SCHOOL ZONE 12-6-12

TED TALKS ON MAKING SCHOOLS GREAT

Recently I have been watching a number of educational videos sponsored by TED, a non-profit devoted to the ideas worth spreading.  TED started in 1984 as a conference in which they brought together individuals from three walks of life:  technology, entertainment and design (hence the word TED).  Since that time its scope has become broader.  Each year the group sponsors two conferences.  TED includes award-winning talks, video sites, open translation projects and TED conversations. 

One of the important topics of conversation around the nation is how to improve public schools.  This was a big part of the recent presidential election and continues to be discussed at all levels of government.  To get you thinking about these topics, I would like to invite you to view “10 Talks for Making School Great and How We Can Reshape our School Environments”.  These can be found at http://blog.ted.com/2012/10/09/10-talks-on-making-schools-great/

One of the talks that I found particularly interesting is by Sir Ken Robinson, “Bring on the Learning Revolution!”.  This was a follow-up to a talk that Ken did 4 years earlier about how schools kill creativity.  Robinson shared how schools should approach the education process with personalized learning.   Students should be encouraged to explore their own interests and talents.  After listening to this and many other of these videos, I realized how grateful I am to work in a progressive school district that is doing more than just talking about issues, but is taking real action toward creating viable pathways for student’s future to success.  We are doing this through our “Pathways to Success” program.  This is still a work in progress, and we are working hard each day to use the technology and the talents of our teachers to produce relevant 21^st century learning opportunities. 

FACILITY PROJECT BLOG

We are excited to offer an opportunity for staff and community members to stay informed about the progress of our facility project.  A blog has been created that will allow you to view drawings and materials we are considering as we continue with the planning phase of the project.  Currently we have posted some preliminary drawings with explanations that I am offering through embedded audio.  I will be making visits to building staff meetings to give an overview of our planning thus far and get more input from our staff.  Some thought-provoking articles about creating classrooms for the future are also available.  These articles will give you some insight into ideas that are being considered for our project.  To view the blog, please click on this link: http://vermilionfacilities.blogspot.com   We welcome your input on this project and invite you to comment on the various postings. 

FACILITY FINANCING

We have been working with Baird Financial on the facility project financing and we are very pleased to announce that we were able to obtain interest rates that are very favorable to the district.  Treasurer Amy Hendricks has worked very hard the various financial groups to secure the best financial options available.  More details are available in the press release located elsewhere in this week’s Photojournal.