Welcome!

I'm VERY excited to see your children this week, mostly up and down the halls, as K and 1st grade won't be coming in since their first week is half-days; and 3rd, their computer time being the very first thing in the day, will wait until next week to begin stopping in. I'll see the 2nd grades and the 4th grades, though (assuming their teachers want to bring them by) and this is the week we won't be getting to computers, but rather spending time talking with one another about how computers should, and must, be used in our school setting.

There's a very formal, legalistic document that everyone should know about, since by coming to USN everyone agrees to abide by it. It's called the "Acceptable Use Policy," and I don't know of a computer-using school that doesn't have some version of it. From the very youngest to my old 4th graders, we'll talk about AUP at the beginning of every school year. I'll scale it down for all the kids, since it's really no fun to read, presenting some with pictures, some with a Powerpoint, and playing the grand old game "Concentration" with others.

We'll also talk about the basics in the lab--where everyone sits, how everyone enters the room, and take a good look at how I've completely remodeled the computer lab, having taken advantage of the carpet replacement to move things around. Drop by a bit later in the school year to see: I've cleared the front third of the room for floor seating, moved my desk up front, and rearranged computer tables from their longstanding positions around the rooms perimeter to three pods of six computers, and I think everyone's really going to like it!

Welcome, welcome, and welcome! All 352 of our friends!!!