2-24-2023

 Congrats to Jessica and the Newspaper Club for another outstanding issue of the Tiger Times.  Had more students initiating conversation with me yesterday (to find out what my dogs name was) than the rest of the year combined. 

Congratulations to Lynette who welcomed another grandchild, Gavin Liam, yesterday!

Preventive discipline in the classroom.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-preventive-discipline-schools

The ELA Resource committee is moving towards a decision with a lot of hard work and planning implementing the ELA pilot materials with their class.  

Please get your newsletter articles into Kerri by March 1st.

Lots of good information in Dr. Woell's parent communication this week, make sure you give it a read when you have a chance.

Thanks to Melissa for planning our 4th grade visit with Evergreen.  4th graders will be here on April 11th (an adjustment from the original date of the 12th due to Evergreen IAR testing and a few other factors).  Also thanks in advance to the 5th grade team for being here for the 4th grade Parent Night which will be on April 12th.  

The County Wide institute is coming up soon.  I am still missing a few planning forms from staff staying in-house.  Please make sure that you fill out the google form today if you haven't done so already so that everyone is accounted for.  

How puberty affects the teenage brain.  

https://youtu.be/deNGkzUlhZU

Please take time to fill out the 5 Essentials Survey if you have not done so yet.  

"To listen is to lean in, softly, with a willingness to be changed by what we hear." -- Mark Nepo

"Every positive change, every jump to a higher level of energy and awareness, involves a rite of passage. To ascend to a higher rung on the ladder of personal evolution, we must go through a period of discomfort, of initiation. I have never found an exception." -- Dan Millman

"Our community belongs to us and whether it is mean or majestic, whether arrayed in glory or covered in shame, we cannot but share its character and destiny." -- Frederick Douglass

2-17-2023

 Melissa, April and Danielle really knocked it out of the park at the board meeting Monday night.  The students involved in the musical mini-production for the school board were firing on all cylinders. 

Dr. Salamone also did a great job with her presentation to the school board about the state of our special education program as well as future initiatives she would like to investigate with our staff and students.

John Hattie 5 things you need to know to be a highly effective educator

https://medium.com/authority-magazine/author-and-researcher-john-hattie-on-5-things-you-need-to-know-to-be-a-highly-effective-educator-or-8c32f7734212

I haven't received official word yet, but it seems like Kerri will also be placing the PO orders with the companies once they have gone through the approval process.  Please make sure you ask us if you have any questions about this process. 

I loved getting in everyone's classes this week. The work you do on a daily basis with our students is outstanding! #favoritepartofmyjob

Thanks for everyone who submitted a curriculum map for me to look at on Wednesday and thanks to everyone for your continued efforts on this initiative, this year. 

I want to express my gratitude towards the team leaders.  Our monthly meetings are only one small part of the job they do everyday.  They are truly leaders and I couldn't do my job without their efforts.

The Art & Science of using praise for improvement.  

https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-praise-motivate-students

Thanks to Jen H, Lauren D, Megan P and Michele D for the work they are putting into the ELA pilot.  The effort you are putting in now will pay dividends down the road.  

Please remember to take the 5Essentials survey if you or your class has not done so yet.  

Ethan Hawke with a Ted Ed on Creativity (9 minutes when you have time)

Thanks to Courtney for giving an assist to our check-in program with our two 8th grade students that she also has as students.  This will help maximize class time and I appreciate it. 

Great men have not been concerned with fame.  The joy of achievement that comes from finding something new in the Universe is by far their greatest joy.    William P King

Bad will be the day for everyman when he becomes absolutely contented with the life he is living, when there is not forever beating at the doors of his soul some great desire to do something larger. 

 Phillips Brooks 

The two hardest things to handle in life are failure and success.  Anon. 

2-10-2023

 Thanks to Greg for helping out with the tech aspect of our ELA pilots.  It is much appreciated!

Kerry had a comfort dog in her room yesterday which was a big hit with her students and beyond.  Also a reminder that her students are making soup 2nd period stop by to see the process or later in the day to taste the final product.

Sherry's kids did a great job with her sphero projects this week, adding voice features added another layer of creativity.

Please read Kim G's reminder about the end of the trimester and make sure your grades are submitted by 2-28 at noon.  Also thanks to Kim G for all the help she is providing both the Ad Center and Evergreen while doing an always great job for us.  We appreciate your efforts!

Strengthening peer relationships in the classroom.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/positive-student-student-relationships

Thanks to the 8th grade team for helping me with a list of 8th graders to attend a leadership summit at WCCHS on March 8th. This is a great opportunity for our students to meet with the student leaders of Leman, Winfield and WCCHS.  I will share the final list soon as the students will be at the highschool on that day.  

Thanks to Betty for completing the Access testing with our EL students.  I know it requires a lot of planning and effort.

Just a reminder for the March 3rd Institute.  Please fill out either the new in-house PD Google Form if you are staying at Benjamin on that day, or the District Conference form if you are going out.  I have already submitted our PD Plan with the DuPage ROE (which was approved) so people staying in-house can get PD Hours.  

This is National School Counselor Week.  I know that Todd and Nicole are not technically counselors but they serve some of the same duties and I know we appreciate what they do for our students and staff!

When middle school students spend a day in service giving back...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsVpdaZ5W-0

Please consider being part of the Tech Advisory Committee that Greg sent an email out.  We need a lot of representation but the committee requirements will only be to attend both meetings.  Reach out to Greg if you have any questions.  

Thanks to everyone for your hard work on the curriculum maps this past Wednesday.  Please come to me with any questions you have as I do hope to be able to show the SB progress by the May SB meeting.

I appreciate the work that Solly and Dr. Woell did for the ROE compliance visit.  Sitting with ROE representatives and answering questions all day on Wednesday can be a tiring process.  I will be following up with some staff on updates that will need to be made before the end of the year.  

Please consider signing up for HW club supervision.  See Nicole's email for more information.  

Thanks to Angela for sharing this MobyMax training webinar and for creating the Canvas Page.  Resource links can be found in Angela's email or in the links below. 

MobyMax Training Webinar    MobyMax 

"A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention." -- Herbert Simon

"Courage: A perfect sensibility of the measure of danger, and a mental willingness to endure it." -- William Tecumseh Sherman

You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice." -- Bob Marley

2-3-2023

 Just a reminder that the copy machines will be unavailable today (Friday).  Please use plan/team  time on Monday to get trained on the new features.  

Jen V and her 8th grade health students used some of their healthy cooking time to make some food for our local firemen for all that they do to serve our community.  

5 Fish Philosophy ways to avoid burnout.

https://www.fishphilosophy.com/avoid-burnout/

Thanks to Marquitta and Kim A. for the informative presentation on Wednesday.  Please make sure you check your check and get those time sheets turned in on time.   

This evenings basketball games were exciting and Varsity came away with a win.  The girls showed great sportsmanship and persistence.   

Thanks to Nicole for running the data meetings and to everyone for the important conversations around students and data.

Here is a summary of the break menus from Daniel Pink's "When" book as discussed at Wednesday's learning meeting. 

• Vigilance breaks — “brief pauses before high-stakes encounters to review instructions and guard against error.”
  • “Vigilance breaks can loosen the trough’s grip on our behavior. As the doctors at the University of Michigan demonstrate, inserting regular mandatory vigilance breaks into tasks helps us regain the focus needed to proceed with challenging work that must be done in the afternoon.”
• Restorative breaks — “If you’re looking for the Platonic ideal of a restorative break…consider a short walk outside with a friend during which you discuss something other than work.”
  • Something beats nothing — “One problem with afternoons is that if we stick with a task too long, we lose sight of the goal we’re trying to achieve, a process known as ‘habituation.’ Short breaks from a task can prevent habituation, help us maintain focus, and reactivate our commitment to a goal.” “DeskTime claims to have discovered a golden ratio of work and rest. High performers, its research concludes. work for 52 minutes and then break for 17 minutes.”
  • Moving beats stationary
  • Social beats solo
  • Outside beats inside — “Nature breaks may replenish us the most. Being close to trees, plants, rivers, and streams is a powerful mental restorative, one whose potency most of us don’t appreciate.” — Note: If this interests you, check out the benefits of forest bathing.
  • Fully detached beats semidetached — “Relaxation breaks (stretching or daydreaming) eased stress and boosted mood in a way that multitasking breaks did not. Tech-free breaks also ‘increase vigor and reduce emotional exhaustion.’”

Kerri has a great new bulletin board out in the hall to honor our February students of the month. Make sure you  check it out

Make sure you get any steam camp proposals to Greg.

Reflect Much?  You should!

https://www.edutopia.org/article/consistent-teacher-reflection-tips

Thanks to Greg for trying to coordinate our tech needs for our two ELA pilots with HMHC and Amplify.  

Please remember to take the 5Essentials survey when you have time. 

Using "Expert" Groups in your classroom

https://teacherthrive.com/expert-groups-cooperative-learning/

Thanks to Betty for continuing the Access testing for our EL students.

Megan P was celebrating World Read Aloud Day by using scholastic voice to have authors Claribel Ortega and Christina Gonzales read to her students.  

"The secret is planning your work and working your plan. If you don't know where you are going, how will you know when you arrive? You can't stumble upon your destination." -- Jack White

"May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds." -- Edward Abbey

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

Martin Luther King Jr.