CAM's definately got talent!

Anyone who made it to this year's variety show, "CAM's Got Talent", held Nov. 2 and 3 found this out.

This every two-year event was an enormous hit and everyone involved did their part to make it very entertaining.

I could start naming off each act, but I'm sure I'd leave someone deserving out.

What I don't think everyone knows is most of the acts in the show are developed almost exclusively by the students. With guidance from Mrs. Nichols watchful eye of course.

With that said I just want to congratulate the students, sponsors, teachers, parents and volunteers for pulling off another amazing event.

New Website up and running

This year we are utilizing a new service called SOCS (Simplified Online Communication System) for our website information.

This is a shift from having a single teacher and a handful of students responsible for ALL of the material on the website to having all teachers, administrators, some staff and students responsible.

Teachers and administrators have the ability to put information out to the public instantly through the site and students and parents have the opportunity to subscribe, via email, to news updates.

Students can still work on the site and be edited by teachers. Right now our journalism class will be submitting a lot of work.

JMC parent access and Announcements have prominent buttons in handy places and the use of pictures should increase with the ease of the program.

Taking my medicine

Hats off the Iowa State players, their coaching staff, fans and athletic director for their victory Saturday 15-13. Total Domination. I deserve the following.

School Starts Monday

Wow! Monday we start school all over the CAM area. Students at the high school will begin with an assembly in the gym and then go to homerooms to get locker assignments and talk about scheduling.

We had two staff members leave late in the year. Lynn Johnson is now Principal at Villisca High School and Connie Turner is moving to Williamsburg to teach English in that district.

We have regained the Woods teaching of Dean Downer from the C & M CSD to help in the shop. Larry Hunt and Rex Mehrhoff will be dividing up the AD duties (AD Being "activities director"). We currently are working on options to provide CAD and Intro to Engineering classes.

Kate Kelly will join us from Florida to teach English 10 and upper level English full time for Mrs. Turner as well as taking on Oral Communication.

Kim Peterson joins us from Guthrie Center and will be teaching physical science, chemistry and physics.

Matt Kuempel joins us as a special education teacher and assistant boys basketball coach.

Chris Jahnke is our new Head Volleyball coach and Franklin Dea is the Head Boys Basketball coach.

See you Monday!

Registration is August 6th

Mark your calendars for school registration. August 6th we'll start registering your students for classes at the high school and elementary in Anita. I'll have specific times and activities, but for right now plan on late afternoon and plan on updating all of your personal information.

With the expanded use of technology we're hopefully going to utilize you email and cell phone numbers more often.

See you in August and it's hard to believe the summer is melting away.

The summer moves forward

July 4th approaches and amidst the celebration of our nation's Declaration of Independence, teachers, students and yes, administrators sense a loss of their independence.

For me, with a new superintendent, new state guidelines, new technology, a new approach and hopefully alliance with the County in handling attendance issues, I've been working on next year non-stop since the doors hit the student's fannies on the last day of 2006-2007.

And that goes for a lot of teachers as well, traveling to curriculum meetings held true for five of our teachers in addition to four going with me to Chicago to meet with Apple Computer.

Secretaries have been putting a wraps on fiscal year 2006-2007 and doing what they do each month.

Custodial staff have been mowing, installing 10 projectors in various rooms and the library, mowing, doing the usual cleaning, mowing, mowing and working on various other projects.

The summer moves forward towards 2007-2008 and judging by the willingness and work done this year in preparation it points to a very successful upcoming year.

Just so it feels like we've kept our independence longer than it usually seems once July hits.

Chicago Briefing

What happens when you put six adults in a Suburban, load up with Apple MACbooks and point it at Chicago?

A lot of quality professional development.

Apple rolled out the red carpet and engaged Justin Rapier, Joan Clinton, John Arp, Rex Mehrhoff and Judy Griffin (AEA 13) the way we hope to engage our students starting in the fall.

Apple's iLife curriculum infuses writing with video, photo and podcasting production to embed learning into the minds of ... well anyone who puts in a minimal effort.

Those of you saying to yourselves..."What does playing around with video, photos and recording your own voice have to do with education?"

Hmmm we spent all of 100 minutes working on a podcast, embedding pictures with voice, adding sound effects and background music, and I remember more about the cicada from that activity than my course on insects at the University of Northern Iowa.

Using the powerful software hits the learner where they live whether they are a visual learner, learn through hearing or reading. You get multiple contact with the information as you research the most basic ESSENTIAL facts.

We had to write a script and follow basic expectations similar to meeting requirements set in a rubric or expectations draw out before any project. These are important to have, the use of a minimum amount of vocabulary and facts.

Do it and then publish it.

Then, it's there. There for the student, teacher and family to see. In our old system the student just produced things for one person - the teacher. If they didn't like that person AND didn't care what they got as a grade, what type of effort were they going to put in? Less than minimal.

Now, if they know their parents, friends and peers are going to see. Well then, that's a different story. Publish it and you've got their attention.

If you doubt my thoughts here, ask one of the Spanish students who have their video on YouTube what they think.

It's obvious they cared and are now proud of an assignment they did in school!