Stages of Change

As we continue to hook the actions of our school to our Why statement, we are seeing stages of change happening on a daily basis.  We need to give ourselves credit for moving from one stage to another in whatever part of our lives we are looking at.  Just to think about change is a big step in relation to moving forward.  I challenge each individual to continue to reflect and move along the change continuum which will change our new normal. As a group we need to create a synergy which supports the PCMS Why of Individuals, Growth, Learning, and Relationships in every aspect of what we do.  I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in the movement toward a cohesive unit. 

Image from: http://barrieranalysis.fhi.net/what_is/prochaskas_diagram.htm

The Growth of Red Raider Restaurant

The Red Raider Restaurant reopened today for our 5th season!  The hustle and bustle of the event is always overshadowed by the positive growth shown by each student.  Students took on new roles today including taking orders (aka speaking to others) for the first time.  Although this task seems small, for the students we featured as servers today, they exceeded our expectations and shined.  One student used her communication device to string requests together to give and receive communication.  Another student has grown so much because of the restaurant.  In his first attempt two years ago, he was having trouble even standing on the tile floor in the kitchen by the guests.  He kicked and screamed when we asked him to complete a task.  Today, he was taking orders, bringing food, taking away plates, and talking with the guests.  Our 6th grader could not wait for today because she was finally able to work in "our" restaurant.  All of these positives happen because of the connection the restaurant has in their day.  Today, we gladly served 29 guests spaghetti, meaty meatballs, side salads and mini cherry cheesecakes.  The RRR would not be successful if it weren't for the middle school family and our facilities.  We used tomatoes and peppers from the garden to make our homemade sauce.  And, if it weren't for our guests, our teachers and administrators, we would not have the captive audience.  We maybe serving you food, but your presence is serving the students as they learn how to live, work, and interact.  We closed the restaurant today and read our News-2-You newspaper.  The topic today was the new movie "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs".  The students giggled as we just made 8 pounds of meatballs, 4 boxes of noodles, and 12 pounds of tomato sauce.....just like the movies!

Guest Blogger: Sarah Morgan

The Lemonade Stand

6th Graders in Starting Your Life in Business have been learning about what it takes to be an entrepreneur. The students learned about products, services, customers/consumers, target markets, marketing, income, expenses, profits, and losses. They applied the knowledge they learned to create their very own lemonade stands.  The students researched recipes; designed stands, flyers, and invitations; created their lemonades; and used customer service skills to develop top notch "businesses". PCMS staff members joined in the "Grand Openings" by tasting and admiring the students work.  Mrs. Burns is very proud of all the hard work, creativity, and dedication each and every student put into their "business venture".

Guest Blogger: Amy Burns 

Relationships - Be a Champion

What a great week!  This week we celebrated and discussed as a staff the importance of relationships.  Rita Pierson sums up the importance of being a champion for every child in her TED Talk below.  As we reflected on the relationship component to our Why, celebrations arose due to having great people in the right positions to make an impression each and every day.  Overall, we are in this profession because of the relationships....relationships are the fruit of the labor.  All students at PCMS are OUR KIDS! As Rita Pierson says, "We are educators...we are born to make a difference." Be a champion each and every day...you matter.

Smiles.......

At Pulaski Community Middle School, we believe in relationships, individuals, growth, and learning.  The past three days have been filled with pride, joy, and smiles as 845 young men and young women began a new school year at PCMS.  We shared via our Twitter account numerous examples and pictures of our students and staff engaged in our first week activities that reinforces our "Why". Throughout our building, activities jumped out that focused on relationship building, community development, and the importance of each individual. Can't wait to see what will make me smile next.

Thank you goes out to everyone that makes PCMS a special place!  

"I'm putting a man on the moon."

PCMS has a great opportunity today as we start the school year with an all staff welcome back get together.  You will not see 58 slides of data and the same information which has been gone over and our teachers understand.  Instead, we will be having a renewal and rejuvenation of our mission at PCMS.  As seen from the last post, we as a staff have been continuing to define what makes PCMS special...because you can FEEL it in our building.  As we discuss and work together today to look for, and celebrate, lollipop moments, we will be striving to connect individuals and relationships for the betterment of everyone.  There is a lot of work which needs to go into creating and sustaining a unified mission and motto, and we want everyone to keep the following story in front of them as we strive to do something special each and every day at our job.

"Virtually all organizations have a mission statement which is supposed to give direction to everything that happens in the organization.  There's the often repeated story of a dignitary visiting what was then the Kennedy Space Center.  As he entered the front lobby early in the morning, he met a janitor who was mopping the floor.  The dignitary asked the man what he did here at the Space Center.  The man replied, "I'm putting a man on the moon." (Leadership the Art of Empowering, p. 101)

At PCMS...what is our "I'm putting a man on the moon."

The Journey is the Reward!

Stay tuned...

Pulaski Community Middle School - Our Foundation

OUR JOURNEY...

We stand on the shoulders of giants which came before us, and we are privileged to represent PCMS as staff and community members.  This summer a group of educators from PCMS came together at 3D time and renewed our foundation as a group of 12 current staff members.  What we have created is a work in progress, and during this upcoming 2013-14 school year, we will continue to work on building and defining our foundational pieces.  Through discussions of "best" and "next" practices, we decided that four main characteristics set the foundation for what makes PCMS special.  The following is a first draft of thoughts and ideas which were discussed, so the conversation can continue to develop.  We hope that you add to our discussion and embrace the strengths that each of us brings to the table.  The journey is the reward...

PCSD Mission: Tradition, Pride, Excellence

The mission of the Pulaski Community School District is to use a child-centered approach; ensure the learning and growth of each child; provide a safe environment; create a partnership of learners, staff, families and community members; hire and develop a highly qualified staff; hold high expectations for all; and deliver a quality curriculum.

PCMS Foundation: Individuals, Learning, Growth, Relationships

At the Pulaski Community Middle School we hold dear our relationships, development of individuals, learning, and growth as our foundation.  Our foundation needs to be embedded in the decisions we make, actions that we take, and our daily interactions with people in order to become a cohesive Pulaski Community Middle School family.  We encourage and embrace the unique aspects of the Pulaski community, and we strive to make the connections of what occurs at Pulaski Community Middle School and the greater strengths of our broader community. We define each characteristic as it relates to our school below...

Individuals:

• We believe in the strengths that each individual brings to our environment.
• We believe in the development of the whole person.
• We believe in the physical, social and emotional wellness of all individuals.

Learning:

• We believe in the importance of providing a safe, high-quality, and personalized learning experience.
• We believe in the integration of real world experiences and partnerships.
• We believe that reflection on our experiences and actions creates knowledge.

Growth:

• We believe that we are here to help each other grow, and we all have assets to share.
• We believe that growth should be celebrated as we accomplish our goals, while enjoying the journey.
• We believe in meeting each individual where they are at and providing opportunities to move forward.

Relationships: 

• We believe people learn by discussion, actively participating, sharing, and working with each other - the social dimension of learning.
• We believe it is everyone’s job to help everyone else succeed.
• We believe in supporting an atmosphere that utilizes collaboration and conversation to foster innovative thinking.