May 9, 2014

Curriculum Connections...

Happy TGIF to everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful week - our first week in a while without state tests - WOOO HOOO!  I would like to begin by wishing everyone who is celebrating a HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY on Sunday! I hope each of our Cantiague moms has an awesome day and weekend because you all deserve to be celebrated and honored for all that you do each and every day—both here at school and at home. I am seriously in awe of each of you because somehow you manage to fill the roles of teacher, parent, psychologist, caregiver and advocate all day at school and then go home to your own children/families and fill these roles (& more) with grace and patience—you are all an incredible inspiration! 

Additionally, I want to take one last chance to wish each of you a HAPPY TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK! It was an incredibly hectic week so I didn't necessarily get to speak with everyone in person but I want you all to know that it is an incredible honor and gift to be your principal!  

On another note, since 1927, the American Speech- Language-Hearing Association has celebrated Better Hearing and Speech Month each May to raise public awareness of speech and language disorders that affect 14 million Americans. Speech and language disorders can take many forms and can limit academic achievement, social adjustment, and career advancement. An individual may be born with a speech or language disorder, or it may be caused by accidental injury or illness. Fortunately, most people with speech and language problems can be helped. Even if the problem cannot be eliminated, we can teach people with speech and language problems strategies to help them cope. People may not fully regain their capacity to speak and understand, but a speech- language pathologist can help them live more independently. Our speech pathologists, Kim and Lois, are AMAZING because they meet the needs of each child and they do that by building a rapport with their students (and families!) and by connecting with the classroom teachers! Thank you for all that you do- we are lucky to have you! 

So, this week I am going to continue to share the #eduwins (its a Twitter thing) from our building! 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)...

• An awesome 1:1 reading conference in Katie's class where the child was challenged to reflect on the Table of Contents and what she could learn about the genre from previewing that information. Katie was using Evernote to take notes from the conference!

• Kindergarten kids are learning about the "magic -e" words and had a chance to practice using them in sentences - I was blown away by how much they could generate. They are so ready for Grade 1!

• The kids in Alex & Rosanna's class had the chance to experience Mexican themed art stations where they made pinatas, bark paper drawings, tiles and laquerware plates - it was AWESOME!

•  Second graders working in book clubs in Adam's room and using clay to recreate the setting!

• Our 3rd and 4th graders did an amazing job during their spring concerts - thank you to Diane, Dale and Clare - WOW!

• In case you missed them, here is the latest Video Update of the Week featuring Meryl's students - please show it to your class...

Tech Tip of the Week...

As we begin to near the end of the school year, I am hoping that we will all consider trying at least one BYOD day or multiple ones depending on your plans. Click on this link to see a list of 30 apps that help support a BYOD classroom experience - 30 Apps Perfect for BYOD  


SCHEDULE OF THE WEEK... 

Monday, May 12

"A" Week
Gr. 3 Egg to Chick Workshop (see schedule)

Tuesday, May 13

NO F.E.O. 
Brian Heinz visits with Gr. 3 in the Library!
4th Grade is on a trip today!

Wednesday, May 14

Kindergarten Orientation in the Library (closed all morning)!
Shared Decision Making - 3pm

Thursday, May 15

CST @ 1:20pm

Friday, May 16

Happy TGIF!
Career Day - AM
SEPTA Movie Night - FROZEN!

Kids' Korner

During the kindergarten orientation for the children, one of the munchkins came into my office because he was dying to see it and as he was leaving said to his dad, "I want to come back to this room next week to do some shopping - there are a lot of things I want here!"        

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...

WEEK IN TWEETS

May 2, 2014

Curriculum Connections...

Happy Friday friends! I hope everyone had a wonderful week. I know it was a crazy week for me between the state testing, CSE Meetings and everything in between. I felt like I was running around like a chicken without a head on most days this week. LOL! Worst part is, whenever the week is heavy on meetings, it means that I don't have a chance to be in your spaces and be learning aside our kids and watching your awesomeness. I think next week will be a much better one because there are less meetings (although we do have an FEO on Tuesday)! 

Special thank you to everyone, especially Joe P., for working so hard to get our munchkins prepared for the NYS Math Tests! I think our kids did an awesome job and that is because our math instruction goes above and beyond the Common Core and the state of New York. Thank you Joe for setting that bar so high and pushing our kids to think critically and reach for those deeper conceptual understandings - that is always our goal. 

So, this week I am going to try something a little different - I am going to share the #eduwins (its a Twitter thing) from our building! Now, an #eduwin may not be something I observed with my own eyes but it happened in our building and I heard about it (or saw it)...

• A book club group from the Levermans used iMovie to create an awesome book trailer with pictures, text and a perfect accompiament of music!

• Karina was able to facilitate a mock play date in the Learning Center for two boys that typically struggle to make any connections let alone have a play date!

• A group of 5th graders in Rande's had fun using Jenga pieces to create different structures - loved their out of the box thinking and the opportunity to create!

•  Second graders working in small groups to help create their own fractured fairy tales - that is tough stuff!

• 3rd graders blogging about what was happening with the seeds that they planted!

• In case you missed them, here is the last Video Update of the Week featuring Alex/Rosanna's students - please show it to your class...

Tech Tip of the Week...

Here is the link to a site that explores how to use iPads in the classroom, with a focus on the upper grades- Resources for Using iPads!  


SCHEDULE OF THE WEEK... 

Monday, May 5

"B" Week
Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Tuesday, May 6

Faculty Enhancement Opportunity 
Happy Tuesday!

Wednesday, May 7

Kindergarten Orientation in Mandy's Room!
Gr. 3 & 4 Spring Concert - 7pm/8pm

Thursday, May 8

CST @ 1:20pm
Smencil Sale!

Friday, May 9

Happy TGIF!

Kids' Korner

During the state math test, the 5th grader I was testing in my office stopped and said, "Mr. Sinanis, this is the worst part of the school year - wasting our time taking tests that even some grown-ups cant do!" AMEN to that!        

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...

WEEK IN TWEETS

April 25, 2014

Curriculum Connections...

TGIF to everyone on this final Friday of April... that is right people... as of next Thursday we are in May, which is somewhat crazy but also awesome! May 1st is a special day in the Greek culture - May Day. It is like the unofficial start of summer in my homeland and represents an opportunity for a fresh start - an opportunity to rejuvenate, try something new and possibly take a risk that you may not have taken in the past! It really speaks to new opportunities for growth, evolution and a clean slate. When was the last time you learned something new? Have you taken a risk in your classroom lately and tried something totally different and new? When was the last time you failed trying something new or different? Regardless of how you answered these questions, I hope you all join me next week, for at least that one day, to try something new and reach for that fresh start. In honor of that fresh start idea, I wanted to share this post on Edutopia I came across about teacher burnout. Fortunately, I don't think anyone here is struggling with potential burnout but there are some great ideas in this post that might inspire us during the final weeks of the school year, which can often get harried and hectic. One aspect of this post that really resonated with me was the positive tone and hopeful stance taken by the blogger. Take a gander and try one of these ten suggestions... let us know how it goes for you!  

Also, just an FYI, next week is the NYS Math Test on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, which means that some services will be cancelled and many rooms will be used for testing - but, I am happy to say that it will be less disruptive than last year. Please make sure you review all scheduling changes for the upcoming week so we are all where we are supposed to be at the right time (the memo went out before the break but I am sure Pam and Laura have a copy if necessary)!

Over the last week or so, as I walked around the building, I spotted these awesome things...

• While visiting Nancy and Carly's room during writing workshop, I was blown away by the work the children were doing with their fractured fairy tales. Nancy was meeting with a pair of students and discussing the integration of dialogue in their stories. At the same time Carly was doing a small group conference and helping the students insert appropriate transition words. Finally, Casey was also supporting a small group in a different part of the room. It was impressive and easily could have been videotaped!! 

• While visiting Christine and Donna's room during reading workshop, every child was actively engaged in a meaningful reading activity and the level of support varied based on readiness levels. One book club was totally running on its own with no adult support, another required a little coaching from Christine while Donna facilitated a guided reading group/book club with other students. The levels of differentiation unfolding in this room were impressive and the work was mostly student driven - BRAVO!! 

• Finally, I spent time in the hallway listening to three students from Tali and Marissa's class who were trying to decide what app to use on the iPad as a culminating project after reading a mystery in their book club. The critical lens through which they considered a few of the apps was really amazing- I was in awe!

• In case you missed them, here is the last Video Update of the Week featuring Rande's students - please show it to your class...

Tech Tip of the Week...

Are you looking for an alternative for students to share information after doing some sort of research? Are you tired of Publisher or PowerPoint? Then I highly recommend you take a look at Smore! This is a free resource that allows you to design "flyers" or present information. It could also be a nice alternative to a newsletter or blog if you want to try something else. Please share any examples if you try this with your students!  


SCHEDULE OF THE WEEK... 

Monday, April 28

"A" Week
Planbooks due for ALL TEACHERS by THURSDAY!

Tuesday, April 29

Faculty Meeting Cancelled for teachers to work on TEACH information (email to follow)
PTA Meeting at 9:45am - Discussing internet safety

Wednesday, April 30

Math Testing - Grades 3, 4 & 5 (AM - many rooms will be used)!

Thursday, May 1

CST @ 1:20pm
Math Testing - Grades 3, 4 & 5 (AM - many rooms will be used)!

Friday, May 2

Happy TGIF!
Math Testing - Grades 3, 4 & 5 (AM - many rooms will be used)!
Tony at Penn!

Kids' Korner

During recess today a Kindergarten student said to me, "Mr. Sinanis, I want to play a game with someone!" and I said, "What about me?" And he said, "Um, no, I want to play with someone who isn't old!" LOL! Really??        

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...

WEEK IN TWEETS

THIS WEEK IN TWEETS

April 4, 2014

Curriculum Connections...

Happy TGIF to the most amazing staff on the planet! Congratulations to all staff who were involved in the testing this week... the ELA is DONE! Thank you to our amazing teachers in Grades 3, 4 & 5 who worked so hard this year to implement sound instructional strategies to address the standards and give the children meaningful learning experiences. I can honestly say the amount of formal test prep that took place this year was less than last year and that is an awesome thing! Our goal for next year... even less test prep and even more student centered learning! Also, a special thank you to our Grades K, 1 & 2 teachers for laying such a solid foundation in the areas of reading and writing workshop - our kids could not meet and exceed expectations without your efforts, which built upon one another each year! BEST TEACHERS EVER!!!

As we reach the April break and then speed into May, I am hoping that we can make the time for more Project Based Learning Opportunities for our children! At this point we have a little more flexibility with all the state testing behind us! We can take a topic or concept, like learning about a foreign country or fractions, and empower the children to present their learnings in a way that is most meaningful to them... not everyone has to do the same thing or in the same way! Maybe we can have students from the upper grades teach students in the lower grades something new they have learned! Maybe a children could create a commercial explaining what they have learned about a topic using iMovie! Maybe a child wants to write a e-book and publish it online... or start a blog or create a 3D piece of art or write an anthology of poetry about a given topic. The possibilities are endless and my hope is that we can give our children voice and power in their own learning! 

Finally, I hope everyone has an amazing Spring Break and happy holidays to anyone celebrating. I am looking forward to some much needed time with my family but I will also be officially starting my dissertation study and finishing my book... let the games begin!  :)  

Please note that this Fast Friday Focus will cover the next two weeks so please hold on to it for the schedule of the weeks!  

 
Over the last week, as I walked around the building, I spotted these awesome things in honor of NO WORKSHEET WEEK CHALLENGE...

• Adam had his students involved in a really fun activity this year where they created a HUMAN CLOCK! The students, and I, had a chance to lay out on the floor and one person was the little hand while the other was the big hand and the rest of the class had to figure out the time based on where the hands were positioned - AWESOME learning activity that tapped into so many learning styles! 

• Allison had the children involved in a great partnership activity where they had to try and convince each other to have the other one give them something they wanted with solid and convincing reasons! For example, one child tried to convince the other to buy him a computer with some really strong and valid reasons. The dialogue was interesting to watch and the concept is a sophisticated one!  

• Ilene had the children in Carolyn's class playing a Spanish Memory game where they had to match the appropriate picture of a food with the word for the food. The children were so actively engaged and having a blast - LOVED watching that experience!

Tech Tip of the Week...

One of the most important aspects of the whole teaching and learning process is the power of feedback! Feedback, for whatever reason, is often viewed as a negative thing when in fact is an opportunity for us to learn and grow... and for our kids to learn and grow. With that in mind, check out this inforgraphic that spotlights 7 Things To Remember When Giving Feedback - great stuff!
  


SCHEDULE OF THE WEEK... 

Monday, April 7

"A" Week

Tuesday, April 8

Faculty Enhancement Opportunity- 3PM in the Library for all teachers & reflection time!

Wednesday, April 9

Shared Decision Making Committee Meeting at 3PM
Kindergarten Parent Orientation - 7pm

Thursday, April 10

CST at 1:20pm
Steven Kellogg visits Grades K - 2 in the Library!
Jericho Hall of Fame - 7pm at the JPL!

Friday, April 11

Happy TGIF!
Tony at PENN!

Wednesday, April 23

"B" Week
Board of Education Meeting (rescheduled)

Thursday, April 24

CST at 1:20pm

Friday, April 25

Happy TGIF!
Carvel Ice Cream Sale
Grade 2 on a Trip!

Kids' Korner

During the ELA State Test, the child who was being tested in my office stopped and said, "Mr. Sinanis, I bet there are grown ups who would have trouble with this test!" LOL! Very true and they work for the State Ed Department!  :)     

Pics of the Week...

Check out Cantiague's Week in Tweets - click on the following link to see our Pics of the Week...

CANTIAGUE WEEK IN TWEETS - APRIL 4

March 28, 2014

Curriculum Connections...

TGIF to everyone on this final Friday of March... that is right my friends... starting next week we are in April, which is unreal. We have less than 3 months of school left and before we know it, we will be kicking off our awesome ABC Countdown - I cannot wait! Unfortunately, before then, we have to get through the state tests for ELA, Math and Science (for Grade 4). Next week is the ELA on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, which means that some services will be cancelled and many rooms will be used for testing - but, I am happy to say that it will be less disruptive than last year. Please make sure you review all scheduling changes for the upcoming week so we are all where we are supposed to be at the right time!

I want to take a moment to thank all of you for your hard work over the last week or two with getting report cards done and handling the onslaught of conferences this week... you all AMAZE me! From all the specialists who attend every team meeting, to all the classroom teachers who facilitate every conversation, to all the aides who provide the specific data and information, the feedback from our families is always positive. They know that we put children at the center of our work here and our kids are happy, they feel safe and are supported by each of you until they meet with success. BRAVO! I am honored to be associated with this learning organization. 

In case anyone is interested, and has a few extra minutes, click on the link below to read an article I wrote with two other principals based on the book Teach Like A Pirate - those of you who were part of the book club definitely served as an inspiration for this piece... my first official "published" piece, which I am excited to share...

LEAD LIKE A PIRATE

Over the last week or so, as I walked around the building, I spotted these awesome things...

• While visiting Carolyn's classroom, I had a chance to watch the children come up to the SMARTBoard during math and explain the different ways that the solved the various problems. I was so impressed with their thinking and their ability to explain their problem solving strategies - they are ready to teach 2nd grade! 

• Hanging out in the hallway by Janine's classroom, it was awesome to watch a small group of students working together using the iPad to generate their latest class blog post. It was great to see the children empowered to take control of the class blog and use student voice to tell the story of their classroom. AWESOME! 

• Finally, I spent time with Rande's class in the computer lab and enjoyed watching them put their Canada presentations together. The students had free choice of what platform to use so there was everything from PowerPoint to Prezi to Glogster - AWESOME!

• In case you missed them, here are the last two Video Updates of the Week featuring Mandy's and Ginny's students - please show them to your class...

Tech Tip of the Week...

In thinking about the different ways to assess our work and the students' work, one of the words we discuss a lot is RUBRIC! So, check out this list of 6 different online rubric generators that come highly recommended... 6 Online Rubric Makers!  


SCHEDULE OF THE WEEK... 

Monday, March 31

"A" Week
Planbooks due for ALL TEACHERS!
Tony in Syracuse (Presenting at a Conference)

Tuesday, April 1

Faculty Enhancement Opportunity for all staff!
ELA Testing - Grades 3, 4 & 5 (AM - many rooms will be used)!
Happy Tuesday!

Wednesday, April 2

ELA Testing - Grades 3, 4 & 5 (AM - many rooms will be used)!

Thursday, April 3

CST @ 1:20pm
ELA Testing - Grades 3, 4 & 5 (AM - many rooms will be used)!

Friday, April 4

Happy TGIF!

Kids' Korner

While doing the Video Update this week, while the children were sharing what was happening on each grade level, the boy who was talking about the Mo Willems author study initially said they were doing an author study of MoMo Williams! LOL!        

Pics of the Week...

Check out Cantiague's Week in Tweets - click on the following link to see our Pics of the Week...

WEEK IN TWEETS - MARCH 28

March 14, 2014

Curriculum Connections...

Happy Friday to everyone as we reach the mid-point of March - one of the longest and busiest months of the school year. I know this will be a busy time for each of you with report cards, comments and subsequent parent meetings in the next couple of weeks. If I can be of any support or if you need my assistance at any parent meeting, please let me know and I will make myself available. Thank you in advance for all of your hard work - our kids appreciate it! 

Additionally, thank you to all of you who embraced the NO WORKSHEET WEEK CHALLENGE! I know it wasn't easy but I am hopeful that it was a meaningful experience for everyone to look at our practice from a different perspective. 

On another note, I am happy to share we were able to complete our second unannounced Stay Put Drill with no issues - everyone did exactly what was necessary. There was a quick response and our children's safety was ensured! Thank you for your attention to this drill as being prepared is critical in any crisis!   

Please note that this Fast Friday Focus will cover the next two weeks so please hold on to it for the schedule of the weeks!  

 
Over the last week, as I walked around the building, I spotted these awesome things in honor of NO WORKSHEET WEEK CHALLENGE...

• Tali and Marissa totally flipped math instruction this week and there were no worksheets involved! The children were creating their own fraction stories, playing card games and they even created a hopscotch board for different fraction games throughout the week. Taking fractions OFF the paper is not an easy task but they did it beautifully - AWESOME!  

• The entire Gr. 2 team for flipping their morning geography work and their shared reading experience so there were no worksheets involved. For example, the children studied a map on the board and then came up with different questions and information they could learn just based on the map. Or with shared reading the children were critically reflective of the text without just answer low level questions - WOW!  

• Thank you all for making my 40th Birthday so incredibly AWESOME! I loved the whole Dress Like Mr. Sinanis experience - it was the best birthday ever!

• In case you missed it, here is the Video Update of the Week featuring Allison's cuties and Zach L. - please show it to your class...

Tech Tip of the Week...

As an alternative to the typical tech tip, this week I want to share a video that I think is worth watching featuring a TED Talk byGeorge Couros. This video is about 20 minutes long and you don't have to watch it - just listen to it! It is about the need for change in the world of education...

GEORGE COUROS TED TALK

  


SCHEDULE OF THE WEEK... 

Monday, March 17

"B" Week

Tuesday, March 18

Faculty Enhancement Opportunity- 3PM in the Library for all staff to continue iPad discussion!
Grade 3 class on a trip to Brooklyn Museum!
PTA Meeting at 9:45am

Wednesday, March 19

MS Counselors visit Gr. 5 classrooms
Grade 3 class on a trip to Brooklyn Museum! 

Thursday, March 20

PTA Staff Appreciation Luncheon!
CST at 1:20pm
Grade 3 class on a trip to Brooklyn Museum!

Friday, March 21

Happy TGIF!
Tony at PENN!
Cerullo's class on a trip!

Monday, March 24

"A" Week
Happy Parent/Teacher Conference Week! 

Tuesday, March 25

Levermans on a trip!

Suzy Kline visits Gr. 2 - LIBRARY CLOSED!

Report Cards Issued
No FEO!

Wednesday, March 26

Happy Wednesday!
Moses' class on a trip!

Thursday, March 27

CST at 1:20pm

Parent/Teacher Conferences 3pm... till whenever! 

Friday, March 28

Happy TGIF!
No School For Kids... PT Conferences!

Kids' Korner

While in the Library a kindergarten student asked me if I was going to be the Leprechaun this year that would mess up their classroom. I said I wasn't tiny enough to be one to which he quickly responded... "You can be the big fat leprechaun!" LOL! Really?     

Pics of the Week...

Check out Cantiague's Week in Tweets - click on the following link to see our Pics of the Week...

CANTIAGUE WEEK IN TWEETS - MARCH 14

March 7, 2014

Curriculum Connections...

TGIF to everyone after another snow shortened week! I am so done with the snow and shoveling and trying to find parking (yes, the burden of living in NYC)! Honestly, I am even done with the cold temps - I am so happy we were able to get out for recess this week - that was totally needed... for EVERYONE! I hope everyone has some fun plans for the weekend... don't forget to turn your clocks one hour AHEAD on Saturday night... SPRING AHEAD!

I would like to start by thanking everyone for making the visit on Thursday with Barbara Bauer an amazing one! She could not stop raving about all the awesome things she observed and namely, the continuity across the grade levels - BRAVO!! YOU ALL ROCK - thanks for making me look good!!

On another note, I am excited about next week... for the opportunity to tackle the optional "NO WORKSHEET CHALLENGE!" As I mentioned at the FEO, this is an opportunity for everyone to reconsider and reframe and reconsider how we use sheets of any kind in our classrooms. The challenge is optional and I want to reiterate that I am not challenging us to go PAPERLESS... instead, let's reconsider the value of the worksheets/sheets we are using. Do the activities challenge our kids to access their critical thinking skills? Do you need the sheet to accomplish the goal? What are kids learning by completing the sheet? Things of that nature. So, not only will we save some trees but we might push ourselves out of our comfort zones and have an awesome time doing it! Please keep the dialogue flowing next week so we can discuss what sheets we feel don't count as worksheets, what activities we are doing in place of the worksheets, etc. I am so excited about NO WORKSHEET WEEK! :)     

Over the last week or so, as I walked around the building, I spotted these awesome things...

• Loved hanging out in the gym with Rob and Phil and watching the kids participate in all the fun circus themed activities! The kids were having such a blast trying their hand at everything from cup staking to trying to create structures with the hula hoops to scarf tossing... it is a fun and AWESOME time!

• The continuity in the area of mathematics across the grade levels is really impressive! I have seen various grade levels immersed in fractions this week and to see how the skills and concepts evolve from one grade level to the next is really awesome. The children are developing an understanding as young as second grade and then by fifth grade they are multiplying and dividing fractions - it is a wonderful thing to watch!

• Finally, I am so incredibly impressed with the level of rigor and vigor in reading and writing instruction in kindergarten and first grade! The children are being pushed to self-reflect on what strategies they are using in both areas in Kindergarten. Also, our students in Grade 1 are experiencing book clubs and developing independent discussion skills. THIS IS CRAZY!!! 5 and 6 year olds are totally accessing their critical thinking skills and it blows me away! WOW!   

• In case you missed it, here is the Video Update of the Week featuring Jen's & Joe's students - please show it to your class...

Tech Tip of the Week...

Check out this great blog post spotlighting the Explain Everything app used in conjunction with math instruction... Explain Your Thinking With Math Stations!


SCHEDULE OF THE WEEK... 

Monday, March 10

"A" Week
Today is going to be the BEST Monday of the week!

Tuesday, March 11

Faculty Enhancement Opportunity Cancelled!
Happy Tuesday!

Wednesday, March 12

Gr. 5 DNA Field Trip- Siper & Burrows 
We are halfway through the week!

Thursday, March 13

CST @ 1:20pm
Guest Author for Grade 4 - Library CLOSED!
Gr. 5 DNA Field Trip - Alites

Friday, March 14

Happy TGIF!
Second Marking Period ENDS!

Kids' Korner

While doing the Video Update this week, while the children were simply supposed to introduce themselves, I zoomed in on the first child and he says... "I forgot what I am supposed to say..." LOL! Really?? Watch the video... its funny!        

Pics of the Week...

Check out Cantiague's Week in Tweets - click on the following link to see our Pics of the Week...

WEEK IN TWEETS - MARCH 7