Everything Makes More Sense......

.....when our children enter the doors of our classrooms. In about 12 hours, approximately 3,500 of the greatest kids in Missouri will fill our district facilities. WELCOME BACK! I will likely not sleep much more than our excited students tonight. I can't help it....I still get butterflies of anticipation the night before school begins. I am looking forward to seeing our kids. I will be in all schools tomorrow at one point or another. Stop and say hello if you see me.

Educationally Yours,

Welcome Back Faculty and Staff

ALL staff returned today. We gathered for our district convocation this morning. Aside from some technical difficulties....it was a great day. Always energizing to see staff return. Soon, 3500 students will have us all ENERGIZED. I am looking forward to seeing our student's faces on Tuesday the 25th.

Here is a video clip I shared with staff to provide additional motivation. Warning....this video may result in goosebumps and/or tears. I think you will enjoy this young man from Dallas Independent School District.

Cut the following url and paste in your browser:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZm0BfXYvFg

Educationally Yours,

New Teacher Orientation

New teachers began their careers in Platte County School District on Monday, August 17. Monday is the first of two days of orientation. I had the pleasure of speaking to our new folks on Monday morning. This year we hired approximately sixteen new teachers out of an applicant pool of close to one thousand. Though my interaction was limited, I was impressed with our new staff.

I would like to welcome all new staff to Platte County. I think you will find your career here challenging and rewarding. I am certain that you will quickly adore our students and our supportive community. Best wishes!

Summer Learning Academy

I stopped by a few breakout sessions at our annual Summer Learning Academy yesterday. I was extremely pleased to see the level of alignment to our improvement initiatives. Our teachers were definitely focused and engaged. What a great opportunity for our teachers! Great job to our district Professional Development Committee and the Curriculum and Instruction Department.

Success for Every Student Conference

I returned yesterday from a 3 day conference for school district administrators. This conference is facilitated by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The conference was beneficial. I attended sessions on background check requirements, school case law, early childhood education, school finance and legislation. The highlight was the update on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) requirements. More commonly known as the "Stimulus Package", this bill will provide one time money to school districts. While we know that we will receive money, school districts are sorting through the details of spending regulations and reporting requirements (I will add an entry soon on the Stimulus Package and what it means for Platte County).

As usual, I take a lot away from speaking informally with my peers. It is valuable to share challenges and triumphs with my fellow administrators. I get ideas, as well as have ideas validated when interacting with others in the field.

Overall, a good conference.

Educationally Yours,

Dr. Mike Reik