Haysville - 2nd Team Visit

Another INCREDIBLE day with another district visit with my Kansas Teacher of the Year team! We started out with breakfast & met the district superintendent. Jumped on the bus & went to one of the most artsy, reader-friendly schools I've ever seen! Art and books everywhere, even in the cafeteria!

 Then to a middle school with a HUGE art room and a state-of-the-art recording studio they call "Gorilla TV". Holy cow!

Then to a high school where students run not only their own coffee shop, but a bank. 

Then it was off to a super colorful grade school filled with color & shape. Notice that the hallway photos show a color & shape, which is repeated all the way down the hall, right down to the lights! 

Here's my notes from the day. I don't have a team picture yet for the day, but I'll post one as soon as I get it. If you have any specific questions on what was going on in my notes just ask for details!

Service Center (Superintendent Dr. John Burke)

• Welcome, breakfast, gifts
• “Good is the Enemy of Great” – Superintendent’s quote

Freeman Elementary School (Principal Dr. Donna Ferguson)

• Punk Your Parent – call parent from principal’s office (positive rewards)
• Library (Shelly Davis) – WOW. Just WOW. Gorgeous, overwhelming. Makerspace
• Music – drums (super cool!)
• Books all around school with seating areas - very inviting with paper machete trees, couches
• Computer Lab (Natalie Johnson)

o   all wall papers are color coded & numbered based on computer

o   Code.org, Lightbot, tinker software

• 5th Grade Reading centers (Nicole Harkins)

o   each group doing something different

o   game on following directions, listening

Tri-City (Principal Gina Keirns) & Haysville HS (Principal Mark Foster)

• Student ambassadors met us at door & gave us tour
• Teachers give out tickets that can be redeemed for prizes
• Putting in a disc golf course
• Zero hour classes
• Gym - letter stickers scattered around gym - students run & tap out their name or spelling words8/

Haysville West Middle School (Principal Ildo Martins)

• Spirit wear available for purchase in office
• Capturing Kids Hearts – reinterated again on how awesome a program it is
• New staff paid for mentoring days – 8 days prior to school starting
• Science Room (Shawna Tinich)– Interactive notebooks & foldables
• Walk the Walls to know what’s going on in a classroom
• Tiered Instruction for classes – change accommodations when kids need it, not just at 9 weeks

Campus High (Principal Myron Regier)

• Lunch provided by Mrs. Tamson’s class
• Coffee Shop & Bank tour (Mr. Kliewer & Mrs. Holmes)

o   Completely student run

o   Students have to interview to help run these businesses

o   Coffee shop $50,000 loan from board, paying it back in 6 years

o   Profits – scholarships $2500 & $1000, Winter Wishes (buy stuff for kids/families in need), Charities, helping school clubs

• Sports Medicine (Mr.Munk) – learning CPR, athletic trainer
• AVID (Mr. Lolling)) – designed for students in the middle

Ruth Clark Elementary (Principal Carla Wulf)

• Bulletin Board – Goals for School Year, Focus on the Positive
• Teamwork Works – students can run laps. Top 5 times in each grade posted. T-shirts2earned for running X # of miles1
• Blue Ribbon School

o   Blue Day Celebration – blue t-shirts (school shirts), blue spaghetti, get in blue ribbon shape outside & photograph with drone

• Focus on the Positive – students nominated & get to write their name on the board (positive reinforcement)