Friday Focus
Week of October 21st-25th
Week at a Glance
T:
W: QUARTER 1 ENDS, Red Ribbon Week - Crazy Hat Day
Th: Red Ribbon Week- Sports Day
F: Cancer Awareness - WEAR GREEN (Lung), Red Ribbon Week - Anti-Bully Assembly, 9:35 am & Crazy Sock Day
Teachers' Corner: Meet Batman by Jill Michalek
Ok, technically his name is Nate Vimarco (not Virmarco as I have been calling him for 9 years!?). If you know Nate or have been in his room you know he is a fan of Batman and might be the only person I know who has his very own Batman suit! Nate was only two years old when the first Batman movie came out and his aunt started buying him the merchandise and he has been a fan ever since.
Nate grew up in the south suburbs with his parents and one older sister and always a dog. He attended Andrew High School and studied education at Illinois State University. Why education? (I would tell you he wanted to be an accountant but since he failed his accounting class, he changed his mind but I’m not sure if he told me that in confidence or not so shhhh!) Nate was friends with his son's 3rd grade teacher and spent a lot of time with that family and was inspired by her to become a teacher.
In the “it’s a small world” category, Nate played volleyball with Courtney Goodloe’s brother and his sister was on the same softball team as Ashlee Miller’s sister!
Nate’s family helped develop his love of sports by taking many of their yearly vacations to different sports Halls of Fame around the country. He played hockey, baseball, and flag football. Again, if you’ve met Nate you know he is an avid Cubs, Blackhawks, and Bears fan. When the Cubs won the World Series, most of us were happier for Nate than the actual Cubs!
When asked what 3 things he would take to a desert island Nate responded a TV to watch sports, books (any by books he means comic books) and after a pause Nate said he should probably bring his lovely wife of two years, Sarah. (I took the liberty of adding the word lovely because a) she is and b) he shouldn’t have paused or said the word probably!) He would need someone to look after his dog, cat, bird, and turtle.
Finally, when Nate wins the lottery he will retire and become a season ticket holder for all the aforementioned sports teams and travel throughout Canada and go to hockey games. I hope he still wears his Batman suit!
ITEMS OF INTEREST
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Please help me wish all Tall Astros born in October, Happy Birthday, and in some cases (Happy Belated Birthday) may all your wishes come true.
LaTasha, 3rd
Jill, 14th
Bertha, 14th
Cindy, 17th
- Thank you Jill for the donation of bookbags! Your thoughtfulness is appreciated. And thank you Jabari for ensuring that students in need are not forgotten.
- Kristen, I can't thank you enough for doing what you can to hold Grade 4 DOWN!!!!! You have been gracious beyond words. I know it is adding so much to your day, and it is even stressful. I also appreciated your help with the interview process. This too shall pass my Dear Colleague:)
- Thank you Luke for the Keurig! There are plenty of us who depend on coffee to just make it through the day!
- Thank you Nate for sharing your new found resource, Classroomscreen.com! I'm glad I had a chance to see it in action. What a game changer! Also, thank you for attending the Math Talk PD on the 8th! I hope you found it useful!
- Yes Audrey, THEY GOT THIS!!!! The last photo reminded me of 2b: Establishing a Culture for Learning. How do you create a classroom culture where learning is valued by all? Is high expectations for both learning and hard work the norm for most students? Do your students understand their role as learners and consistently expend effort to learn? Do classroom interactions support learning, hard work, and the precise use of language? If you can answer 3 out of 4 with a YES and with evidence, you are on the right track. If not, what is your Action Plan and how can we as colleagues and leaders help?
Family Reading Night: Family Reading Night will take place on Thursday, November 21, 2019 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. The Family Reading Night committee invites all who would enjoy participating in this great night to come out. We have a few things we still need some help doing. We are asking for help with four rotating stations. The stations will all take place in the gym and will last approximately 30-40 minutes total.
Stations:
1. Story Line Online using Smart board
2. Crafts
3. Read Aloud (Led by Mrs. Etherly)
4. Photo Booth
We will also need help filling snack bags/boxes with treats for our students and families. This will take place the week of November 21st. Please email Shawnaclarice Watkins or Kristen Smith. Thank you for your help in making this event a success.
AR POINTS: Below is a bulletin board from Cecilia that highlights the collection of AR Points from her class. Two Thumbs Up Astro!!! DEAR & SSR is our means to not only help our Small Astros develop stamina in the area of literacy, but it is OUR COLLECTIVE EFFORT to ensure that students accumulate their AR points! ELA Classrooms that work ENCOURAGES INDEPENDENT READING! We encourage students to choose books at their independent reading level rather than at their frustration or difficult level. Ideally, students should read for 30 minutes daily and complete an entry on the reading. For now, SSR is facilitated at least once a week. Completing an AR assessment is synonymous with completing and entry as noted above. Again, students are not only expanding their knowledge as good readers, they are also building reading stamina.
CIA
- This year we are continuing to support our STEM Field Trips utilizing Title funds. The funds have been allocated to cover the cost of admission to a STEM-Based Facility (examples would include the Museum of Science and Industry, Homewood Science center, etc.). The purpose of the Stem-Based field trip is to engage students in hands-on, interactive, technology/engineering activities that stimulate problem-solving and inquiry-based learning activities. The funds will NOT cover the cost of transportation.
- Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Demonstration Lessons are being offered in Hazel Crest School District 152.5 for 4th and 5th Grade Teachers. Teachers will experience demonstration lessons and receive classroom materials to support the lesson in their own classroom. The lessons will be conducted on Tuesday, Nov. 5 from 8-11 (4th grade) and 12-3 (5th grade) Please see the attached flyer and sign up if you have teachers interested. This is a FREE opportunity!
- Over the next several weeks, ILT will continue to support professional learning by attending/participating in team/grade-level meetings. The ELA focus will continue on Instructional Expectations including Guided Reading/Instruction and it's essential components. The Math focus will continue on Instructional Expectations including constructing learning targets using student-friendly language and implementation of Math Talks. The ILT Team will remain vigilant and strategic in our efforts to support teachers while striving to increase academic achievement across the district.
- Soon to come.....An After-School Program for all schools!! We are targeting grades 2-5 at the elementary level and grades 6-8 at the middle school level. This year, we are planning to offer 5-week sessions, three times from Nov. - March 2020. Classes will meet on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays. Please inform any interested teachers. More details to follow….
- Please continue to support the Anti-Bullying Campaign as outlined in the email from Mrs. Mitchell and Mrs. Jones. We will plan to attend the activities planned in each of your schools!
- FYI, please check your designations for 2019. Preliminary designations are available on IIRC. Designations will be released to the public on Oct. 30.