2-24-2023

 Congrats to Jessica and the Newspaper Club for another outstanding issue of the Tiger Times.  Had more students initiating conversation with me yesterday (to find out what my dogs name was) than the rest of the year combined. 

Congratulations to Lynette who welcomed another grandchild, Gavin Liam, yesterday!

Preventive discipline in the classroom.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-preventive-discipline-schools

The ELA Resource committee is moving towards a decision with a lot of hard work and planning implementing the ELA pilot materials with their class.  

Please get your newsletter articles into Kerri by March 1st.

Lots of good information in Dr. Woell's parent communication this week, make sure you give it a read when you have a chance.

Thanks to Melissa for planning our 4th grade visit with Evergreen.  4th graders will be here on April 11th (an adjustment from the original date of the 12th due to Evergreen IAR testing and a few other factors).  Also thanks in advance to the 5th grade team for being here for the 4th grade Parent Night which will be on April 12th.  

The County Wide institute is coming up soon.  I am still missing a few planning forms from staff staying in-house.  Please make sure that you fill out the google form today if you haven't done so already so that everyone is accounted for.  

How puberty affects the teenage brain.  

https://youtu.be/deNGkzUlhZU

Please take time to fill out the 5 Essentials Survey if you have not done so yet.  

"To listen is to lean in, softly, with a willingness to be changed by what we hear." -- Mark Nepo

"Every positive change, every jump to a higher level of energy and awareness, involves a rite of passage. To ascend to a higher rung on the ladder of personal evolution, we must go through a period of discomfort, of initiation. I have never found an exception." -- Dan Millman

"Our community belongs to us and whether it is mean or majestic, whether arrayed in glory or covered in shame, we cannot but share its character and destiny." -- Frederick Douglass

2-17-2023

 Melissa, April and Danielle really knocked it out of the park at the board meeting Monday night.  The students involved in the musical mini-production for the school board were firing on all cylinders. 

Dr. Salamone also did a great job with her presentation to the school board about the state of our special education program as well as future initiatives she would like to investigate with our staff and students.

John Hattie 5 things you need to know to be a highly effective educator

https://medium.com/authority-magazine/author-and-researcher-john-hattie-on-5-things-you-need-to-know-to-be-a-highly-effective-educator-or-8c32f7734212

I haven't received official word yet, but it seems like Kerri will also be placing the PO orders with the companies once they have gone through the approval process.  Please make sure you ask us if you have any questions about this process. 

I loved getting in everyone's classes this week. The work you do on a daily basis with our students is outstanding! #favoritepartofmyjob

Thanks for everyone who submitted a curriculum map for me to look at on Wednesday and thanks to everyone for your continued efforts on this initiative, this year. 

I want to express my gratitude towards the team leaders.  Our monthly meetings are only one small part of the job they do everyday.  They are truly leaders and I couldn't do my job without their efforts.

The Art & Science of using praise for improvement.  

https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-praise-motivate-students

Thanks to Jen H, Lauren D, Megan P and Michele D for the work they are putting into the ELA pilot.  The effort you are putting in now will pay dividends down the road.  

Please remember to take the 5Essentials survey if you or your class has not done so yet.  

Ethan Hawke with a Ted Ed on Creativity (9 minutes when you have time)

Thanks to Courtney for giving an assist to our check-in program with our two 8th grade students that she also has as students.  This will help maximize class time and I appreciate it. 

Great men have not been concerned with fame.  The joy of achievement that comes from finding something new in the Universe is by far their greatest joy.    William P King

Bad will be the day for everyman when he becomes absolutely contented with the life he is living, when there is not forever beating at the doors of his soul some great desire to do something larger. 

 Phillips Brooks 

The two hardest things to handle in life are failure and success.  Anon. 

2-10-2023

 Thanks to Greg for helping out with the tech aspect of our ELA pilots.  It is much appreciated!

Kerry had a comfort dog in her room yesterday which was a big hit with her students and beyond.  Also a reminder that her students are making soup 2nd period stop by to see the process or later in the day to taste the final product.

Sherry's kids did a great job with her sphero projects this week, adding voice features added another layer of creativity.

Please read Kim G's reminder about the end of the trimester and make sure your grades are submitted by 2-28 at noon.  Also thanks to Kim G for all the help she is providing both the Ad Center and Evergreen while doing an always great job for us.  We appreciate your efforts!

Strengthening peer relationships in the classroom.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/positive-student-student-relationships

Thanks to the 8th grade team for helping me with a list of 8th graders to attend a leadership summit at WCCHS on March 8th. This is a great opportunity for our students to meet with the student leaders of Leman, Winfield and WCCHS.  I will share the final list soon as the students will be at the highschool on that day.  

Thanks to Betty for completing the Access testing with our EL students.  I know it requires a lot of planning and effort.

Just a reminder for the March 3rd Institute.  Please fill out either the new in-house PD Google Form if you are staying at Benjamin on that day, or the District Conference form if you are going out.  I have already submitted our PD Plan with the DuPage ROE (which was approved) so people staying in-house can get PD Hours.  

This is National School Counselor Week.  I know that Todd and Nicole are not technically counselors but they serve some of the same duties and I know we appreciate what they do for our students and staff!

When middle school students spend a day in service giving back...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsVpdaZ5W-0

Please consider being part of the Tech Advisory Committee that Greg sent an email out.  We need a lot of representation but the committee requirements will only be to attend both meetings.  Reach out to Greg if you have any questions.  

Thanks to everyone for your hard work on the curriculum maps this past Wednesday.  Please come to me with any questions you have as I do hope to be able to show the SB progress by the May SB meeting.

I appreciate the work that Solly and Dr. Woell did for the ROE compliance visit.  Sitting with ROE representatives and answering questions all day on Wednesday can be a tiring process.  I will be following up with some staff on updates that will need to be made before the end of the year.  

Please consider signing up for HW club supervision.  See Nicole's email for more information.  

Thanks to Angela for sharing this MobyMax training webinar and for creating the Canvas Page.  Resource links can be found in Angela's email or in the links below. 

MobyMax Training Webinar    MobyMax 

"A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention." -- Herbert Simon

"Courage: A perfect sensibility of the measure of danger, and a mental willingness to endure it." -- William Tecumseh Sherman

You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice." -- Bob Marley

2-3-2023

 Just a reminder that the copy machines will be unavailable today (Friday).  Please use plan/team  time on Monday to get trained on the new features.  

Jen V and her 8th grade health students used some of their healthy cooking time to make some food for our local firemen for all that they do to serve our community.  

5 Fish Philosophy ways to avoid burnout.

https://www.fishphilosophy.com/avoid-burnout/

Thanks to Marquitta and Kim A. for the informative presentation on Wednesday.  Please make sure you check your check and get those time sheets turned in on time.   

This evenings basketball games were exciting and Varsity came away with a win.  The girls showed great sportsmanship and persistence.   

Thanks to Nicole for running the data meetings and to everyone for the important conversations around students and data.

Here is a summary of the break menus from Daniel Pink's "When" book as discussed at Wednesday's learning meeting. 

• Vigilance breaks — “brief pauses before high-stakes encounters to review instructions and guard against error.”
  • “Vigilance breaks can loosen the trough’s grip on our behavior. As the doctors at the University of Michigan demonstrate, inserting regular mandatory vigilance breaks into tasks helps us regain the focus needed to proceed with challenging work that must be done in the afternoon.”
• Restorative breaks — “If you’re looking for the Platonic ideal of a restorative break…consider a short walk outside with a friend during which you discuss something other than work.”
  • Something beats nothing — “One problem with afternoons is that if we stick with a task too long, we lose sight of the goal we’re trying to achieve, a process known as ‘habituation.’ Short breaks from a task can prevent habituation, help us maintain focus, and reactivate our commitment to a goal.” “DeskTime claims to have discovered a golden ratio of work and rest. High performers, its research concludes. work for 52 minutes and then break for 17 minutes.”
  • Moving beats stationary
  • Social beats solo
  • Outside beats inside — “Nature breaks may replenish us the most. Being close to trees, plants, rivers, and streams is a powerful mental restorative, one whose potency most of us don’t appreciate.” — Note: If this interests you, check out the benefits of forest bathing.
  • Fully detached beats semidetached — “Relaxation breaks (stretching or daydreaming) eased stress and boosted mood in a way that multitasking breaks did not. Tech-free breaks also ‘increase vigor and reduce emotional exhaustion.’”

Kerri has a great new bulletin board out in the hall to honor our February students of the month. Make sure you  check it out

Make sure you get any steam camp proposals to Greg.

Reflect Much?  You should!

https://www.edutopia.org/article/consistent-teacher-reflection-tips

Thanks to Greg for trying to coordinate our tech needs for our two ELA pilots with HMHC and Amplify.  

Please remember to take the 5Essentials survey when you have time. 

Using "Expert" Groups in your classroom

https://teacherthrive.com/expert-groups-cooperative-learning/

Thanks to Betty for continuing the Access testing for our EL students.

Megan P was celebrating World Read Aloud Day by using scholastic voice to have authors Claribel Ortega and Christina Gonzales read to her students.  

"The secret is planning your work and working your plan. If you don't know where you are going, how will you know when you arrive? You can't stumble upon your destination." -- Jack White

"May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds." -- Edward Abbey

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

Martin Luther King Jr.

1-27-2023

 Angela has done a great job with advertising the yearbooks.  Personalizing the posters with actual pictures of different students is a great personal touch!

Thanks to team leaders for scheduling the 5 Essentials survey for our students.  Also thanks in advance for taking the survey.  Your feedback is important for our improvement as a whole.  

It's fun time down in the old Benjamin Roller Rink.  Thanks to Jen and Joe for creating this awesome opportunity for our students and for teaching the kids precautions to keep them safe.  

Best of Luck to Coach Mejia and our Bengal Chess team as they play in a tournament in Barrington on Saturday!

Thanks to Betty for facilitating the Access Test for our EL students. Also thanks to Greg and Vanessa for getting the tech aspect ready.  

Hats off to Solly for doing a ton of work for the compliance visit also thanks to the staff members who helped me on some of the compliance items. 

Great article on student writing in the age of AI.  

https://www.edutopia.org/article/ai-writing-tools-middle-high-school

Thanks to Kerri for sending out the PO directions to everyone.  These are the same steps that Ellen had sent last year, the google form will now go to Kerri who can then submit it to Skyward for approval.

The basketball girls celebrating a victory (and 2 birthdays)!

I appreciate Todd making a lot of trips back and forth from Evergreen to Benjamin to help support our students and staff this week.  

I appreciate the lunch supervisors for assisting me in giving the sports interest survey to all of our students.

Please remember to send Dr. Salamone & myself the list of your summer school candidates today.

5 researched based ways to give meaningful feedback to your students:

I appreciate our 7th grade team setting up the reward trip today for our students who worked hard to earn it!  

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." ~ Albert Einstein

"The mind is like a trunk: if well-packed, it holds almost every thing; if ill-packed, next to nothing." -- Augustus William Hare

Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others.

Groucho Marx (1890 - 1977) 

1-20-2023

 Jessica and Jen H did a wonderful job of preparing and presenting at the NJHS Induction ceremony.  Their hard work provided a beautiful ceremony for the inductees and their parents while emphasizing the important work they do throughout the year.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the new in-house PD form sent out this week.  Please fill this form out if you are working at school on March 3rd.  Also, if you are going out please submit your district conference request form soon,  This allows the district office to consolidate payment for multiple attendees of the same conference and ensure it gets there before the deadline.

Using nature writing to improve student analytical skills.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/nature-writing-develop-analytical-skills

Thanks to all of  the teachers working on curriculum maps this  past Wednesday and the small group working with me on our mandated units of study.  It is important that our maps reflect what we teach and that we implement the MUOS in meaningful ways.  

Thanks to Jen V and Joe for all of their hard work in getting their healthy cooking units organized and implemented with students.  The emphasis is definitely on student safety and cleanliness but the results are still tasty!

Pretty cool article on the importance of building relationships...not fluff ...the better your relationships are, the longer and happier your life will be.

https://blog.ed.ted.com/2022/02/28/6-relationship-resolutions-to-make-this-year/

This is your weekly reminder to schedule your 2nd formal observation with me if you have not done so already!

I am excited for the upcoming girls basketball season.  Please sign up to supervise/work the home games on the sign-up genius link that Dan sent out.

I appreciate the job that Megan D, Kerry and Kendra do with the Bengal Cafe.  Having student volunteers help Kerry's class is also a great component to this life skills unit.

Big thanks to everyone that does lunch duty everyday.  Supervising our kiddos during recess and lunch during these winter months definitely keeps you on your toes.  

How do you engage passive learners.

https://teacherhead.com/2023/01/17/tps6-how-do-i-engage-passive-learners/

Shout Out to Jen Matthews! Being our permanent sub is not an easy task as she fills in for a different teacher each day and she has definitely shown this year that she can be flexible and give additional support whenever she has a spare moment!  

Thanks to Chris for keeping the BB300 coming three days a week.  I think this years crew all do an outstanding job of being engaging for the listeners.  Also thanks to the teaching staff for ensuring that the students are listening and not talking or doing other things during this homeroom time.  

Very happy to have Michael Miles with us again this week.  Watching him play and interact with our students is always a great experience. Thanks to Melissa for creating this opportunity and to Angela for capturing some pics.  

I have a parent letter ready to go for the 5essentials Survey, Greg informed me that the link for students and staff is already pushed out to devices from last year, and Kim is preparing the student class lists with their state id necessary to take the survey.  For all of these components we are waiting on the current link.  The survey runs from January 24th-March 31st.  

Technology is a way of organizing the universe so that man doesn't have to experience it.

Max Frisch

Drawing on my fine command of the English language, I said nothing.

Robert Benchley (1889 - 1945)

Silent gratitude isn't very much use to anyone.

Gertrude Stein (1874 - 1946) 

1-13-2023

 Kerri Snyder has jumped right into our office and has done a great job of helping out.  I have received many compliments from staff  about the fine job she is doing in her first week!

The Boys Varsity Basketball season ended with a loss on Thursday night.   Dan and Matt have done a great job of keeping the student athletes focused on doing the best job they can on and off the court. 

Thanks to the 8th grade team for facilitating the WCHS counselors this week with our students.  This is an important time for our 8th grade students and their transition to the high school.   

7 Attention getters to use in class.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/7-attention-getters-use-instead-raising-your-voice

Nicollett has done a great job helping fill needed gaps in our support this week and will work her way into supporting our check-in/check-out students starting next week.  Thanks to the grade level teams for giving us students to start this intervention with.

As we start the second half of the school year please remember to keep the structure and rigor our students need in the classroom and the hallways and other common areas.  Teaching & re-teaching expectations is how our students will learn and grow.  

I'd like to welcome Kim Anderson to Benjamin 25.  She will be making her way around our building to become more familiar with our school and has already been a great help at the ad center in many ways.  I am sure you will here more from her in the near future. 

Thanks to Jessica who gave a wonderful presentation on Wednesday at our staff learning meeting. All three pedagogies (chat stations, movement, and in-class flip) seem like they would benefit our students.  I am excited for you to try them out in your classroom.  

Now from Cult of Pedagogy here are 6 tech tools to try in 2023:

https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/6-ed-tech-tools-to-try-in-2023/

Thank you to Kerry K, Jen Vidic and Joe H. for attending the PTA meeting Thursday night.  Jen and Joe were also honored for their work with the PTA on the Fun-Run earlier in the year where the district raised $6,000 and the PTA decided to match those funds!  Great job guys!

Please don't forget staff on cycle: ...it is up to you to schedule your second formal observation with me and/or check in with me on your alternate evaluation progress.  Also, please keep checking in on your student growth progress.  Let me know how Melissa and I can help.

Thanks to everyone for the work that you continue to do in teams to help students.  Whenever I pop in I am always amazed at the dialogue and problem solving that is taking place to do what we can to support struggling students.  

Thanks for the work that was done on curriculum this past Wednesday.  One question that came up Wednesday that I want to share as I believe it would benefit other people.  On the standards section, don't just list the numbers actually list what the standards are with the numbers.  this makes it much easier for everyone when they reading the curriculum map to understand what is being taught in relation to the standards.  It is a little more time consuming when you first type it out, but then can easily be copied and pasted for other curriculum units.  Please let me know if I can help answer any question on curriculum mapping.

Resources for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

A collection of lesson plans, curricula, and multimedia resources for teaching the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

 https://www.edutopia.org/article/resources-martin-luther-king-jr-day-matt-davis

I know that some of the March 4th County-Wide PD opportunities are opening up.  You do have permission to attend an out of district conference.  I know many of these are free or minimal cost.  Please see me before you register as we need to do two things:

1.  have an accurate account of where people will be on this day

2.  Figure out the best method of payment for those that charge.  Many conferences have different procedures for registration and if we have multiple people going to the same conference we want to consolidate payment as much as possible.  

All people going out of district need to fill out the conference request form regardless if the conference costs money or not

Staff that is staying in-house I will send you a form that you will need to fill out with your agenda for the day.  This will allow me to request PD hours for the day with the ROE. Evergreen will be doing the same. Please see me if you have any questions.  

"Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well." -- Voltaire

"By walking, I found out where I was going." -- Irving Layton

"Make small commitments and keep them. Be a light, not a judge. Be a model, not a critic. Be a part of the solution, not the problem." -- Stephen Covey