Well, it is hard to believe that we have reached the end of another successful school year here at Cantiague - for most of us, our fifth year together as a collective team. The start of the next school year, which will be my seventh year at Cantiague, marks a special time in my professional journey because if everything goes well, I will be graduating from Penn in May! I am so excited that this milestone is happening here at Cantiague because there is no other place that I would rather mark such a highlight in my career. Being the Lead Learner of this school is such a gift for me because literally not a day goes by where I don't learn something new or see something that impresses me or experience something that makes an impression on me. Our school is the model for what every elementary school should look like - forget about Common Core and high stakes testing - every school should just model themselves after our school and not only will children be college and career ready but we will begin to close the achievement gap and help shape happy and productive individuals. Thank you all for another incredible year filled with critical thinking, engaged learning and happy kids who genuinely love coming to school!
Of course, we wouldn't be able to do the things we do in our classrooms if it weren't for certain support structures that are in place that help facilitate learning. First and foremost, thank you to Laura and Pam for all of their hard work each and every day. Many people would argue that the tone of the Main Office directly affects the tone of the rest of the building. Well, it is clear to me that our Main Office is a happy place where people feel supported and children/families feel valued, which can be seen in every one of our classrooms too. Additionally, I want to thank Joey, Joe, Edwin, Omar, Cliff, Michael and Eduardo (our incredible custodial crew) for keeping our building clean, beautiful and safe. Without this dedicated team, who approach their work with pride and thoroughness, none of us would want to be in this space (trust me, I have seen some dirty schools) and our children wouldn't be as available to learning! Finally, I want to thank our amazing part-time aides who do so much to support the smooth running of our school. Thank you Janet, Debbie, Elaine, Chris, Olga, Diane and Mary for all that you do each day for our staff and kids - your jobs are not easy ones but we appreciate and value your daily efforts in keeping the students safe and supporting different spaces in the building! Cantiague is a special place because every member of the community plays a critical role - THANK YOU!
Congratulations again to Linda and Mary on their retirements - we will miss you! To everyone moving on to a new job or phase in their lives - best of luck! And to everyone getting married or having a baby or any other life changing event - I wish you the best!
As you know, an #eduwin may not be something I observed but it happened in our building and I heard about it (or saw it) and I want to spotlight here! This edition will be the #eduwins for the year...
- Meryl successfully piloted and implemented a 1:1 iPad program and the results were AWESOME! Her willingness to try different approaches and empower the students to take control of their learning in a totally different way was beyond impressive!
- MaryAnn successfully moved the MindUp experience to second grade with regularly scheduled lessons and activities that challenged the students to learn about the parts of their brain and how they could be more mindful in an attempt to be optimistic, flexible and calm - AWESOMENESS.
- We were all able to watch and be connected to the amazing transition Adam made back into the classroom - like he was meant to teach second grade his whole life! We are so lucky to have him join the #Cantiague team and share his passion and instructional expertise with us!
- Over half of our classrooms and specialists are now actively tweeting from their spaces and sharing the amazing learning happening - I have no words to express how much this means to me!
- Our reorganization process was SUPER smooth (for the most part) thanks to each of you!
- In case you missed them, here are the latest Video Updates of the Week featuring kids from Gr. 5 & K - please show them to your class...
Tech Tip of the Week...
Check out this blog post with 5 really cool End of Year Activities to do with kids (even though it is geared towards HS)... 5 Reflective End of Year Activities!
SCHEDULE OF THE WEEK...
Monday, June 23
Wednesday, June 25
Kids' Korner
Pics of the Week...
SCHEDULE OF THE WEEK...
Monday, June 23
"A" Week
Tuesday, June 24
F.E.O. at 3pm in the Library.
Gr. 5 Moving Up at 9am!
Gr. 5 Moving Up Party - 6pm
Gr. 5 Moving Up at 9am!
Gr. 5 Moving Up Party - 6pm
Wednesday, June 25
Students dismissed at 11:45am
Thursday, June 26
Students dismissed at 11:45am
Friday, June 27
Happy LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!
Zoom and Zip into SUMMER!!!
Zoom and Zip into SUMMER!!!
Kids' Korner
During #GuysDay on Monday one of the dads pulled me aside and said, "I don't know how you all do it here at Cantiague but my son is literally excited every morning when he wakes up because he cannot wait to go to school!" Thank YOU to all of you for making Cantiague such an amazing, warm and inviting place for kids!
Pics of the Week...
Check out the last two Cantiague's Week in Tweets - click on the following links to see our Pics of the Week...
I would like to thank you Tony for allowing me the opportunity to work with two awesome ladies. Christina is truly amazing! Elaine did a fantastic job too! It's been a great year. :)
ReplyDeleteI would like to thank you Tony for giving me the opportunity to work with Nancy and Carly this year in second grade. It was truly an amazing experience. I loved being a part of the coteaching setting and having the opportunity to work with such wonderful second graders!
ReplyDeleteI would like to thank you Tony for the opportunity to work with two amazing teachers. Christine and Donna's classroom is a fun learning environment. We laugh all day!
ReplyDelete-Karen Schwarcz
I would like to thank Janine for such an incredible year! I learned so much from you, and enjoyed all the amazing things we did in the classroom. You always go above and beyond to make an exciting experience for the kids. You are such an awesome teacher and also a truly selfless person. I consider myself so lucky to call you my friend!!
ReplyDeleteComing to work 41wks pregnant and 4 weeks postpartum is not an easy feat!! Thank you to everyone in the building who has made this time a little easier! Kind words and warm smiles make this a great place to be each day!
ReplyDeleteA special thank to my work-wife, Tali, who has made my first three years at Cantiague so much fun! You were warm and inviting since day 1! I've learned so much from you. Don't miss me too much next year :)
Marissa
The Cantiague community is a truly special one! I feel lucky to work with such incredible people. I want to thank Marissa and Jeanette for helping make this year a successful one. We laughed A LOT and without them I don't know what I would have done. And to Marissa, I will miss working with you next year. I learned so much from you each day. You are an amazing teacher and mommy! Please visit me often because I don't leave the room!
ReplyDeleteTali Kupferman
I would like to thank everyone who is a part of Cantiague. Each one of you has made my 20 years here very special. I have been welcomed into many classrooms and have made lasting frienships. I truly feel very lucky to be a part of such an amazing place!
ReplyDelete-Jeanette
I would like to thank Lisa, my partner-in-crime. We had an incredible partnership! I appreciate your wealth of knowledge and your dedication to your students. You were personally there for me as well. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many amazing people here at Cantiague, it's hard to thank just one. So THANK YOU to all of our incredible staff members who help to keep this building one of the most positive and BEST schools around. Okay, maybe one special shout out to Christine for making my ride to work an incredible journey each day... filled with love, laughter and lots of coffee!!!
ReplyDeleteLove, Karen
I would like to thank the ENTIRE STAFF! You all helped lift my spirits throughout my mother's illness. Thank you for being so understanding, kind-heaerted, generous and thoughtful. All of your support helped me be strong for my mom. My mom also deeply appreciated your support and love. It truly made a difference. Thank you all so much
ReplyDeleteThank you Lois D. for truly making the most of your move to Cantiague. You handled the transition with grace and professionalism. You have been such a great partner to me by being such a great sounding board for my ideas, frustrations, and successes. Mostly thank you for indulging me in my one and only lunch spot. :)
ReplyDeleteI am most grateful to Chris Katz. She is essential personnel in the Health Office. She completes the daily attendance on line specifying lateness and reason for absence. She organizes of all types of health records including endless filing and medical transcription. Chris is one of our first line managers of allergic children in the cafeteria. She is also our K,1 socceer coach and referee. She has the ability to triage health concerns. Chris has great people skills and is dependable, efficient and a pleasure to work with.
ReplyDeleteI am so thankful for all the wonderful teacher aides at Cantiague who join me in the music classroom. They are invaluable, working with their students and the rest of the class. Bonus for me is having another adult in the room when kids say the darndest things!
ReplyDeleteI would like to thank Laura and Pam for always having a smile on their faces! Walking into the main office and seeing them is a great way to start your day! Also, thank you to Christine, Rachel and Karen for making this school year so much fun!
ReplyDeleteOur special thanks to Elaine for helping Laurie and I prepare all the exciting STEM lessons in the Science Lab, taking care of Franklin, and sooo much more! Also, our thanks to Pam for submitting the science requisition forms to the business office so the children can have wonderful experiences in the Science Lab! Thank you to Omar and Edwin who help me re-pack my car with the science equipment every Friday and Monday night..their kindness means so much!
ReplyDeleteMuchas gracias a todos por el apoyo y la ayuda y la amistad. For those who don't speak Spanish, you'll need me to translate! I am always happy to. I wish everyone a wonderful summer.
ReplyDeleteIlene
We would like to thank Mary Ann for being an amazing support this year. Whether it was visiting our classroom for Mind-Up, supporting one of our students, our giving her wonderful advice, she was truly here for us (both personally and professionally)! "EVERYONE GETS A REDO!" Of course, we also want to thank Casey for all her help and support, but please refer to our blog for more on that! In additon, we would like to thank Tony for matching us to become Team Marsen! We look forward to another year of learning and growing! We hope everyone has the best summer and we can't wait to see you all in the fall!- Nancy and Carly
ReplyDeleteI'd like to thank Tony and the entire faculty/staff at Cantiague for undoubtedly, the best two years of my education career. I cannot begin to explain how much I've learned here and feel honored to have had the opportunity to work with you all. I'm leaving Cantiague a better educator and dad because of my experiences here. Thank you!!!! I am sincerely humbled and grateful!! -Joe Sapienza
ReplyDelete