Every School Year is a Chance to be a Game Changer

One of my favorite things about the beginning of a school year is the excitement that comes with a fresh start. Hallways are full again. Teachers are preparing classrooms. Students are wondering what this year will bring. There is an energy during the first week of school that you just can't recreate any other time of the year.

At Sebastopol, our theme this year is Game Changers.

To make a difference, do something different.

That doesn't mean everything is changing. In fact, all of the things that make Sebastopol special will remain the same. We'll continue celebrating student success, supporting one another, building relationships, and working hard to give our students every opportunity to succeed.

But every great school looks for ways to improve, and this year we're making a few changes that we believe will make a difference.

One of the biggest is our new 7th through 12th grade literacy block. Research shows that students who read more become stronger learners in every subject. We also know many of our students are involved in athletics, jobs, and activities after school, making it difficult to find time to read. That's why every student will have dedicated time during the school day. Thanks to Ms. Kienle, our library has been filled with new high-interest books, and we'll have reading incentives throughout the year.

Our seventh and eighth grade students will also begin creating classroom social contracts. This has been a tradition in our elementary grades for many years through Capturing Kids' Hearts. Instead of focusing first on rules, students work together to define the kind of classroom they want to be part of. When challenges arise, everyone can return to the commitments they made together about how people should be treated.

At the high school level, we'll continue celebrating our 100% graduation rate over the past two years while placing an even greater emphasis on College and Career Readiness. We want every graduate to leave Sebastopol with opportunities waiting. That means increased attention to the ACT, WorkKeys, and stronger literacy skills, including more grammar instruction in our lower grades.

These are important changes, but they aren't what makes Sebastopol special. What makes our school great is our people. At our school-based staff development, our teachers and staff talked about what it means to be a Game Changer, and we reflected on what we can do differently this year to make a difference in the lives of our students and our colleagues. I can't wait to see how that plays out throughout the school year.

Here's to another great year at Sebastopol.

Let's be Game Changers!