Bear Tracks
Weekly information for Bear Tavern - September 4, 2015
Note from the Principal
Happy Friday Bear Tavern Staff,
First off, I want to thank everyone for a wonderful first day faculty meeting. I really enjoyed seeing you and am extremely motivated for a great year!
Second, my message this week is simple; have a great weekend and enjoy every second of it. On Tuesday, we get a rare opportunity that many people don't normally get. We get to start again and begin a fresh year. We can do anything that we want and we get to take last years' lessons (the successes and the failures) and learn from them, then start again more intelligently. We get to meet the students who's lives we are going to try to impact. What we do is such hard work; but knowing that what we do can make an immeasurable difference in our children's lives is worth all of the work.
Best of luck in the upcoming year. Please let me know if you need anything at all this weekend.
I have attached today's "D.U.M.B." goals video as a bonus at the bottom, but my intent for the last few weeks was to share a special video with you on the last issue of Bear Tracks before kids come back. I have had a tradition for the last 10 years or so, and I'd like to share it with you. On the night before school starts, I watch the video of the speech that Jimmy Valvano gave when he won the Arthur Ashe Courage Award in 1993. Jim Valvano, or "Jimmy V" was the coach of the NC State basketball team that pulled off one of the greatest upsets in sports when they won the NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship in 1983. Yes, I know that the game was 32 years ago and the speech is 22 years old, but I still find it to be one of the most motivating and inspiring speeches that I have seen and it helps me to put everything into perspective at the start of a new year.
Teaching is a very complex and sophisticated job, and it is easy to loose focus, throughout the year, on the simple and critical points in teaching and in life. This video helps me to focus and get ready for a great year. I hope that you enjoy it and that it helps you to prepare for a truly special year at Bear Tavern.
As our school theme states, OUR TIME IS NOW!
Have a great weekend.
Sincerely,
Chris
UPCOMING DATES/ SPECIAL REMINDERS:
Tuesday 8-Sep - First Day of School
Wednesday 9-Sep - Specials Begin
Friday 11-Sep - Websites must be created
Wear your BT SHIRT
Welcome Assembly (@30 min) after announcements
Monday 14-Sep - School Closed
Tuesday 15-Sep - Back to School Night
Pull Outs (BSI, ALM, EA) begin
Sept 15 - 30 - Universal Assessments
Wednesday - 16-Sep Grade Level Meetings
Friday 18-Sep - Field Trip Info due to Chris
PLC notes set up
PTO Back to School Picnic
Wednesday 23-Sep - School Closed
Friday 2-Oct - Emergency Sub Plans (guest teacher) due
Monday 5-Oct - Tier 3, WIN begin
Wednesday 7-Oct - Picture Day
Thursday 8-Oct - Picture Day
Monday 12-Oct - PD Day
Wednesday 14-Oct - Grade Level Meetings
Friday 30-Oct - SGOs due and entered in OnCourse