Thursday's Thoughts
October 12, 2017
Wow!
Teresa started the week off with a Pepsi. Sometimes we have weeks that require lots and lots of Pepsi. :-)
"If there's love in a (school) house, it's a palace for sure." -Tom Waits
Isn't it a blessing to work in a palace each day? There's lots of love at our school for one another and our students.
ALICE Drill
We will have our ALICE drill tomorrow afternoon. Please take some time to talk with your students about the seriousness of this drill tomorrow and what will take place if you have not already done so. We will have our resource officer here along with another resource officer who will be acting as our active shooter so that we can track where he is to make sure we are prepared in the event of a real active shooter. He will just walk the building. I know that this drill will scare some kids and is uncomfortable for many of us as well. But, I want to make certain that we have practiced and are prepared in the event that we ever have an emergency situation. Be sure your students are prepared with what will be said on the intercom, reiterate to them that they must be quiet when moving out of the building, and to move quickly. Remember, we never hide in the room if it is possible to get out. Your goal is to get out of the building. Let me know if you have any questions.
Voting for House Leaders
Although some students have had issues with sending their videos to us, I think we have all of them now. Matt will send you links to the videos next week. Please show the videos to your classes at some point each day. We are really proud of the students who have submitted videos to run for leadership roles! Those students will greet students next Friday as they enter school and will be in the lunchroom during lunch. As your classes leave the lunchroom, they will vote. We hope to announce the winners next Friday afternoon.
Bookfair
The bookfair opens Monday! Please encourage your children to visit the bookfair. Include this information in your newsletters. The bookfair will be open during the Fall Festival Tuesday from 5:00-7:00. Don't forget to shop for your classrooms as well! :-)
Fall Festival
The Fall Festival is here. We cannot wait to see your creative ideas with costumes. This is one of my favorite events each year! We could not do this without Melissa Creamer. Thank you Melissa for all of your hard work!! We will be decorating for the festival Monday afternoon. If you can help, please meet us in the lobby at 3:15.
Sandra Goff
Sandra Goff will be here October 27th to meet with us during planning. She has amazing ideas, and I want to use this time with her to our advantage. Please spend some time thinking of a unit that your kids seem to struggle with the most or a unit that you would like to hear her thoughts on how to teach. I would like to call her early next week to give her specifics for each grade level so that she will have time to prepare. I want your time with her to be specific to your needs as math teachers. Please let me know by Tuesday afternoon what you would like to discuss with her on the 27th.
End of 1st Nine Weeks
It is hard to believe that the end of the first nine weeks is next week. By this point in the year, we know a lot about the children sitting in our classes. Make it a priority to sit beside each student during lunch or recess to really learn what makes them tick. If there is a student who is making poor choices, be in close contact with the family. Let that student see that you will do whatever it takes to make sure school is a success for him/her. Set high expectations and make sure you hold your students to those expectations. For those students who are a joy to teach every single day, make sure they know that. Be in close contact with their family as well to let them hear what a joy their child is to teach. It only takes a few minutes to make a phone call.
Make every effort to get every single parent in to meet with you. Schedule enough time to really spend time talking with them. If you have trouble getting in touch with families, let me know.
Upcoming Events:
- Oct. 16th: Bookfair begins
- Oct. 17th: Fall Festival
- Oct. 17th: Fall pics make-ups
- Oct. 23rd: Technology tip during planning
- Oct. 25-26th: 2nd grade testing
- Oct. 27th: Sandra Goff during planning
- Oct. 27th: Long Range plans due
- Oct. 30th: Conference Day