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!
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!
Monday, June 6
"B" Week
Gr. 4 Science State Test - Written Portion - in the AM
Tuesday, June 7
"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)
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
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
CST @ 1:20pm
Gr. 4 Open House - Moses & Rouse
Friday, June 10
Happy TGIF!
Guys Do Recess
PTA Executive Board @ 9am
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!
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