Random Acts of Kindness Week

The second week of February each year has been designated as Random Acts of Kindness Week (RAK Week) by The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, an internationally recognized non-profit organization. Of course, the goal is for everyone to participate in kindness 365 days of the year, but the Foundation has designed this week, “to give those who are either not currently aware of Random Acts of Kindness or those who wish to call attention to the value of kind actions a chance to experience the joy of passing along kindness.”

Our Middle School students enthusiastically joined in this international initiative. Student leaders advocated kindness to their classmates by wearing self-designed tee-shirts with words or phrases associated with kindness, reciting inspirational quotes during lunchtime, and posing daily discussion questions.

Organized by the Middle School Leadership Club, Middle School counselor Laina Uttech and sixth-grade English teacher Brad Dunning, students and faculty were encouraged to commit their own random, personal acts of kindness throughout the week. “By committing simple, yet thoughtful acts of generosity, students exemplified one of the key tenets of our school's Common Trust - kindness. The Common Trust encourages students to relate to one another in an environment of support and mutual respect and will continue to guide us beyond this designated week of kindness,” Dunning said. These did not have to be big deeds but simple acts such as helping someone pick up dropped belongings, holding a door open, discarding a stray piece of litter in the hallway, or merely offering a welcoming smile to prospective families on a tour of the school. For each act of kindness, the student made a chain link with a description of the action. Then all the links were attached together and strung across the dining room.

We may have lost but we won big time!

After last week’s Thursday night boys’ varsity basketball game, Athletic Director Rick Johns told me, “You saw, arguably, the best game in the school’s history!"

He went on to commend the students on both benches. “They kept the game on the floor and between the lines. Both teams played their hearts out. I will only say that it is unfortunate when the behavior of an adult or two takes the focus away from the students’ hard work,” he added.

As I watched the game and witnessed the actions of a couple of parents from the opposing team, I have to tell you how proud I was of the way everyone from USM conducted themselves. Without exception, throughout all the chaos, our players, our parents and students in the stands, our coaches – all exemplified the high standards of community behavior that prevail here. Certainly no one could ask for more stellar role models for our students than our basketball coaches that night.

I also would like to thank our parents who served as the physicians for the game who so calmly and efficiently provided immediate medical attention to an injured player from the other team.

Even though the outcome of the game was not in our favor, it was clear that USM scored a win.

Faculty and Staff Open the Door

I often write about impressive student achievements but this week I would like to share a different type of statistic with you. By the end of January, USM achieved 100% faculty and staff participation in the 2011-2012 Annual Giving Program. To celebrate, we all enjoyed a “jeans day” – even though it was the first time in 20 years that I had worn jeans to work.

This demonstration of support for the School is truly appreciated and shows how all who work here recognize the importance of the Program and how these dollars impact the quality of the educational experience we are able to offer every student.

This willingness to give back to the School exemplifies the commitment of our faculty and staff, and represents just one of the many ways everyone here goes above and beyond to contribute to ensuring the very best USM experience for every student.

Representing the best in prekindergarten through twelfth grade independent education

We recently asked parents, as well as faculty and staff, to participate in an independent school survey. The survey is part of the self-study study process required for re-accreditation by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS).

It is extremely important for USM to receive feedback from parents and, as I noted in my communication in advance of the survey, your answers provide an important way for us to track the satisfaction of our families and the effectiveness of our programs.

I would like to use my blog this week to tell you a little more about the accreditation process. University School participates in a seven-year accreditation cycle that begins with the preparation of a self-study. A school’s self-study tells the story of the school, allowing the institution and its departments to describe in narrative form how their progress relates to their constituents’ perceptions and the school’s mission.

A key component of the process involves a peer review conducted by independent school administrators and faculty who therefore understand and appreciate independent school qualities and contributions to education. The review team asks the question, “Does USM live up to its mission?” It looks for full disclosure and high-quality performance. The team concludes the review by providing a set of commendations and recommendations. The school, in turn, commits to taking action on the recommendations and to reporting progress in accomplishing the goals until the next accreditation cycle begins.

USM benefits greatly as we hold ourselves to the highest standards, and through this process we receive invaluable feedback from our parents, faculty and staff, and alumni, as well as a team of outstanding independent school educators.

The accreditation process serves to provide us not only with the views of internal constituencies but also gives us the advantage of an external evaluation, ensuring we always “represent the best in prekindergarten through twelfth grade independent education.”

The Art of Being a Fourth-Grade Docent

Lower School students look forward to their fourth-grade Docent Day program as a rite of passage. The program is a culminating event for the Lower School fine arts curriculum, combining research, drawing studies, public speaking, and art and world history.

Beginning in first grade, students visit the Milwaukee Art Museum three times a year to learn about the Museum’s history, the artwork, and elements and principles of design. Once in fourth grade, students recreate, using pastels, their favorite piece of art in the Museum. They then write a speech about the artist, the artwork, and the use of design techniques.

This year’s program took place at the Museum a few weekends ago. Students became docents for the day using portable voice amplifiers as they toured around the Museum. They presented to family and friends their own interpretation of their chosen piece of art. A special reception was held at the Museum, and every student received a certificate acknowledging their completion of the program.

Lower School art teacher Bob Geniusz believes the program is a vital start to building students’ independence and public-speaking skills. “The entire fourth-grade faculty team works together to help each student prepare for this event, but many choices about their projects and how often they practice are left up to the student,” says Geniusz. He notes that this year technology played a large role in allowing the students to perfect their presentations on their own: “This year, students recorded their speeches on iPad 2s. This way they could easily see and hear themselves and could re-record and practice as much as needed.”

This special program is an important milestone, helping our students not only develop an appreciation for the arts but also developing strong presentation skills― an important component of a 21st-century education.