3-27-2020

I want to start off the blog by saying how impressed I have been by everyone's effort to help students and each other this past week.  For every lesson, zoom, flipgrid, screencaster, activity, extra effort and assistance that I know about, there are ten more that I don't know about.  You guys are truly the best, all while doing this within your own unique family/home situations make it even more impressive. There is no blueprint for this and   the district admin is trying to stay a little bit ahead of the curve.  Please make sure that you continue to reach out to me with your questions and please let me know if there are things that I am not doing that you think you would benefit from.

I know Zoom is exploding right now, however recently some meetings are getting hacked by people using vulgar language and sharing their screen with inappropriate images. However there are some easy ways to prevent this from happening.  Most of these are happening at public meetings with the link shared with many people on social media.  There are easy ways to protect your meeting , read the following article:
https://blog.zoom.us/wordpress/2020/03/20/keep-the-party-crashers-from-crashing-your-zoom-event/


Thanks to the SS teachers who attended the TCI Zoom meeting.  Hopefully it was helpful to learn the digital platform in different ways.



The lost art of deep listening and 35 life-affirming albums.  Two articles to help you get through the quarantine. 
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-03-17/coronavirus-deep-listening-music-albums
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-03-25/coronavirus-best-albums-deep-listen-quarantine


Different ways to use video conferencing with students :


Appreciate and miss our teaching assistants who have been doing a great job of completing PD while they are away.  They will come back smarter and ready to help their students. 


Isolation can breed anxiety...ways to come together when you are apart.
https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/20/03/creative-connections-while-apart






10 things we learned about teachers this week. 
https://www.boredteachers.com/humor/10-things-weve-all-learned-about-teachers-this-past-week



More strategies to help anxious learners.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/simple-metacognitive-strategies-help-anxious-learners-succeed









Please enjoy next week and recharge, look for the positives like more time to connect with your family, read, watch some movies...try something new..something you have wanted to do, but haven't had the time....and we will be in touch with updates. 

“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.” -- Lyndon B. Johnson

3-13-2020

Just want to reiterate my appreciation for the hard work that all of our club sponsors and coaches are doing.  We will be clarifying information on events, practices, competitions and activities in the coming days and will be ready to pivot if and when things change, which is totally possible.



Thanks to Michelle and Jim A who helped out last night to alert me and supervise some students that were in the building.

How finding your passion connects to growth mindset.  Good article.
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200306-the-surprising-truth-about-finding-your-passion-at-work?ocid=global_worklife_rss

Thanks to Greg for putting on the training for the IAR on Wednesday.  Please let me know if you have any questions regarding testing.  I have ordered more headphones and we will have graph and scratch paper available in the office. 

Ways to Promote student voice.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/simple-ways-promote-student-voice-classroom


Thanks to Lyn who, with some of our students, highlighted some student artwork at the Board Meeting on Monday night.

Don't wait to take care of yourself!
https://www.happify.com/hd/3-signs-you-need-to-schedule-self-care-stat/

Thanks to Megan D for all of the help she provided to organize the Foundation Trivia Night last weekend.  Also thanks to everyone who attended and/or sent in baskets.  It was a really fun night that will benefit our students. 




Thanks to Michelle F and to Kathy for hosting the Caudill party to celebrate student reading outside of school which also raises their achievement.  Way to go!


Thanks to Marcia for her guidance and attention to news/updates to keep our district alerted with the latest information on health and safety. 

Thanks to everyone for preparing for possible e-learning days that may (or may not) be in our future. 



Thanks to Tim and the Maintenance Crew for all of their efforts at keeping our school safe and clean.  We appreciate it.

Congrats to Megan P for guiding her students into reading 98 books over the second trimester.



All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.” – Galileo Galilei

I subscribe to Disney Minus - it's just that one scene of Bambi's mother dying. $99.99 a month. Conan O'Brien

3-6-2020

Kudos to Bill and Mark who came up with a very innovative unit project for the 1950's that their students will complete in the month of April. 

How making music can help kids cope with trauma. 
https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/53880/how-making-music-can-help-students-cope-with-trauma

Thanks to the lunch supervisors who on top of their regular duties are also doing extra duties to serve out of the small gym and move the students back to the multi.



Thanks to Ellen who was operating solo in the office while Kim was recovering/working from home. 

A Google image search tutorial for students to explore copyright and important usage questions. 
https://www.commonsense.org/education/lesson-plans/drilling-down-in-google-image-search-copyright-and-why-it-matters

Thanks to Michelle for organizing the Caudill Reading program and celebration.

food for thought:


Thanks to the 5th grade team who ran an innovative reward trip yesterday in house with some virtual reality and other fun activities. 

How to make grading more effective and efficient. 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/7-strategies-make-grading-easier

I am looking forward to the Foundation Trivia Night this weekend.  Thanks to all of the teams/individuals who donated items for the raffle.  Also, thanks to Megan D for all of her efforts to coordinate things on behalf of the foundation and school district. 

The key to creating positive habits. (Habits of Mind Alert)
https://www.success.com/the-key-to-creating-positive-habits/


I am still in need of summer school teaching assistants.  Please see me if interested.  I am hoping to have it fully staffed by spring break. 

What happens to your brain when you get positive feedback.
https://www.inc.com/john-brandon/heres-what-happens-to-your-brain-when-you-get-positive-feedback.html?cid=sf01001


Lauren G did a great job of getting parent volunteer readers into her class all week for Read Across America week. 



Melissa L did a great job of unlocking an unbelievable  opportunity for our 8th grade musicians.  She has secured the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to work with our students in a variety of ways including a rehearsal, a Master Class and a performance.  We are one of only 6 schools in the state that they will do this with.  Thanks to the 8th grade team for being flexible and working with Melissa for this to happen. 



Thanks to Melissa F and the 5th grade team for organizing the dare graduation earlier in the week.  Students were excited to see the real bloodhound that the officers brought in!


I appreciate the meaningful conversation that I had with teachers in the ILAR and Math subject area meetings on Wednesday.  What is always apparent to me is that teachers at Benjamin care about their students, their educational experiences and how they perform. 

Using growth mindset with our EL students:


I appreciate the work that Sherry is doing to revise our letter for 6th grade students considering Spanish for their 7th and 8th grade year.  This will help families in the decision making process. 

Graphic Novels are real books....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/dont-be-afraid-to-let-children-read-graphic-novels-theyre-real-books/2020/02/27/ed374b92-4dd7-11ea-9b5c-eac5b16dafaa_story.html

The 8th grade teachers will be travelling  to enchanted castle on Friday for an exciting reward trip of game play and adventure, and the students are also looking forward to their trip!

3 tips to use data effectively.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/3-tips-use-data-effectively

Just a reminder that we will have our IAR training on Wednesday with Greg.  I will have the revised schedule to everyone by then as well.  Special thanks to Kim for getting all of the accommodations/test rooms and all other information entered into SIS.




Congratulations to Colleen and Kerry who earned IDNR grants for outdoor ed and a trip to the Shed Aquarium!  Also thanks to Janice and Lisa for making it happen. 



"We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master." -- Ernest Hemingway

3-21-2020

Thanks to Lauren for supervising the concession sale at the BB game last night.  Chocolate brownies can always help make the day better.   Of course I always appreciate the great job that Dan and Matt do in coaching our Benjamin Teams.


Walking the Walk with Habits of Mind.
https://www.habitsofmindinstitute.org/using-habits-of-mind-to-ensure-the-school-culture-is-a-supportive-one/


I always appreciate the support I receive from everyone when problems arise, special thanks to Todd, Nicole and Melissa L for their assistance recently.

Start a math book club.
https://www.pbs.org/education/blog/reading-can-expand-what-kids-think-about-mathematics?utm_source=ptwitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sdfy20

Thanks to everyone for participating in kindness day...one cool lesson that happened was Adrienne  creating kindness books, where every students wrote a positive comment about all of their grade level peers and then she compiled them into their own books complete with their picture on the cover. Awesome Job!



Don't forget to sign up for Trivia Night on March 7th.  There are only a few tables left.  It would be awesome to have a table or two filled with Benjamin Staff!

The power of Rap and Hip-Hop in the classroom.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/power-rap-and-hip-hop-classroom


Don't forget to spend your PTA money.  There was student incentive  money and the special project money that Mrs. Jeffries coordinated.  Lets get that $ spent to help our students!

Teacher Half-time interview:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1230212294728175616  

Thanks to Kim for coordinating all of the accommodations among other things for our state testing.  Special education/EL teachers please reach out to her with your student accomodation data and who you will be testing.  I am figuring out testing rooms.

Ken Burns in the Classroom.  A variety of awesome resources including some great Black History Month resources.
https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/kenburnsclassroom/home/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=kenburns_2020

Thanks to Jessica for sponsoring  Newspaper club last night, she always leads an excellent newspaper staff and she also has an extreme tolerance for unique music playlists like the one made up of video game songs and other fun tunes.



Melissa did an excellent job of following the Michael Miles performance day with a multimedia presentation of all the musical artists Michael had mentioned or performed.  This made for a highly engaging and interactive two day music lesson.

Teachers Essential Guide to Teaching with Tech
https://www.commonsense.org/education/articles/teachers-essential-guide-to-teaching-with-technology

I want to thank Betty for the job she is doing with setting up our AR/VR glasses for student use. They are available for use in the maker space. This is just the latest thing she has done to push technology and innovation in our school. Thanks!



Thanks to Tim for doing an awesome job in the Directions room while Laura has been gone.  I appreciate how hard he has been working!

A delicate balance support and access.
http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol14/num25/low-income-students-and-a-special-education-mismatch.aspx?utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=Social-Organic&utm_medium=social

The trimester ends on Thursday Feb 27th. Please make sure you do everything you can to reach out to students and parents to communicate missing assignments so they can be turned in before grades are submitted.. Thank you for going the extra mile.



Please make sure Kim knows no later than today where you are going on February 28th for the county institute.  She will be tuning in this documentation to me and the ad center.  If you are staying in house I need your agenda by today.  Thanks

“The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest (people) of the past centuries.” – Descartes
"You always have time for the things you put first."

2-14-2020

Please RSVP  for The Foundation Trivia Night on March 7th. Better yet, get a group together for a table or join my team.  The flyer with more information is available in the office.  It is a fun night!

Teaching Black History in culturally responsive ways.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/teaching-black-history-culturally-responsive-ways

Congratulations to Megan Peterson who was officially approved as a full time teacher at the board meeting on Monday night.  She will be joining the 7th grade team and taking over the ILAR reins when Adrienne retires!



Hopefully everyone has had a chance to meet Vanessa.  She has been absorbing Benjamin knowledge from Ellen B and applying her tech knowledge by jumping right in to help solve problems!

Black History literature connections from our TCI.
https://www.teachtci.com/black-history-month-literature-connections

Melissa, April and Danielle did a great job presenting the play preview to the school board and a packed multi full of parents.  I can't wait for the full show in March. 



I am very grateful that Jessica, Lauren, Colleen and Alex  have agreed to have NJHS and Student Council participate in the WCCHS leadership summit on March 24th.  This should be a great experience for our young Benjamin leaders. 

10 strategies to help strengthen instruction.
https://esheninger.blogspot.com/2018/09/10-strategies-to-strengthen-instruction.html

Thanks to Angela for helping guide a group of us through the gmail transition on Wednesday and countless individuals before and after. 

Adapting history into musical theater from PBS.
https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ham16.soc.ushis.historytheater/hamiltons-america-adapting-history-into-musical-theater/?utm_source=ptwitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sdfy20

If you are staying in-house please send me your agenda for the upcoming county wide institute on February 28th.  If you are going out please make sure Kim and I know where you are going and that you have followed all proper steps to register and attend. 



Don't forget about kindness day on Tuesday!   Here are some ideas. 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/simple-ways-encourage-kindness-students-all-ages

Huge thanks to Tim, Tony and Frank for putting in the extra hours to keep the grounds clear and safe during this winter blast!

School transformation in the 21st century with Habits of Mind.
https://www.habitsofmindinstitute.org/school-transformation-in-the-21st-century/

Best of luck to Matthew and the band students as they participate in the solo and ensemble contest this weekend.  I know he has been working hard to make sure they are ready. 



I look forward to working with Joe Pisano next year as he was hired as the new principal of Evergreen for the 2020-2021 school year.

"Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet." -- Bob Marley

2-7-2020

A Big thank you to April, Kerry, Megan and Matthew for presenting at the staff learning meeting on how they have integrated Habits of Mind with their students.  The whole purpose of HOM was to have a tool that would increase student engagement, achievement, accountability, and critical thinking while not adding to your plate. I think they did a great job showing that the work they did with HOM in their classroom, helped them and their students!

Alright Dungeons and Dragons nerds out there.  How D&D can help students with their Social Emotional Learning.  (I am proof that this works!...or maybe not)
https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/51784/how-dungeons-dragons-can-help-kids-develop-social-emotional-learning-skills


Thanks to Nicole for speaking at our meeting and planning the school-wide kindness day.  Please think about how you can contribute on February 18th.  #weareallinthistogether 



Thanks to Megan P and all other teachers who participated in World Read Aloud Day on February 5th. It's not important if you missed February 5th, what is way more important is if you can include reading out loud as part of your normal practice for middle school kids!


Thanks to Melissa Falkos for integrating AR and VR in her classroom with the assistance of Angela.  It's great when teachers are willing to go outside their comfort zone to bring tech skills and higher levels of engagement to their classroom.  Shout out to Betty for planting the seed at the beginning of the year. 

Boosting student engagement in math.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/strategy-boosting-student-engagement-math

I'm excited that the 6th grade team are having students participate in podcasting currently.  Many of them might also choose to represent Benjamin in the NPR podcasting contest. 

Teaching Kids Media Smarts during "Breaking News". 
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/teaching-kids-media-smarts-during-breaking-news

Thanks to Greg and Angela for traveling to the different teams to teach about our great Gmail migration adventure.  I, for one have been looking forward to saying something to Kerio for awhile.



Thanks to Jen H for doing a fabulous job in her first week helping our success track students.  It takes a lot of persistence with the students and a lot of varied communication with our staff to keep track of priority assignments.



Melissa, April and Danielle are ramping theater club into high gear with some outstanding rehearsals and set/prop/costume work.  They present a preview for the school board on Monday. 


Thanks to Dan and Matt Tylk for pushing our three levels of girls basketball team to increase their skill, will, teamwork and sportsmanship as they continue to have a very successful season.  Also thanks to supervisors and scorebook/clock workers.  We couldn't do it without the very important supporting cast. 

Scientists Show How Gratitude Literally Alters The Human Heart & Molecular Structure Of The Brain #happinessadvantage
https://www.collective-evolution.com/2019/02/14/scientists-show-how-gratitude-literally-alters-the-human-heart-molecular-structure-of-the-brain/


I never get tired of watching the creative things that Sherry's 6th grade STEM students do with their Sphero projects.  I had a blast watching them earlier this week. 


All student growth goals reflection/update should be in my hands by now unless we talked about an extended deadline. 

The best thing you will watch this week!

“How we choose to act changes who we choose to become.” -- Seth Godin

1-31-2020

PLEASE think about stepping up and helping April present at the Feb 5th staff learning meeting on Wednesday.  I know I can count on you and you have something to contribute.

From Megan P's class.


Melissa Falkos needs clear two liter bottles people, 90 of them!  If you have any over the weekend, please bring them in for her for her science lab.  Thanks. 

Go beyond trauma and struggle to examine the liberation, civic engagement, creativity and intersecting identities of Black people during Black History Month.
https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/black-history-month-teaching-the-complete-history


April, Melissa and Danielle will be working hard on Saturday as they collaborate with parents to help build some of the set pieces.  I appreciate them illustrating the point that the time and effort put into a project directly relates to end result. 

Tips for building metacognition in your students.
http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol15/num07/Tips-for-Building-Metacognitive-Muscle.aspx

Thanks to Jen Harvel who has agreed to start being our success track supervisor  starting on Monday.  She will be helping some of our 8th grade students get back on track with their academics in the afternoon.



Thanks to the 6th grade teams continued support of our ROAR program and for positively reinforcing good behavior and choices their students make. 


The physics of Jazz.

Thanks to Chris and Jessica for going to the Teach to Lead conference in March and working with Evergreen teachers.   I look forward to them sharing what they learn with all of us.  Thanks to Debbie for organizing the event. 



One of the best parts of our data meetings are the discussions that take place as we try to figure out how to help students.  We don't always agree, but everyone is always willing to do their part to help. Parental communication is a huge component of helping students in every grade level.  Working together.

9 NEW ways to use FlipGrid in the classroom.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/9-new-ways-use-flipgrid-classroom

Here is a cool resource Betty found.

The Learner Variability Navigator tool synthesizes research on a variety of factors that impact learning, and suggests research based ideas for helping students from different backgrounds. 

Link to actual Tool

https://lvp.digitalpromiseglobal.org/

Video Summary of Tool

https://lvp.digitalpromiseglobal.org/content-area/reading-pk-3/factors/sleep-reading-pk-3/summary

Thanks to all of our TA's who continue to do a wonderful job everyday in the classrooms.  I got to work with Debbie yesterday and assist some students in 5th  grade.  She was amazing and I was exhausted after one period.  Our TA's are the best!

22 Diverse Book Choices for all grade levels.  

https://www.edutopia.org/article/22-diverse-book-choices-all-grade-levels

Please check out Megan's World Read Outloud Day invitation email and consider stopping by to read or creating a flipgrid video for Feb 5.

Thanks to everyone who is on cycle and are finishing up scheduling your formal observations or continuing to work on your alternative evaluation, as well as finishing up your Student Growth Goals, Please let me know if you need any help.  

Personalized Learning: The Why, How, and What   Read the article, look at the graphic.

http://esheninger.blogspot.com/2020/01/personalized-learning-why-how-and-what.html 

Thanks to Jessica, Lauren D, Colleen, and Alex for helping our students become leaders by sponsoring NJHS and Student Council.  These groups give students great experiences to help them become better citizens and serve our school and wider community.