Bear Tracks
Summer Series - July 14, 2017
A Note From the Principal:
Dear Bear Tavern Staff,
I hope that you are still having a great summer! We are underway with Kindergarten Camp.
Don't forget to check out the professional learning library outside of the conference room to borrow some great books to help you grow and learn this summer. We are getting new titles every week and they are current and exciting books!
I'm currently reading Renegade Leadership, by Dr. Brad Gustafson. There are great ideas that are challenging my thinking and getting me excited for next year. One section early on in the book talks about a topic that we began to investigate last year - Using technology to 'FLIP' our Back to School Night presentations. Now is the perfect time to think about your IDEAL evening at Back to School Night and what you'd love the focus of the night to be - plowing through information, or connecting with families and giving them an authentic taste of what your room/program is like. Here are some things to think about. The choice is yours, but I will help ANYONE to explore any of these ideas to be prepared for BTSN the way that she/he is most comfortable. If you are curious, but nervous, but also interested - just let me know...
- Can you (or your grade-level) make a video or record your voice over a slide show to share curricular information and expectations for the year then send it in advance of the evening? (potential benefit is that parents can refer back to the video and you could share it with new families if they move in mid-year as well as freeing up time that night for more casual discussions or questions)
- Can you record video of the students sharing out about the class or demonstrating procedures then create QR codes around the room and have a "Gallery Walk" that night?
- Could you create a Bingo Game or "Scavenger Hunt" to guide parents through discovering the room and interacting with each other?
- Could you record a short video of each child sharing hopes/dreams, etc. and put a QR code on each desk for individual parents to see?
Please note that any of the above questions are meant to just get you thinking and envisioning your perfect night. If you are interested in exploring any or even expanding upon any of the ideas, just let me know. We can schedule a meeting anytime this summer and even practice some examples. It is not overwhelming if we think about it now; but if we wait until mid-September, we will retreat to our comfort zones!
Our Time is NOW to envision our perfect school year and take the leaps and risks to practice and find out about new techniques and ways to do the proven things that we know are good for kids. It's not about reinventing the wheel or redesigning ourselves every year; it is about finding new ways to enhance what we are trying to accomplish and to make our favorite concepts and plans even better!
I'm around and excited to help. Please use me as a resource as you begin to envision and plan your year. If I don't know the answer, I can help you look for it!
Happy Friday and continue to enjoy your summer!!!
DON'T FORGET TO POST TO #BTSummerRead!
Sincerely,
Chris
Key Information:
- Books n' Bites - We'll be having our first reading event of the summer. On Thursday, June 20th, we'll be having "Books n' Bites." I'll be putting an RSVP out to families on Friday, but our hope is to have students talk about books they have read so far this summer, have a snack and to do some reading. It will be from 10:30-12:30 on 7/20. My hope is to split into grade levels, do a quick greeting or ice breaker (in case we have new students or kids from different classes who don't know each other well), then have at least one person in each group to facilitate sharing and talking about books. If you are around on 7/20 and interested in coming by, please let me know. THERE IS NO PRESSURE - this is 100% optional. If you are around and would like to assist, please CLICK HERE. If this goes well, we may try a "BookBQ" later in the summer with some grills and hot dogs, etc., but one step at a time!
- MEETING - Den Group Planning / Theme & T Shirt Design - Anyone interested is welcome to come by on Monday 7/24 at 10 am at the new and improved BT Conference Room (you'll see soon!). We'll plan some Den Group Dates and themes and will also finalize our student T Shirt design and school theme information. Anyone is welcome to send sketches or ideas for t shirts, whether they can attend the meeting or not. Let me know your thoughts!
- THUNDER GAME - Our annual BT Staff Thunder Game will be Tuesday, August 15th. Tickets will be $8, please feel free to come and bring your family! Please CLICK HERE to reserve tickets. Reserve tickets by Friday, Aug. 4th. It will be fun; don't miss out!
- Welcome Back Letters - Mr. Suozzo's email from May 29 indicated that letters should be in OnCourse by August 10th. Check the email and let me know if you have any questions.
- LUNCH DUTY / ECAs - Please email me (and copy Lauren) ASAP if you are interested in Lunch Duty this year (if you have not already). We are still in need of 5th grade, 2nd Grade and K. Also, if you expect to receive an ECA stipend this year, please reach out to me to confirm so that I can be sure that the lists are accurate. If you have any questions or are not sure, just ask!