11-20-2015

What a great celebration yesterday as we celebrated the coming birth of Baby Giacalone!  It's awesome when our staff can come together to celebrate like a family!

The kids really got a kick out of  Dr. Ehrhardt and myself carving the turkey's for their lunch.  The 5th grade even thought I cooked it!  Thanks to Ellen for driving the idea into a reality.

As American (Fe)Ed-U-cation Week ends today, I would like to thank everyone for the work that you put in not just this week but every week.  Their were many positive comments from parents about what they saw in the classes and I was able to see some of Mrs. Dunne's students Poem Presentations.  I'd also like to thank Dr. Ehrhardt and the BOE for the awesome lunch on Wednesday, Michelle, Barb, Jessica, Jessica and Mike for the Birthday Treats yesterday and the PTA for the breakfast this morning.

The ISBE is using a play on words as they make PARCC PLACE the weblink for resources for educators.  Despite the corny name, take time during team or your plan to check out the educator section.  http://www.isbe.net/parcc-place/default.htm

The next link is one that keeps on giving...in the sense that within the link there many other resources.  The article is about using video observations to learn and grow as a teacher.   The downloadable toolkit inside is from Harvard's Best Foot Forward Project that shows how to use video technology to rethink traditional approaches to teacher observation and PD.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/video-classroom-observations-new-toolkit-ashley-cronin?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20EdutopiaNewContent%20%28Edutopia%29

Look at this Large info-graphic from Common Sense Media that details student media use:

Here is a really cool video called Everything's a Remix.  It first came out in 2010 and was just re-released and updated.  It's about how everything we listen to, watch, write etc...is a remix of something else from the past.  It is pertinent to today's digital world and the projects our students might create.  It is also just really cool and fun to watch.  You can watch the 4 parts separately or all together.

http://everythingisaremix.info/watch-the-series/ 

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving with friends and family.  See you soon.

11-13-2015

Every time I go by the gym Lynette has her class actively engaged and is in the mix, modeling the skills and game-play.  Keep up the great work!

Our kids did an outstanding job of collecting over 230lbs of candy to turn into troops. It shows the giving nature of kids!
Check this out, Nasa just released 8400 moon landing photos:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/projectapolloarchive/albums

Thanks to Nicole and Rich for presenting at our learning meeting.  Learning from our talented staff is the best PD we have.  Please let me know if you have an idea for our next meeting.

Melissa L did an outstanding job of planning the Veterans Day assembly and Mark C had the band sounding patriotic.  What was most amazing was sitting down with the veterans afterwards and hearing their stories and how much they appreciated the ceremony.

Creating a Project Based Learning gaming Unit for your class.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/project-based-learning-gamification-go-great-together-heather-wolpert-gawron

Food...food and more food.  Next Wednesday is lunch by Admin and BOE, next Thursday is the turkey feast (sign up in office) and Birthday Treats (Fiorini, Ogorek, Adams, Droste, Erickson) and

next Friday morning is Breakfast by the PTA!  Happy American Education Week.

I'm excited for the parent visitation day on Tuesday.  This gives parents the chance to see the great work you do in the classroom on a daily basis.  

I appreciate everyone's efforts yesterday as we discussed student needs and brainstormed the best ways to help them.  Hearing different points of view and working through problems can be a difficult but necessary process to help our students.

Thanks to Meghan S for bringing in the pretzels from Gnarly Knots 

I don't think I have shared this video before it is a fascinating video on the the Paradox of Choice:

"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." -Mark Twain

11-6-2015

Wow....candy mania has hit Benjamin, Jim "19 lb" Allard, classrooms holding bags of candy back for a big turn-in, Nicole walking around with an over-sized stuffed heart filled with germs, all done for two great charities.  Huge thanks to Nicole and Melissa L for making this happen!

Thanks to Ellen and Pat for putting together our two awesome dinners for PT Conferences this week.  Don't forget that Thursday will be the soup (and more) dinner from the Women's Prayer Group.

Thanks to Jen for bringing rugby experts into our school to teach the sport to our 8th graders.  What an awesome experience!

Keep this one bookmarked and watch when you can. Library of videos on the Growth Mindset, how to praise children, and effort.
https://www.mindsetworks.com/webnav/videogallery.aspx

Thanks to all of our special teachers as they man the phones and make contact with parents who have yet to schedule conferences.   Their goal is to fill Thursday night conferences for every teacher that doesn't have to man the phones. :)

All reports are that PT conferences are going great.  This is a huge opportunity to communicate and work with our parents to help our students.  Thanks for all of the brainstorming, planning, peer collaborating, data researching blood, sweat and tears that goes into preparing for these three nights, not to mention the work you do in the classroom everyday.  

Thanks to Jim Allard and Melissa Lamantia for serving on Monday Night's Superintendent advisory committee.  I know how packed this week already was and your extra effort is appreciated.

So I started listening to a new podcast called The Hidden Brain(yes, I am a nerd) and they talk about topics like Switchtracking, using stereotypes to your advantage, the science of Fear, and this one on Teacher and Student Relationships.  Give it a listen when you have a chance, it is episode 4 on this link.
http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510308/hidden-brain


Thanks to Melissa Falkos who has been serving on the elementary ILAR textbook adoption committee. This is important to ensure our voice in what is chosen.  We will have a meeting soon for 6-8th Grade.  More information to follow.

Newsletters are due to Ellen today.

Please remember to plan accordingly for our Veterans Day Assembly which next week, thanks to Melissa L for putting this huge event together.

Thanks to Lynn and Meghan for putting together a Banner for School Board Appreciation.  We will have children sign it today at lunches and it will be unveiled at Monday Nights School Board meeting.

Finally, I know I am late with this, but I want to thank everyone for the kind words and gift card I received on Bosses Day.  It means a lot to me.  Now that we have been together for more than a year, I am still amazed at the level of dedication by the staff as a whole as well as the individual talents staff members possess that come together to make Benjamin what it is.  We have also seen each other at our less than best (mine would have been yesterday), but being able and willing to do that means that we are more like family because you are more willing to show your true emotions to the people that you are closest with.  I remember having a conversation with Greg when I started about how I use to wear white socks with my dress clothes and you will know that I am comfortable in this district when I wear white socks.  I wore white socks on Wednesday for the first time...so thank you for enabling me to be less fashionable than I already am...if that is possible. :)