I would like to begin by wishing you all a Happy & Healthy Thanksgiving holiday next week - a much needed four day weekend before report cards and conferences! May it be filled with delicious food, great memories with family and friends, some fun, and some much needed rest and relaxation (a certain someone will be working on his dissertation all weekend)!
This time of year always makes me happy because I am reminded that I have so much to be thankful for – my incredible family, supportive friends, personal well-being and of course, each of you (I could never survive the Penn experience or book writing experience or major shift in my personal life without each of you)! I cannot really express how much you all mean to me and how honored I am to be the Lead Learner of this incredibly special community of learners (teachers, students, parents, etc.)! Not a day goes by that I don't walk around this building with a smile on my face. Although the daily pressures and demands can be extremely difficult at times (some days it does feel like we might be getting Punked), one could never tell while walking around this building because each of you handles everything with such patience, high levels of professionalism and pride for our craft as educators. Each of you manages to put the needs of our students and colleagues at the forefront and that is what makes Cantiague so special!
Thank you again for all that each of you do every single day. THANK YOU for your making our Curriculum Fair so awesome tonight; THANK YOU for your support in my current studies at Penn – I promise to get this dissertation done ASAP; THANK YOU for your support of my family and for always asking about Paul – that means the world to me; THANK YOU for all that you do and know that I am extremely thankful that each of you are in my life because you make me a better father, educator and man!
This week, as I walked around #Cantiague this week, I spotted the following #EduWins...
- This first shout-out goes to the Middle School, Elisa Waters and Don Gately for organizing and hosting the 4th Annual LGBT Forum last Friday and it was amazing. It was a day filled with passionate keynote speakers, incredible learning sessions (Joe Sapienza did an awesome job presenting on the intersection of LGBT and Special Education) and powerful conversations. The highlight of the event for me was the panel of students that kicked off the day - WOW! The way these high school students (including a former Cantiague kid) talked about coming to the realization of their sexuality and how they shared the information moved me to tears. Their maturity, insight and perspectives were amazing and the event in it's entirety made me even prouder to be a gay man within the Jericho community.
- Christina G. for facilitating an amazing conversation during the class read aloud. The kids were literally hanging on her every word and their conversations were impressive. Christina has also done an amazing job with her EdLine HW postings (yup, those have to get done) because she presents the information in an organized and easily accessible way. AWESOME!
- Rob and Phil for doing an awesome job during our annual 5th Grade Sports Night last week. The children had fun, the families in attendance were really happy and no one got hurt so overall, it was an AMAZING NIGHT!
- A final huge shout out to our fifth grade team on the APPY HOUR that they staged this week. All of the fifth graders had the opportunity to visit with each teacher who presented a workshop on a different app. So, the kids learned things like iMovie, PicCollage and Haiku Deck to name a few. AWESOME idea and BRILLIANT EXECUTION!
Please refer to this post (especially for the Schedule of the Week below) for the next couple of weeks!
Tech Tip of the Week...
Looking for that awesome app to prepare a presentation using your iPad? Check out this list with links to some pretty awesome apps that you can then mirror on your SMARTBoard...
SCHEDULE OF THE WEEK...
Monday, November 24
Kids' Korner
Pics of the Week...
SCHEDULE OF THE WEEK...
Monday, November 24
"A" Week
Happy Monday... on this three-day week!
School-Wide Assembly - 8:45am Auditorium - Kids & I!
Happy Monday... on this three-day week!
School-Wide Assembly - 8:45am Auditorium - Kids & I!
Tuesday, November 25
PTA Round Table Discussion - Digital Citizenship - 9:30am; please join us if you are free!
F.E.O. at 3pm in the Library - all staff!
F.E.O. at 3pm in the Library - all staff!
Wednesday, November 26
Staff Potluck Breakfast at 7:45am in Library (Tony will provide coffee and bagels)!
Report Card comments should be completed!
Report Card comments should be completed!
Thursday, November 27
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
Monday, December 1
"B" Week
Happy Monday... it is only a 4 day week w/ munchkins!
Happy Monday... it is only a 4 day week w/ munchkins!
Tuesday, December 2
Report Cards Posted Online
NO F.E.O.
NO F.E.O.
Wednesday, December 3
Happy Wednesday!
Thursday, December 4
CST at 1:20pm
Parent/Teacher Conferences - ALL DAY!
Parent/Teacher Conferences - ALL DAY!
Friday, December 5
Happy TGIF!
Parent/Teacher Conferences - NO SCHOOL for KIDS!
Parent/Teacher Conferences - NO SCHOOL for KIDS!
Kids' Korner
During STEM Day this past Saturday morning (I attended with Paul), one of the fifth graders came up to me and said, "Did you sleep here in the gym last night?" because 5th Grade Sports Night was in the same space the night before! LOL... trust me, some days I do feel like I sleep here!
Pics of the Week...
Check out Cantiague's Week in Tweets - click on the following link to see our Pics of the Week...
I am thankful for the Cantiague family! I always feel supported, and I KNOW the students do too! It is clear how much we all care about the Cantiague kids and how much pride, energy and love we put into making sure every day is packed full of love and learning. I am grateful there is a school like Cantiague, and I'm incredibly thankful to be a part of it!
ReplyDeleteThere is SO much to be thankful for here at Cantiague! It is hard to name just one…I am thankful for my 5th grade colleagues who have made my transition here easy and seamless! Also, I am thankful for my energetic, warm hearted, positive students and their families. They make being a teacher rewarding and I am so excited that I get to spend their last year here at Cantiague with them! Lastly, I am thankful for the opportunity to take teaching to another level (thanks to Tony’s guidance and support!) Every day I feel like I learn a new way to incorporate technology into the classroom and my students are thriving. They love hearing 4 little letters…BYOD! Lots to be thankful for this year...especially here at Cantiague!
ReplyDeleteCantiague is certainly my second home and I am extremely thankful for that! I appreciate being able to come to work everyday surrounded by loving and supportive people. Thank you to my AWESOME first grade colleagues who have made my transition to the grade so much easier. I am also thankful to Ginny who always passes along her first grade material to me first LOL. I hope everyone has a very happy, healthy peaceful Thanksgiving. xo Janine
ReplyDeleteIt is so hard to pick out one thing that I am grateful for here at Cantiague. I am grateful for the friendships I have made, my supportive colleagues/administration & all the wonderful kids that I get to work with every day. This really is such a special place and I am thankful that I get to call this my job! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
ReplyDeleteEven though there are so many reasons why I am Thankful for Cantiague, the number one reason is that I am so grateful to be blessed to work in a place I love! I am so thankful that no matter the stress I am feeling not only in school with every thing we need to accomplish, but also outside of school in my crazy life, I can count on my second family to help push me through. It actually starts on my morning commute with my pal! I can gripe, cry or even argue with her, but she is the rock I count on for advice, a shoulder and many laughs. I can't even imagine the number of hours we have spent together on four wheels as we make our way to work every day. Then....I walk in the door of Cantiague. There is always a person to laugh and celebrate with, complain to as well as a shoulder to lean on whenever I need it. Finally, my partner in crime! Donna... what would I do without you. They say everything happens for a reason and our partnership proves that! We are not only co-teachers in a very special classroom, but we are true friends. Thank you for putting up with my insanity and always having my back. Thank you Cantaigue!!
ReplyDeleteChristine you are my "work wife" and I am so lucky to work with you! Thanks for all your help & for adding so much laughter to our classroom!
DeleteLaurie and I are very thankful for Elaine's help and support! She truly is amazing!!!!
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