A little reading for August

During the month of July, and more specifically over the last two weeks, I've been curating some blogs and videos meant to inspire, think, and refocus for the upcoming school year.  These are not required readings by any means, but something to peruse and tuck away for those times when you just might need a pick me up or a reaffirmation of what we do daily as educators.

(video from John Spencer)

(from Pinterest)

Lin-Manuel Miranda ("Hamilton") just dropped 9 truths about the power of education (from upworthy.com)

Tale of Two Vacations (from @PrincipalFrench)

An Open Invitation (from @PrincipalGarden- Great video embedded in this one.)

I also regularly read the blogs of Jon Harper and Pernille Ripp which can be found by clicking on their names.

I hope you enjoy the next couple of weeks and will be ready and fired up for our return on August 15th.

Jay

It's summer halftime!

Well, believe it or not, we have reached the halftime of summer.  I hope that you have been able to spend a lot of time with your family and friends, done a little pleasure reading, visited a body of water or two, and taken a walk on a trail you had never been on before.  I have done all of the above with the following highlights.

• Niagara Falls with Jen and Lauren for two and a half days
• Lauren's national dance competition in Sandusky, OH where her group took 3rd place overall!
• July 4th weekend at Fox Lake
• Summerfest (twice)
• Read "Hacking Leadership" as well as most of "Wonder"
• A little golfing and fishing
• #edcampldrWI (EdCampLeaderWisconsin) with Mike and Ron
• Having fun in the garden (Thanks to Brady, Alexis, Abby, Trevor, Owen, and Mr. Middleton for your assistance!)

As I was reading through some emails, I came across this blog post from A.J. Juliani called "5 Rules to a Simpler Life".  I need to do a lot more of #2 on the list.  We all can benefit from #5, too.  I encourage you to utilize these 5 rules for the rest of the summer and then imbed them into the school year.  I think that it will have a powerful impact on all of us.

*Don't forget about the summer academy from August 15th-17th.  More details will be coming soon!

In an effort to get to know each of you better, as well as to share your awesomeness with our community, I'm stealing an idea from Andrea Gribble of #SocialSchool4EDU.  I will be selecting one or two staff to highlight each week starting in August when I begin communicating with families about the upcoming school year.  Aside from answering the questions on this google form for your responses, please also include any photos that you would like me to share.  If you don't send me any, I'll use your staff photo!

Finally, if you happen to be stopping by school and would like to talk, just let me know.  I stop in most days, especially in the mornings, and would love to catch up with you.  I miss seeing my Merton family!

Jay

It's summer, so make sure you take care of your family, your friends, and yourself. (paraphrased from John Gunnell, Principal in Baraboo)