5 days!

In 5 days, our students will be here.  They will be nervous, excited, shy, verbose, quiet, and unsure, all within the first day.  You may have some of the same feelings.  Be supportive.  Be visible.  Be reassuring.  Be positive.  Let's make next Tuesday the best day of the year, with many more best days to follow.

Calendar
Monday, August 31st   F&P testing
Tuesday, September 1st  1st day of school!
Wednesday, September 2nd  PBIS kick off in the morning
Thursday, September 3rd  PBIS kick off in the afternoon
Friday, September 4th  All school read aloud in the morning
                                        All school assembly in the afternoon
                                        (adjusted schedule here for all three days)

Meemic $100 book grant
Meemic just keeps offering us opportunities for money for our school.  Here is a link to a grant application for $100 for classroom libraries in conjunction with Scholastic.  It's seriously only 3 questions long.

Tweets, quotes, and blogs
"Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."- Warren Buffett, investor and philanthropist
The Intentional Innovation Manifesto (from AJ Juliani (@ajjuliani) about innovation)
"It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do wrong."- Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. President
Start the School Year by "Awakening Your Dreamers" (from edutopia.org)
"You've got to say, 'I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it.'  It's called perseverance."- Lee Iacocca, auto industry executive
Purposeful Learning Spaces (from fouroclockfaculty.com)
"Life isn't worth living unless you're willing to take some big chances and go for broke."- Eliot Wigginton, writer
Kids Speak Out on Student Engagement (from edutopia.org)
"Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.  The fearful are caught as often as the bold."- Helen Keller, author and political activist
Genuine Connections (from @Jonharper70bd)
"Nothin recedes like success.  Don't let it happen."- Ray Kroc, businessman
10 Commandments of Innovative Teaching (from @ajjuliani)
"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."- Thomas Paine, political theorist and revolutionary
Developmental Characteristics of Young Adolescents (from AMLE)

                                               (from Math Education SmartBrief and Andertoons)
300 teachers (from youtube.com)
"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe."- Anatole France, poet, journalist, and novelist

(from eternallyclassic.tumblr.com)

West Des Moines Schools welcome back video (This is worth your time!)
First Day of School activities, if you were looking for more. (from fouroclockfaculty.com)
#mertonint on Twitter
@mertonint on Twitter
Merton Intermediate School Facebook page
Family smore for August 27, 2015

(from givemore.com)

(from Pinterest)

(from PixTeller)

I end with these three quotes for a couple of reasons.  First of all, I love quotes, especially those that send a powerful message.  The first quote above comes from givemore.com, a website by Sam Parker.  There are lots of nuggets like this that can be found there.  The message of the quote is to model what you want our students to exemplify.  They watch us all of the time, even if you don't think they are watching us.  The second quote comes from Pinterest and helps me remember that setting a goal or dreaming a dream is something we must also model for our students.  I share my goals and dreams with students at least once a month during Wednesday assemblies.  We can all find ways to model our goals and dreams with our students.  They like it when we share stories about ourselves, and they remember these stories for a long time.  The final quote is from PixTeller and is a good reminder to get started.  As the Nike ad says, "Just Do It."

Have a great weekend, and I'll see most of you on Monday!
Jay