Day 1 of school + 29 school days until the iPads are out!

My post for #leadershipday12 is extremely late, so I apologize. We had our first day of school today and it was a smashing success. I say a success because our students left with smiles on their face and their cup full of school spirit.  We treat the first day different and run a completely different schedule with rotations to indoctrinate students to different parts of the building and to purposefully create a social experience for the first day.  The students always give rave reviews of this experience and are happy to leave the first day energized and prepared for what lies ahead.  As I watched students interact today I wondered how this day will be different next year when our school has three grade levels equipped with iPads.  I am certain that some of these students relationships will have grown stronger and that they will form deeper bonds with one another.  I am also certain that it will have changed the way we think and operate about our day to day activities at the school. (Already today, staff members are asking about why we have paper copies of schedules.) I am not so certain that we know just how big this impact and transformation will be.  While I am excited we have several students, staff, and parents that range from nervous to terrified, which is fine.  It is our job to educate and address these fears while pledging to move forward. This should be big think and big shift time for our district.   We just need to continue to provide leadership in this direction. Our first day of school demonstrates the spirit we have as Bulldogs, this spirit and tenacity is what will help make our 1:1 program a success.