It's the hap, happiest time of the year

I love this time of the year in school.  There is excitement for the upcoming holidays, but I also just love getting into your classrooms to see what's going on.  This week I started by having an almost No Office Day (I had a couple of meetings) on Monday but for the most part I was in classrooms.  It was great to see you get right back into the swing of things with the kids.  There were reviews, and quizzes, and sharing, and reading, and active students in PE.  The kids genuinely seemed to be happy to be back to school, too.  I also noticed that our Giving Tree in the lobby had few remaining gift tags.  We are so lucky to live and work in such a caring community.  Every day that I come to school, I'm happy, but these few weeks before our Winter Holiday are always the happiest for me.

Great things I saw this week...
Kids getting a great workout in PE doing circuit training
Conferring with students about their writing or Math
The choir and jazz band at the tree lighting
Jeopardy in Social Studies (ask Carey)
The excitement the Kahoot music brought to some 6th graders
Getting to meet with teams again
Shoutouts during our staff meeting on Wednesday
Staff wearing new spiritwear items
The kids during our assembly, and some of the lollipop moments I heard about
The 7th graders all dressed up for their field trip, and the report of great behavior when they returned
Matt and Dave playing a little 2 on 2 basketball with some 7th graders after the field trip


Calendar

Please continue to review the Intermediate Special Events Calendar at our weekly grade level and specials meetings, too.

Monday, December 9th
Jay at SLATE conference after lunch
8th grade girls basketball tournament at Merton Primary

Tuesday, December 10th
Jay at SLATE conference (I could use someone to cover 7/8 lunch and recess- GOOSE pass!)
Dress up for Holiday concerts
Choir concert 5:30/ Band concert 7:00

Wednesday, December 11th
Jay at SLATE conference (I could use someone to cover 7/8 lunch and recess- GOOSE pass!)
Flannel and Fuzzy Socks Day!
8th grade girls basketball tournament at Merton Intermediate

Thursday, December 12th
6th grade Potato bar!
8th grade girls basketball tournament at Merton Intermediate

Friday, December 13th
Packers Day
Giving Tree gifts due

Monday, December 16th
Merry Red and Green Day
School board meeting  7PM

Tuesday, December 17th
Holiday/Ugly Sweater Day
PTO gift wrap and brunch

Wednesday, December 18th
Holiday Hat Day

Thursday, December 19th
Flannels and Fuzzy Socks Day!
Lunch on Jen and Jay!

Friday, December 20th
Polar Express Pajama Day!
Raffle day!  (You will get a raffle ticket for each day that you participate in a dress up day!  The more you participate the better your chances!)

Name it.  Claim it.  Explain it.

Tweets, quotes, and blogs
The Willingness to Start (from George Couros)

What seems today inconceivable will appear one day, from a higher stand point, quite simple and harmonious.

Max Planck, theoretical physicist, Nobel Prize winner who discovered energy quanta

(from School Leadership 2.0)

It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee, track and field athlete, Olympic medal winner

(from AJ Juliani- I found this interesting.  We should try to find activities in the zone of adaptation.)

I believe there is nothing more disturbing than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept!

Ansel Adams, landscape photographer, environmentalist

#mertonint on Twitter

#MertonProud on Twitter

Merton Intermediate School Facebook page

mertonint on Instagram
Lollipop moments assembly presentation
Family smore from 12.6.19

Holiday staff brunch and gift wrap

Once again, our amazing PTO is providing a brunch for us on Tuesday, December 17th.  Not only that, but they are also doing our gift wrap for us.  If you're like me, if the PTO doesn't wrap my gifts, wrapping isn't going to happen.

We've got two more weeks of learning before our Winter Break.  Keep on engaging the kids.  Keep smiling.  Keep encouraging one another.  Keep finding time for your family and friends.  Keep finding time for yourself.  Have a little fun with the next two weeks as we dress up and eat way too much.  We've got this!
#JustInspire
Jay
Take care of the kids.  Take care of each other.  Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell