Hackberry Howl
Vol. 2 No. 9
Are you talking or listening to yourself?
This week in "The Carpenter" we discussed the topic of talking to yourself vs listening to yourself. Jon Carpenter introduced us to Dr. James Gills and told us about him completing six double Ironman triathlons. He’s the only person on the planet to do so. In a double Ironman triathlon, you swim for 2.4 miles, ride your bike for 112 miles, run 26.2 miles, and then 24 hours later, do it again. Wow!... six double ironman triathlon...What a feat! When asked how he was able to conquer such a task he said he learned to talk to himself instead of listening to himself.
I would argue a school year is much like an double ironman triathlon. When you start the year you are excited about the new beginning. You have butterflies the night before and anxious about the start. You feel great, well rested and ready for the task at hand. As you progress into the school year your mind and body start to fatigue ( Where we currently are). When we hit the halfway point in the race we feel a sense of "I can do it" revitalized and ready to finish strong. Between the halfway point and the end of the race is always the most difficult. We question ourselves, our ability, and lose faith at times. Those that have a strong foundation and are able to talk to themselves as Dr. Gills does are more likely to accomplish the goals before them and finish strong.
I encourage everyone at Hackberry to do more talking and a lot less listening. Remember “Negative thoughts are the nails that build a prison of failure. Positive thoughts will build you a masterpiece.” Your masterpiece are the lives of every student that walk through the front door. Our students need you to be at your best with a positive mindset.
Teacher Spotlight-Brandon Freer
Teacher Spotlight of the Week
Brandon Freer
Birthday: 10/23/1985
Hometown: Grew up in Blue Ridge Tx, live in Sanger Tx
Current Hackberry position: 5th grade Science and Social Studies
Where did you attend College and what is your degree(s)? Dallas Baptist University BS in Biology minor in Kinesiology and Chemistry
Who was your favorite teacher and why? Mr. Faubion high school chemistry teacher. He made science fun and taught us how to love science!
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Youth sports camp director
Do you have children? I have 3 children. Brayden-6, Brynlee-5, and Eastyn-9 months
Do you have pets? 1 dog named Boomer
Favorite Color? Lime Green
Do you have a favorite Quote or Saying? “A bad attitude is like a flat tire. You won’t get far until you change it.” Zig Ziglar
Where is the farthest place you have ever traveled? Guatemala/El Salvador
Favorite food? Mexican Food
Hobbies or Activities/organizations you are active in? Sports, baseball in particular. Camping, kayaking, fishing, and doing anything with my kids.
Accomplishments or Honors you have achieved that you are proud of? Getting my degree and teaching certificate.
The Carpenter-This weeks reading Chapters 13-18
How did these chapter speak to you?
How can using the first strategy change every aspect of your life?
Bring these answers with you to Tuesday's faculty meeting.
Recommended Reading
Blink- Malcolm Gladwell
Blink is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant-in the blink of an eye-that actually aren't as simple as they seem. Why are some people brilliant decision makers, while others are consistently inept? Why do some people follow their instincts and win, while others end up stumbling into error? How do our brains really work-in the office, in the classroom, in the kitchen, and in the bedroom? And why are the best decisions often those that are impossible to explain to others?
In Blink we meet the psychologist who has learned to predict whether a marriage will last, based on a few minutes of observing a couple; the tennis coach who knows when a player will double-fault before the racket even makes contact with the ball; the antiquities experts who recognize a fake at a glance. Here, too, are great failures of "blink": the election of Warren Harding; "New Coke"; and the shooting of Amadou Diallo by police.
Blink reveals that great decision makers aren't those who process the most information or spend the most time deliberating, but those who have perfected the art of "thin-slicing"-filtering the very few factors that matter from an overwhelming number of variables.
What is your favorite candy?
Quote of the Week!
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Article of the week:
Howl Outs!
Tammie Howls to Mr. Freer. He is motivated to provide a good science experience for the kids and doesn't mind seeking input from others.
Ms. Delvalle Howls out to Mrs. Branch. She has been helping me with one of my friends. Thank you for your support Mrs. Branch!!!Ms. Solinski gives a shout out to Mr Berg. His experience and flexibility is a plus to our team.
Ms. Morales Howls to Northcutt for cleaning out & organizing the 5th grade teacher room. Thank you!
Sarah sends a huge howl to the rest of the 2nd grade team for all their patience and help this week while I haven't been feeling my best.
Ms. Mathews gives a HUGE Howl to Ms. Rizvan for her support and guidance throughout this first month of school!
Ms. Ratliff Howls Out to Irene Bagby for being so very kind and helpful printing out Kindergarten ID cards that I can use in the library. I really appreciate it!
Catherine Howls to 2nd grade for implementing Words Their Way, a differentiated spelling program in their classrooms. This takes a lot of extra work as they are managing 3 or 4 different spelling lists and assessments each week. Great Job providing individualized instruction!
Catherine Howls out to Ms. Hatcher! She is also providing her students with differentiated spelling lists based off of the sight words they do not know as well as their weekly vocabulary. She is giving small group spelling assessments on Fridays and spiraling back to words that are missed the next week! Great Job meeting all your students needs!
Ms. Gomez Howls To Ms. Torrance for always being willing to help; specially for helping me to gather all my classroom Journeys materials and explaining me how to use the big reading books for my lesson.
Ms. Wagner Hoooooowls to Mr Richardson for helping us through the T-TESS goal setting process.
Ms. Wagner Hooooowl to Phan for helping me with a get a task done for the students. You are the sweetest!!
Ms. Wagner Hoooowls to Phan and Parra for all their AVID presentations.
Ms. Gomez Howls To Ms. del Valle for her support for the math lesson; and sharing her mathematics materials with the team to make copies.
Ms. Cruz gives a big howl to our PTA. They have been amazing...
Ms. Phan gives a howl out to Mrs. Biggs- she's already implementing AVID strategies!!!
Ms. Phan gives a howl out to Carol- she is doing such an amazing job with PEIMS coding, which is not an easy task!!!!
Measles howls to Whiddon for covering my duty for me on Wednesday!
Measles howls to Mrs. Robinson for spending lots of time with a special friend of mine this week!
Measles howls to Brenda for being so sweet & positive! She is always willing to lend a helping hand.
Hatcher gives a howl to Stephen for working with 3rd grade on our goals.
Hatcher gives a howl to Lawely for going above and beyond working on reading with several students after school.
Hackberry Calendar
-Parent Conferences Start
-You've been Booed starts!
-National Child Health Day
Tuesday, October 4th
-Staff Meeting-3:15pm-4:15pm
-Progress Reports go home
-NWEA Training (Swartz and Wood)
Wednesday, October 5th
-NWEA Training (Richardson, Northcutt & Phan)
Thursday, October 6th
-Team Lead Meeting 3:10PM
-PTA board meeting at 9AM
Friday, October 7th
-Fall Pictures
-First payment for Austin DUE!