Week of December 18

Thursday Thoughts December 18 

 

 

 

 

 

At the beginning of the year, we agreed to stop making resolutions for the new school year and focus on one word.  I hope you came up with a word and have been able to think on it throughout the semester.  My word is "thankful".  I didn't realize at the beginning of the year how often I would focus on my word but it has now become a daily reflection for me.  I am thankful for my family who show love and patience toward me when I come home grouchy.  I am thankful for our students who come to school excited and eager to learn.  I am thankful for parents who want what's best for their kids and trust us enough to provide it.  And I am thankful for you, a staff who cares for one another and gives your all everyday.  As we enter into a time of rest and reflection, I hope that you have an opportunity to think on your word.  More importantly, I hope that you have an opportunity to relish every moment with your family and friends.  That is what matters.

 

 

 

Staff Spotlight

This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Poonam Bhavinani.  I have always been amazed that there is only one person taking care of the technology needs of a school; however with the district's focus on technology, Poonam's job has become all the more difficult.  Not only has she taken care of the laptop refresh, but she is also preparing for the highly anticipated interactive projectors.  Meanwhile she is troubleshooting everything from dying laptops to a malfunctioning visitor log in system.  If you are like me, when technology is not working, you need her to fix it immediately.  I can only imagine what is on the horizon with the classroom tablets.  With all of this going on, you would think that Poonam would be too busy to focus on the Technology Fair.  We know better!  She is full speed ahead with leading the charge to get our students ready to compete.  Poonam, like so many other staff members, is a one person department whose role is vital to our school's overall function.  She has dedicated many years to Medlock and she has no plans of slowing down.  Poonam, thank you for the work that you do to keep us "connected".   

 

 

1 C: Comedy 

 

 

 

 

 

 Enjoy your time off!!!

Week of December 11

Thursday Thoughts December 4

 

 

 

The graphic above reflects how I feel about who we are as a school team at Medlock.  We go through good and bad times.  We have ups and downs.  We work hard and we play hard.  During this holiday season, make sure you take the time to fellowship with and enjoy the people who are on your team. You can't do this work alone!  I look forward to spending time with you tomorrow at the holiday party.  Thanks for what you do for the team!

 

Staff Spotlight

This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Patty Neumeister.  Patty's energy and love for teaching and learning is contagious.  She is constantly seeking to improve her practices through various professional development opportunities and will serve as the Professional Learning Facilitator for our school.  Without hesitation, she allows her classroom to serve as a model for effective instructional reading strategies for new teachers.  Patty is a cheerleader for Medlock and encourages others to see the glass as half full.    Many thanks to Patty for being a team player and her ability to make everyone she comes in contact with feel special.

 

4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills

 

 

This Is What I Need From You

12/03/2014, Jennifer Nichols

 

As educators, we have a huge responsibility towards each child entrusted to us.
It is our duty to try our best to meet the needs of the students in our classroom and to help them become productive members of our communities. Sometimes we need to step out of our ‘teacher shoes’ and step into the shoes of a student to help us better understand them, since they are not always very adept at verbalizing their thoughts. Here are ten things you would learn from their point of view.

Teachers: This Is What I Need From You
1. I need to feel important.
I will notice if you always call on someone else more, praise them more, smile at them more, or talk to them more. I might not say anything about it, but I will think about it and feel less valued in your class. I will know that I am not your favourite and this will help to shape the way that I feel about myself as a person and as a learner. I need to feel like I belong in your class and in my school.
Even if I don’t always understand my academics very well, how you make me feel can be the difference it takes for me to stay in school and keep trying. I need to feel that I am part of the community and that I would be missed if I weren’t there.
2. I need you to care about me.
Please show an interest in the things that I share with you. You want me to show an interest in the things that you share, and I would like to know that you would do the same for me. Besides, the things that I share with you are important to me and help us to bond. Knowing that you care about those things will help me remember that I trust you and like you the next time I am having a bad day.
3. I need to care about my future.
I might not listen all the time or do what I should, but I want to live a happy life. Instead of making me feel like I am doomed for failure, please help me to feel like I have a place in this world and that I am worthy. I need you to believe in me more than you may realize. I sometimes tell myself how bad I am… please don’t agree with me, it would validate my negative thoughts. Also, don’t forget that I can hear you when you talk about me to others. Be kind.
4. I need to see past the work.
I’m sorry that I might not appreciate the ‘classics’, and haven’t been reading the chapters you have been assigning. That might be your favorite book, but for me it is destined to become ‘that book my teacher forced us to read’. Instead of making me feel like there is something wrong with me for not finding the material interesting, please try and teach me the value of learning about this instead.
Teach me to understand that it’s normal not to like everything, and tell me about the skills that I will gain from doing the work that aren’t related to enjoying the story.
5. I need to understand why.
I will ask you about the rules and why we need to follow them. Helping me to understand the reasons behind the rules will help me to see the value in them, and will help me to follow them even when I don’t really want to. When I break the rules and get into trouble, please help me to understand why my behaviour was wrong and help me to figure out alternatives for the next time. It may take practice, but I’ll try my best to be good even when it isn’t easy.
Sometimes I’ll fail. When I do, please don’t punish me in a way that makes me feel like you hate me, or in a way that embarrasses me and makes me feel ostracized. My punishment should help me, not hurt me.
6. I need you to protect me.
When my peers don’t like me and call me names, I need to know that I can come to you. Being bullied can hurt me, but it hurts even more to feel like I am alone in it. I know that you can’t always be there to stand between me and a bully, but I need to know that you will always be there to listen to me and to help me deal with things.
I know that you might not be able to stop the others from being mean to me, but I need to see you try. I need to hear you tell them that it is not acceptable and that you will not tolerate it. Please react when it happens in class, it will make me feel safer there. I don’t want to feel alone and unprotected.
7. I need you to make learning fun.
I want school to be an enjoyable and fun place to be. When teaching, can you please try to incorporate things that will be interesting to me? I love games, so maybe we could collect points or badges, or even progress to higher ‘levels’. It would be great if we could do lessons using games sometimes. You may never see me collaborate in a team better than when building a team ‘house’ in Minecraft!
Or maybe, if you can, would you bring in cool things for us to touch and figure out? I love to learn through play and exploration. I want to look forward to coming to class to hear what you have for us to do, as this will help me to build my future as a lifelong learner. I will continue to be curious when I leave your class.
8. I need you to be a model for me.
Actions speak louder than words. Please show me how you interact with others and conduct yourself in different situations. React to things the way you would like for me to react to them, because I am watching you and might reflect your behaviour when something similar happens to me. Don’t let me hear you talk about others in a negative way. You tell me that’s bullying and not to do it – it’s confusing to me when I see you doing it.
Above all, please teach me respect. I need to know how to respect other people, my school, my materials, the environment, and above all… myself. It may be one of the greatest lessons I learn.
9. I need to know that I can be myself.
I might not like the same things as most other people. The games I play and the stories I like to write might seem horrible or silly to other people, but they are not horrible or silly to me. If you make me feel like it is bad to like the things that I do, I will not stop liking them; but will instead feel guilty about liking them and stop sharing my ideas. Instead of making me feel like I am wrong or strange, please encourage me to be the best that I can be without having to completely change who I am.
Teach me about why things are considered appropriate or not, and how to judge what will be acceptable in different situations. You will have more success in teaching me how to embrace my likes and hobbies without offending others than you would in getting me to change what I like.
10. I need to build skills for my future.
Whatever it is I choose to do in my life, there are skills that I will need to be successful. Please do your best to teach me the things that I need to learn. I won’t always make your job easy, but I will appreciate your efforts when I am older. When I don’t understand, don’t give up on me. If you keep trying, I will too. Don’t let me get too discouraged by failure. Instead, teach me that failure is a normal part of life and that it doesn’t define who I am as a student or as a person.
Teach me to be resourceful. I will need to figure things out for myself in life. I might never achieve perfectly, but every step you help me to take now will make me that much more capable later.
I am worth it.

 

 

Technology Tidbits

https://www.gonoodle.com/#dashboard Great site for giving students "brain breaks" during class through educational and fun activities/videos. Sign up is free.  ***Coach Rogers this would be a great resource for you in PE

 

News & Notes:

FCBOE approved an increase in the pay rates - effective December 5, 2014 - for the substitute teaching position only (other substitute categories may be considered during the regular budget planning cycle). The new pay rates are $100 (daily) and $120 (long-term).  Please let me know if you know of anyone who is interested in going through the FCS process to become a substitute teacher.

 

 

 

Week of December 4

Thursday Thoughts December 4

This week I learned something about myself.  I have difficulty living in the moment.  I am always reflecting on what I should have done or planning what should happen next.  Some of you may be able to relate.  I am slowly realizing that life is too short to miss the many moments, big or small, that we can not get back.  I can truly say that I enjoyed our celebration this morning.  I was living in the moment.  I enjoyed the smiles on students' faces, the high fives that the older children gave our little ones in the hall and the excitement that erupted when the students saw their classmates on video.  Because today was a monumental occasion, it was fairly easy to live in the moment.  However, my goal, and I challenge you to do this as well, is to find something to enjoy everyday.  I plan to find a moment each day that makes me thankful for the day.  Fretting about tomorrow is pointless (trust me....it is) and reflection is good as long as you don't dwell on the past.  Thank you for participating in today's events in order to create moments that our students will remember for years to come.

 

Staff Spotlight

I couldn't let this week go by without recognizing Paula Bell and the many hats that she wears.  When we learned about the Blue Ribbon Ceremony, I immediately turned to Paula and said, "OK-what are we going to do?"  She took the lead on creating the invitations, programs and stickers, while ordering the banners and working with numerous other staff members to make sure everything was perfect.  When an unexpected dignitary arrived for the ceremony today, she was able to quickly create a name sign and slip it onto the stage without even batting an eye.   This attention to detail is how she has been able to win accolades from the County for her bookkeeping abilities and it is how we, as a staff, have been able to depend on her to help us do just about everything.  Lunch today is yet another example of how she takes care of the details.  Paula, thank you for taking care of the staff at MBES.  We appreciate you!

 

4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills

 

11 Simple Ways To Start Using Technology In Your Classroom

By Jeff Dunn on September 19, 2014

If you’re on the education technology fence, you probably can’t decide which device or app is the best one to really use. You aren’t sure if you want to jump into the edtech pool with Evernote, Moodle, an iPad, a Chromebook, or some other hot new product or service. That’s because there are an overwhelmingly large number of options out there. Seriously. Take a gander at the Apple iTunes App Store and click on the education category after you’re done on Edudemic. It’s an almost limitless number of apps that could potentially help you.
And that’s just the apps. There are so many more resources out there worth taking a look at. But you’re a busy teacher and you barely have time to use your own iPad to play a quick round of Angry Birds.
What if there was some sort of time-saving handy visual that could help you dream up nearly a dozen new ways to use technology in your classroom? That’s exactly what you’ve got with this fabulous graphic below. It’s designed by the folks at Really Good Stuff to be simple to read, understand, and implement.

 

Technology Tidbits
http://statisticsonline.org/subtangent/mathionaire.swf- 
This game is great practice for 4th & 5th graders because it provides practice on a variety of math skills.  It has the same format as the Who Wants to be a Millionare gameshow.
 

News & Notes

The playgrounds are ready as of next Monday!!!!  Of course there is a catch....your students CAN NOT play on the sod surrounding the playscapes.  This is the agreement that I made so that we could use the playscapes before winter break.  The orange fencing will remain up until February because it serves as the barrier to keep students off of the sod.  Right now there is only one access/entry point for each playscape (due to the fencing).  The playscape nearest the K/1 windows is for Kindergarten through 2nd grade students.  The farther playscape is for 3rd-5th grade.  Please have students play on the structure designed for their grade level.  You may also play on the field or have students use the benches.  Of course only one grade level may go out to the play area at a time.  Please see me on Monday if you have questions.