The Gator Tales
The weekly staff newsletter for Glenwood Elementary School
Week of March 11
This week at Glenwood
ACCESS testing Monday, Wednesday and Friday
March 13- Schoology Support Team Meeting 1 pmUpcoming Important Dates and Events
March 19 and 20 Donuts with Dads
March 19- Tornado Drill 9:45 am
March 22- PTA BINGO
March 22- Field Day Committee
march 28- April 8- Book Fair (LLC Closed)
March 29- Staff Day
April 2- Autism Awareness Day- Wear your Glenwood Autism Awareness T-Shirt and Jeans
Grateful Gators!
Thank you Ms. Carol and all the cafeteria staff for looking out for our students. You are the best in the beach! Cleghorn and Rymer
To the Glenwood Volleyball team for working so hard to stay at the Top! Rachel Frat
To Mrs. Repa for going above and beyond to attend a conference before school hours! Dina Dreistadt
"To John, Jen, and Tony for working with me through my scattered thoughts! I appreciate ya'lls time and willingness to work together!" "To Mrs. Colombara for always having such a calming presence! I enjoy learning from you, watching you interact with the students!" "To all of my Daycare pickup colleagues, wouldn't want to spend the end of the day with anyone else!" To Mrs. Pam, Mrs. Deb, and Mrs. Jones for always helping me with whatever comes our way!" Allison Harder :)
Kudos to the VILLAGE of people who jumped in to help and supervise a troubled gator and some of her concerned bff's last week... Mrs. Repa, Mrs. Pfeifer, Mrs. Salty, Mr. Hinson, and Miss Vanessa in the cafeteria. Sandi Hankinson
KUDOS to Mrs. Pfeifer, Mrs. Colombara, and Mrs. Agreste for their assistance and support. KUDOS to Samantha Grimes, Dina Dreistadt, and Amanda Agreste for their tech support. KUDOS to Mrs. Habib for always welcoming my class with a smile and a tune. Paula Gee
Kudos to Metallic Alec for coming in and reading to my class on Monday morning. Thank you Mrs. Haws for coming into my class and listening to my students recite their March poem. Ms. Brubaker
Kudos to Allison Harder for having such great ideas for our Seussical art work. Kudos to 2nd grade teachers for being so supportive and awesome! From Music Teachers!
Thank you Brittany TUTU Bookout! You’re one Hula’ve a teammate!! Sandi Hankinson
Happy Birthday!
Fernandezcueto, Julia . March 14
Sullivan, Angie . March 14
Chandler, Caitlyn . March 16
Storm, Vickie . March 20
Doss, Amy . March 24
Arnaldo, Manuel . March 26
Marshall, Stephanie . March 29
Medina, Kelli . March 29
Pfeifer, Tara . March 30
Ward-Knepper, Venessa . March 30
Attending the Relentless Principal Speaker Series?
Teachers are welcome for a light dinner at Casa Colombara before “The Relentless Principal – Hamish Brewer.”
I live about 4 miles from Cox HS.
Date: Tuesday, March 19
Time: 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Where: 3652 E. Stratford Road, Virginia Beach 23455
RSVP: grace.colombara@vbschools.com
Cell #: 757-288-1908
Park across the street from my home or in the Brock Environmental Center parking lot
WHAT EVERY TEACHER NEEDS IN ORDER TO GROW; THE SHIFT FROM SURVIVING TO THRIVING
Become a good listener. Teaching can encourage us to communicate, defend, encourage, and deliver - all outward patterns of energy. As an experienced teacher, you know the lay of the land. Listen more. Find out what people think. Where the focus is. What they’re missing. Only after you fully understand a situation should you feel obligated to speak, act, or intervene. A listening teacher is a happy teacher.
Find and add to multiple PLNs. One PLN may offer curriculum, one inspiration, and one human affection and connectedness. Spread your time across them even if you may personally enjoy one or two over the rest. A balanced teacher is a happy teacher.
Know when to shut your door. Connecting is great. Career changing. Probably even a matter of policy (your professional growth plan). But know when to shut your door and get stuff done. A teacher’s work is not on twitter or at a staff meeting but in the hearts and minds of students. A productive teacher is a happy teacher.
Be creative. Creativity is the marrow of being human. It’s your personal expression – proof that you have a unique perspective worth sharing. Whether it’s your lesson design, technology integration, scope-and-sequencing, content delivery – whatever it is, create something original every day that you’re alive. You’ll be amazed what a difference it makes. A creative teacher is a happy teacher.
Be a human being. You were told not to get too close. Don’t smile until December. It’s better to be feared than loved. By all means form relationships based on learning, but also know this: Learning is a human process. It can’t be unpacked, aligned, assessed, disaggregated, differentiated, directed, and reported. That’s curriculum. Instead, learning is hopeful, aware, and vibrant. It has both a memory and a future. The more you work with human beings rather than bar graphs, the more human you allow yourself to be. A human teacher is a happy teacher.
Know your sweet spots. I’m good with content, assessment, and curriculum, but classroom management and organization challenge me. Because I know this, I try to preemptively support myself ahead of time with reminders, technology, curriculum design features, and strategic design alliances with other staff members that I can share my thinking and resources with and they with me. A self-aware teacher is a happy teacher.
Reflect, reflect, reflect. And, on the right things. Not vague stuff like “how the day went” or “if the kids were good,” but rather how the assessment performed. What curiosity looked like in the classroom. Which literacy strategy might’ve been better. How many students smiled. If a different grouping strategy might’ve been more effective. What evidence you accept as proof of student engagement. How you managed time. Who asked the majority of the questions. A Reflective teacher is a growing teacher, and a growing teacher is a happy teacher.
Be nervous. Just a little. Never get too comfortable – that leads to complacency, which is the cousin of apathy. Never take what you do for granted. Think back to the first lesson you delivered as a student teacher. Yes, you were naïve, but you were probably also bursting with nervous enthusiasm. Keep that day in mind – or that feeling each day before you start. A slightly nervous teacher shows they’re aware of what they do and that teacher is a happy teacher.
~ Terry Helk for Teachthought.com
Thanks ROFO ES