ADAMS TOWNSHIP — At Clinton-Massie High School, a daily 20-minutes meeting period has been initiated where the intent is to have “real and relevant conversations” with an emphasis upon character education and service opportunities, said the new principal.
It’s called “Falcon Time” and goes from 10:58 to 11:18 a.m., said Principal Aaron Seewer.
Sometimes staff will share their experiences and how they dealt with things, he said.
The time period also will have daily announcements and academic intervention opportunities. Sometimes the meeting time will pertain to communication and community relations, college and career readiness, club and activity opportunities, and leadership development.
Seewer spoke about Falcon Time during a report he gave to the school board. To help people understand the point of Falcon Time, he referred to Jostens Renaissance Education program. Its website highlights the phrase “Renewing school climate and culture for the 21st century.”
A second initiative, for high school staff, is called “Family Time.” It is a monthly team building project, with an emphasis upon building a cohesive team, and staff working to build professional and personal bonds, said Seewer.
He also reported to the school board that there currently are 101 students taking one or more CCP (College Credit Plus) classes through Sinclair Community College. Ohio’s College Credit Plus can help college-ready students earn college and high school credits at the same time by taking college courses from community colleges or universities.
Safety enhancements have been implemented at the high school, said Seewer.
And though the school year has just begun, MAPS (Measure Academic Progress) tests are scheduled to begin this week at the high school in algebra and English.
In a separate update Monday to the school board, District Technology Coordinator David Moss gave a review of 2017-18 technology initiatives and also touched on what’s next. A few of those include continued training for staff on Google environment; parent access to School Messenger will be enabled in the next several weeks; implementing a digital citizenship course/curriculum into Falcon Time; and working with staff, students and community members to find collaborative learning opportunities for the district’s Makerspace.
That last item could include, for example, providing students with opportunities to discuss with community members real-world applications.
One of the more recent highlights in the area of technology was an inaugural Creative Minds camp in June. Thirty-two second- through fifth-graders took part in the summer camp.
Reach Gary Huffenberger at 937-556-5768.
