Week 9 (part 2)

Happy National Dictionary Day

October 18 - Grade window closes @ Midnight
October 19 - Parent Teacher Conferences
October 20 - Cindy Tanner - Birthday
October 21 - Unity Day (wear orange)
October 22 - Wings Party
October 23 - No School

October 26 - Collaboration Day
October 26 - Board Work Session
October 29 - Karen Emmons Birthday
October 31 - Halloween (on a Saturday!!!)

November 1 - Daylight Savings Time (Fall Back)
November 1 - Suzanne Byford - Birthday

November 7 - Jamie Richardson - Birthday

November 10 - Julie Withrow - Birthday

November 10 - 6th grade collaboration day

November 11 - Veteran's Day

November 11 - Faculty Meeting

November 12 - 5th grade collaboration day

On Monday, we will be providing dinner for everyone. There will be some cold cut combo subs from Subway, or some BBQ from Dexter's BBQ. We will have chips and bottled water. 

I'm sure I don't need to give you any tips on handling parent teacher conferences, but if you need Angie or I to attend any, please let us know. Otherwise we will be sitting around eating BBQ and sandwiches:) 

Don't forget to use the "silent mule" as your nonverbal cue for getting quiet. It works! We used it at the Beta meeting on Tuesday and the kids recognized it. Their siblings recognized it. Some parents recognized it. And, in case you didn't know, Cindy Tanner is a master Silent Muler. She had the whole place quiet in seconds.

Be consistent when teaching your students to check other students. If teachers do it differently in every room, then our students have multiple sets of rules to follow and that can be confusing. They already have a set for home and a set for school. Let's not make that any harder. Use the tools from CKH.

I have a problem. Some of you have it, too. It's my phone. I am constantly checking it and responding to emails or texts and sometimes I forget that there are actual living people right here in front of me. Part of what makes this staff great is that we are "there" for each other. The problem comes when we are in a conversation with a live person and our phone buzzes. We immediately drop the live person and start to respond to the buzz. We have to be present with each other and listen to each other. Take an intereset in each other. If we don't we run the risk of destroying valuable relationships.

With that being said, I know that phones are used as part of the job (email, text, class dojo, pictures, etc), and believe me, I will be using mine as much as anyone. But, I am going to make an effort to not use it when I'm visiting with you so that I can be present and engaged. I hope you will do the same with each other.

Check out this blog post from the Flippen Group. The video is excellent. Flippen Blog

"They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." 

Famous Quote by Andy Warhol