2-13-2015

We are at 68% for our staff completion rate on the 5Essentials Survey.  Please put it on your calendar to take the survey by next week.

Thanks to the 6th grade team for providing their students an opportunity to go to Triton College today and to see their Planetarium.  I'm sure the students had fun and learned something.

Thanks to Adrienne and Alex for being at the Tech Advisory Task Force Meeting on Tuesday Night.  Your input was valuable to the committee.

Just a reminder that we will be doing the second infrastructure trial on Tuesday.  Once we are done with this trial, it will be up to individual teachers to schedule more trials or to use the tutorials and practice tests that I sent to you.

We will be celebrating Fat Tuesday on Tuesday.  Please bring in a dish to share....Jen V will be speaking at each of the staff lunches about the importance of healthy eating habits.  :)

I went into Mike D's class on Wednesday and it was neat to see all of the students immersed into their units.  Whether it was writing music with garage band, making a model car, using interior design or using the power of water as energy, all of the students were engaged as Mike made his way around the class to guide and answer questions.  If you have never seen that room before I suggest taking time to check it out for a few minutes on your plan.

The District Foundation will be hosting a Trivia Night at Benjamin on Saturday, February 21st.  If anyone is interested in being a player(you can join my team) or another team if you like to win.  We are also looking for donations for the event, where you can give up your time to do an event with students.  I have two items up, myself.

Please make sure you send me an agenda for the time that you are not scheduled for on February 27th.  Thanks

5 apps that will change the way your students learn:
http://www.edudemic.com/5-apps-to-keep-your-students-engaged/

5 apps for student portfolios:
http://www.edudemic.com/tools-for-digital-portfolios/

Cool story of the week:  Adam Hey and Joe Orr were painting a ceiling tile of Chicago Bull Aaron Brooks last week and Adam instagramed(verb?) it to Aaron and he replied saying keep up the good work.  Yesterday they finished it and Adam sent him the finished product.  As soon as the Cleveland Bulls game ended Aaron Brooks replied to Adam that "It's the best work of art he has ever seen."

I don't do the awwwwwe that's cute stuff very much, but in honor of Valentines day here is something in that category that also could teach students that they can be friends....but different

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 - 1968)

Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others.

Groucho Marx