Part of the reason I wanted you to listen is because of the quote below by Frank Lloyd Wright- "The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes." The other part is because of the beauty we should see in our lives every day. I'm not talking about beautiful people, although that is a nice part of our lives. I'm talking about beauty in a more figurative sense. The beauty we have in the choices we are able to make, in school and out, that few others have the opportunity to make. The beauty we have in living in a community that supports our schools and teachers. The beauty we have working with colleagues who care about one another. The beauty we have in teaching kids who want to learn and do there best. Keep that in mind when one of those moments comes up during the next few weeks. Someone somewhere else, maybe even someone sitting in your classroom, has it worse than you do. I challenge you to find something beautiful before school begins again on Monday and share it with a family member, friend, or colleague. And then ask them about something beautiful they found in their own life.
Great things I saw this week...
- Staff continuing to provide activities that engage our kids. I know I'll continue to see this next week, and the next week, and the next week.
- Students playing tennis, a life long sport, even in the rain.
- Students working really hard on their portfolios.
- Excitement about the book fair.
- Wonderful concerts last night.
- Smiling faces at Culver's on Wednesday night.
- Kids reading and writing, a lot. And that's a good thing.
- Kids really focused on MAP testing and giving their best.
- Conversations about doing what's best for kids. Keep the focus on the kids and we'll power through to the end of the year.
Calendar
Monday, May 22nd
- 12:22-1:03 AHS AD visits 8th grade
- 7:00 Board meeting
Tuesday, May 23rd
- 5th graders at camp
- 4:15-5:15 Final Homework Club
Wednesday, May 24th
- 5th graders at camp
- 4:30 retirement party
Thursday, May 25th
- 5th graders at camp
- Jeans for Troops ($5 to our veterans if you wear jeans)
Friday, May 26th
- Professional Development Day
Tweets, quotes, and blogs
Managing drama (by Mark French)
Compliance is Not the End Goal of Education (from George Couros)
"I've always tried to go a step past wherever people expected me to end up. I'm not about to change now."- Beverly Sills, opera singer
What Social Media and the Selfie Generation Did For My Daughter (from For Every Mom)
"One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time."- Andre Gide, writer
(from SmartBrief)
Thoughts on this? Invitation for Principal to Take My Daughter Shopping After Dress Code Violation (from TODAY Parenting team)
"You can have the nine greatest individual ballplayers in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime."- Babe Ruth, baseball player
"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have."- Maya Angelou, writer and civil rights activist
Co-teaching Twitter chat
If you have an interest, or even if you're a little intrigued, there is a Twitter chat this Sunday about co-teaching. If you haven't participated in a Twitter chat before, don't be scared. You don't have to add anything at all. You can just read what others are posting. If you want some advice on participation in this chat, or any chat, just ask me. I'm happy to help!
Don't forget to sign up for a 10-15 minute meeting about your SLO/PPG. These meetings are some of my favorites as we discuss the success of your students. When we meet, make sure that you are ready to share one thing you are proud of from this year and one thing you would like to try next year. That's all for now.
Be the one!
Jay
Take care of the kids. Take care of each other. Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell
Differentiation is needed for dress codes too. Fair is not always equal. Have a solid why for your dress code. When there is distraction, analyze your reaction first.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your input, Vickey. Dress codes are a slippery slope and can change as often as clothing styles change. Determining and agreeing on the why can be difficult.
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