Baby Steps

I have been reminded of the importance of taking baby steps and that I can't expect huge changes and great things over night.  One of our colleagues....a very wise colleague....told me that "they are children after all".  Boy did I need that reminder.  They deserve the time and our patience as they grow into amazing leaders.  They deserve the opportunity to learn and a safe environment in which they can make mistakes along the way knowing that there are caring adults who will help guide them in the right direction.  I believe that our kids will "get it".  I believe in them, and I believe they have a desire to be leaders.  I have heard from many of you those daily stories showing us that they are getting it, and that it does matter to them.  Please keep up the great work.  I want our school to be different.  I want us to be know by the way in which our students perform, behave, and communicate.  There is, afterall, a leader in each of them.  Though the transformation may not be overnight, baby steps are still heading in the right direction!!

Next week's events:

Monday, October 1:  5th Grade Camp
Tuesday, October 2:  5th Grade Camp
Tuesday, October 2:  6:30 p.m. PTA Meeting
Wednesday, October 3:  5th Grade Camp
Wednesday, October 3:  Walk to School Day
Wednesday, October 3:  Student Count Day

I will do an assembly either Thursday or Friday for grades 3-5.

Tuesday, October 9:  MEAP Testing begins

Leader in Me Lighthouse Team:  Please let me know if you are interested in being on the Lighthouse Team for our school.  This will include some extra training and meetings as the leaders of leaders.  Our first Lighthouse Team training day will be Thursday, November 1, and our Implementation Training will be Friday, November 2.

Quote:  "Excellent teachers move ordinary students to do extraordinary things." @Principal_EL  - This is a perfect description of each of you!

Article packed full of great tips and things to remember and think about

10 Success Principles we often forget


 Chart of sentence starters to help students make connections:

Bulletin board for student book recommendations:

Kindness Video....Please take 5 minutes to watch this and share it with your students.  How might we do something like this in our school?  I'm imagining a great Lip Dub modeling this throughout the building!!!  We truly never know how far one simple act of kindness can reach.

Every Day a Friday

I am not a morning person. I never have been, and chances are I never will be. There is just something to be said for lying in a comfy bed in complete peacefulness. Most mornings when my alarm goes off, I hit the snooze button a few times before I face the reality that I have to get up and get started for the day. On Friday, however, I noticed I did not follow my usual routine. My alarm went off, and instead of hitting snooze, I turned off my alarm and got up to get ready. It was Friday, and I knew that it was the last work day before the weekend. I was ready to get started for the day so that my weekend could begin.

Does this sound familiar to you? Even if you are a morning person, is your attitude about getting ready for work slightly different on Friday than it is Monday through Thursday? Have you ever gone to work on a Friday thinking "Woo Hoo! It is Friday! I can make it!" On Friday when you enter the school doors, you are often greeted with smiles and at least one or two colleagues remind you, "TGIF!" as you walk to your classroom. Most Fridays, the aura of a school or workplace is different than it is the other days of the week. It is happier, more upbeat; you see more smiles and feel more energy as you walk through the halls. Why is this? What is it about Friday that can change the atmosphere of a building and the attitudes of those inside?  I actually had a student comment on Friday, "Ms. Haney is in a great mood."  She made me wonder what mood I portray the rest of the week.

The same example goes for Monday, only it is the reverse. Think about walking into school on a Monday morning. Chances are you will be greeted by someone asking if you had a nice weekend, or others telling you the events of their weekend. However, chances are also likely that someone will say, "It is only Monday!" or "Is it Friday yet?" Some teachers run around Monday mornings getting last minute things together for their class, and others spend time visiting with their colleagues about what the week holds. Thankfully, we work in a building where you still see smiles and happy people, but I think many would agree with me that the atmosphere on a Monday is different than it is on Friday.  In Joel Olsteen's book, Every Day a Friday, he states that studies have shown that there are more heart attacks on Monday than on any other day.  So many people just decide that Monday is a stressed-out day. 
In reflecting on my "Friday behavior" I came to the conclusion that I need to have this behavior every day. Wouldn't it be nice to go to work and have every day be Friday? Imagine the impact we would have on our students if we had "Friday behavior" every day of the week? Our attitudes and behaviors are contagious and impact our students in ways we don't even realize. If we are able to tell such a difference in atmosphere on Fridays, so can our students.

As educators, our attitude impacts students, colleagues, and parents every day. We don't get the choice to only have school on Fridays. We have school five days a week. We do, however, get to choose the attitude we have on the days we are there. We can be proactive!  Maybe we should try to go in on a Monday with the "TGIM" attitude and see where that gets us. I think if all of us went by this, our school atmosphere may be a little more welcoming and the effect of this positive energy on students could only help lead to great things.

Calender Items:

Wednesday, September 26:  8:00 Leader in Me Principal meeting
Monday, October 1 - Wednesday, October 3:    5th Grade Camp
Tuesday, October 2 - 6:30 p.m. PTA meeting
Wednesday, October 3 - Student Count Day
Wednesday, October 3 - Walk To School Day

Articles with some useful tidbits:

A list of great must have educational posters for your classroom
Lessons from Caine's Arcade
Great resources for your classroom

1st grade Leader in Me Chant

A great song and video with a great message to share with your students.  "What I Am"

Caine's Arcade ---- Talk about letting kids create!!

The Leader in Me

 

Theodore Roosevelt once stated that, “to educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.” In today’s educational system it has become apparent that we have begun to distribute the focus’ of our teachings unevenly, leaving small room for character development education. While academics are important to the growth of a person’s knowledge base, the use of character education helps students learn how to become responsible, caring, and productive citizens. If we are to have a future filled with sustainable families, communities, governments, and economies, we must first take action together to mold today’s children into tomorrow’s leaders."

Thank you for your work in implementing The Leader In Me.  I believe it is important that our students continue to hear the language from all of us throughout the day.  I have enjoyed observing some of the lessons in the classrooms and hearing the discussions and seeing the activities in the hallway.  What other roles of leadership could we give to our students?  Where can we let them lead?  How can we help them take ownership of creating leaders in our school? 

In our assemblies this week, I am reading The Bucket Book to our kids.  I am talking to them about the fact that leades are bucket fillers, and that we want a building full of bucket fillers not bucket dippers.  Please revisit this with the students.  They, especially the younger students, seem to grasp the bucket filling idea.

This Week's Events:

Monday, Sept. 17th:  Constitution Day.

Tuesday, Sept. 18th:  6:30 5th grade Camp Orientation in the WCAC

Wednesday, Sept. 19th:  3 - 5  assembly at 8:35 - 9:00

Wednesday, Sept. 19th:  4:00 Zumba

Thursday, Sept. 20th:  Compass Learning Presentation from 8-11am 

Thursday, Sept. 20th:  Picture Day

Thursday, Sept. 20th:  6:30 School Board Meeting....I will be presenting The Leader in Me

Friday, Sept. 21st:  Staff Volleyball in the gym 8:00a.m. - 8:30a.m.

Friday, Sept. 21st:  10:00 Fire Drill.....please make sure your students are prepared

Articles with some great info:

3 Characteristics of a great teacher

10-ways-to-ensure-parents-wont-need-to-ask-what-did-you-do-at-school-today - Notice #10....A leadership idea

Videos to Watch:

Let's get them moving....nice brain break with a little rhythm

This one is longer, but it is a great video related to the "Passion Projects" we talked about at staff meeting.

I loved this video at our training.  7 Habits Song

Have a GREAT week!

Welcome to Parma

                          

 

This letter is given to new employees at Apple.  I can very easily see this being a letter given to new staff members at Parma Elementary.  We would never compromise on our work.  We don't come here to play it safe.  We are in the deep end!  Our work adds up to far beyond what we can even imagine.  Because of YOU, so many things happen at Parma that couldn't happen anywhere else.

It was a great first week of school. 

This is the opportune time of year to rehearse classroom procedures--showing each procedure the "wrong" way to get it out of their system and then modeling/rehearsing the right way over and over to build those "procedural muscles;" giving positive recognition to build those correct procedures.  When you focus on positive behavior, you will have far less negative behavior in your classroom.  

The start of a new year is the best time to begin building positive relationships with parents as well. Remember, every parent wants their child to feel fully known, fully understood & fully loved. If we can do this for ALL students, then we will be the best school in the country!

Parents are hoping you will find the uniqueness, greatness and light in their child. Don’t give up until you discover it for each of your students!

I encourage you to try to make a positive contact home for each of your students over the next few weeks, before you may have to call with a concern.  As you make these calls home, you will be filling 3 buckets: the parent, the child, and yours!

Finally, please collaborate & be kind with one another. I truly believe you are here at Parma because you are the best in your field, or have the potential to be the best in your field. Learn and share with each other.

Let’s make this the best year ever!

Great Things I Noticed Last Week and a few highlights:

*Classroom activities to build classroom community.

*Teachers practicing various procedures throughout the building--walking quietly in the halls, how to go to the lunchroom, how to come in from recess, etc.  It is so important that we nail down these procedures now before bad habits develop.

*I loved observing The Leader In Me activities throughout the building.  It is amazing how the kids seem to be grasping the concepts so quickly. 

*One of our students was hurt and several other classmates quickly came to his rescue and helped him to the office.  I love that our kids care about each other.

*Ryder, our kindergarten student with Cerebral Palsy was the Fox in gym class playing "What time is it, Mr. Fox."  His smile and laughter as he ran across the gym was....priceless.

*I had to talk to a couple kindergarten students about having a "scissor war".  One of them plugged his ears and told me, "I do not want to have this conversation."  

*So many positive comments from parents about our school. 

I thought this was a cute idea for a "Book Worm" wall.

Please take time to read the ideas, tips and explanations in these articles:

Tips for making it a great school year.

20 classroom management ideas

30 Second Video that made me think about "Seek First to Understand":