The District Dispatch
March 2019
Celebrating Care & Compassion
I would like to share with everyone how genuinely pleased I was to travel around the district this past week and visit with the folks who were nominated for the most recent "Care and Compassion Awards"(the process for nominating colleagues was outlined in a recent District Dispatch). Each nominee was presented with certificates of recognition and a district stylus pen! I would like to share that it is certainly safe to say that every award recipient was pleasantly surprised!
Further, each certificate contained the words of the person who nominated the individual;some by name and some were written anonymously. Each of the narratives were wonderfully revealing and detailed the tremendous caring and compassion which is clearly prevalent in our in our daily dealings with every student in every classroom, every day! I am looking forward to future opportunities so that the district can "put the spotlight" on deserving faculty and staff!
Thanks,
Brian
Care & Compassion Nominees
Below we are featuring two colleagues who had been nominated several times for the care and compassion that they demonstrate.
Pauline McGuire - ESP at the Nichols Middle School
Another nomination stated that “Pauline is always willing to help any teacher, regardless of her being part of their class or not. She gives honest incite regarding situation with students/others, and always gives her time to support ANY teacher in need.”
Pauline’s five nominations clearly demonstrated that she goes above and beyond to support every student, in every classroom, every day. Thank you and congratulations, Pauline!
Mary Tumavicus - School Adjustment Counselor at Middleborough High School
Mary T. certainly creates a culture of well-being by positively impact the social-emotional growth and well-being of our students and staff at the high school. Thank you and congratulations, Mary T!
Open Enrollment for Benefits
Hello everyone, Happy Spring! When you think Spring you should also think open enrollment.
Please be sure to keep an eye out for information that will be coming out about your benefits package so that you can add or change benefits as needed.
Thanks,
Sarah
Communication with Families
I was recently listening to a webinar that reviewed a survey on school culture and included responses from school staff, parents, and students. The presenter noted at the outset that parent involvement is a major factor in student success and that parent perception of a school can drive reputation. When I think of parent/guardian perception one issue immediately jumps out at me: communication. Parents and guardians only know what we as a school community shares with them. How and when we choose to communicate with them undoubtedly shapes what they think of our school district. As you all know, communication takes on several forms in the school context ranging from email, to oral communication, to non-verbal communication. In revisiting a professional development I have given on communication with families, I can offer you some quick tips for how to effectively communicate with families:
1. You don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression. Do not wait to communicate with families until something is wrong. If a parent or guardian already knows your name and/or what you do with their son/daughter, they will be more apt to absorb your message because a relationship has already been established.
2. Save the toughest conversations for oral and/or face to face conversations. I realize that these methods are the toughest to schedule but it is critical to consider how to deliver a difficult message as well as the difficult message itself. By choosing to speak or meet with the family, you eliminate the guesswork of tone and benefit from the visual experience of non-verbal communication. Additionally, this added effort demonstrates to the family that their son or daughter is important to you.
3. Families will more readily accept a tough reality if they feel you will help them through it. No one wants to be judged. Regardless of what you personally think of the situation in front of you, a student needs our help. Communicating with families without using words of judgment helps build trust and relationships that ultimately benefit our students.
I hope you find these tips helpful as we make our way through the ides of March. If you are interested in the longer version of this presentation, please contact me and I would be happy to share it with you.
Thanks for reading,
Carolyn
Individual Professional Development Plan Information
- Tuesday, April 2nd at 3:15PM in the Third Floor Meeting Room at MECC
- Wednesday, April 3rd at 2:00PM in the MHS Library
- Tuesday, April 9th at 2:30PM in room A306 at NMS
- Thursday, April 11th at 3:30PM in the HBB Computer Lab
Thanks,
Melanie
About Us
"...to foster a culture of excellence within every student, in every classroom, every day."
Email: MPSadmin@middleboro.k12.ma.us
Website: https://www.middleboro.k12.ma.us/
Location: 30 Forest Street, Middleborough, MA 02346
Phone: (508)946-2000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MiddleboroughPublicSchools/
Twitter: @MiddleboroPS