Pete the Cat

Every night, my son Cole and I read books together before bedtime.  Some of his favorite books right now are the Pete the Cat books.  He has one about Pete and a baseball game, Pete and the beach, and Pete and a giant sandwich.  Last night we read the original Pete the Cat...this one is my favorite.  For those who have not had the pleasure of reading it (I suggest you do), the story is about a cat who is in love with his new, white shoes.  During his walk, he steps in different things like mud that change the color of his shoes.  Each time, he loves the shoes no matter what color they turn.  At the end, the author tell us that moral of the story is that no matter what you step in, you just need to keep on walking along and singing your song.

I love this message and will often share this idea with our students.  During the course of the day, our students might have ups and downs, but no matter what, it is a good idea to keep on moving along and not let things bother you.  There is research to show resilience can significantly affect school and life outcomes for youth. As part of our Peacekeeper program at Central Woodlands, we work to give students the tools to bounce back if something is negatively affecting them. The more we can do at school and at home to help kids be resilient, the better off they will be!

Each day I look forward to helping our students learn how to "keep on walking and to sing their song."

Election Day - Tuesday, Nov. 5th!!!

We have an important bond election coming up on Tuesday, November 5th.  This Bond addresses three core areas:  Safety and Security, Technology, and Building Improvement Needs.  If approved by voters, this Bond will fund important initiatives throughout Forest Hills.  In addition, if it is approved, there is no tax rate increase expected for Forest Hills' families.  

There is a wonderful video that highlights key information about the bond.  This video can be accessed at FHPS Bond Video.  I would encourage you to "like" this video on Facebook and share it out on other social media sites.

More informational resources about the bond proposal can be found at our website at www.fhps.net and in the latest issue of the Focus newsletter.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

Please encourage your friends and neighbors to vote on Tuesday, November 5th.

Home Inspection

Today was our first day of MEAP testing.  Our students will be testing over the course of the next couple of weeks.  These annual state assessments are given to help schools understand areas of strength and areas of needed instructional focus.

In talking with our students in the halls and at lunch, many were excited to do their best on the MEAP.  This is all we ever ask is that students celebrate their knowledge on these tests.  We want to celebrate the hard work our students put in during the previous school year!

As I was thinking more about MEAP, it made me think of our recent Home Inspection on the house we are purchasing in Forest Hills.  The purpose of the Home Inspection is to give us a complete picture of how the house and what areas are fundamentally sound and what parts of the house need attention.  I look at the MEAP in the same way.  Having students take assessments like MEAP are only beneficial if we use the results to improve teaching and learning.  A MEAP score does not define who a child is...rather it gives us a better picture of what areas a student is strong in and what areas may need extra attention.  It can also tell us that a student is doing well in all areas and we need to find ways to challenge a student.  

Just as with a Home Inspection, the MEAP information is only useful if you use it.  I look forward to seeing our students do so we can work to meet the needs of every student!

Have a great night!

David

Never Enough Time

Every morning when I get into school, I review my daily calendar in order to prepare for the upcoming day. Many of us do this on a daily basis whether it is in our planner, iPhone, or in our heads.  Often times I am amazed at how many entries I have in my calendar for a given day…my mind races to all the things not listed that also need to get done.  However, every morning I will glance to the note I have on my desk, “First things First” and am reminded of these important words from author Stephen Covey.  I believe we always have time for the priorities in our lives. 

In talking with and seeing our students, I often see them start to understand the concept of being busy.  As our 5th and 6th grade students get older, they continue to have larger amounts of responsibility both in and out of school.  This was highlighted to me yesterday at dismissal when I was talking with a 6th grade student who had both a football and hockey game on Saturday along with a school project to complete that weekend. At this developmental age, our young people need direction in helping develop a system for prioritizing tasks.  Often times if a student is feeling overwhelmed, I will help talk with them about the idea of “First things First.”  As our 5th and 6th students grow and mature into young men and women, I work hard to support their ability to prioritize what is really important in their educational development.  “First things First” is for all of us and we have the ability has adults in the lives of our students to help them discover this important concept!

Have a great day!

David

Home

During the day today, I thought a lot about the word "home."  My wife, Renae, and I were in Royal Oak this morning closing on our house.  We felt very fortunate to be able to sell it so quickly.  In thinking about the word home, I came to realize it is much more than a house made of brick and wood...I believe home is where one is surrounded by people who care.  I am thankful that my family will soon be in a house in Forest Hills and be surrounded by such a caring community.

While I spoke with families at Curriculum Night tonight, I was so thankful that so many families choose to call Central Woodlands "home."  We really are a school family that support each other throughout the year. Central Woodlands is a "home away from home" for our students and staff and it is an environment built on caring.

I hope you were able to make it to Curriculum Night to see our "home."  I feel honored to have Central Woodlands as one of my homes!

Have a great night!

David Simpson

Ring the Bell

This week all of our 6th grade students went to Camp Roger to experience a day of fun team building activities.  Normally September brings cooler weather for our students at Camp Roger; however this year temps were in the 90's and 80's.  I was so proud of our students as they did not let the heat temper their energy!

One of the reasons we take this field trip right at the beginning of the school year is to give our classes the time and experiences in developing as a cohesive team.  Spending time at the beginning of the year pays dividends as our teams learn how to partner, communicate, and function successfully as a classroom team. Early in the morning, I saw classes working through some of the experiences with not a lot of communication. It was not long though that students realized the importance of the "team" concept and began supporting and communicating with each other!  They found that when they did work as a team, they were able to accomplish the goals of the activity.

Below is a video of two of our students on the climbing wall.  Listening to the video, you can hear the level of communication taking place with our 6th grade students!  Working together, the student was able to RING THE BELL!

Have a great weekend!

David

Best Week Ever!

We had an assembly at the end of the school day today to celebrate our first week of school.  I asked our students to raise their hands if they had a great week...nearly every hand shot straight up into the air!  Our students did have a great week at CW!  I am so honored to serve them as Principal...they are such amazing students.

During the assembly, I also talked about the word "Gratitude."  We are very grateful at Central Woodlands for the staff in our building.  Our staff worked so hard to make this week the "Best Week Ever" for our students.  Apparently our students agreed with this as they cheered so loud in appreciation that many teachers had to cover their ears.

We also talked about the norms of our school.  Our staff and students took part in creating norms for our school.  In essence, our norms can be thought of as:

RESPECT EVERYONE
RESPECT EVERYTHING
EVERYDAY

We also had all of our staff introduce themselves.  We believe that as adults, we are ALL responsible for every child no matter what our role is at CW.  Below is a picture of this!

Lastly, we ended with some very loud spirit chants!  Please ask your child to describe the amount of school spirit in our school...it was so loud!

Every day, I am thankful to be the principal at Central Woodlands...we have the best students ever!

Have a great weekend!

David Simpson