HS Principal

As I mentioned in my last post, October is an eventful month. One year ago at this time we were playing co-host, along with Lincoln School,  to the regional Tri-Association conference. This year The Carol Morgan School in the Dominican Republic is the host. Most of our students will take the PSATs tomorrow, and the quarter comes to an end this Friday. As I write this, the Costa Rican under 20s are playing Brazil in the semi-finals of the World Cup–an event of such local fervor that President Arias gave public workers an afternoon furlough to cheer on the National team.

Although no such furlough is in the works for our students, nevertheless, next week our boys and girls basketball teams will not only be co-hosts of the AASCA basketball tournament, they are both defending champions. Even without furloughs, we plan to support our teams through attendance at the games and a special event to kick off the tournament. Our student council has planned a pep rally for Wednesday, the day before competition begins, and teachers have agreed to take their classes to cheer on our teams.  On the boys’ side, CDS will play host to Balboa Academy from Panama, Colegio Maya from Guatemala, and Costa Rica’s AIS. MBS will welcome the International School of Panama, Maya of El Salvador, and CDS Guanacaste. The girls’ schedule depends upon who they face in the early rounds of the round robin. All action shifts over to MBS after lunch on Friday, with the finals of both the boys and girls to be held at MBS on Saturday.

If you are a parent of a student-athlete it is important to support them during times of competition, but it is equally important to help them find ways to balance their responsibilities. The life of a student athlete is filled with times of intense emotion and stress. It is easy to put aside school work while training for these events, and then to complain about the expectations that seem to conflict with the big game or games. A good student athlete plans accordingly and works ahead of time with teachers in order to lessen the pressure during these big events.

AASCA tournaments are never a surprise. Schedules are announced well in advance. Maintaining a balanced work schedule sometimes requires  planning, and student athletes must learn to set their priorities carefully in order to manage practice schedules, work demands, and games.

It is not always possible for every teacher to postpone tests, quizzes or projects for the handful of athletes competing in these competitions. The big picture reminds us that we support other student athletes–golfers, equestrians, tennis players, and gymnasts, to name a few who also compete all year in various sports–as well as actors who appear in local theater productions, dancers and musicians who have equally intense and competitive schedules. Rearranging schedules, coordinating make-ups, adjusting assessment times, as well as accommodating individual needs for illnesses and family emergencies challenge the abilities of our teachers and strain the actual number of hours in a day. It is easy to cry foul or unfair when the teacher maintains certain expectations during these events, but if both sides communicate in advance, much of the perceived unfairness can be handled in a way that is mutually satisfactory.

This year our student athletes have a little luck on their side as the tournament actually kicks off at the start of a new quarter. Still, it is important to learn this balancing act now–it is one of the many individual responsibilities that school teaches indirectly and that students must learn mostly on their own–but with some guidance from all of us. We are proud and supportive of all of our kids who strive to achieve and learn at CDS as well as outside the school, and we do our best to show them our support. However, one of the most important, non-graded lessons kids need to learn is how to manage their time and balance the activities of a full and active life.

You probably didn’t need three of the same photo, but oh well…We enjoyed the presentations the Spanish department put on for Independence Day.

Seems to me we just returned from vacation…how can it be October already? All right, it is not exactly October yet, but it seems to me that I looked up from my desk and as I scanned the early part of September, I couldn’t find today…that’s because it was at the end of the calendar. Tempus fugit.

What is in store for October? I thought I would give you a quick overview of what to expect, but before I do, a few reminders for the remaining days in September:

Monday, September 28th is the beginning of picture week. Seniors will be photographed Monday for the yearbook.

Tuesday, September 29th is photo day for 10th graders

Friday, October 2nd is photo day for 9th and 11th graders

Sports for next week:

Tuesday, Sept 29: Vars. Girls Bask vs Calasanz 3:15 at Calasanz

Vars. Boys Bask vs Calasanz 4:15 at Calasanz

Wednesday, Sept 30:  Vars. Boys Bask vs Lincoln 3:15 at Lincoln

And here are the highlights for the rest of October:

October 10   SATs at Lincoln

October 12  holiday/no school

October 14  PSATs at CDS for 9th, 10th, and 11th graders

October 16  First quarter ends

October 21  AASCA basketball tournament opens; host: MBS; co-host: CDS

October24  Finals of the AASCA basketball tournament at MBS

October 28  Professional development; half day for students

October 30  Halloween

There are college visits and other smaller events happening in October. Watch this space for details.

Some quick calendar reminders for the high school.

Monday, September 14 Independence Day celebration. All classes will meet, but we will follow a special schedule in order to support the Spanish department’s planned events.

Tuesday, September 15 Independence Day; no school

Thursday, September 17 Senior Parent Night; 5:30-7:00 in the high school library.  Varsity girls soccer vs. Blue Valley at CDS, 3:15.

Friday, September 18 Vars. Boys soccer vs St. Mary 3:15 at CDS

Don’t forget to see Shakespeare’s comedy, “Twelfth Night” at the Laurence Olivier Theater (next to Sala Garbo) in San Jose. It features two CDS high school faculty, Kathryn Smith and Dennis Atkinson. Shows run through September 27th. For more information call 8858-1446. Or go to the website at www.littletheatregroup.org

CDS will be hosting two college fairs this semester. The first is the Linden Fair which will be held on September 21^st from 8:00-9:30 am in the cafetorium; and the second will be a mini fair that will be focused on schools offering students’ scholarships. This second fair was held last year at the Marriott Hotel and this year, they want to meet specifically with our students. This fair will be on November 2^nd from 11:30-12:54 in the CDS High School.

LINDEN FAIR SEPTEMBER 21, 2009

CDS- Cafetorium 8:00-9:30am

• Tulane University
• Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
• University of Iowa
• University of St Thomas, St. Paul, MN
• Linfield College
• University of  Minnesota
• NYU Abu Dhabi Campus
• University of Syracuse
• Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
• Western Michigan

Participating Institutions: Scholarship Fair; Fall 2009

November 2, 2009

CDS Library, 11:30-12:54

• Berkeley College

• Ferris State University

• Drury University

• Loyola University- New Orleans

• West Texas A & M University

• University of Arkansas

• Drexel University

• Eastern Illinois University

• Fontbonne University

The first week of September will be a busy one for us, as will the entire month. Here are some reminders:

• Thursday, September 3 is high school open house. We will begin at 5:30 with a welcome and introductions. You will then follow a bell schedule visiting each class and meeting the teachers.
• Monday, September 14 is the day for celebrating  Costa Rican Independence. Our Spanish department will feature students performing traditional dance and marking the occasion with a variety of informative presentations.
• Tuesday, September 15 is Independence Day. School will be closed.
• Wednesday, September 23 is a professional development day for all CDS teachers. Students will be dismissed at noon.
• Thursday, September 24 – 27 is the AASCA leadership conference hosted by Lincoln School in Costa Rica. 9 CDS students and the Student Council advisor, Mr. Joe Brunson, will represent CDS at this event.
• Saturday, September 26, from 10:00 until 1:00 is the annual family picnic. This is a major fundraiser for all of our clubs. Come and support our students and enjoy a family day of food, sports, music, and fun. Highlights include the first performance of our school band; games and activities for the kids; the annual student/parent soccer match; and a blood drive. If you can donate blood, bring your ID and help with this important cause.
• Watch the panther by the flag pole. When he is wearing a red bandanna it means CDS has a home sporting event. There is a bulletin board at the entrance of the school, just outside the director’s office, announcing the upcoming games. Come out and cheer on our athletes.

I found that to be one of the most inspiring videos I have seen in some time. I hope you enjoyed it.

I wanted to share something with you other than news about what is happening in the high school. My belief is that this blog can become a place where we can share ideas about education. I have a lot of ideas about educating kids and I spend a lot of time thinking about what we do as educators. I read lots of books on education, and it is my firm belief that how we educate kids is an endless work in progress. Reflect just for a minute on what the world was like 10, 20, and 30 years ago. I graduated from high school 35 years ago and from college 30 years ago. My experiences were vastly different from the experiences of the children I see every day. When I come to work I am reminded of those differences, and I need to keep them in mind as I talk to kids, solve problems, consult with teachers, and make decisions.

Here is my first insight regarding the use of technology in the classroom. I know there are many people who are not convinced that technology necessarily improves education. I believe it does and I hope to share with you some of the reasons why I think technology plays an important role today in educating kids. My first insight has to do with the Ning Mr. Katz created. Two teachers, Mrs. Smith and Dr. Lynch, created groups for their respective classes in the Ning, and both have created assignments where kids can post their thoughts and responses.

My first reaction to Dr. Lynch’s assignment was: well, this is a journal assignment that is simply being done on a computer rather than with pen and paper. She posted a question and asked students to answer the question. Then I read the responses. As a former English teacher, I have to admit that the quality and depth of the responses surprised me. I don’t recall receiving these kinds of responses in the journals I assigned. But do we attribute the quality to the medium?  What was different about this and why the improved quality of responses?

I thought about this after I posted my own comment on the site and then it hit me. As a teacher, I had always been the only audience for the journal. English teachers always lamented this fact, more specifically the fact that formal writing was essentially audience-less and directed at the teacher. I cannot name an English teacher who didn’t say, at some point in his/her career, “pretend you are writing to an audience.” Also, to legitimize journal writing we often told the students, “I won’t share any of this without your permission. Feel free to express yourself candidly.” Rarely did any kid take advantage of that trust and use the journal to express deeply held convictions or secrets, but more importantly rarely did the writing reflect a voice or tone that suggested awareness of an audience. When the writing was particularly insightful I would have to get permission from the student, make a photocopy of the writing, make sure I had an overhead projector, or kill more trees and make copies for everyone in class, just to create a teachable moment.

As I was reading the student responses to the prompt, I was aware that others were reading those responses as well. In fact, they were referring to each other and responding to points someone else had made, in addition to commenting on the prompt. They were arguing, confirming, and participating in a discussion. The teacher didn’t need to weigh in on each journal response (as I often did with such lame comments as, “Very interesting…” or “thanks for sharing…”) because the students were reacting individually AND responding to each other. That is not just “doing the assignment differently” that is a completely different–and improved–writing activity. Insight: this writing activity acknowledged audience, encouraged voice, and the improvements in the quality of writing were a direct result of the use of technology.

Another fact of pen and paper journal writing for most kids was the essential problem of the journal itself. I hated assigning them because i had to collect 60 notebooks and then I had to either grade them in the classroom or lug 60 notebooks back and forth between home and school. I tried having them keep binders and turn in only the loose leaf pages, but they got lost…More important than my convenience, though, was something profound: the convenience for the kid. Journals were simply not convenient. The kid has a journal assignment–and parents, tell me this hasn’t happened to you with your child–but can’t do it because: a) I left the prompt at school; b) I left my journal at school…just write it on a piece of paper and stick it in your journal…I can’t…I wrote the prompt in my journal and I can’t remember the prompt which is in the journal at school…ETC.

The Ning is on the computer. And where are kids who are home…on the phone or on the computer…just finished on Facebook so I think I’ll go to the Ning and do my homework. The Ning brings the assignment to the student’s world. That is a huge change and a huge advantage, not just a change from pen and paper to computer. Does that improve the quality of writing? Perhaps not dramatically, but it might mean that more writing gets done. The main purpose of journal writing–any English teacher will tell you–is not the quality of the entry, but the mere practice and habit of writing. Kids become better writers by writing. They have to do lots of it. They need lots of low-stakes opportunities to practice writing. If we can take the writing to them, remove the inconveniences of the task, and get kids to do it as part of their own world/routine, then we have significantly improved the task.

Ok, that’s a long post, but it was a profound discovery for me. And I didn’t even mention that Mrs. Smith’s prompt was a video: Watch this and respond…I remember once asking kids to watch 2 minutes of TV one night…in order to respond in their journals: I forgot…my sister was watching some lame show…it wasn’t on…it was? I don’t get that channel…It is a different world and our teachers are engaging our children in ways we never dreamed of.

I hope you enjoyed that video. I have been experimenting with this program in Spanish because it helps me to understand how to use accent marks properly. My characters will not articulate the sounds properly if my accent marks are not in the correct places. My Spanish tutor has found this to be a very useful tool in teaching me how to improve my Spanish. As soon as I feel brave enough I will share one of my Spanish videos with you.

We have completed our first week of school, finishing off the week with a new parent welcome breakfast. Dr. Doll presented a brief history of CDS, introduced some key administrators, and gave IT director Michael Parrales an opportunity to introduce Edline.

Parents listen intently to Dr. Doll's presentation

I wanted to address the issue of extra-curriculars that was raised at the meeting. After school activities in the high school are limited to sports. We train all year round in basketball, soccer and volleyball, and we give each sport preference during its designated “season.” For example, we have started the year with basketball, so students interested in this sport have begun training and preparing for the AASCA tournament to be co-hosted by CDS and MBS. MBS will host the finals, and the tournament runs from October 21-25.

The Action Varsity Basketball tournament dates have been set:

Sept. 8:  Girls vs. MBS 3:15 at CDS

Boys vs. MBS 4:15 at CDS

Sept. 24: Girls vs. Humboldt 3:15 at CDS

Boys vs. AIS 3:30 at AIS

Sept. 29  Girls vs. Calasanz 3:15 at Calasanz

Boys vs. Calasanz 4:15 at Calasanz

Sept. 30:  Boys vs. Lincoln 3:15 at Lincoln

Oct. 6:  Girls vs. Lincoln 3:15 at Lincoln

Oct. 9: Girls vs. UWC 3:15 at CDS

Boys vs. UWC 4:15 at CDS

Oct. 15: Girls vs. ICS 3:15 at CDS

Boys vs. ICS 4:15 at CDS

Nov. 2-6 semifinal and final games

Please note that practices for soccer begin next week and volleyball will follow shortly after. Students can get more information from Glenda Pearson in the athletic office.

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT

Mark your calendar for September 3rd and plan to attend our Open House in the high school, 5:30 – 8:00

EDLINE

We will be sending home the activation codes for Edline soon. I will send out an announcement via this site, as soon as they are available.

Biggest Pothole in Costa Rica?

You be the judge...

Have a great weekend.

We kicked off the new school year with an introductory assembly. The class of 2010 came equipped with noisemakers and feather boas (some) to mark the occasion. The 9th graders felt a little overwhelmed, but are beginning to find their way and fit in.  We talked about the keys to success: working hard, being engaged, setting priorities, and making commitments.

We emphasized some simple rules to follow which will keep us from getting distracted: dress code, tardies, and noise. You can help us each day by reminding your child to take responsibility for these simple tasks.

Here is a picture of the class of 2010 from this morning’s assembly:

Have a great year, seniors!

Thanks to all of you who have subscribed to my blog. Don’t worry: you won’t be receiving daily posts from me. This is an exciting and busy time so I thought I would share a few of the moments with you and then settle into a pattern for posts. I hope to communicate with you a few times each month.

Welcome to a new school year at CDS. It has been a busy summer preparing the campus for the start of school. Our 4 new teachers arrived at the beginning of August and spent a week settling into their new homes and getting to know their surroundings. The returning staff arrived a week later and busily began preparing their classes for opening day. Let me introduce you to our new staff:

Chris Stallings joins us from California where he has been teaching science. He has 15 years of experience, having also taught in Virginia in the United States. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and did his graduate work at George Washington University where he obtained his teaching credential.

This is a picture of Chris on the new teacher scavenger hunt.

Chris recently married Erin Leydig Stallings who will be teaching science in the middle school.

Chris is excited to be teaching biology, AP biology and environmental science in the bio-diversity capital of the world, Costa Rica. He is a devoted runner, a lover of science fiction, and a devoted consumer of strange and unusual foods. He also has a passion for trivia which paid off—literally—when he made an appearance on Jeopardy! He will put that trivia to good use as he guides our Knowledge Bowl team this year.

Jason Bell hails from Canada. He earned both his bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in education from the University of New Brunswick. He has taught for the past 6 years in New Jersey and will be teaching Algebra II and Algebra II honors.

Jason is the guy on the far left.

Outside of the classroom, Jason is a big sports fan. His favorite sport is hockey and his dream is to buy the Phoenix Coyotes (a professional hockey team) and relocate them to Escazu. If you build the ice rink, Jason, they will come.

Jason will offer a math workshop for kids, hoping to instill a passion in the kids for all things mathematical.

Doug Gamble is fresh off a year- long sabbatical after teaching for the past several years at Marian Baker. He has 23 years of experience having also taught in California, Japan, and Idaho. He earned his bachelor’s degree as well as a master’s in education from Stanford University. He also has a second master’s degree in biblical studies.

This is Doug passing through the library.

Doug is the father of 3 children and his oldest son Jesse is an 11^th grader at CDS. Doug is also an avid sports fan but he is especially fond of baseball, tennis and fly fishing.

This year Doug will be channeling the ancient Greek philosopher and teacher, Socrates, as he leads students in the now famous Socratic Cafe.

Elizabeth Huesing was born, raised and educated in Minnesota. She graduated from the College of St. Benedict and earned her teaching credential at Hamlin University. She has been a math teacher for the past 3 and half years and will teach algebra, geometry and geometry honors.

Elizabeth, where do you go to pay your bills?

While in college she interned and taught English in Costa Rica.

Elizabeth plays the piano, enjoys reading and likes to play tennis.

Elizabeth has also volunteered to advise our yearbook group and looks forward to sharing her expertise as a former yearbook editor.

This school year we officially begin our relationship with K12, the online educational program. So far over a dozen high school kids will be studying courses such as German, Chinese, psychology, and oceanography through K12. Our partnership allows us to offer a much wider range of courses to our students along with the convenience of self-paced study in an online environment.

For the first time since I have been at CDS (I am starting my 4th year) our students will be able to attend the AASCA leadership conference. Lincoln School, here in Costa Rica, is sponsoring the event and we will send a group of students to participate in a leadership camp. The students are excited to participate.

New Parents

We have a New Parents welcome breakfast on Friday, August 21st at 8:00 am in the cafeteria. We hope you can join us. This will be a chance to meet other new parents and find out about our parent association and how to help out during the school year.

Thanks for reading my blog. I will post reminders of upcoming events under the subject or category heading: “High school news.” If you are interested, you may read my occasional musings on education under the title “Educational reflections.” Your comments are always welcome.

May News

• AP Exams May 4-15 with some make-ups the following week.
• Check out the K12 partnership announcement sent to all parents
• If your child is interested in taking an online course in the high school, please have your child contact Mr. G. as soon as possible. He is currently enrolling students for the fall.
• Online courses through K12 are courses not available at CDS such as computer programming, AP psychology, AP statistics, Chinese I or Chinese II, etc. A complete list of courses is available from the high school office
• Sports banquet May 29