Extended Learning

Students at Liberty have multiple ways to extend their learning beyond the regular school day. We currently have three web-based programs that provide extended opportunities for learning. These programs are Accelerated Reader, First in Math, and Study Island.

Accelerated Reader is a program that promotes reading. Students read books, preferably at their reading level, and have quizzes that gives them points according to book difficulty and length. We currently have two distinct incentive programs with Accelerated Reader. Students earn their way to point clubs, and they receive various incentives for their achievement throughout the school year. Also, students who earn fifteen points and answer 85% of their questions correctly each month receive an invitation to an ice cream party.

First in Math is a program that promotes math facts and problem solving in math. Students play different games that reinforce math computation and problem solving skills. They earn virtual stickers according to the difficulty of the problems solved. We currently have classroom and individual incentives with this program. For classroom incentives, the classroom at each grade level with the most stickers earned in a given month will win an ice cream party. For individual incentives, each classroom has a designated "Player of the Day' that gets to wear a lanyard identifying him/her as the player of the day. This student gets to go first in line at lunch and take a buddy with him/her.

Study Island is the newest of our web-based programs, but has the potential to be the most effective. This program provides standards-based games and activities for students in grades 2-6 in both language arts and mathematics. We are in the process of creating individual incentives with Study Island.

I encourage you to learn more about these three programs with your child. We are taking time in each of our next three parent meetings to show you how to navigate through these programs. The potential impact for these programs in regards to student learning is enormous. Please take advantage.

A New Year!

I can't believe we have begun the 2010-2011 school year already! It has been very exciting to see new and familiar faces at Liberty this past week. We have welcomed a couple of new staff members--Mrs. Mikels will be our Assistant Principal and Mrs. Doneff will be teaching a 3/4 class. Mrs. Mikels will be our half-time assistant principal, as we have to share her with Jackson Elementary. She is very knowledge in curriculum and instruction. She has been the assistant principal at Jefferson Elementary and Kennedy Elementary, and we are truly excited to welcome her to our staff. We will be able to learn many wonderful strategies from her. Mrs. Doneff comes to us from Magnolia Elementary. She has taught second and third grade in the District, and I am confident she will do a fine job here at Liberty.

Reminder: Back to School Night is Wednesday, September 1, beginning at 6:00. Hope to see you all there!

New Landscapes

Marcel Proust once said, "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes."

When we're on vacation, we have a heightened interest in everything around us. Our eyes are wide open. We try new things and visit new places. We are upbeat and optimistic. At home, we take many things for granted. Habit blinds us to discoveries that lie right before our eyes. We may never visit attractions that outsiders travel miles to see. We miss out on all sorts of opportunities because we're simply not looking for them.

No one is denying that these are difficult times in the midst of major budget cuts to education in California. I believe that we have the people that will begin to look through new eyes about educating our children. The greatest assets to an organization are not the things on the outside, they are the things that are already within. Our voyage of discovery is beginning!

Preparation Always Meets Opportunity

I truly believe that your preparation for a specific time, event, situation, etc. will always meet its opportunity. This school year, I have evidenced effective instruction, rigorous standards, and improved student performance on formative and benchmark assessments. This have come through the preparation, commitment, diligence, and dedication of teachers, students, and parents throughout the school year.

Our opportunity to display this preparation will come in a couple of weeks as all students in grades 2-6 will take the California Standards Test. I feel confident that we have prepared all Liberty students to experience growth on the CST.

New Addition to the Family

My wife and I are pleased to announce the birth of our second child. Mia was born on Wednesday, March 10 at 6:15 am. She weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces, and she was 20.5 inches long. I am taking a few days off work to be with my family. I thought everyone might enjoy a picture:)

College Day

College Day at Liberty was a huge success! Last week we conducted our second annual College Day. This was a time for each classroom to celebrate the college/university they represent. Every college was introduced, the class presented a cheer/chant/song for their university, and students placed a logo of the university on a United States map that proudly hangs in the Library. Our keynote speaker was Mr. Chris Maggio. Mr. Maggio is a senior vice president of a local bank, but he also spends a lot of time supporting Liberty. He is on campus several times a week to volunteer and support Liberty students.

Mr. Maggio's last statement to students was the following: "Don't let your occupation make who you are, make who you are your occupation."

I thought this was a powerful statement in our quest to prepare all of our students for college. Going to college creates choices--choices about a career, a home, a car--a choice to be successful in life.

The Time is NOW!

Former NFL coach Steve Mariucci once said, "I don't even wear a watch, the time is always now!" This is the attitude that we must take with our students, especially in regards to academic achievement. We cannot afford to waste one minute of instruction time with our students. We can't wait for the next great program, the next great philosophy, the next great instructional strategy, or the next great researcher to tell us how to meet the needs of our students. We must meet their needs now--every day, every hour, every minute. This is the message that I want to be clear about--achievement is our number one goal!