Sunday, March 25, 2018

Silliness

Silliness

BY MADISYN TAYLOR
Giving yourself permission to be silly will nourish your creativity, and is a good exercise in letting go.
Children appreciate all that is silly as a matter of course. Their grasp of humor is instinctual, and even the smallest absurdities provoke joyous gales of earnest laughter. As we age, this innate ability to see the value of silliness can diminish. Work takes precedence over play, and we have less incentive to exercise our imaginative minds by focusing on what is humorous. When we remember childhood, we may recall the pleasures of donning funny costumes, reciting nonsense poems, making up strange games, or playing pretend. This unabashed silliness nourished our vitality and creativity. We can take in this nourishment once again by giving ourselves permission to lighten up and be silly.

Too often we reject the wonderful silliness that is an inherent, inborn aspect of the self because we believe that it serves no purpose or is at odds with the grown-up culture of maturity. We play yet we do not lose ourselves in play, and our imaginations are never truly given free reign because we regard the products of irrational creativity as being valueless. Yet silliness itself does indeed constitute a vital part of human existence on a myriad of levels. Our first taste of ethereal bliss is often a consequence of our willingness to dabble in what we deem outrageous, nonsensical, or absurd. We delight in ridiculousness not only because laughter is intrinsically pleasurable, but also because it serves as a reminder that existence itself is fun. Skipping, doodling, and singing funny songs are no less entertaining than they were when we were children. We need not lose all interest in these cheerful and amusing activities, but to make them a part of our lives we must be ready to sacrifice a little dignity and a lot of fear.

It is precisely because so much of life is inescapably serious that silliness should be regarded as a priority. Through the magic of imagination, you can be or become anything--a photographer, a professional athlete, a dancer, a pilot. Whether you take hundreds of silly pictures, revel in the adulation of your fans as you make the winning catch, boogie down rock-star style in front of your bedroom mirror, or turn your desk into a cockpit, the ensuing hilarity will help you see that lighthearted fun and adulthood are not at all incompatible.

Week at a Glance

Monday - 3rd and 4th Math Benchmark
Tuesday - 3rd and 4th Reading Benchmark
Calendar Meeting - Part 2 - 4:30pm - Central Office
Wednesday - 5th Grade Science Benchmark
Social Studies Vertical Meeting - 3:30pm - TP Room
Thursday - Spring Class Photos
Friday - No School - Good Friday
Monday - YES there IS school next Monday, April 2nd.

Benchmarks

Our 2nd round of benchmarks are this week! For our grade levels not testing, your schedule shouldn't change at all.

For our grade levels who are testing, you will follow your normal schedules (once your students have finished testing)

Let's just make sure that in the hallways we're especially quiet with students testing all over the school.

Calendar Meeting

Part 2 of the 2018-2019 Calendar Planning Meeting will be this Tuesday at 4:30pm at Central Office.

PLCs

There will be no PLC meetings this week. BUT there will still be morning duty happening (as seen below)

Monday - Kinder ELAR (outside) - 1st and 2nd ELAR (inside)
Tuesday - 5th Grade; ALL (outside) - PreK (inside)
Wednesday - 4th Grade ALL (outside) - 3rd Grade ALL (inside)
Thursday - Kinder Math (outside) - 1st and 2nd Math (inside)

Birthdays

March 28 - Debbie Abke

Blogs/Articles





In Closing...

Our kids are capable of greatness and often times the biggest obstacle they face is us.  Despite what any of our own personal beliefs may be, many of the children of our nation marched this weekend and rose their voices. It was a powerful example that age doesn't matter.  And when you truly research history, children were often the instigators and instrumental in many important moments of history.

Sunday, March 18, 2018

We're Back!

Thank you to everyone who sent up prayers, thoughts, and condolences on the sudden loss of my mother this week.  They were felt, appreciated, and needed.  I know we have others feeling the sting of loss lately too, so I won't act like mine is any more than they immense pain the are also going through. But thank you for your love and support.

Week at a Glance
Monday - 2018-2019 Calendar Planning Meeting - 4:30pm - Central Office
School Board Meeting - 6:30pm - Board Room
Wednesday - Instructional Rounds during Conference Time
Science Vertical Meeting - 3:30pm
Thursday - Nesloney Out
Friday - House Games

Gradebook

Remember Gradebook closes TONIGHT at midnight.

Birthdays

February 22 - Kevin Haliburton
February 23 - Eric Ceballos

Calendar Planning Meeting

If you would like to have a voice in what happens with our 2018-2019 School Calendar please plan to attend the Calendar Planning Meeting on Monday at 4:30pm in the upstairs room 208 at Central Office.

PLC Time

This week during PLC time we will be discussing your plan to reach every student (struggling, on level, and above level) as well as your after school tutoring plans.  Please be prepared to discuss.

Morning CAR duty

Monday - 2nd Grade
Tuesday - 4th Grade
Wednesday - 2nd Grade
Thursday - 4th Grade
Friday - 5th Grade outside (1st Grade inside)

Blogs/Articles







Sparks in the Dark

Here is an episode we filmed with author Dusti Bowling. Dusti wrote the book "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus".  A gorgeous and funny book about a girl with no arms and the new friend she makes who has Tourettes.


In Closing...

Today, and every day, I hope we choose to find those special moments. Those moments that bring a small smile to our face. That bring a little light into our day. I hope we focus on those far more than the what we cannot change and the things we could choose to complain about and use all our energy on.  Today, here is your "aww" moment.


Sunday, March 4, 2018

Spring Break!

This is it! 5 more days until you can take a much needed (and deserved) Spring Break!

Remember what we need to do this week!
1. Keep instruction strong and engaging.
2. Keep your expectations high.
3. Smile, use kind words, encourage.

We can do this!

Week at a Glance

Monday - Nesloney Out
Wander Wedding Shower - 3:45pm
Tuesday - Staff Meeting Cancelled (details below)
Pilot Program Webinar - 3:45pm (details below)
Wednesday -Math Vertical - 3:45pm
Thursday - RTI Meetings (Grades 3-5 during conference)
Family Engagement Committee Meeting - 3:30pm
Painting with a Twist - 4:30pm
Friday - RTI Meetings (Grades K-2 during conference)
End of Grading Period

Nesloney Out Monday

I will be out Monday at a training for Middle School ELAR Students.  I hoping to bring back some great strategies for our 3rd-5th Grade kids.

Staff Meeting & Pilot Program

The staff meeting for Tuesday has been cancelled.  That was also the day we have a webinar scheduled for our K-2 (and Moore) teachers who volunteered to be part of a new Math Computer Pilot Program.  That webinar will take place in the library.

RTI Meetings

RTI Meetings will take place on Thursday and Friday this week.  Please be ready to discuss all of your TIER 2 and TIER 3 kids.  You should bring documentation on them (F&P Levels, MAP testing, Istation data). If you do not have the data you will be sent back and need to meet after school.

PLC Time

This week during PLC time we will discuss lesson design and our plan coming back from Spring Break.  Please bring one lesson to share with the group that you have coming up.

Morning Car Duty

Monday - Kinder
Tuesday - 3rd
Wednesday - Kinder
Thursday - 3rd
Friday - 4th

Birthdays

March 7 - TJ Longabaugh
March 10 - Maria Alcantara
March 11 - Todd Nesloney
March 11 - Brenda Parker
March 16 - Annie Walker
March 18 - Jeannie Robertson

Family Engagement Committee Meeting

Re-scheduled for Thursday at 3:30pm

T-Shirts

Many have asked about #KidsDeserveIt or "Tell Your Story" T-shirts.  You can get yours HERE.

Sparks in the Dark

Did you miss the #SparksInTheDark episode w/Brad Gustafson? Don't worry! Ck it out here:




Blogs/Articles




In Closing...

This week we have the opportunity to shower our kids with high quality instruction and love. 

This week I challenge you to be careful of your words, tone, and patience.  Several times over the last week I was witness to some words being spoken to our children that could have been chosen differently.  Words spoken out of frustration or exhaustion, but spoken also in front of parents who bared witness.

Please be cognizant of our tones with our children and the words we choose to use because so often our kids will use those words to define who they believe they are.  Speak kind.