8-26-2022

 What a great first week of school.  Thanks to everyone for coordinating, communicating and helping each other.  Your hard work helped create opportunities for our school to shine brighter. 

Pretty cool callbacks teachers and students can use!

Thanks to Dr. Woell and his hard work to set up the successful opening institute this year.  I think the combination of his Happiness Advantage presentation, the police officer's safety training and  the energy of comedian Tim Clue set the table for a positive school year.

10 ways to teach creativity in the classroom.

https://blog.ed.ted.com/2015/05/08/10-ways-to-teach-creativity-in-the-classroom/

I'm loving the Club bulletin board that Jessica and April set up as well as the announcements advertising the start of our before and after school clubs. Clubs/activities are a great service to our students that allow them to explore known interests as well as discover ones they didn't know they had.  Thanks to all of our club sponsors.

Julie S and Solly have both done a great job of jumping into our district with both feet and are taking great initiative getting things done!  What great additions to our district.

I will be talking to our students during lunch either Friday or Monday about social media use and using photos without student/teacher permission.  Please make sure that everyone is following the agreed upon guidelines for student cell phones and that kids have them in their backpack from homeroom to last bell unless you give them permission.  

I am looking forward to the PTA back to school night tonight in the upper lot.  It will be great fun talking with new and veteran Benjamin families!

3 habits of highly effective teacher teams.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/3-habits-highly-effective-teacher-teams

I appreciate Melissa, April and Lynette working with our 5th grade students and teaching them the Fish Philosophy!  Watching the Fish video and their presentation reminded me about how well the concepts of  Be There, Make Their Day, Play and Choose Your Attitude match the positive behaviors we desire from our students and teachers.  

The Curriculum Night Letter will be sent out today to parents.  There is a student schedule that will be attached, which students should fill out for their parents.  Parents will go through their student schedule from 6:30-8:00pm on the 31st.  This night is your time to shine!  Remember to focus your light on your curriculum and learning expectations.  

We also have a book fair going during Curriculum Night, anyone that can help Kathy and Michele in any free time you have that evening it would be appreciated.

Thanks to Jen and Joe for their flexibility in using their gym space at the beginning of the year for pictures and other items.  

Finally I would like to thank Kim and Ellen for their hard work this week to help keep us organized and ready for us to do our job teaching students.  

Can't seem to sleep. Lets see if the bright light of my phone containing all of the information in the entire world held inches away from my face for the next 15 minutes manages to lull me into a peaceful slumber.   Twitter

"The free soul is rare, but you know it when you see it --basically because you feel good, very good, when you are near or with them." -- Charles Bukowski

"You can't help someone get up a hill without getting closer to the top yourself." -- Norman Schwarzkopf

"If what you are doing is important, you will encounter resistance. If what you are doing isn't important, it will be easy." -- Donald Miller