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...

12-16-2016

A huge thank you to Karen for organizing, setting up, decorating, and taking down the big district breakfast today.  I heard many comments on how nice the multi looked today!

Thanks to Sherry for organizing a cultural event in her class today, Not only did the kids get to eat the homemade tamales, but they got to learn about the process to make it and had moms in the room to serve them.

Band and Choir sounded nothing short of phenomenal Tuesday Evening.  Big props go out to Mrs. Lamantia and Mr. Turek for inspiring the love of music in our students!

Duck it's a Flying Drone! Thanks to Angela for setting up a coding drone station in the imsa flight class.  Students took turns in groups trying to fly it through a hula hoop by using code.  Kids had a blast and there was only one major injury....JK:)

Thanks to Victoria W for doing a great job Student Teaching with MJ, we appreciate all the help you have given our students!

Basketball is on a roll.  Dan and Matt Tylk have done a great job of working with the boys on fundamentals and we are starting to see improved play and a few W's.

Just a reminder that we have a learning meeting on the wednesday we get back from break.

Thanks to Jessica for another excellent edition of the tiger Tiger Times, and for setting up a skype with another newspaper club from California.  that club sought us out because of the quality of our paper.  

Thanks to Megan Dusing...for encouraging Nicole and Jackie to write the wonderful story "The Holiday Barbeque Sauce Miracle" which is in the Tiger Times this week. I strongly suggest you read it as Nicole put it.  "It is going to make us famous "

I hope everyone enjoys the holiday break.  I thank you for your gift and hope you enjoy a small token of my appreciation that was in your mailbox this morning.

12-9-2016

  Thanks to the 5th Grade Team and Melissa L for doing a wonderful job with caroling at two area nursing homes yesterday.  The kids singing meant so much to the residents and the kids came away with a great feeling of selfless giving.



Need some gifts ideas? Here's our list of must-reads for kids, by age:
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/content/50-books-all-kids-should-read-before-theyre-12?utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=mlp1216&utm_medium=social&utm_term=organic&utm_content=50books


It's that time of year again, no not the holidays.  Time to take the 5 Essential Survey.  Please take a few minutes during your plan or team to complete the survey.  Thank you!



I'm looking forward to the book fair next week.  thanks to Michelle and Barb for assisting the PTA to make this event a success.  Also thanks to all of the ILAR teachers for bringing your kids down.



Good luck to the Choir and Band as they play this weekend for the PTA Breakfast with Santa.  Melissa and Matthew have been working hard to get the students ready for this event along with our assembly and concert on Tuesday.

Make a talking QR Code with Google Drive:


Please do any prep work necessary for Wednesday's Subject Area Meeting in the LMC.  We want to make sure that every subject areas online curriculum actually reflects what you are teaching.  In the future we will worry about format and consistency.

Stephen King's top 20 rules for writers.
http://www.openculture.com/2014/03/stephen-kings-top-20-rules-for-writers.html


Thanks to all of the Special teachers for leading The Hour of Code next week.  Here are some code resources.
http://classtechtips.com/2016/12/01/24-hour-code-resources-teachers-schools/




Don't forget about the Holiday Breakfast next Friday!

12-2-2016

Thanks to Jim, Melissa F, Colleen, Mark, Lynette, Jen, Matthew and Melissa L, for coming in on Thursday night and Saturday morning to engage with community members about our upcoming improvements.  The extra time you put in will benefit everyone in the district.  Thank You.

Just a reminder that we have the big Chess tournament this Saturday.  Please make sure you put away valuables/breakables before you leave today if we are using your room.  This is a huge event for our Bengal Chess Players!

Want to become smarter?  Neuroscience research says to try this simple habit.
http://www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/want-to-raise-your-iq-by-23-percent-neuroscience-says-to-take-up-this-simple-hab.html

Courtney has arranged for a Jockey to come in today and talk to some of the Evergreen students on what it is like in his career to be racing horses for a living.  What a cool experience for those students!

Thanks to Alicia and Angela for doing a great job teaching the music/tech and IMSA classes.  I talked with all of Mike's students today and sent a letter home to communicate with parents.  Also a big thank you to Melissa for working with Alicia on the music classes.

Google might hold a contest to make one city the city of the future.
http://www.inc.com/kevin-j-ryan/google-sidewalk-labs-contest-city-of-future.html


Another super creative idea from Michelle Fiorini, make sure you send her your "Shelfie"(picture of your bookshelf) so kids can match the shelfie to the bookshelf.  Fun!

Speaking of super-creative, Lynn has figured out a way to take a picture of a student holding their artwork and through photoshop turn it into a coloring page to take home.  Ask her to see an example, they are awesome.

An ELL super strategy:
http://superell.com/turning-students-teachers/

Congratulations to Dan on securing a victory last night for the varsity boys bb team.  Matt and Dan have been working hard with the boys to emphasize growth in play and character.  Great Job!

Big props go out to Jessica and Lauren for the prep work they are doing to get NJHS launched this year.  It is going to be a great year of student leadership.

This periodic table actually tells you how you can use all of the elements.  Awesome!  Click on the link, the picture below is just a preview.
http://elements.wlonk.com/ElementsTable.htm

Speaking of student leadership, hats off to Colleen and Alex for all of the fundraising, activities, spirit weeks that Student Council has put together this year.

I will be at a writing conference with Bill, Adrienne, Lauren and Danielle on Monday and Tuesday.  This should be a great conference that will help us raise scores but more importantly make our students better writers.  

18 Digital tools to Make Better Readers and Writers  (Really good resources/article)
https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/08/19/18-digital-tools-and-strategies-that-support-students-reading-and-writing/



Thanks to Sherry for organizing the Friday get-together after school.  Please attend if you have a few minutes.

Mark your calendars, the Holiday Breakfast served by the admin team and board members will be on Friday, December 16th. Get up early, and bring your appetite.

"I'm starting to think humans don't even like winning free cruises".

11-18-2016

Thanks to Lynette and Matthew for being at the board meeting on Tuesday night and accepting more grants.  Lynette helped find both of the grants, field hockey and band. Another awesome job.

Thanks to Ellen for for Organizing Wednesday's lunch and Karen for doing the same on Thursday's. Both were delicious.  Thanks to Dr. Ehrhardt for recognizing the work you do for American Education week.



Danielle was doing a great job teaching about the rainforest with Penny a representative from Pearson.  The kids were engaged and learning how to interpret and break down informational text.

The science team did a great job of using their subject area meeting to put together their "Science Story"  for the upcoming Open Houses at Evergreen on December 1st and 3rd.  Thanks to all of the staff who are going to be participating in those events.  Your participation is valued.

Here is your informational text lesson of the day.  NY Times piece on the two America's, a visual breakdown of how the Presidential Election went.  Interesting.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/11/16/us/politics/the-two-americas-of-2016.html?utm_source=nextdraft&utm_medium=email&_r=0



s Yesterday (and Wednesday) was another great round of data meetings.  Getting information from the classroom teachers is the most important intervention we have for making adjustments to help our most struggling learners.  Thank you.



Big props go out to Alicia Wisted and Angela Anthony who are taking over for Mike D in his absence.  It has been a quick learning curve and you guys have been awesome.

Teaching Students to Drive their Brain through Metacognition.
http://blogs.scholastic.com/rodberger/2016/11/teaching-students-to-drive-their-brains-through-metacognitive-learning.html?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=drrodberger&utm_content=Teaching%20Students%20To%20Drive%20Their%20Brains%20Through%20Metacognitive%20Learning#.WC8gjdUrLIX





The Jazz Band put on an Awesome first gig at the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the bike path on Tuesday.  Thanks to Mr. Turek for getting them ready with his Monday morning practices.  Also thanks for Student Council and Angela with her Hope Group for being there to represent our school with the Mayor and other community members.  The bike path will be a great asset to our students once completed.

How awesome are our aides this year, Kim, Gail, Debbie, Michelle, Megan, Jennifer, Marisa, Cody and April have been working hard to help students and teachers.

This morning I attended a HOPE group presentation on the bike rack that we should purchase as researched by students in the group.  The students were well researched and well spoken.  Great job Angela!

Donald Duck realizes the importance of Math in everyday life.  A classic.

Hope everyone relaxes and eats lots of Turkey....or Ham..or Soybean product(vegetarians...vegans...I don't know) and enjoys time with family and friends.

11-11-2017

I'd like to thank Melissa LaMantia for all of the hard work and effort that went into the planning of the Veterans Day Assembly today.  It takes a lot of planning and organization to make it come together just right.  Thanks also to Matt and Melissa for the wonderful performances by the band and choir respectively.  Thanks to all of our Veterans including Rich and Bill.



Just a reminder that we have subject area meetings on Wednesday of this week.

Reboot: 5 Resources for Teacher Inspiration

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/reboot-resources-for-teacher-inspiration-monica-burns


Tim K has already started to make an impact in his first week at Benjamin 25.  It is nice to see him getting his hands dirty and working with the day and night crew to make sure tasks are being followed through on.

8 Things Everyone Should do Before 8A.M.
http://www.inc.com/benjamin-p-hardy/8-things-every-person-should-do-before-8-am.html



Nicole has really done a nice job with the cheerleading squad.  From the new uniforms to the choreography the team seems much improved this year.

Thanks to the 5th grade team for taking the 5th graders to see Peter and the Starcatchers at WCHS on Wednesday and also for agreeing to run the PTA Art Awareness program for its last year.  I appreciate your flexibility.

Common Sense Media Seal of Approval for TV Shows for Kids...out of the 37 shows only one for Kids 13 years old or older.
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/news/press-releases/common-sense-media-recognizes-largest-crop-yet-of-common-sense-seal-for?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social#


Just a reminder that the Week of Food otherwise known as American Education Week starts next week.
  Tuesday-you could sign up for the Turkey hot lunch($3.05) the kids get during lunch.  Dr. Ehrhardt and I will be carving!
Wednesday- Staff Catered Turkey Feast (sign-up to bring something or $5.00)
Thursday-Taco Buffett brought to you by the Ad Center and the Board of Education
Friday- 18th Breakfast provided by the PTA.

8 Ted Talks to Watch When your Family is driving you Nuts!  Probably not applicable for anyone here.

http://www.ted.com/playlists/260/talks_to_watch_when_your_famil


We have reached the end of the first trimester.  It's hard to believe we are 1/3 of the way through the school year.  Michelle F found this in a Fish Philosophy Blog.  The full post can be found at this link
but I think the following is appropriate to remember when we may be feeling beaten down or overwhelmed.  Bringing your whole self to work.
http://www.fishphilosophy.com/3-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-fish-philosophy-part-1/

When filming was done, Steve flew home. John stayed in Seattle an extra day and visited the Pike Place Market, where he saw the fishmongers in action. He was immediately hypnotized by the energy and the flying fish, but the longer he watched, the more it became obvious that selling fish is cold, exhausting work. Where did all the energy come from?

Then he remembered David Whyte’s observations about wholeheartedness. Suddenly it made sense. The fishmongers were bringing their “whole selves” to work—their personalities, their humor, their desire to make a difference, all of it. John knew instantly he must make a film about them. FISH! was the result.

How much of “you” do you bring to work each day? You may have good reasons for what you leave outside. As David says, work may have so much of you already that you have decided it can’t have “what is most precious” to you too. But how good would it feel if you did? 

Thanks to Kim for working the Late Night Shift for conferences the last two weeks.  She has been a big help getting everything organized and running smoothly.  

I'm pretty sure that I have sent this before, but it is my favorite "parent conference" cartoon

11-4-2016

I would like to thank Lynn for giving students opportunities to participate in art contests.  This has enabled them to put their creative juices to use outside of school.  She also developed a foldable booklet that allows each of her students to display pictures of their trimester artwork and take it home for others to see.  It is truly innovative and will be very appreciated by parents.

Cybrary Man's Universal Design for Learning Page.
http://cybraryman.com/udl.html

Thanks to Nicole and Melissa for their hard work on Red Ribbon Week.  The variety of activities kids were involved in created a positive environment for students to reflect on their daily actions.  I am looking forward to the assembly tomorrow.

Why is that song stuck in your head?  Find out.
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/earworms-those-songs-that-get-stuck-in-your-head-elizabeth-hellmuth-margulis

Thanks to Colleen and Alex for a great breakfast put on by the student council kids this week.  It was certainly a unexpected "treat" and the kids did a fabulous job.

The short story that was the basis for a Nightmare Before Christmas. Please continue to encourage your kids to bring in Halloween candy for the troops.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nightmare-before-christmas-poem_us_580f9209e4b02444efa594fa?ncid=engmodushpmg00000004



Thanks to all of the ILAR and Special Ed teachers for your hard work and time put into the exploring the possible new curriculum resources and meetings attended.  I know it takes a lot of effort and organization to carve a way minutes to research and try these new tools and I appreciate it.

Self Actualization and the difference between pride and self esteem
https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/12/18/bruce-lee-artist-of-life-self-esteem/.


\
Survey says......we have awesome teachers.  Multiple parents expressed their gratitude for the work our staff is doing for their kids after talking with them at conferences last night.  Great job!

Innovation means creating something new & better through invention OR iteration. Does NOT mean tech.



Parent visitation for American Education week will be Tuesday, November 15th.  Parents will call to the office to make a reservation to visit your class and see the wonderful things you are doing to work with their kids.

Thanks to Melissa L for all the work she is putting into organizing the Veterans Assembly for Friday the 11th.

If you need more of a Cubs Fix watch this 45 minute film on What it meant to be a Cubs Fan.  Well done.