What you see on the walls, doors and windows of a school can tell you a lot about the culture of teaching and learning that is occurring in that environment. If you walk upstairs at MJDS you will see these bulletin board displays that have been up for a few weeks. On the right are Read More…
Gratitude
As we move into our new year I wanted to post about an article that was recently shared with me by someone in the MKE community who is an amazing leader, models gratitude for her family and those around her. Please take a few moments to read and I hope your 2019 is full of Read More…
Professional Learning to begin 2019
Today was a great day at MJDS. Our staff spent the day learning together in preparation for the 2nd half of the school year. Full day professional learning during the school year is rare and incredibly valuable so we made the most of our time. The purpose of today was: To reflect on the the Read More…
A day in the life…
One of my goals this year is to visit every teacher’s classroom twice a week. The why behind this is so I am plugged into the teaching and learning happening across our school. It also provides the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue with faculty and students about their growth throughout the year. I continue Read More…
School work vs. Real work
I subscribe to a lot of educational blogs and websites. One of these blogs, Basecamp, is written by Christian Talbot and focuses on innovation in schools. Talbot’s most recent post (click HERE to read) talks about what you learn in a classroom/school setting and the challenge of applying what you’ve learned, including the underlying values, when faced Read More…
School Culture
One of the most common misconceptions about schools is that curriculum, test scores, veteran teachers, an updated facility and technology are what make a school great. Certainly teachers and staff who love children and can facilitate high level learning is essential, yet even when a school is blessed with a talented team of adults, this Read More…
Why I see MJDS as more than a school
Last year I invited our 8th graders to be guest bloggers on my blog. As part of our ongoing evolution as a school that truly empowers children to own their learning, I continue to invite students to share their stories. This is our first 8th grade guest blogger in 2018-2019. I am so proud that Read More…
Why have Student Led Conferences?
Think about parent-teacher conferences when you were a kid. What role did you play? Was the experience positive? How did you prepare, if at all? Why did the conference occur? How did you grow as a learner? As a leader? As a reflective thinker? What evidence existed to document your learning journey? What kinds of Read More…
MJDS – A school of character
As we finish our 14th day of school tomorrow there is a palpable positive energy in our building. Each school is an ecosystem and at MJDS we are intentionally improving our environment, aligned to our mission and core values. How is this happening? Last year we were successful in identifying the values that define who Read More…
Welcome back!
The transition from Summer to school is often filled with great expectations and some butterflies. Maybe you are the parent of a first time kindergartner or older student new to MJDS or maybe you are a 5th grader wondering what life in Upper School is all about. Whatever your transition, we’ve been hard at work Read More…