Morning Drive- Think Time

Principal Garcia says she enjoys her commute because it gives her think time- and when there are traffic delays- it gives her more think time. She has a way of taking things that could be negative and turning them into positives...

So on my way to work I heard a story about a young girl who was rushed to the Emergency Room because she fainted... after some X-rays she was rushed to surgery for a brain tumor. I began to think about what matters.

The whole E.R. was devastated. This little girl's life was going to be over or altered so much with the loss of brain tissue that everyone spoke of the tragedy to come. Everyday I walk in a field of dreams and a sea of young dreamers.

I thought about how life can get caught up in a mountain of paperwork, our to-do lists, and our urgent matters. You know, I have a lot of urgent matters and paperwork as an Assistant Principal.

But what is the point of all of this? When I am retired some day- what will I remember?

My mission is

• to serve, encourage, and strengthen quest staff, students, and families


• to live the guiding principles


• to model passion and excellence


• to develop potential in all

Our kids matter and THAT is my work. I invest in our future. So do you when you put in your volunteer hours- create awesome clubs for our kids- and stay involved. Thank you for all you do.

When the little girl went to surgery they discovered that the "tumor" was not there- instead she had a blood clot! This little one sang "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" all day with her mother after the surgery...

Life is precious- use it well.

PROJECT CHALLENGE

I woke up the other day with an idea for a student challenge. It is going to be advanced- but that is what Quest is all about. So maybe someone will read this and let me know if they think it is something worth pursuing....

THE POTATO CHIP CHALLENGE

1. Buy your favorite brand of chips.

2. Carefully open the bag and observe how much of the bag is empty. Record.

3. Figure out what size the bag would have to be to cover the chips you bought.

4. Subtract the size of the bag currently from the size of your redesigned bag.

5. Find out how much it costs to print the ink for one bag. (Contact the company)

6. Find out how many bags this company sold last year.

7. Calculate how much money a company would save in printing costs if they chose to use your bag design.

8. Calculate the quality of material you would save from the landfills if the company used your design.

9. Write a letter to the company explaining your findings and request a reply.

10. Bring the reply to Mr. Roth's office.

Now- I think there is so much learning involved here. What do you think?

7.

Batman & Superman Salute Quest

The other day Batman and Superman were spotted on campus. They came because they were so proud of our students, parents and faculty. We just finished the book fair and our PTA, students, and faculty did a wonderful job. We have a school that loves to read! Superman reads all the time while flying around the world (he uses his x-ray vision to read the whole book in the blink of an eye). Batman catches up on all the manuals for his gadgets in his off time- he loves modifying his batmobile from time to time. Until next year!!!

Book Fair- My Favorite book of ALL TIME

Growing up in a Navy home meant we moved around every three years. We drove across country at least 5 times- and when you drive across the country you have a lot of time to sit... sit... ARE We THERE YET?

It was in those times that my dad pulled off the road and found a book store- I was really into the Sugar Creek Gang series and my first Narnia book- The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

Aslan continues to capture my attention- every time I read those Narnia books. I began to choose the Voyage of the Dawn Treader as my favorite book of ALL TIME!

Well- guess what? They have made my FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME into a movie (click that word for a link) that will be released on December 10th.

Which just happens to make it one of the BEST birthday presents ever!

Young Engineers

Today I witnessed some powerful engineering in our middle school. Students were challenged to create a launcher that would throw a ball and hit some targets for points.
This reminded me of the crazy engineering projects that used to take over the football field once a year at Trinity University. Freshmen had to design a water balloon launcher that would shoot a balloon 45 yards through two hoops and hit the professor. Students who did so received an A instantly along with a very wet professor! Again Quest teachers are putting together some wonderful experiences for your students!

Fall Break

Today our students and staff crossed the first leg of the school year and have now gathered around the collective Gatorade cooler to refresh themselves.

Whew... Today I witnessed character education in the form of a story about the square pumpkin, a class store where young entrepreneurs worked deals, and a middle school Halloween dance! Mrs. Garcia was sure cutting a rug during that song, "Thriller".

Just know how proud we are of our staff- this was classified appreciation week and as Valerie said these employees are , "WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD." I am amazed at how creative and challenging these teachers can be as well.

Enjoy this needed respite Quest and we will see you again in November! Thanksgiving may be coming soon but know we don't wait for any holidays to be thankful for you!

The Power of Praise- not always good...

I was reading a book recommended by our 6th grade science teacher Nick Davis. Nurtureshock is a book about children- how we raise them and how we make mistakes that seem to be the opposite of what we intended; like praising children. The first chapter is about the research of Carol Dweck on praise. She discovered that praising gifted kids about their intelligence had a negative effect and her work has been a hot topic: "Carol Dweck is a flat-out genius. I hope the work is taken seriously. It scares people when they see these results.”

Here is a link to the article:HOW NOT TO TALK TO YOUR KIDS

Let me know what you think...