Leader of the Owls

Tragically, Columbus, GA was struck by two incidents last week in which female students were targeted for abduction, one successful, one unsuccessful.  It is events such as these that make us step back and reevaluate what we do to ensure the safety of our students.  My response here at the school is to extend the time an adult is providing supervision outside in the mornings.  Effective this week, the individual on duty in the morning will remain outside from 8:15 AM until 8:45 AM, rather than 8:30 AM.  Please keep in mind that after 8:45 AM, students are tardy.  Also, please take in to consideration that there is no supervision for students prior to 8:15 AM.  Parents should not be dropping off students until 8:15 AM unless their child is enrolled in the Before School Program provided by Columbus Parks and Recreation.  I highly encourage parents to not allow their child to walk to school without supervision.  Also, please be vigilant while on campus and report any suspicious individuals to the office.  When visiting the school, a visitor's pass from the office is required, and a driver's license or military ID is required when checking a student out from school early.  I truly appreciate your support in our efforts to keep Blanchard a safe school for our students. 

I want to sincerely thank all of the parents who voted, whether their vote was a yes or a no.  We had 238 total votes - 229 were "yes," 9 were "no."  That is a percentage of 96% in favor of pursuing the IB Programme.  I am truly excited as we start moving forward.  It will be a slow going process, and I cannot guarantee that our local school board will approve the programme; the parent vote provides valuable information to them for their decision-making process.  Towards the beginning of the upcoming week, I will send a letter home outlining the vote and our next steps.  Once again, thank you so much for your support! 

We are 4 days away from taking a parent vote for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme for Blanchard!  The IB's Primary Years Programme (PYP) would change the landscape of our school.  We are already a good school, but as author Jim Collins writes, "Good is the enemy of great."  The untapped potential of our students is potentially staggering.  My sincere hope is that parents unanimously vote for pursuing the IB Programme; however, in the event there are parents who do not want the IB Programme, please base your decision on research.  I ask you to talk to your child's teacher, go to the IB website (www.ibo.org) and read about the programme, even visit the programme at Clubview Elementary this week.  If after an honest attempt to learn more about the programme, parents do not want it for Blanchard, then I do not want it either.  If we pursue this programme, it will take a lot of hard work on our part, and I do not want to target our energies on undesired outcomes.  Thank you in advance for your sincere consideration of Blanchard's future this week!