Rounding the Corner to Opening Day

2017.8.27

Rounding the Corner to Opening Day

“Outtakes”. A snippet of thoughts to kick off this blog post:

The eclipse was not only awesome, but it restored a bit of faith in humanity.

NCPS is a well-oiled machine of educational excellence.

What I am looking forward to putting into practice, or continuing:

Staying positive. Spreading positivity.

Meeting A LOT of new people this week.

Quote(s) that resonated with me this week:

Expect the unexpected.

The week started out wrapping up some loose ends and preparing for upcoming meetings throughout the week (more on that soon). Anyone who has been in education for quite some time has learned that you must expect the unexpected. This was true this week as there were some unexpected staff changes. The response from the principal, superintendent, and central office team was impressive. The response from the NCHS teachers who pitched in to adjust schedules, provide coverage, and lend a helping hand where necessary was nothing short of amazing. I got to experience firsthand, many skills that we are trying to teach our students as they develop into not just scholars, but global citizens. The skills of communication, teamwork, creativity, problem-solving, adaptability, flexibility, and professionalism were all employed. This is yet another reason I am grateful for this opportunity to work, learn, and grow in the NCPS system.

This topic may seem tangential in an academic related blog, but it is worth noting. Monday closed out with the long anticipated solar eclipse. Typically, when something is surrounded with this much hype, the end result is often disappointing. While we only experienced approximately 65% of the full eclipse, the cosmic sight was impressive. With that being said, my favorite part of the day was how positive everyone was. Not just in New Canaan. Not just in Connecticut. Everywhere. It was a terrific break from all that negativity that we are inundated with on a daily basis in the news and through many other outlets. Everyone was talking about how cool the eclipse was. People were sharing their sweet looking eclipse glasses with friends, colleagues, and total strangers all across the country (us included). Thanks to Science Department Chair, Tim Haag, for sharing some glasses with us before he left to witness the totality in TN. We need more of this positivity in our lives and it hopefully will not take until the next eclipse for it to happen (which by the way, takes place on April 8, 2024).

Over the course of the next few days, the district put on meetings for new staff. While I have been “on the job” for almost a couple of months, I was filled with the same excitement as the rest of the new staff. We were welcomed with some delicious breakfast and lunch options arranged through our district food service provider (who is also new) and her staff. They certainly made a good first impression.

Now down to business. The professional preparation for new staff included a look at the Teacher Evaluation & Professional Learning (TEPL) plan, the Parent-Faculty Association (PFA), Special Education, crisis response, curriculum overview, Title IX, technology, and much more. All stakeholders were represented or discussed. Each topic was presented by an in-district professional. This was effective in helping put a face to a name and district responsibility as well as an opportunity for each professional to share their passion with the new staff. It is worth noting that the entire central office staff was present throughout the multi-day program, even when they were not presenting. The same was true for building administrators from across the district. This sends a strong message of professionalism, full investment, and cohesiveness within the NCPS system.

On Thursday (8/24), I had to opportunity to meet with Todd White, the CEO of PhocuseD on Learning, LLC. This session was to calibrate best practices in methods of effective teaching evaluation as I transition from one district to another and begin teacher observations. It was a nice opportunity to collaborate with colleagues and discuss thoughts, ideas and methods that will be effective in providing the best support possible for staff at NCHS. This was effective in-district professional development and I look forward to continuing this work in meetings and classroom visitations throughout the year.

The remainder of the week was filled with building meetings, epi-pen training, building tours, facility preparation and meeting with some parents to discuss the upcoming school year. To say that I am looking forward to the arrival of the students on Wednesday (8/30) would be an understatement. Here is to wishing everyone out there a tremendous start to the 2017-18 school year!

Please feel free to contact or follow me:

Twitter: @DavidGusitsch

Blog: https://davidgusitsch.blogspot.com/

Email: david.gusitsch@ncps-k12.org

Orange Frog Workshop

2017.8.18

The Orange Frog Workshop

“Outtakes”. A snippet of thoughts to kick off this blog post:

Mindset does matter.

How you approach a situation does impact the outcome. (E + R = O - Events + Response = Outcome)

What I am looking forward to putting into practice, or continuing:

Home: every evening before bed, I ask my kids to share one thing they are grateful for and one thing that made them happy that day. This is building their positive neural networks in their brain.

Work: recognize, acknowledge, celebrate instances of positivity. Embrace the change and be a catalyst.

A couple of quotes that resonated with me this week:

“Fear of failure is the enemy of innovation.”

“You are only as happy as you make your mind up to be” ~ Lincoln

For two days this week, administrators for the New Canaan (CT) Public Schools attended an administrative retreat. I have attended many administrative professional development events over the years. This practice may be typical for school districts across the country, but this was not your typical PD. This was a Happiness Advantage, Orange Frog Workshop. The tagline was “Leading Positive Results!”. I liked it already.

To begin the workshop, our trainer JJ got us up with a little activity to get a boost of dopamine and get everyone feeling good and in the mood to actively participate. Next, we were instructed to pull out our cell phones and send a quick message to someone who would not be expecting it as a practice in “random acts of kindness”. This was followed by a little lesson on the brain chemicals dopamine, serotonin, endorphins (& oxytocin) and how they make us feel and perform. Neuroscience. I love it. The cool part about the texting activity was that positive responses to the texts kept coming in throughout the morning and JJ made sure to have people share.

 

Once we were hooked, we dove into the workbook and had some rich conversations with our tablemates. I was seated with five other assistant principals and coordinators from across the district. Although we spanned all grade levels K-12, we were all able to relate to how this positive psychology could benefit us, our schools, our staff, and most importantly, our students.  A theme that was present throughout the workshop was to always consider ways to include the “human element” in everything that we do. Remember, we teach students, not just content. These are physiological and psychological needs that we are discussing and it matters how we package what we do. “It’s not always what you say, it’s how you say it…” comes to mind for me.

As we discussed values and principles that worked in the business sector and in education, we were exposed to quotes, anecdotes and video clips that supported the philosophy and research. Some of these will be included at the end. One value that stood out to me was, “Creative Construction”. This value represented a strategy to help avoid the negativity that impedes brainstorming or progress. You know, the “what if…” strategy so many people employ. Creative Construction is when an idea is shared, you must build upon it and you can not shoot it down. This turns the “why we can’t” conversation into “ways that we can”. My translation: Find. A. Way.

Another strategy was the orange card that could be created to be held up during a meeting to signal a conversation is going in the wrong direction (like a yellow card in soccer). This may take some time for appropriate buy-in, but could be effective (and fun). The “Parking Lot” is something that I have seen used in workshops before and it is effective. If a topic gets off agenda, you can acknowledge the thoughts or feelings of someone, put it in the parking lot to be revisited at a later time and redirect back to the agenda topic(s).   

Overall, this workshop was well worth it and from what I could tell, was enjoyed by all participants. I have always tried to operate on the positive end of the spectrum, but this puts science-based research behind why this is important. The more we discuss these strategies, the more common it will become to see people putting positivity into action. Thank you to NCPS Central Office for recognizing the importance of positive leadership and leading by example!

Maybe we can arrange a trip to Google or Zappos to do some more research. We can dream, right?! Moonshot thinking moves programs forward… :)

Check out some of the videos that were used/shared:

What is the Happiness Advantage?: Shawn Achor whiteboard talk…

“Get Happy”: VW Super Bowl commercial (quick, funny, will definitely put a smile on your face)

Here are some related resources and a few final thoughts:

Simon Sinek TED talk - Start w/Why

Tim Ferriss interview w/Derek Sivers (started CD Baby) - selling cd’s w/a personal note (funny, can’t help but chuckle)

Here is the crowdsourced motivational video doc (thanks to all who participated)!

https://goo.gl/VdHDLS

Questions to ponder to incorporate positivity into your day (or someone else’s)...:

Good things that have happened today; this week; this month; this year…

In the next two weeks, I am looking forward to…

Luckiest moment in my life…

Luckiest moment in the past year…

Luckiest moment yesterday…

Proudest accomplishment in the past year…

Power of the mind:

Medical School Syndrome

Related - think about how “news” is reported today and what this does to public perception. Is it representative of the actual good vs. bad/evil in the world? (I vote “no”...).

Growth mindset

Sometimes you have to “break it” to continue to improve.

Celebrate “purposeful risk-taking”.

A couple of pics from the workshop:

Please feel free to contact or follow me:

Twitter: @DavidGusitsch

Blog: https://davidgusitsch.blogspot.com/

Email: david.gusitsch@ncps-k12.org

Reflections on the new beginning...

2017.8.15

Reflections on the new beginning…

As I reflect on the first month “on the job”, I have much to be thankful for. To be honest, it was a difficult decision to leave my previous district and a job that I truly loved (a little more about that in my first blog entry, here). After transitioning, it did not take long to realize what I had thought all along, I have been blessed to have an opportunity in another amazing district. The experiences that I had and the professional relationships that I have built through an amazing professional learning network (PLN) from around the globe will continue to grow and span any discipline. This will allow me to best serve our most important stakeholder - our students.  

The first couple of weeks were filled with introductions, getting used to the new environment (physically and culturally), and learning new operating systems (purchasing, keys, student management, facilities, etc.). Taking tours of the building with different people allowed me to see and hear different perspectives. This was soon followed by venturing off by myself and doing it the way countless generations of students before me have done by “just figuring it out” (with a little help from my trusty laminated building map). This was a good introduction to my first project, building signage…

Interestingly, the building had been designed and numbered in a manner that has left many people confused and sometimes literally lost. Almost every person that I passed commented on the room number system. A few of my favorites were:

“The room numbers were designed to look like a Ram (school mascot) on the map”

“Nothing makes sense”

“The developers must have been products of the 60’s”

“Just ask for directions”

“Good luck trying to figure this building out”

After using sticky notes on the laminated map and mocking up several iterations of room numbers, arrows, and color schemes, I believe we have a product that will be helpful to any newcomer in the building (students, parents, staff, visitors, etc.). A huge “thanks” goes out to parent volunteers, teachers who were around over the summer, maintenance staff, administrative assistants, and fellow administrators who all provided feedback and advice to polish each version.

Another observation is that NCHS is a valued asset in the community. The projects that have been taking place over the summer are nothing short of amazing. There are new turf fields being installed, a new track (and interior field) replacement, student & faculty recognition display cases, and outdoor plantings as part of the ongoing beautification project. This is beyond the tremendous job the maintenance staff has done getting the building ready for approximately 1,500 students and staff in a couple of weeks.

In an effort to increase communication and provide insight to the great occurrences at New Canaan High School, I worked with the Principal (Mr. Egan) to put together a slideshow that will be updated regularly, displayed on the school website, and shown on the television network throughout the school. It is pretty slick and you can check it out on the NCHS website.  

A quick side note and shout out to that amazing, aforementioned PLN… In searching for some motivational videos to consider for the opening staff meeting, there were 30+ responses to a simple

Tweet asking what videos people had seen that motivated or fired them up professionally. If you are interested, you can find the list here. It included responses that capture grit, resilience, creativity, & inspiration and came from people across the country and overseas. Thank you!

If all of the above did not convince you of the type of place this is, check out some of the pics as I left on the first day:

Sometimes subtle hints are enough to convince you that you have landed in the right place. The fact that the NCHS Chamber Orchestra played a song from arguably one of my favorite bands of all time during the 2017 graduation, was just that:

This entry is a little longer than I expect in the future. If you made it this far, thank you!

With all of the above being said, I am looking forward to the coming weeks and the reason that any of us got into education in the first place - meeting those students I mentioned in the opening paragraph!

Please feel free to contact or follow me:

Twitter: @DavidGusitsch

Blog: https://davidgusitsch.blogspot.com/

Email: david.gusitsch@ncps-k12.org

NCHS Welcome - Gusitsch

July 6, 2017

Dear NCHS Community,

I hope that your summer is off to an amazing start. My name is David Gusitsch and I am honored to have been named as the new Assistant Principal at New Canaan High School. I am excited to serve the community in this capacity, look forward to meeting everyone, and most importantly, working with the students of NCHS.

Because family is important, I would like to share a little bit on a personal level. My wife Amy and I are celebrating our fifteenth wedding anniversary this July. Amy also works in education having taught fourth grade in Wilton and now as a math interventionist in Bethel. Our children love school and stay active in extracurriculars year round. For the upcoming school year, Ellie will be entering seventh grade, Brooke will be entering fifth grade, and Nicholas will be entering first grade. As a family, we enjoy skiing, kayaking, hiking, and fishing at Huntington State Park, which is down the road from us. We are all looking forward to our upcoming visit to Lake Winnipesaukee (NH) toward the end of July where we visit with friends, recreate, and recharge from the wonders of nature that the lake has to offer.   

On a professional level, I am entering my eighteenth year working in education. My background includes working in Illinois and Connecticut and experiences with students, staff, and stakeholders at all levels, PK-12. Most recently, I served in an administrative capacity as the District Coordinator for health and physical education for the community of Westport. During my time in Westport, the program was recognized nationally as one that was innovative, implemented best practices, and incorporated latest research, trends, and technology. Some of our work was instrumental in highlighting the brain-body connection and bringing movement based learning into all classrooms, at all levels. This research was well received and contributed to the collaborative approach of educating the whole child and providing a well rounded educational experience for students in any discipline.

At NCHS, I look forward to getting involved in all facets of the school community. A priority for me includes maintaining the social-emotional needs of students and the positive school culture. I will continue to encourage and support a healthy balance between academics, the arts, athletics, clubs, and activities. New Canaan High School is one of the premier public high schools in the country, located in a wonderful community. I intend to contribute to this great legacy while learning, growing, and evolving together.

Wishing each of you a happy, healthy, rejuvenating summer,

David Gusitsch

NCHS Assistant Principal

Here is a family picture from the recent Wilton HS graduation (June, 2017). From left to right are: Me, Brooke, Ellie, Nicholas, and Amy.