Wednesday, September 3, 2014

MICHIGAN CHILDREN'S PROTECTION REGISTRY: Here's what parents should know



A good reminder as we move collectively into the new school year involves a referral to the Michigan Children's Protection Registry, which is also available by clicking through the lower left of the Taylor School District's home page at www.taylorschools.net.

Along with e-mail addresses, registration of instant messenger IDs, mobile phone numbers, and fax numbers is now available. Michigan residents may register any of these addresses at no cost if a child may have access to them.

The Michigan Children's Protection Registry is a secure database of protected e-mail addresses and other electronic contact points such as: fax numbers, mobile phone numbers (SMS), and instant messenger IDs. It allows Michigan's parents and schools to register electronic contact points that children may access.

Children are forbidden from purchasing certain products and services under Michigan law. Once an e-mail address or electronic contact point has been registered, senders of messages that advertise or link to prohibited products or services are required to remove the contact point from their mailing lists within 30 days.

Contact point registrations are effective for three years or until the youngest child with access to the contact point reaches the age of 18. Registrations may be renewed at any time for an additional three-year period.

ATTENTION SENDERS: 
Please visit https://www.ProtectMIChild.com/compliance.html to verify whether you are required to comply with the Michigan Children's Protection Registry law. Marketers that ignore the law's requirements face up to three years in jail as well as civil and criminal penalties.

It's a good website to consider as you and your child enters the 2014-15 school year.

To go directly there, click here.

BLAIR MOODY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: 'Minion' reasons to just say yes!


"A Minion Reasons to Love Blair Moody" greeted the elementary school’s parents and children as they arrived at an open house on Tuesday, September 2.

These teacher-created minions put smiles on many faces as families met their new teachers. 

Students will now know who their teachers are and where their classrooms are. This will help make the first day of school a huge success. Thank you to the many families who attended.

You are one of the "minion" reasons the staff loves Blair Moody!










Monday, September 1, 2014

TENTATIVE SCHOOL CALENDAR posted

There is this year's tentative school calendar:


CHRISTY'S LEGACY RUN: Event planned for September 13


It is September and that means it is getting closer to Christy's Dance in the Park 5K Run/Walk. 

Enclosed is the information for the event and it has been sponsored by Taylor Texas Roadhouse, Tally Dental, Taylor Firefighters, J. Mendek Photography and The Rotary Club of Taylor. There will be a DJ and music for a great time after the race.

Christy’s Legacy of Hope will be having another Texas Roadhouse event November 17 and 18 and doing gift-wrapping at Barnes & Noble on November 28, December 18 and December 23. Those events will be held from 10-4 (except on December 18 it will run from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m.).

The group wrap your purchases from B & N and donations are accepted for Christy's Legacy of Hope!

Christy’s Legacy has also signed up with Amazon Smile, which gives us a donation from each purchase you make once signed up.

Christy’s Legacy has been blessed with so many wonderful opportunities.  We are working on sending a small group of people to China to use their medical skills in some orphanages. 







TOMMIE SAYLOR: A word to the wise when it comes to setting the course


“Education is a shared commitment between dedicated teachers, motivated students and enthusiastic parents with high expectations.” 
Bob Beauprez

By Tommie Saylor
Kennedy High School Principal

Habits, be it for good or for ill, are easy to establish.  For this reason, I beseech you to develop your classroom rules and procedures, placing a tremendous amount of though behind your reasons, purpose and expected outcomes of each rule and procedure.  Then, to ensure your expected outcomes are achieved, make sure you specifically, in great detail and without ambiguity or inference, present your expectations to your classes and then immediately check for understanding. 

When this has been accomplished, and you are absolutely certain that everyone completely understands what you expect, prepare yourself for the first challenge.  I am not saying that you need to “make an example” of someone, yet understand that the first challenge will come, and your reaction to this challenge will send a message to your students that will set the tone for the rest of the trimester, and perhaps the rest of the school year.  When this challenge comes, immediately stop what you are doing, because the few minutes you spend correcting the situation will pay dividends “down the road”, for if handled properly, the number and magnitude of future challenges to your rules and procedures will be minor and few in number. 

So, stop what you are doing, face the violator, and follow the procedures you formally explained to your students without showing anger or frustration, yet remaining positive, polite, and respectful.

If, according to your rules and procedures, the violation warrants a detention, then inform the students that he/she has violated the procedure and that you will be turning into the office a Disciplinary Referral, as well as making a phone call home; and then follow through. 

It does not matter who violates the rules first, be it an “A” student or an “E” student, a well-behaved “good” kid or a misunderstood kid, your reaction must be the same, swift, emotionless, consistent and immediate.  You must ensure that the students understand, see and observe that your rules apply the same to everyone, and that everyone is equally accountable.

Everyone evaluates early challenges to the system. Very student is watching what will result from this first challenge, and the students in all your other classes will soon hear of this incident.  Simply, you are in a “must win” situation, and must do so while leaving intact the student’s dignity and sense of self-worth.

If you are able to do this through the first week of school, then the second, then the third, you will have established an organized “rule of law” climate within your classroom where students feel that the rules apply evenly and fairly to everyone, paving the way for a culture of learning to permeate throughout.  Remember, regardless of what the students say, they feel safe and secure behind a well-established web of rules and procedures; essentially, students crave order, and want to know that the rules apply evenly and fairly to all.

 With this, let’s not forget the building level rules/procedures that helps to maintain order throughout the school.  Do not be the weak link, do not be the one that students say, “well so-and-so doesn’t do that” or “so-and-so lets us.” Failure on your part to uphold our most basic procedures, to uphold our Pass procedures, Hall Sweeps, ID Cards and the like makes life harder for your colleagues, destroys the students sense of security within the rules, and breeds chaos.

Simply, taking the easy way out by ignoring violations of our very own rules/procedures may seem like the most diligent path at the moment, yet it cheapens us all in the long run.  Stand strong and stay the course in all your efforts. It will allow the habit of success to find you.

What starts here, changes the world.

Making Kennedy the school of choice. Excellence by design.