Sitting in the high school library this afternoon, we are enjoying discussing the strengths and challenges of our school. I'm quite impressed with the positive energy and creative thinking that is taking place.

Our students enjoy two half-days/early release, which in turn provides our staff much needed time for collaboration and professional development. For the high school staff, our focus is on our accreditation visitation which will happen in May 2013 this year. As we work through analyzing our data, we are coming up with a variety of exciting options to consider for our kids. How can we increase the opportunity for students to earn "dual credit" in high school, meaning high school and college credit at the same time? How can we encourage our "natural student leaders" to use all their influence for good leadership, rather than... something else? :)

Meanwhile, at the middle school, the staff is exploring how better to meet kids where they are, particularly kids whose behaviors are interfering with learning. In many cases, students with emotional/behavioral disabilities are experiencing challenges at school, and the "normal" bag of tricks is often ineffective. The staff is in the process of researching different disabilities that impact some of our students and trying to learn more about what we can do.

All in all, an inspirational day!