Character Moment #5 – October 3, 2007

Last week I spoke about the importance of a leader being a good communicator. I want to share one more quick thought on this. Communication, as I stated, is speaking, writing and listening. I had shared that listening was sometimes the toughest. A new friend of mine shared with me the following thoughts about listening.

He writes, “The word LISTEN is an Anagram to the word SILENT. During my presentations I talk about the value of being SILENT as you LISTEN. Keeping your mind, body and soul SILENT as you LISTEN during life improves your ability to communicate on many levels.

Some of the most influential leaders in my life have demonstrated this well. They are silent as they take in and comprehend what is being told to them. Once a leader has all the information available and understands the situation fully, then they can begin to successfully work through any given situation.”[1]

These were great words to dwell on. Being a good listener is about being silent and letting the other party speak. In our faith walk, there are times it is critical for us to “be still” as the Bible says, “and know that He is God.”[2]

There is a great story from 1 Kings 19 about the prophet Elijah. Elijah had just killed the prophets of Baal and then he fled to get away from the evil King Ahaz and his wife Jezebel. He came to a cave after travelling for a long time and God met him there.

“Then the word of God came to him: "So Elijah, what are you doing here?" "I've been working my heart out for the God-of-the-Angel-Armies," said Elijah. "The people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed the places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I'm the only one left, and now they're trying to kill me.” “Then he was told, "Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by." A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn't to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn't in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn't in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper. When Elijah heard the quiet voice, he muffled his face with his great cloak, went to the mouth of the cave, and stood there. A quiet voice asked, "So Elijah, now tell me, what are you doing here?"[3] Elijah again explained, and God revealed to him that he wasn’t alone, but He had preserved 7000 others who hadn’t bowed down to Baal.

Being still for God and listening for His voice is a key character trait for any Christian leader.

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[1] Lieutenant Patrick Thayer from the Orange Police Department

[2] Psalm 46:10 NIV

[3] 1 Kings 19:10-14 (The Message)

Tips on Text Messaging

Dear Mr. Pinick,

I have a quick question that seems to be coming up with quite a few of us Moms! How much do you feel, is too much text messaging? I understand that it is one of the primary social networks of teens etc… but it seems like it goes on constantly (except in class of course). So far, I’m not seeing my student’s grades suffer or a lack of face to face social skills but it still seems like a kind of obsession with the kids. Any guidance would be appreciated.

A concerned Mom

Dear Mom,

Several things can be checked on and you mentioned a couple to see if your child is texting too much. Are their grades suffering? Do you notice their one-to-one skills diminishing? How late in the evening is the texting occurring? These are areas to monitor. Texting is the way so many of our kids converse, my own included. I think you should set boundaries, such as no texting (sending or receiving) after a certain time in the evening, or during dinner, or at inappropriate times. You can monitor all of this by looking at the bill each month. The time messages are sent and received are listed. Remind your kids that cell phones are a privilege, not a right. :-)

You might also want to purchase only a certain number of messages a month and then have the kids be responsible for any overages. At ten cents for each extra message, this could encourage more responsible use as well. Here is an article I found from the Seattle Times on this topic. I hope it helps.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2003644903_textsleep31.html

be God’s,

Gregg Pinick

Character Moment #4 – September 26, 2007

The third leadership trait that I’d like to highlight today is communication. A leader needs to be one who is a good communicator. It has been said that communication is life’s number one skill.[i] I believe it is fundamental to being successful in one’s life. So much of who we are is based upon our ability to be able to communicate our points of view in a positive way.

Communication sometimes is broken down into two areas: speaking and writing. What I have learned over the years is that being a good listener is just as vital as the other two. Many times more is communicated to others when you spend time listening to them instead of trying to fix their problems.

How do you get better at communicating? For some it comes very natural, even too easily. But for most people, speaking in front of people just takes practice. Even though you might not always feel comfortable doing it, challenge yourself to accept the opportunities to speak to others when asked. That might be as simple as helping lead the prayer in your classroom or at home during dinner.

People become better writers by writing. Journaling is good practice, and a safe place to express yourself. Many adults keep journals and look back on them from time to time to help clarify their thoughts.

Listening sometimes is the toughest, because we all have the tendency to want to put our two cents worth in on a conversation. Being a good listener though is a valuable trait. As you grow older and develop deeper relationships, you’ll see how listening is something to be valued.

Our faith walk grows as we listen to God. It grows as we speak with Him. And, it grows when we can write our thoughts down about Him and reflect on those words.

David communicated his love for God when he wrote Psalm 8[ii]

1O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! …
3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?

5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

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[i] http://www.bteducation.org/content/listening_school.html

[ii] New International Version (NIV) Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

Turning Right from the Left Turn Lane?

Several parents have asked me if it is okay to turn right onto Santiago Boulevard from the left hand turn lane when exiting the Orange Lutheran parking lot. My answer to them has been yes with the following disclaimers. It is imperative that the car turning right on the inside lane is aware of your actions. You should always use you signal indicators. And finally, you should be sure that no pedestrians or bicycle riders are coming up against the traffic on Santiago, either on the sidewalk or on the street.

There are those times that exiting to the right is the only option to keep traffic flowing smoothly, especially when the center turn lane on Santiago is full, prohibiting left turns.

Thank you for your cooperation and safety awareness.

Character Moment #3 – September 19, 2007

Another character trait that all leaders possess is respect. The true leader is respectful of others. Respect really deals with the value we place on someone. If we respect someone, we communicate that we value them and hold them in high regard. We try to build them up, not tear them down.

A better measure for respect is how we act towards a person that is weaker than ourselves or a person we don’t like. It is easy to respect someone like a boss or a person in a position of authority over ourselves (a teacher or a parent.) It is much more difficult to respect someone smaller, weaker, and younger than ourselves. When a person does show respect to a person of less stature, it means more, because they have nothing to gain from the relationship by being nice.

When you have authority, you shouldn’t lord it over someone else. Jesus taught this concept to His disciples. His model was that of a servant leader. Serving others is a way to measure your respect for them. As the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 2:5-8[i], “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

The legendary basketball coach, John Wooden, once said, “Respect a man, and he will do all the more.” He knew that people will do more for you when they feel respected by you.

It is my hope that our respect for one another, for others outside our community, and for the property God gives to us to use will grow this year. Being known as a respectful person is a trait that will help you in many ways in the future.

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[i] New International Version (NIV) Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

Back to School Night Handout

The following information was distributed to parents that attended my presentation on Wednesday night.

What’s New @ Orange Lutheran?

September 12, 2007

Year three in our efforts to improve student learning…

1 Block Schedule

o Red, White, and Gold Days (only 3 this year)

o Fewer transitions during the school day – fewer books to carry

o Calmer climate and environment

2 Later starts on Wednesdays

o Teachers (and staff soon) involved in Professional Learning Teams

o Peer Tutoring offered

o Room 200, the Library, and the Counseling Dept. waiting areas are open to students before school and during lunch.

3 Faculty involved in Professional Learning Communities

o Sole focus - every week discussing how to enhance student learning

o Homogenous groupings

o Systematic Instructional Inquiry – intentional discussions on how to enhance student learning – like other professions

4 One Lunch period – earlier in the day a Longer Break w/ breakfast food options

o Two serving lines – everyone served in 20 minutes

o Students eat with their friends

o Lunch does not have to be rushed

o Time for clubs/meeting

o Improved access to teachers – office hours

o Peer Tutoring

5 Buying textbooks

o End of year you set your price to resell to someone else or sell at the resale days back to varsitybooks.com

o Some of you shopped prices – varsitybooks.com is the easy route – one stop shopping

o Google(ing) the ISBN number offers a host of vendors.

o Looking to move up scheduling process to early August to help in buying books

6 Orange Lutheran Online – OLO

o Flexibility in scheduling - Alternate system of delivering courses

o 121 On-campus students

o 8 Blended students (4 classes on-campus, 3 online throughout the year)

o 10 Single course students

o 42 Fulltime students (each taking 3 courses)

o 39 students from 7 Partnership Schools

o 31 teachers/classes - 324 Seats filled – Fall Sem 1

7 Athlete’s PE

o Makes better use of facilities and students’ time during the school day

o Spreads out class scheduling evenly throughout the day (balance)

o Allows some students to go home earlier which enables earlier and additional hours for study

o Facilitates compliance to the performance program by all athletes

o Provides better coach to athlete ratio during performance training – 827 athletes

o Provides educational time for athletes during the in-season

8 Technology

o Projectors, creating a wireless environment, increased bandwidth

Other Changes,,,

9 Mission trips – this past year New Orleans, Mexico, and Malawi

o See Mr. Maietta outside Room 203 for more info

10 Improved Communication:

o Website: www.lhsoc.org

o Lancer Link – web-based - grades and attendance – updated each Monday evening

o LL phones home! or emails re: grades and attendance

o Email to those signed in – important announcements

o e411 - log onto the website and leave your email – it will be emailed monthly

11 Parking

o Seniors on site / Sophomores and Juniors @ Sears – 120 spots

1 No neighborhood parking unless in a driveway with a relative or friend / No soliciting for parking

2 Be good neighbors in am and pm

o Importance for arriving a little earlier – by 7:07 in/out – Wed (by 8:07)

o Age restrictions for drivers hauling other passengers

o Increased Supervision - Campus Security (3) / security cameras installed (28)

12 Staff Changes - Mrs. Leslie Smith – Assistant Principal – x672 leslie.smith@lhsoc.org

What Hasn’t Changed…

1 Our Purpose - Help Students Internalize the Gospel message of salvation in Christ Jesus

2 Our Values

o Excellence in Christian Character Development

o Respect / Honor / Service

o Excellence in Academics

o Excellence in Competition and Performance

3 Our Love for your children

Mr. Gregg Pinick – Principal – x602 – pinick@lhsoc.org

Administrative Assistant - Mrs. Judith Lavigne – 714.998.5151, x619 – lavigne@lhsoc.org

Character Moment #2 – September 12, 2007

Over the next few weeks I am going to spend our time together talking briefly about character traits that all leaders possess. Now you might be thinking that you are not a leader. However, all of us have been or will find ourselves in leadership situations.

A famous leadership speaker, John Maxwell, defined leadership as influence. Even the most timid person influences over 10,000 people in their lifetime. Though many people have been given the gift of leadership, there are attributes that anyone can learn and practice to improve their leadership abilities.

The trait I would like to emphasize today is TRUST. Being a person who is trusted by others is key to being a leader. If a person can trust you, they know that you are a person they can have confidence in to keep your word.

Trust is also a key part of relationships. Think about your best friend. It is a person you can trust with your feelings, with your secrets, with your thoughts. You trust them because you know they won’t belittle you or use your openness and honesty against you.

Losing a person’s trust can be a hurtful thing. As a high school student, many of you long for your parent’s trust. When that is lost, at a time after making a poor choice, it hurts and takes some time to restore. You may even lose privileges until that trust is back to where it once was. Relationships fail when the trust is violated.

Thank the Lord we have a God who can be trusted. Even our money reminds us, “In God we trust.” As Christians, trusting God is walking by faith and not by sight.

Psalm 62:7 from The Message says…
“My help and glory are in God —granite-strength and safe-harbor-God— so trust him absolutely, people; lay your lives on the line for him. God is a safe place to be.” [1]

May each of you grow in your ability to be a person that others can trust. It will insure better relationships in your future.

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[1] The Message, Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. NavPress