The Principal's Office
Dexter Park Staff Weekly Roundup
Dexter Park Core Values
We believe that all students should feel:
- safe
- welcome
- respected
- successful
January 11th-15th, 2016
If you had an action-packed week like mine you are probably wondering where the week went. We are in the midst of getting some extremely important work done with kids, while also starting to think about and plan for the future. It is an exciting time to be a OES team member for sure.
On Wednesday, the leadership held our parent sessions to explain the new report cards. We had over 25 parents between the two sessions and I must say that the response was overwhelmingly positive. Parents were extremely grateful and appreciate of the new format and what it means for their child. We described all the work we are doing at OES around growth mindset and the connections to the new report card. The leadership is extremely proud of our educators, the important work you have taken on, and what it means for our students. We also want you to know that your work is being noticed, as I am receiving many calls and messages from principals nationwide, asking about our report cards and the process to make it happen.
Enjoy the 3 day weekend and continue being charismatic adults for the students at Dexter Park.
Go Pats!
Chris
DP Dance Party
4th Grade Researchers
STEM Students
Our Words for 2016
Authors' Share
DP Bowling Team
Upcoming Dates
January 18th: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 19th: Geography Bee @ 1:30
January 20th: Early release (Math PD at Petersham Center School @ 12:30)
January 22nd: Marks close
January 29th: Report cards sent home
EdCampNQ is Coming March 19th!
Quotes of the Week
“When I first saw the universe on the Hayden Planetarium dome [at age 9], I knew I wanted to commit my life to learning about it. You have no idea how deep my fuel tank was to resist a force in my way. This awesome view of the moon? Just added a gallon of fuel. Looking at Saturn for the first time buying my first telescope – more fuel. I’ve often reflected on the brilliant minds that didn’t make it because their fuel tanks didn’t go as deep.” Neil deGrasse Tyson in “Life’s Work” in Harvard Business Review, January-February, 2016, answering Alison Beard’s question about what made him persevere in science despite people who discouraged him; https://hbr.org/2016/01/neil-degrasse-tyson
“Like heavy-duty cognitive tasks, such as keeping multiple pieces of information in mind at once or avoiding distractions in a busy environment, empathy depletes our mental resources. So jobs that require constant empathy can lead to ‘compassion fatigue,’ an acute inability to empathize that’s driven by stress, and burnout, a more gradual and chronic version of this phenomenon.” Adam Waytz
“RTI is designed to remove the oh-so-human temptation to speculate and slowly mull over learning problems and instead spur teachers into action to improve learning, see if the actions worked, and make adjustments in a continuous loop.” Amanda VanDerHeyden et al.
“However, knowing what works and doing what works are two different endeavors. It is difficult for people to successfully follow diets, stick to budgets, and, yes, to implement RTI.” Amanda VanDerHeyden et al. (ibid.)
About Us
Email: christopherdodge@orange-elem.org
Website: http://dexterparkprincipal.blogspot.com/
Location: 3 Dexter Street, Orange, MA, United States
Phone: 978-544-6080
Facebook: facebook.com/dexterparkschool
Twitter: @PrincipalDodge1