Dr. Nelson’s Blog

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As we are still in the renovation stages in the Front Office, please pardon our progress. Soon to come – a brand new Health Room designed to better serve the needs of students who get the occasional cuts and scrapes. Our Business Office entrance has been moved to the red double doors in the main hallway. Though our voicemail is still problematic we are researching a move to a more robust service in the near future. Our school-wide Ethernet Cat-6 wiring “backbone” is now 95% complete and will prove to help improve both internal and external communications via the Internet. We also are now using MyGradeBook.com school-wide to report student progress directly to administration and parents in a secure, online format – much like the online banking revolution now in place everywhere.

Our all-school professional development workshops were very well received by everyone on campus. We spent an entire day together – working on building the team spirit – and we have come together like never before. Ask teachers, maintenance and staff about the “Iron Knight Challenge” they all participated in. Results from the collegial competition will be shared at the PTA Red, White and “Blues” BBQ on August 18th.

As we have been listening to faculty needs, our new Master’s Degree program on campus is now going to come to fruition. Thirteen SJS faculty have signed up to take methodology classes in Educational Technology. The culminating Master’s Degree will be awarded by the University of Guam at the end of the year-long program to those who successfully complete the course of studies.

Our military community outreach got off to a great start with seven faculty representing our school to the new military families on island at the Outrigger Hotel on Saturday. Thanks to all who took time on a busy weekend to represent our school to the greater Guam community for the benefit to all.

We have designed our orientation for this coming Tuesday, August 8th, to help new and returning families to come together and learn more about our programs and growing options for success at SJS. We now have the ability to award not only the International Baccalaureate Diploma (arguably the highest level of rigor in the world) but we also can award the Advanced Placement International Diploma. Students can even receive the Advanced Placement Honors International Diploma as well, if they have the scores needed to make the grade.

We hope to see all parents and students on August 8th at 9:00 am until noon in the gym for a back-to-school orientation. See you then!