Bengal Blog 9-8-2023

 Thanks to Danielle and Angela for their learning meeting presentation on Coaching cycles and other ways they can help in the classroom.  It is always great to be able to benefit from our own staff and their support can assist you and your students in so many ways.

A daily practice that students can use for self-regulation.

self-regulation

If you are on cycle please submit your student  growth goals  and schedule your initial observation with me.  

Thanks to everyone for problem solving this week when I had a super busy personal PD schedule.  Special Thanks to Melissa for her support and extra time dedicated to admin responsibilities.  

Mark and Colleen presented to 6th grade parents about the outdoor ed trip on Wednesday night.  I appreciate their effort at this well attended meeting.

How extroverted teachers can help introverted students.

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62119/how-extroverted-teachers-can-engage-introverted-students

I appreciate the staff taking extra time to help our new students and  looking at their student records.  The extra effort is appreciated by the new students the most as they transition to our awesome school.

Thanks to everyone for their participation in the fire drill and police supervised lockdown.  Feedback from the DuPage County Sherriff was very positive.  

I am submitting the scholastic order today.  I know this is later than previous years.  I had a road block at the end of last year, hopefully we will have online access soon and the physical copies in a couple weeks.  

I appreciate the flexibility in teaching assistants and teachers as we make changes to cover student needs.  I am still looking for a TA that will help make the coverage smoother.  

Please remember that the first PTA Meeting of the year is next week, Tuesday September 12th at 7pm.  Thanks for those that have signed up to attend a meeting.  Don't worry there are still open spots available!

“Don’t just teach your children to read…
Teach them to question what they read.
Teach them to question everything.”

― George Carlin

"The most important thing in life is to stop saying 'I wish' and start saying 'I will.' -- Charles Dickens

Whenever I think of the past, it brings back so many memories. 

Steven Wright

Bengal Blog 9-1-2023

 Curriculum Night was well attended.  I was able to get in the halls and poke my head into some classrooms to watch a great evening.  Verbally checking in with many parents, they agree that we are off to a great start. Thanks to Jessica for rounding up some great NJHS volunteers.  

Just a heads up Next week I have  admin academies on the 5th and 6th and am at a conference on the 7th. My admin academies will be online so I will be locking myself in the office but will have some availability. My conference on the 7th is out of the building so Melissa will be subbing for me.  Thanks in advance to everyone for working together and using your leadership on these days.  

I was able to get into a bunch of classes this week. Always the favorite part of my job.  Thanks for keeping up the fantastic job, I know how much work and energy guess into what you do each day.

Thanks to Bill, Sue, Chris, Joe, Jim, Jen, Jessica and Lynette the the job they do everyday in the lunchroom. They definitely have to be on your toes to keep up with our students appetites and enthusiasm. Also thanks to Evelyn and Kim for the extra time spent making sure kids are signed up for lunch and communicating with parents about milk sign up.

Speaking of lunch duty, thanks to Bill and Sue for catching the BenQ that was falling off the wall at lunch and then to Nicole, Erik and Kim who helped hold it up until Frank and Isidrio could arrive.  

It takes a Village! 

On August 31st, 1837 Ralph Waldo Emerson delivered a fantastic speech on a variety of topics including the importance of education.  Take a few minutes to read.  

 emerson

Sports are in high gear with soccer, volleyball and cross-country all having matches this week.  Thanks to Dan, Bill, Joe, Meghan, and Matt for their hard work with our student athletes. 

 Let's make sure that parent communicating stays at a high level this year. Keeping parents informed on what may seem like small things keeps the Parent/teacher partnership strong  to help our students.

Speaking of Parent Teacher relationships, please sign up for PTA membership if you have not done so already. The benefits are spectacular.

Last call for social fund! Please get your $ to Lauren.  This helps pay for some of the big (and small) celebrations. 

Thanks to Michelle and Carrie for working hard at the Book Fair  this week.  Profits go back to the library for more books.  I appreciate them working together to benefit our students.  

Thanks to everyone for getting your newsletter into Evelyn this week.  

A new approach to flexible grouping.  

flexible grouping

I hope everyone enjoys their Labor Day and has some time to not Labor and relax with their family.  

Here is a short video on Labor Day.  

"Excellence is not an act but a habit. The things you do the most are the things you will do best." -- Marva Collins

"Talent is cheap; dedication is expensive. It will cost you your life." -- Irving Stone

"Being honest may not get you a lot of friends, but it’ll always get you the right ones." -- John Lennon

Bengal Blog 8-25-2023

 Erik, Nicole, Lori and Evelyn have been doing a great job in their first week as Bengals!  Please make sure you check in on them when you can and say hello.

Thanks to Greg, Vanessa, Alicia and Neida for their continued tech support this week!

Speaking of help thanks to Danielle and Angela who were on hand with for our HMH training and have expanded their instructional coaching support to our ELA teams district wide this week.

Thanks to Dr. Woell for his data presentation and his words of wisdom about family.  

Thanks to Solly, Evelyn and Kim for getting us fed on Monday and Tuesday!!!

I appreciate Dr. Filas's help in making the PO system efficient and his willingness to sit down with staff and listen to their questions while providing feedback and suggestions.  

Thanks to the Specials Team for providing the F!sh Presentation to the 5th graders today.  This is the foundation of our Character Ed program and will help them make positives decisions throughout the day. 

Please let me know if you have any feedback on my presentation on 13 data types that we can track this year.  I plan on using this information for the basis  of our SIP plan this year.  

Thanks to Jen V and Joe for showing such great flexibility with their gym space as it is used for multiple activities as we start the year.  

I am happy that Carrie has brought her library experience to our LMC.  She has been working hard to get our library ready for students!

How to engage students the moment they walk in the room.  

engage

I sent out a reminder about dress code to parents yesterday.  Please make sure that our staff is also following the dress code to model for students.  Please keep jeans and casual wear for Fridays.  

Club supervisors please remember to update your page on the website!

Try an optimistic closure to your lesson

I am looking forward to the PTA welcome back night tonight from 6-8 in our upper parking lot.  I hope some of you can stop by.  Also please remember to join PTA it is well worth your investment.

Don't forget to pay your social fund to Lauren Dunne ($22)

I will be in the Gym all day today, reinforcing our expectations, talking about goal setting, taking charge of their own education and treating each other with kindness among other things.  I will also be asking them for ideas for improvement to make our school better.

60 second strategies for educators.

60 second strategies

I was able to get into a few classrooms this week but look forward to getting into much more next week!  Also if you are on cycle please make sure you are thinking about your student growth goals and when you want to set up your first observation.  

Please remember to send me your curriculum writing proof to me.  Once I review them all I will send an email to tell people to submit their time sheet.  

Please make sure that you get ready for curriculum night this Wednesday from 6:30pm-8pm!  What a great night to showcase your curriculum and the great work you do with kids.   

"The bird rises against a strong head wind, not only in spite of the wind, but because of it. The opposing forces become a lifting force if faced at the right angle." -- L.B. Cowman

"I haven't got the slightest idea how to change people, but still I keep a long list of prospective candidates just in case I should ever figure it out." -- David Sedaris

6-2-2023

I know I speak for everyone when I say that I wish Kendra and Kathy the best of luck in their retirement.  The kindness and dedication they have shown to Benjamin 25 are great examples to aspire to for current and future Benjamin 25 employees.

We wish Betty and Kerri S the best of luck as they make that long journey from BMS to Evergreen next year.  They are still part of  BMS as we are a two school one district family and we appreciate everything they have accomplished in our halls.  

The road between Benjamin and Evergreen travels both ways as we welcome Lori Edler as our 6th grade teaching assistant next year and Nicole Johnson as our EL teacher.  I look forward to seeing how their individual strengths add to our school as a whole.  

Other moves for next year...Sue will be moving back to support Kerry K's core class, Carrie L will be our LMC assistant, Alex will be supporting 5th and 8th grade and Courtney will be supporting 6th and 7th grade.   

Congratulations goes out to Jen Matthews as she has secured a full time teaching position for next year.  It is a loss for us to be sure but I am sure we all wish her well in the next phase of her educational career.

8th grade graduation was a huge success thanks to everyone who contributed to the event and especially to the 8th grade teachers as they helped to support not only graduation but, the picnic and Great America as well to end the 8th grade students year. 

Yesterday was exciting with the 7th grade bowling trip, the 5th grade reward challenge and the 6th grade olympics.  What a great day of physical activity that also challenged their mind.  

Thanks to Melissa for taking care of the room check out during this crazy time.  Please make sure you get everything marked off before you leave for the summer.  

Thanks to Angela for the great job she did in leading the yearbook club to an outstanding final product!  In a former life I was the yearbook advisor and I definitely know how much work is involved!

I am looking forward to the award ceremonies this morning.  I love celebrating the achievements of our students. Big thanks to Kim G as she did a tremendous job getting the millions of certificates printed for these ceremonies and graduation!

I am also looking forward to the recognition lunch at Evergreen today.  It is awesome to celebrate the end of another successful year, individual milestones and retirements.  

I hope everyone has a joyful and safe summer filled with fun adventures and time with family and friends.  I understand how tough your job is and you definitely have earned your break.  

5-19-2023

Don't forget today (Friday) is the last day for open enrollment changes.  Here is the message from Leslie as a reminder.

Open enrollment allows employees, eligible for group medical/dental insurance, the opportunity to change insurance options and/or add previously uninsured eligible dependents.  Open Enrollment runs from May 8, 2023 - May 19, 2023. 

YOU MUST COMPLETE YOUR ENROLLMENT BY MAY 19, 2023.  

The 2023 Benjamin Open Enrollment presentation is located in the Staff Shared Resources folder.  Please watch this prior to beginning the open enrollment process.

 

Please use this benefitsolver link to make your elections!  Also, please make sure to add your beneficiaries as you are reviewing your benefits.

These changes will be effective on September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2024.

The Band and Choir Concert Monday night was amazing.  Thanks to Melissa, April and Morgan for all of the hard work that went into that evening.  

I am really excited for Charity Fest Today.  I appreciate the planning and communication that went into this day from  Jessica and Jen H.  I am also excited to see the students take a leadership role in running the events and most of all the money that they will raise for worthwhile charities.  

Are you hungry?  We will be cooking up hotdogs and veggie burgers for the all-school picnic today! Thanks to Kerri S for all of the work she put into getting ready for this day.  Also thanks to Frank and Isidrio in advance for all of the set-up, cooking and clean-up that they will be doing.  

The track team did a tremendous job at the conference meet this week.  Andre broke the mile record with a 5:07 time and Robert broke the triple jump record, Mackenzie broke the long jump record and much more.  Thanks to Joe for leading the way and to Bill, Abby, and Kerri for coaching the team this year.  

Kim A and Marquitta have reconciled the activity accounts.  Please reach out to me and I can give you the total.  Detailed reports can be pulled if you think there is an error.  I am grateful that they were able to get this done and we can move forward.  

I appreciate the work people did during our subject area meeting, especially the math and ELA for working on the summer math program for our students. 

Colleen and the 6th grade students had their solar ovens cooking in the parking lot yesterday.  What a engaging way to reinforce learning concepts. 

Jen H's 5th grade students created great dioramas on Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nihm.  They showed great artistic talent and creativity.  

Good luck to Matt Tylk and our girls soccer team this weekend in the soccer tournament.

We still have openings for extra duty positions for next year. If you have not already filled out the online google form please do so soon.  

Thanks to the 8th grade team for leading our students to the high school for Step-up day!  The students had a great time.  

"We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are." -- Max De Pree

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." -- Albert Schweitzer

"You’ll never find a rainbow if you’re looking down." -- Charlie Chaplin

5-12-2023

 Joe, Bill, Kerry, Courtney, Sue, Megan S, Kimpha and Acilia did a great job running, timing and facilitating the track meet last night.  Our kids did awesome and were well supported.

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”

Henry Brooks Adams

Thanks to all staff members for the work you did Wednesday night working on curriculum.  Special shout out to our ELA teachers for participating in the initial Into Literature training and to Daniell and Angela for being on hand to help and learn at the Evergreen and Benjamin trainings respectively.  

“The great teacher is not the man who supplies the most facts, but the one in whose presence we become different people.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanks to Dr. Woell, the school board and the PTA for all of the food that they have provided this week in appreciation for all that you do for kids. 

“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.”

Albert Einstein

Thanks to the PST Team and grade level teams for having our data meetings on Thursday.  These were aimed at looking at our supports for students and making sure we know who needs support now and at the beginning of the next school year.  

“Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.”

Japanese Proverb

Thanks to Melissa and Todd for handling some situations when I was out on Tuesday.  Its good to know the leadership is strong in my absence.  I also appreciate Dr. Woell and Dr. Salamone contributing to the problem solving. 

“Great teachers empathize with kids, respect them, and believe that each one has something special that can be built upon.”

Ann Lieberman

As the year wraps up that is when more than ever we have to be diligent as a staff to keep structure and supervision as strong as possible.  The students are excited and full of energy and emotion and need our guidance and support more than ever until the end of the year.  

“I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. It might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.”

John Steinbeck

I am looking forward to the band and Choir concert on Monday. We will all get to enjoy the assembly on Monday as well.  

“Most of us end up with no more than five or six people who remember us. Teachers have thousands of people who remember them for the rest of their lives.”

Andy Rooney

Thanks to Leslie for sending out the information on the Open Enrollment that runs now until May 19. Please make sure you do this before the deadline.

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

William Butler Yeats

Thanks to Jessica for representing the "T" at the PTA meeting last night.  Working together with our parents makes us stronger.  

“Ideal teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross, then having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of their own.”

Nikos Kazantzakis

I want to thank Kerri and Kim for all of their effort this week.  It has been a really busy week in the office and they have stayed on top of everything as usual. 

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Maya Angelou

Next week Friday is both our all school picnic and NJHS Charity Fest.  I am looking forward to this busy but fun day and appreciate the time and planning that goes into these events from Kerri, Jessica and Jen H.  

I want to sincerely thank all of you for the job you do each day to help kids.  Your job is tough, and underappreciated., but what I appreciate the most is that by working together as a team everyday we have fun and get the job done!  Thank you. 

4-21-2023

 Bengal Night is just the kind of event that helps recharge my batteries. So awesome to see our staff and families coming together to share in our kiddos and staff achievements.  It was also great seeing our staff hanging out together, laughing and bonding throughout the night.  

Melissa, April and  the Choir students sounded awesome!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lPnVvkMaqfXVU1l2gH6QsKZffZGdhe_h/view?usp=sharing

Morgan and the band students were music to the ears!

April and Sherry had displayed some awesome STEM projects.  Here is the latest STEM parade video!

https://youtu.be/dGDNa7LmJZM

Thanks to Michelle and Kathy for all the work they did setting up and working at the bookfair.  Special thanks to the ELA team for helping out in the bookfair last night.  Super-star standouts Bill and lauren put on the unofficial show for book fair patrons singing and dancing at the Book (car) wash!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19kQUiMyCK8Fv2Cb6La1XhkLi9O9nWE6U/view?usp=sharing

Man...Jen and Joe were hustling all over the building! Between the healthy cooking smoothies and granola samples to Volleyball fun in the gym families were fed and entertained.

It was a family affair as Kimpha and her sisters helped out the PTA by selling Ice cream in the multi-purpose room. 

The artwork displayed throughout the building was amazing.  I appreciate all of the hard work that Lynette put into not only leading the kids in producing the artwork but getting it all hung up and displayed throughout the building.  

I really appreciate the  work that Tim and the night crew did to get the building set-up and cleaned up after a busy night.

I really appreciate Angela for capturing a lot of photos of the night tonight.   

John Hattie on how great teachers think.  Pretty cool article.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/great-teachers-engage-evaluative-thinking

As a reminder today is the deadline for spending.  See me if you have questions.

Thanks to Kerri and Kim G for attending a meeting with the district office on Wednesday to learn procedures that will be implemented and shared with you in the near future.  It is important that we work together as a team and communicate clearly with each other.  Also thanks to Megan S for covering the office!

3 simple ways to build relationships with middle school students.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/simple-ways-build-relationships-with-students

Shout out to Leslie!  She has been working hard and burning the midnight oil to help us get things completed during this busy time of the year.  

Don't forget to sign up to help Bill and Michele D judge their debates.  Look for Bills email for the sign up link.

Thanks to Jessica for leading the enrichment field trip to Wisconsin today.  What a great experience for our kiddos.  

Please remember to fill out the extra duty google form by the end of the day today!

7th Grade student had a blast and learned about possible careers at the Career Expo at the Technology Center DuPage (TCD). Thanks to our 7th grade teachers for providing this opportunity.

Thanks to Todd and Jessica for helping to get fastbridge screening accomplished here and at Evergreen.

Thanks to Jen Matthews for her help with make-up testing, Greg for his assistance with IAR make-up testing problems and Vanessa for her assistance with ISA testing.

"There is only one thing more painful than learning from experience and that is not learning from experience." -- Archibald MacLeish

"The greatest crime is not developing your potential. When you do what you do best, you are helping not only yourself, but the world." -- Roger Williams

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson