Introductions

[Scott Habeeb]

Please tell the other members of the network a little about yourself. Nothing is too short and nothing is too long. Just let us know who we are so we can turn this network into a true community.

[Scott Habeeb]

Thanks - I copied and pasted that to his forum discussion question.

[Mary Beth Florenz]

I am a teacher of +20 years soon to complete my leadership degree and hopefully will move on into an administration position. I am beginning to work on a project of looking at freshman transition programs. Since this is the beginning stage, I am collecting as much information as I can.

[Scott Habeeb]

Thanks for joining and for introducing yourself. As you're collecting information, please let me know if I can assist you.

[Elizabeth Shannon]

Hello All!!!

I am the instructional coach and 9th and 10th grade English teacher at West Allegheny HS in Imperial, PA - which is west of Pittsburgh by the airport.

I became interested in starting a Freshman Transition program when I went into some of our lower level classes last year and noticed that the Freshman and Seniors were really very similar.  The seniors had the same lack of motivation and disruptive behaviors as the freshman have - it made me think - wait ----- maybe we need to teach them how to be high school students rather than just expecting them to figure it out themselves.

The assistant principal and I started a pilot program of sorts this year but we need to be more purposeful as we expand it next year so we are on the lookout for different ways to approach this for the 16-17 school year.

Looking forward to learning about all the good ideas out there!!

[Scott Habeeb]

Thanks for introducing yourself.

Please let me know if I can help out at all.  I'm a high school principal and have been involved with freshman transition - at my own school and at schools around the country - for almost 20 years.  

You're on the right track with your idea of "teaching them how to be high school students"!

[Leona Hinton]

Hi everyone,

I'm so proud to become a member of Ning community!

I'm Leona, a young educator from the Windy City. I aim at integrating technology into education and really hope to meet my fellows here. I'd be glad to learn from your experience and share mine.

Cheers,

Leona

[Scott Habeeb]

Thanks, Lenoa, for joining and for introducing yourself.  Please feel free to share any blog posts or to start any forum discussions that you think would benefit the group.

[Renee Boyd]

Hello All,

   I am currently the Science lead for at a comprehensive high school in Richmond, Va.  Last year, our school started a Freshman wing and I was the coordinator.  This year, I still teach some freshman and a lot of seniors that need biology to graduate (they need to pass the class and the state exam). In addition, I have a 9th grade son that is following some of the 9th grade bulge predictions, however he does not attend school in the district that I work and he be O.K  I came across this network while research information for my edD on Freshman Academies.I am glad to be a member and look forward to reading and contributing valuable information.

[Scott Habeeb]

Good to hear from a fellow Virginian!  Please let me know if I can do anything at all to help you out with your work.  And please feel free to blog or start forum discussions based on your edD research.

[Vicki Nelson]

Hello,

I am a school counselor at a private boarding school on the coast of California. We are starting a Freshman transition program next school year. I am working on development and implementation of the program and appreciate this site.

Thanks,

Vicki Nelson, MA

[Scott Habeeb]

Thanks for joining, Vicki!  Please let me know if I can ever help you out.

[Kim Haynes]

I am an assistant principal for curriculum and instruction at North Division High School in Milwaukee, WI. This year we are implementing a Freshman Academy and I have been assigned as the administrator to serve the team.

I look forward to the opportunity to learn and grow from the other members.