Birdneck Briefing
Week of December 11
Upcoming Dates and Events Week of December 11-15
December 9 - Holiday Staff Party 6-9 pm: 801 Fentress Airfield Rd. Chesapeake, VA 23322
December 11 - PBIS team meeting
December 12 - Grade 5 Fieldtrip to Wells Theater
December 12 - Voices of Tomorrow 9:15 to Sentara Leigh Memorial Hospital
December 14 - Winter Chorus Concert
December 15 - Progress reports issued
December 15 - Wacky and Tacky Holiday Day
December 15 - Parents Night Out
This is your Captain Speaking!
Hello Birdneck Family,
We had a wonderful time yesterday at Cocoa with Santa yesterday. It was great to see so many of you there to support our kids and families. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make the night such a success. I saw nothing but smiling faces as I talked with parents and students last night.
I hope you are able to join us at our Holiday Staff party tomorrow, December 9, 2017 at Linda Taylor's - 801 Fentress Airfield Road, Chesapeake, VA 23322. Last year was so much fun and I'm sure this year will be even better.
This week, my challenge to you is to look for ways to laugh and have fun with others both in your classroom and throughout the building. Research has shown that students learn better when laughing and enjoying what they are doing. Even a fake laugh produces some of the same effects on the brain. Laughing together helps to create bonds and builds positive climates. Please read tip # 6 (Humor) of 20 Instructional Strategies that Engage the Brain from Marcia Tate's Developing Minds webpage below. You can also go to http://developingmindsinc.com/ for more tips or information.
Captain Out,
RV Yoshida
Holiday Party
It’s going to be an awesome time so here’s what you need to remember:
1) - She has an awesome fire pit that everyone will want to enjoy so please dress warm!
2) -Also, please bring a lawn chair if you can in case we need extra seats!
3) -Coke, diet coke, sweet tea, and unsweet tea will be provided. Feel free to bring any other beverages that you prefer…wink wink;)
4) -Lastly, please bring a dish to share!! The Spirit Committee will be providing chicken.
Linda Taylor, THANK YOU for offering your house for us to celebrate the holidays together! Let’s partyyyyyy
Linda Taylor's 801 Fentress Airfield Road, Chesapeake, VA 23322.
20 INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES THAT ENGAGE THE BRAIN: #6 HUMOR
“Did you hear about the mathematician who’s afraid of negative numbers? He’ll stop at nothing to avoid them.”
If the math pun above made you laugh or even smile a little, it put your brain in a more positive state. Research tells us that jokes, riddles, celebrations, and other forms of positive interaction not only create a positive learning environment but may also facilitate learning itself.
Did you know that the brain does not know the difference between real laughter and fake laughter? You can fake laughter and it will have the same positive effect on the brain. That is why there are more than 1,800 laughing clubs in India alone.
There is one important distinction that is worth noting. Please do not confuse the use of humor in the classroom with sarcasm, which has the exact opposite effect on the brains of students. The literal definition of sarcasm is “a tearing of the flesh,” aptly named because remarks directed to students that demean, tease, or deride can, at minimum, hinder or incapacitate higher-level thinking.
What The Research Says
When students are laughing, they are releasing transmitters called endorphins, and laughter has been described as the shortest distance between two people (Gregory & Chapman, 2013, p.24).
When students laugh together, a diverse population bonds, community spirit forms, and a classroom climate becomes more conducive to learning (Sousa, 2011).
Having laughter breaks in class increases the flow of positive neurotransmitters, which are necessary for alertness and memory (Jensen, 2007).
Make It Happen
- Have students create jokes or riddles regarding a concept previously taught. The creation of jokes not only reinforces students’ conceptual understanding but also encourages students to use their higher-level thinking skills. One math student created this original riddle. Why did the fraction 1/5 go to the psychiatrist? Answer: He was just too tense (2/10).
- Don’t take yourself or your students too seriously. Most students love a teacher who is able to make fun of his or herself. One high school teacher related to me how much his students love him, mostly due to his sense of humor. For example, when he teaches about plate tectonics, a shifting of the earth’s plates, he tells students there is a place in Africa where the plates collide. It is called Djibouti (jih-BOOT-ee). He told me that by the time they get through discussing the cracks in Djibouti, everybody remembers. If you don’t get that joke, think about it a little longer! Remember to laugh with your students, but not at them!
- Have teachers in a grade level or department form a laughing club. Since the brain does not know the difference between real laughter and fake laughter, these clubs appear to work. The laughing club can meet before school long enough for a teacher to share a joke or riddle with the members. Teachers can take turns bringing the jokes for the week. Everyone gets his or her day off to a positive start that can carry over into instruction.
For more examples of instructional activities that engage students using humor, consult the 3rd edition of my best-selling book, Worksheets Don’t Grow Dendrites
Donations For Kids and Classrooms
First Presbyterian Church and Great Neck MS Guidance have re stocked our School Supply Closet. Please help yourself to whatever you need for your students.
First Presbyterian Church has also provided us with new underwear, socks, and pants for our students in need. They are located in our Coat/Clothing Closet (inside the old Guidance Suite). And students from Cox High School have donated a multitude of gently used clothing, coats and shoes for our students. You can access the Coat/Clothing Closet throughout the school day or email me any specific requests.
Lastly, don’t forget to come by the former Guidance Suite and pick up your box of Kleenex and bottle of hand sanitizer that was generously donated by First Presbyterian Church for each of classrooms.
Nancy H. Reckling, M.S.W.
Shout Outs!
If you would like to give a SHOUT OUT to a colleague, it is as simple as sending an email to RV to be added to our Shout Outs each week!
I can not say enough about how much I am learning from working with JoAnn! She is helping me to become a much better math teacher. I am seeing the light on how to best teach 1st graders! She rocks!
Shout out to Vicki Krauter and everyone on our PTA and staff who help plan, organize and support events like Cocoa with Santa!
Reminders
-Mandatory Employee training found at https://vbschools-va.safeschools.com/login due at the end of the first 9 weeks.
-Greet your students at the door each day!
-implement Morning Meeting and student goal setting in your classrooms.
-Social committee dues to Vanessa Dominguez
-Join our PTA.
-Have Fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2017-2018 ANNUAL MANDATORY EMPLOYEE TRAINING (AMET)
Based on your job title, your assigned courses will be listed on your personal SafeSchools Training home page under “Mandatory Training.”
A target completion date of Feb. 16, 2018, has been established. Thank you for your assistance in this endeavor.
Completion Date: February 16, 2018
Go to our website at http://www.vbschools.com
Click on Staff
Click on Mandatory Training (AMET)
Join our PTA
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Join the PTA! Our goal is to have 100% Staff participation!!!!!!!!!
Support Birdneck Elementary students by joining the PTA. Don't miss out on the benefits from joining the PTA. Receive over $300 in savings... all for just $5 for a membership. Check out the PTA website at http://birdneckpta.weebly.com/
BIRDNECK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
BIRDNECK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
BIRDNECK MISSION
The mission of Birdneck Elementary is to dedicate ourselves to the success of all children, preparing them to meet today's expectations and tomorrow's challenges.
BIRDNECK VISION
Children are our future. We are dedicated to their success.
BIRDNECK BELIEFS
We believe in a collaborative community in which teachers, administrators, students, and parents work together for student success.
We believe in creating a safe, nurturing, and positive environment in which all students can strive for excellence and achieve their individual potential.
We believe we will prepare our students for success by providing 21st century learning and developing within our students critical thinking, effective communications and problem solving skills.
Website: http://www.birdneckes.vbschools.com/
Location: 957 South Birdneck Road, Virginia Beach, VA, United States
Phone: 757-648-2120