Jay's Journal

Merton Intermediate Instagram page

Family smore for 3.29.18

Do you know what happens after the third quarter of Wisconsin football games? The players hold up four fingers and the PA blares Jump Around.

When we get back, it will be the 4th quarter. Our focus needs to be better. Our effort needs to be better. Our engagement with our students and each other needs to be better. We need to be better. I encourage you to find time in the next 10 days to refresh, renew, recharge, and relax so that we have our full attention on each and every day of the 4th quarter. There's a good chance I'll be doing a little Jump Around next week and I'll be ready for an awesome finish to the school year.
Be the one!
Jay
Take care of the kids. Take care of each other. Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell

Friday, March 23, 2018

Testing week

Great job this week with testing. It's a stressful time for everyone, whether you want to admit it or not. I appreciate the effort that you put into test preparation over the past few weeks, but the preparation goes way beyond that. It's what you do every day to connect with our kids- the big things and the little things. The connections are more than just academic. The connections are relationship building. The connections are setting expectations, and holding the students, and yourself, to those expectations. The connections are working together with colleagues to bring lessons to life. Remember those things most of all. They are the reasons that our kids perform the way that they do. Thanks to all of you for guiding our learners every day!

Great things I saw this week...
The Forward Exam got off to a great start.
Spheros in 5th grade Science.
Barb is back!
6th graders sharing their film festival at the School Board meeting.
Our Parent Tech Talk on Tuesday night with over 50 in attendance!
8th graders making super balls in Science.
Mike is doing a great job with Heidi's kids.
The flexibility of staff with our wacky schedule this week.
The student pride while putting their poetry presentations together.
Martica and Andrea working with our staff, and chipping in to proctor the Forward Exam or cover a class.
Our volleyball teams had their first games, and did pretty well.
7th and 8th grade family conferences, and the dinner the PTO prepared for them (Face to face meetings with families are the most impactful, in my opinion, so thank you to all who have had family conferences and continue to have family conferences.).
Kim stepping in for Matt as he was presenting at a national conference in Nashville.
Forward testing is over for 6th and 7th graders, and they enjoyed an ice cream sandwich to celebrate!

Calendar
Tuesday, March 27th
7:15 volleyball practice
4:15 Homework Club

Wednesday, March 28th
1:15 A-team meeting

Thursday, March 29th
Grade level and specials meetings
Leaving for Spring Break at 4:15PM (You should, too!)

Important future dates
March 30th- April 8th- Spring Break
April 11th- WIN Wednesday
April 12th- NJHS induction
April 19th- High School Musical Junior

6th-8th grades @ 10:30AM
3rd-5th grades @ 1:45PM

May 11th- Grandparents Day
May 15th- concerts
May 24th- Half day career event

Tweets, quotes, and blogs

Helping Someone Get Better or Showing Them You Are Better? (from George Couros)

One never goes so far as when one doesn't know where one is going.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,
writer and statesman

3 Conversation Shifts in Education (from George Couros)

It is the same with people as it is with riding a bike. Only when moving can one comfortably maintain one's balance.

Albert Einstein,
theoretical physicist

(from Math Education SmartBrief)

Relationships, Risk-Taking, and Innovation (from George Couros)

(from Pinterest)

Merton Intermediate Instagram page
Student Showcase from 3.19.18 School Board meeting
Principals' Presentation from 3.19.18 School Board meeting

Family smore for 3.23.18

Looking forward to a fantastic Friday. (See the lion picture above.)
Be the one!
Jay
Take care of the kids. Take care of each other. Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell

Friday, March 16, 2018

Effort- students and staff

As you know, I spoke about effort to the kids during our assembly on Wednesday. I also shared this comic with them and spoke about the need to have a consistent effort.

(from MathEducation SmartBrief)

You give that consistent effort every day for our kids, and by modeling that, hopefully the kids notice and try to exemplify that effort, too. Please continue to remind the students of the need for consistent effort throughout the days of testing that start next week. Be an active proctor, and ask them about their effort level when they ask you to come over before hitting submit. Keep your effort level up, too, as we move closer to Spring Break. A high effort level in preparation and implementation in your classroom will keep the kids engaged and behaving like we want them to all the way through 4:00 on Thursday, March 29th.

Great things I saw this week...

The band and choir concerts were awesome.

Relationship building continues in every classroom.

The focus on kids, and assisting them with academics, behaviors, and decisions during our grade level meetings.

The seriousness the students and you have taken with test preparation.

The Game of Cards during our staff meeting.

Staff Recognition Awards during our staff meeting.

The student assembly was pretty good, if I do say so myself.

The spheros are back in 5th grade.

A 6th grade student creating a box in Inventor to 3D print for my set of The Game of Cards.

Matt running an intramural volleyball tournament during 7th and 8th grade lunch recess.

We had a really good intruder drill. (I will be debriefing with the BLT on Monday so please let your representative know if there are any concerns or questions.)

Your flexibility with our Forward Exam schedule. (I'll be providing a daily schedule of what's happening in the entire school regarding testing.)

Calendar
Monday, March 19th
Forward Exam window opens
7:15 volleyball practice
3:30 cover Becky O.
4:15 BLT meeting
6:30 School board meeting

Tuesday, March 20th
7:15 volleyball practice
8:50 cover Brian F.
4:15 Homework Club
6:00 Parent Tech Talk

Wednesday, March 21st
Workout Wednesday
8th grade Spanish placement test
2:30 Arrowhead for Spanish placement test
4:00-8:00 Culver's Night
5:20 volleyball games at Erin

Thursday, March 22nd
7:45 IEP meeting
Grade level and specials meetings (short versions- 10 minutes for kids)
4:15 Homework Club
4:30 7th/8th grade conferences

Friday, March 23rd
Foodie Friday
Alumni Day (Wear your favorite high school or college gear!)
7:15 volleyball practice
No Office Day!

Important future dates
March 19th-31st- Forward exam (schedule under development)
March 19th- Jazz band trip in the PM
March 19th- board meeting
March 20th- Parent tech night
March 22nd- 7th and 8th grade arena conferences
March 30th- April 8th- Spring Break
April 12th- NJHS induction
April 19th- High School Musical Junior

6th-8th grades @ 10:30AM
3rd-5th grades @ 1:45PM

May 11th- Grandparents Day
May 15th- concerts
May 24th- Half day career event

Tweets, quotes, and blogs

(from George Couros' blog)

One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.

Marie Curie,
physicist and chemist

(from Jessica Johnson's staff memo)

Ideas are important, but they're not essential. What's essential and important is the execution of the idea.

John Landis,
film director, screenwriter and actor

Are you serving the learner or the score? (from George Couros)

There's nothing so dangerous as sitting still.

Willa Cather,
writer

Merton Intermediate Instagram page
Student assembly presentation from 3.14.18

Family smore for 3.16.18

Thanks for a great week!
Be the one!
Jay
Take care of the kids. Take care of each other. Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell

Friday, March 9, 2018

Advice

This quote really struck me on Friday morning.

There is nothing which we receive with so much reluctance as advice.

Joseph Addison,
politician and writer

This week, I got some advice and feedback from someone I admire. It stung at first, but after thinking about it, I realized there are some changes that I need to make. So now it's in my mind every time I interact with others. I'm hopeful that if you see something that I'm doing, or not doing, that causes you concern, please bring it to my attention so that I can make a change for the better. We all have blind spots and it's important to have others point them out to us.

Great things I saw this week...
The use of heart rate monitors in PE.
Students and staff focused on test preparation.
Good behavior from our students for guest teachers.
Circle of Power and Respect in Science classes.
Students staying on task with conversations during "turn and talk" time.
Intramural volleyball for 7th and 8th graders.
The true concern each of you has for our students.

Calendar
Monday, March 12th
7:15 volleyball practice
5:30 Strategic planning

Tuesday, March 13th
7:00 chiropractor
8:00 Forward Exam proctor meeting
4:15 Homework Club
5:30 Mid-Winter concerts

Wednesday, March 14th
7:15 volleyball practice
8:00 WIN Wednesday meeting (staff recognition awards!)
1:15 A-team meeting

Thursday, March 15th
Special education, grade level, and specials meetings
4:15 Homework Club

Friday, March 16th
4:00 Art Show across the street

Important future dates
March 16th and 17th- band/choir trip
March 19th- board meeting
March 19th-31st- Forward exam (schedule under development)
March 20th- Parent tech night
March 22nd- 7th and 8th grade arena conferences
March 30th- April 8th- Spring Break
April 12th- NJHS induction
April 19th- High School Musical Junior

6th-8th see in the AM
3rd-5th see in the PM

May 11th- Grandparents Day
May 15th- concerts

Tweets, quotes, and blogs

Is there such a thing as "over-collaboration"? (from George Couros)

Where all think alike, no one thinks very much.

Walter Lippmann,
journalist

Google sheet of learning from EdCampELM

You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.

Charles Buxton,
businessman and politician

"Someone else's whole world" (from George Couros)

We must dare to be great, and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage.

Theodore Roosevelt,
26th US president

It's All in the Small (from Pernille Ripp)

Don't put limitations on yourself. Other people will do that for you.

James Cameron,
filmmaker

Your Best "Classroom Management" Strategy (from George Couros)

"I am not discouraged because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward."- Thomas Edison

100+ Ways to add Pirate Hooks to Your Class (from Dave Burgess)

"If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere."- Frank A. Clark

The Choice We Make (from Pernille Ripp)

Merton Intermediate Instagram page

Family smore for 3.9.18

Thanks for a great week!
Be the one!
Jay
Take care of the kids. Take care of each other. Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell

Friday, March 2, 2018

Be that teacher

Borrowed from Jessica Johnson (@PrincipalJ)

I've seen and heard so many of you talking about kids this week. You're talking about what you can do to help kids academically and behaviorally. You're not talking about excuses or the things that we have no control over. You're talking about what you can do when the kids are with us. By the way, it's the only time with our kids that we truly have control over. I urge you to keep talking about our kids with one another to find new ways to connect and support them. You can do this. I know you can. And one day in the near future, one of the kids we talk about will come back and thank you for what you've done for them.

This is worth the 10 minutes, I promise

A number of my principal friends share our nuts and bolts with one another. Joni Stevenson, principal from Idaho and a mentee of mine for the last couple of years, shared this video with her staff. Please, please take the time to watch this video. It shows the power that you have as an educator, the power that I see every day.

Great things I saw this week...
Building relationships in classrooms with group and individual conversations.
Kids reading, which meant I was reading, too.
Learning slope intercept form in math.
The focus on test prep which included some cheerleading by many of you.
Kids enjoying the outdoor weather. (You're more than welcome to join us at recess!)
Kids and staff jumping in to math pilots and learning in different ways.
Our discussions at grade level and specials meetings.
The use of our learning lounge.
Listening to our bands and choirs. (I saw them, too!)
Kids struggling with the math pilots, and then realizing how much they had learned.
I was copied on two separate emails from families celebrating what you do for their child.

Calendar
Saturday, March 3rd
EdCampElmbrook at Brookfield Central

Tuesday, March 6th
4:15 Homework Club

Wednesday, March 7th
7:00 School Board candidate forum

Thursday, March 8th
Grade level/ specials meetings
4:15 Homework Club
4:30 7th/8th grade invitation conferences

Friday, March 9th
Half day, noon release

Important future dates
March 9th- Half day, AM schedule, noon release
March 12th- Strategic planning
March 13th- concerts
March 16th- Merton Art Show 4-7PM at St. John's church
March 16th and 17th- band/choir trip
March 19th- board meeting
March 19th-31st- Forward exam (schedule under development)
March 20th- Parent tech night
March 22nd- 7th and 8th grade arena conferences
April 12th- NJHS induction
April 19th- High School Musical Junior

6th-8th see in the AM
3rd-5th see in the PM

May 11th- Grandparents Day
May 15th- concerts

Tweets, blogs, and quotes
The Critic in Your Head (from George Couros)

(from Math Education SmartBrief)

Convince Me (from George Couros)

(from Pinterest)

"Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start." — Nido Qubein

Pathway or Obstacle (from George Couros)

I've developed a new philosophy. I only dread one day at a time.

Charles M. Schulz,
cartoonist