10-20-23

 Bill did a choral reading poetry project from HMH in his class and Danielle proposed that one of the groups perform at the school board meeting. Danielle explained the project to the board and the girls did a great job! Thanks Danielle and Bill.

Dan, Bill, Matt, Joe, and Megan S did a great job at the Fall Sports awards on Wednesday evening.  I appreciate their willingness to work with students after school on their athletic skills and their sportsmanship.  

You can now write and draw on Google slides

write on google slides

I appreciate Nicole sitting down with me to help tighten up our attendance procedures.  

Melissa, April and Danielle had a great theater club clinic and parent night Tuesday after school.  Tryouts are next week!

Designing lessons with digital tech with careful pedagogy

designing digital tech

Morgan has been working hard getting our band students ready through practice, practice practice!  Performances will be here before you know it.  

Dr. Salamone did a great job organizing the multicultural night Tuesday evening at Evergreen.  While there middle school families there, I really enjoyed meeting the K-4 kiddos who came to my arts and craft table to create works of art!

Using Claim, Evidence and Reasoning in the science classroom.

https://blog.tcea.org/cer/

I know we have been advertising the Sneaker drive and Coat drive to our Kiddos but don't forget that you can bring in some items to donate as well.  I will be cleaning house this weekend to see what I can bring in.  (sneakers are being recycled so they can be torn up!)

Today (Friday) is the PTA Fun Run!  I am so appreciative of Jen and Joe running this through their PE classes all day.  I am also thankful for all of the hard work that Mrs. Hart put into organizing the communication and prizes.

8 proactive classroom management tips

classroom management tips

Colleen and Alex are getting ready for the student council Halloween spirit week starting on Wednesday of Next week.  

New staff alert!!! Jamie Begley is a brand new sub and will be in the building today in 8th grade.  Please stop by and say hello and answer some questions if you can.  

Thanks for all of the social studies teachers for meeting with me Wednesday after school to discuss the new standards, mandated units of study, and how they both affect our curriculum maps.  

I appreciate Marcia and Megan S doing all the behind the scene emails and phone calls to get our students in compliance and did not need to be excluded from school.  

"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." -- Derek Bok

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it." -- Helen Keller

"I don’t have to tell you it goes without saying there are some things better left unsaid. I think that speaks for itself. The less said about it the better." -- George Carlin

10-13-Story

 Thanks to Michele D for hosting our HMH writable PD on Wednesday and for making enough "unbelievable" perogies to feed our entire staff!

I appreciate everyone chipping in this week to make the outdoor ed trip happen. This includes all of the chaperones on the trip, our wonderful subs, our outstanding teaching assistants, support staff and teachers that came together to make the trip work at Loredo Taft and back at Benjamin.  This required a lot of flexibility and extra effort and not only do I appreciate it but so do all of the kids.  

I appreciate Kim getting the parent teacher conferences time slots together....we will be going forward with the following schedule November 2nd 4pm-8pm (6pm-8pm will be zoom conferences) November 7th 4pm-7pm and November 9th 4pm-7pm.  PTA will be providing a 3pm dinner on the 7th. More info to follow.  

Monday Morning our 8th grade students will be taking the PSAT test for high school placement.  

We just finished with the fall sports season and we are off to the races with the Winter season as boys basketball  and Cheer have started practicing.  

Thursday is always a busy club day.  Mr. Karris has got the Maker Space Club operating on full blast with multiple projects happening at once guided by student interest!  

We have a busy week ahead of us with the rescheduled school board meeting on Monday Night, EL Multicultural Night on Tuesday Night and Fall Sports Awards on Wednesday Night.  

Pretty Cool Story on Leadership I came across.  

60 years ago. Before NIL deals & sponsorships, one college football star: Won the Heisman Trophy, then served in Vietnam, then won 2 Super Bowls as a QB, made 2 HOFs, started a company & sold it for $600+ million. And it almost didn't happen. This is the story of how one decision turned a Cincinnati kid into an NFL & business icon:

1/ Spring. 1958. A HS football coach in Cincinnati wants to revamp his team. He's got players but not a leader. He surveys his roster. He needs a new QB. His eyes settle on one name. A tall, athletic junior who had never played quarterback in his life: Roger Staubach 2/ Young Staubach is confused about the change. He asks why they want him to be quarterback. "Because the other guys listen to you," the coach says. "That conversation changed my life," Staubach says now. "If they hadn't seen me in that role, you wouldn't be talking to me." 3/ Staubach goes full bore all summer. Kills himself during two-a-days to win the starting job as a senior. Loves running the huddle. Leading his peers. Feels natural. He graduates and plays QB for one year at the New Mexico Military Institute... 4/ In 1961 Staubach enters the Naval Academy. He sits as a freshman. Early in his sophomore year the Midshipmen's offense is sputtering. Flat. Lifeless. Staubach gets his shot. He leads Navy to 6 TDs and a 41-0 victory over Cornell. The job is his... 5/ Junior year. Staubach is 21 and becomes a household name. He leads Navy to a 9-1 regular season record. Plays for a National Championship. Wins the Heisman Trophy. Gets the cover of Time Magazine when that was a life-changing honor... 6/ After an injury-filled senior year, Staubach is drafted by the Cowboys. "I know I sound corny but there is no way in the world I was going to break my commitment to the Navy," Staubach says. "They could have offered me a billion dollars." The NFL is on hold. For 4 years. 7/ Instead of commanding Dallas' offense for Tom Landry, Staubach is in charge of several dozen enlisted men in Vietnam. He's a Supply Corp officer. Practices leadership daily. "There's a way to do things in life," he says. "And there's power in setting a good example." 8/ Staubach quarterbacks a few squads in the service to keep up his skills. He spends a year in Chu Lai... He has the Cowboys playbook and uses his military leave to practice with the team. In 1969, he officially joins the Cowboys as a 27-year-old rookie. He earns the starting spot in his second season. 9/ 1972. This is the year it all happens for Staubach. A 10-game winning streak. A Super Bowl victory against the Dolphins. Super Bowl VI MVP. "Captain America" becomes the face of the NFL... 10/ Roger Staubach goes on to play in 4 Super Bowls. He wins 2 and loses 2, both to the Steelers. He's a 6x Pro Bowler. A member of the 1970s All-Decade Team. But quarterbacks (even stars) in that era didn't make big money. Far from it... 11/ By the end of his career in the late 70s, Staubach has 3 kids and is thinking about his post-football life. He'd been working in real estate in the off-season for the esteemed Henry S. Miller company, preparing for this moment. He launches The Staubach Company... The Staubach Company starts off strong. A few office buildings. Regional tenants. But Roger thinks bigger. He starts working with major corporate clients. Residential development. Apartment complexes... Quarterbacks his business. For 31 years the Staubach Company grows. Roger works with Jerry Jones. Ross Perot. All the iconic Dallas magnates. Then, in 2008, he sells the company for a whopping $600+ million. He becomes the wealthiest retired NFL player. All because a HS coach moved him to QB.

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"There's no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day." -- Alexander Woollcott

“Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length.” ― Robert Frost

10-6-2023

 I am very appreciative of all the hard work and planning that go into the Outdoor Education trip next week.  Thanks to Mark, Colleen and all of the staff getting ready for this great opportunity for our 6th grade kiddos.  

The Staff Spirit wear link is working!   I checked it myself.  staff spirit wear or if you prefer the styles of the regular benjamin spirit wear you can see it here.  regular spirit wear

Thirty 60 second pedagogy videos.  Browse the list.

pedagogy

We have come upon the end of the fall sports season.  I would like to Thank Joe, Megan, Dan, Bill and Matt for all of their hard work.  We also wish the Bengals Soccer and Volleyball teams the best of luck in the tournaments on Saturday.  

Thanks to the team leaders for traveling to Wheaton Bible Church for our meeting this month and going through our reunification process with the Wheaton Bible Facility Manager G. John Morris.  Our safety is our number one priority.

Incorporating the arts into STEM education helps foster students’ creativity, cognitive development, and content knowledge.

incorporating Arts into STEM

Thanks to the everyone for participating in our 3rd annual Know our Student meeting.  It is really important to look out for and connect with all of our students and this process helps us find the students we know less about.  I will schedule a meeting with each grade level team when the process is complete and will also send the Trusted adult form to everyone once Nicole and Todd are done collecting that data.

I would like to thank Todd and Nicole for the job they do delivering the Second Step SEL lessons to our students.  These lessons teach our students a variety of important life skills.  

Professor Rachel Lambert shared five tips that teachers can use to help kids stop comparing themselves to others in math.

math strategies

I appreciate the Financial Newsletter Dr. Filas sent out.  Lots of important information to review.  Please check it out.

Thanks to the Specials Team for the Outstanding Student of the Month Bulletin Board they put together.  "Frankly"it's spectacular!

Concept maps, sketchnotes, and other annotated jottings can facilitate deeper comprehension of materials than more polished drawings.⁣ Learn more from the research:  full research article below the image

research article

I am so appreciative of the great job Alicia has been doing in April's absence.  Her hard work and preparation has ensured that our students haven't missed a beat.  

Thanks to all of the club sponsors.  I appreciate your organization and preparation that enable so many students to participate in before and after school activities of their choosing.  I know it is a lot of work on your end to be prepared for these meetings!

"Happiness is something that multiplies when it is divided." -- Paulo Coelh

"I learned that a friend may be waiting behind a stranger’s face." -- Maya Angelou

"Happiness is good health and a bad memory." -- Ingrid Bergman

9-29-2023

 Thanks to Kerry for setting up the comfort dog visit for her students.  Stop by her room if you would like to visit.

Please make sure you encourage kids to contribute to the PTA sneaker drive and the Rotary Coat Drive.  We will be sending out an eblast to parents and we have bins in the vestibule if you want to contribute.

Maslow before Bloom.  

Congratulations to the Benjamin sports teams, I had a blast at soccer and Volleyball on Monday and Cross Country on Thursday.  I appreciate the coaches and all the staff that signs up to support our teams. 

Joe Hauser has a Go Fund Me Project happening for the wrestling club currently.  Thanks to Lisa and Janice for getting this up and running.  Don't forget to take advantage of these grant opportunities as well as the funding opportunities through the PTA and Foundation.

Collaborative Conversation Bingo.

I will be sending out the October meeting schedule this weekend, but we have our Learning Meeting on Wednesday of this week:  2:45-3:30pm.  

On Thursday October 5th we will have Audrianna Biggers our PD rep from HMH in our building to work with our ELA teachers.  I appreciate the time they are putting into implementing our new curriculum.  

Please make sure you get your personnel forms into Kim asap, also just a reminder to finish up your health trainings.

Save the Date October 17th is EL Family Night and the theme is celebrating our cultures. This night is not just for EL staff  and families but for everyone.  If you would like to volunteer or just come as a guest we would love to see you there.  Thank to Dr. Salamone and the EL team for organizing this great event.  

Thanks to Sherry and the BEA Leadership team for allowing me to come to their monthly meeting on Wednesday.  It was great seeing the leadership team work together  with Dr, Woell to discuss concerns in a productive way.  

 Dr. Filas will be hosting some Finance 101 sessions in the near future.  Keep your eyes peeled for this opportunity to learn and grow.  

4 practices that help teachers navigate change.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/maintaining-your-core-values-teacher

I want to thank the RTI math teachers for being flexible with their schedule and helping the newly identified students. 

Here is the new STEM Parade video.  Please watch!

"Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it." -- M. Scott Peck

"If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month."

-- Theodore Roosevelt

"If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?"

-- George Carlin

9-22-2023

 I want to thank everyone for their participation in the data meetings.  The discussions we have, even when people disagree all have the end goal of helping students. Thank you for doing your best to help these students including communicating regularly with their parents.  

Why students are forgetting things and what you can do about it.

Improving student Memory

Public service announcement:  When using the translation services that Dr. Salamone sent out, teachers will almost always want to use the phone call option.  The document translation is not for emails but more for official documents and there can be up to a week delay.  The phone call is instantaneous.  Let me know if you have questions.

4 ways classroom design impact executive functioning

classroom design's impact on executive functioning

I am looking forward to walking around the building with Dr. Woell and members of the school board tomorrow morning.  

Student growth goals are due October 1st which is coming up fast.  Let me know if you have questions.  I am also open to having first formal observations.  Please reach out as I want to have the first round completed by the end of October if possible. 

Thanks for meeting in subject area meetings yesterday.  I am following up on my to-do list from ELA and will reach back out to math on our discussion topic as well.  

Please read the email and attachment from Greg yesterday about the funding opportunities from our grant writers Janice and Lisa.  These are definitely opportunities to take advantage of.  There are also classroom $ benefits tied to your PTA membership.  You will also have information coming soon about grant opportunities from the Benjamin 25 foundation.  So many ways to help your students!

Become a slide expert

It was great to see the Bengal Cafe back in action in their new time slot Monday morning.  My coca cola order is always the same no cream ...heavy on the caffeine...heavy on the sugar.

I am looking forward to seeing the Volleyball and Soccer team on the 25th and the cross country team on the 28th for their home competitions!  Go Bengals!

Spirit Wear!  Get your Bengals on!  The link will be live tomorrow morning with brand new spirit wear offerings from the PTA.  You can order from the general selection or the Teacher/Staff selection.  

Scaffolding for your EL Students in content heavy classrooms

scaffolding for your EL students

I believe half the unhappiness in life comes from people being afraid to go straight at things.  

                                                                                                    William J. Lock

The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.  

                                                                 James A. Garfield

Genius is the infinite capacity for taking life by the scruff of the neck.

                                                                 Katherine Hepburn 

9-15-23

 The BB300 sounds great.  Please make sure you play it for your homeroom each day and make sure they are quiet and listening.  Thanks to Chris for doing a great job with the kids.  

Thanks to all of the Math Teachers for attending the Math Curriculum Adoption Presentation from Savvas. Also thanks to Danielle and Angela for assisting with the Zooms for both the Evergreen and Benjamin meeting and for all the work they are doing to assist with the ELA and math adoptions.  

Yays, Nays and Hip Hip Hoorays!

Yays, Nays and Hip Hip Hoorays

The PTA meeting was very well attended by parents.  Thanks to Jessica for being our teacher rep and for talking about the opportunities for partnership that our NJHS students can offer at PTA Events.  

I appreciate all of the time that Josh is putting in to make the makerspace ready for his after school club.  Once the after school club is up and running we will have information on  the maker space for use by students during the school day during study skills classes.  

I appreciate everyone looking at the IAR data from the spring on Wednesday.  Taking the extra steps to break down data to the student level will allow us to identify and help student learning.  I will come to team next week to discuss the scores further along with other data as we develop the school improvement plan.  

Please make sure that we do not have unsupervised students in the hallway.  The LMC provides a supervised alternative to kids working on a project or that need to catch up on an  assignment due to absences.

"Teacher Tip: Enlarge and laminate your writing paper and use it to display a sample piece of writing! Either one you model for your class or a shared writing piece that students can refer back to."

Congratulations to Megan P, Joe and Morgan for being recognized for achieving tenure at Monday's board meeting.

Megan D, Kerry  and the Bengal Cafe student helpers were also recognized for the work they do helping students and getting our staff their tasty beverages each week.

Proven classroom strategies for winning over reluctant readers

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62154/proven-classroom-strategies-for-winning-over-reluctant-readers

Please remember to turn in your student growth goals and set up your first observation with me if you are on cycle.  Also, please let me know if you need any help with your growth goals.  

Thanks to the Team Leaders for meeting with me on Monday.  I could not do my job without their outstanding leadership each day!

"A person is not old until regrets take the place of dreams." -- John Barrymore

"When you’re happy you enjoy the music, but when you’re sad you understand the lyrics." -- Frank Ocean

"Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead." -- Benjamin Franklin

"I wake up every morning thinking . . . this is my last day. And I jam everything into it. There's no time for mediocrity. This is no damned dress rehearsal." -- Anita Roddick

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