LA SIERRAHIGH SCHOOL
To:The La Sierra Staff and CommunityFriday, November 6, 2009
From:Robert Cunard
The Friday Letter
Quotes of the Week
There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction. ~ John F. Kennedy
Any plan imperfectly executed is better than no plan perfectly executed. ~ Scott Sorrell
I arise in the morning torn between a desire to save the world and a desire to savor the world. That makes it hard to plan the day. ~ E.B. White
He has the deed half done who has made a beginning. ~ Horace
The Friday Letter
Sometimes you just have to start, even if you’re not exactly sure of your plans. So last week we began our directed tutorials on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This Wednesday, I ventured out into some classrooms, and I wanted to share with you what I saw. One of the first classrooms I visited was Lorena Pulido’s, and here is what I saw:
In Lorena’s classroom students were seated at groups and were involved in a directed tutorial experience. It’s hard to tell if you don’t know everyone, but there are three students standing, and those students are actually leading the small group tutorials. This process mirrors the one we use Tuesdays and Thursday in our AVID classes, and it is very effective. Since Lorena was once an AVID tutor and is now an AVID teacher, you can be sure that the process went well.
The next classroom I visited was Malisa Bright’s and here is what I saw:
Malisa actually has a second period prep. In spite of this being her prep period, Malisa is a part of the tutorial. These students were getting high quality help during tutorial in a small setting. In the past, we could really only provide this kind of help after school; what a gift to our kids that they can access this during their regular day now.
The third tutorial I took a picture of was in Alina Edgar’s biology classroom. Here is what I saw:
Here was another example of a student-led tutorial in action, making use of the AVID model. At each lab station Alina had student tutors working with kids in groups on specific content where they needed additional help.
We have made a great start to providing systematically organized extra assistance available to our students during their regular day. Because of the sheer scale of things here, we will always encounter challenges. But there can be no doubt that we are helping kids better and differently than we were just a few weeks ago. As I look at these pictures and reflect on what I saw, I am convinced that we are entering into one of our finest eras as a school. This is the start of something transformational.
Random Observations This Week
This past Monday Gustavo Flores and a number of his Chicano Studies students put on a colorful celebration of the Day of the Dead. What you may not know is that another group of our students put on a dance performance at a Riverside community Day of the Dead celebration.
On Tuesday and Wednesday we administered the High School Exit exam to juniors and seniors who still need to pass it. Jennifer Radeka did a superb job organizing and administering the exam. You should see how hard kids work on the CAHSEE some time.
Renoris Dillingham’s advanced wood shop students are taking on some new, challenging projects this year. As Renoris will tell you, it’s good to have the kids “making some sawdust” and doing new things.
And just down the hall from the wood shop, I walked into the Health Academy capstone class as the students were receiving instruction about enemas. Really. On a more positive note, those same students began earning their CPR certification later in the week and are nearly ready to begin their second semester service at Kaiser Hospital.
Looking Ahead to Next Week
Please make time to see “While the Lights Were Out,” the fall play being put on by our students. Sara Hughes has already notified you of this separately. This promises to be an intriguing murder mystery.
Several of our athletic teams will qualify for and begin CIF playoffs next week. Please try to come out and support the kids if at all possible. They truly notice who is there and it makes a big difference.
Next Thursday and Friday I will be away at a PLC conference in Palm Desert with a team of our teachers. We will be learning from Rick DuFour himself, and it promises to be a meaningful experience.
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We are one week into the final marking period of the first semester and should be pushing ourselves and the kids. Don’t forget that next Wednesday is the Veterans Day holiday. Enjoy your weekends, and I’ll see you back here on Monday.
Robert