Friday, April 26, 2019

Thoughts on a marathon

This weekend I'll be running the Oklahoma City Marathon.  I'm going to run with Adam Welcome (Kids Deserve It and Run Like a Pirate author) and Kas Nelson, a principal from Oklahoma.  Adam and I have done multiple marathons while this will be Kas' first.  I am so excited to run with Adam and Kas.  Some of you know this, but I have never met Adam or Kas face to face.  But I feel like I've met them before.  That's the power of social media connections, especially with people who share your passion.

I was talking with some people about how I approach a marathon.  I like to break it into chunks of varying lengths- four 5 mile chunks and then two 3 mile chunks.  That's my plan, but it doesn't always work out that way.  Sometimes those two 3 mile chunks become three 2 mile chunks or, when I'm not feeling that well, six 1 mile chunks.  Why am I telling you this?  I think a marathon is like the school year.  Some of us chunk our school year, too.  I'd say the 20 mile mark of a marathon, what some runners call "the wall", is a lot like getting to the month of May.  Is May a series of days or weeks for you?  How about for the kids?  Some of us and the kids see 4 weeks and some see 22 days and some see one day at a time or one class at a time.  What can we do to make May the best month of the year for our kids and for each other?  I don't want to give you my answer, but I'd love to hear yours.

Great things I saw this week...
Lori with our instructional assistants discussing executive functioning skills.  Great stuff for me and for our parents.
Seeing Julie sitting in the hallway working with a student on Math.
Having former students visit after hours and catching up on their softball teams.
Seeing the continued effort on Forward Exams during makeup sessions.
The pride the students are taking in their poetry unit in Language Arts.
The bands playing Seven Nation Army.  Ask the kids, especially those playing the low notes!
Cast and crew getting to see their Mary Poppins Jr. performance.
Volleyball practices and teams are in full swing.
8th grade college visits.

Calendar
Intermediate School Special Events

Monday, April 29th
BLT meeting  4:15PM
School board meeting 7PM

Tuesday, April 30th
Forward testing makeups at 9AM (24 students left!)

Wednesday, May 1st
NJHS field trip

Wednesday, May 8th
WIN Wednesday- final assembly

Thursday, May 9th
PTO meeting  2:30PM

Friday, May 10th
Grandparents Day

Monday, May 13th-Friday, May 17th
MAP testing week

Tuesday, May 14th
Spring concerts

Wednesday, May 15th
Culver's Night

Monday, May 20th-Friday, May 24th
MAP testing makeup week

Monday, May 27th
Memorial Day- No School

Friday, May 31st
Celebration Day

Wednesday, June 5th
8th grade Day Away
Culver's Night
8th grade dance

Thursday, June 6th
8th grade graduation  7PM

Friday, June 7th
Last day of school- Half day

Tweets, quotes, and blogs


Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.
H. Jackson Brown Jr.,
author 

(from Orton Gillingham Online Academy)

The effect of one good-hearted person is incalculable.
Oscar Arias,
politician and Nobel Peace Prize winner 



No one has made it through life without someone else's help.
Heather French Henry,
veterans advocate, fashion designer and former Miss America 

(from George Couros)

Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.
Desmond Tutu,
theologian and human rights activist 

A Letter to Teachers From "That Kid" (from WeAreTeachers)

Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Minor Myers Jr.,
scholar and university president 



Happiest are the people who give most happiness to others.
Denis Diderot,
philosopher 
Family smore from 4.25.19

Homework Club, anyone?
Jen and I are going to the Pink concert next Thursday night (May 2nd) and we'd like to get down to Milwaukee a little early.  Could anyone help out with Homework Club from 4:15-5:15 for me?  You are compensated with actual money.  Thanks for your consideration.

I'm looking forward to an awesome morning.  Jackie and Mary have done an incredible job getting everything ready for our guests and our students.  I know that it disrupts a "normal" day, but the benefit to the kids is immeasurable.  Thanks to all of you for making this a great day for our guests and our students.
Have a great weekend, and if you'd like to follow me during my marathon, my bib number is 755.  (The first staff member to contact me about the importance of the number 755 will get a souvenir from the marathon.)
Be the spark!
Jay
Take care of the kids.  Take care of each other.  Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Turn it off this weekend

My friend, Jon Harper, writes a blog post that inspires and makes you think.  This weekend, Jon wrote this blog post called Always On.  Please take a moment to read it.


I don't know about you, but I have friends that just don't understand what it's like to be an educator.  Jon gives a great glimpse into a few things that may help our friends have a better understanding.  That being said, I'm giving you permission to turn it off this weekend.  You may think that you have to tweak a lesson to make it better, and you sure can do that, but pick just one day, or a half day, to work on school work.  We'll have a stretch of incredible opportunities in April and May to be on with our kids and with our colleagues with learning as our focus.  Take the time this weekend to recharge and reconnect with family and friends, and then be ready for the stretch run.  The Kentucky Derby is just around the corner and I can just hear Dave Johnson's (You can hear it here at about 2:00.) famous line, "...and down the stretch they come!"  We've got this!

Great things I saw this week...
Robot competition in Science.
Roller skating in PE.
Continued focus during Forward Exams.
Early morning volleyball practices.
Making wet mount slides in 8th grade Science.
Students discussing correlation and causation in Math.
Students discussing the books they are going to read after seeing a book trailer.
The preparations before our 5th graders took a Math test.
Sitting next to three students discussing their book club book.  Loved is it internal and "outernal"?

Calendar
Intermediate School Special Events
Forward Exam Schedule

Friday, April 19th-Monday, April 22nd
No School

Tuesday, April 23rd
7th/8th grade Forward makeups at 9AM in the STEM lab
School board/Community Forum 7PM

Wednesday, April 24th
5th/6th grade Forward makeups at 9AM in the STEM lab
5th grade LA Forward Exam (final one!)
Algebra placement test

Thursday, April 25th
College Day for 8th graders

Friday, April 26th
Career Day in the morning
Jay leaves at 10:00 of OKC Marathon

Monday, April 29th
BLT meeting  4:15PM
School board meeting 7PM

Tweets, quotes, and blogs
Relentless Principal Rallies Underdog School with UFC and Skateboarding (Video about my friend Hamish Brewer and his school.  You will be inspired for 12 minutes, and it's more than worth your time!)

(from MindShift)

Human Disconnection (from George Couros)

It's not the load that breaks you down. It's the way you carry it.
Lou Holtz,
former football player, coach and analyst 


(Taken from Jessica Johnson's "Johnson Memo" to her staff)


Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew.
Cicely Tyson

(from Autumn Zaminski)

Every attempt to reach new milestones holds opportunities for us to learn, adjust and progress.
Jim Bridenstine,
NASA administrator, after Israel's Beresheet spacecraft crashed on the moon
Next week is going to be a very different week for me, and for many of you, too.  We have no school on Monday and there is an all day field trip for our 8th graders to visit WCTC, UW-Waukesha/Milwaukee, and Carroll University on Thursday.  Friday morning is Career Day and I'll be leaving around 10:00 to catch a flight to Oklahoma City to run a marathon on Sunday.

Have a great long weekend, and I'll see you all on Tuesday!
Be the spark!
Jay
Take care of the kids.  Take care of each other.  Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell

Friday, April 12, 2019

Thanks, George

George Couros (@gcouros on the Twitters) always seems to know what I'm thinking about.  Last week he posted this blog.  Please take a moment to read it.

The Importance of Value and Purpose

Those of you who regularly read this blog that I send to staff every Friday might notice that I share at least one blog post from George.  He speaks to me when he writes.  Sometimes it's as if he is reading my mind and is writing to answer my questions or push me to try something new.  Sometimes he is writing exactly what I'm thinking.  Most of the time, though, he is writing something that will give our staff an idea that will reach one more kid or connect to one more colleague.
Thanks, George.  Reading what you write makes me a better educator.

Great things I saw this week...
59 out of 60 students passed the Spanish placement test.  Way to go kids, and way to go Becky!
Ozobots in Science.
Read alouds in Language Arts.
Reading outside on Monday.
A great intruder drill.  Practice makes perfect.  We are ready if needed!
Element reports in Science.
Students talking through Algebra problems in Math.
Ashley visiting 6th grade to talk to all students about women in STEM.
2 6th grade boys discussing their homework problems, and actually teaching one another.
All the cool ACP things we're doing as a district.
Students discussing the meaning of words using context clues.
Mary Poppins Jr, and the excitement of the cast and crew.
Our PTO, and their constant support.  Have you thought about being a server at Culver's next Wednesday?  Even stopping by for a half hour is exciting for the kids.
The new 7th and 8th grade electives have been very well received by our kids.  Thanks to Becky, Carey, Brian F., Dave, and Michelle for your extra efforts.

Calendar
Intermediate School Special Events
Forward Exam Schedule

Friday, April 12th
Mary Poppins Jr  7PM

Saturday, April 13th
Mary Poppins Jr  2PM and 7PM

Tuesday, April 16th
Choir trip

Wednesday, April 17th
Culver's Night 4-8PM

Thursday, April 18th
Family Forum on Vaping 6:30PM

Friday, April 19th-Monday, April 22nd
No School

Tuesday, April 23rd
School board/Community Forum 7PM

Thursday, April 25th
College Day for 8th graders

Friday, April 26th
Career Day in the morning
Jay leaves at 10:00 of OKC Marathon

Monday, April 29th
BLT meeting  4:15PM
School board meeting 7PM

Tweets, quotes, and blogs
(from Inspiration for Educators)

Ideas are like pizza dough, made to be tossed around.
Anna Quindlen,
writer 




You never learn it all. ... I don't care if you're the greatest, there's always something to learn.
Otis Rush,
blues guitarist

One day at a time (from my blog)

(Jen sent this to me from the Mayo Clinic)

The Patience and Persistence Needed for Our Students (from George Couros)



To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time.
Leonard Bernstein,
composer

Family smore from 4.12.19

Thanks for taking the time to at least skim this every week.  I hope that you find value in at least one of the things I share here every week.  Today will be a "No Office Day" for me so don't be surprised if I visit your classroom more than once.
See you all soon!
Be the spark!
Jay
Take care of the kids.  Take care of each other.  Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

One day at a time

As I returned from Spring Break, I realized that I have six calendars in my office- three on my desk and two on my walls.  Sounds like a lot, doesn't it?  The two on my walls are from the USGA (golf) and the Badgerland Striders (running club).  One of my desk calendars is where I record all of my school meetings (I delete all items from my Google calendars as a habit.  I have no idea why, but that's what I do.)  I have the "sign up" calendar on my office door.  The other two desk calendars have quotes or thoughts for the day.  These two calendars made me think about the last couple of months of school.  The ones that I focus on the most are the two calendars on my desk that have quotes.  It's not so much for the quotes, though.  It's because I need to flip the calendars to go to the next day.

The simple task of flipping the calendars does two things for me.  The first is that I get to read two new quotes that sometimes put a focus on my day.  The second is that I put yesterday behind me and can look forward to a new day.  Unless you are Bill Murray in Groundhog Day...


you can't go back and replay a day.  It's not worth the time or the energy.  Yesterday already was and today is what you have.  Put yesterday behind you and move forward with today.  You can learn what to do and what not to do from yesterday, but it cannot be repeated.  Put your focus on today and make it be the best day it can be.  And when you get to school tomorrow, flip the calendar or put an "X" through yesterday.  Your students and colleagues will thank you for it.

Friday, April 5, 2019

It's April

I'm amazed at how quickly this school year seems to be going.  I know that some days are longer than others.  We all have those kind of days.  But overall, I bet you would agree that the year is flying by.  I heard a number of you on Monday say, "How is it already April?"  With the days zooming by, it's important for us to keep a focus on the kids, how they're doing- academically, behaviorally, and socially- and providing the necessary supports or direction.  The same can be said for our colleagues.  That was one of my big takeaways from Wednesday's SEL meeting.  SEL is not just for our kids.  It's for the adults, too.  If you'd like to speak further about the SEL meeting, please speak with Jackie, Lori, Jolie, Dave, Matt, or me.  We'd be happy to share.

Great things I saw this week...
Despite April Fool's Day on Monday, the students and you got back to learning right away.
The gender reveal for Ashley's baby during 5th and 6th grade lunch recess.
The positive attitude you had toward test prep and the environment you created for testing to provide the best environment and level of focus for students to do their best.
Kids outside playing, and quickly transitioning to indoor recess when the rain came.
The effort of our kids, and you, during the Forward Exam this week.
Volleyball practices and games
The SEL meeting on Wednesday provided some of us with a much better understanding of SEL, and we will be sharing that with you soon.

Calendar
Intermediate School Special Events
Forward Exam Schedule

Tuesday, April 9th
Band competition

Wednesday, April 10th
WIN meeting 8:00-8:30 (No assembly)

Thursday, April 11th
Jay at AWSA meeting in Madison all morning
Mary Poppins Jr from 10:30-11:44
Opening night for Mary Poppins Jr

Friday, April 12th
Mary Poppins Jr

Saturday, April 13th
Mary Poppins Jr

Tuesday, April 16th
Choir trip

Wednesday, April 17th
Culver's Night

Thursday, April 18th
Family Forum on Vaping 6:30PM

Friday, April 19th-Monday, April 22nd
No School

Tweets, quotes, and blogs
I want people to walk around delusional about how great they can be -- and then to fight so hard for it every day that the lie becomes the truth.
Lady Gaga,
singer, actress, Academy Award-winning songwriter and first artist to log more than 1 billion YouTube views 


Thank You Teachers, But... (from Jon Harper)

I am different, not less.
Temple Grandin,
professor of animal science, author and advocate for those with autism
April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day

Sometimes you think of things to say and you don't say them and you think, "What a good decision!"
Jeffrey Toobin,
lawyer, author and political analyst
Family smore from 4.5.19

Thanks for a great week!  I missed being in classes this week as much as normal.  Thanks to those of you who posted on Twitter or sent me pictures of the kids in class, especially on Wednesday.  I'll be visiting classrooms a lot more next week.  Please keep in mind that the play is next week.  The kids are excited about the performance, and so are Michael, Jackie, and Carey, so their focus might not be completely on class work and homework.  That doesn't give them a pass on the content, but please be considerate of their "out of class" work amount.  They will appreciate it, and so will I.

Be the spark!
Jay
Take care of the kids.  Take care of each other.  Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell