Blogs
A Strong Bond
If you are in the market for a good movie you might have never seen, check out The Straight Story. I recently rewatched this favorite film of mine. The main character is a senior citizen (Alvin Straight) who decides to travel from Iowa to Wisconsin to visit his estranged brother. Because of his ailments, he… Continue Reading A Strong Bond
Every Penny Counts for Mineral Point Excellence in Education
This fall, Mineral Point Elementary School is facilitating a coin drive fundraiser. Money raised through this effort will go toward the Mineral Point Excellent in Education organization. This is an endowment fund. Dollars raised are invested. The returns on these investments are then allocated for teachers and schools to use toward learning resources and experiences… Continue Reading Every Penny Counts for Mineral Point Excellence in Education
Elementary School Family Event – Popcorn and a Movie
One of our district’s new strategic plan goals is community engagement. According to Wikipedia, community engagement can be defined as “the practice of moving communities toward change.” One of our efforts at the elementary level is to provide opportunities for families to engage in fun and/or educational activities with their children and each other. Building… Continue Reading Elementary School Family Event – Popcorn and a Movie
The Driver’s Seat
With a year under my belt and feeling more comfortable each day in my position as principal here, I am starting to find more time to engage in fun activities. One thing I enjoy is producing digital media of my family’s life captured on camera. Right now I am putting together images and video in… Continue Reading The Driver’s Seat
Couldn’t Be Prouder
On Monday, the Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance held a luncheon in Wisconsin Dells and awarded a teacher, community member, school board member, administrator, and support staff person from around the state the Rural School’s Person of the Year Award. I was humbled to learn that I was selected as the Rural School District Administrator of… Continue Reading Couldn’t Be Prouder
My experience with F.A.S.T. – Families & Schools Together
Earlier this week, the district shared information about a new parent involvement program called F.A.S.T. It stands for Families & Schools Together. Parents and guardians of Mineral Point School students are encouraged to sign up for this opportunity. This program was offered at my last school where I was the principal. In my experience observing… Continue Reading My experience with F.A.S.T. – Families & Schools Together
Digging into Nonfiction
After administering assessments with our students in the fall, we look for two things: areas to celebrate and areas in which to grow. Our celebrations are many, including and not limited to 84% of our students coming into school where they should be as readers, as well as over 90% of 5th grade students proficient… Continue Reading Digging into Nonfiction
When You Get What You Want, You Lose What You Have
by Luke Francois, Ed.D. Mineral Point is a destination school district. A destination school district to me is a place where, when given choices, families choose to send their children and employees prefer to work. Evidence that Mineral Point is a destination district– In recent years, the number of students open enrolling out is trending… Continue Reading When You Get What You Want, You Lose What You Have
Mineral Point Elementary Homecoming Parade Update
The Mineral Point Homecoming Parade will take place on Thursday, September 28 at 6:15 PM on High Street. To make this event a success WE NEED YOUR HELP. Thank you to those who have already volunteered. Lead Volunteers will report to Water Tower Park by 5:45 and be the point of contact for the grade level they are volunteering… Continue Reading Mineral Point Elementary Homecoming Parade Update
Raising an iGen
In an article for The Atlantic, professor of psychology Jean Twenge offers some stark information about the effects of smartphones on our youngest generation. Referring to this group as “iGen”, these teens and preteens have lived their lives largely with the inclusion of mobile devices available everywhere. Here are a few statistics Dr. Twenge shares… Continue Reading Raising an iGen