Monday Message
February 24th - February 28th
Our Week At A Glance....
Monday, February 24th:
8:00 - 3:00 Literacy Check-Ins (Kelly & Traci)
3:00 Talent Show rehearsal
3:30 Parent Meeting (Kelly)
Tuesday, February 25th:
8:00 - 11:00 Restorative Practices Refresher (Kelly & Traci)
1:15 IEP Meeting (Kelly)
2:05 IEP Meeting (Kelly)
3:00 Encore Kids - Rm. 403
3:15 LEAD MOY Conference (Traci)
Wednesday, February 26th:
8:00-4:00 Principal Meeting (Kelly)
9:30 Counselor Parent Book Study
9:35 IEP Meeting (Traci)
11:15 LEAD MOY Conference (Traci)
Thursday, February 27th:
7:15 SITP Meeting (Kelly)
9:35 IEP Meeting (Kelly)
10:25 IEP Meeting (Kelly)
1:15 IEP Meeting (Kelly)
2:00 LEAD MOY Conference (Traci)
3:00 Spanish School
3:15 Faculty Meeting
Friday, February 28th:
* Kinder Critter Parade*
8:45 LEAD MOY Conference (Traci)
10:25 IEP Meeting (Kelly)
11:15 LEAD MOY Conference (Traci)
12:00 IEP Meeting @ Bluebonnet (Kelly)
1:15 IEP Meeting (Traci)
Something to Inspire....
The Power of Community
PATULOUS
Patulous (adjective)
Pronounced: [pa-CHə-ləs]
Definition
- Open or expanded
- Spreading out from a center, as the branches of a tree
A Simple Reflection on the Word
An oak tree can offer shade and comfort due to the patulous branches that extend from its trunk. The Angel Oak is a massive example of such a tree. It is located on Johns Island near Charleston, South Carolina and is approximately 400-500 years old. It stands 66 feet high and produces 17,200 square feet of shade beneath its canopy. Since the branches themselves extend from the center (in a patulous fashion), it takes immense stability from the core to support them. Two main things have helped contribute to the fortitude and endurance of this remarkable tree – the robust root system and the forest that surrounds it.
The root system of the Angel Oak is extensive and enables the impressive tree to remain resilient. It also intertwines with the systems of nearby forests providing them support, connection, and strength. In return, the forest offers the Angel Oak shelter from storms, adequate moisture and drainage, and filters harmful pollutants that could be detrimental to its survival. One cannot fully thrive without the other. There is a powerful lesson that can be learned here…
Community makes us stronger. By extending ourselves to others and intertwining our roots, experiences, and resources, we can flourish in ways we never thought possible.
To be patulous is to be open. Often times, the one thing that causes us to miss an opportunity for a connection is the unwillingness to be vulnerable. The Angel Oak has survived a number of floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes over the years because it was not alone. Although being deeply connected to the forest makes it susceptible to danger, the tree has been able to recover and continue to grow due to the support that surrounds it.
Being in community with others who share our passions, challenge our ideas, and embrace our roots, can help to form a foundation that grounds us. Although it is possible to find success by flying solo, it is when we are willing to connect with others that we will truly thrive. Difficult times will come, but weathering a storm together is much more powerful than facing it alone.
Your Challenge for the Week:
Be intentionally patulous this week. Choose one person who you want to connect with and reach out to them. Invite them to dinner, coffee, or a face to face conversation to invest in them or to simply catch up. Building community often begins with one person who is strong enough to take the first step.
STARFest Baskets Due!
STARFest baskets are due this Thursday! Please remind parents to send in any last minute donations to be added to your class baskets!
Common Sense Educators
WOW! You all have done an AMAZING job getting your application in to become a Common Sense Recognized Educator! You will receive a nice laminated badge from LISD Digital Learning to post outside your door, Cathy Schuelke received hers this week so you can swing by her room and check it out if you're interested in what it looks like! OSE is going to be keeping them busy! Look and Congrats to the following staff who have already completed and received their Common Sense Educator Recognition:
- Boldt
- Littlefield
- Logue
- Hodge
- Hayunga
- Wilkinson
- Brooks
- Brigance
- Downs
- Wroblewski
- Royal
- Baker
- Rabaduex
- Cade
- Schuelke
- Nelson
- Smith
- Reinken
- Strodtman
- O'Toole
- McGhee
- Wilhelm
- Young
- Wilson
- Cohen
- King
- Sockel
- Hite
- Dunaway
- Allen
Student of the Month
Something To Make Us Think....
What Teachers Can Do to Boost Student Motivation - Part 2
What teacher doesn’t want an environment where students are working on lessons and learning because they want to do it instead of because they have to do it? Researchers have identified four specific ways to nurture a sense of intrinsic motivation in students. In this video series, educators and authors Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Hull Sypnieski discuss these elements: autonomy, which is helping learners feel that they have a choice in what they do and how they do it; competence, or creating situations in which students feel that they are capable of doing what they are being asked to do; relatedness, or doing activities that help students connect to others; and relevance, or making work seem interesting, valuable, and useful to students’ everyday lives.
Praising Competence Instead of Natural Ability
Students are more likely to do something if they feel like they have the ability to be successful doing it. This can be accomplished by praising effort instead of natural ability, showing students their growth over a semester, or even having students become teachers to their classmates.
This Is OSE.....
Designing Tiny Houses in GT
Happy 30th Birthday Mrs. Brooks!
Super Star Bird Watcher!
Something To Make Us Laugh....
~ Kelly