February 14, 2020
Ambiguity Tolerance and Weather Adjustments
A friend of mine, a veteran teacher with whom I used to work, told me once that the key to working in a high school was ambiguity tolerance - the idea that things do not always go as we plan them or as they were promised to go. I am not sure exactly about what we were talking, but it may have had to do with snow delays and snow days.
What a pattern of weather we have been in of late…
Please know that, when weather is forecast, administratively, we are thinking about it more than the students and we are tracking it well in advance. We - specifically Mr. Welling (who is something of an amatuer meterologist) and I track and text into the evening. I like the decisions that are easy to make the night before so that we all know what the situation will be the next day, but not all forecasts are that clear. Typically, when there is a storm coming, I arise before 4:30 and check maps, satellite images, CDOT cameras and confer with our team at Mullen and a few other Catholic school principals around town.It is always my goal to make the best possible, earliest possible decision.
I never want to put our students (or staff) on the road in potentially perilous conditions. I think we have done a good job here.
However, I always want to remind the community that parents have to make the final decision for their students. We have kids coming from over 80 different zip codes across the metro area (and beyond) and conditions vary. You are the best judge of what’s safe for your student.
I know that these changes in schedule are difficult on our community - on our students and our teachers. Every weather adjustment causes hundreds of ripple effects (postponed service trips, retreats, games, speakers) and that’s where our staff has been terrific about their ambiguity tolerance. I am grateful for how they work with our students and grateful to you for your understanding, if not agreement, about why we change schedules when we do.
Now let’s hope we don’t have much more snow with which to contend!
2020-2021 Key Dates
Unless there are some significant issues, THESE DATES are locked in for next year. If there are changes, we will be sure to let the entire community know! A more complete calendar for 2020-2021 will be available by the end of this year.
Feast Day
February 13, 2020, marks the inaugural feast day for the newly beatified Brother James Miller, FSC. Brother James was killed in the afternoon of February 13, 1982, while repairing a wall just outside “La Casa Indígena De La Salle” in Guatemala.
In 2010, Brother James was designated a Servant of God and a martyr for the faith and on Thursday, November 8, 2018, Pope Francis approved a decree recognizing that Brother James Miller died as a martyr.
Brother James is the first De La Salle Christian Brothers from the United States to be beatified. Following the beatification ceremony on December 7, 2019, in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, February 13, was chosen as his feast day to commemorate the date of his death.
Have wonderful weekends, all.
Peace,
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