4-16-2021

 Thanks to Betty for providing valuable and informative professional development speaker on Wednesday.  It is available online if for some reason you missed the presentation.  

If anyone is interested in the Check in Check out or HW club position we may be opening them up for extra students support.  

Monday the School Board will be walking through our building and we will be popping into a few classrooms with Dr. Woell.  This will happen 1st and beginning of 2nd period. 

Please consider participating in the PTA Celebration of You with their mixology event next Friday.  Friday they will deliver packages for you to bring home.

Student Led Collaborative Learning  to Empower math students.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-student-led-collaborative-learning-empower-math-students

Please make sure that you fill out Greg's survey on your laptop choice ASAP.

Dr. Woell also sent out a very important survey on your interest in teaching summer school.  Once we know your interest we can plan different levels of support and programs we can offer.

A History of Philosophy in 81 Video Lectures

https://www.openculture.com/a-history-of-philosophy-in-81-video-lectures

Thanks to all of the lunch supervisors and morning and after school lot workers.  You guys are helping things run smoothly in more unstructured environments and I appreciate it.   

Thanks to Mark and Melissa  for continuing our state testing with our 5th and 8th grade students in science this week.  I appreciate your extended dedication to keeping the students focused and motivated.  

Good luck to our track team today  at their first home meet.  Thanks to our coaches and everyone who signed up to work the meet.  

Thanks for continuing to enforce students social distancing. I understand how frustrating it can be as the kids continue to need constant reminders.

How and why to Introduce Visual Notetaking to your students.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-and-why-introduce-visual-note-taking-your-students

Team Leaders will be talking with you on your thoughts and ideas for the beginning of next school year  and things we can do to improve.  

The man who does not read has no advantage over the man that cannot read.  

Mark Twain

There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still 

Franklin D. Roosevelt

4-9-2021

 Thanks to Melissa LaMantia as we wind down on Assistant Principal Appreciation Week. I know we are all very appreciative of everything she does for our school.  Just this week that includes organizing the upcoming safety drills and the 4th grade student visit/parent night. 

The Academic Power of Friendship

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56979/what-the-research-says-about-the-academic-power-of-friendship#:~:text=Students%20with%20no%20friends%20%E2%80%9Creceive,of%20the%20journal%20Educational%20Psychologist.

Thanks to everyone for a successful first day of IAR testing. From the tech team providing support to teacher proctors helping their students and specials teachers giving relief, everyone pitched in to make it happen.  Please make sure you are marking which students miss tests each day so when materials are turned in we can tell who needs make-ups.  

Two types of Independence Growing Tweens need to practice.

Independence Growing Tweens

Thanks to Dan for working on different aspects of spring sports to make sure we have meets and games  that can be played safely.  

As mentioned previously we are excited to have our 4th grade students and 4th grade parents visit Benjamin on Tuesday April 27th.  Students will be here from around 9am-11am and parents will come for a presentation at 6:30pm in the evening.    Any staff that wants to come to parent night and help give short tours is more than welcome.

Including students in the assessment process.  

students assessment process

Julie, Erik and Morgan are doing an awesome job helping our students learn and grow.  I am so happy that we have such great new editions to our Benjamin Family.

Angela and Danielle have another great podcast to listen to.  Such great information!

Snacktime Podcast

Thanks to everyone for putting together the similar grouped class rosters.  This will help us down the road to identify close contacts.  Also thanks to everyone who helped get bus seating charts organized on Tuesday.  Continuing to work together and helping when and where it is needed is why we are such a great faculty. 

13 Effective Study Strategies to Help Students Learn

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/57644/13-effective-study-strategies-to-help-students-learn

Betty is securing a guest speaker for next Wednesday's district early release for our second EL professional development.  A zoom link will be sent out with the details.

Thanks to Kim for doing a super job in a very busy office this week and to Marcia and Megan S for helping out in the morning certification process.  

https://youtu.be/RcGyVTAoXEU

I can't wait for the Lucky Duck drawing today. Thanks to Sherry for putting this together, what a fun way to reward staff!

3-26-2021

 Thanks to Dr. Woell for arranging the Taco truck during lunch  Please make sure you get out there at the start of your lunch period.  I will rotate around the lunch supervisors to make sure you get to eat!

I know we all  wish Lauren G the best of luck as she begins her maternity leave at the end of the day on Friday.  Don't forget to fill out the baby pool to predict the baby's gender!

We will send out the remote student numbers at the beginning of the day tomorrow.  Quite a few families continued to move from remote to in-person today. This will also adjust the classroom desk numbers a little bit.

I want to thank the whole custodian crew for helping to get the desks out of storage, cleaned and placed in the rooms.  

Sherry, Angela and Megan P put on another great STEM parade with Sherr's STEM students.  The commentary was great and the floats and video clips were awesome.  Please check out what a great job they did.

https://youtu.be/-oAR2jhoNwo

Please check out the email Greg sent out from Janice and Lisa about funding opportunities for STEM/tech projects.  

One item that I did not address in my IAR parent letter was that Remote students will only be logged in during the class schedule portion of the testing schedule.  There will not be any expectations for you to assign alternative lesson for the testing time.

It was great seeing so many students in the building after school.  Between band practice, theater, art club, newspaper club, and sports camps we have had a ton of kids making connections with each other in hands on activities.  

Thanks to Angela and Danielle for coming up with a great way to entertain and educate with their new Podcast.  It was awesome.  Listen below.  

https://edtechsnacktime.buzzsprout.com/

Thanks to Sherry for coming up with this idea for staff motivation when we return from break.  

I hope everyone enjoys their break and has time to relax and unwind with family.  

"Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes...Including you." -- Anne Lamott

 "The time to relax is when you don't have time for it." -- Sydney Harris

 "Surrender to what is. Let go of what was. Have faith in what will be." -- Sonia Ricotte

3-19-2021

I want to thank Dan, Matt Tylk, and Bill for coaching our two week basketball and volleyball  camps.  It was great seeing the kids participating in sports in a safe way.   Special thanks to Dan for all of the planning that went into this and to Jen V for helping get kids checked in.  

Running a book club online for students or colleagues, tips.  

https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-manage-online-book-club 

It was fun seeing 5th Grade Team take over the anchor desk on the BB300.  

Thanks to Greg for putting together the IAR Training Wednesday.  Please make sure you log-in to your Pearson Access Next Account to make sure it is working and refer to my email about testing if you have any questions about the schedule.  We will start on Thursday, April 8th with Math 1 and  Math 2 tests. 

Some pretty good advice.

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2021/03/homeroom-my-kid-working-too-hard/618288/

Please say hello to Erik Campbell if you see him in the hallway.  He will be taking over for Kerry K when she goes on leave. He is in the building subbing and shadowing Kerry.  

The Value of mailing encouraging notes to students.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/value-mailing-encouraging-notes-students

Thanks to Jessica and Lauren for spearheading the NJHS fundraiser for the N. Illinois Foodbank and St. Judes Children's hospital. Buy a cupcake tomorrow to help a charity and feed your belly.  

 8 ways that you can bolster executive functioning in tweens and teens. 

https://www.edutopia.org/article/8-ways-bolster-executive-function-teens-and-tweens

Thanks to all of my Lunch duty supervisors for continuing to do a fantastic job of helping and supervising our kiddos. 

I am happy to report Lynette Wright will be taking over the reigns in the art room next year.  She is excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with Lyn the rest of the year to ensure a smooth transition.  I am confident Lynette is going to keep up the great tradition of an outstanding art program. 

Speaking of our art program and former art students The Illinois State Board of Education sponsors an annual Art contest for students. This year, sophomore Bella Wiehle won not only the High School division but also is the overall winner of the contest!

I have been busy answering a lot of questions from staff and parents on the upcoming transition.  I hope to have a staff letter and a parent letter ready by tomorrow to answer most remaining questions/concerns but just reach out if something is on your mind.  

Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference." -- Mark Twain

"The one who learns and learns and doesn't practice is like the one who plows and plows and never plants." -- Plato

3-12-2021

 Team leaders and myself are working hard on developing an IAR schedule.  The testing will take place first thing in the morning.  The specials teachers are working on some virtual activities for the students at home that will be combined with some asynchronous work from teachers.Much more details to follow shortly. Also just a reminder that that Wednesday Greg will be leading our IAR training.

4 reasons why Zoom can be exhausting.  

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/four_reasons_why_zoom_can_be_exhausting

Since Michelle is in the library by herself next week, please be ready to man the desk if she is teaching one of your classes.  

Thanks to Dr. Woell for getting proactive communication out to staff and parents about the changing guidelines and how that affects our school. 

If you read one thing in the blog, you might want to make it this.

http://kylenebeers.com/blog/2021/02/22/stop-a-letter-to-our-nations-education-leaders-and-our-nations-teachers/

Thanks to the master schedule committee who continues to work in preparation for our next meeting at the end of March.

Thanks to Dan Baker for working hard to get some intramural sports launched the next two weeks before launching the official spring season.  An email blast to parents and an announcement for students will be made today.

Helping parents with student engagement.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/rethinking-family-engagement-year

Please make sure you sign up for a time to demo computers that may be the choice for staff next year.  Refer to Angela's email for details.

Thanks to Betty for putting together the PD last week.  It has already had a positive impact on our school as teachers are turning obstacles into opportunities.  

Please take time to fill out the 5 essentials survey.  Next week I will send info on our students  taking the survey.  

Please remind your students about the NJHS bread tag fundraiser.  More details are available in Jessica's emails.

                    

At the PTA meeting tonight I was asked to remind teachers about the student incentive money and teacher wish list money that is still available. It's also a good time to remind you that the regular school year budget spending will be ending at the beginning of April.  

Please work with your teams to update the School Supply lists.  PTA needs them by next Friday so the order form can be sent out to parents.

3-5-2021

 As mentioned in my email earlier today we are very happy that there is a new member to the Turek Family Band!  I know we wish Matthew and Theresa the best in their new adventure in parenthood.

Better Break Out Rooms, Have a Plan Man!

https://www.edutopia.org/article/better-breakout-room-experience-students

I was excited to see Melissa, April and Danielle have their parent meeting to go over Theater Club specifics including in-person rehearsals and show opportunities, Jessica  having hybrid newspaper club  and Joe S having Chess Club last night.  The return of in-person club opportunities provides a great experience for students.

Thanks to everyone for participating in the lockdown drills this week, to Melissa for organizing them and to Frank and Tony for helping out the police by unlocking all the doors.  It is important to make sure the students know what to do and I appreciate the time you took to explain the difference between this year's drill and what to do in a real situation.  We will be having a refresher on the classroom emergency buttons and the phone intercom system.

Thanks to everyone for meeting with me on Tuesday and Wednesday and giving me your honest feedback.  I summarized the information and relayed your opinions to Dr. Woell.  He knows how hard you guys are working and appreciated you taking time to give feedback. 

Please make sure you have your EL Learning Meeting assignment done by the end of Friday.

Thanks to Kim and Ellen for importing, fixing and stuffing grades and report cards.  Your perseverance is appreciated. 

14 Books that Connect Student Readers with scientists struggle.

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/45253/14-books-that-connect-students-with-valuable-scientists-struggles

Please use your plan or Team time to take the 5 Essential Survey.  I am working on organizing a time table/schedule for students to take this while considering all forms of state testing as well.

So happy to see more students in-person as more families chose to send their students to school for the third trimester.

Super excited that we will have a lot of staff fully vaccinated after the day is done.  I will be at the high school again to help run the event but will be checking email frequently if you need help with anything. 

"Whatever you think you can do, or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, power and grace." -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

2-26-2021

 Thanks to Jen Harvel who set up a wonderful experience for our 8th grade students with Agnes Schwartz a Holocaust survivor. The students should also be commended for asking excellent questions.  If you wish to purchase Agnes's book "A Roll of the Dice" you can make a check out to the Benjamin Activity Fund for $15.  You have until Thursday March 4th to make this purchase and Agnes is going to personalize each book.  We also had permission to record her Zoom and will figure out how to make it accessible for you to view.

How to facilitate a remote socratic seminar.  

https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-facilitate-remote-socratic-seminars

Kerry's baby shower was super fun yesterday. Thanks to Nicole for organizing the virtual event.  I know we wish them the best as they take on the adventure of parenthood.  I also think it is great to celebrate together as a staff every positive event we can!

Just a reminder that the trimester changes this Monday. That means students will start new specials classes.  Grades are due to Kim by Wednesday at 10:00am so that report cards can be sent out.  We will also have a few  more in-person students as sent in a previous email. 

Just a reminder that learning standards need to be filled out for report cards this trimester.

9 Ways to promote equity in our schools.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/9-ways-promote-equity-our-schools

Thanks to the schedule committee for meeting on Wednesday and taking on the task of improving the schedule for student learning. 

How to spark intrinsic motivation in your students.

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/53426/four-research-based-strategies-to-ignite-intrinsic-motivation-in-students

Morgan M has done a great job of taking over the band program this week!  I am so glad to have been able to secure her to work with our students and will be a great asset to our staff. 

In the never ending drama of testing, the latest word from the state looks like IAR testing is more likely to take place this year.  Read below if you wish. I will be working on a testing schedule to share with team leaders and layout the testing window so we can be prepared if/when it is upon us. 

US Department of Ed Letter

https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/stateletters/dcl-assessments-and-acct-022221.pdf

Another article about how we need to be careful in how we interpret this years test results.

https://www.chalkbeat.org/2021/2/24/22299804/schools-testing-covid-results-accuracy

5 essential survey information will be sent out next week. 

Thanks to Melissa for sending out information about our upcoming safety drills and to the teachers for explaining to our students the difference in our lockdown drill this year compared to an actual lockdown.  

Jessica and her crack staff of reporters put out another excellent edition of the Tiger Times.  Please check it out so you can appreciate their hard work.

In person clubs will begin to launch next week.  Club supervisors, please make sure that you have checked in with me if you haven't done so yet and please make sure you communicate with your club members and the office staff on the specifics of your club as there will be a wide range of club options as we make this transition and it is important that the office can answer questions if parents call. 

I am happy that MJ's class is moving to a longer day 4 days a week starting on Monday.  It will be great for her students to have more in-person time. 

Theodore Roosevelt

"Try never to be the smartest person in the room. And if you are, I suggest you invite smarter people . . . or find a different room." -- Michael Dell

"As you get older, don't slow down. Speed up. There's less time left!" -- Malcolm Forbes