South Walton High School Monthly Parent Meeting- Feb. 26

[jodiFL]

I also encourage all parents to show up for this. By meeting the teachers/admins you let them know that you are taking a large part of your childs life seriously. Most teachers/staff there know me on a first name basis, know exactly which kids are mine, and I am sure that they wont hesitate to call me if an issue comes up with my kids. I am positive there have been times when they hate to see me coming, although not so much recently as in years past. (Pretty sure I have caught a former principle trying to hide before...but it didnt work. ) But it also shows your child that you really DO CARE about them. Yea, some at this age might be embarrassed by your presence, but I explained to mine that I was doing it so they didnt embarrass ME and it seemed to give them pause ;-) While work doesnt allow me to come to this one I will be there in spirit. And will someone please reiterate for me how teaching only the FCAT does more harm than good. I realize that it is messing with their $$$....but come on... I wanted my kids to get a good education, not have them be used to determine if the teachers were doing their jobs.

 

[Jdarg]

Great post- thanks Jodi. Hope you can make the meeting in March!

 

[jodiFL]

No prob... if it hadnt been for parents getting involved and "squeaking" the school situation in SOWAL (or lack thereof) wouldnt have been what it is now. And I want them to know that we as parents really do outnumber them when it comes to the power we give them in our childrens lives. I also think that if something like this had come to be a bit sooner that there wouldnt have been a "Blithe Spirit" issue as they would have known that the parents outnumbered the the parishioners of some church in a different county.

 

[Kurt]

Thanks for doing this! If I had a kid at SoWal High I would have to buy you dinner afterward.

 

[Jdarg]

Thanks to everyone attending last night's meeting. We had a great crowd!

It was a great start in strengthening the bond between the school and the parents. Principal Ewing explained FCAT and the school grade system (A school, B school, etc) in great detail and I finally have somewhat of a grasp on the meaning. FCAT does cause a lot of headache for admin and teachers, but it appears to be here to stay for awhile, so as parents we need to offer all the support we can. Our principals and teachers have no control over FCAT- they are just as frustrated as we are!

In the next month, parents will work in small groups on 3 issues- block scheduling, more classroom space, and an online grade system. We will be able to help the principal and school with these issues and hopefully effect change and improvement at the district level. For a first meeting, we really made some headway!

Thanks to the teachers and staff present- they were very helpful! We really have a great school and it is getting better and better.

Next month's Seahawk Roundtable will be March 25th, 6 pm. If you would like to be part of one of the small groups mentioned above, please PM me and I will put in in touch with the group.

 

[kathydwells]

Way to go Jen-ay!!!! I am providing a link to the online grading system that our school uses. Perhaps someone form SWHS might want to contact them, and see if it would meet the needs there. I really like the system alot. Good luck in all your endeavors!

STI

 

[Jdarg]

Way to go Jen-ay!!!! I am providing a link to the online grading system that our school uses. Perhaps someone form SWHS might want to contact them, and see if it would meet the needs there. I really like the system alot. Good luck in all your endeavors!

STI

Thanks Kathy! I will forward this.

 

[wrobert]

Thanks to everyone attending last night's meeting. We had a great crowd!

It was a great start in strengthening the bond between the school and the parents. Principal Ewing explained FCAT and the school grade system (A school, B school, etc) in great detail and I finally have somewhat of a grasp on the meaning. FCAT does cause a lot of headache for admin and teachers, but it appears to be here to stay for awhile, so as parents we need to offer all the support we can. Our principals and teachers have no control over FCAT- they are just as frustrated as we are!

In the next month, parents will work in small groups on 3 issues- block scheduling, more classroom space, and an online grade system. We will be able to help the principal and school with these issues and hopefully effect change and improvement at the district level. For a first meeting, we really made some headway!

Thanks to the teachers and staff present- they were very helpful! We really have a great school and it is getting better and better.

Next month's Seahawk Roundtable will be March 25th, 6 pm. If you would like to be part of one of the small groups mentioned above, please PM me and I will put in in touch with the group.

I understand that the district is in the middle of implementing a system called Dashboard that is going to allow parents access to grades. I will check with the spouse tonight to make sure that is what is going on and see if she has heard of a time frame for implementation.

What are their concerns with block scheduling? Like it? Hate it?

 

[Jdarg]

I understand that the district is in the middle of implementing a system called Dashboard that is going to allow parents access to grades. I will check with the spouse tonight to make sure that is what is going on and see if she has heard of a time frame for implementation.

What are their concerns with block scheduling? Like it? Hate it?

Apparently Dashboard has a lot of problems and may be a loser.

Block scheduling? Hate it. So do most parents. SWHS is too small for it to really work well.

 

[30A Skunkape]

How is the football team looking for 2008?