June 29 and 30, 2006
Jul. 3rd, 2006 04:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dedalus_1947Thursday, June 29, 2006 – 8th Grade Culmination Day.
This day started with an 8:30 A.M. meeting with my Assistant Principals to review calendar items and immediate school events. These meetings are held to alleviate my free floating anxieties about pending events and activities, over which I have little or no control. This could be about life in general.
Today was a minimum day, with a 12:21 dismissal time. The Culmination Ceremony was scheduled for 5:00 P.M. It had been extremely hot all day, and the heat promised to be unforgiving during the ceremony.
Three prominent guests were invited to the ceremony: Zev Yaroslovsky, County Supervisor, Alex Padilla, State Senator, and Tony Cardenas, City Councilman. All three politicians were present, and all three spoke. Thank God, the heat of the day kept their speeches short, because there was a sizeable crowd, despite the heat. It was interesting that there were so many Latino speakers that day, 3 out of four.
The ceremony took place on a high school football field that had been set up for a high school graduation the night before. This type of layout is aimed at keeping graduating 12th graders, and their antics, as far away as possible from the audience. It seems at odds with my cultivated idea of an 8th Grade Culmination, which should be an intimate, inclusive, ceremony, with students, teachers, guests, and audience in close proximity to each other.
I could not help thinking of changes and improvements I would make for next year. These thoughts clouded my enjoyment of the celebration around me, and I tried, successfully to put them aside.
Friday, June 30, 2006 – The Last Day
This was the last day of the 2005-2006 school years. It was a minimum day and school was dismissed at 12:21 PM.
I held a staff meeting at 8:00 A.M., followed by a targeted meeting on Intersession and Saturday Academy at 11:00A.M. My staff meeting concentrated on Closing and Opening of School procedures and activities: who was doing what to bring this year to a close and prepare for the new opening on July 5. A farewell social for H.F., a departing Assistant Principal who was promoted to a position at a High School, was also held after school.
I made a conscious decision not to critique or assess the Culmination Ceremony that had occurred the day before. I wanted to enjoy its success. I wanted to savor the sense of satisfaction I felt during the ceremony and, especially, after. I definitely did not want to cast any shadow of doubt or gloom over the praise and congratulatory compliments that were raining down on the two faculty sponsors who had directed this end of the year ritual. This day was a day to celebrate! The Culmination had been a huge success! Let’s enjoy the moment.
Later that afternoon, I received a telephone call from Neal., principal of Hale Middle School, wanting to confirm a rumor that I was being assigned as the new principal at San Fernando HS. I was flattered by the rumor, which had been mentioned to me earlier in the week by my Chapter Chairperson. Neal believes that it was more than a rumor. He claims that I was on the “short list” to be assigned. Interesting.
This day started with an 8:30 A.M. meeting with my Assistant Principals to review calendar items and immediate school events. These meetings are held to alleviate my free floating anxieties about pending events and activities, over which I have little or no control. This could be about life in general.
Today was a minimum day, with a 12:21 dismissal time. The Culmination Ceremony was scheduled for 5:00 P.M. It had been extremely hot all day, and the heat promised to be unforgiving during the ceremony.
Three prominent guests were invited to the ceremony: Zev Yaroslovsky, County Supervisor, Alex Padilla, State Senator, and Tony Cardenas, City Councilman. All three politicians were present, and all three spoke. Thank God, the heat of the day kept their speeches short, because there was a sizeable crowd, despite the heat. It was interesting that there were so many Latino speakers that day, 3 out of four.
The ceremony took place on a high school football field that had been set up for a high school graduation the night before. This type of layout is aimed at keeping graduating 12th graders, and their antics, as far away as possible from the audience. It seems at odds with my cultivated idea of an 8th Grade Culmination, which should be an intimate, inclusive, ceremony, with students, teachers, guests, and audience in close proximity to each other.
I could not help thinking of changes and improvements I would make for next year. These thoughts clouded my enjoyment of the celebration around me, and I tried, successfully to put them aside.
Friday, June 30, 2006 – The Last Day
This was the last day of the 2005-2006 school years. It was a minimum day and school was dismissed at 12:21 PM.
I held a staff meeting at 8:00 A.M., followed by a targeted meeting on Intersession and Saturday Academy at 11:00A.M. My staff meeting concentrated on Closing and Opening of School procedures and activities: who was doing what to bring this year to a close and prepare for the new opening on July 5. A farewell social for H.F., a departing Assistant Principal who was promoted to a position at a High School, was also held after school.
I made a conscious decision not to critique or assess the Culmination Ceremony that had occurred the day before. I wanted to enjoy its success. I wanted to savor the sense of satisfaction I felt during the ceremony and, especially, after. I definitely did not want to cast any shadow of doubt or gloom over the praise and congratulatory compliments that were raining down on the two faculty sponsors who had directed this end of the year ritual. This day was a day to celebrate! The Culmination had been a huge success! Let’s enjoy the moment.
Later that afternoon, I received a telephone call from Neal., principal of Hale Middle School, wanting to confirm a rumor that I was being assigned as the new principal at San Fernando HS. I was flattered by the rumor, which had been mentioned to me earlier in the week by my Chapter Chairperson. Neal believes that it was more than a rumor. He claims that I was on the “short list” to be assigned. Interesting.
