Celebration Day!

I think it was 8 years ago when we started the end of the year tradition of Celebration Day.  The format has morphed and changed but the reason for Celebration Day is still the same.  It's a chance for us to celebrate the kids and each other.  There is something to celebrate about everyone, even on the worst of days.  I look forward to being out and about with all of you today!  If you take pictures, tweet them out with the #mertonint hashtag or send them to me (text or email) and I'll tweet them out.  Wouldn't it be cool to get our hashtag trending?

And on a related note, a big THANK YOU to Matt, Wendy, and Sarah and the PTO for all of their work on Celebration Day this year!  The day should be awesome!

Calendar
Monday, June 6th             Final kickball game at Arrowhead 4:30PM (It's a B day!)
Tuesday, June 7th             Final staff meeting  8:15AM (It's a C day!)
                                           Final exchange of staff recognition awards
                                           8th grade Day Away
Wednesday, June 8th        Culver's Night- staff servers welcomed! 4:00-8:00PM
                                           8th grade dance 7:00PM (It's a D day!)
Thursday, June 9th           Awards assembly 9:15AM (It's an A day!)
                                           8th grade graduation 7:00PM
Friday, June 10th              Final day- noon dismissal
                                           Ice cream and yearbooks (linked schedule)
                                          *Everyone outside to wave good bye to the students at noon!

Tweets, blogs, and quotes
"It's the curiosity that drives me.  It's making a difference in the world that prevents me from ever giving up."- Deborah Meier, educator

(from Dyslexia Newsletter)

"I hold that a strongly marked personality can influence descendants for generations."- Beatrix Potter, writer
"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward."- Vern Law, baseball player

(from Pinterest)

"Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do.  Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors.  Try to be better than yourself."- William Faulkner, writer

(from Pinterest)

"Growth is an erratic forward movement: two steps forward, one step back.  Remember that and be very gentle with yourself."- Julia Cameron, writer and teacher

"Jumping at several small opportunities may get us there more quickly than waiting for one big one to come along."- Hugh Allen, musician

 

"You don't always win, but every time you lose, you get better."- Ian Somerhalder, actor

"Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes...but no plans."- Peter Drucker, management consultant and writer

@mertonint on Twitter

#mertonint on Twitter

Merton Intermediate School Facebook page

Family smore for 6.3.16

As I sit at home tonight, after a great day at school meeting with grade levels (these meetings invigorate me and show me how much you care about our kids and each other), working in the garden, and listening to our talented musicians, I am in awe of all that you do each and every day for our kids and one another.  Now that was a run-on sentence of the nth degree, but it speaks volumes about each of you.  We have nearly made it through the school year and some educators would be mailing it in, but not you.  I see kids learning everywhere I turn.  They don't take a day off because you don't take a day off.  Now here's something I need you to do.

Enjoy today with the kids!  Keep the expectations high, but know that they are kids who are excited to share the final days with their friends and with you.  You may not hear what the kids say about you, but I do.  And I hear from the families about how Merton is a special place.  It's special because of all of you.

Again, enjoy today with the kids!  I know that I will.

Jay

Take care of the kids.  Take care of each other.  Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell, Baraboo, WI