Assistant Superintendent/Superintendent Shadow Internship Portfolio Reflection

Skylar A Tomblin
West Virginia State University
Educ 650- Internship

1. Mr. John O'Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. I began listening to Mr. O’Brien’s “5-year Strategic Plan” Presentation. He began by speaking
about how the district is going to continue working towards their goal. Their mission is to
“Empower all learners to positively shape their futures.” Their vision is “KPBSD will inspire all
learners to pursue their dreams in a rigorous, relevant, and responsive environment. Their motto
is “Ready, Rigor, Relevance, Responsive.” They want to make their students Ready for life,
college, and career. The will include Rigor by students learning in a performance-based
instructional model, growth, and success being determined through multiple measures of
learning, and students having “accessible anywhere” curriculum without dependencies on
particular technologies. They will create a personalized learning system that is Relevant. They
will learn in a flexible instructional model that is appropriate for all, experience varied
instructional strategies that target strengths, develop a personalized learner profile, have
opportunities to develop healthy lifestyles, and be provided with instructional opportunities in
partnership with parents and community. They will include their Responsive goal by prioritizing
strong, positive relationships with students, teachers utilizing instructional strategies that are
research-based, developing a culture of continuous innovation within schools across the district,
professional learning being embedded and ongoing, and developing a highly reliable
organization through online collaboration tools.

3. May 11, 2020

4. Observing: 2 hrs

Participating: 50 hrs

Leading: 48 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. “What Keeps you Centered?” Presentation. He wants to focus on nurturing the head and the
heart this year. He started off by recognizing faculty and staff members that had been with the
district for 30 or more years. There were 11 members that were honored. He began speaking
about self-care for caring professionals and reminding staff members that we must take care of
ourselves if we are to take care of the students. He presented the question “What keeps you
centered?” He then started speaking about his own family including his wife and their three
daughters, and their yellow lab, Owen. He also mentioned fishing and traveling. He told the
faculty members to take a minute and write down what kept them centered. He went right into
the topic of SEL (Social and Emotional Learning). He defined SEL as “the process through
which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills
necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show
empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible
decisions.” SEL happens every day in every classroom, is how we teach and learn, and happens
across multiple settings. He released staff for the time being and would resume talking about
ACES after their lunch.
3. 5/12/2020

4. Observing: 2 hrs

Participating: 50 hrs

Leading: 46 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. “ACES Presentation” Mr. O’Brien began the presentation by showing a TedTalk on ACES.
An adverse childhood experience describes a traumatic experience in a person’s life occurring
before the age of 18 that the person remembers as an adult. ACES can be abuse, neglect, or
household dysfunction. Trauma can also impair learning by affecting attention, memory, and
cognition, reducing ability to focus, organize, and process information, interfere with problem-
solving and planning and result in frustration and anxiety. KPBSA had more OCS Referrals in
the 2018-2019 school year than ever before. All faculty in the Kenai School District will be
required to have ongoing training and professional development in trauma-related areas. They
will be implementing Positive Behavioral Intervention Supports (PBIS). They have received
$1,580,000 in grants supporting SEL in the past 3 years and some grants are still pending. They
plan to receive $4,500,000 by 2024.

3. 5/12/2020

4. Observing: 2 hrs

Participating: 50 hrs

Leading: 44 hrs

1. Mr. John O'Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. “Supporting Students in a Complicated World.” PD Session hosted by the WVDE. The

speaker was Dr. Jim Harris. He started the presentation with “It Starts With You,” relating to
state, story, and strategies. State is the self-care and mental health of individuals. They have to be
in a healthy physiological and mental state to execute the job as an educator, parent, or
community member. “Where you are.” We need to think about where we are with our “state.”
Strategies won't work if the educator is in mental distress. State is critically important. Story.
What is the story that educators are telling themselves about students? There are two ways of
thinking: “What is wrong with kids these days,” or “what do kids need these days?” We cannot
go buy a bunch of strategies, instead, we have to work on developing a story to understand what
our students need. What is stress? Stressed and scared brains grow differently. Arousal
physiological response must be perceived as aversive, and the person doesn’t feel control. Short
term design for long-term threat. Productivity is lost. Now, what is trauma? Trauma is an
exceptional experience in which powerful and dangerous events overwhelm a person’s capacity
to cope. Toxic stress results in prolonged activation of the stress response, with a failure of the
body to recover fully. It differs from a normal stress response in that there is a lack of caregiver
support, reassurance, or emotional attachments. As educational leaders, when do we reign people
into where we start admiring our problems, and when do we start “now, what?” We cannot hire
or purchase our way out of an inefficient system. Consider building resilience by deep social
support networks and increased optimism. Deep social networks mean creating relationships that
are effective. Think about it as an old walnut tree that has deep roots. Learning and growth takes
place in the context of relationships. Deep social network strategies: reduce the use of antisocial
strategies, scheduled social connection, mentoring programs, check-in/check-out, community
partnerships. Provide feedback and acknowledgment. If it is important enough to teach and
punish, it is important enough to acknowledge. Rational Optimism Strategies: feedback and
reinforcement systems, teaching mindset & grit, exercise and meditation, journaling, conscious
acts of kindness, meaningful work, exercise signature strength, interest exploration, and
meaningful work.

3. 5/12/2020

4. Observing: 2 hrs

Participating: 50 hrs

Leading: 42 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. “Kachemak Bay Rotary'' Presentation by Mr. O’Brien had guest speakers including Penny
Vadla, BOE President, Mike Illg, and Zen Kelly, both BOE members. They reviewed the
strategic plan and focused on the KPBSD graduation rate. In 2015, the district graduation rate
was 81.73%. In 2019, the district graduation rate was 88.27%. Drop out rates in 2015 was 2.8%
and in 2018, they were 1.8%.PEAKS (Performance Evaluation for Alaska’s Schools) English-
Language Arts Data is above the state average of 39.2 for all schools in the district. The PEAKS
Mathematics data is above the state average of 35.72 for all schools in the district. The PEAKS
Science data is above the state average of 44.65 for all schools in the district. SAT scores for the
district average at 1172, which is above the state average of 1106, and the country average of
1068. The average ACT test results for the district were 25.9, which is above the state average of
20.8.AP Data shows 77% of their students had a score of 3+, which the state and global averages
are 61%. 96% of CTE concentrators have a 96% graduation rate and 54% of their students are
taking at least one CTE class in high school.

3. 5/13/2020

4. Observing: 2 hrs
 Participating: 50 hrs

Leading: 40 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. “Goals in 2020” Presentation by Mr. O’Brien. The KPBSD Board of Education Goals are
develop policies and a budget plan that promotes the guiding principles of the five-year strategic
plan, create partnerships to foster and strengthen positive relationships that increase student
educational opportunities and support further improvements in the areas of positive school
climate, safety, and social-emotional wellbeing. In 2020, Mr. O’Brien plans to focus on public
education, safe schools, CTE programs, and an adequate education funding plan that addresses
inflation, and health care costs. Mr. O’Brien reviewed the graduation rate, PEAKS (Performance
Evaluation for Alaska’s Schools) scores, and SAT and ACT scores. The reasoning for this
presentation is that overall student enrollment is declining form 8,828 students during the 2014-
2015 school year to 8,525 students in the 2019-2020 school year. Although enrollment has
declined, students in special education have risen from 1,426 students in the 2013-2014 school
year to 1,680 students in the 2018-2019 school year. Intensive Needs (IN) students have also
risen from 146 students in the 2013-2014 school year to 203 students in the 2018-2019 school
year. The district will be partnering with OEM, Borough Maintenance, Alaska Municipal
League, and Tableau to reach their 2020 goals. He ended the presentation with his own quote,
“Healthy students and positive school culture are paramount to student achievement. We will
strive to meet the needs of our students in this crucial area.”

3. 5/13/2020

4. Observing: 2 hrs

Participating: 50 hrs

Leading: 38 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. KPBSD Assembly Update by Mr. O'Brien presentation via the online portal. Mr. O'Brien's
update was focusing on students, challenges, and budget. First, he started by updating student
achievement, activities, and learning. He recognized Alaska Counselor of the year and Alaska
School Psychologist of the Year, both from the Kenai Peninsula District. The challenges the
district is facing are within the office of children services referrals, suicide risk assessments,
adverse childhood experiences, students in transition population, and behavioral threat
assessments. The district plans to optimize the pace of learning for all students, improve
instructional approach tailored to individual student needs, rigor, relevance, responsiveness, and
strong, positive relationships being the foundation of their work. He is reviewing the budgets that
were submitted to the Borough by April 1st and will be in contact with principals this week upon
approval. For the budget, he clarified that Pupil-Teacher Ratio was not adjusted, and Certified
Staff reductions will be in place due to declining enrollment.

3. 5/14/20

4. Observing: 2 hrs

Participating: 50 hrs

Leading: 36 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. Seward Chamber Virtual Presentation. The mission of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School
District is to empower all learners to positively shape their future. The graduation rate has been
steadily increasing since the 2011-2012 school year but district enrollment has declined.
However, this school year they noticed a small improvement in enrollment, that is putting
enrollment back up to where it was in the 2015-2016 school year. Since 2015, the district has had
to make reductions of nearly $8 million dollars including cutting 10 District Office Positions,
curriculum, supplies, travel, student nutrition services, and custodians. This upcoming school
year, faculty and staff need to focus on Maslow BEFORE Bloom. Reviews the strategic plan (I
already summarized the strategic plan above). The skills he wants all graduates to leave with the
following skills: perseverance, grit, world-class, problem solving, and creativity. They will be
honoring graduates of Kenai Penisula High School tonight at a drive-through graduation
ceremony at 7pm. This is the first graduation ceremony of the year and other high schools in the
district will have the same type of ceremony within the next 2 weeks.

3. 5/15/20

4. Observing: 2 hrs

Participating: 50 hrs

Leading: 34 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. Mr. O'Brien's presentation on Personalized Learning. PL is the structuring schools,

classrooms, and instruction so we can better respond to the individual needs of students, instead
of expecting students to fit a mold or adapt to structures that may not be successful for them. Key
elements include flexible content and tools, targeted instruction, data-driven decisions, and
student reflection and ownership. The district is preparing students to take initiative for their own
learning by teaching student ownership and reflection. Innovative classrooms in the KP School
District provide opportunities for this to happen at every grade level. Flexible Content and Tools
means that instructional materials allow for a differentiated path, pace, and performance tools.
Targeted Instruction is an instruction that aligns with specific student needs and learning goals.
Data-Driven Decisions is a frequent data collection that informs instructional decisions and
groupings. Student Reflection and Ownership means that ongoing student reflection promotes
ownership of learning. Mr. O'Brien previously asked students in various schools, "Where do you
want your learning to take you and how can KPBSD help you get there?" In the new five-year
strategic plan, KPBSD moved away from using a single test score to measure how students'
progress and achieve because Mr. O'Brien believes that students should be able to demonstrate
their readiness at all grade levels in multiple ways beyond a standardized test score. KPBSD
recognized one teacher, Robanne Stading, for Kenai Teacher of the Year, and also five other
teachers for excellence.

3. 5/18/20

4. Observing: 2 hrs

Participating: 50 hrs

Leading: 32 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly. Mr. O'Brien reviews the mission and vision of the
district, along with the 4 R's: Ready for Life, Rigor, Relevance, and Responsive. Goals for
upcoming school year are to (1) advocate with a wide variety of stakeholders, including local,
state, and federal decision-makers, for a reliable education funding plan that meets the fiscal
needs of the district, (2) connect with a wide variety of stakeholders to strengthen positive
relationships advocating for public education, and (3) support further development and
implementation of the school climate and safety comprehensive plans. He reviewed the safety
plan, Structure, Proactive, Responsive, and Supports. He introduced the Kachemak-Selo New
School Project, in which he will be presenting tomorrow via the online portal. He recognized
new Administrators that have been hired for the upcoming school year. Upcoming: work on
budget beginning in September and working with Borough Administration is ongoing.

3. 5/19/20

4. Observing: 2 hrs

Particpating: 50 hrs

Leading: 30 hours

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. The Kachemak Selo New K-12 School Construction project began July 9, 2011, when a
petition was submitted to the school board by local residents requesting a public school facility.
Kindergarten through twelfth-grade classes is currently housed in three leased residential
facilities that have deteriorated beyond useful capacity. The estimated cost of this construction
project will not exceed $15,460,000. The proposed bonds in the amount of $5,450,000 would
fund 35% local match as well as costs associated with planning, design, site acquisition,
preparation and development, construction, and equipping the Kachemak Selo K-12 School. The
district currently leases three separate buildings in the Kachemak attendance area to educate K-
12 students of the Kachemak Selo Village. The building was originally constructed as homes that
have deteriorated beyond useful capacity. The buildings have severe structural issues, poor
insulation, and unsuitable square footage for class sizes. When the project was submitted, it was
the top-scoring project on the School Construction list and was ranked as the number one priority
by DEED. Challenges to consider before proceeding with construction are funding,
transportation, and continued maintenance. The transportation issue is that Kachemak Selo is a
remote village, not connected to the road system. The village is lesson than a mile from the road
but is separated by a 800' drop. It is steep, and has unstable soils that separate the road system
from the coastal elevation. There is no legal access to safely transport students. The new site is
on eight acres and is 3000ft east of the existing school. $10,010,000 DEED grant, $5,390,000
General obligation bond to meet the 35% DEED match, $60,000 Charges incurred for the bond
transactions, $15,460,000 total project costs.

3. 5/20/20

4. Observing: 2 hrs

Participating: 50 hrs

Leading: 28 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. Mr. O'Brien presented the two different General Fund Scenarios. Since 2016, the district has
made reductions totaling $7,935,137. In 2015, reductions of $1,254,000 were made including
cuts at the district office and on technology, supplies, software, utilities, and travel. In 2017,
$1,375,000 reductions were made including cuts at the district office and on curriculum, utilities,
and travel. In 2018, $3,436,829 reductions were made including cuts at the district office,
counseling, food service, supplies, travel, pro-tech, and equipment. In 2019, $1,869,308
reductions were made including cuts at the district office, unallocated staff, and support staff
(custodians, tutors). 81% of the budget is personnel. In 2020, considerations for reduction are 1
or 2 district office staff, school administration, school-level support, supplies, travel, curriculum,
pro-tech, and equipment. If they increase pupil-to-teacher ratio, they will cute 12 positions and
save $1,150,000.

3. 5/21/20

4. Observing: 2 hrs
 Participating: 50 hrs

Leading: 26 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. KPBSD Pupil Services Department. The goals are (1) develop a basic understanding of special
education, (2) learn about KPBSD student numbers and staffing, (3) understand how funding
works for special education. Pupil Services Department includes special education, Section 504,
academic and behavioral intervention, gifted and talented education, health services, charter
schools, alternative schools, and collaboration with mental health agencies. What is Special
Education? Specially designed instruction, meets the unique needs of a child who has a
disability, provided by the public school system and is free of charge, and services can include
instruction in the classroom, at home, in hospitals and institutions. Which students are served?
Students age 3-22 who meet the criteria for special education are served in the school district.
How is the need determined? Parent ort school-based referral for special education. The process
to determine eligibility if meets criteria? The student must have a disability, disability adversely
affects education performance, requires specially designed instruction. Referral, Evaluation,
Eligibility, IEP, Placement, Instruction, Annual Review. The District has 194 full-time special
education aides. 145 are funded from the general fund, and 48 are funded from Title VI-B Grant.
66 Resource teachers, 22 self-contained teachers, 4 ED/Behavior teachers, 17 Speech-Language
Therapists, 12 School Psychologists, and 1 Vision Specialist.

3. 5/22/20

4. Observing: 2 hrs
Participating: 50 hrs
Leading: 24 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. Preparing students for their future. The presentation today will include results, awards,
projects, enrollment, budget, and news. Results= Graduation rates have increased. Awards=
Homer HS Cross Country Runners and Soldotna HS Football. Projects= Students in Transition-
District and KCHS, 21 Days of Kindness, Alaska Native Education, Strategic Planning. News=
Polycom interns, Southern Peninsula start and stop times for August 2020. District enrollment
has been declining over the past 10 years. So far, there are 50 new teachers for the 2020-2021
school year. Health Care costs have increased 57% since 2010. Strategic Plan is being revised,
Arbitration report is available and will be reviewed at another scheduled meeting.
3. 5/26/20

4. Observing: 2 hrs
Participating: 50 hrs
Leading: 22 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. Key Communicators Presentation by Mr. O'Brien. Today, focusing on key communicator's

purpose, agenda and outcomes, and school district update. KPBSD Key Communicators (1) a
network of opinion leaders who establish solid two-way communications among organizations
and their publics- OSBA, (2) supports accurate information about KPBSD getting out to the
community quickly, and (3) advocacy is a critical role. The agenda is a little different, covering
topics of Personalized Learning, Everyday Challenges, Distance Delivery instruction, Finance,
and Legislature Advocacy. Engagement- the election is soon. There are many opportunities to
understand candidate positions and help communities be engaged in this important election.

3. 5/27/20

4. Observing: 2 hrs
Participating: 50 hrs
Leading: 20 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. Celebrations... Math Counts- KMS State Champions, Caring for the Kenai, Toyota Teen Drive
360- Homer HS, SkillsUSA Competition, Art-Printmaking, Drama, Debate, Forensics, All-State
Music, Athletics. Inclusive Practices Award was won by Nikiski Middle-High School, Title I
Distinguished Schools was awarded to Chapman and Nikolaevsk, 2019 Blue Ribbon School-
Kaleidoscope, ASTE Leadership- Casey Olson and Trevan Walker, ALASBO Business Official
of the Year- Laurie Olson, USDLA Gold Level- Rob Sparks and Greg Zorbas, Alaska SkillsUSA
Advisor of the Year- Cam Wyatt, and Region III Principal of the Year- Kari Dendurent. Goals
for the Board of Education: Funding- work with Borough and Legislature, Connecting-work with
staff and schools, Communicating- work with communities to promote a shared value for public
education. Goals for the District: College/Career/Life Ready students- graduation rate and
meaningful diploma, Differentiation, and personalization of instruction- blended learning,
relevance, and relationships. Professional Development- improve instruction and leadership.
Points of emphasis: R, R, R, Collaboration, and strive for excellence. Rigor, Relevance, and
Relationships are the focus, so love the kids. Collaborate by intervention, enrichment, and peer
feedback. Strive for excellence because all students deserve a quality educational experience.
3. 5/28/20

4. Observing: 2 hrs
Participating: 50 hrs
Leading: 18 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. KPBSD Administrator Meeting. Mr. O'Brien recognized a few faculty's years of service and
retirements. The goal is to continue to build bridges by innovating, communicating, and
engaging. By innovating, Mr. O'Brien asked each administrator what made their school special
and unique. Each school is going to focus on instructional and social/emotional practice in the
upcoming year. To communicate, administrators shared golden stories. He wants to see
principals focusing on the impact students and staff have on the community. He asked them
"What are the results your students are showing beyond test scores?" To Engage, he asked the
principals to think about who are their community partners? How do the partners support each
school and what do they know about the school? He encourages all principals to develop at least
3 new partners by the time school starts in August. What We Know- the district needs to
implement intervention and collaboration. Students are behind in credits. What we are Planning
For... budget, prepared for the future, professional development, and politics. The budget will
come from state and borough funding. Students need to be college and career ready. Hiring the
best is a priority in the district, and growing the talent the district has is critical. The UA system
experienced significant reductions. The administrators need to make every day count and focus
on how May was an instructional engaging month, despite the pandemic. Administrators should
be analyzing as much information as they can by surveys. He asked each administrator what they
were collecting now and how? Each school needs to be prepared for the leadership academy. For
process development, he asked each school what their plan was, how they were monitoring the
plan, and how to keep moving forward with their plan. He closed the meeting by appreciating all
efforts for the year and continuing to work on developing the following characteristics: wisdom,
dependable, compassionate, courageous, and balanced.

3. 5/29/20

4. Observing: 2 hrs
Participating: 50 hrs
Leading: 16 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. Topics of Presentation: thanks, culture, updates. Mr. O'Brien gave thanks to members on the
AASSP, AAESP, and Leadership Teams. In the HR department, Dr. Ermold will be assuming all
HR responsibilities and they will not be hiring another instructional director. The primary goal
will be to improve and strengthen relationships across the district. The District Office will
continue to downsize in an effort to minimize staffing reductions in the classroom. Culture... Last
year, the district focused on continuous improvement concepts. This upcoming year, he wants
the district to focus on improving human relationships, especially strengthening student feelings
toward school. On the end of year reviews, he wants administrators to submit what processes
they focused on this year and what happened. He shares that his process focus has been on
communication by collecting and disseminating positive student and staff achievement to
strengthen community support throughout the district. The challenges the district still has are
funding, negotiations, and staffing. The district has been successful this year in student growth,
staff accolades, and commitment to improve. He updates by addressing new hires. He ends the
presentation by telling members that their attitude will determine the overall climate and how the
year finishes.

3. 6/1/20

4. Observing: 2 hrs
Participating: 50 hrs
Leading: 14 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. Mr. O'Brien recognized projects that had been completed across the district: Students In
Transition Homeless project and the Bethel Project. In order to innovate, he conducted a
presentation for professional development in the area of innovation. To innovate, the topics he
focused on were blending learning, application, professional learning communities, and effective
instruction. Blending learning is a long term goal and will implement individualization.
Application can be drones, robotics, service learning, ANSEP, CTE, and JumpStart. The district
will be adding early release days into the schedule next year for PLC meetings. Blended learning
is anytime a student learns at least in part at a supervised brick and mortar location away from
home and at least in part through online delivery with some element of student control overtime,
place, path, and pace. This can also be Hybrid learning. Blended learning is personalizing the
learning experience for each student; focusing their individual learning at a time, place, path, and
pace that meets their unique learning needs. Distance learning course enrollments have steadily
increased since the 2012-2013 school year. Career and Technical Education has been funded by
Carl Perkins Grant. A CTE participant is a student who has earned at least 1 semester classes in a
CTE pathway. A CTE Concentrator is a student who has earned at least 4 semester classes in a
CTE pathway. CTE programs include food worker card, NCCER, OSHA 10, Hazwper 40, Cook
Inlet Training, Petro-Chemical Health and Safety, CPR/AED, Certified Nursing Assistant,
Emergency Trauma Technician, Personal Care Assistant, and Pharmacy Technician. The Alaska
Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP) Middle School Academy is an academic and
residential program that emphasizes on increasing students' mathematics and science knowledge,
and other skills that introduce them to college life. ANSEP promotes technology, engineering,
and mathematics. There are 87 students throughout the district involved in ANSEP.

3. 6/2/2020

4. Observing: 2 hrs
Participating: 2 hrs
Leading: 12 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. End of year faculty meeting with Mr. O'Brien. Why do we do this? We want to make a
positive difference with kids and the future. We want to build relationships. We care, but how do
we show it and make sure students know it? Faculty members should continuously be improving
so administrators should be giving them feedback often and timely. Faculty members should be
focusing on each students' future by personalizing and differentiating instruction. Make sure all
instruction is meaningful. Collaborate with other grade level teachers, that is the basis of
improvement. Short term goals versus long term. The district's short term goals are staffing,
legislature, student engagement, and graduation. Long term goals are continuous improvement,
innovation, and enrollment. He asked all faculty members to think about how they will
communicate. Faculty members are encouraged to be proactive by seeking input and promoting
the positive.

3. 6/3/2020

4. Observing: 2 hrs
Participating: 50 hrs
Leading: 10 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. Let's Innovate. Innovation in the classrooms can be computer programming, service learning,
schedules, and native partnerships. The model is non-negotiable, there will be consistent
observation expectations across the district based on Danielson Model. Teachscape and
Calibration will also be implemented. If any staff member has any input, it can be considered as
the district plans for next year. Schools will have an opportunity to collaborate. The faculty voted
on the early release plan. Key communicators are the community, school board, administration,
and the state of the district. The district is working with the legislature on what can be improved
or what they need to know about. The Every Student Succeeds Act was implemented at the
Federal level. Mr. O'Brien addressed that because he had many complaints. AMP is being
implemented and SGMs will no longer be required. Each school needs to focus on engagement,
especially during distance learning. Provide information, seek feedback, be part of a team, and
take the opportunity. Everyone has 3 choices: watch things happen, make things happen, wonder
what happened.

3. 6/4/2020

4. Observing: 2 hrs
Participating: 50 hrs
Leading: 8 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. Continuous Improvement and Leadership presentation by Mr. O'Brien. Where is each

administrator on the improvement cycle? This includes culture, teaching, learning, and
collaboration. What do the students need to know and are they engaged? How do we know
students have learned? What do we do if they haven't or already know? What goals have been
met? The district wants to focus on effective instruction, data, and calibration. What will your
sites focus on in the short term? It should be related to culture and differentiation. Each school
should be communicating improvements and focus on the community. Each school needs to
create a board/assembly, media, blog, and Twitter if they do not already have one. Leaders
should be positive in every situation... smile. See it as an opportunity to prove strength and
ability. The district's priority is to provide the best possible experience for every student in the
school. This is done through love, hope, and respect. Leaders set the tone of how much love,
hope, and respect reside in each school.

3. 6/5/2020

4. Observing: 2 hrs
Participating: 50 hrs
Leading: 6 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. DMAIC. This is a model presented by Mr. O'Brien. Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and
Control. The five-phased approach for teams to understand the process, understand measurement
systems & data collection, determine performance issues, and analyze for root causes, create
powerful solutions, and transfer best practices and sustain the gains. Mr. O'Brien presented
different ways to improve in each area but I figured it would be too long to type each one.
Faculty needs to cultivate a growth mindset. Carol Dweck calls a "growth mindset" as the view
that intelligence is the malleable result of efforts, as opposed to a fixed mindset, or seeing
intelligence as an immutable trait. In order to have a culture of continuous improvement,
administrators must help their faculty see the bigger picture. The pressure is building, can only
be countered with a pushback that is not coming from people who are paid to educate.

3. 6/8/2020

4. Observing: 2 hrs
Participating: 50 hrs
Leading: 4 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. End of Year School Performance and Culture by Mr. O'Brien. He asked administrators, "Is
your school performance better now than it was in August? How do you know?" How does each
administrator measure school culture? (1) What are the assumptions your school's adults hold for
students? What are the assumptions about leadership and decision making? What are the
assumptions about adult roles and responsibilities? What are the assumptions about practices and
structures for educating students? Principal roles are process and performance management,
initiatives, technology, collaboration, and engagement. The district is always looking to improve
and become proficient in the use of the PDSA cycle when implementing new ideas. Try to work
on becoming reflective and collaborative after the implementation of a process. Always utilize
district office to support efforts in all areas.

3. 6/9/2020

4. Observing: 2 hrs
Participating: 50 hrs
Leading: 2 hrs

1. Mr. John O’Brien, Superintendent, lgabriel@k12.ak.us (Secretary), 907-714-8836

2. Enrollment changes since last school year Soldotna, Sterling & Kasilof -9, Seward Area +44,
Homer Area -32, Kenai Area -49, Nikiski Area +18, Connections -295, Village Schools +16.
Projecting 8820 students district-wide in the 2020-2021 school year. The goal is to maintain a
consistent level of service for all students. The board has approved budgets for all schools.
Financial considerations are projected deficit, negotiated agreements expire this year, state
funding update, and borough funding. Facilities are aging and will need updating soon. The
state's fiscal climate has gotten worse. The district projects significant use of reserves if they roll
forward existing services.

3. 6/10/2020

4. Observing: 2 hrs
Participating: 50 hrs
Leading: 0 hrs