Webinar #3 and a Suggestion

Our first two NLSA Best Practice webinars were highly successful and shared a variety of unique, replicable practices that could be considered by other Lutheran schools.

The third in our series of webinars will be held for one hour, on Tuesday, October 4, beginning at 1PM Eastern Time. Login to the webinars on the public page of the Lutheran School Portal http://www.lsportal.net/ It’s not necessary to register in advance for these events.

This webinar will feature the Best Practices of West Portal Lutheran School, located in San Francisco, California. It will provide information about their Partners in Faith program where Church and School come together to share the love of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with our non-churched families who have children attending the school. It would be beneficial for school leaders to view this portion of the webinar with their pastor(s) for it provides excellent strategies for using the school as a primary community outreach tool.

How about this idea submitted by Amber Fiala and shared with me by Dawn Oldenettel? Amber has invited her pastor to lunch so they can watch/listen webinar #3 together. She thinks this is a great opportunity to bring church and school together.  I think she’s on to something!

In addition, school leaders will present how they prepare students for their unique and challenging high school application process.  Although this program is designed for use with its elementary students, it has implications for Lutheran High Schools as they prepare students for their college application process.

Please join us for this webinar or login into the NLSA page on the Lutheran school portal to retrieve archived editions of past webinars.

Our Second Webinar

What an outstanding webinar today! Immanuel Lutheran Christian Academy, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, presented participants with many replicable Best Practices to consider. The staff is to be commended for serving children effectively with a wide variety of innovative Best Practices that enhance learning and enrich the school’s relationship with parents and the community. I commend Principal, Katherine, McGrew and her teachers for sharing so effectively with us today.

Webinar #2

The second in a series of seven NLSA Best Practice Webinars will be held for one hour on Tuesday, September 27, beginning at 1PM Eastern Time. Login to the webinars on the public page of the Lutheran School Portal http://www.lsportal.net/ It is not necessary to register in advance and there is no cost for these events. Participation will be limited to the first 100 people who enter the viewing room.

Immanuel Lutheran Christian Academy, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, has been recognized for its innovative classroom practices which result in greater student success and allow for remediation of those students who struggle academically.  These practices often integrate technology, tapping into that medium to create learning environments which allow all students of all learning styles and capabilities multiple opportunities to learn and practices skills. Several staff members will describe why and how these learning opportunities have developed in the ten short years that Immanuel has been in operation. 

Early childhood Kindergarten, first and third grade teachers will explain the use of Google Earth in Bible stories, rescue dogs in Paws for Reading, reading practice with the Reading Granny, research techniques with the Scientist, Researcher and World Traveler programs, SKYPING deaf-ed student classrooms in other states, and sign language.  Also included are overviews of Lego Club, Grandparent Games Club, and Knitting Club.  Older classes, such as fifth grade, will be highlighted using technology to create teaching units to younger students.  The computer education classes of Photography and Broadcasting will be presented, along with the use of Googledocs.

 Featured middle school classes include the use of numerous science activities without an existing science lab and limited resources, what we call Science on a Shoestring.  Widespread use of manipulatives in middle school math, along with game creation and presentation to younger students will be featured, as will the use of social networking to enhance learning in middle school language arts classes. 

The use of technology in specialty classes, such as the huge success of putting artwork online and allowing students and parents to critique and contribute the art program will also be spotlighted.  It is our sincere hope that other Lutheran schools will benefit from our Best Practices.   

A Reason to be Thankful Today

Today I am extremely thankful for a group of Lutheran educators in Indiana who attended my NLSA training event in Indianapolis. These folks are tremendously dedicated servants of our living God. They give of their time and talents to support other schools with their knowledge and understanding about NLSA. In addition, they lead their schools with intentional efforts at ongoing improvement through use of our NLSA process. These educators typify attitudes that are prevalent throughout our fraternity of Lutheran schools. Thank you Jon, Cliff and Fred for leading the accreditation efforts in Indiana.  And thank you Lutheran accreditation participants in Indiana. I was really encouraged by your efforts today!

Reflections on our First Webinar

We hosted our first live webinar today. I want to take an opportunity to share a few reflections:

1)      The folks at Faith in Las Vegas have rallied around a common visit that unites two schools and a congregation. There is much energy evident through their service to others.

2)      Intentional planning and united goals permeate every service project that is adopted by the united ministry.

3)      Pastor loves and is highly invested in his schools.

4)      The wiki provides others with the opportunity to more carefully review concepts presented in the webinar.

5)      The webinar movies were difficult to hear and will be better viewed on the wiki.

6)      Some participants complained about sound quality. We might have some work to do on the sound.

I am thankful to the folks at Faith Community Lutheran Schools for being the first in our series of seven weekly webinars. There is much for us to consider as we reflect on their presentation. Next week (September 27) join us for our second webinar at  noon eastern time. It will feature the Best Practices of Immanuel Lutheran Christian Academy in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

If I were an Ed Exec...

I have fond memories of that old Fiddler on the Roof song, “If I Were a Rich Man.” In the song Tevye opines about how his life would be different if he had scads of money. All day long he’d biddy biddy bum. District Education Executives have little time for biddy bumming. But, if I were an Ed Exec I’d biddy biddy bum myself right over to Lutheran schools in my district who are experiencing transitions in leadership and assist them using NLSA!

I’ve never been an Ed Exec but recently I have found myself wishfully wondering, if I were, how would I help my schools?  So many schools struggle with leadership transition. Some of our greatest leadership challenges, relate directly to the new school leader’s ability to determine how what has happened in the past might shape a direction for the school’s future. NLSA can help with that!

If I were an Ed Exec I think I would biddy biddy bum myself right on over to the school with the NLSA cumulative annual report in hand. If accurately completed by the previous administrator, the CAR helps the new leader quickly understand specific problems faced by the school, how they were dealt with, and what remains to be completed. A well-done CAR will even define who is responsible for actions and when they are scheduled to be addressed and completed. In fact, a CAR can take the mystery out of leadership transition and allow school improvement actions to flow, without interruption, from one leader to a successor. If the staff has been intricately involved with the reporting process the school should continue to move forward. It is NLSA’s intentional have all staff members intricately involved with the school accreditation process.

Over and over again NLSA works with Lutheran schools experiencing challenges and requesting application extensions. This is most often associated with leadership succession. School personal engaged properly with a dynamic, ongoing  accreditation process can help avoid many problems. And district leaders can hold schools accountable using the NLSA process. So if I were an Ed Exec…

First Webinar - Faith Lutheran Preschool & Academy

The first in a series of NLSA Best Practice Webinars will be held for one hour on Tuesday, September 20, beginning at 1PM Eastern Time. Login to the webinars on the public page of the Lutheran School Portal http://www.lsportal.net/ It is not necessary to register in advance for these events.

Please see the complete description of the webinar  below prepared by Principal, Jerry Reinertson.

Faith Lutheran Preschool & Academy

Las Vegas, NV

Webinar – September 20 @ 1PM Eastern time.

 Faith Lutheran Preschool & Academy will share the best Lutheran practice of being “One Faith” – Christ-centered and service-driven.  Note:  We are never more like Jesus than when we serve others.  And we are never more united as a ministry than when we serve others.  At Faith Community Lutheran Church and Schools in Las Vegas, Nevada, we are one ministry with one mission—“Inviting others to know Jesus”.  And our belief is that the best way to carry out our mission is to work together in serving others, so we can share the love of Christ both in word and deed.

Every time people on our campus pass by our mission wall in the Narthex, they are reminded that we have been called by Christ to be His witnesses in our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth.  That calling from Jesus in Acts 1:8 is what guides us as a local ministry to have a global vision that is Christ-centered and service-driven.  That way, by God’s grace, we can equip God’s children to transform this world for eternity.  We will talk about our ministry being very intentional.

The preschool and Academy integrate Christ-centered and service-driven into every aspect of our  curriculum including chapel and academics using technology as a significant tool to empower our students to transform the world for eternity.     

Executive Committee Meets in Lincoln

The NLSA Executive committee is meeting at Faith Lutheran School in Lincoln, NE. Agenda items for the meeting includes:  Annual calendar, Strategic Planning, Accreditation partnerships, Review of items on the 2011-12 CD,

Those Pesky Required Attachments and Documentation

Getting ready for conducting an NLSA self study process can be an overwhelming task for the school accreditation leader. Apart from the extensive self-study process, NLSA requires the accredited school to present a list of artifacts and documentation almost as long as your arm. Most of these documents are already present in good Lutheran schools but your process requires that the school take a look, update and ensure that everything exists and is in good working order.

Schools often get into trouble when the documents are not present or they are poorly prepared, lacking essential elements. This year, 14 schools were provisionally accredited. Most were lacking documentation and artifacts required by NLSA.

In order to ensure success for your school in its accreditation process, refer to the list of Required Attachments and Exhibits section at the end of the self study document. Make certain that everything is present before your start your self-study process.  Or better yet, before you begin your accreditation process, get your hands on a copy of the “NLSA Checklist: Getting Ready for Accreditation.” Review the items on the checklist to ensure that everything is present and in order. The Getting Ready checklist can be found on the NLSA tab located on the Lutheran School Portal. http://www.lsportal.net/

No matter if your school is seeking accreditation for the very first time or if it is working to re-accreditation, the required attachments and exhibits are an expectation for accreditation. When they are not present your accreditation process is at risk.

Archived Webinars

All of the NLSA Best Practice webinars will be recorded and archived on the NLSA tab of the Lutheran School Portal. They will be retrievable for portal subscribers at their convenience. There is an interactive advantage to attending the live webinar but we understand that schedules do not permit everyone to attend at the scheduled time.

Last year, on more than one occasion, groups of school leaders met during the live webinar and discussed the implications of Best Practices shared for their schools.  This is an excellent way to get the most from the concepts that are shared by exemplary school leaders.  We welcome the attendance and participation of those who participate in the live event and those viewing the archived webinars.

A Word or Two about NLSA Consultants

A word or two about consulting….NLSA school accreditation consultants play a critical role in a school’s pursuit of accreditation. The consultant focuses all of his/her effort on the school, its accreditation process and a successful conclusion. Consultants stand alongside of the school throughout its self-study process; encouraging, reviewing, making suggestions and ensuring success. The NLSA consultant is the school’s advocate and is totally committed to a successful completion of a process.

Consulting is a two way street. Most NLSA consultants have a full-time job that consumes the majority of the time and effort. Therefore much of the initiation relating to the consultant-school conversations begins from the side of the school working through its process. It is the school accreditation leader’s job to ask questions, submit drafts for review and carefully consider every suggestion presented by the consultant. Since an assigned consultant is an NLSA “expert” with a proven track record and much practical experience, a school that does not consult,is placing its accreditation process at risk.

NLSA is unique in providing an experienced accreditation consultant to work alongside of the school throughout the process. Consultants are eager and willing participants. But the school must initiate contact.  Don’t delay.  Contact your consultant and CONSULT, CONSULT, CONSULT!

2011 NLSA Best Practice Webinars

2011 Schedule for NLSA Best Practice Webinars

September 20 – Faith Community Lutheran Schools, Las Vegas, NV

“Inviting others to know Jesus” describes the ways that Faith church and its school cooperate together to serve the needy in the community thereby effectively sharing the love of Christ in word and deed. This webinar shares specific intentional ideas for creating a seamless church- school Ministry that is focused on service and outreach.

September 27 – Immanuel Lutheran Christian Academy, Broken Arrow, OK

Immanuel has been described by parents as a school of “second chances.” ILCA will share a variety of unique practices that integrate technology and create learning environments that allow students of all learning styles and capabilities multiple opportunities to practice and master skills. 

October 4 - West Portal Lutheran School, San Francisco, CA

WPLS will share information about their Partners in Faith program where Church and School come together to share our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with our non-churched families.  In addition, they will present how they prepare students for their unique and challenging High School application process.  

October 11 – St John Lutheran School, Ellisville, MO

St. John Lutheran School is focused on integrating a wide variety of best practices into our educational program in order to build an instructional foundation on 21^st century skills.  The webinar featuring the school’s best practices will include overviews about Literature Circles, Daily Five, Project  Construct, Block Scheduling, Weekly Meeting times and how technology is integrated into every aspect of student learning.

October 18 – Trinity Lutheran School, Waconia, MN

Trinity will share how it uses MAPS (Measure of Academic Progress)Testing to establishes a student’s precise instructional level, and prescribes specific areas of focus on for academic growth. They will also describe a unique process of intergenerational learning and how it connects students in meaningful ways with senior citizens from the community.

October 25 - Concordia University Early Childhood Education Center, River Forest, IL  

CUECEC is NLSA’s first exemplary stand-alone preschool. Their webinar will feature a variety of developmentally appropriate practices that enhance the learning environment of their students and make their school a” School of Choice” in their community.

November 1 – Saint Paul Lutheran High School, Concordia, MO

SPLHS will  share specific strategies for integration that include Peer Ministry Training (PMT), English Language Development (ELD) classes, international travel for domestic students, athletic and academic teams, and intentionality in social integration from mealtimes to residential hall life. 

NLSA Best Practice Webinars will be held for one hour beginning at 1PM Eastern Time. Login to the webinars on the public page of the Lutheran School Portal http://www.lsportal.net/ It is not necessary to pre-register for these events.  Participation will be limited to the first 100 people who enter the viewing room.

Executive Committee Meets

On September 13 & 14, the NLSA Executive Committee will meet at Faith Lutheran School iin Lincoln, Nebraska. Committee members are: Stuart Tietz (Chair), Trip Rodgers (Chair-elect) Dawn Oldenettal (secretary), Terry Schmidt (Director).

First Try

This would be my very first attempt at blogging. It's trial and error.