Another week has gone by, and the time has gone by, too. How was your week? I want you to reflect on how you spent your time this week, not just the time in school but the time out of school, too. It's easy to think about the time that you were with kids in class, but what happened during those times you weren't with kids? Did you spend your time doing "school work"? Did you spend your time taking care of yourself? Did you spend your time with family and friends? Did you spend your time alone? Whatever you did is the right answer for the time that you were in. It's what you needed to do at that time. I know that I can't be at my best if I'm not rested or fed. As Jen would say, she knows when I'm tired or hangry. Sometimes I'm both. As I have gotten older, I've realized that I can't go to bed late and get up early. I did that when I was in my 20s and 30s, and I wasn't successful doing that then. Now that I'm older, I really can't go to bed late and get up early. I won't be productive or awake. But it took me a while to learn that. Now I've got boundaries- no tech in the morning until I've read for 30 minutes and no technology after 9PM (except for sports on television). Those boundaries have helped me sleep better and start my day with a better attitude. It works for me but it might not work for you. All I ask is that you find your own boundaries and then you'll be more productive and happy, both at school and in life.
Calendar
Monday, October 18th 8:20 meet up in the commons/ Merton Monday/ BLT meeting 4:15
Wednesday, October 20th Workout Wednesday/ Content meetings 7:45AM/ PTO Culver's Night
Friday, October 22nd PTO Fall Fest
Monday, October 25th 8:20 meet up in the commons/ Merton Monday/ Board meeting
Tuesday, October 26th Conferences 4:30-8:15PM
Wednesday, October 27th Grade level meetings 7:45AM
Thursday, October 28th Professional Learning
Friday, October 29th No School
Tweets, quotes, and blogs
"You can't control the success or failure of a thing you work on. You can only control the thing you work on."
Lin-Manuel Miranda, composer, lyricist, singer, actor, playwright, producer
(Thanks to George Couros)
Healthy Workloads for Educators (from Allyson Apsey)
(And by I, he means you.)
"I try to let my decisions be guided not be what I think will succeed or fail, but what I'm going to learn from that process."
Lin-Manuel Miranda, composer, lyricist, singer, actor, playwright, producer
(George Couros' adaptation of a graphic of success)
Dave Burgess' Sunday Seven for October 10, 2021 (The first two are the ones I'm working on this week.)
"Strength lies in differences, not in similarities."
Stephen R. Covey
Monday Meetup at 8:20
On Monday, it was great to see some of you in the commons as we welcomed Bekki Crowley, our new special education teacher. Having all of you there would have been even better. You may wonder why we're meeting up on Mondays at 8:20. It's a time for all of us to get together as we start the week. Often we only are together as a school one Wednesday morning a month. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think that's often enough. When we meet next Monday, bring the name of a student that you'd like to discuss. It's only 10 minutes of time, but there will be lots of staff available to provide suggestions and viewpoints. I look forward to seeing you all in the commons at 8:20 Monday.
Conference invitations
Please make sure that you have updated the conference lists for Tanya as she will be sending letters out to families today. I appreciate your preparation in advance of conferences. Conferences will be from 4:30-8:15 on both Tuesday, October 26th and Thursday, November 11th.
Need a guest teacher for less than a "full" half day?
If you have a "time off request" that is less than a "full" half day, please do not enter this in AESOP. Please inform Jennifer Sevcik and me about the request and we will fulfill that time off request internally. If we fulfill this request with an outside sub through AESOP, we are obligated to pay them for the "full" half day.
District Improvement Plan
On Monday, our BLT will be discussing our District Improvement Plan. Please remember this is a "we" plan, not an "I" plan. We'll continue to discuss this plan as a staff and in small groups. What we do with our improvement plan will impact everyone, not just our Math and Language Arts teachers. We need all of your voices in these conversations. Decisions about instructional minutes and curriculum don't impact just a select few. They impact all of us. Please make sure that you have a voice in our discussions by either sharing your ideas with a BLT member or me.
Mustang University
Please remember to sign up for your Mustang U courses. The registration can be found in Maria's email or with the following link.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Maria or me.
Next Wednesday is a Content Wednesday
At 7:45 next Wednesday, please meet with your content colleagues. Math teachers will be talking about a universal screener, LA teachers will be discussing running records, and other content area teachers should meet to discuss their pacing and curriculum. More specifics will be provided next week.
I've been fortunate to visit your classrooms more in the last couple of weeks. I hope that continues as it is one of my daily priorities. If there is anything you'd like me to be a part of or would like some feedback on the learning in your classroom. Please let me know or, better yet, send me a calendar invite.
Have a fabulous Friday and a wonderful weekend!
Jay
Take care of the kids. Take care of each other. Take care of yourself.- John Gunnell
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