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Principal Zeman's Notes
February 9, 2024
Advice from Brian Kight
I get daily updates (he sends out a daily discipline email) from Brian Kight who is well known in the fields of leadership development. I also follow him on x as he gives great leadership snippets. He has this advice for teenagers:
5 E+R=O Lessons for Teenagers:
E+R=O was one of the great gifts my dad gave me as a teenager. Because he introduced it to me early, my life lens changed, my learning curve accelerated, and my skill development exploded. Not instantly or magically, but massively and meaningfully. In that spirit, here are 5 E+R=O lessons for teenagers:
1. The quality of your responses, not the quality of your events, determines the quality of your life.
Good events don't give you a good life. Bad events don't give you a bad life. How you respond to anything determines the quality of your life.
2. You will engage in disciplined responses that won't accomplish what you want. You will engage in undisciplined responses that will achieve what you want. These exceptions will occasionally happen. Don't let them distract you or plant seeds of doubt that discipline doesn't work or that you can get away with undisciplined responses. Everyone who falls too far into this pattern fails. Everyone.
3. Your responses create events for other people.
Pay attention to what events you create for others through your attitude, action, and words. Do your best to create events that help people, even when that means challenging them.
4. Everything meaningful to your life will require courage.
Courage is a muscle. You don't have the option to eliminate fear or escape feelings of doubt. You have the chance now to strengthen the courage in your response. When you face events that scare you or doubt your ability to earn an outcome, you'll need your courage to be stronger than your fear and doubt.
5. People will tell you what you want to hear and sometimes lie or withhold things from you, but E+R=O will always tell you the truth. No matter what. It will explain why you succeed, why you fail, or why you have yet to reach that point. When you want clarity and understanding about why things are happening the way they are, E+R=O will reliably give you caring and unfiltered honesty.
All you have to do is use it.
Students of the Week
Counselors Week
During Counselors Week, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all our counselors for their unwavering support, guidance, and dedication. Your empathy, expertise, and commitment make a profound difference in the lives of so many. Thank you for being a beacon of light and hope for our students here at VMS! If you haven’t already done so, please stop by and thank a counselor.
Yearbooks
The final ordering deadline for a VandenBerge Yearbook is February 23rd. Yearbooks are available for $30 plus tax at www.jostens.com.
Yearbooks will be delivered to school in the spring. If your student wants a yearbook, please don't wait - order now!
If you are unsure whether you ordered a yearbook this year, please contact our Yearbook Advisor, Amanda Drysdale, at amanda.drysdale@isd728.org.
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Important Dates
February 19 - No School, President’s Day
March 8- Student Activity Night
March 14 - Conferences (4-7)
March 19 - Conferences (4-7)
March 25-29 - No School, Spring Break