Tomorrow

Every day I get emails that have interesting articles on education and always end with a quote.  As I was proctoring the 8th grade Aspire test on Tuesday, here's a quote that hit me hard.

You might be thinking, "What's the big deal with the quote, Jay?"  Here's the big deal.  Every morning when I come to school, I flip the two calendars that are on my desk.  One I got from Stephanie Janquart long ago.  One I got as a present from one of my 2nd grade students back in 1989.  The quotes aren't the same and sometimes they don't mean much to me, at least that year.  Then there are times when the quote completely changes my outlook.  The quote that I shared above had that impact on me.  Maybe it had something to do with the election or maybe it was just that I realized I had started Tuesday in a really positive way.  I put the old nonsense from Monday behind me when I got up on Tuesday.  And when I read this quote on Tuesday morning, I thought to myself, "Why can't I just leave yesterday behind?  I can't change it.  I need to focus on today."  I can tell you this.  I'm going to have this quote somewhere prominent as a daily reminder.  Tomorrow is done.  Let's focus on today.

Calendar

Friday, November 6th    Shorts day!/ Material pickup

Tuesday, November 10th    7th grade Aspire AM/ 5th grade Aspire PM

Wednesday, November 11th    Staff meeting 7:45AM (Onward Chapter 5)/ 7th grade Aspire PM

Thursday, November 12th    5th grade Aspire AM/ Virtual materials to office by 4PM/ 6th and 8th grade conferences

Friday, November 13th    Material pickup/ Food drive ends

Sunday, November 15th    Online Book Fair ends

Monday, November 16th-Sunday, November 22nd    Culver's Week

Monday, November 16th    BLT meeting 4:15PM

Wednesday, November 18th    Team or individual planning 7:45AM

Thursday, November 19th    Virtual materials to include up to December 4th to office by 4PM

Friday, November 20th    Material pickup

Tuesday, November 23rd    Half day- noon dismissal/ Jay creates a virtual assembly to start the day

Wednesday, November 24th-Sunday, November 29th    Thanksgiving Break

Monday, November 30th    School board meeting 7PM

Wednesday meeting rotations

I wanted to make you all aware that there is a rotation for our Wednesday meetings.  The first Wednesday of the month will be a building meeting.  The second Wednesday of the month will be our WIN Wednesday district meeting.  The subsequent Wednesdays will be used for team and personal planning.  With that being said, please use the time next Wednesday to prepare for our upcoming family conferences.  Having materials in place to discuss with our families is really a powerful way to communicate the progress of our students.

Reminders for all of us

Although I wasn't able to get into as many classrooms as I would have liked this week, I still had a chance to stop in once in a while.  The one thing we are all doing well is wearing our masks.  This is true of our students and of us.  Reminders will be needed of our kids, and we must remind each other, too.  The one thing that is concerning to me is group work.  We need to make sure we are 6 feet apart.  The times we aren't doing well with this is when our kids are working in groups or when we are working in groups.  I use comments like "stay on your dot" or "use your own M" or "you're too close".  I used a term called "slippage" when I was a basketball coach.  In practice I was a stickler about positioning on defense so that if there was "slippage" during the game we would still be alright.  Let's get back in the practice of making sure that we're 6 feet apart.  That, along with wearing masks and washing hands often, will allow us to stay safe to stay open a lot longer.  Thanks for addressing this with the kids, and each other, today and the rest of the year.  I'll be adding it to the announcements today and Monday, too, as a reminder for us all.

Twinning on conference night (totally by accident)

Conferences and Aspire

Thanks for all of your efforts with conferences and Aspire.  Just so you know, I split up the weeks that each grade level had these.  I don't know if it was the best idea or not so if you'd like to give me some feedback, please do.  You have created incredible learning environments for our kids so they have a chance to really focus on what they are doing in class.  You have also communicated with our families in a way that keeps them informed with no surprises.  The conferences have become a time for families to meet you, the teacher, or to thank you for all that you are doing to make sure our school stays open.  Keep up the great work!

Moonrise over the millpond following conferences

Spiritwear order due today!

In case you are interested, here is the link to order.  My hope is that we receive the order before Thanksgiving.

Have a great weekend!  Enjoy the weather!  Take at least a day off from school work.  Go for a walk in the woods.  Call a friend or family member you haven't spoken to in a while.  Do something for you because you deserve it.

Jay

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