Jay's Journal

Free stuff from WeAreTeachers

mertonint on Instagram
Family smore from 8.30.19

Technology Updates from Jim
Please see this link for all of the great information! There really isn't too much information in it at all!

Check out the link below for some free stuff

We have three full days before the kids come back. I know your rooms are ready. I know your plans are ready. And most importantly, I know that you are ready. Don't forget that we're wearing Merton blue on Tuesday. Let's start out the year with all of us showing our Merton pride. Have a great weekend!
#JustInspire
Jay
Take care of the kids. Take care of each other. Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell

Friday, August 23, 2019

Reconnect

One of the most important things we did this week was reconnecting with one another. We haven't been together as a school family since June 7th, and even on that day, we didn't have much of a chance to all be together to say that one last goodbye. These three days have been a whirlwind of learning and thinking about how we will use all of our learning to make our classrooms better learning spaces for our kids. And we got to reconnect, to share our stories from the summer, to share our hopes and dreams, and insecurities, for the upcoming school year. We have a long weekend ahead of us, a chance to reflect and to relax before we come back to almost all of our students for Wednesday's Open House. (Yes, you need to be here on Tuesday for our SEL work. I didn't forget about that.)

Great things I saw this week...
all of you back at school!

Calendar
Make sure to add the Intermediate School Event Calendar to your Google calendar (I'm not sure if the link will work for you, but I gave it a try!)
Monday, August 26th
Summer Academy (flex day)

Tuesday, August 27th
Summer Academy (SEL in the Primary School cafeteria)

Wednesday, August 28th
We are here from 11AM-7PM
Open House 5-7PM

Monday, September 2nd
Labor Day- No School

Tuesday, September 3rd
1st day of school!

Reminders and "new news"
*We will continue our Thursday grade level meetings. Due to A-team meetings being on Thursdays, we will meet on Wednesdays for our specials meetings.
*If you need a green card for your classroom, please let me know.
*I sent an email to those of you who are on cycle for Educator Effectiveness.
*WIN Wednesday assemblies will be the second Wednesday of the month. These are subject to change based upon discussions with the BLT and other circumstances. Our first one is September 11th.
*Don't forget about PTO grants and Culvers' Nights

Tweets, quotes, and blogs
Three Students You Need to Reach Right Away (from Jon Harper)

As one goes through life, one learns that if you don't paddle your own canoe, you don't move.

Katharine Hepburn,
actress

(from my first teacher, my mom)

Why Writing Sucks and We Need to Talk About It (from Pernille Ripp. I thought this was a good reflection after our three days of learning.)

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.

Victor Frankl,
neurologist, psychologist who founded logotherapy

Developing Wisdom in the Service of Learners (from George Couros. PLEASE take a moment to read this and think about it as you determine classroom and grade level rules.)

All knowledge is sacred, but it should not be secret.

Susan Cooper,
writer

No Room for Competition (from the Writer's Notebook)

We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them.

Alain de Botton,
writer

mertonint on Instagram
Staff lunch presentation from 8.22.19
Family smore from 8.23.19 (The flipgrid video is linked in the smore, so please make sure to complete your video before 2:00 today as the smore is going live to families then!)

10 Ways to Have an Amazing Week

My friend, Danny "Sunshine" Bauer (@alienearbud on the Twitters), always finds ways to make me think differently about things. This list is something I have kept in the forefront of my thinking ever since I read it two weeks ago.

Thanks for an amazing three days. Your passion for your learning and our kids doesn't go unnoticed. See you all on Tuesday!

#JustInspire

Jay

Take care of the kids. Take care of each other. Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell

Friday, August 16, 2019

Back together again

It won't be long, and we'll be back together again, and I'm excited. I've spent all summer reflecting on last school year and remembering how awesome you were with our kids and each other. I've also thought about the changes I'll be making for this year to better support you. I'll still be visiting classes, but my plan is to do one of two things when I'm in your room- really watch what is going on in your room and provide feedback to you or support a student in your room. I'm looking forward to chatting with you about this before the kids start as well as during the school year. This plan came about on my final day at Teachers College during the inclusion class I was in. My writing partner, Anick Sirard (@ASirard), a literacy coach from Canada, provided suggestions and pushed me to think about ways I could be better for the teachers and students with whom I work. If you notice I'm not providing you feedback regularly or supporting students in your room, please let me know right away. I'll appreciate it more than you can know.

*We will have lunch in the Intermediate Staff Lounge. Please connect with your teammates to determine what each person is bringing.

Monday, August 26th
Summer Academy (flex day)

Tuesday, August 27th
Summer Academy (SEL)

Wednesday, August 28th
Open House 5-7PM

Monday, September 2nd
Labor Day

Tuesday, September 3rd
1st day of school

Reminders and "new news"
*I would like to continue our Thursday grade level meetings. Due to A-team meetings being on Thursdays, I would propose Wednesdays for the specials meetings. As a team, if you'd like to change the proposed meeting dates, just let me know.
*If you need a green card for your classroom, please let me know.
*I sent an email to those of you who are on cycle for Educator Effectiveness.
*WIN Wednesday assemblies will be the second Wednesday of the month. These are subject to change based upon discussions with the BLT and other circumstances.
*Don't forget about PTO grants and Culvers' Nights
*Next Monday, I will be sending out a link for a flipgrid. Just like last year, all of us will do a 15-30 second introduction of ourselves to our families and community. This will be added to next week's family smore and posted on our website. Make sure to think about what you want to say, and let your personality shine through!

Tweets, quotes, and blogs

Worried About That Student on Your Class List? (Just remember these 5 things) (from Jon Harper)

Genius consists of equal parts of natural aptitude and hard work.

Andre Maurois,
writer

On Posters and Welcome Displays (from Pernille Ripp)

5 Icebreakers for Middle and High School Students That Really Work (We Are Teachers)

If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.

Andrew Carnegie,
industrialist, business magnate, philanthropist

(Yes, Jen sent me this one.)

Tell yourself a better story this school year (from Angela Watson)

Being a successful person is not necessarily defined by what you have achieved, but by what you have overcome.

Fannie Flagg,
writer

(from Educational Research Center)

8 Back to School Emotions All Teachers Will Recognize (from WeAreTeachers)

A great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.

Walter Bagehot,
journalist, businessman

mertonint on Instagram
Family smore from 8.16.19

Free Calm app
The quote on the webpage for the Calm app says it all.
"If every 8 year old is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation."- Dalai Lama
The app normally costs about $60, but if this is something you would like for your class, or yourself, complete the form in this link to get the app for free. We might even try it out during our SEL training on August 27th. If you try it out, let me know what you think. Yes, I've checked it out every morning, even if only for about 30 seconds, but it's a start.

June 7th- that was the last time that we were all together. This message may seem a bit redundant from the opening lines, but I started writing this on Monday so I've thought even more about coming together again as a school. Make sure to arrive a little early on Tuesday so that you aren't rushing in without the chance of connecting with those you may not have seen since June 7th. We'll have some social time at lunch and we'll get to work together every day, too. The relationships we have with one another are as important, if not more important, than the relationships that we have with the kids. Let's continue to connect with one another, support one another, and celebrate one another all year long. And we should do the same with our kids. See you all next week.
#JustInspire
Jay
Take care of the kids. Take care of each other. Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell

Friday, August 9, 2019

Moving toward exceptional

Every week I read a number of blog posts and emails from members of my PLN. My five favorites, in alphabetical order, are from Danny "Sunshine" Bauer, Dave Burgess, George Couros, Jon Harper, and Pernille Ripp. These people are the ones that cause me to reflect, to try to be better today than I was yesterday, and to try new things. This quote came from what I read from Danny on Sunday.

Doesn't this make you reflect a bit on what you will do today? Tomorrow? This school year? It certainly has me reflecting and thinking about more ways to support you and our kids this year, how I can spend more quality time with my family not thinking about school, and how I can be better with my health. If you have ideas for ways that I can support you and our kids, just let me know. You do so many exceptional things, and so do our kids. And one other thought that sticks with me from my learning this summer is this- What you think is normal can be innovative for someone else. Share your normal as it may really make a difference to someone else.

Calendar
Check out the email that Mary sent on July 9th about the Intermediate Calendar that's now on Google! She also made this Screencastify as a tutorial for adding events. Thanks, Mary!

Monday, August 12th-Friday, August 16th
Summer School

Tuesday, August 13th
A-team meeting 8:45

Monday, August 19th
Summer Academy (flex day)

Tuesday, August 20th-Thursday, August 22nd
Summer Academy (writing)

Monday, August 26th
Summer Academy (flex day)

Tuesday, August 27th
Summer Academy (SEL)

Wednesday, August 28th
Open House 5-7PM

Monday, September 2nd
Labor Day

Tuesday, September 3rd
1st day of school

Tweets, quotes, and blogs
Why Teachers Should Write (from Education Week)

Don't Shoulda on Me from Allyson Apsey

Don't ever forget that you're a citizen of this world, and there are things you can do to lift the human spirit, things that are easy, things that are free, things that you can do every day. Civility, respect, kindness, character.

Aaron Sorkin,
screenwriter, director, producer, playwright

(Jen shared this with me and thought "I" should be changed to "we".)

Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that's real power.

Clint Eastwood,
actor, filmmaker

Three Ways Teachers Can Recapture a Few Slices of Time (from Jon Harper)

Next to trying and winning, the best thing is trying and failing.

Lucy Maud Montgomery,
writer

(Jen shared this with me)

Relationships Matter More Than Rules (from Edutopia)

The wise man doesn't give the right answers, he poses the right questions.

Claude Levi-Strauss,
social anthropologist

mertonint on Instagram

Many of you may notice that since I've been using this blog as our nuts and bolts, there is a common message at the end right before my name. Last year it was "Be the spark". The year before it was "Be the one". This year it will be "#JustInspire". Notice the hashtag? I got that from Mike. And if you remember last year, we all got t-shirts from Boosterthon about being a spark. There are no t-shirts this year, but a chalk writing (see below) on the sidewalk in New York City this week made me realize that #JustInspire is meant to be our new focus for this school year. (More to come about my summer of learning in a future blog.)

#JustInspire

Jay

Take care of the kids. Take care of each other. Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell

Friday, August 2, 2019

August is here!

The last two weeks I have been fortunate to share the "good things Merton" with principals from all over the country. It started with a trip to Spokane, WA on July 10th and will end when I return from Boston, MA on July 20th. I shared the incredible things I see in our school. The lessons, the relationships, the discussions, the high fives, the hugs, and all of the things that make Merton such a great place to learn. But it doesn't stop there. It continues when we're at school and we share the things that are happening with others, either on social media or, more importantly, face to face with the people we encounter in while we're out and about. As my good friend Joe Sanfelippo says, "You better share your story because if you don't, others will tell your story and it might not be the story you want them to tell.

Calendar
It's still summer time!
Don't forget to let me know if you are meeting as a team before Summer Academy. If you are meeting before the first day of Summer Academy, I'd love to join you if it fits into my schedule. If it doesn't, that's just fine. If you are meeting on the first day of Summer Academy, I'd love to join you. Summer Academy starts for everyone on August 20th. If you don't meet as a team before Summer Academy, I'll see you on August 19th.
Check out the email that Mary sent on July 9th about the Intermediate Calendar that's now on Google! She also made this Screencastify as a tutorial for adding events. Thanks, Mary!

Tweets, quotes, and blogs
I'd love your thoughts on the graphic below. I got this from Heidy LaFleur of Common Sense Leadership.

They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.

Andy Warhol,
artist, director and producer

(Shared on Voxer by Kelley Begley-McCall after the NAESP conference in Spokane. Can we make our students, and can I make all of you, feel that way every day?)

"I'm glad you're here." (from George Couros)

You can never solve a problem without talking to people with whom you disagree.

Olympia Snowe,
politician

The right kind of connected (my most recent post)

Talk is cheap. Words are plentiful. Deeds are precious.

Ross Perot,
business magnate, philanthropist, politician

11 Reasons Why Teaching Middle School is the Best Job Ever (from We Are Teachers)

Don't try to rush things: for the cup to run over, it must first be filled.

Antonio Machado,
poet

These Kids, Our Kids (from Pernille Ripp)

Anything you read can influence your work, so I try to read good stuff.

S.E. Hinton,
writer

(I feel like this more than I care to admit!)

You have to believe in the long term plan you have but you need the short term goals to motivate and inspire you.

Roger Federer,
professional tennis player

The Importance of Gratitude (from George Couros)

What's important is that you make the leap. Jump high and hard with intention and heart.

Cheryl Strayed,
writer

The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer.

Edward R. Murrow,
journalist

Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.

Scott Adams,
cartoonist