Friday Updates

January 9, 2015

Dennis R. Kergick

Panther Valley School District

Happy New Year! Greetings and welcome back to school. I hope that all of you enjoyed the break and were able to spend some quality time with your family and friends. The New Year brings a refreshing opportunity to make some resolutions, to change our mindset, to be thankful for our blessings. The focus of the second semester will be on the reconfiguration process and making PV the very best it and we can be.

Thought for the Week

“An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.” Bill Vaughn

It is all in the way that we approach things. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? I know that is a loaded question. If we experienced a bad year or had some negative experiences we may have pessimistic view of the world. If we had a good year with some pleasurable experiences we may be optimistic. Please realize that many of our students may have similar experiences.

As an optimist I seek to make all of our jobs doable and positive. Once again, what approach can we adopt in order to make PV a better place for student learning? Innovation is key in moving forward. We all need to be receptive to changing the way we have always done things.

Beth Holland writes; according to Oxford Dictionaries, innovate means "to make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products." This definition fits nicely with what is being asked of educators -- to integrate new technologies, practices, and concepts into the classroom. As teachers, however, we also have to ask the question: why? We need to ensure that these changes are to the direct benefit of our students. She adds that, for that reason, I prefer Scott Berkun's definition: "Innovation is significant positive change."

Be optimistic, take chances, be the key to positive change!

Special Choral Presentation at PVES from December 23rd. A picture is worth a thousand words. Great job Mrs. Mim Hoffer and the chorus!

Panther Valley High School

Prior to the holiday break the high school faculty and students participated in the annual Volleyball Tournament. The numerous activities that you provide serve the district well and the positive publicity helps to ensure that the students benefit from all of your hard work and commitment. The Christmas singers, shows and activities, the volleyball tournament all provided some welcome and needed relief from the daily grind. I deeply appreciate all of the hard work and patience that you exhibited during the preparation for the holiday season, and even more importantly, the students appreciated the efforts.

Tournament Champions "Smoking Kills"

FRONT: Matt Hudicka, Nate Miller, Anthony Micholik BACK: Hannah Hill, Jamey Mikovich, Kelsey Van Horn

Second Place team was "Can't Touch This"

Panther Valley Middle School

Looking Ahead....

January 7th - Tech Wizards

January 16th - End of Quarter 2

January 20th - 23rd - Study Island Benchmark Testing

January 23rd - Activity Day

January 28th - 6th Grade Class Meeting and Awards

January 29th - 7th Grade Class Meeting and Awards

January 30th - 8th Grade Class Meeting and Awards

2015 Resolutions

Did you make any new year’s resolutions? I usually do not because I fail to keep them. I do intend on trying harder this year to work with all of you to make PV the place that we all know that it can be! As I have said many times we are all in this together.

I did find this listing of New Year’s resolutions in an email that I received---

1. Listen without interrupting.

Become a great listener. That means no butting in, no rushing along, no asking questions until the speaker is done. Listen not to frame your own rebuttal but rather to genuinely understand. First seek to understand… 2. Smile without smirking. Smiling and warmth make others around you feel good. It seems simplistic, but smiling is a lost skill of sorts. Master it and you'll stand out. Take some time…LOOK at yourself…literally in the mirror…practice “the smile” 3. Speak without dictating. Speak and share your thoughts and ideas, but treat such conversations as a two-way street. Your voice and your wisdom have value, but set them forth in a way that respects the voice and wisdom of others in true dialogue. VALUE the person with whom you are speaking. 4. Give without receiving. As the adage says, we make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give. Don't keep score; give with a genuine heart, because it makes you happy…servant leadership. 5. Enjoy without complaining. Enjoy and be grateful for all that you have. It is gratitude that gives us the best reasons not to complain. A mindset of gratitude versus the greed of want pays dividends for the entire organization. 6. Trust without wavering. Trust, someone once said, is like an eraser--it gets smaller and smaller every time you have to use it. When we can offer others our sincere word and they know they can trust us, that's no small thing. Consistently doing what you've said you would do, and not doing what you've said you won't do, earns you a huge amount of trust. 7. Promise without forgetting. People with good intentions make promises; people with great character keep them. Keeping promises should be your highest priority--because when you give your word, there is no room to forget. Keep your promises. 8. Forgive without punishing. I believe there are two kinds of forgiveness: the kind that also gives the other person a chance, and the kind that forgives but still compels you to move on without that person. Either should be used wisely, and neither should be about punishment. The healthy way to forgive is whatever works best for you without punishing the other person. 9. Be honest without deceiving. The people we like the best are those who are honest, who follow their convictions and speak their truth. We like people who act on their beliefs. They may not always win, but you know what they stand for. 10. Be positive without reservation. Negative, angry people drag down everyone around them. Work on maintaining a positive attitude at work and in life. Make an effort to look for opportunities and solutions instead of barriers and problems. Whatever the situation, focus on what can be done.