The School!
Paulette Elementary
Week 32
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 Much
like death and taxes, there is no escaping color. While one absolutely
likes a color there is no doubt another who can't stand the sight of
it. It is ubiquitous. But what does it all mean? People more relaxed in
green rooms, weightlifters do better in blue gyms. What does color mean
in our life?Anyone who has ever worked with troubled children or children with emotional problems have worked in a purple or blue room. Studies have shown that purple and blue have calming effects on the human species. This is why so much time and energy has been spent deciding the colors for each room at Paulette. I spent this week walking the site with Jason Bailey, representatives from Brady and Associates and Mr. Beeler from Rouse  Construction. In Figure 3 you can see these individuals in a room examining the location of a future fixture.When color was first looked at, the system was deciding on the "official" school colors. These colors had to be visually appealing as well as work with the room colors needed. In Figure 1 you can see a mock up of the hall colors at the new school. This small area was painted roughly to get approval of the school system. You can see that 50% of the wall is a bright white and the painted trim is gold and purple. This scheme will run throughout the school and be used to tie each room together. Figure 2 shows the six colors that will be used in classrooms. They are vibrant colors that studies have shown to enhance the learning process. Each color can be used to target a specific need with young learners. Now we should point out that these are accent colors, the whole room won't be purple for example. We have long known that white is useful in the learning process but we also know now that if more than 50% of a room is white it instills agitation over a long period of time.  Each
room will have it's white, but be broken up with one of the accent
colors. Even the tiles in the floor will be interspersed with a
matching color tile here and there. Outside in the hall the trim and
soffet above each door will be painted to match the room color. This
will allow color coding of rooms for the smaller children. For example
your kindergarten child may be told he or she is in the kindergarten
blue room. Another child will be told she is in the first grade orange
room.Now I want to point out a technical aspect here before this article generates a ton of calls to the Central Office. The colors you see here are approximate. They were taken in dim unlit rooms and brightened with software for display on the web. Also each computer graphics card will display these colors slightly different based on the hue settings. So if the green you see here looks like Army green on your screen trust me it isn't.  Now this week I got to sit in two meetings. The first was the usual meeting between the contractor and the school system.In that meeting the system was told that the block fill had been completed. Also the last metal stud had been installed so all framing was now complete. Caulking and painting the expansion joints was underway and should be completed within the week. All exhaust vents were now installed through the roof and rubber flashing was being installed. It was also decided that each bathroom would have an epoxy floor. Epoxy floors have many advantages. Its seamless and impervious surface is easy to clean and maintenance-free. Floors become skid and spill-resistant. It is durable and decorative at the same time. Epoxy flooring is one of the most popular finishes for concrete floors. It has been used for years on industrial floors because of its toughness, durability, and resistance to oil, grease, and most other chemicals that ruin regular floors. Also a representative was there to discuss the quantity and location of the playground equipment. At that time the playground was to be located at the north end of the school. I understand that Jason has asked that it be moved to the back of the school. He believes that this gives the children more room and also provides a more secure environment.  Now
the second meeting I was in was Jason Bailey and Missy Fugate meeting
with teachers that would be moving to the new school. I am not at
liberty at this time to say which teachers were in the meeting, because
they may want to announce it themselves at a later date.At this meeting Jason laid out for them his vision for the new school. He realizes that for years to come this will be referred to as the "New School." Instead of taking exception to this Mr. Bailey is embracing the label head on. Not only will it be a new school but inside will be a "New Way." New School - New Way will be the unwritten motto of the Paulette Elementary. This will include a new way of addressing common issues in schools and more interaction of teachers in decision making. He is asking all teachers to inventory the items that they will be bringing to the new school. Also he wants them to inventory the items they are leaving behind. This will allow the entire system to know exactly where each resource is at. This is responsibility with tax dollars at its best! The system will be implementing a software system that will track every item in inventory. With one click of a button the Central Office will be able to pinpoint the location of every item purchased with tax dollars. Also in the New School - New Way system is an online presence of interaction between each school. UCPS is currently writing software to allow trading between schools. For example of Paulette needs a pull down projector screen, before they spend money, the school will be able to see if another school has a surplus one. This is the first type of software of its kind and will be implemented with the intent of saving the county and its taxpayers thousands of dollars. Also in the works because of New School - New Way is software to automate bus changes for students. We live in a very mobile society and in mostly houses both parents work. Sometimes it arises that we can't be at home when we need to be. Parents often have to call in and ask that their kids ride a different bus and go to a grandparents. UCPS does everything it can to accommodate this. Right now after the call is received it is written down in the office. Then the office must contact the teacher on their planning time and make them aware of the change. The teacher then must tell the child to ride a different bus. In the future the office will take the call, input it into the computer and it will instantly start blinking on the teacher's computer. The teacher can then see the memo, hit one button and hand the student a note, without interrupting class. This note can then be passed along to the bus driver so that a physical location of the child is known at all times. New School, New Colors, New Automation, A NEW WAY! A school and a staff Union County can hold up to the rest of the state to show what a small county can do when we all work together! |
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