The Middletown Unified School District Board of Trustees met with representatives from schools across the district to finalize their strategic plan.  Parents and staff members along with some high school students met for a Board workshop on October 28, 2011, to review the values, commitments, and initiatives proposed.

 The process of creating the plan began last year with the Board first developing a set of core values.  Parents and staff members were surveyed, student focus groups were held to provide a complete picture of the current conditions in the District.  Using that information, parents and staff members used a collaborative process to define the core values of the school district.   The core values are the key aspirations of the district.  They define not where the district is, but where the Board wants the district to be.  The core values are:

Student Centered

We value cultivating the unique potential of every child ensuring a productive life after high school

Integrity

We value truth and honesty in every personal interaction throughout the District.

Engagement

We value learning and teaching that engages and enriches all students

We value the highest quality staff that can instill the love of learning in all students.

Partnership

We value strong parent, school and community partnerships including respectful and timely two-way communication between home and school.

Respect

We value providing a safe and supportive environment for all students

After adopting the core values, a set of commitments was developed to help guide the direction of the District.  These commitments are:

• Students are our primary focus in all decision making
• We expect high standards of performance from all students and ourselves
• We provide a safe, caring, and well-managed learning environment
• We provide safe and clean facilities for all students and district personnel
• We foster respectful and positive social interactions
• We do not tolerate acts of prejudice and discrimination
• Our curriculum and instruction are appropriate, challenging, and meaningful for all students
• All students meet or exceed state and national standards
• We provide an educational foundation that ensures student success and a seamless transition into higher education
• We provide highly trained, motivated, and competent district personnel to support student learning
• We value parents and community, along with district personnel, as active partners and encourage participation in all areas affecting our students’ education
• We exercise fiscal responsibility efficiently using our financial resources and strategically ensuring our long term stability

The final step was completed at the end of October when a set of strategic initiatives were reviewed and refined to make this plan operational.

The strategic planning process is dynamic in that the strategic initiatives must reflect the current conditions and change as the goal is met or the conditions change.   The Board identifies the core value or commitment that drives every item on their agenda.  In this way the work of the governance team always moves in the direction established by the values of the District. 

Under a new law, California middle and high school students must be vaccinated against pertussis (whooping cough). Beginning July 1, 2011, all students entering 7th through 12th grades will be required to show proof of a “Tdap*” booster shot before starting school. This requirement applies to all public and private schools. The new requirement was signed into law in 2010 by Governor Schwarzenegger. Starting July 2012, only students entering 7th grade will need proof of a Tdap booster shot.

In 2010 California experienced its worst outbreak of pertussis in more than half a century, with more than 7,800 confirmed cases and 10 infant deaths. The new immunization requirement is intended to help reduce the spread of whooping cough among California’s youth. Most children are fully protected prior to entering kindergarten because of the DTaP vaccine, a vaccine formulated for younger children. However, immunity to these diseases wears off and adolescents may be vulnerable to the highly contagious disease without a booster.

Approximately 3 million school children will be affected by the Tdap requirement, so it’s important to encourage families to avoid the summer rush and to get their children vaccinated now. Inform parents of children in all 6th through 11th grades via PTA newsletters, on school websites, and in other school communications.

The California Department of Public Health and the California Department of Education have been working collaboratively on this important measure. Information and training materials for schools and parents on the new Tdap requirement, forms, and FAQs are available at www.ShotsForSchools.org.

Remember, in addition to the Tdap booster, there are several important vaccines recommended for preteens and teens including the meningococcal vaccine, a second chickenpox shot (if they never had chickenpox disease), and the HPV vaccine series. Everyone older than six months old is recommended to receive a seasonal flu vaccine.

*The Tdap booster is Tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid and acellular pertussis vaccine. CDPH recommends a Tdap shot for children and adults 10 years and older. 

If you ask a Middletown High School student to name a teacher who can be described as “awesome; hilarious; spontaneous; entertaining; helps you understand”, chances are they will respond, “Mr. Schaut!”  How do I know?  Students that have been in his class enthusiastically provided the descriptions quoted when they found out he would be featured in the first installment of articles highlighting the many exceptional teachers of the Middletown Unified School District. 

     Mr. Richard Schaut has been a language arts teacher for almost thirty years, including twenty at our high school.  He is currently teaching AP English 12, Honors English 11, Introduction to Western Philosophy, and English 9.  All his classes are his favorites.  His reputation as a phenomenal teacher is wide spread with the students, parents, and staff.  He holds a California Clear Secondary English Credential, and earned a B.A. in American & English Literature and Creative Writing from UCLA and a Masters in Language and Consciousness Studies from CSU Dominguez Hills.

      Understanding his teaching style helps unlock clues to his success as an educator.  He describes his style as:  “Strong, kind, and clear, with an inner calm supporting an outer intensity. I try to create a classroom community, focused on the conversation between students and teacher, using an active sense of humor, the joy of learning, mutual respect, and humility.  I try to teach the students to become aware of their own learning strengths and weaknesses so that they can monitor their own learning and become responsible for it. Ideally, they become aware of when they are not learning something and know what they have to do to learn it.”  Schaut also emphasizes that learning requires “patience, practice, and persistence” and “multiple opportunities to process material”.

      Watch out Isaac Newton, Richard Schaut also has his own three laws, and has even added a fourth.

Schaut’s First Law: If you are not having fun, you are not doing it right

            Schaut’s Second Law: Anything that can work out, will work out

            Schaut’s Third Law: We control our destiny by taking responsibility for our actions

            Schaut’s Fourth Law: Don’t have too many laws

     District superintendent, Dr. Korby Olson states, “Each year when we interview seniors for scholarships, Mr. Schaut is often cited as the students’ most influential teacher.  They say that he makes learning exciting because he is enthusiastic about teaching.”

     In addition to teaching MHS students, Mr. Schaut has presented at workshops including: Reading Instruction for Academic Preparation, California Art Project, and California Reading Project.  He also has had several essays and restaurant reviews published, and has written short stories, poems, and a memoir.  His many hobbies include Tai Chi, bicycling, writing, hiking, swimming, and camping. Schaut also teaches Tai Chi after school at the high school and at the Tyrell Academy in the Hidden Valley Plaza.

     Mr. Schaut is a teacher who loves his subject, is passionate about learning, invigorated by the process of teaching, and cares about students.  He finds teaching a rewarding profession, his favorite aspects being building relationships, explaining processes, and passing on what he knows works.  He is inspired by the idealism of his students and the professionalism and dedication of his colleagues.  On a personal note, Richard has been happily married for 26 years; he has “a beautiful wife, two handsome sons, and four wonderful grandchildren”. 

State Schools Chief Jack O’Connell Names Five 
Educators as 2011 California Teachers of the Year

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell today named five remarkable teachers as the 2011 California Teachers of the Year.

            “Our California Teachers of the Year are amazing instructional leaders who have a great passion for helping students reach their full potential,” O’Connell said. “They each have unique ways of teaching and thinking that inspire their students to love learning. The Teachers of the Year inspire me, and I hope they inspire veteran teachers and encourage future teachers to follow their footsteps into the classroom.”

            The 2011 California Teachers of the year are:

·         Shannan Brown teaches fifth grade at Thomas Edison Elementary School, San Juan Unified School District, in Sacramento (Sacramento County).

·         Darin Curtis teaches eighth grade physical education at Tierra del Sol Middle School, Lakeside Union School District, in Lakeside (San Diego County).

·         Beverly Gonzalez teaches fourth grade mathematics and writing at Santa Fe School, Baldwin Park Unified School District, in Baldwin Park (Los Angeles County).

·         Jennifer Kelly teaches eighth grade physical science at Middletown Middle School, Middletown Unified School District, in Middletown (Lake County).

·         Kadhir Rajagopal teaches ninth through eleventh grade mathematics at Grant Union High School, Twin Rivers Unified School District, in Sacramento (Sacramento County).

Detailed biographies are attached.

One teacher is selected to serve as the state's representative to the National Teacher of the Year Program. O’Connell chose Curtis to represent California in the national competition. The National Teacher of the Year winner will be selected next spring by the Council of Chief State School Officers. Candidates will be honored at a White House ceremony.                                          

“Curtis’ application addresses how important it is for districts to include physical fitness and health programs in their curriculum,” added O’Connell. “He understands how critical it is to instill healthy habits in children at a young age, especially at a time when one in four children do not engage in physical activity. I agree with Curtis’ statement in his application that, ‘There is nothing more important than the health of our children.’”

            The California Teachers of the Year Program began in 1972 to acknowledge the growing complexity of challenges faced by the profession and the need to promote collaboration among teachers to address challenges. The program is also designed to encourage new teachers to enter the field.

            The competition is open to educators who teach prekindergarten through grade twelve. County offices of education nominate winners through their regional Teachers of the Year competitions. A state selection committee reviews candidates’ applications and conducts site visits to evaluate the teachers’ rapport with students, classroom environment, presentation skills, and teaching methods, among other criteria. The teachers are interviewed at the California Department of Education in Sacramento. The State Superintendent selects the five awardees.

            The 2011 California Teachers of the Year will be honored at a special recognition event to be held in the spring.

            For information on the California Teacher of the Year program, please visit http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/sr/ct/index.asp.

# # # #

Jennifer Kelly

Grade 8, Physical Science

Middletown Middle School

Middletown Unified School District

“As the world around us becomes more complex, the value of teaching grows even more in importance.”

—Jennifer Kelly

Kelly has taught for 20 years in her current rural district as well as in more urban settings in San Mateo and Sonoma Counties.  

“In spite of economic hardships, we live in a very exciting era in education,” added Kelly. “With the realization before us of the crucial nature of closing the achievement gap, for the well being of not only our conscience, but for our state’s and nation’s future, we are at a time that a teacher can make a real difference. Are you ready to play a significant role in equal education for all? As a teacher, the students will inspire you to inspire them!”

Kelly earned a B.S. in zoology in 1986 from the University of California, Davis. She has also studied at San Francisco State University.

Kelly can be reached at Middletown Middle School at 707-987-4160 or by e-mail at belgairn@yahoo.com.

Welcome to the Middletown Unified School District for the 2010-2011 school year.  We look forward to the opportunity to provide your children with an outstanding education.  We believe that children come first in Middletown and it is our intention to do nothing less than the BEST for our students.  We live in the Age of Accountability in education and that means that we must all be accountable for helping our students reach the high academic standards set by the State of California and the Middletown Unified Board of Trustees.  We are partners in this endeavor, and we value your participation, support, and input.  Please contact your child’s school with your comments and suggestions.

 As a parent/guardian, your most important role is to be involved in your child’s education at all grade levels. Visit your child’s school. Meet with teachers. Create a home environment that encourages learning. Make reading a priority. Time after time, research shows that when parents are actively involved with their children's education, student achievement improves, self-esteem is greater, drop-out rates are reduced and children are more socially adjusted. 

Schools do not provide accident insurance for students hurt on school grounds.  If parents do not have private health insurance, please contact your school office for a plan made available for all students.

School begins Tuesday, August 17, 2010 and ends on Friday, May 27, 2011.  Student’s attendance is absolutely necessary if students are to reach grade and subject level standards. If you have doctor or dentist appointments, please plan them so that your child attends school at least half of the day.  Unexcused absences for shopping or other non-medical reasons will not allow students to meet our challenging California State Standards. 

Middletown Unified School District is committed to providing outstanding educational opportunities for all of our students.  Through working together with staff, students and parents we can achieve our goal.  I urge all parents to support our children and our schools. 

Sincerely,

Korby Olson, Ed. D.

Superintendent