Parma Plan It: Thrive

Quote: "My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style." Maya Angelou

Upcoming Events:

Monday, May21: 8:00 Student Study Team Meeting
Tuesday, May 22: 9:30 Admin. Meeting for Sue
Wednesday, May 23: PLC Assembly grades 3-5
Wednesday, May 23: Leadership Day in Beumont....Paul, Lisa, Suzanne and Marti (can't wait to hear what they bring back)
Thursday, May 24: 6:30 PTA Meeting
Friday, May 25: 8:00 Staff Meeting - Mr. Smajda will be here to discuss the Special Education Mileage
Friday, May 25: 1st grade to Potter Park Zoo, 4th grade to Greenfield Village
Friday, May 25: 5th grade Common Core Meeting
Saturday, May 26: Happy Birthday Larry Gerth
Monday, May 28: No School - Memorial Day
Monday, May 28: My momma's birthday....Happy Birthday Patsy Haney

Survive or Thrive? That is the Question:

Common Core work--check. Student Growth info--check. Common Assessments--check. Write Steps--check. Observations--check. Field trips done or almost done--check. So you are working on your end of the year assessments, now what? At this time of the year it is common to say we’re just “trying to survive,” but I challenge you with the question...is it possible to thrive until the last day of the school year?

You have all worked exceptionally hard this year, and I recognize that it is no small task to maintain the same enthusiasm that you had on September 1st until June 8th. We have had many celebrations this year watching our students grow (while we’ve been growing professionally), yet I’m sure you can also each identify disappointments or set-backs that can wear you down. In addition, I’m sure your end of year to-do lists are just as long as mine. It is easy to just count this year as done and start making grand plans for next year; however, we still have 3 weeks to continue making progress with our students. Remember that the more you stray from your routine/expectations with students or count down the days, the more they will too.

So, as we make this final stretch of the school year, I challenge you to not just focus on getting things done. Instead, enjoy the final stretch with your students as you prepare them for the next grade level. Focus on celebrating the successes of the year with them and with each other as colleagues. How we finish is just as important as how we begin. Thrive, and do so with passion, compassion, humor and style!

Highlights this Week:

A favorite this week for me was a first grader telling me after dancing outside during lunch, "Ms. Haney, you are the best Ms. Haney ever."
Michigan Breakfast was a huge hit. I love seeing our kids enjoying pancakes and breakfast.
Our community including parents, firefighters from Parma and Spring Arbor and the Sheriff Department spending time with our kids and cooking and serving them breakfast.
We turned the speakers outside at the end of lunch and danced in the back parking lot....good times!
I enjoyed the professional discussion regarding spelling with grades k - 3.
Casey Patterson got enough diapers to get her through at least the first month! Wow...that is a lot of diapers...and poop!
I enjoyed sharing with the board our "fame" in the new DuFour book. Yes, we should be proud!
I was reading with 4th graders, and they asked for more time because they were "into their books." Gotta love that!!!
Your reaction to Paul's presentation at our staff meeting this Friday was by far my favorite moment this week. Of course we are all on board, it is what is best for our kids, but I still get chills when I am in that moment and see and hear your response!

Articles to Read:

Recapturing the last days of school
How To for your Ipad

Neat Ideas Discovered on Pinterest
(let me know if you find something you want me to share!)


Learn more about math journals in this post.

Learn how this is used in a 1st grade classroom in this post.


Click here to get a list of Brain Breaks to use in your classroom

Videos Worth Your Time:

If you are not familiar with the Ted Ed website, this is a great video to watch and get some ideas on how it could be used in your classroom:

This weeks assembly is with grades 3-5. I plan to talk about random acts of kindness and doing for others. Here are a couple videos I plan to share with them. Yes, I wish he was buying Pepsi instead:

This one got me thinking. What if every now and then we lined the sidewalk down Elizabeth in the morning with signs like these, or held signs like these at the end of the school day every now and then as the buses pulled out. It wouldn't have to be every one every time, but maybe a few of us randomly. Hmm.....