Friday Facts
Looking back and Looking Ahead August 20, 2017
The Time is NOW!
After some fun in the sun and a long but productive week of getting ready, the time is upon us for the 2017-18 school year to commence. How are you facing the school year? Are you revved up and revitalized? Are you excited? Are you ready to try new things? Are you prepared to reach out and connect with ALL of your students and families? I truly hope so, because that is what it's all about.
Many of you may know that my husband loves to wish (as does Bev's). I am not a lover of fishing but I do think that there are many analogies and lessons that you can draw from fishing. Here is one:
"When fishing, the fisherman baits the hook with what the FISH likes, not what He likes".
As you go about planning for this school year, think on this and ask yourself this question...
"Do you teach FOR the kids or TO the kids". We need to always be teaching FOR the kids, giving them what they need and how they need it. Sometimes that transcends the academic lessons that you present in the classroom.
I pray that this year is about building relationships and culture first and common expectations and discipline second. If you do this, you will have a class of students who know that you care about them and who are much more willing and able to learn from YOU. Then, teaching them content will be much easier and everyone will be happier and more satisfied.
Take time to reach out to and connect with your students and parents this week. It is the most important thing you will do.
Coming soon to a meeting near you.... Exit tickets. Stay tuned.
How to deal with the events in Charlottesville
Its great to teach that we all love one another and we do not see color here but it is not enough. (Still do it though)
- Create a culture in your classroom where students value one another and appreciate their differences of all kinds.
- Root out language of assumption and bias in yourself, your students and your colleagues. Sadly I have heard these phrases from HC teachers... My kids can't __________; They always _________; They are too __________; etc. Don't make statements like this about students or about your class and don't allow your students to either.
- Read rich text with characters who change and make a difference
- Learn about racism and bias and how they intersect to create inequality in education
This week's schedule
Chapel at 9AM. Staff will seat you. Come into the church in some type of order, youngest to oldest so just be aware. PK should start coming in around 8:55 and so on. We will start when everyone is ready. 6th grade students will go first to Mrs. Rancano's room and each take one chair and walk it to the church, then to Mrs. Santana's room. Avoid mixing up the chairs please.
After chapel, you should have time to have some type of getting acquainted or team-building activity. Please make it fun, not "what's your name and what fun thing did you do this summer". Kids should have something to take home. Those that did not come to orientation should go home with whatever you distributed. If you followed my suggestion, you should know who those kids are. And remember, it's not their fault if they didn't come so don't draw attention to it.
Early Release. Take all kids outside with you. Sit/Wait outside with them. Use your authorized pickup list to insure that kids are getting into a car with someone on the list. This applies to all grades. You need to be watching for this every day. After early release, take all students to the cafeteria and stay with them until you have signed them all in to OOS and have made sure that the OOS worker has them under her control. No meeting.
Tuesday, August 22: Same schedule as Monday except for Chapel
Please note.... We need to schedule an assembly with K5 thru 4th grade and with 5th thru 8th grade this week. Please get together and identify a 45 minute time frame that will work. I am not opposed to Tuesday for one group. Remember that we do have a music assembly on Friday at 9:30AM when planning this.
Please let me know what the group decides.
Regular dismissal begins on Wednesday. Same protocol, just different times. Please be on time. That is the only thing that is controllable about dismissal. Come out and wait outside the entire time.
Wednesday and Thursday, August 23 and 24th: Regular specialty schedules begin. Please bring any discrepancies directly to Beverly.
Friday, August 25th: Band program 9:30AM, 1st thru 8th. Place tbd.
I know that their is volleyball practice but I do not have the schedule. TBA.
Cafeteria / Lunch Info
The fact that we have early release for two days does put a hamper in practicing lunch procedures but you should begin discussing them and teaching them before you actually use them on day 3. Make the cafeteria part of your tour around the school and practice all aspects of lunch including how to enter, what to do in line, where to sit, how to throw trash away, how to leave, etc.
1. Complete your lunch order on time.
2. Bring your class on time.
3. Line up SBJ Sandwich Hot
3. Stay only for your allotted time which is 30 minutes. Leave on time. Last year some classes extended their lunch times. Please make the correction.
Most all all, be patient and flexible and expect delays this week.
Books
Click on this link to access the googledoc.
Focus for 2017-2018 ( Take a 2nd look)
In order to help every child their personal best, Holy Cross Students and Staff will focus on developing a growth mindset. What does this mean?
In a fixed mindset, people believe that their basic qualities of intelligence or talent are fixed traits. They believe that talent alone creates success. They are wrong.
In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. Brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is necessary for great accomplishments. Instead of thinking, "I can't do that" instead you think, "I can't do that YET".
Teaching a growth mindset creates motivation and productivity. I would encourage you to take the time and do your own reading and research. There are marvelous resources available online including TPT and Pinterest and there are great books written just for teachers and for children of all ages about this topic.
This goes very nicely with our theme, which is Building Champions...through Goals, Growth and Grit. In Philippians 4:13, it states, "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength". We need to instill this belief in our students, that with the help of God and their own hard work and determination, they can learn and will learn.
Holy Cross's Vision, Mission and Beliefs
Any time we have an idea, concern, solution and/or comment, this is the filter through which we should speak. Let's help each other live up to our vision, mission, and beliefs.
Vision:
We are a cohesive, diverse community providing engaging learning experiences for all.
We will encourage academic excellence, a growth mindset and a firm foundation in Christian Faith through partnership and relationships with students, parents, staff and community.
Beliefs:
- Partnerships between students, parents, community members and staff are foundational to educational success.
- Positive school culture and a safe environment foster growth.
- Everyone has inherent value and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
- Learning is an active process requiring engaging tasks and engaging minds.
- Relevant and authentic experiences ignite continuous, deeper learning.
- Meaningful relationships enrich learning.
Band for Staff
Appreciations and Shout Outs
If I have forgotten anyone, forgive me.
August Birthdays
Zena Simpson 24th
Sarah Menendez 24th
Happiest of birthdays to you all and best wishes for the year to come.