3-20-2015

It's finally here!  The Sound of Music will be performed by our students today during the assembly, tonight at 6:30pm, tomorrow at 2:00pm and 6:30pm.  Melissa and Danielle have worked non-stop on this play to make sure it is top notch.  I can't wait to see it.

A huge thank you to Michelle Fiorini for taking care of all of the make-up testing for PARCC.  It was not easy and I appreciate the hard work it took to get accomplished.

Thanks to all of the teachers that have been working with me to get their observations/evaluations/binders finished.  I appreciate the work you put into your lessons and assessments and am extremely happy to be working with a staff that is full of excellent teachers.

I received another grant yesterday afternoon and the deadline is today to get it turned in and signed.

Please remember to be ready for students as they return from lunch on a daily basis. Having students unsupervised in the hallway even for a minute can lead to trouble.

60 non-threatening formative assessments:
http://www.teachthought.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/60-non-threatening-formative-assessment-strategies.jpg

My brackets not busted yet, but close to it.  Thanks to the 8th grade team for setting up the Ben G competition.

5year old basketball player with one hand defies odds:  Good story!
http://usat.ly/1b8yURi

Thanks to John for setting up the track try-outs and putting in the legwork to secure a discus cage for the school for this years track season.

Thanks to Ellen for coming up with the potato bar theme for yesterdays feast.  It was a great idea and went extremely well.  I believe there is enough for leftovers today!

Thanks to John, Jen and Lynette for bringing in Amplify Youth in to have meaningful conversations with our 8th graders on topics that impact their life.

Congrats to Colleen and Alex for the work that they did to get Helena V ready to be the district student council rep for the entire North District in the state.  This is a huge honor and responsibility for Helena and Coleen and Alex guided her through the process.

Thanks to Melissa F for getting the students ready for the 5th Grade graduation from the Too Good   For Drugs Program which will take place on Monday at 2:00pm in the multi-purpose room.


I am looking forward to my first Red White and Beautiful Celebration on Wednesday Night.  the whole school coming together with students and parents to celebrate the arts sounds like a blast!

Sound of Music Flash Mob

3-13-2015

Do you know what a MOOC is?  Massive Open Online Course.  It is a way to open up education to anyone because it is accessible to anyone with an internet connection and it is free!  This link brings you to 4 of the most popular destinations for MOOCs, Harvard, Yale, MIT and I-Tunes University.
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2015/03/top-4-places-to-find-free-moocs.html

A big thank you to Melissa and Danielle for having the Musical perform a couple of songs before the parents and the school board on Monday Night.  I can't wait to see the whole thing a week from today.  

Do you want to develop speaking and listening skills or just listen to some of the most famous speeches of all time...the site is a little hard to maneuver, however there is text, audio, and video archives.  There is also a special section for movie speeches.
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/

Thanks to Lynette for presenting with the art students at the board meeting on Monday.  she did a nice job highlighting their strengths.

Inclusion and Differentiation in Action:

Seven PI Day Resources!

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/pi-day-lesson-plans-matthew-davis

Thanks to Keriann for putting together the tournament for this weekend.  I know how much work it is.  Also, thanks to Melissa and Jessica A for handling concessions through NJHS.  Good luck to Rich  Matt, and the Bengals Girls Basketball Team.

The unheard story of David and Goliath:  Malcolm Gladwell

And now some PARCC for your amusement...

3-6-2015

Jessica E had her newspaper club Skype with a newspaper club from England earlier this week.  It was neat getting to see the students interact with each other.  In the next Issue of the Tiger Times there will be an article on School Uniforms that both staff collaborated on(they wear uniforms at their school).

In the time of PARCC, 10 small things that can make you happier, like listening to sad songs, really.
http://www.fastcompany.com/3043162/how-to-be-a-success-at-everything/10-small-unexpected-things-that-will-make-you-happier

Thanks to Melissa, Michelle, and Nicole for taking on extra parcc tech training with Greg to so that they can support our school.  Also thanks to the special teachers for turning in their devices so they can be used as spares for testing.

If teachers were treated like star football players.  read the article watch the video.
http://www.teachthought.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/if-we-treated-teachers-like-start-football-players-athletes.jpg

Thanks to the Special Team for participating in the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) process on Wednesday.  Getting your thoughts and input is extremely valuable in making improvements moving forward.

What really gets kids reading!
http://www.edudemic.com/what-really-gets-kids-reading/

Thanks to Dan, Rich and Matt for a great Basketball season.  Also thanks to Bill(on the scoreboard without exception!) and Keriann for making it all happen.

For Jessica A or anyone else that wants to teach a foreign language:
http://www.edudemic.com/16-resources-for-teaching-foreign-language/

The PTA will be meeting on Tuesday night at 7:30pm if anyone is interested in attending a meeting

The school board will be honoring of staff and students in conjunction with the Musical and Art Program.  Thanks to Lynn, Lynette, Melissa and Danielle for all of the work you did to make these programs successful.

50 books all kids should read before they are 12.

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/50-books-all-kids-should-read-before-theyre-12

Thanks to Michelle F for running the March Madness book tournament for our students.  Mr. Wadman thinks he has a perfect bracket, but I am ready to pull the 1 vs. 16 upset!

..from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved. Field Museum, Chicago IL