Time to reflect

Next week is the halfway point.  As a coach, I would always need to reassess at half time.  We would celebrate what we were doing well and make plans to adjust what we weren't doing so well.  As we get to our halftime, I encourage you to reflect on the first half of the year.  What do you have to celebrate about your classroom or your students?  How do you share that with your colleagues and your students?  These are two vital questions for getting better.  I encourage you to reflect this weekend.  It will be something that you can share with me as we begin our mid-year meetings starting the week of January 29th.

Great things I saw this week...
5th and 6th grade stepping up to help out due to staff absences.
Staff coming together for Heidi.  We miss you, Heidi!
Great partner work in 7th and 8th grade Science, Health, and PE.
Staff and students working in our new Learning Lounge.
Reading in the library and in classrooms.
TEDtalks in 6th grade (I didn't see it, but I heard about it.).
Badminton and broomball in PE.
Jazz band practice (I heard it but I couldn't stop in to hear it.).
Great effort on MAP tests.
The chance to be a teacher again, which made me more in awe of you than you can know.

Calendar
Saturday, January 20
#EdCampMadWI (If you can't join me there for karaoke and the mascot contest, please try to follow the hashtag.  Either way is free, and there's a great chance you'll learn something new!)
Kindness Week

Monday, January 22
Eat and Greet
7:00  Strategic planning

Tuesday, January 23
Teamwork Recess
4:15  Homework Club

Wednesday, January 24
Workout Wednesday
Wacky Day
5:15  Strategic planning

Thursday, January 25
Kindness Challenge Olympics
Lunch on BLT (Soup, Salad, and Bread)
Half day-PD in the PM
Staff get together- location TBD

Friday, January 26
8:00  Staff meeting
8:30-12:00  PD

Tweets, blogs, and quotes

All progress has resulted from people who took unpopular positions.

Adlai Stevenson II, politician and diplomat

Kids these days... (from Pernille Ripp)

(from Pinterest)

Relationships Are the Foundation of Great Schools (But They Aren't Enough) (from George Couros- This one really made me reflect.)

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

George Bernard Shaw, playwright

(from Sean Galliard)

(from Math Education SmartBrief)

It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all -- in which case, you fail by default.

J.K. Rowling, writer

(from Pinterest)

Traditional Practice Versus Bad Practice (from George Couros)

My favorite things in life don't cost any money. It's really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time.

Steve Jobs, entrepreneur

#mertonint on Twitter

#MertonProud on Twitter

Merton Intermediate Facebook page

Merton Intermediate Instagram page

Family smore for 1.19.18

My apologies for not being in as many classrooms for mini-observations this week.  I was able to cover classes, and I love doing that, but it kept me out of your classrooms and seeing the great things you are doing.  Provided I don't have to cover classes, I'll be in your classrooms next week.  Thanks for either covering or offering to cover classes this week.  You don't know how much it means to me when you offer to help out your colleagues.
Be the one!
Jay
Take care of the kids.  Take care of each other.  Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell