I have been accused, and probably just so, for mostly posting the negatives stories about IPS. Of course I don't intend it that way, it just happens to be a stress reliever.
Well, today I heard some information that made me extremely proud to be an IPS parent and Board Member. My son started a new school last week. Today his music teacher called me to ask if he had an instrument at home. He signed up to play the violin, and though I own one it is not the right size. Through this brief conversation with his teacher I found out that there weren't enough instruments for the children to take home for practice. She said they will try and get more. I asked how do they try and get more. And she said through grants or scholarships. I remember some budget cuts a few months back in the music department and I was extremely concerned about this kind of issue arising. The Superintendent assured me there were plenty of instruments and people just needed to call him. So I did. I left a message.
In the mean time, I found a great place that sold and rented instruments, including violins. The deal was too good to pass up, so we are now equipped with a tiny violin. Seriously, a great deal. I chatted with the owner while he rang me up. I told him my daughter's school doesn't start instrumental music until 5th grade, and I felt lucky that my son could start in 2nd. He then told me that Warren Township doesn't start until7th because of budget restraints. I have not verified this information yet, but I was very pleased that IPS has fought for keeping the music in the schools. We have several programs that start younger than 5th grade for instrumental music!!!!!
Once I retuend home from errand running I received a call from the Super. I told him the situation, and reminded him what he said. He didn't hesitate to look into the matter and help.
Now, I am not just calling because this was my son's school. I would call for any school. In fact, now that we have an instrument here for him, there is no concern for us.
Anyway, these little moments remind me of the great programs and opportunities IPS has to offer.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
First Day of School, First Day of School, First Day of School.....
And by now many of you should be thinking of a little orange fish jumping around an anemone.
Monday was the first day of school for IPS students. My kids go to IPS. There's something about the first day of school. An excitement for the unknown. This year was a big one for our family especially for my son who started a new school.
Every year we take our kids out to breakfast on the first day. For some reason we were just pushing the clock this year. We head to our favorite breakfast spot downtown, fill our meters. Two meters, we had to drive separate. And we get to the front door to read the sign saying the restaurant is closed until Tuesday. C.R.A.P. We find another place to eat, figure out parking as all our change is now gone. We had an enjoyable meal and our kids make it to school on time and everything worked out. Even if my son got syrup all over his white polo, it still worked out.
They both walked out of the house with stuffed backpacks, new and still clean lunch boxes, bright polos, and eager faces. Pictures were taken. The teachers were ready, waiting, and greeting everyone with a warm smile and a "welcome back." It really is an exciting time. Everyone gets a fresh start. I remember starting the new year, thinking this was it, the year I keep my Trapper Keeper organized. I never did, but that first day I believed I could.
I heard of some glitches with the buses, but overall I have heard the first few days went really well. I hope everyone had a good experience and feel free to share either way.
Thank you to all of the teachers who work so hard at setting up their rooms and getting it all ready for our children!
Monday was the first day of school for IPS students. My kids go to IPS. There's something about the first day of school. An excitement for the unknown. This year was a big one for our family especially for my son who started a new school.
Every year we take our kids out to breakfast on the first day. For some reason we were just pushing the clock this year. We head to our favorite breakfast spot downtown, fill our meters. Two meters, we had to drive separate. And we get to the front door to read the sign saying the restaurant is closed until Tuesday. C.R.A.P. We find another place to eat, figure out parking as all our change is now gone. We had an enjoyable meal and our kids make it to school on time and everything worked out. Even if my son got syrup all over his white polo, it still worked out.
They both walked out of the house with stuffed backpacks, new and still clean lunch boxes, bright polos, and eager faces. Pictures were taken. The teachers were ready, waiting, and greeting everyone with a warm smile and a "welcome back." It really is an exciting time. Everyone gets a fresh start. I remember starting the new year, thinking this was it, the year I keep my Trapper Keeper organized. I never did, but that first day I believed I could.
I heard of some glitches with the buses, but overall I have heard the first few days went really well. I hope everyone had a good experience and feel free to share either way.
Thank you to all of the teachers who work so hard at setting up their rooms and getting it all ready for our children!
Anything Goes
I have so much to blog about but I will start with the meeting last night with Indiana Superintendent of schools Tony Bennett. This meeting was set up for the IPS school Board to speak with Dr. Bennett about the 6 schools that remain on the takeover list. Not all six schools will necesarily be "taken over" but all 6 will have intervention of some kind.
Tony Bennett rightly criticized the IPS school board in his opening comments. He used words such as "disheartened" and "frustrating" when he shared his feelings on the board waiting until August 8th to hold this meeting, just a few weeks away from his proposal to the state board. Dr. Bennett went into a few details about other school boards and how they reached out to him early on, and became integrated into this process. We did not.
The main points of the discussion were Dr. White saying the state should not count the 7th and 8th graders test scores at the community H.S.'s because they lowered the overall results of the high school students. If removed the high schools would have made it off probation. Tony Bennett countered with the argument that if Dr. White believed this to be the case, why is he waiting until this moment, the last minute, to appeal that formula. Why not bring this up 2 years ago or 6 years ago. Also there are 144 other community schools that follow the same criteria and they are not on the failing list.
The IPS Board members asked questions throughout the meeting. Some very good questions, and some....other questions. Near the end of the meeting I shared some thoughts. I thought the public should know that a few of the board members were interested in meeting with Dr. Bennett months ago. However the majority of the board wouldn't support it. I told Tony Bennett that should not be an excuse. I'm not sure how people took what I said, but I meant it should have not been an excuse for me to stop trying. Nothing prevented me from picking up the phone and calling Dr. Bennett myself. He is a very approachable person. But I didn't do it. I admitted last night that I was embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry.
That statement from me caused some issues. I was told I threw the other board members under the bus. I was told I was unprofessional. I was told I was an embarrassment. The fact is, none of that is true. I told the truth and they don't like it. Those board members made the decision to not meet with Dr. Bennett. I didn't make it for them, I just informed the public. I believe the public has a right to know. I also admitted that I was wrong as well.
So what now? Dr. White has appealed to the State Board regarding the 7th and 8th graders result. We should hear back from that in two weeks. Also the meeting that the state board will take a vote on our 6 years will be on August 29 and August 30 at 9am.
Tony Bennett rightly criticized the IPS school board in his opening comments. He used words such as "disheartened" and "frustrating" when he shared his feelings on the board waiting until August 8th to hold this meeting, just a few weeks away from his proposal to the state board. Dr. Bennett went into a few details about other school boards and how they reached out to him early on, and became integrated into this process. We did not.
The main points of the discussion were Dr. White saying the state should not count the 7th and 8th graders test scores at the community H.S.'s because they lowered the overall results of the high school students. If removed the high schools would have made it off probation. Tony Bennett countered with the argument that if Dr. White believed this to be the case, why is he waiting until this moment, the last minute, to appeal that formula. Why not bring this up 2 years ago or 6 years ago. Also there are 144 other community schools that follow the same criteria and they are not on the failing list.
The IPS Board members asked questions throughout the meeting. Some very good questions, and some....other questions. Near the end of the meeting I shared some thoughts. I thought the public should know that a few of the board members were interested in meeting with Dr. Bennett months ago. However the majority of the board wouldn't support it. I told Tony Bennett that should not be an excuse. I'm not sure how people took what I said, but I meant it should have not been an excuse for me to stop trying. Nothing prevented me from picking up the phone and calling Dr. Bennett myself. He is a very approachable person. But I didn't do it. I admitted last night that I was embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry.
That statement from me caused some issues. I was told I threw the other board members under the bus. I was told I was unprofessional. I was told I was an embarrassment. The fact is, none of that is true. I told the truth and they don't like it. Those board members made the decision to not meet with Dr. Bennett. I didn't make it for them, I just informed the public. I believe the public has a right to know. I also admitted that I was wrong as well.
So what now? Dr. White has appealed to the State Board regarding the 7th and 8th graders result. We should hear back from that in two weeks. Also the meeting that the state board will take a vote on our 6 years will be on August 29 and August 30 at 9am.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Summer lovin' had me a blast
So, I haven't blogged in a bit. There are a few reasons for that.
1) My life. I love the summer with my kiddos. And as it winds down to an end I feel panicky and I want to spend as much time doing fun things together. Two of my kids attend IPS and start school on August 8th. This week we spent a lot of time buying school supplies and trying on uniforms. And to save you time- NO ONE has white poster board in stock. Trust me, I've looked.
2) There have been a lot of ups and downs with the school board lately. I have been a little negative to blog about the good, and a little too frustrated to blog about the bad.
So what's going on?
Budget-The budget will be advertised tonight. My hope is that there will be a way for the public to view the budget this year, as we were promised. Last year was a nightmare. However the board received the budget in full at least a week ago, maybe it was two weeks ago. A definite improvement from last year.
First Day- School starts August 8th. Bus assignments are going out. Though I had a little hiccup with mine. I had a concern of my bus stop placements for my children. THey are 4 blocks apart from one another, and ten minutes apart in pick up time, which I can't be at both places. One stop is a long walk, and over a working railroad. I called in to talk to someone about my options, and I called transportation like any parent would at 226-4500. My first operator was rude and short with me, unwilling to really listen. When I asked to speak to a supervisor I was told he was on the phone. I stated I would wait. Then I was told he was in a meeting. Long story short I was hung up on. Twice. Eventually I found a great person in transportation who helped me.
State Takeover- Now we know, 6 schools remain on state takeover list. Now this doesn't mean that all 6 will be taken, but all six will have some intervention from the state. They will decide what schools will have what kind of intervention at their board meeting at the end of August. Months ago a few board members shared an interest with the rest of the board in meeting with Tony Bennett. That idea wasn't 100% supported and was put off until after the hearings. After several more weeks of trying to move this along I think we are finally getting somewhere. More to come.......
Board Retreat - The Board and Dr White along with Dr. Giles spent a good chunk of the weekend at the board retreat. This is a great time to catch up on updates. We discussed the Gambold Preparatory H.S. that will open in the fall of 2012, district lines for school board members that will need to change, Budget Reductions, lots of other topics, and this blog. Yep, this blog.
One item we discussed was the IPS School Board Open House. This was my idea, though at the retreat it was said something has been done like this before. I sent an email out a few months ago with an ideas for a way to invite and encourage our parents and community members to attend a meeting and see who their representatives are and see what we do. I was thinking we could set up before the 7pm meeting with food, and give people time to meet their board members. Only 2 board members responded to the email. I brought it up in person as well. I was ignored. Seriously, Jr. High kind of ignoring. Bold faced ignoring. (part of the bad) However, when brought up at the retreat Dr. White was very supportive and offered much assistance in the planning. (part of the good) So set your calendars for October 25Th at 6pm!!!!
My energy- I have felt quite drained the last month or so with the school board. I think because while school is going on I get such enjoyment out of visiting schools and seeing the students. During the summer, it is mostly just the adults in IPS that I have been seeing. I really look forward to getting back in the routine as far as a being board member goes. But sad to say good bye to summer as far as being a mom goes.
1) My life. I love the summer with my kiddos. And as it winds down to an end I feel panicky and I want to spend as much time doing fun things together. Two of my kids attend IPS and start school on August 8th. This week we spent a lot of time buying school supplies and trying on uniforms. And to save you time- NO ONE has white poster board in stock. Trust me, I've looked.
2) There have been a lot of ups and downs with the school board lately. I have been a little negative to blog about the good, and a little too frustrated to blog about the bad.
So what's going on?
Budget-The budget will be advertised tonight. My hope is that there will be a way for the public to view the budget this year, as we were promised. Last year was a nightmare. However the board received the budget in full at least a week ago, maybe it was two weeks ago. A definite improvement from last year.
First Day- School starts August 8th. Bus assignments are going out. Though I had a little hiccup with mine. I had a concern of my bus stop placements for my children. THey are 4 blocks apart from one another, and ten minutes apart in pick up time, which I can't be at both places. One stop is a long walk, and over a working railroad. I called in to talk to someone about my options, and I called transportation like any parent would at 226-4500. My first operator was rude and short with me, unwilling to really listen. When I asked to speak to a supervisor I was told he was on the phone. I stated I would wait. Then I was told he was in a meeting. Long story short I was hung up on. Twice. Eventually I found a great person in transportation who helped me.
State Takeover- Now we know, 6 schools remain on state takeover list. Now this doesn't mean that all 6 will be taken, but all six will have some intervention from the state. They will decide what schools will have what kind of intervention at their board meeting at the end of August. Months ago a few board members shared an interest with the rest of the board in meeting with Tony Bennett. That idea wasn't 100% supported and was put off until after the hearings. After several more weeks of trying to move this along I think we are finally getting somewhere. More to come.......
Board Retreat - The Board and Dr White along with Dr. Giles spent a good chunk of the weekend at the board retreat. This is a great time to catch up on updates. We discussed the Gambold Preparatory H.S. that will open in the fall of 2012, district lines for school board members that will need to change, Budget Reductions, lots of other topics, and this blog. Yep, this blog.
One item we discussed was the IPS School Board Open House. This was my idea, though at the retreat it was said something has been done like this before. I sent an email out a few months ago with an ideas for a way to invite and encourage our parents and community members to attend a meeting and see who their representatives are and see what we do. I was thinking we could set up before the 7pm meeting with food, and give people time to meet their board members. Only 2 board members responded to the email. I brought it up in person as well. I was ignored. Seriously, Jr. High kind of ignoring. Bold faced ignoring. (part of the bad) However, when brought up at the retreat Dr. White was very supportive and offered much assistance in the planning. (part of the good) So set your calendars for October 25Th at 6pm!!!!
My energy- I have felt quite drained the last month or so with the school board. I think because while school is going on I get such enjoyment out of visiting schools and seeing the students. During the summer, it is mostly just the adults in IPS that I have been seeing. I really look forward to getting back in the routine as far as a being board member goes. But sad to say good bye to summer as far as being a mom goes.
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