Monday Morning Motivation
Central Elementary Staff News----December 12--December 16
Comfort Food
Dear Staff,
The following was passed along to me.
To Make Good Meatloaf, You Have To Get Your Hands Dirty
In many ways a child's education is like a meatloaf. A good meatloaf recipe I follow includes three pounds of ground beef, a chopped green pepper, a chopped onion, a sleeve of Saltine Crackers crushed and rolled, four eggs, some salt, pepper, and what I like to call a healthy glob of ketchup.
A child's education includes a curriculum of math, reading, writing, science, and social studies. The ingredients also include a healthy dose of collaboration, creativity, life skills, and humor. The recipe isn't complete without a dash of extra-curricular activities, manners, and a healthy glob of GRIT.
The meatloaf ingredients have to be mixed and folded together so that all are found consistently throughout. Finding a complete and consistent mixture of ingredients is nearly impossible without rolling up your sleeves, washing your hands, and diving not one, but two hands into the cold and texture-rich ingredients. You then have to knead and turn; knead and turn; knead and turn until you get it right. Then, the mixture is baked uncovered at 350 degrees for an hour and fifteen minutes and an additional 15 minutes covered with aluminum foil before it is ready to be served.
When working with children, we have to take a page out of the meatloaf preparation recipe. We have to roll up our sleeves, wash our hands, and dive not one, but both hands into the mixture. It's often cold and slimy and we always finish with hands which are messy from the task just completed. We then have to allow our efforts to incubate in practice and check year after year, after year; just like we check the meatloaf with a knife to see how thoroughly it is cooked. Sometimes we have to put the meatloaf back in the oven for a little more cooking, just like we have to offer students multiple chances to learn and experience before they are ready.
When the meatloaf is done, there are fewer comfort foods better to feed not only the body, but also the soul. There are fewer comfort foods better for an educator's soul than watching a child successfully move from one level of their education to the next with the final, most satisfying bite being taken when that child walks across the stage to accept their diploma. A child's education includes a wide and varied collection of ingredients to make it whole.
In the end, however, these ingredients only come together when educators roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty to mold them all together into something not only satisfying, but which brings great comfort and satisfaction.
Have a great week and don't forget to get your hands dirty!
Julie
Two Weeks at a Glance
Central Calendar
MONDAY, December 12
- Santa Shop Set-Up (Runs all week through Noon on Friday)
- 9:30 Evacu-track Training with Team Time Assistants
TUESDAY, December 13
WEDNESDAY, December 14
- Cabinet Meeting
- New Teacher Meeting 4:00 Central conference room
THURSDAY, December 15
FRIDAY, December 16
- Infrastructure ISTEP in the LGI 12:30 (will test some computers in the labs)
MONDAY, December 19
TUESDAY, December 20
- Team Leader meeting 7:45 in conference room (added)
WEDNESDAY, December 21
- Staff Elf Day
THURSDAY, December 22
- Santa coming during lunch
- Staff Stone Creek Christmas Dinner
FRIDAY, December 23
- Half Day for Teachers
Announcements and Reminders
Reminder-Don't assume in the office things will be ordered as usual. We have an excellent binder and new treasurer, but in this time of transition it will be good for you to have a face to face with Allison to make sure.
December STAR Middle of the Year testing (window opens 12/1-12/22)
Monday, December 12th Last day for toy drive. Great work K-Kids!
Holidays-Please be mindful of different religious beliefs as we enter the holiday season. Additionally, we have an expectation of academic work through December.
Santa Shop begins week of December 12
Cold Weather Procedures-We will go outdoors for recess when the temperature is above 20 degrees AND the wind chill factor is above 20 degrees. Please make sure you communicate with parents if you notice students coming to school not dressed appropriately. The nurse does have extra coats.
WIDA ACCESS TEST will occur the of January 23rd. Lexy will be in touch with you regarding writing practice and online practice testing.
Cogat testing will begin in February. We are testing K (top 25 percent), 2nd grade, 5th grade and all 1, 3, 4 students new to the district. More information will follow as we get closer.
Curriculum and Instruction
The Power of "...YET!"
They say, "I don't get this..."
You say, "...YET!"
- Acknowledge that there’s a problem and listen to the student’s perception of it. (“Hey, Patty, what’s going on?”)
- Provide a respite to allow emotion to subside if needed.
- Provide a doable task both to aid in regaining composure and to remind a student of his or her competency.
- Return soon to problem solve and provide support.
- Validate the student’s frustration. (“It’s hard when . . .”)
- Gradually have the student do more and more of the task without help until he or she is ready for full independence.
- Maintain matter-of-fact language and body language throughout the process.
Tech Tips from Mrs. Allen
Here is our 5 min. tech time.
I found this really amazing website that I’m sure some of you know about. www.Studyladder.com
What I love about this website is they separate everything by grade level. Once you log in, go to all resources and pick a topic such as writing. It will list by grade levels the material and interactive lessons for each grade. Also, you can print all the resources from this site. What a great way to add technology to your room! Plus I love this because it includes, music, art, health, themed based learning, language and culture, technology, science, math, and English.
Hope you explore this site!
Kindness is Happening at Central Elementary!
Elf Day!
One of Mike Underwood's favorite traditions was having the staff dress up as elves! This year, we are going to have Elf Day on Wednesday, Dec. 21st. While some people go "all out" with their costumes, it's totally up to you how you'd like to participate. See Curt for costumes. He has some you can borrow. It will be really fun and the kids will absolutely love to see all of the staff as elves!
Santa Claus is Coming to Central
Staff Celebrations!
- Kudos to Dana Loudermilk and Rachelle Mogg for receiving Compass Recognition at the faculty meeting. Thanks for all you do for our students!
- Even will all the sickness we had a 97.15 percent attendance rating last week.
- Thank you April for researching and sharing a tech tip!
- Major Saver Winner--Anita Stevenson's class. The efforts of all helped to raise $6200 for the Legacy Foundation.
- Legacy Grant Winners from Central---Congratulations Anne Johnson, Diana Cragen, and Jill Maple. Thanks to all from Central who did take the time to apply. Please continue to submit applications in the future.
Happy December Birthdays
- Diana White (1)
- Courtney Carmichael (8)
- Connie Schmitt (12)
- Laura Burkert (26)
- Melissa Mosier (26)