PFA Meeting, Class of 2020

2017.10.13

PFA Meeting, Class of 2020

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

Academics and GPA are critically important in a school. So are the other domains that make up the whole-child, and their personal experience.

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

Supporting academic growth while considering the social-emotional needs of students.

Quote(s) that resonated with me this week:

It’s all perspective. Think about growth mindset. “Instead of…, try thinking…”

Tuesday, October 10th was my first opportunity to speak directly to parents of the class that I am working with for the next three years, the Class of 2020. The NCHS PFA (@nchs_pfa) held the tenth-grade Networking Meeting and the title of the meeting was “The Academic Roadmap and Understanding GPA”. Before getting into specific details on the meeting, it is necessary to acknowledge the tremendous job that the PFA does and the service that they provide for all stakeholders within the NCHS school community. Thank you! If you are interested in learning more or would like to join, please click on this link.

Now, back to the meeting… It was well advertised and well attended with some estimates north of 90 people. Director of School Counselor, Cindy Rivera and I spoke to the crowd and discussed topics that are relevant to the class of 2020, and their parents. Feel free to check out the presentation, here. In addition to the nuts and bolts of the academic and GPA portion of the presentation, one of my goals was to reiterate the message that we are focusing on a well-rounded education and educating the whole-child. Often times, the academic components overshadow the ever-important social-emotional and physical needs of our students. There are so many opportunities for students to feel connected, grow their passions, and develop and mature in all domains, at their own pace.

Each child has an individual roadmap to their success. The professional staff in the counseling suite is trained to learn about, assist, and navigate students with their personal journey. This is sometimes a challenge to effectively communicate to each attendee with such a broad, important topic as this one. My hope is that parents who read this will maintain that open line of communication between their child, their counselor, and their teachers. If there are specific questions, please contact your child’s counselor. They are terrific and always willing to help. My goal is always to support all students in this journey, regardless of the path they may take to get there.

New Canaan High School is a special place, in a special community. The care, consideration, and support for a quality education are evident almost everywhere. There are many moving parts that make this school as successful as it is. I am honored to be one small cog in this machine.       

Please feel free to contact or follow me:

Twitter: @DavidGusitsch

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

Email: david.gusitsch@ncps-k12.org

Stakeholder blog series (1 of 4) - Meet the Parents

2017.9.8

Stakeholder Blog Series (1 of 4)

Meet the Parents

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

When people (in this case, parents) care, and join forces, they are capable of amazing outcomes.

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

Looking for ways to continue to improve the already impressive campus and school community.

Quote(s) that resonated with me this week:

Details matter. Pay attention to the details in everything that you do.

The blog this week will kick off a four week series on stakeholders in education. This has been exciting to think about because it factors in all of the moving parts that make an educational system operate. EdTechReview defines a stakeholder as follows:

“A stakeholder is anyone who is involved in the welfare and success of a school and its students, including administrators, teachers, staff, students, parents, community members, school board members, city councilors and state representatives”. ( EdTechReview)

For the purpose of this series, we will focus on four specific groups of stakeholders: parents, community, faculty and staff, and of course, our biggest asset, students. As an educator as well as a parent of three school aged children (Ellie, G7; Brooke, G5, Nicholas, G1), I will consider both perspectives throughout the series. Without further adieu, let us “Meet the Parents”.   

To say that New Canaan High School is a special place would be an understatement. This school is supported and held in high regard by all stakeholders. The investments of time, money, work and volunteerism that go into NCHS demonstrate the desire to provide the best overall experience for the students of New Canaan.

It did not take long to see these investments in action through the work of the amazing Parent Faculty Association at NCHS. Be sure to check out their site, here, or on Twitter at @nchs_pfa. I came on board in the midst of a fairly significant beautification project that has improved the overall look and feel of the physical plant. Pictures speak louder than words and you can see some of their efforts below.

Between outdoor plantings, banners, signage, comfortable seating, a suitable base for the school mascot (Ram), welcoming & informational events, staff appreciation, and much more, the PFA has transformed what was a fine learning institution into a fine learning institution with an amazingly positive feel. This makes a big difference. It instills pride and ownership in students and staff. This all translates into a more comfortable learning environment. A lot of science and research go into making spaces pleasant or suitable to the specific intent of an organization, or simply branding (this is why fast food restaurants use certain colors and furniture to increase sales). Think about stepping foot onto a college campus that has a sense of pride in their campus. School colors are prominent. There are attractive signs that help you navigate your way around. There are comfortable seating areas that invite you to relax, or study, or socialize. There are banners celebrating the school and all of its areas or offerings. All of this helps tighten the academic, social-emotional, and physical loop of a school.  

Without the efforts and investments of the parents in the NCHS community, none of this would be possible. I believe that students appreciate what they have here. I also know that when NCHS students leave here and speak with friends who did not attend NCHS, they will truly know how fortunate they are to have a parent base as committed as the NCHS PFA. Thank you for all that you do!

Please feel free to contact or follow me:

Twitter: @DavidGusitsch

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

Email: david.gusitsch@ncps-k12.org

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