and deal with all of this while showing / teaching me as well.  One of the student brought brass knuckles to school and when I called the SRO to ask when he would be in and told him, he said, Leann, those are serious.  I said thank you, please come….LOL!!! Victor is training me as well.  I would like to remind people that being an Assistant Principal is literally "On the job training."  No possible admin / ed leadership class can prepare your for gangs, he said; she said, YA YA Girls, fights or the zillion of other things that come up.  I just hope that my judgement and handling of situations is appropriate and I thank goodness I have Rich who I can ask questions to and a secretary who smiles and bears it all with me.  Thank you Jaque!!!!

In case you did not know what Brass Knuckles look like.

So I have off on Thursday to fly to NYC to spend time with the ATC girls.  However the storms are coming through the east and while I have called Delta to see about re-routing I can't do anything.  So I am off on my way at 5:00 am to get to my plane and am not sure whether I will make it to NYC or not.  The agents at Delta told me that if they were letting me leave San Diego that I would make it to NYC but I am wondering if they are just talking to make me happy.  I go ahead and check in and as I am in the terminal I find out that the other girls will not be joining me, their flight is canceled.  They are going to try and rebook for Friday but I am on my way and will be getting to the city by 8:00 pm.  It was pretty uneventful except for the pilot for the Atlanta --> LaGuardia was caught in Washington so we they had to find another pilot.  The were able to do that and we got going by 5:00 pm.  When I go to NYC I took a Shuttle from the airport to the hotel and it was the worst shuttle driver ever, I swear I was going to throw up or he was going to kill us with his stop / go / quick turns and crazy driving.  I have driven almost all over the US, including northern states but he was nutty with the rain, sleet and snow that was all around.  I got to the hotel about 9:00 pm finally and was just tired from traveling. I got a grilled cheese from the restaurant and came to the room to watch the Olympics.  The hotel is called the Hudson Hotel and it is very Retro Sheik.  Very compact, cute and reminds me of being in IKEA!    Putting four girls in here is going to be interesting.  Good thing it is only for three nights, since I am here by myself tonight.  LOL!!!  Looking forward to the weekend and exploring NYC while I am also hoping that Squeak is alive and well in CA!

911 Memorial

New York was amazing.  I left Thursday morning with no problems at all and made it there through Atlanta and to LaGuardia with no delays.  However, my friends that were suppose to meet me there on Thursday night had their flight canceled out of Columbia.  They rescheduled and had their flight canceled on Friday morning as well out of Greenville.  It took awhile but they finally made it out of Greenville to Atlanta and then to New York to join me.  On Friday night we walked down through Times Square and hit the largest Macy's EVER!!!  It was nice to see where the parade takes place.  On Saturday we did a tour of the entire city with a company and got to see the highlights and most talked about attractions.  On Sunday, we went to see a Broadway Show.  We saw Cinderella and it was magnificent!!  The costume changes were amazing and the music was fabulous!!!!  We also went to Grand Central Terminal and the building is BEAUTIFUL!!! Well worth the trip to see.  The trip home was another story.  When we got to LaGuadia we had plenty of time to make it to the terminal and get on the plane.  I had to go to a different terminal to fly to San Diego and actually made it on the plane.  The problem is that once they put us on the plane, they made us de-plane due to mechanical issues.  When I got off the plane there was a huge line at the gate and I knew that I would not be able to get through the line in time.  I checked my Delta App on the phone and it told me it could not re-route me.   I called the Customer Service line and it read my SkyMiles card number and told me gate C18 was my new gate.  I turned and went to gate C18 and there was no one there!!!!!  A nice man named Muhammod was there and searched for me a new flight.  He got me a flight from JFK to San Diego if I could make it to JFK by 7:10 pm.  I asked him how he would suggest I get there if there was a bus or subway and he ordered me a car in which Delta would paid for.  When I asked about my bag, he said it would be delivered to my house since it was Delta's mechanical problem but it would not get there for a bit.  I told him that was fine and headed to the car.  Needless to say I made it to San Diego and home so I could be at work on Tuesday.  Now, there are pictures on my Facebook page in case you would like to look.  My bag arrived on Wednesday morning at 1:00 am, but no, I did not get up for it.  I just let it sit on the porch until the morning.  :)   I will say that I think Squeak missed me.  She has been following me around and crying all week!  Just look at this cute face!!!

My Squeak

This week has been a little nutty at work.  Lots to do and not enough time to do it in.  Busy, busy, busy.  One of the AP's is away because his daughter is getting married and therefore the discipline has increased.  This is not a huge deal other than the fact I have not really had time to get to the students.  Tuesday we did Action Walks all morning and then I retaught the DOK during 4th, lunch duty and PTSA meeting followed by meetings with parents who have students with chronic absences.  Wednesday was a expulsion hearing, lunch and learn, meeting with a teacher and then a program coordinators meeting.  I got to see students on Wed morning for awhile.  On Thursday, I had to go and talk with another teacher, did some discipline, taught DOK again and then we had a staff meeting as well as School Site Meetings and PTSA that night.  We also announced the John W. North Teacher of the year.  Carolina who is wonderful.  She does a lot for students on campus and is amazing.  On Friday we had the admin meeting until 11:00, a fight, lunch duty, a testing coordinator meeting and then an IEP meeting.  It has just kinda been never-ending.  I am not complaining - I like the busyness of the schedule and the life of an Assistant Principal.  It is fun to try and fit it all in.  So, guess what I will be doing this week - seeing kids!!!!!

On Saturday, I went to work at 7:40 am to be there for Saturday school, CAHSEE Boot Camp and to see about getting some work done.  Well, let's just say how evil I am, I did discipline while I was there.  I got the kids that were there for Saturday school so I did not have to call them to the office this week.  Hee Hee Hee!!!!  It was not near as many as I would have liked there to be but it was a start!!!  At 2:00 pm I was at Party at the Plaza, a open house at a shopping center to showcase the schools in the area.  It was a very large turnout and very interesting.  Needless to say, I "Shut the Plaza Down," or at least the party.  I was there until 4:00 pm and then cleaned up with the kids.  It was a fun time and I got to see some of the other schools.

So as I type this tonight, I am sitting in a freshly cleaned apartment from Friday on a newly made bed with fresh sheets and a cute kitty curled up with me as I finish up some correspondence.  I am excited about tomorrow, Sunday.  Jessica and I are going to get our nails done and then to cook dinner for tomorrow night.  I am hoping to get some laundry ironed as well.  So, even though I am not in SC, the tasks are still the same - gotta have ironed clothes for work.  The Joe R. Adair Outfit does not cut it anymore.  LOL!!!!

A New and Better Week!

Well, Squeak is okay.  She is obviously getting older but they say she is healthy.  She has somehow picked up tapeworms and I am not sure how that happened but she is being treated now for this condition so she should feel better soon.  The vet says she probably has a virus which is why her eyes get "goopy" and therefore that is why her previous medications have not helped.  While we were at the Vet, Squeak was super good.  She got her picture taken, got some treats, had her temperature taken, was prodded and poked and she did not do anything but sit there quietly.  Okay, she got under the towel, but she always does that at home and she was so good.  When we got home she acted puny and layer around but she is in much better spirits today, Sunday.

On the Way to the Vet

Hiding at the Vet

Closer Look

Home After the Vet

Saturday night was the Mid-Winter Ball, the semi-formal for the high school and it was so much fun.  It was at the Riverside Memorial Auditorium.  The area had balloons and tables set out around the area.  it was tastefully done with a large dance space and a stage where the DJ Knick Knack was set up.  There were two tables of food and drinks in the back for the kids.  Now, this auditorium use to be used for plays and events so there is stadium seating for the kids as well like you would have at a theater.  The doors opened up onto a balcony in which students could go and cool off and take pictures.  Downstairs was the pictures and another area to sit and eat also.  There were teachers strategically placed around the area to chaperon the dance as well.

The kids started lining up for the dance at 7:30 pm, and the doors would not open till 8:00 pm. Very different than SC where the kids are about 30-45 minutes late and leave about an hour after the event.  The kids stayed until the very end and at 12:00 pm when the students were leaving, all of them left and were gone within 30 minutes.  I could not believe it!!!!  On top of that, the dancing was completely appropriate - even on the songs that would have some other types of dancing.  I was incredibly impressed with the decorum and behavior of the students.  I only had to break up two sets of couples who were kissing extensively.  Even that was not really bad.  So excited to go and be there with the kids.  I REALLY needed that this weekend.  I know that sounds crazy that being at a dance from 7:30 pm - 12:45 am the next morning is what I needed but the kids are great and it was wonderful to see them dressed up.

DJ on Stage

Mid-Winter Court

Some of the Staff from JW North

I am excited to say that my car is getting about 38 miles to the gallon.  I know it is suppose to get 42 miles but since it is diesel, I keep getting told it needs to be broken in.  When I first got the car I was only getting about 32 so I am happy that it has gotten better.  I can make it back and forth to work 6x before I have to get gas verse 4 when I first got the car or 3 in the Escape.  So, I am saving money - in some ways.  Hate to have a car payment but happy to have a fun little car.

Monday
Well today school hit full force.  It started with the morning getting students into classes who had brought various types of candy to school.  Always fun to work with students who are on a sugar high.  Let's just say there is never a dull day as a high school assistant principal.  Today was just as busy as normal but let's combine that with email that would not open and a slow computer.  LOL!!  Well, it got fixed and I kept on plugging along.  The crazy things that happen are things like, a parent who texts her mom that a teacher would not let her go to the bathroom without serving 30 minutes as a detention for going.  Well, what she is leaving out is that she has 9 minutes between classes to go to the bathroom and her classroom is right across from the bathroom so there is no reason she should not be able to go to the bathroom between classes.  In addition to that, right before the class this occurred in she has PE where she has access to the bathrooms at the end of class while she changes for at least 10 minutes.  So essentially there is 15-20 minutes for her to go to the bathroom and not have to leave the class.  I know there is a lot of times there is an emergency but that is when you go ahead and serve the 30 minutes and talk to the teacher during the time, or miss the teacher detention and take a 20 minute lunch detention.  There are consequences for choices no matter what they are - bathroom or whatever. However, in this case the teacher does not have her bathroom policy in her syllabus which is where the issue really is for this young lady because she does not know what is or is not allowed.  Poor little 9th grader.

Hopefully we have made progress today for our RTI / MTSS plan.  We had a meeting this afternoon in which we are working on the plan to move forward with the supporting students and making changes within the school in order to provide students with more support and guidance in attaining success in A-G classes.  We will see how our next meeting at the end of February goes and what the departments are willing to do!!!  The rest of the week has been a little crazy with more tasks that have to be done then there is time for.  I just keep plugging along as much as possible in order to keep my head above water right now.  Between the Middle Years Program, RtI, Discipline Committee, Technology Order, Early Release PD and the discipline, it is a wonder that I get to sleep.  Ahh…. the life of an Asst Principal.  I was late to the Assistant Principal Dinner on Tuesday night because I had to cover the JV Basketball game.  Just too many things to do and too little time to do it in, but everyone feels that way!!  Right????    I will tell you that I am now totally against Twitter and if I have to deal too much more with Twitter Cyber-Bullying I might seriously loose my hair.  When you hashtag a comment it goes to a wall/thread and therefore I cannot determine who posted the comment since it puts it on the wall based on the hashtag sign and not a user's profile.  Right now the big thing on Twitter is something called High School Confessions where students write about things they have done while they are actually on a high school campus.  Well the idea is not to put any names but apparently some people stated putting names, hence others got upset.  So I dealt with that for awhile this week as well as vulgar inbox messages on the John W. North Facebook page.  I am learning so much!!!!

Well I treated myself to a manicure / pedicure on Friday afternoon because of the week - and it was time.  Yet, when I got home and took a shower, one of my nails was already cut and hence it broke off. So I doctored it to make it look, "not so bad??"  LOL!!!  Is this the beginning of how the weekend is going to go???  Not sure.  It is going to be a busy next few weeks and I am a little worried about getting everything done.  I don't mind the busy, I just worry that I will let someone down or not do something correct.  On Saturday, I got up and went to breakfast with a friend who I have not seen in awhile, but one that I always want to make time for, so I knew that Saturday would be pushing it.  After I left breakfast, I had to drive to Downy, CA, which is above Anaheim but not as far as LA to teacher for Texas Instruments.  I cannot say that it was my best PD that I have ever presented and upon reflection I am actually very disappointed in the PD and wish I could go back and do several things differently.  I went with more about the TI Nspire rather than just jumping into science activities.  Next time, I will just jump into science activities.  Live and learn right????  After I left there, I was on my way to San Diego to the Qualcomm Stadium for Supercross.  I did not get to go with the Roe's in the afternoon as I would have liked because of the TI commitment.  The drive was fairly easy but it was just a lot of time in the car on one day, not a huge deal but I would have liked to have a few more minutes here and there.  I made it to the stadium by 6:45 pm and Supercross started at 7:30 pm so I was there in plenty of time.  It was a new experience for me.  Now, I have been to a WWF wrestling match when I was in high school, I have also attended ice hockey in South Carolina in both Charleston and Greenville.  This evert had the feels of combing in the two events.   There was a showing of the bikes and bikers as they called the riders names and they made a lap waving to everyone.  There were two different types of races the 250 and 450.  There were people throwing t-shirts and using an air gun to pelt them into the stands as well.  Of course there are scantily clad women showing the heats, and events as they strut across the dirt, as they would in a wrestling ring as well.  It is amazing how quickly the bikers get out of the gates and start the track.  I cannot believe how much air they get on some of the jumps - absolutely amazing.  It was a lot of fun and being there with the Roe's was great!  Lots of fun, even if it did get a little chilly.  i will say that I left before the event was completely over.  During the last main race, I left with 6 laps left to go but I did because I was worried bout being able to get out of the parking lot with all the traffic.  I have not been down in that area before so I was unfamiliar with the roads and there seemed to be a lot of people drinking so I wanted to make sure that I was able to get home safely.

Before the Race 

The Track

Jessica, Mog and I

Getting Ready to Go

High Flying Action

Another

Wow! 

Kennedy and I

Jess and Mog (using binoculars)

Sunday is now a catch up day.  I am trying to get caught up on all the little tasks that I did not get done this past week due to late nights at school and not being around on Saturday.  I also have to have everything packed and ready to go by Wednesday night because Thursday morning I fly to New York City to meet some friends for our Girl's Weekend.  I am hoping that we do not get snowed in anywhere and I am able to make it back to CA!

I think she is mad that I am not home all the time.

Last Week of January

Sunday
     Where did Sunday go?  All I remember is getting up, reading articles, working on certifying in Zumba Gluts, running a few errands and eating at the Roe's.  I had so much time but everything I did took time and I did not get it all done.  I had too many articles to read, too many little errands to run.  Where does the time go?  The only thing I have control over is my time but for some reason it seems to fly away from me.  Of course, I have writers block right now on the PhD and working on finishing the last part of chapter 4 so that does not help.  When I got back from the Roe's I was going to get some work done but I literally finessed some typing, sending emails and was exhausted.

Monday
  OMG!!  It is not a full moon and there was loads of kids today acting nutty!!!  Totally amazing.  I kept thinking, must be a full moon but it is only a crescent moon, I guess we could say the new moon is causing the craziness.  We had four students Under the Influence, a student with an eCigerette,  a bunch of students who got teacher detentions that did not go therefore they get to visit me to get lunch detention.  The most amazing thing is the same students that I need are never here because they are always cutting class, absent or some other crazy thing is going on and therefore they are not at school.  It is amazing!!!  Finally made it to the end of the day after a meeting with the interim Superintendent, admin meeting, observations, activities meeting, and interviews for a new Attendance Clerk.  I finally got to leave about 6:50 pm to come home.  I had every intention of going to the gym to workout but instead came home and did my leg workout for the first time in what is forever.  There is just not enough time to get to the gym.  Again, time is the only thing I can control and we make time for the things that are important to us so I really do need to find the time for several things.  Well, the leg workout was relatively hard since i have taken about 4 months off and I only made it through one rep and knew that I was going to be feeling it on Tuesday.    I did experiment with a new salad dressing.  I made an avocado ranch dressing that someone posted on Facebook and it really was delicious!!!!  I packed some for my salad on Tuesday.  I ended the night with going to bed early and putting in my all time favorite movie, Elizabethtown.  I am not really sure why I love this movie so much.  Yep, there are some great songs and one liners in here but I am not sure that is all.  It is just such a combination of real events that happen in one person's life and anyone can be that person this all happens to.  If you have not seen it, it is a must see.  I think my favorite character is Claire - I really love her personality and ability to see the positive in every situation.  There are so many ways that I identify with her in this movie, which is why I think I like it so much!!!    

Water Polo - A new sport for me!!!

Tuesday
   Sometimes I just don't know where the time goes.  I started with an observation today and continued to go from there.  I love staying busy, it makes the time fly by but there are times when I just feel like it is not going to all get done.  I know it is not in a traditional day and normal hours.  Part of the job is to get the work done and that might be in the morning or the evening.  After both of my observations today there was no time to sit and type them up.  I am thinking it might be a weekend project for me.  I am hoping to catch a few minutes here and there tomorrow.  However, today also seemed to be a day for problems that cannot be solved!  I hate days like this because I want to do everything I can to support teachers and students but today was one of those days where I could not solve anything.  I have a student who constantly cuts class and really looks at you like he does not understand.  He just has a blank look in his eyes and on his face.  He says he understands and I have explained the problem to him three times in different ways, hoping he will get it but he just does not.  He skipped again today - his third period and knows where he is suppose to go and did not do what he was suppose to hence - consequences!!!  I have another teacher who needs an LCD but there are absolutely no LCD projectors on school property that are not assigned to another teacher either hanging in the room or being used.  I am getting more but it is going to take about 4-6 weeks to get them in and the teacher wants it now.  Explaining that I don't have one to provide NOW is very hard because I know they need it to teach, but literally there is no money to order one.  I feel like LCD projectors are great but that teachers need to be flexible and back up and punt again - Use a document camera for the LCD slide, make overheads, print the notes for them.  So now I am hunting for an LCD projector on the campus, which does not exist at this time!!!  Ugh!!!!!     At the end of the day, we had a major altercation in the back of the school.  Not sure how this is going to make Wed go but it was between some Hispanic and African American students and we are hoping this does not cause too much tension on the campus Wednesday and the kids involved are all off campus.  Here is to my wishful thinking!!!  So after this, I went to the soccer game where there were severe injuries and then basketball.  I left the school at 8:45 pm, exhausted and knowing I am not going to get anything done tonight.  Again, I know it is part of the job and I accept that discipline is a necessary evil for me but I worry that I am not doing enough with Curriculum and Instruction.  I want to make it into the classrooms more and work with teachers but it seems like every time I go to do that there is a major issue!  Awe…. the life of an assistant principal.  Maybe I can get a title change to API - Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction.  Well I watched some more of Elizabeth town tonight - because I obviously did not finish it yesterday and i have decided - ROAD TRIP.  Not sure where I am going to go but I want a ROAD TRIP.  Taking suggestions….. Thoughts????

Wednesday
Well when it rains it pours!!  Today it was a monsoon!!!  It started this morning and kept on going!!  We had an incident report that had to be taken care of right away, Rich was interviewing kids about the altercation yesterday, a investigator showed up to talk with some students about another situation going on in the community, the students who I did need to see were of course absent again.  I think they have radar for when I need to get them.  Well for those of you reading, don't worry, I kept telling myself, I got this!!!!  So it was one thing after another and let's just say the school day went by quite quickly.  Everyone is safe, there were no fights or altercations at school and everyone made it home!

I might add the discipline sub-committee worked on a dress code policy today to try get students to be more appropriate on school grounds in order to prepare them for college and work.  Wow, it was a great meeting and we got a lot accomplished!!!  The team was great to work with and I will say thank you to Laurens District 55 High School, Perris High School, Dutch Fork High School and Poly High School, we looked at each of your policies and took what we liked from each part of your policies to incorporate into ours!!    We have a document to start with and one that we can revise as we introduce it to other teachers, get feedback from United Student League, Multi-Cultural Council, PTSA, School Climate and during the Principal's Breakfast and Dessert meetings.  The consequences are great as well and fair. I think it will be easy to enforce and do!!!  Can't wait to see what the faculty and others think!!

When I left school tonight I had every intention of going to the gym and then realized - Uh Oh, I did not pack a sports bra!!! Darn it!!!  So instead I came home and cooked while doing laundry!!!  It was a productive night even though I did not hit the gym.  I am hoping it will leave me more time on Saturday!  As I sit her and continue to watch Elizabethtown, I continue to think I need a road trip up the CA coast this summer.  Let me know if anyone has any suggestions of places to stop along the way!!!

I am hoping all my Southeast friends fared will in the Blizzard of 2014!! LOL!!  I hope you guys had a great snow day and just think - you only have one day to make up because you got both Tuesday and Thursday in!!!  There is always a bright side!!  :)

Thursday
What day is it?  Is it Saturday yet?  LOL!!!  It has been a crazy week and it is not a full moon but it is a new moon!!!  Does that explain it?  LOL!  So I have an honest true bullying case going on right now in which I am having to collect evidence, collect evidence and talk with the parents of everyone involved. So, now the question is, what do you do with the bullies?  If you look at the suggested consequence it says "Alternative Means of Correction."  I thought that was interesting!!!  I must say there are some things that are obviously great in CA and some that are great in SC.  One of the things I love for the kids is the BBQ grill they run every day for the students.  They literally cook hamburgers, hotdogs and other items on the grill for students out at the side of the school.  It is so fantastic for the students.

I have enjoyed talking with my new friend April Aldrich the last few days.  She is the new trainer from South Carolina - University of South Carolina.  So there is Carolina 1, Carolina 2 and now Carolina 3 at the school.  Kinda funny that all three of us are from the southeast and are at JW North, and we do call each other Carolina 1, 2 or 3.

I think I am a terrible Kitty Parent.  I feel so guilty leaving Squeak all day.  I am not sure if I should feel loved or bad about her behavior.  This morning she "cried" to me all morning long and as I was getting ready to leave she ran out into the garage like she wanted to go with me.  It took me a minute to get her into the apartment.  I thought it was sweet that she loves me so much she wants to go with me or say goodbye, but this evening when I got home, I just felt guilty.   I opened the garage and puled in, turned off the car and got out and all I heard was Squeak meowing through the door.  I felt so bad that she was crying to me through the door  And yes she had food and water.  So, does she want a friend?  Is she sad to be at the apartment?  I am a little worried she is starting to go blind, her eyes doe not seem to dilate and constrict appropriately.  I need to take her to the vet but she is 12 years old so I do worry about her just getting old.  She has not been jumping up on the furniture as much but I wonder if it is because she cannot see.  She has been lying on the floor much more than she use to.  Just worry about her!!!

Friday
So today I have discovered that Twitter is evil and mean.  While I use Twitter as Professional Development, I have some students who have had some things written about them on Twitter and there is no way for me to find out who it is or where it came from.  I asked several other assistant principals about it as well and tried to see if they new who to find out who the profile / user was and no one seems to know.  I know social media has its ups and downs, goods and bad points.  However, for the most part you can find a trail back to the original person but not in this case.  I have not been able to locate anything in which to identify who has done what.  This makes life very difficult for administrators.

This morning we had Active Shooter Training.  The new protocol now makes accounting for students very difficult but I understand the reasoning behind the suggestion.  So if there is an active shooter on campus, teachers are suppose to 1) Evacuate if they can,  2) Hide / Conceal,  3) Over Power the shooter.  They are to do whatever they feel most comfortable with.  The evacuate is to get students and teaches away from the school.  This is understandable.  If we have a shooter enter the front and the back part of the school can escape from campus through the back gates they should.  The question - how do I account for all the kids????  Safety first - they should go but I can see so many upset mommas and daddy's at the school because their kid has evacuated and I cannot find them.  It is obviously not a very organized evacuate.  If you are too scared to evacuate or cannot then you are to hide / conceal yourself, lock the door. turn off lights and silence cell phones (including vibration) and barricade the door with something heavy.  Okay, I get the hide, I get the turn off lights and I get the silence cell phones - not an issue.  I also understand that active shooters are not typically going to stop to open locked doors but it seems that if the door is barricaded the shooter would know someone was in there and try to get in.  However, since this is not my area of expertise and I have not researched this, I will defer to homeland security and suggest teachers do this.  The last is overpowering if you are able with anything you can find.  Basically you try and incapacitate the shooter so you can get away.  However, in all of this you only do what you are comfortable doing.  I an anticipate the questions coming from teachers, parents and students now.  

Well, my secretary / Administrative Assistant is about to go out on maternity leave.  Her last official day is Monday and then she will be gone.  I am going to miss her, she keeps me sane at times and we just laugh about what is going on.  Her temporary replacement is Sonya and I am sure we will get along fine.  She is one of the campus supervisor's sisters and has been in Friday and will be in Monday to train.

Saturday
I got up early to go work out and the DVD at the gym is still not working and they are playing ESPN.  I hate that because I don't like to use headphones and therefore I don't like to use the treadmills with TV's attached to them.  It kinda sucks.  The DVD has been broken since last week.  So bummed…….

I am finishing up some school work this morning, practicing with Texas Instruments equipment and then Squeak has a vet appointment this afternoon at 3:00.  I am worried about her because she has not been jumping up on the bed and sofa like she use to and her pupils do not seem to be constricting and dilating.  In addition she has been "talking" to me a lot more than normal.  Not sure if she is telling me she is mad that I am not home or if there is something wrong.  She has me worried and I hope it is my imagination.   Tonight is the Mid-Winter Ball for John W. North High School in which I am chaperoning.   I am checking ID's and supervising students outside the Municipal Auditorium so it should be interesting and a little cold.  I will post some pictures next week.

Overall it has been a hard two weeks.  When it rains, it pours and while no one specifically devastating thing has happened it is all the little things over the last two weeks that are building up and causing me to really struggle right now.  While I know that I will survive this, it is hard because there are three things which really have me devastated / bummed that I cannot seem to "let go."  I need to figure out how to work through these issues and move on because if not it is going to make me "hard," which I don't want to be.  I now that if something is important enough to me, I make time for it or figure out a way to make time for it.  It might be a little inconvenient at times and I might have to re-arrange my schedule but if it is important enough to me, I will do it.  Excuses are just that excuses and giving the same excuse over and over is a sign it is not important.  I have to remember this applies to others as well  as myself, whether they are students, teachers, administrators, or friends.  It is just hard to accept sometimes.

MLK Holiday Week - Sorry No Pics this week - Been busy!

Hello Everyone,
   I hope you had a great MLK weekend and got a lot done as well as enjoyed yourself.  I spent all of the weekend working on the PhD and I am sad to say I am not further along.  I am so tired of thinking about it and reading about my case studies that I just want to be done.  I have not really done anything fun on the weekends since December due to this monstrosity and I am really ready to be done with the paper.  I know I will finish but I am really struggling right now!!  Ugh!!!

  Tuesday was the start of the new semester for us at North High School.  We are on a year long schedule so we started the second part of the semester.  We are now in quarter 3.  Tuesday was pretty uneventful at the school, kids were calm and teachers were calm.  I was able to get a lot done and talk to students.  That evening Meg and I went to eat dinner and attend the board meeting that lasted FOREVER!!!  At this meeting the board discussed approving the school calendar for the next three years, apparently they do this once every 3 years so right now I do not have a 2014-2015 calendar to work from.  Ummm…. that is kinda hard when planning.  All the districts around mine are on a calendar where they finish the semester before the Christmas break so students and teachers both have a true break.  I cannot tell you how many teachers wrote on Facebook during the break they were grading papers or reminding kids about projects.  I remember teaching and having to do this over the break as well as opening up my classroom for research and help.  It is not really a true break and makes you resent the class a bit and the situation.  Well the Calendar Committee presented calendars that would allow the district to start earlier, finish before Christmas break and be aligned with the other districts around us.  I was so excited for many reasons but also because it would help student adjust to college, give them and teachers a true break, as well as provide time for admin to move classes around and identify students who may need to re-take classes or have alternative placement to graduate.  All great reasons that were presented to the board and seriously - I don't get it - but they want to stay with "what they have always done."  My mouth dropped open, my heart dropped to my stomach and I became more and more irritated as some of the board members talked about how it should not matter what Secondary Students needed, it was only about elementary school students not being able to go outside because it was hot.  Okay people, I know I am from SC and am use to some of the humidity and heat so CA weather does not bother me but it really is not that bad.   In fact, if people are worried about air and elementary age children, it is better for the kids to be in school.  A lot of the students in my area don't have air conditioning.  I was just so surprised at the dissension on the board over this issue - absolutely crazy.  Well maybe because I am secondary and have experienced both calendars and see what is better for kids is why I am having this problem.  I have to tell myself to calm down……!!!!!!  I got home at 9:30 pm from the meeting and finally fell asleep around 11:00 pm.

  Wednesday was long and busy.  Busy is better than bored and I need to stay busy.  I dealt with another investigation involving accusations, pictures and Facebook.  I think I need to do a presentation to students about digital citizenship, red solo cups, hand gestures and other crazy pictures students send via text and on FB.  Having to explain to a parent about what their child is sharing via text and Facebook is no fun at all.  This is the new digital age that we live in and it is part of the job and what we have to deal with.  That afternoon I went to a manifestation determination meeting about IEP's and 504's.  While it was extremely interesting there are so many little details that we have to watch and be careful with that I think I need to go back to school.  LOL!!!  Good thing we have great support in the district.  That evening I spent time at the Personalization of Learning Kick Off meeting.  RUSD is looking at Personlization of Learning and making sure every child has what they need to be successful. It was a great night and a lot of fun and an introduction of what is to come for the future of RUSD.  I am excited that I get to be a part of this as we plan and work to go forward.  It is an exciting time in education and also a little scary as we put devices in students hands and have teachers change the way they are teaching to address student's individual needs.  So I got home around 10:00 pm on Wed night and crashed.

Needless to say I am struggling this week with tiredness.  I am not sure how I am going to make it the next two days which have late nights as well.  This is not even my supervisory week, that is next week.  LOL!!!  Today, Thursday was tough, because I had a student come and tell me they are having to go to the Alternative school starting next week.  He did not pass all of his classes first semester so he has to go there to be able to earn credits to graduate in June.  He will not be able to graduate from North and while I am excited he will graduate, I will miss seeing him at school each day.  Most of you know I make connections with people, and students pretty easily.  I am able to connect with students in most cases and have good relationships with students.  This young man is one of the first students I met and I have written about him before.  He is the student who I helped purchase the Homecoming Dance ticket for him and his girlfriend in the fall.  This is one of those young men who have had a rough schooling and wants to graduate.  He came by my office on Thursday to let me know he will be leaving today and enrolling in the alternative school on Friday.  He wanted to tell me good-bye and he asked me if I would attend his graduation ceremony in June when he graduates from the Alternative school.  I cannot tell you how much this warmed my heart and touched me that he would like me there.  He also proceeded to tell me that if I would have been at the school since he was there as a sophomore he feels he would have connected with someone and done better.  Just one more reason why ever single child at a school needs an adult / advocate / mentor / advisor during their high school years.  I am going to miss this young man but am excited he will be finishing up his high school education.

On Friday, we had the last of the personalization summit where we are looking at the Gates Foundation grants for Personalized Learning.  We have to fill out the application to be eligible for the grants if the district is awarded funding for the next three years.  This is a big if and we will not know if the district has been awarded grants until the end of February at the earliest.  I am a little worried / okay a lot worried about North taking on too many initiatives at one time to implement.  I feel like it means we will be doing a lot of little projects but not doing anything well because we are all doing little things.  This is a huge problem.  The plate becomes toooooo fullllll!!!  For the teachers, students and administrators!!!  On Monday I have a meeting with the Interim Superintendent to talk about the purchase of technology for the school.  This is the 1:1 device talk and depending on how this goes determines what and if we will have devices for our students / 9th graders next year.  I am not nervous about the meeting itself but more about the outcome of the meeting and if we will get materials or not for the school.

Today was EdCamp / Nerd Camp.  It is a free workshop where educators hang out and discuss topics that are of interest to them.  It was really very interesting and allows you to talk with people in the classroom and finding out their point of view and information they have to share about what is and is not working in their classrooms.  I won a door prize.  An interactive white board!  I am excited to try it out at school this upcoming week and see how it works and if we should look at purchasing some for our school.

This week I am REALLY in turmoil over what I cannot control.  I know that I can only control my actions and time.  I know that I can control things which are inanimate and non-living for the most part (maybe not the ocean, moon or rivers, but you get my drift). I am struggling with wanting something to happen so badly, that I do everything in my power to make it happen, yet the final outcome is really out of my control because another person is involved.  I guess I need to work on my persuasive essays / arguments - opps - for my Common Core friends, argumentation with evidence cited (LOL!!).  

January 13 - Exam Week

Its Exam Week at North High School.  Hooray!!!  We are on a year-long 6 period day schedule that ends on Thursday, January 16.   So this week we have had three days of exams, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in which students leave campus at 1:00 pm.  While I would like to say it has been a relaxing week, it has actually been very busy trying to get caught up with items.

Monday night was Admin Induction.  Yes, you heard me correct, I am in an Induction class for administrators!!!  It is a good thing and one that allows us to network, talk and share concerns.  This week we talked about Crucial Conversations that we need to have with different people.  It was a great class and one that we learned a lot from.  We were provided two books that I do want to read, just not sure when that is going to happen.  Too bad nobody wants to give everything to me on Audiobooks.  LOL!!!

Tuesday was extremely busy.  There was so much going on that all of us had to work to cover all events. Megan had to come back from her PD.  I had to come back from a meeting, Lynne was at another meeting and Mike and Rich were covering basketball at different places.  On top of that, we had the EXAM Cram going on and a program on drug use at the school.  All of this ended with a missing student, who was not really missing, just not listening to her dad and doing what she needed to do, which makes for tense situations with parents.  I walked in the door at 8:30 pm.  Poor Squeaky was all alone!!!  Needless to say, she let me know about it.  LOL!

Wednesday was pretty cool.  My principal and I went to Sweetwater High School in National City, CA to meet with the admin at the school.  Sweetwater has a very large ELL population and the school has some interventions, programs and a school culture that results in student achievement.  Meeting Roman, Juan, Tony, Hector and some of the other teachers was fabulous and we got lots of great ideas to work to implement in RUSD.  I am excited about hopefully making some changes to benefit our AEL (Academic English Learner) students!!!  I did make it to work out tonight as well for an hour.  It was nice to make it to the gym for the first time in awhile.  I really want to get there more often but I just have trouble with times.  However, I discovered today I might have realized my issue.  I got home earlier today than usual and went and got my nails done.  I got something to eat around 5:30 pm and then went and worked out at 7:15 pm.  I think part of my issue is times of eating.  I get so hungry and then don't eat well when I get home but to some extent I think my body does not like the time.  Eating dinner earlier today really helped me feel better.  I am going to try it for awhile and see if this is in fact part of my issue.  On the way home from the gym, I did look at the moon and tomorrow is a full moon. While this may not be a big deal for some - it is for me.  Tomorrow is a half day, a full moon will be out and we don't have kids until Jan 21st so the full moon will have passed.  (Me sighing and smiling)!

Programs for Students at Sweetwater High School

Thursday was interesting.  I would like to start Project Lead the Way at our school and we had the CA rep come and talk with us. I would love for us to do the Bio-medical Sciences at JW North and we have a benefactor who is willing to provide us with money to get the program started.  The problem is getting the district to approve us to start the program and potentially even the Engineering portion as well.  The problem is another high school in the district has the Engineering Program and they don't like us to have competing programs since we are a District of Choice.  UGH!!

The testing schedule is done for the Spring - thank you very much - with much collaboration.  I am very excited about the schedule and how beneficial it is for all students and teachers.  There is time for all teachers to have contact with all their classes during the three week testing period.  Yes, I said three weeks.  We come back from Spring Break, have a week of normal classes and then three weeks of testing.  The first week 11th grade students will be taking the multiple choice portion of the Smarter Balanced test in both Math and ELA while they are in their English classes.  The next week the poor 11th graders will be taking the Smarter Balanced Performance Assessment in either English or Math.  This portion takes about two hours and therefore we will be on an extended period Monday - Wednesday and all students will be taking some type of assessment or having some type of meeting.  Ninth graders will be taking the practice CA High School Exit Exam, 10th will be taking the California State Test in Science, 11th the SBAC Test and the 12th graders will be going to their senior meeting to talk about the rest of the Spring, Prom, and Graduation.  Then the poor 11th graders will have to take another test on Thursdays for two weeks.  One week will be English and the next will be Math.  I feel really bad for the 11th graders who are having to take 4 tests this Spring.  Poor guys!

On Friday, it was schedule brainstorming time!!  Presently we are on a 6 period day and we have a 0 period and 7th period that is not part of the normal school day.  We are getting ready to implement a Middle School Years IB program and we need to have a 7 period day.  Of course, I want to be on an 8 period day and am pushing for a block schedule.  Of course we need an 8 period day because of the challenges our students face in our school.  Our students need more opportunities to get support for the classes they are taking within the school day.  They also need more opportunities for classes they would like to explore before they leave high school in programs like Project Lead the Way, Internships and Mentoring programs.  We developed a block schedule that includes an 8 period day, and leaves a 0 period and 9 period time frame for students for instructional support.  I am very excited about the opportunity to develop a new schedule that benefits students and allows them more opportunities to be academically successful.

During lunch the Attendance and Discipline office went to the Mission Inn to eat lunch to celebrate Linda's upcoming retirement.  This is a restaurant at The Mission Inn, which is a fancy hotel and spa in Riverside with a historical presence.  I have walked through this area before in December but this was the first time that I have been here for lunch.  The food was delicious and we sat outside in 80 degree weather to enjoy our lunch.  Even the SRO joined us, since the Chief of Police was at the restaurant as well.  We really had a fabulous time and it was nice to relax and eat lunch together.

Mission Inn - Just one view

Another first on Friday was a restaurant called Hero's.  Megan and I met Trevor for dinner on Friday night just to catch up and say Hi.  We had a great time eating bad food.  They literally had a appetizer called Fried Junk and it was literally - curly fries, onion rings, jalapeno poppers, zucchini, and shrimp all fried and placed on a plate in front of us.  They also had baked mac and cheese with four different cheeses, bacon, peas, and bread crumbs.  Needless to say, it was interesting to eat here and I obviously don't need to eat anything on Saturday or the next week with all the food that I consumed in a 6 hour period. LOL!!!

I guess this long weekend I will be working on finishing up Chapter 4 of the dissertation and starting Chapter 5.  I am hoping to get to a point where it is done and I am refining so that I can do some more things on the weekends.  Since Thanksgiving, I have been staying around the apartment on the weekends to work on the writing and I am starting to go stir-crazy in some ways.  My confinement with the writing makes disappointments and no's in my life seem more exacerbated and puts me more of a depressed mood than I would like.  Therefore I really need to finish up this monster to get out of this funk.  However, when I think about taking a break, the cycle starts again and I just want to be done!  With that being stated. I am signing off so that I can finish some work in hopes to get this done so I can go back to hiking, visiting sites in CA and dealing with set-backs in a healthier way.  Wish me luck!! LOL!!!

This is Squeak's, "What are you doing?" look.

January 6th

Hello Everyone,
  I did not post last week because I was working on my dissertation and tried not to do ANYTHING but read, listen to recordings, write and sleep.  I got a lot done but now the question is did I get enough and am I on the right tract.  Earning a PhD is a lesson in perseverance more than it is about being smart.   I wish I liked writing more than I do so that I could get it done quicker but the idea of having to write it all out makes me pretty miserable, especially because my committee says that I am a terrible writer.  UGH!!!  So anyway, I am on my way and I have all my case descriptions done, now I am just forging ahead with cross case analysis and then chapter 5.

So we went back to school on Monday, January 6th and it was an extremely pleasant day.  You can tell everyone has had a break and is feeling more relaxed because I did not have ANY write-ups.  I was totally amazed and expected more of a ruckus but it was a day that allowed me to some things completed for school and plan a little ahead so that I an get behind later!!  You know, typical educator issues!!!

For the most part it has been a relatively nice week.  On Tuesday, the High School Task Force met and we had a great discussion and then some of the Asst Principals went out to eat dinner together.  We had a great time at a cool "Design Your Own Burger" place where they also have veggie burgers.  We had a lot of fun talking about our holiday breaks and the exciting things happening at our schools.  Wednesday was slow and while it took some time to get things done, answering a lot of questions and planning with the Admin team it was a good day.  The seagulls they told me about have "descended" upon the campus.  I really do mean this with all honesty.  The seagulls hang out in the trees and on the roof until the bell rings and when the kids go to class they dive down to pick up the leftovers from the ground.  It really is a sight to have 12-20 birds circling you and coming down very close - they are not intimidated at all.  Now, imagine 12-20 birds and the excrement that is around as well.  It really is a challenge to stay out of the birds way.  Now, on the good note, this only happens from about 8:00 - 8:15 and then again after lunch for about 20 minutes.  Thursday was a busy day as well.  Non-stop and go, go, go!!!  Mike and I planned for Spring Cleaning on the campus this morning and then I dealt with discipline issues the rest of the morning.  This afternoon was dedicated to teaching Depth of Knowledge to teachers and RTI planning.  Needless to say, I am feeling a bit brain dead right now.

Notice the birds.  I tried to catch them in flight!!

On top of all this, I think that Squeak is either meowing at me because she misses me or because she wants a friend.  On Tuesday night she was in the apartment crying and I kept calling her.  When I got up to find out where she was, I found her in the guest bedroom on the bed, looking at the sliding glass mirror closet doors.  I think she was talking to her reflection thinking it was another cat.  When I picked her up she leaned like she wanted to bump heads with the other cat but of course only hit the closet door.  Then on Wednesday night she decided to get inside my bag and lay there with me for about 30 minutes. This is the same bag that I sometimes carry to school.  I have decided she must want to go with me.  She really is comical!!!

Squeak is ready to go to work.

See, she is comfy!

For those of you that remember, I am an Athletic Trainer so I am around athletics all the time.  I spent 13 years in Laurens District 55 High School with all students who play basketball being about 5'7 therefore no height on the team.  Well this year, North HS has an awesome team as usual and when you look on the court they are not 5'7 - they are 6'2 and so on!!  Wow, a really tall team.  It is humorous from my point of view!!

No short boys on this team!

  Well the end of this week has turned out rather interesting.  We had some students that decided to come to school late.  Well, they were hanging out at the local shopping strip mall and someone called the school so we had to go and pick them up.  When they got back, as we normally do, we searched them for drugs and drug paraphernalia.  Well, needless to stay they were clean, which was absolutely GREAT!!!  The only problem was one of the girls had a tool she was not suppose to have which ended up being considered more dangerous than I thought it to be.  She stated a friend gave it to her and she was giving it back to them today.  That led from one thing to another and therefore she is suspended.  I probably should be watching more reality TV and shows than what I do to learn more about different types of weapons, tools, drug paraphernalia and things people have. I don't think the Disney Channel is cutting it, but I do like there is no cussing, death or MAJOR drama on the Disney channel as there is in real life teenage lives.  With that being said, if anyone knows of any good shows for me to watch to "get with it" let me know and no, Duck Dynasty does not count.
 
  Well I got to leave school early for Friday - 6:00 pm and was able to spend a relaxing evening doing shopping, cooking and catching up with some emails.  It was nice to be able to relax even though I know I need to be reviewing the PhD.  I really just wanted to let my brain rest for a little bit.  Saturday was nice.  I had breakfast with a friend, got laundry completed, cleaned a little and relaxed pretty much all morning.  I hung out with my BFAW (Best Friend at Work) and her family on Saturday night.  I have been introduced to the world of sushi and since I am a vegetarian (not pescatarian) I am not sure if you could even day that I eat sushi.  Anyway, avocado rolls, cucumber rolls and veggie rolls are yummy!!!  After dinner, we made our way to the JW North's Theater for student One Acts.  Now, let me explain this.  Students write and direct short plays and put them on in January.   I was not sure what to expect but I have to say they were pretty amazing, a few were weird and I did not really understand them but they were pretty funny.  There were two spoofs on Disney Princesses which were hilarious!!!!  There was a One Act with singing and dancing that was great as well, it reminded me of Glee.  Another hilarious performance was of two girls who "called on" the diva powers of Miley Cyrus and Beyonce to help them dress for a party.  Of course Miley Cyrus and Beyonce "Slammed" each other and it was hilarious.  The students at North High School are absolutely talented and amazing as well as the theater teacher.  I truly enjoyed the performances, even the ones that I did not understand simply because the students got into the plays so much!!!!

Spoof on Disney Princesses

Miley and Beyonce

  I leave you with a picture that was sent to me Friday morning.  I absolutely love this picture because I like how the fox looks like it is smiling.  It absolutely made my morning and got me through the day when I needed a laugh. I really wish I knew what the circumstances are of this picture.  I can only imagine the fox looking into the wind and squinting.

What does the fox say???