1-27-2017

Lauren and Jessica organized a beautiful National Junior Honor Society Ceremony Wednesday night.  It is awesome to see so many new high achieving students joining this great organization.

Thanks to Alex and Colleen for organizing a trip to Feed My Starving Children for about 40 student council students.  What a great way to show kids the importance of giving back to the community.

Use Adversity to your advantage:
http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/7020


The seventh grade team will be taking the 7th graders to Main Event today for their reward trip.  I heard Jim takes no prisoners when he dominates all of the kids in Laser Tag.

Speaking of seventh grade, we are looking forward to Adrienne coming back on Monday and are grateful to Mrs. Patel for keeping the classes moving forward for the last two weeks.

5 tips to avoid teacher burn-out.
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/5-tips-avoiding-teacher-burnout-mary-beth-hertz

Greg and Mr. Johnson are doing a great job sponsoring Robotics Club.  The kids are engaged in many different building/tech/robotic activities while also learning cooperative skills and teamwork.

Thanks to Jen for continuing Fit Club this year.  Students are coming out in droves for roller hockey and healthy cooking.

Exercise may be the way to sharpen your brain.
http://www.openculture.com/2015/11/this-is-your-brain-on-exercise-why-physical-exercise-not-mental-games-might-be-the-best-way-to-keep-your-mind-sharp.html


Michael Miles teaching our students is really a magnificent gift to our district.  Besides music skills he is able to inspire the students to be passionate about whatever they want to pursue.  Thanks to Melissa L for setting this up each trimester.

If everyone could make a concerted effort to be more visible in the halls during passing period it would be appreciated.   I know the two minutes goes by faster for you then the kids when answering an after class question or trying to organize something for the next period.  thank you

Grandfather Aged 81 surprises guitar store clerk.

1-20-2017

With today being inauguration day, here is an interesting article from the Washington Post about the 5 craziest hours in the White House...how the residence staff changes over the White House from the time the old first family leaves for the inauguration to the time the new first family comes home from the inauguration!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/local/white-house-transition/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=nextdraft


Alex and Colleen are taking some student council kids to Feed My Starving Children on Monday.  they will send out a list of who is going to this worthwhile project today.

How differentiation fosters a growth mindset.
http://corwin-connect.com/2017/01/8415/?utm_content=buffer57a8d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer


I heard rave reviews from the 7th grade students on their cultural field trip to the Art Institute.  Thanks to Melissa L for setting it up and to the 7th grade team chaperones.

Jessica E found this great resource: 18 Great tech tools and strategies to help support reading and writing.
https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/08/19/18-digital-tools-and-strategies-that-support-students-reading-and-writing/


Sherry, Chris and Melissa F are doing a great co-curricular project with 5th and 8th grade students that involves history, Mexico, food and culture.  What a great example of collegial articulation as well as a great experience for the 8th grade to serve in a mentor role.

Edgar Allen Poe's birthday was yesterday.  Here are 4 of his short stories animated.
http://www.openculture.com/2015/04/edgar-allan-poe-animated-watch-four-animations-of-timeless-poe-stories.html



I want to thank Deb LeBlanc for the leadership she provides in her role as Special Education Director.  I have learned a lot from watching and listening to her over the past three years.  We are lucky to have her in our district.




Thanks to Betty for working with our students on the Access testing this week and next.



Alicia Wisted was doing a great lesson on air traffic controllers in the 8th grade IMSA class on Wednesday.  I have been very impressed with her work ethic, flexibility and ability to maintain a positive and productive class environment.



I want to thank Dan and Matt Tylk for completing a great boys BB season this weekend with the SWAC tournament this weekend.  You have set a great example of sportsmanship that goes beyond wins and losses.



Matt Turek found this quote from Pablo Casals.

In the confusion that afflicts the world today, I see a disrespect for the very values of life. Beauty is all about us, but how many are blind to it! They look at the wonder of this earth — and seem to see nothing. People move hectically but give little thought to where they are going…

Each second we live in a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that never was before and will never be again. And what do we teach our children in school? We teach them that two and two makes four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all of the world there is no other child exactly like you. In the millions of years that have passed there has never been another child like you. And look at your body — what a wonder it is! Your legs, your arms, your cunning fingers, the way you move! You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must cherish one another. You must work — we all must work — to make this world worthy of its children.

-Pablo Casals

1-13-2017

Wow!  Yesterday was one of the best basketball games I have watched in a long time.  We lost by 1 point but both teams played extremely well and showed good sportsmanship.  Congrats to coach Baker and Tylk for the coaching job they did with the boys.

The cheerleaders really were impressive as well, doing their routine with precision and enthusiasm.  Nicole has done an excellent job getting the team to Gel together.  They have come a long way since the beginning of the season.

Finally, the premiere of the Pep Band under Mr. Turek's direction was outstanding.  The kids sounded awesome and provided a great spark of energy.  Yesterday's game was a great showcase of our Benjamin Community of students, coaches, teachers and parents supporting each other!

17 ideas to help combat learned helplessness.
https://www.middleweb.com/33614/17-ideas-to-help-combat-learned-helplessness/

I'm looking forward to putting on my dancing shoes tonight for the 7th and 8th grade dance.  Thanks to Colleen and Alex for putting it together and to all of the teacher chaperones!

I'm always amazed at the attention to detail that Ellen does with decorating for our "food" days.  Ellen and Kim did a fantastic job of serving up a great potato feast.

Elon Musk takes a customer complaint from idea to execution in 6 days.  Now that is taking action.
http://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/elon-musk-takes-customer-complaint-on-twitter-from-idea-to-execution-in-6-days.html?cid=sf01001&sr_share=twitter

Melissa brought in the West Chicago Choir and their director to work with our students this morning.  What a great collaboration to inspire and improve our students!  They sounded awesome.

Get your skate on, Jen and Lynette will be starting the roller skating unit with the students on Tuesday when we get back.  Feel free to come up and participate.

128 words to use instead of Very.  Very good list!  I included the link so you could get a bigger image.
http://imgur.com/gallery/L5lA8IN






Thanks to everyone for working on student growth and evaluation materials on Wednesday.  Please let me know if you have any questions that I can help with.

Todd, Jen P, Gail, Marissa, Megan P, and Allison A did a great job of getting trained in CPI procedures on Wednesday.  Having these staff members certified adds to our already CPI certified staff members to create a great team ready to support Benjamin.

10 ideas to get started with Virtual Reality in the classroom.
http://blog.atomiclearning.com/10-ideas-to-get-started-with-virtual-reality-in-the-classroom


The 8th grade team did an excellent job of getting the students ready for high school registration by taking extra time and providing materials that will help the students organize themself to register for classes.  Thanks for going the extra mile.

11 strategies to support students with disabilities.
http://blog.atomiclearning.com/11-strategies-to-support-students-with-disabilities

1-6-2017

Please remember to take a few minutes to fill out the 5Essential Survey during your plan or team time.  It is a good  way to reflect on our practices as a school and show the public what a great school with great teachers we have at Benjamin 25.

A big thank you to Chris and Angela for sharing their experience at the tech conference in Denver.  Nearpod, the introduction of google classroom and google extensions, and virtual reality are all great avenues to take the great teaching we are doing to the next level.


Congratulations to Angela and HOPE Group for securing funds from AAA that will pay for 3 bike racks!  Dr. Ehrhardt and I checked the bike path parking area next to the school yesterday and the safety plan for our students parking their bikes is secure.

Thanks to Jessica, April, Ellen, and Kim for stepping in to help make our lunchroom process smooth in Debbie's absence.

Even with grades this is a good move for vocabulary with students.


Jen and Lynette have done a great job of adjusting the health curriculum and room for their healthy eating units.  I was in the class a couple of times this week and the kids were in collaborative groups following set procedures to create food while having a blast!

I'd like to thank Tim and the custodian staff for getting a TON of work done over break.  Painting, cleaning floors detailing classrooms and much more.  Thank you!

Science +  Music = Learning

http://www.edcircuit.com/the-science-behind-music-why-music-should-be-integrated-into-early-education/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=drrodberger&utm_content=The%20Science%20Behind%20Music:%20Why%20Music%20Should%20Be%20Integrated%20Into%20Early%20Education

Please make sure you come and see me to schedule your next observation if on cycle.

Thanks to the ILAR teachers who are completing a pilot program over the next month.  I appreciate the hard work that you are putting in to improve our curriculum.

Qualities not measured by Tests.



Janice asked me to share this link with you from Meemic about grant opportunities for teachers.  Check it out.

Announcing New Grant Round and Special Events!

As a Meemic Foundation Club member, we are excited to provide you exclusive first notice of our new grant round.

Be a champion for our schools! Whether it's your child's school, a former school you attended or a local school in need, you have an opportunity to show your support by nominating a school for a $500 grant they can use exclusively at Office Depot, Inc.

The nomination process is easy. Simply identify the school and tell us why this school is being nominated. That's it! Applications are due by March 31, 2017, with winners announced by May 1. The grant must be used at Office Depot, Inc., by September 30.

Nominate a school today. For more details and to submit an application, click here:

AckermanInsuranceGroup.com/ForOurSchools

10 ways to Flip a Kid
http://www.coolcatteacher.com/10-ways-to-flip-a-kid-and-turn-their-day-around/?utm_content=buffer67fd6&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer


The other day IMSA made a surprise visit and came away super impressed with the job Angela Anthony was doing in the Take Flight class, including the discussion for improving the program that took place afterwards.

Thanks to Colleen and Alex for putting together Prizefest for Monday during lunches. Also if you can help chaperone next Friday's dance from 6-8pm it is a great way for the kids to see you in a different light and to make some $.  Let colleen or Alex know if you are available.


Not just about running, but about anything you do...