WATER DAMAGE: Modeling the Way

 by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

The water damage at Frank Brattin Middle School created some very difficult dilemmas as many students, teachers and buildings were functioning in a state of limbo while services were being restored at the middle school. Students, teachers, administrators and staff members at all buildings did their very best to accommodate the emergency changes taking place. Middle school students were without a building, middle school teachers were without a classroom, central office staff were without offices and equipment. Within, a matter of 24 hours, the instructional process was restored. A building, classrooms and offices were found. Parents were equal to the task in their flexibility and support when the plan was communicated and executed. There wasn't any finger pointing or complaints. Colstrip's resilience and "can-do" environment would not yield. It is in these moments of adversity that you really get to know people and a community.

The Core Values listed in the Colstrip Public School Strategic Plan (see below) are the enduring principles that guide a school district and should be used to guide the choices and decisions we make. In the case of Jewel Davenport, Robert Whitehead and Janelle Loyning these values were authenticated and articulated by what they did and what they do and what they care about. 

Robert Whitehead met this challenge from the start, at 6:00 AM, and didn't go to bed until midnight. He was again up for the next week. Naming all of the things he did to get our middle school back on its feet would be a long and trivial task. He called in contractors. He stayed with them as they pumped 54,000 gallons of water out of the lower level of FBMS in -27 degree weather. He assisted them as they replaced and renovated electrical panels. He assisted the implementation of an independent heat source and power source to keep the building from freezing up. He addressed multiple water breaks in several different places during the cold spell.  He continued to move furniture and equipment out of the Central Office. He maintained the snow removal before and after school. He is exhausted. He is invaluable.

Janelle Loyning was equal to the task of moving equipment and materials to give our middle school teachers and students the things they needed to continue the instructional process at the high school. She also worked until the job was done. She didn't quit until the job was done.

Probably the most selfless act of kindness, consideration and compassion was modeled by Jewel Davenport, the Counselor at Colstrip High School. Central Office was without a place to continue business. Our offices were destroyed. After looking at the possibility of temporarily moving into the high school office area, Jewell Davenport moved her office and reception area without being asked. She simply said, you needed a place to work. It had to be done. I was amazed; in this act, Jewel Davenport built consensus around values, principles and standards. She walked the walk. 

These three people lived the shared values outlined in our Core Values of Colstrip Public School. They modeled the way. It is with a great deal of pride that I was able to award them the "Make Dust or Eat Dust" Buckle for their extraordinary acts demonstrated this last month in regards to the water damage at Frank Brattin Middle School.

THANK YOU: Jewel, Robert and Janelle for MAKING DUST! 

THANK YOU: Jewel, Robert and Janelle for providing the needed HCA (safety, support and belonging) to keep our school "afloat."

__________________________________________________________

Core Values of the Colstrip School District: 

• Loyalty, Trust and Respect – We believe that mutual loyalty, trust, and respect amongst key stakeholders (students, staff, board, and community) are vital to the success of our students. 

• Responsible Citizenship – We believe that it is important to prepare students to be cognizant of and to be positive contributors to all levels of the democratic process.   

• Stable, Positive, Safe and Healthy School Climate – We believe that accepting, appreciating, and embracing diversity and the uniqueness of all people contributes to a positive, safe, and healthy school climate for both students and staff and the long-term values of our community. 

Shared, Ethical Leadership – We value shared leadership with our community where there is a common understanding and philosophy that we are all responsible for the success of our students. We believe that community involvement and support are essential to the achievement of our goals and the success of our students.  

Graduation 2019

Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

Friday was the last day for 35 seniors at Colstrip High School. The day started with graduation rehearsal before walking the halls at Pine Butte Elementary and Frank Brattin Middle School. There were a few sentimental moments watching these students finish up with their formal education. The Class of 2019 was my freshman class when I arrived. They were so young back then, and now are ready to go out on their own.

Best of luck Class of 2019. Like always "Make Dust or Eat Dust!" Most of all, I wish you happiness. Wait..., I am not done yet: BE YOUR BEST SELVES! One more thing...don't forget to call home!

See you all on Sunday, May 19, 2019 for the Colstrip High School Graduation at 2:00 PM at the High School Gymnasium.

GO COLTS! GO FILLIES! 

MAKE DUST OR EAT DUST!

"Get out in front and stay there!"

 

Class of 2019 with the teachers that taught them at PBES.

 

All Means All: Creating Healthy School Culture

by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

Anthony Muhammad, PhD, presenting to Colstrip faculty and staff.

The District hosted Anthony Muhammad, PhD, one of the most sought-after educational consultants in North America on Monday, September 24, 2018 for a full day of Pupil-Instructional-Related (PIR) activities.

Creating a healthy school culture was the focus of the PIR. His prescription for a healthy school culture is based on  1) Commitment, 2) Refection and 3) Prescription (see table). Muhammad's presentation provided additional clarity for many of the details that are currently in place in our District.

Muhammad said that it is a hard fact that "You can't hold people accountable for what hasn't been made clear and explicit. To this end he said change in a healthy culture requires Transformational Leaders. He asked our staff and participants to identify ten leadership qualities that are essential for good leaders?

After identifying and reviewing the ten qualities he suggested that these are also the qualities that should be expected of teachers and staff alike, adding that no person can meet all of the identified expectations, but all people can be transformational leaders and collectively provide the stated qualities. He said that "instead of looking out the window at others, the transformational leader must look in the mirror."

Muhammad went on to identify Transformational Leader Essentials:

• Model integrity and fairness
• Set clear goals
• High expectations
• Encourage others
• Provide support and recognition
• Stir people's emotion
• Encourage people to look beyond their self-interest
• Inspire people to reach for the improbable: Bass (1985).

Muhammad quoted a number of authors and research that aligns with transformational leadership by adding to the list above saying that in Jim Collins' book Good to Great (2001), also contributes to the essentials of transformational leadership in that transformational leaders should seek and confront the "brutal facts." In point of case, he said that "Crucial Conversations" are needed when stakes are high, but often avoided because of strong emotions and opposing opinions (2011; Patterson, et.al, Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High). Muhammad encouraged us to run toward our challenges and not away from them.

He suggested that healthy school cultures should limit "Adult Drama;" saying "Adult Drama" should be avoided as it results in dysfunctional social interactions between adult professionals within a school environment and interfere with the proper implementation of important policies, practices, and procedures that support the proper education of students.

Muhammad then referenced his book Transforming School Culture (2009) that outlines his study of 34 schools and their culture. From his research he was able to categorize the teaching culture into four types of professionals.

1. Tweeners
2. Believers
3. Survivors
4. Fundamentalist

Through the examination of each type's characteristics, Muhammad provided our staff the opportunity to look in the mirror to see which category might align with their beliefs and actions.

His concern was that "Fundamentalist" pose the biggest and critical challenge for schools to create a healthy culture, and that education is too critical to our society for leaders to allow a group of individuals who refuse to embrace substantive change to hijack it. His book says the "Fundamentalist might not have malicious intent, but their actions threaten to stunt the growth of the schools that serve our most needy students" (2009, p. 97).


 The implications of the training aligned with Muhammad's study of school culture in his book Transforming School Culture, in so much as, the schools studied that were able to create and maintain a healthy school culture were also able to eliminate the human distractions and focus on a collective purpose (p. 119).

Colstrip Public Schools has a Core Purpose. Perhaps it may serve as a systematic and school wide focus on learning for  collaboration needed to maintain a healthy school culture. A Core Purpose is vital to a healthy school culture (p. 121).   


Core Purpose of the Colstrip School District is to effectively focus on learning and growth for all students in a safe, healthy, caring and collaborative environment that ensures each student achieves intellectual and personal excellence and is well prepared for college and career pathways.

In review of the day's activities and information shared, our District is extremely thankful for Dr Muhammad and the time he spent with our educators. He was able to cover so much information in a short amount of time. Point of fact, the information included in this post represents a fraction of the that of which was covered in Dr. Muhammad's presentation. With that said, I was very proud of our staff and their participation and focus during this training. A number of compliments were shared and even though I have had the privilege of listening to Dr. Muhammad in other national venues, I was even more impressed with his direct impact on our staff.

Thank you Anthony Muhammad, PhD, for "Making Dust" with our educators here in Rosebud County. Our professional development was superb.

GO COLTS! GO FILLIES! 

MAKE DUST OR EAT DUST!

"Get out in front and stay there!"

Parent & Community Breakfast Invitation

by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

Colstrip Public Schools would like to bring our community closer together and invite the entire community to breakfast on the first Thursday of every month during the school year. There is no charge for this breakfast. The School District is creating this opportunity to share a cup of coffee and some biscuits and gravy with the parents and community while bringing everyone up to date with the latest news and calendar events going on here in your schools.

We will have an awesome presentation for you to watch while you eat.  In addition, there will be a round table talk from each of the building administrators.

Breakfast is served at 7:00 AM until 8:30 AM in the Colstrip High School Cafeteria. Don't miss this unique communication opportunity over breakfast.

The first Parent and Community Breakfast will be this Thursday, September 6, 2018.  Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and other relatives as well as students alike are welcome. 

Whether you are just getting off shift from work or getting ready to go to work, the District invites you to join us. Everyone, and that means everyone, is invited. Just park in the lower parking lot at the high school and come on in the front doors to the cafeteria. We will be anxiously awaiting you!

See you Thursday between 7:00 AM and 8:30 AM.

GO COLTS! GO FILLIES! 

MAKE DUST OR EAT DUST!

"Get out in front and stay there!"

Responding To School Violence

by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the 17 victims as well as the community of Parkland, Florida and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where a school shooting had taken place on February 14, 2018. This horrific tragedy and heinous crime has educators, parents and communities asking: "What can be done to prevent these types of things from happening in our schools?" Many constituents are asking their education officials: What is being done to prevent this from happening in their schools?" 

At Colstrip Public Schools we follow a School Crisis Response Plan in order to execute emergency procedures in emergency situations from specific isolated emergencies to major disasters. The objectives of Colstrip school emergency operations program are to protect the lives and well-being of its students and staff through the prompt and timely response of trained school personnel should an emergency affect the school. To meet these objectives, the school has established and maintains a comprehensive emergency operations program that includes plans and procedures, hazard analysis, security audits, training and exercise, and plan review and maintenance. 

In addition to emergency procedures, our district has implemented video surveillance and lock-down technology to secure it's building from outside threats. The staff is trained in first aid, CPR and AED use. The district has also entered into a partnership with the local policy department that provides a School Resource Officer twenty hours a week. Even though the District is prepared, we also need to be preventative.

Probably one of the most significant preventative measures we have implemented is a Quantum Learning concept called Home Court Advantage or HCA. This concept is based on Safety, Support and Belonging. It is a chant our students, K-12 know, but are learning the deeper meaning behind the concept. It isn't enough just to know what to do in an emergency, but more importantly what should we be doing to prevent tragedies from happening. HCA provides a foundation for understanding expectations and actions.

Providing safety, support and belonging to all members of this district is essential to learning outcomes and growth. Abraham Maslow created a frame-work in which people generally move through in order to attain self actualization. Safety, support and belonging must be obtained before a person's full potential can be realized.

HCA is about caring for one another and recognizing basic needs. Basic human needs that surround the human dimensions (see below):

• Physical: Physiologic needs: breathing, circulation, temperature, food and etc.
• Environmental: Safety and security needs: housing, community, climate and etc.
• Soicalcultural: Love and belonging needs: relationships, support, part of a community and etc.
• Emotional: Self-esteem needs: Hope, joy, happiness, accepting of self.
• Intellectual/spiritual: Self-actualization needs: thinking, learning, decision making, values, beliefs, fulfillment, helping others.

All basic human needs are interrelated and may require actions at more than one level at a given time. For example, in caring for a person coming into the emergency department with a heart attack, the nurse’s immediate concern in the patient’s physiologic needs (e.g., oxygen and pain relief). At the same time, safety needs (e.g., for ensuring that the person does not fall off the examining table) and love and belonging needs (e.g., for having a family member nearby if possible) are still major considerations.^[11]

At Colstrip Public Schools Home Court Advantage is essential in supporting its Core Purpose:

• SAFETY: Every student will attend a "safe" environment. Students will always be assured that this school is their safe haven from harm's way. Every student's dignity is protected here!
• SUPPORT: Every student will receive support from every member in this school. We will pick each other up when we are down and will applaud individual and group success. Everyone is a part of this school and everyone will support those in it.
• BELONGING: Every student is valued in this school! This is our school and our students' home away from home. It is a place of welcome and family for everyone!

 Please know we are working towards perfecting these concepts in our daily work. As we improve, our students, staff and community can be more confident in the safety provided when school is in session.

GO COLTS! GO FILLIES! 

MAKE DUST OR EAT DUST!

"Get out in front and stay there!"

 

Core Purpose is Served Through New Partnership

by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

School Resource Officer Monty McNearney

The School District has extended an invitation for partnership with the Colstrip Police Department. Together the organizations will address the challenges and opportunities in protecting, supporting and keeping our schools safe.

The Colstrip school faculty, administration and board believe that law enforcement presence will encourage appropriate behavior and choices throughout the school system.  

During this working partnership, the Colstrip Police Department will provide a part-time officer (20 hours per week) as the school resource officer (SRO) through the end of this school year 2017-2018. This is at no cost to the School District. As a guideline, the officer will spend approximately 50% of his/her time in the high school, 35% in the middle school and 15% in the elementary.  

Officer Monty McNearney will serve as the part time School Resource Officer (SRO). With this in mind, we would like to welcome our new partnership with the Police Department as well as Officer Monty McNearney. 

NOTE: These actions and agreements are supported by the District's Core Purpose:
The Core Purpose of Colstrip Public Schools is to effectively focus on learning and growth for all students in a safe, healthy, caring and collaborative environment that ensures each student achieves intellectual and personal excellence, and is well prepared for college and career pathways. 

GO COLTS! GO FILLIES! 

MAKE DUST OR EAT DUST!

"Get out in front and stay there!"

Do You Want to Know Why?

by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

The Colstrip Board approved a new Core Purpose. The Core Purpose is at the heart of an organization. It answers the question WHY. It reflects the very reason for our school's existence. It communicates what we are here to do together and what is the business of our business.

The Core Purpose is at the "core" of the golden circle. "Schools that want to produce a healthy learning environment must first and foremost be clear about their collective purpose (Muhammad, Transforming School Culture; p 121).

According to leadership expert Simon Sinek: "People don't buy in to what you do, they buy into why you are doing it."

Colstrip Public Schools does not have a mission statement. It has a Core Purpose statement that is supported by identified Core Values. The Core Purpose is the answer to HOW we make dust!

 

The Core Purpose of Colstrip Public Schools is to effectively focus on learning and growth for all students in a safe, healthy, caring and collaborative environment that ensures each student achieves intellectual and personal excellence, and is well prepared for college and career pathways. 

GO COLTS! GO FILLIES! 

MAKE DUST OR EAT DUST!

"Get out in front and stay there!"

Colstrip Supports Its Kids

By Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

Special Thanks to the Colstrip Community for their support of the KIDS in our community! Both levies passed! 

Unofficial Results: 

High School General Fund Levy

FOR - 237

AGAINST - 147

Elementary General Fund Levy

FOR - 240

AGAINST - 141

Authorization to sell IBCLC

FOR - 322

AGAINST - 60

WAY TO MAY DUST COLSTRIP!

No doubt, Colstrip has always been supportive of its schools and provided the best education possible. WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN OUT IN FRONT when it comes to educational support.

Thank you!

GO COLTS! GO FILLIES! 

MAKE DUST OR EAT DUST!

"Get out in front and stay there!"

Pancake Breakfast Smiles

by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

Bill and Jose serving it up. 

The Quality of Life Corporation sponsored a Free Pancake Breakfast for the community at the Colstrip Parks and Recreation Department (CPRD) in the Colstrip Community Center Basement where the Breakfast Program occurs! This is the Quality of Life Corporation's way of thanking the community and sponsors for allowing them to provide this unique program for Colstrip kids.

The Quality of Life Corporation has sponsored a Breakfast program for a number of years. The program is offered to all Colstrip students. The doors open at 6:00 AM until the start of school. Students are picked up at CPRD by the school district transportation system and taken to their appropriate school. This program enables parents that must go to work early to drop their children off at the Breakfast Program knowing that their children will be nurtured, fed and safely transported to school.

If you have any questions concerning the Breakfast Program please feel free to contact any of the Quality of Life Board Members. Quality of Life Board consist of President Bill Neumiller, Vice President Bob Lewandowski, Secretary Gary Parry,  Treasure Rick Harbin, Member Jose Ortiz, Member Jim Atchison, Member Cathy Frank.

WHAT IS THE QUALITY OF LIFE CORPORATION?

As per the Articles of Incorporation:

The Quality of Life Corporation is a non-profit organization formed: (a)  To benefit the activities and operations of the Colstrip Parks and Recreation Department (CPRD) and Colstrip Public School District to improve the quality of life of residents and visitors through delivery of charitable and educational services and programs. (b)  To promote the well-being and healthy living of children, youth and adults in the community of Colstrip. (c) To raise funds within and without the State of Montana, and to solicit, receive, and hold money and property, both real and personal, by gift, contribution, bequest, devise or otherwise. (d) To carry on educational activities relating to the rendering of services to children, youth and adults. (e) To distribute funding for educational/vocational scholarships. (f) To engage in any activity not prohibited by the Montana Nonprofit Corporation Act.

One of the many satisfied PANCAKE EATERS! 

GO COLTS! GO FILLIES! 

MAKE DUST OR EAT DUST!

"Get out in front and stay there!"

Colstrip Veterans' Day Honoring

by Robert "Bob" Lewandowski

I had the pleasure of attending the Veterans' Honoring at 2:00 PM at the Colstrip City Center. Our middle school students at Frank Brattin were exceptional in every way. It is so good to see our youth respect those who served this country as well as the flag they fought and died for; it provided an assurance that America is truly great!

During the ceremony, American Legion, Trevor J Johnson Post 44 lead by Post Commander Robin Sterrett spoke about those that have served and those that our county has lost. In Sterrett's speech, he defined the American hero saying: "Veterans come in all shapes and sizes. Young and old - rich and poor - black and white - and nearly every category in between, they are men and women who served or still serve America."

As the FBMS band played students and staff lined up to shake our veterans' hands and say thank you. It was a moving moment watching this display of gratitude and respect.

Sterrett ended his speech telling our students: "Thank you again for allowing me to speak on behalf of our nation's veterans. God bless you and God bless our nation's veterans."

American Legion Post 44, thank you! Thank you for reminding our youth about the real heroes. It was a pleasure listening and then the opportunity in thanking you for the sacrifices made in behalf of others.

Additional thanks to the students, teachers, band, choir and Principal Haslem. Well done FBMS!