June 10, 2016

Final Fast Friday Focus... 

Well, it is hard to believe that we are reaching the end of another successful school year here at Cantiague - for many of us, our eighth (and final) year together as a collective team... a team that has been dedicated to doing what is in the best interest of ALL children even when it wasn't easy. It is also hard to believe that this is the last Fast Friday Focus I will be writing as your principal. I would be lying if I said this was fun or easy to write; in fact, the tears haven't stopped since I typed the first few words here. This journey over the last 8 years has been truly awesome on so many levels!  

Being a Lead Learner of this incredible school has been such a gift for me because literally not a day went by where I didn't learn something new or saw something that blew me away or experienced something that made an impression on me. Our school is the model for what every elementary school should look like - forget about test scores and APPR or SLOs or whatever else the state threw at us - every school should just model themselves after our school and not only will children be college and career ready but they will also be LIFE ready because they are academically, socially and emotionally prepared to tackle anything. Thank you all for an awesome eight years filled with critical thinking, engaged learning and happy kids (and staff) 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 (and Debbie) for all of their hard work each and every day. Many people would argue that the tone of the Main Office directly impacts the climate of the rest of the building. Well, it is clear to me that our Main Office is a positive and joyful place where people feel supported and children/families feel welcomed, which can be seen in every one of our classrooms too. Pam and Laura are a dynamic duo and because of them, I know Cantiague will continue moving in the right direction - they will definitely keep the new principal in line!

Then of course there is MaryAnn, who somehow manages to take care of each child and adult in our building. Her open ear (without judgement), patience, compassion, kindness, empathy and wisdom have literally impacted every person in the Cantiague community. She juggles so much each day and does it with grace, dignity and a smile. Thank you MaryAnn for being such an important presence and for reminding us each day that no matter what is going on, it is all going to be fine!

Additionally, I want to thank Joey, Joe, Edwin, Omar, Marcel 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 nasty 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 Debbie, Robyn, Linda, Melinda, Diane, Ines & Elijah (you have done so much Elijah to move our tech integration forward) 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 everyone moving on to a new job, grade level 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! 

It is hard to believe that 8 years have come and gone and that so much has happened during that time. We have laughed (a LOT), cried, discussed, deliberated, partied (we do have the best parties), sang, danced, learned, played games, taught, supported each other, turned gay (sorry - I couldn't help it), celebrated, grieved, blogged, tweeted and everything in between and the best part is that we have done it together. The tremendous amount of love and respect that I feel towards each and every one of you cannot accurately be captured here but know that you all hold a special place in my heart (and in my family's hearts) and that I leave Cantiague a better educator; a better father; a better partner; a better son; a better leader; and a better person. Thank you all for contributing to my journey and growth over the last eight years - I will not cry because it is over but instead I will smile because it happened. I love you all and I wish everyone the best moving forward.       

Finally, I hope that EVERYONE will leave a comment this week to share their HIGHLIGHT of the 2015-2016 school year. It is easy to do and will only take a couple of minutes... do it from a desktop computer - it will be easier!

Tech Tip of the Week...

Take this summer to try something new... explore a new blog; try out a new app or find a passion to explore! This will be a great way to prepare for the 2016-2017 school year. 

SCHEDULE OF THE WEEK... 

Monday, June 13

"A" Week
Gr. 5 Trip to Crestwood

Tuesday, June 14

F.E.O. at 3pm in the Library 
Final PTA Meeting - 9am to 11am
Literacy Planning Day Gr. 4 & 2
SEPTA Awards Night - 7pm MS Library

Wednesday, June 15

Happy Wednesday... the last FULL Wednesday of the year!
Literacy Planning Day Gr. 3 & 5
STAFF PARTY

Thursday, June 16

Literacy Planning Day Gr. K & 1
Pre-Paid Ice Cream Sale
Final Board of Ed Meeting Honoring Retirees! 

Friday, June 17

Happy Friday!
Kindergarten Open House - 8:45am
PTA Sponsors an Ice Cream Party During Recess

Monday, June 20

"B" Week
Gr. 5 Moving Up at 9am!
Gr. 5 Moving Up Party - 6pm
I will be meeting with teachers over the next 2 days in 10 minute slots for end of the year evals

Tuesday, June 21

F.E.O. at 3pm in the Library
LAST FULL DAY OF SCHOOL

Wednesday, June 22

Students dismissed at 11:45am

Thursday, June 23

Students dismissed at 11:45am

Friday, June 24

Happy LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!! 
Zoom and Zip into SUMMER!!!

June 3, 2016

Curriculum Connections...

Happy TGIF  and Happy June to everyone! I hope everyone has some wonderful plans for the weekend - or at least some time to relax. Felix, Paul and I are going to see our first Broadway show together - School of Rock! Paul is excited because he loves music, I am psyched because I loved the movie and Felix is happy because he loves Broadway so we are definitely looking forward to Saturday night. Of course, there are a million work related things that need to get done too but family time is important for some "emotional deposits" around this time of year .

Meanwhile, I hope you all had a wonderful four-day week as we kick off the final month of school... YES... June is HERE! Although the next few weeks will be hectic ones with all the end of year activities, I hope we can all make some time to enjoy the many important moments too because so much awesomeness has happened this year and we shouldn't pass up the opportunity to recognize the growth in our children! We see where our readers have developed certain skills they didn't have at the beginning of the year; we see where our writers have tried different genres that they never considered before; we see where our mathematicians are building fluency with their facts. The list can go on and on but so often we focus on the deficits that exist - the things that certain kids cannot do or haven't accomplished yet - but we should reframe that perspective and focus on the successes because there are MANY more of those. So, as the fast and hectic pace of the end of the school year unfolds, lets slow it down each day to recognize and acknowledge our collective successes especially as we close out the #YearOfHappy!   

#EDUWINS for the week included...

• Watching the kids in Mandy's room work on their end of year memory book - it was truly amazing. The children were basically reflecting on the year and to watch them write and generate such thoughtful ideas was impressive, to say the least. But that wasn't the best part - the best part was watching the peer conferences that were happening - kids helping each other spell by reading the room or kids talking about ideas to figure out what to write. It was truly an awesome site!     

• Spending time in the computer lab with Melissa and her kids during writing workshop. The children were working on their fantasy pieces using Google Docs and when I walked in, Melissa was engaged in a powerful and meaningful conference with one of her students - discussing specific strengths in the piece while also reviewing areas that needed revision. The student was open to the feedback, which is reflective of the trust that exists between teacher and student - another awesome byproduct of 1:1 conferencing!

• Spending time in Adam's room during independent writing time where the children were free writing in their notebooks. Were there a couple of kids who were having some trouble generating ideas? Yes. But, for the most part, the majority of the children were excited to be writing what they wanted to write - some kids were writing stories while others were sketching. One girl excitedly held up her notebook to me and said... "Look, Dr. Sinanis, I have written 3 pages already and I have so much more to write!" Spoken like a true author! No matter what they were actually generating, the point was that they were engaged in self-directed learning and were excited to generate a piece that was important to them. An important reminder of the fact that we need to give students independent reading and writing time each day!   

Tech Tip of the Week...
Check out this post that spotlights 40 of the Best Learning Apps for Elementary Students! 

And for fun, watch this...

Blogs Worth Reading...
6 Things Teachers Need To Try This Summer by EdTechAfterDark

Take the Time by Pernille Ripp

17 Ways To Help Students with ADHD Concentrate by Edutopia 

Staff Reflection/Blog...
Our latest post comes from our 5th Graders from Shared Decision Making who wrote about their experience...  

Shared Decision Making Team 
By: Madison and Isabella 


     The shared decision making team was a great experience for us. We really liked having a say in what happens in our school, and being treated like adults. We will tell you why the shared decision making team was such a great experience.

     We really enjoyed being on the shared decision making team because we liked having a say in the changes in our school that affect us. For example, we got to be in charge of the Quote of the Week. Also, we got to have a say in the field day colors and t-shirts. We also helped limit the amount of homework that students receive, like making Try it Tuesday school-wide.

     Another reason why we enjoyed being on the shared decision making team is we weren't treated like kids, we felt grown up. For example, the adults trusted us to make decisions to change things in the school. Also, the adults made sure that our opinions mattered, and we liked all of the ideas. 

     Being on the shared decision making team was really amazing.We got to help make decisions to make our school better, and it was awesome to feel an adult. The shared decision making team was one of the best parts of our 5th grade year!

SCHEDULE OF THE WEEK... 

Monday, June 6
"B" Week
Gr. 4 Science State Test - Written Portion - in the AM

Tuesday, June 7 

FEO for all staff this week - 3pm in the Library! 
HS Senior Reunion - 7:45am
Gr. 5 is on a trip today
Reorganization Meetings for Gr. K, 1 & 2 in Tony's Office (see email for schedule)

Wednesday, June 8

Kindergarten is on a trip today
Gr. 4 Open House - Alites & Kupferman 

Thursday, June 9

PTA Picnic Around the World - 5pm
CST @ 1:20pm
Gr. 4 Open House - Moses & Rouse 

Friday, June 10

Happy TGIF!
Guys Do Recess 
PTA Executive Board @ 9am

Reminders... 

• Don't forget to finish implementing lessons from our Digital Citizenship Curriculum... access it here!
• We will be looking at class lists during next week's FEO to get input from specialists!
• If you have not done so, please enter students in the services recommendation form in the Google Doc that was emailed a while back - this is for Gr. K - 4 teachers only!