Mike Falick's Blog

Recap of Tonight's Regular Monthly Board Meeting

Our Board held its regular monthly meeting tonight.  Here's a recap of the issues discussed and actions taken on tonight's Agenda.

The Board had four special presentations this evening.  Our first special presentation was recognition of Pam Lowrie, PPCD Assistant at Bendwood Elementary School, as our February 2009 Employee of the Month.

The second special presentation recognized Robert Farlow, who has committed hundreds of hours to coordinating and organizing the Memorial Mustangs Outreach Bunch (MMOB), as our February 2009 Volunteer of the Month.

The third special presentation recognized Black History Month with a speech by Landrum Middle School 7th Grader, John Kuykendahl.

The final special presentation recognized the District's students who have been selected for this year's All-State Band and Choir.

The next agenda item was Citizen's Participation.

Board members then presented their Liaison Reports (each Board member serves in a liaison capacity) followed by our Quarterly Energy Report for October - December 2008 and our Quarterly Investment Report.

The Board then adopted two revised Board policies, EIB (Local) Academic Achievement: Homework and FEF (Local) Attendance: Released Time.  Regular readers of this blog know that I have written a great deal about the issue of homework.

Next were first readings of CW (Local) New Facilities and D(Legal) and (Local) Policies - TASB Policy Update 84.

Tonight's action items on the Agenda included the approval of the Budget Stateus Summary with Budget Amendments as of January 31, 2009, and the Facility Imporvement Program Monthly Status Report with Project Budget Changes as of January 31, 2009.  As the Board does in every monthly meeting, a number of contracts were awarded.

Additional action items included the approval of the following items:

• Revised Employment Contract Addendum
• Enrollment Projections for 2009-2010
  
• 2009-2010 Staffing Definitions and Guidelines
  
• Architectural Schematic Design and Design Development (SD & DD) Memorial Middle School Additions and Renovations Project
  
• Recommendation for Termination of Construction Management at Risk Contract to Brookstone Corporation for the SBEC Transition Campus
  
• Establish Money Market Accounts
  
• Sign a Non-Binding EBS Spectrum Royalty Agreement Term Sheet with Harvests Independent Spectrum LLC for Possible Lease and/or Sale of FCC License KRZ68

The action items concluded with the approval of the consent agenda.

The meeting concluded with a discussion about the High School Science 4x4 Project Scope and Direction.

Lure of the Labryinth: A Fun New Video Game for Learning Middle School Math

Lure of the Labyrinth is another new website that presents a fresh approach to teaching math to middle school students.

Here is a review of Lure of the Labyrinth from a recent post on eSchoolNews:

Maryland Public Television, in collaboration with MIT’s Education Arcade and educational media producer FableVision, has applied the latest research in game theory and design to produce a free learning tool to help all students learn pre-algebra concepts regardless of their math ability.

“Lure of the Labyrinth” is an online middle-school math game developed to reach today’s tech-savvy students in a contemporary way. Using the immersive characteristics of digital games, it blends a compelling storyline with multi-level puzzle play to build pre-algebra skills in proportions, fractions, and ratios; variables and equations; and numbers and operations.

Math is cleverly woven throughout an underground, monster-inhabited world. Students disguise themselves as a monster avatar plunging into a shadowy factory on a rescue mission to save their missing pet.

“Lure of the Labyrinth” can be played individually or in teams; an online communication device allows players to exchange ideas and game strategies and encourages collaborative game play.

Dynastree Lets You Search for Others with Your Surname

Dynastree is a new website that serves two functions.  First, it will tell you where in the United States people with your last name live.  In addition, it has a very easy to use family tree builder.

From the Dynastree surname map website:

Would you like to know the geographical distribution of your surname in the US? Here you will find the distribution of your surname sorted by states. Type your surname in the search field!

Here you find the absolute and relative distribution of your surname: the absolut distribution will give you an approximate number of persons with the surname living in a certain state. The relative distribution indicates the proportion of persons with that surname in a certain state in relation to the total size of the population.

And from the Dynastree family tree builder website:

Where does my name come from?
How many relatives do I have?
How can I learn more about my ancestry?

Creating the family tree and discovering the personal family history has become a favourite hobby all around the world.

The dynastree Infocentre will help you with your first steps to the discovery of your own family's past. We've collected research tips that help you find you ancestry's roots and enlarge your family tree.

If your want to enter the world of genealogy, you will find all major approaches explained here and presented clearly. Furthermore, you will find out about historical backrounds and information on family research and online genealogy.

Composer Jose Abreu Wants to Bring Music to Kids Worldwide: Prepare to be Amazed by this Post

On February 11, 2009, I posted this year's TED Conference speech by Bill Gates which I highly recommend.  But far and away my favorite speech from TED 2009 was the speech by TED Prize winner, Jose Abreu, whose wish is to bring music to kids worldwide.  From TED.com, here's why you should listen to Mr. Abreu:

Why you should listen to him:

The gulf between the rich and the poor in Venezuela is one of the worst in the world. Jose Antonio Abreu, an economist, musician, and reformer, founded El Sistema ("the system") in 1975 to help Venezuelan kids take part in classical music. After 30 years (and 10 political administrations), El Sistema is a nationwide organization of 102 youth orchestras, 55 children's orchestras, and 270 music centers -- and close to 250,000 young musicians.

El Sistema uses music education to help kids from impoverished circumstances achieve their full potential and learn values that favor their growth. The talented musicians have become a source of national pride. Several El Sistema students have gone on to major international careers, including Gustavo Dudamel, soon to be the music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the bassist Edicson Ruiz, who at 17 became the youngest musician ever to join the Berlin Philharmonic.

Mr. Abreu's TED speech is below.  Just click on the image to start the video.  After you have heard his speech, you must watch the video below Mr. Abreu which shows Gustavo Dudamel conducting a very large Venezuelan youth orchestra.  It is amazing!

The End of the 65% Rule in Texas = the Death of a Very Poorly Thought Out Idea

At the first committee meeting of the House Public Education Committee this afternoon, Chairman Rob Eissler announced that the poorly conceived 65% Rule is dead.

As reported this afternoon by the Quorum Report:

Chair Rep. Rob Eissler (R-The Woodlands) told the House Public Education Committee today that the much-maligned 65 percent rule approved by executive order three years ago likely is a thing of the past. Gov. Rick Perry issued an executive order in August 2005, requiring that school districts expend at least 65 percent of operational funds on instruction in the classroom. In comments to the committee today, Eissler said he had met with Perry to discuss the new accountability system proposal and told Perry the 65 percent rule didn’t fit into the committee’s new vision of school accountability. Perry agreed, Eissler told the committee. Hence, it’s a pretty good bet the 65 percent standard, still being phased in as part of the state’s financial accountability system for school districts, will either be removed or neutralized in FIRST, the state’s financial accountability for local school districts. “We need to set better rules,” Eissler told the audience.

There have been very few issues that I have written about on this blog that have received more  attention than the 65% Rule under which Texas school districts were mandated to spend 65% of their revenue on "instruction."  While that sounds good on its face, the definition of "instruction" or what is included in the 65% Rule, is problematic because the following were not included in the definition of "instruction:" Administration, Plant Operations & Maintenance, Food Services, Transportation, Instructional Support, including Librarians, Teacher Training and Curriculum, and Student Support, including nurses and counselors.

Ultimately, the Texas Education Agency's implementation allowed school districts to meet the requirement by posting the district's check register online, something Spring Branch began doing in November 2006. 

For more information on the 65% Rule, see these prior posts.

Spring Branch Launches an Amazing New Website Focused on Our Five Year Educational Plan

Today Spring Branch launched a new website that is focused solely on our Five Year Educational Plan.  The website includes this letter from our Superintendent, Dr. Duncan Klussmann:

On behalf of the Spring Branch ISD Board of Trustees, its administrators and staff, I am proud to present you with the 2008 SBISD Annual Report. This document was prepared to inform and improve communication with our entire community, including businesses, parents, staff and volunteers.

This year’s annual report reflects the Five Year Educational Plan Goals adopted by the Board of Trustees. We believe that the overarching and crucial focus of these action plan goals is student success beyond the prekindergarten through 12th grade experience.

We take most seriously our community’s charge to prepare our young people for the life in the 21st century through strong academics, athletics, community service and a variety of other opportunities, and to offer a well-rounded program in a fiscally prudent manner.

Sincerely,
Duncan F. Klussmann, Ed.D.
Spring Branch ISD Superintendent of Schools

The website also includes the following:

• Goals English Version
• Goals Spanish Version
• Five-Year Plan
• District Survey
• Powerpoint - 2/2009
• Report to Board - 2/2009
• Executive Summary - 2/2009
  • An Enriched and Relevant Curriculum
  • Post-Secondary Success
  • Ethics and Character Development
  • Student Engagement in School Sponsored Activities
  • Culture of Safety and Respect
  • Responsible Use of Resources
  • Engagement of Parents & Community
  • Employer of Choice
• Targets Summary

Bill of the Day: House Bill 1281 Would Infuse Social and Emotional Learning into the Texas School Curriculum

Today's Bill of the Day is House Bill 1281 which was filed today by Representative Ruth McClendon (D-San Antonio).  House Bill 1281 would add "adult responsibility education" to the foundation curriculum in Texas.

The Bill provides that the Texas Education Agency "shall establish an advisory panel under this section to develop the required foundation curriculum to teach students skills in social, emotional, and behavioral interaction to prepare students for adult responsibility. A primary purpose of the adult responsibility curriculum is to teach students advanced methods of thinking, speaking, learning, and reasoning, including methods for:

(1)    effective, nonviolent communication;
(2)    problem solving;
(3)    setting appropriate boundaries and priorities; and
(4)    creative decision making.

Regular readers of this blog know that I am a very strong believer in the value of exactly the items included in this Bill.  Indeed, my American Leadership Forum Class held a Conference last December focused on the need for Social and Emotional development of students.  For additional posts on Social and Emotional learning and its importance to student success, please click here.

The full text of the Bill appears below after the jump.

Texas House Publication Education Committee Meeting Notice for February 17, 2009 at 2:00p

The Texas House Public Education Committee has posted notice for its first meeting of this Legislative Session.  The meeting will take place tomorrow, February 17, 2009, at 2:00p.  The notice which is below, shows that "this will be an organizational meeting of the committee."  The notice also shows that the Committee will "also discuss school finance and accountability issues."  If you would like to watch the Committee meeting, you can do so by clicking this link.

Free Science Website Aims to Capture the Interest of 4th, 5th, and 6th Grade Students: As the Website Says " Engage and Amaze Your Students"

The Siemens Science Day website is a new site that is designed to "engage and amaze" 4th - 6th grade students.  The website includes videos and a lot of hands on science activities.

From the Siemens Science Day website:

Teachers, engage and amaze your students. Here you'll find videos, tools and revealing hands-on activities for students in grades 4 through 6 to help reinvent your science class. New, original experiments with intuitive directions, materials lists and home extensions. Get started today.

Also, here's a review of the Siemens Science Day website from eSchoolNews.com:

The Siemens Foundation and Discovery Education have unveiled a new web site that aims to engage students in science education. “Siemens Science Day” provides standards-based videos and hands-on activities for earth, life, and physical science that can help educators turn fourth through sixth graders into aspiring scientists, the two organizations say. “Educators are often challenged to find new ways within their existing curriculum to interest students in science education,” said Dale Fulton, Discovery Education’s senior vice president of curriculum development. “Siemens Science Day provides many new and creative ways to present lessons on a variety of science topics, all tied to national science standards. In addition, each activity invites student involvement, engaging students in the learning process.” Each activity on the web site includes step-by-step directions for in-class use, a materials list, at-home extensions that promote learning beyond the classroom, and related video clips. More activities will be added to the web site in the coming months, its organizers say—creating a rich database of science experiments and demonstrations that help students learn by doing.

31st Annual Spring Branch FFA Show is a Big Success

Last weekend, I attended the 31st Annual Spring Branch FFA Show and Sale.  The FFA Program is part of the Agricultural Science program offered by the District through The Guthrie Center.  I have posted a couple of pictures from the event that I took below (click the pictures to enlarge).

Joe Kolenda, the Principal at the Guthrie Center, sent the following summary:

FFA Show and Sale By The Numbers

• 31st Show and Sale
• 5 - 7 of February
• 48 FFA students
• 8 categories
• 77 items to auction
• $193,350 total including silent auction
• 30 buyers
• 3.5 percent less than last year (not too shabby)
• $17,000 paid for Grand Champion Steer

Thanks for all of your kind words, attending and presenting on such short notice. The students, parents, volunteers and teachers did an incredible job. The awesome community of Spring Branch came together to financially reward the students for their sweat, tears, love and joy. There is a photo slideshow posted on the Feb 9th news on the Guthrie Center website.

Here's the list of the Grand Champions and Reserve Champions in each category along with the prices paid at auction for each winner: