The LYS Yeti Cups are Here! The LYS Yeti Cups are Here!

Due to demand from the LYS Nation, we just got another small batch of LYS Yeti Cups.  Sure they are expensive, but Yeti doesn’t discount.  And if you are thinking, ”Who would spend that much on a cup,” I understand. I thought that once.  Then I got my first Yeti. 

With the big 32oz cup, your ice won’t melt for HOURS. It's perfect for iced tea.  With the medium sized 20oz cup your coffee will stay hot for just short of forever. And with the small 10oz cup, your ice won’t melt and the cup doesn’t sweat.  It's perfect for grilling and tailgating.

If you are interested, call Jo at (832) 477-5323 or go to the LYS Store to order now.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Conference (Multiple Presentations); LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Reader Asks... Five Assistant Principal Hacks - Part 3

In response to the 4/14/16 post, “Five Assistant Principal Hacks," a LYS Principal asks:

SC,

I need to know more about #1, “The written apology letter to the offended teacher is the best consequence for the student sent to the office, for almost every offense.” 

Sounds soft, but I know you better than that.

SC Response

I had to fail a lot before I figured this one out. 

First, many Assistant Principals believe that each additional office referral requires a stepped up consequence.  With your frequent flyers, this consequence progression could quickly lead to a death sentence, so obviously that isn’t a solution.

Second, most students don’t get in trouble for the same thing, with the same teacher, over and over again. So stepping up consequences is in reality similar to making a student go to tutoring twice as long for struggling a second time. Which would be silly.

Third, “no consequence” is never the answer. This leads to anarchy. 

Fourth, students who are jerks get sent to the office more than students who are pleasant to deal with. Even when the jerk and the pleasant student commit the same offense. This is just unfair. 

So I got to thinking.  What would be a consequence that my students would hate (a disincentive), would actually teach them a way to be less jerk like, and my teacher would accept?

The answer... the written apology letter. In the letter, the student:

A. Has to identify the behavior that caused the issue.

B. Explain why the behavior is inappropriate.

C. State what he/she will do different in the future.

D. Ask the teacher to forgive him/her for causing the issue.

E. Ask for permission to rejoin the class.

F. Sign the letter.

The letter had to be written to my satisfaction and then the student had to hand deliver the letter to the teacher, under my supervision.

The student hates it and learns the value of an apology. That’s a win.

The teacher gets to see that there is a consequence and welcome the student back to class. That’s a win.

Get sent to the office again by the same teacher, now we have to read the letter to the teacher with the appropriate tone.  Sometimes we had to go back to my office and practice for a while. That’s a win.

Try it, it works and you’ll love it.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Conference (Multiple Presentations); LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Legendary Leadership Badge (April 2016)

There are those that don’t understand the power of reflective observation.  They mistakenly believe that there is nothing to learn after a few cursory visits to a classroom.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, the most important key to building insight and deeper understanding about teaching and learning is to engage in a steady volume of daily classroom observation.  What we have learned over the past ten years is that after about every 300 classroom observations, the observer will notice, discern, and/or learn something new... something that was previously hidden. It is the “Eureka” moment, and there is nothing else like it in instructional leadership.

In this pursuit, there is the PowerWalks Legendary Leadership Badge that is earned every 300^th PowerWalks Observation. The following instructional leaders have already earned the Legendary Leadership Badge for the 2015/2016 school year (as of 4/30/16).

Three Badges

Glenn Barnes:  November 2015; January 2016; April 2016

Van LeJeune: October 2015; January 2016; April 2016

Shelia Ochoa: December 2015; March 2016; April 2016

Steve Sherrouse: October 2015; March 2016; April 2016

Janie Snyder: November 2015; December 2015; April 2016

Nassrin Spencer: October 2015; January 2016; April 2016

Cody White: December 2015; February 2016; April 2016

Pattie Myers: October 2015; December 2015; March 2016

Two Badges

Pete Armstrong: December 2015; April 2016

Teresa Bodey: January 2016; April 2016

Charlotte Goudeau: December 2015; April 2016

Shirley Jenkins: November 2015; April 2016

Sheila Stephens: November 2015; April 2016

Tamika Washington: December 2015; April 2016

Shannon Clancy: December 2015; March 2016

Edward Husk: October 2015: March 2016

Karen Ivy: November 2015; March 2016

Robin Rice: February 2016; March 2016

Christina Spears: December 2015; March 2016

Wes Brown: October 2015; February 2016

Denise Poland: December 2015; February 2016

Todd Durham: October 2015; January 2016

One Badge

Shele Coburn: April 2016

Larry Crabb: April 2016

Rebecca Osborne: April 2016

Lindsey Pless: April 2016

Ariel Aleman: March 2016

Joan Alvey: March 2016

Matt Ammerman: March 2016

Ashley Brauchi: March 2016

Norma Briseno: March 2016

Marianne Buentello: March 2016

Carla Butler: March 2016

DeDe Conaway: March 2016

Linda Cox: March 2016

Tonia Cummings: March 2016

Rocky Ford: March 2016

Clinton Grange: March 2016

Valerie Hammit: March 2016

Karen Hart: March 2016

Emily Laurence: March 2016

Scott Rogers: March 2016

Scott Schneider: March 2016

Elizabeth Scott: March 2016

Mindy Sides: March 2016

Jennifer Soileau: March 2016

Fred Steubing: March 2016

Twyla Thomas: March 2016

Monica Waggoner: March 2016

Sandy Williamson: March 2016

Marissa Bell: February 2016

Vernon Berckmoes: February 2016

Denise Bird: February 2016

Sean Cain: February 2016

Marisol Candelaria: February 2016

Michael Cano: February 2016

Stella Chen: February 2016

Michael Clifton: February 2016

Tonia Cummings: February 2016

Mary Giles: February 2016

Jeff Groseclose: February 2016

Michael Hannum: February 2016

Brandon Harris: February 2016

Julie Hinson: February 2016

Kathy Horvath: February 2016

Derieco Irvin: February 2016

Chris Johnstone: February 2016

David Knobloch: February 2016

Mike Laird: February 2016

Grezelda Ligons: February 2016

Steve Lucas: February 2016

Drew McConnaughhay: February 2016

Tania Merik: February 2016

Keith Owen: February 2016

Regina Raiborn: February 2016

James Russell: February 2016

Janie Snyder: February 2016

Sherrie Tolbert: February 2016

Rose Tran: February 2016

Lisa Watson: February 2016

Brad Weston: February 2016

George Wollenzien: February 2016

Lynn Anderson: January 2016

Denise Collins: January 2016

Francisco Delgado: January 2016

Demetrio Garcia: January 2016

Donny Hearn: January 2016

Paige Johnson: January 2016

Daniel Kotara: January 2016

Chesta Schneider: January 2016

Lisa Weaver: January 2016

Anna Bryant: December 2015

Shele Coburn: December 2015

LuJean Daniel: December 2015

GayLynn Holt: December 2015

Gail Johnson: December 2015

Stephen McCanless: December 2015

Kimberly McKnight: December 2015

Edna O’Bryant: December 2015

Dawn O’Connor: December 2015

Rebecca Smith: December 2015

Marti Turner: December 2015

Pamela Williams: December 2015

Esther Boateng: November 2015

Ana Lopez: November 2015

Erica Moody: November 2015

Jeffrey Smith: November 2015

Sandra Wilson: November 2015

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Conference (Multiple Presentations); LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

PowerWalks Hero Schools (April 2016)

In furtherance of a LYS Nation tradition, we will take this time to tip our caps to the campuses that have embraced the most important step in creating and maintaining an action oriented professional learning community.  These are the campuses that have conducted an extraordinary number of formative classroom observations in a given month.  For the month of April the PowerWalks Hero School Targets were as follows:

April Hero School Targets

High Schools – 150 PowerWalks Observations

Middle Schools / Junior High Schools – 125 PowerWalks Observations

Elementary / Intermediate / Combined Campuses – 100 PowerWalks Observations

Alternative Schools – 50 PowerWalks Observations

This month with state testing and end of the year activities, we’ll modify the Hero Targets to the following:

May Hero School Targets

High Schools – 130 PowerWalks Observations

Middle Schools / Junior High Schools – 115 PowerWalks Observations

Elementary / Intermediate / Combined Campuses – 90 PowerWalks Observations

Alternative Schools – 40 PowerWalks Observations

In April, all of the schools using the PowerWalks Instructional Observation System conducted a total of 9,116 classroom observations. A commendable job, LYS Nation! But now, without further ado, here are your thirty PowerWalks Hero Schools for the month of April 2016.  Congratulations!!!

Elementary Schools & Combined Campuses (19 Heroes)	Middle Schools & Junior High Schools (5 Heroes)	Alternative Schools	High Schools (6 Heroes)
Southside PS (CISD) - 441	Ector MS (ECISD) - 660		Cleveland HS (CISD) – 339
Live Oak Learning Center (ACISD) - 372	Cleveland MS (CISD) - 548		Kermit HS (KISD) - 272
Dublin ES (DISD) - 267	Wilson & Young MS (ECISD) - 398		Rockport-Fulton High School (ACISD) - 237
Ray ES (HISD) - 243	Marlin MS (MISD) - 165		Fairdale HS (JCPS) - 233
Little Bay Primary School (ACISD) - 223	Rockport-Fulton MS (ACISD) - 148		Morton Ranch HS (KISD) - 194
Fulton Learning Center (ACISD) - 215			Marlin HS (MISD) - 165
Eastside ES (CISD) - 203
Marlin ES (MISD) - 179
Duryea ES (CFISD) - 168
Poteet ES/IS (PISD) - 159
Wilbern ES (CFISD) - 156
Robertson ES (RRISD) - 146
McFee ES (CFISD) - 131
Veterans’ Hill ES (HISD) - 128
Dublin Intermediate School (DISD) - 122
Borger Intermediate School (BISD) - 105
Cottonwood Creek ES (HISD) - 102
Gateway ES (BISD) - 100
Hutto ES (HISD) - 100

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Timer (Fundamental 5 Delivery Tool); PowerWalks CLC (Networked Formative Observation Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association Conference (Multiple Presentations); LYS / TASSP Advanced Leadership Academy (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook