Bits, Pieces, Thank Yous

A few updates:

H1N1 clinic this Saturday, December 5th, at the new Manchester High School, 20500 Dutch Drive, Manchester, MI, 10-3.  (I took one child to the EMU clinic. The whole process took about 35 minutes, start to finish.)

Saline Schools Community Conversations coming up on December 14th. Details here. 

Dexter and Ann Arbor school boards are discussing finances this week. That is not the same as a community conversation.

You have until Thursday December 3d at 4 p.m. to put your name in the ring for running for Ann Arbor school board. Now is not the time for me, but maybe it is for you?

Willow Run has an interim financial manager. There is still no sign or news of their supposed superintendent, but the acting Superintendent is getting praised. (And I like the new look of ypsiciti.com).

The state house is beginning to discuss some of the items necessary for qualifying for the Race to the Top (the federal one). I think it's kind of ironic that two "must do" items are a) alternative ways of certifying teachers and b) more charter schools. I'm all for a) but that's because I was looking for that for several years before I gave in and went the traditional certification route. As for b), I'm not totally against or in favor of charters, but there are lots of problems with them, even if they are a moot point. But are either of these things going to make our schools better? I doubt it.

Oh, and in that same vein (things that I don't think will make our schools better--although this is potentially another option for people looking for high school options), I got this email the other day. So--have an opinion? Take the survey. 

As part of Ann Arbor's Strategic Plan, the Ann Arbor Public Schools and Washtenaw County school districts are examining the possibility of opening a 9th-12th grade county-wide high school utilizing the International Baccalaureate Program (www.ibo.org). This school will offer a challenging academic curriculum built on international standards as well as a variety of complementary co-curricular programs have been exploring doing an International Baccalaureate program. NO FINAL DECISION HAS BEEN MADE, but the county-wide IB Committee would like to determine if there is interest. Please complete the following survey.  The link is directly below:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEtUZ3RxOHdmRFlEVDd4Qi1odjhibnc6MA

Last, but not least--PLEASE nominate some teachers for thanking. So far I haven't gotten a single nominee. That makes me sad. Is it possible there is not a single teacher in the county you think should be thanked? Bushwah! The rules are simple, and everyone wins. [I know, maybe I shouldn't have called it a contest...]