November 17, 2017 Update - The PowerWalks Hurricane Relief Challenge

On August 25, 2017, Aransas County Independent School was Ground Zero for Hurricane Harvey.  To assist the district in its rebuilding LYS announced the PowerWalks Hurricane Relief Challenge which was supposed to run from August 25 to September 30, 2017. And the LYS Nation stepped up!

Then Hurricanes Irma and Maria ransacked Florida and Puerto Rico. So, LYS extended the PowerWalks Hurricane Relief Challenge through October 31, 2017. And the LYS Nation stepped up!

But in October the extent of the devastation that occurred in both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands due to the hurricanes was revealed. So, LYS announced that the PowerWalks Hurricane Relief Challenge would be extended through December 22, 2017.  And the nickels keep adding up.  Here are the current donation totals:

August 2017: 5,211 PowerWalks classroom visits, generating a donation of $300.00

September 2017: 39,135 PowerWalks classroom visits, generating a donation of $2,000.00

October 2017: 49,222 PowerWalks classroom visits, generating a donation of $2,500.00

November 2017 (in progress): 26,490 PowerWalks classroom visits generating a donation of $1,324.50

So far, the current donation total for the PowerWalks Hurricane Relief Challenge is $6,124.50

As proof that the LYS Nation is going above and beyond to meet this challenge, we’ll share some historical numbers.  From August 25, 2016 to November 17, 2016 there were 61,539 classroom observations completed. This is a number that no other group of schools can match. Unless the comparison group is made up of motivated LYSers.  

Because LYS Nation, from August 25, 2017 to November 10, 2017 you have now conducted 120,083 PowerWalks!  Don’t stop now!

Keep Stepping Up!

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 
• Upcoming Conference Presentations: TASSP Assistant Principal Workshop (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

A Principal Shares... Chasing Greatness

A LYS Principal shares his message to his staff after attending The Fundamental 5 National Summit:

Team,

Here are some observations and things I learned this week from The Fundamental 5 National Summit.

First, to truly fully implement the Fundamental 5 at speed and depth takes time. I will not be adding any new instructional ideas and programs to your plates for the next couple of years. Instead we will maintain and intensify our focus on what we are currently working on: Improving our delivery of The Fundamental 5; implementing the TEKS Resource System; and improving our CTE programs to meet the needs of our students, while still holding the Fine Arts and Athletics programs to high standards.

My classroom visits from this point forward will focus on the implementation of The Fundamental 5 practices. The good news is that as we implement The Fundamental 5 with increased quantity and quality we will be meeting the performance expectation of T-TESS. We are not looking for perfection, only progress.  In this endeavor, here are some things to consider and remember.

Always Be Closing! Sean Cain, taught us that the most important part of the lesson is the closure. Lesson Framing and lesson closure will be the first Fundamental 5 practice we will work on.   

Embrace the Power of Bad: Meaning that a “bad” small group talk session; a “bad” lesson frame; or a “bad” critical writing assignment is always better than NO small group talk; lesson frame or critical writing assignment! Bad is the first step to better.

Some Goals:

Lesson Framing – 95% percent of the time we have a posted frame and close the lesson.

Power Zone – 75% of the time we are in the Power Zone.

Frequent Small Group Purposeful Talk – Observed during 40% of classroom visits.

Recognition & Reinforcement – Observed during 40% of classroom visits.

Critical Writing – Observed during 25% of classroom visits.

These are aggressive goals. We will not hit them overnight, or by the end of the semester. But if we work on this every day, we will closer to these goals by the end of the year than we are now.

Finally, I need to do a better job of getting into classrooms documenting your efforts and congratulating you on your successes and near misses. I want to assist you and our students in developing a growth mindset. I want you to try and fail and get up and try again, learning from your efforts and seeking feedback to grow yourself and our students. We are chasing greatness. Not trying is not an option.

Always Forward, Seldom Straight!

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 
• Upcoming Conference Presentations: TASSP Assistant Principal Workshop (Keynote) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets from the Week of November 5, 2017

If you are not following @LYSNation on Twitter, then you missed the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of November 5, 2017 when they were first posted.  And if you are on Twitter, you might want to check out the Tweeters who made this week’s list.

1. School culture doesn’t happen by accident. It is built one positive adult action at a time, by all adults, every day. (By @LYSNation)

2. If you are OK with teachers using less effective practice because your scores are “good.” You are sacrificing student opportunity for adult comfort. (By @LYSNation)

3. Success and failure aren’t based on a program. They are based on you. (By @DrKing_BBJH)

4. It is not about who is in my classroom, it's about what I'm doing with instruction. (By @Faith4learning)

5. Real instructional relevance is student developed, not teacher delivered. (By @tra_hall)

6. Quality trumps quantity... But I still am a firm believer in bell-to-bell learning. When secondary classrooms end early, lots of time is lost. (By @justintarte)

7. The coach doesn't sit in his/her office while the game is being played. (By @jackson_carrie)

8. Bad instruction is better than no instruction. Some schools are operating at 20% nothing time. (By @jackson_carrie)

9. The antecedent to most student misbehavior in the classroom is adult inattention and lazy practice. (By @LYSNation)

10. Scott Milder Makes It Official: He is running against Texas Lt. Governor, Dan Patrick, in the GOP primary. (By @texasisd)

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
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook