Together we are better

It was another great week.  Thank you for your time with families and students at conferences on Thursday night, as well as the conferences you have had face to face and over the phone since the school year began.  It was great to have those "pat on the back" and "kick in the butt" conversations.  If you need support or coverage to put things in place from your conversations, don't hesitate to let me know.  I am here for you.  But I'm not the only one who is here to support you.  I have witnessed your support for one another again this week, and it's pretty darn amazing.  Together we are better for the kids.

Great things I saw this week...
Students working on Presidential campaigns in Social Studies (Willy Wonka was my favorite candidate.)
Hot air balloons being constructed in 5th grade
6th graders working on Inventor
How welcoming students and staff have been with our new 6th grader (You all do this every time we get a new student.)
Circuit training in PE
The new extra bright lights in the gym
Pallet to project work moving along well
Book discussions in LA (videoed and teacher facilitated)
Wonderful Educator Effectiveness conversations (Did you sign up yet?)
2 students (originally 4) comforting a student who was injured
The 5th graders dressed up for interviews (They were more dressed up than me!)
Our guest teachers doing amazing things with and for our kids because of the procedures and expectations you have stressed and practiced
Mr. Budisch officiating our girls basketball games.  The blue team got all of the calls! (Tee hee!)
Hot air balloon launches in 5th grade
Great parent conferences Thursday night! Thank you!

Calendar
Intermediate School Special Events

Monday, October 22nd
BLT meeting  4:15-5:15

Monday, October 22nd-Wednesday, October 24th
Red Ribbon Week

Thursday, October 25th
All day PD day from 8:00-4:00

Friday, October 26th
No school

Saturday, October 27th
EdCamp Walker's Point

Friday, November 2nd
End of 1st quarter

Tuesday, November 6th
7th/8th Aspire testing

Wednesday, November 7th
7th/8th Aspire testing

Friday, November 11th
Veterans Day Celebration

Tweets, quotes, and blogs
Is it more about what you can teach or what they can learn? (from George Couros)

People try to do all sorts of clever and difficult things to improve life instead of doing the simplest, easiest thing -- refusing to participate in activities that make life bad.

Leo Tolstoy, writer

(from Pinterest)

Every man's work, whether it be literature or music or pictures or architecture or anything else, is always a portrait of himself.

Samuel Butler, writer

Check out the dreams from Tuesday night's #PIAchat.  Many of the dreams are things that we already do in Merton.  Their dreams are our reality.

#mertonint on Twitter
#MertonProud on Twitter
Merton Intermediate School Facebook page
mertonint on Instagram
Family smore from 10.19.18

Perhaps you are one of the staff who occasionally needs to park on the street due to the barricades closing off our staff lot.  Thursday afternoon, the owner of the yellow house next to the parking lot entrance stopped in to see me.  I told her that we would honor their request.  You will see this yellow sign before the parking lot entrance.  Please don't park past this sign, especially on Wednesdays when it is garbage pickup day.  If you have any questions about this request, don't hesitate to let me know.

This weekend is Parents' Weekend in Oshkosh, so I'll be "unplugged" at least until Sunday afternoon.  I encourage you to unplug this weekend, too.  Find something to do with family and friends that makes you put your phone away, even if only for a few hours.  It may be difficult for those of you like me, but it certainly is a good thing to put work aside.  I'll see you all soon!
Be the spark!
Jay
Take care of the kids.  Take care of each other.  Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell