Good Morning,
 
What determines whether the first days of a new school year are a success?  The answer lies in those countless human interactions and special efforts that occur, the ones that give both kids and adults a sense of things to come.   Is this going to be interesting and worthwhile?  Will I get help when I need it?  Will I make friends?  Will I be encouraged, appreciated?  Will I have fun?  Will I be successful?
 
Staff members throughout the school district did their best to make this a great week for their students and their colleagues.  Here is some of what I heard.
 
When a grandmother who is raising her grandson expressed some reluctance to trust his care to a public school kindergarten because of the childs special needs, all three kindergarten teachers volunteered for this special assignment.   The teacher to whom the child was assigned met with him before school started for some playtime so he would feel comfortable on the first day of class.
 
With all the construction underway at our schools, we have many teachers working in special situations.  One principal reports teachers worked very hard to make their new locations great learning spaces and consistently showed great enthusiasm and a can-do spirit.
 
The district maintenance crew responded in record time when temperatures at the classrooms of one high school started to go through the roof.
 
When enrollment came in higher than expected, staff worked overtime to reconfigure classes and change schedules so that the fewest number of students would be impacted.
 
A curriculum developer who went out to assist a new teacher found she was well underway, managing her squiggly kindergartners with great skill.  The developers reaction:  I must confess I indulged in a bit of celebrating as I realized, once again, Bellevue has pulled some of the states finest teachers into our fold.
 
One director of schools spotted a mom and her daughter walking to school with a long way still to go.  She stopped, picked up the pair, and on the way learned that the student was new, had missed the bus, and was pretty frightened about the day ahead.  The girl got more than a lift to school.  Her new friend also visited her in the classroom, sitting next to her and offering a little help where needed.
 
A visiting parent noticed how sparkling clean a middle school lunchroom was almost immediately after the lunch shift ended.  In her note to the principal, mom said, Our day custodian is always hard at work.  Throughout lunch he is cleaning tables, sweeping the floor, dispatching the trash all with smile.  The result: an always bright, shining, and pleasant atmosphere.
 
An I.A. who was just transferred to a new special education assignment at a middle school has gone above and beyond the call, according to her principal.  Assigned to assist four boys with autism, she met with parents on the first day of school to find out how best to meet the needs of each student; she connected to the boys previous special education teachers to review their goals and levels of progress; she ate lunch with the boys in the cafeteria to get to know them better and help the feel at home.  Her principal summed up her work with Her focus?  Kids!
 
One of the worst situations we face each year is year is transferring teachers when enrollment comes in too low.  At one elementary school, a teacher volunteered to make the switch so none of her colleagues would be involuntarily transferred.  She told her principal, Change isnt hard for me, and I think this will be a great opportunity. 
 
The kitchen manager at a high school undergoing major renovations is serving students in one third the normal space.  And shes making it work.
 
Elementary teachers in one school spent LID hours creating hope statements for their students descriptions of the kind of achievement they want their students to achieve by the end of the year.   Now everyone involved staff, students, and parents can all work toward the same impressive goals.
 
Kindergarten teachers assessed their students before the school year started so they could get reading groups up and running on the very first morning of school.
 
When a new ESL student was having a hard time figuring how to work through the lunch line, two food service staffers were quick to give him the extra attention and assistance he needed.  According to the person who observed this act of kindness, this kind of behavior is standard operating procedure for these two employees.
 
The office staff at several schools faced lines of new enrollees, worked overtime to accommodate the kids and their families, and kept their smiles despite the hectic pace and the long hours.
 
A high school social studies teacher gave his students a reading assessment on the first day of school to determine which of his students will need extra support.  Intervention begins right off the bat when it can do the most good.
 
When a child care provider called to report one of her children was not at the child care, school personnel got on the line with transportation at what was the departments busiest time of the day.  Transportation staff members helped the school contact each of the bus drivers to find out if the child was on other routes.  The child's bus driver returned to school and retraced her route with the principal on board in search of the child.  Other members of the department called families along the route to see if they had seen the child.  The end of the story?   The child was found he had just got off at home instead of at child care.
 
A high school career specialist worked overtime this week to make sure her students got to their NEVAC classes despite a bus schedule with some early-days glitches.
 
High school students spent the better part of their last free day this past Monday delivering good wishes and a little candy to sweeten the first day of all staff members, teachers, aides, custodians, office staff no one was overlooked.
 
One elementary school had two playground injuries in the first couple of days.  Despite the seriousness of the accidents -- a fall from the bars, resulting in a broken foot and a collision with a pole resulting in a gash on the head -- the IA who monitors the playground knew exactly what to do.  She stayed calm, helped the kids feel better, got help from the nurse, and saved the day.
 
And all over the district, teachers made a special effort to design lessons that were engaging and meaningful, communicating to students that this is going to be an exciting, productive school year.
 
Great first impressions thanks to you.
 
Have a good week.

Mike