3-23-2018

Thanks to Jessica for putting out another hard hitting edition of the Tiger Times and supervising the Tiger Times staff through their journalistic endeavors.

Wynton Marsalis 12 ways to practice
http://arbanmethod.com/wyntons-twelve-ways-to-practice/

Thanks to Melissa F and Mark B for administrating the Illinois Science Assessment and to Greg and Ellen B for all of the tech help.

Thanks to the 5th grade team for administering the CogAT test this week.  This will help us refine the placement of students for next year.

Please make sure that everyone is careful about opening up the front door or middle door for adults/parents as they visit our school.  We have had a couple of situations where parents are entering the building without being buzzed in through the office.

Thanks to Courtney, Bill and Abby for starting their track tryouts this week.

The building will be open over spring break for all of you guys that want to spend your spring break in your classroom getting ready for the stretch run.  You are also free to come in on the weekend using the same procedure of scanning your id on the outside card reader and signing in on the clipboard.  Just check the clipboard before you leave and scan your id on the square to re-arm the building.  I can help anyone that needs a review.

Please make sure you review all of your PARCC procedures on Monday, April 2nd  in preparation for the April 3rd start of testing.  Let me know if you have questions.


Thanks to Matt Tylk, Dan, Nicole and Keriann for doing a great job with Wednesday night's sports awards.

After we get back from break we will be starting to sell a la carte items in the lunch room.  This will give students who bring their lunch a chance to get a drink or small snack.  Teacher lunches will also be starting back soon.  Thanks to Ellen Trush for helping me organize this.

Thanks to Lynette and Christine for starting the talent show tryouts this week.

Come on you have time to read one....just one before you head into spring break!


https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/12-must-read-articles-assessment/


I hope everyone enjoys their spring break and has some time to kick back and relax.

"The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken." -- Samuel Johnson

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” — John Steinbeck

3-16-2018

The day has arrived, can't wait to see the performance of H2SIB today at the assembly and through the weekend.  What an unbelievable learning experience for the cast and crew over the past few months culminating with these performances.  Thanks to Melissa, Danielle, April and"stage manager" Bill Wadman for all of their hard work. 

Fun info-graphic on fictional mentors, 30 days of inspiring quotes. 
https://electricliterature.com/infographic-inspirational-quotes-from-fictional-mentors-8111c4f2e9b1


Thanks to Jen Pope for teaching yoga on Wednesday to the 5th, 6th and 7th grade PE students.  What a great opportunity for our Benjamin students.

10 reasons to use Inquiry Based learning in your classrooms.
https://www.teachthought.com/critical-thinking/10-reasons-to-use-inquiry-based-learning-in-your-classroom/


Please remember to fill out a foundation grant.  This is an opportunity to get those "extras" that may not be in the budget, but would enhance your teaching experience.  Let me know if you need help.

3 grading practices that need to be blown up, Star wars style.
https://medium.com/@hhschiaravalli/3-assessment-and-grading-practices-that-need-to-be-obliterated-5c48050e9400


Lyn did a great job at the board meeting on Monday night, having students present their works of art created this year. Also thanks to Lynette and Mark for attending to sign the new teacher contract with the school board. 

Microsoft is offering free coding classes to girls in March.
https://www.simplemost.com/microsoft-offers-teen-girls-free-coding-classes-march-2018/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social


Thanks to Greg for presenting the PARCC training on Wednesday afternoon.  Please make sure that you review the test booklet, guidelines and website prior to testing. 



Who's winning book madness?  Thanks to Michelle F for putting this together for staff and students.

Read all of Shakespeare's plays online for free.
http://www.openculture.com/2014/03/read-all-of-shakespeares-plays-free-online-courtesy-of-the-folger-shakespeare-library.html


Please remember to review the extra duty email Mark sent out this week and if you need a form for a new extra duty proposal let me know and I will send you one.  They are due April 13th. 

Thanks to Angela and Colleen for working with the students on the ZSpace virtual reality computer program. 


"If life becomes hard to bear we think of a change in our circumstances. But the most important and effective change, a change in our own attitude, hardly even occurs to us." -- Ludwig Wittgenstein

3-9-2018

One week to go for H2SIB!  So excited to see the result of all the hard work the students, Mrs. LaMantia, Mrs. DeChristopher and Mrs. Tepe are putting in for the awesome performance next Friday. 

7 minute writes...a sixty second video.....just click and watch

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry Artwork from Mrs. Peterson's students.  

Jen and Lynette are bringing in the Teen Decision group to talk to the 8th graders, next week which is a great learning opportunity for our students.  

Nicole gave an awesome presentation on Mindfulness last week.  Here is the full Ted Talk Video.  

Professionalism in a Digital World

Thanks to MJ, Alex, Megan D and Angela for being at the Tech Integration Committee Meeting on Tuesday Night.  Ellen B and Greg are looking at the new student devices closely and we should have a decision soon.  

Please remember we have PARCC Training on Wednesday at our early release day, followed by a short training on the web communication APP we all have.  Bring your computers and make sure you have established your PEARSON Access Next password from the email Greg sent out. 

Want to duplicate yourself to help your students, watch this 1 minute video.  

Two field trips and a reward trip today = students learning and having fun outside the school walls.

A Big Thank You to Frank, Tony and Tim for hanging up the backdrop for the musical.  Please sign up for Musical Supervision for March 16th and 17th today.  Sign-up will be in the lounge.  

Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. Theodore Roosevelt

3-2-2018

I look forward to hearing about the conferences that people are attending today and am excited to meet with various staff groups in our building to articulate, problem solve and take action on accomplishing our goals. 

Sherry's stem students were in the planning stages of building their marshmallow launchers using the new mobile whiteboards!

Attention ALL staff members. Mark your calendars.  On Wednesday April 4th, we will have Cultural Diversity training provided by our district legal counsel, Darcey Williams.  It will be from 2:45pm-3:15pm and is required of all Benjamin Staff.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

If you want to know the secret of success , read this article.
http://jessiediggins.com/brave-enough/


I have been impressed with the participation level of Bill Wadman's Winter Blast program.  This is a great way for students to stay in shape and strengthen friendships with classmates.




We had a good showing of parents last night for the presentation of opportunities for our high achieving students put on by Northwestern Center for Talent Development.  One of the takeaways, was the possibility of BMS hosting an Accelerated Weekend Experience (AWE) in the Fall of next year.

Some great tools here.  Especially check out the Newseum ED based upon the museum of news in Washington DC. 
https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/6-tech-tools-2018/


Thanks to the 5th grade team and Sherry for being willing to implement some keyboarding skills with their students at the beginning of their study-skills and STEM classes respectively.  This will allow for students to build on their foundation skills they built with Josh at Evergreen.



Caddy Shack anyone?  PTA is looking for teacher volunteers to help put together their initial golf outing on June 9th.  They need help getting donations, sponsors for holes and other various jobs leading up to the event or for people that want to soak up the sun and volunteer on the day of the event. See me if you are interested....or intrigued....or mildly excited...or if you know what a golf ball looks like.

This is your Brain on Story.
https://www.td.org/insights/storytelling-and-brain-science-this-is-your-brain-on-story


Congratulations to Colleen for securing a $2,000 Whole Foods grant to start a vegetable garden at Benjamin. What a great opportunity for our students.

Rocky Grit
http://joedesena.com/do-you-have-rocky-grit?utm_source=infusionsoft&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=rocky-grit&inf_contact_key=ec16e16c4ab28dcc88e99b86da948a35359d54da9001b948bcdb1092584bed0d

If anyone is interested in teaching summer school this year for our special education students, let me know.

Fairness does not mean everyone gets the same. Fairness means everyone gets what they need. - Rick Riordan