Wednesday September 30th, 2015

Thank you to everybody who helped with the staff potluck on Tuesday, and flexibility as students had their hearing and vision checked. We had great moms who helped as well.

Please help remind students and families that there is no school Thursday and Friday.

I love this thought for today. We all teach future leaders, not just certified staff. Every staff member has a great opportunity to assist students in becoming great leaders:

Tuesday September 29th, 2015

We have grade level teaming meetings today, and the hearing and vision screenings.

Soft skills and social-emotional skills are often items that don't receive enough attention. These skills affect everything else, and they are skills necessary for any career students have later in life. This is a great article with ideas. Many of the items mentioned are already being implemented in our classrooms, but there might be one that catches your eye:

Teaching Social Skills in Your Classroom

Monday September 28th, 2015

Duties for the week: 

     AM Bus: Lent
                  Fullmer
                  Triner
     PM Bus: Jensen
                  Hammond
                  Moulson
     Lounge: Porter
 
Meetings/Reminders for the week: 

   September 28th, 2015- Monday- Number Talks with Region 4 Math Specialist

   September 29th, 2015- Tuesday- Intervention Meeting

   September 29th, 2015- Tuesday- Hearing Screening 1st/3rd/5th, and Vision Screening K/1st/3rd/5th

   September 29th, 2015- Tuesday- Grade Level Teaming Meetings K-5

   September 30th, 2015- Wednesday- Eval Team

   September 30th, 2015- Wednesday- Principal's Lunch- August/September Student Leaders

   October 1st and 2nd, 2015- Thursday and Friday- No School- Teacher Inservice Days


Habit of the week/Classroom leading morning announcements: 

   Goodwin- Habit #6: Synergize

It's a short week, but it's a very busy week. We start with number talks on Monday. Rhonda Birnie will be teaching a number talk during math for every grade K-5, and also a resource class. Anybody can watch her teach, not just certified staff. This is a great opportunity to have her at our school.

All classrooms K-5 help lead morning announcements and the Pledge of Allegiance, and this week it is a Kindergarten classroom. We had first grade last week. With a little assistance, they did an excellent job finding their voice on the intercom. Here are pictures from this last week:

Pictures This Week

Friday September 25th, 2015

Thank you to everybody for being flexible during picture day. Pictures were taken quickly and smoothly, and we had great parents who helped.

We're always looking for hooks to increase engagement, and ideas to increase motivation and interest in learning. Here is an article with ideas:

Compelling Hooks

Have a great Friday!

Thursday September 24th, 2015

Today is picture day! Yes, we need all staff members to have their picture taken as well. We have parent volunteers who will be assisting, and they will come to your classroom when they are ready for your students. Pictures will be taken in the gym.

We have two fun activities for the month of October, exercising and reading! Here is a family note that will be going home this week, and there is information about the fun activities.

Family Note Front

Back Page With Dates

This article has great tips for managing stress. We also have several students who have applied for the leadership role of being an office leader. Let me know if you have tasks that students could help you with, like cutting and stapling. This goes perfectly with sharpen the saw:

Reducing Stress

Wednesday September 23rd, 2015

Please help remind students and families about picture day on Thursday.

We have a staff meeting today at 3:50 in the library.

This article is a nice overview of the Leader in Me for staff who are new. It really has been a great transformation at our school, and a blessing to our students. I love the sentence that mentions thinking about others. Students love to look for opportunities to help others often, and that kindness is what helps to build a loving community at our school.

Leader in Me

Tuesday September 22nd, 2015

This is a great article about perseverance. We need students to know that they can change where they are at, and problem solve strategies to assist with taking the first step. Struggles are good, and a learning experience:

Perseverance

Thought for today:

Monday September 21st, 2015

Duties for the week: 

     AM Bus: Owens
                  Osborn
                  Tahiri
     PM Bus: Warner
                  Anderson
                  Coleman
     Lounge: Ardito
 
Meetings/Reminders for the week: 

   September 22nd, 2015- Tuesday- Intervention Meeting

   September 22nd, 2015- Tuesday- Choir Starts @ 8:20

   September 23rd, 2015- Wednesday- Eval Team

   September 23rd, 2015- Wednesday- Spirit Wear Orders Due

   September 23rd, 2015- Wednesday- Staff Meeting

   September 24th, 2015- Thursday- Lighthouse Team

   September 24th, 2015- Thursday- Fall Pictures 

Upcoming for next week:

   September 28th, 2015- Monday- regional math specialist meeting with grade levels during block


Habit of the week/Classroom leading morning announcements: 

   Coleman- Habit #5: Seek first to understand, then to be understood


Here is the agenda for the staff meeting this week:

   1. Calendar Committee- Mrs. Lent
   2. Math Talks with regional math specialist- Rhonda Birnie


Friday is the last day to nominate staff for August/September Oscars. We've had nominations that are really thoughtful and kind. Here are the categories:

Oscars

Perrine school staff will be visiting our school this week.

Mrs. Simson has a new classroom blog!

2nd Grade Blogs

Several great pictures this last week! Students were beginning with the end in mind as they practiced academic skills, as they were developing leadership skills, and while having fun with their friends.

Pictures This Week

Friday September 18th, 2015

One of the gifts we have at Harrison, is our diversity. We have a higher number of languages this year spoken by our students. Every day our students have the opportunity to learn and have conversations with diverse students. That's real life and a great experience for our students. That's a globally literate student.

We have several interventions in place, and several big hearts and flexible schedules, to ensure every student has the instruction and lessons that match their needs. This article refers to ELL's, but the strategies are great for every student. Writing should be integrated throughout the school day especially, and we're always looking for more opportunities to integrate speaking and listening skills:

ELL's in the Mainstream Classroom

Everybody chooses their own weather in life, and they choose everyday. Have a great Friday, and look for the positives:

Thursday September 17th, 2015

We had a second grade student from Mrs. Ender's classroom as a kidcaster! Here is a picture:

Kidcaster

We encourage student voice often, especially with habit #8: Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs. Here is an article with a few ideas for establishing a culture for student voice:

Student Voice

Today is Constitution Day.

                          
                                                                              image: stjohns.edu

Wednesday September 16th, 2015

Such a great story. Education can truly change a student's future. The role of a teacher, any of our staff members, is so important. What we do everyday matters:

An Education, Multiplied

We have seen a large increase in parents/family members volunteering this year, both at school and at home. We are really appreciative of those who have assisted with cutting items at home, like box tops and classroom items. We even have students who are office leaders helping with cutting and other tasks. That gives staff members more time to teach and plan.

One new group this year is our dad's group. A little shy at first, but super excited to volunteer and assist at their child's school. Having grown up with my dad and grandma, I can still remember my dad coming to school to help listen to students read. Students on Tuesday were really excited as well, and this is a great opportunity to experience a positive male role model. Here are pictures that Tyler took. This would be great to share with families, your email distribution lists, and other forms of communication.

Tuesday Morning

Tuesday September 15th, 2015

Both the before school and after school programs start today. We have an excellent line up of activities this year, as well as a great opportunity to provide extended day tutoring assistance.

We had a great data day. It's all up hill! Our students often have a very steep hill to climb during the school year. A big thank you to everybody for problem solving and creating intervention groups for all students, and all the extras that went into ensuring we had fun and treats mixed in.

Thought for today:

Monday September 14th, 2015

Duties for the week: 

     AM Bus: Lancaster
                  Standley
                  Enders
     PM Bus: Garcia
                  Miller
                  Lent
     Lounge: Simmons
 
Meetings/Reminders for the week: 
 
   September 14th, 2015- Monday- No School- Data Day

   September 15th, 2015- Tuesday- Intervention Meeting

   September 15th, 2015- Tuesday- Before School and After School programs start

   September 16th, 2015- Wednesday- Eval Team

   September 16th, 2015- Wednesday- Once a month grade level teaming with Resource, Title 1, & ESL


Habit of the week/Classroom leading morning announcements: 

   Enders- Habit #4: Think Win-Win

We have a family note going home this week. September is attendance awareness month. We will be including the attendance matters flyer. We will also have a school spirit wear order form going home. We will have one more order placed, and then not again until January.

Family Note Front Page

Attendance Matters


So many great pictures this week. Most of all, we have happy and kind students.

Pictures This Week

Friday September 11th, 2015

Please help remind students and families that there is no school on Monday. We have sent paper reminders, and a phone call out will be sent as well.

We have a fun STEM learning opportunity for fourth grade students today. The mobile seed presentation will be at our school.

Fifth grade student leaders will be selling pencils today.

Harrison is registered for the annual Lights On After school event, on October 22nd. Ms. Reese is planning a fun family night, and this is with our 21st century grant.

Lights On After School

Have a great weekend!

Thursday September 10th, 2015

We have a lighthouse team meeting Thursday morning, as well as our new dads group. The dads group will be meeting in the library, and we have a group super excited to be involved and engaged with school activities.

We have an updated volunteer background check form, and it has also been updated on the right side of the school website. This will be helpful, as we had been adding the new information requested and now there are lines:

Background Check

What would we do without post its! These are often considered gold in a classroom. Here are a few ideas:

Post It Ideas

This article discusses new teachers, but it could be applied to anybody who is new to a job. Staying positive and being around positive people will truly change your experience. Add in the tip about not always thinking you know everything, as there is always something new to learn. Here are a few tips that are great to remember, for any new job or activity you are involved with. Being humble is important. We've all been new to something:

Teacher Legs

Looking for a new attention getter? There might be one here that catches your eye. I've seen several of these used in our classrooms:

Attention Getters

Wednesday September 9th, 2015

Staff meeting after school in the library, and we will start at 3:50.

Please help remind students about the pencil sale on Friday. We have fifth grade student leaders who applied, interviewed, are reminding on the intercom, planning the table set up for the pencils to be sold, and are super excited for this leadership opportunity.

This article is a great reminder with tips as we start the month of September. Anywhere it says teachers, just replace with 'staff members.' This article is perfect for everybody:

11 Habits

Great reminder for the day:

Friday September 4th, 2015

This blog post combines Friday, Monday, and Tuesday.

School is out today at 1:10. Any extra help outside would be greatly appreciated.

For next week:

Duties for the week: 

     AM Bus: Goodwin
                  Nail
                  Pauley
     PM Bus: Hammond
                  Fullmer
                  Owens
     Lounge: Matlock
 
Meetings/Reminders for the week: 
 
   September 7th, 2015- Monday- No School- Labor Day

   September 8th, 2015- Tuesday- Intervention Meeting

   September 9th, 2015- Wednesday- Eval Team

   September 9th, 2015- Wednesday- Staff Meeting

   September 10th, 2015- Thursday- Dad's Group 8:00 in Library

   September 10th, 2015- Thursday- Lighthouse Team

   September 11th, 2015- Friday- 4th Grade Seed Presentation

   September 11th, 2015- Friday- Pencil Sale During Lunch with Student Leaders .25¢

Future:

   September 14th, 2015- Monday- Data Day: No School 


Habit of the week/Classroom leading morning announcements: 

   Osborn- Habit #3: Put first things first



Staff Meeting Agenda:

1. Math Talks, Distinguished Voices Conferences- Ms. Warner

2. Student Led Fall Conferences- Interpreters- Mrs. Nail

3. Mandatory Reporting- Mrs. Jensen

We had so many great pictures this week. Learning, friends, leadership, and more! This blog post from the school website would be great to share with students:

Pictures This Week

We absolutely believe that all of our students have potential. All of our students have the opportunity to grow and learn every day. Here is an article about growth mindset with leadership notebooks. We need students to own their learning. Owning is the goal, not renting. Achieving an education is all theirs, not something to borrow:

Growth Mindset and Leadership

Have a great Labor Day weekend with your friends and families!

                    

Thursday September 3rd, 2015

Please remind students and families that early release on Friday is at 1:10, and that there is no school on Monday. There is a phone call out going out, in addition to the paper reminders that were already sent home.

The mobile seed survivor classroom will be arriving next week for fourth grade, on Friday the 11th.
This is a great hands on STEM opportunity.


Seed Presentation

Wednesday September 2nd, 2015

Please remind students about wearing colors for their grade level tomorrow, for the Thursday/Friday fun day.

If you know a 4th grader, which all of us do, this is a great opportunity for learning about the National Parks. Mrs. Sorensen will be integrating topics from the educators guide, and other ideas, when fourth graders visit the innovation lab this year during their block time:

Every Kid in a Park

This is a great article that reminds us how important it is for students to feel safe at school, as school is often the one constant and stable place for many of our students. Sometimes conflicts or struggles arise, and school is a great place to model how to appropriately resolve those situations. This goes well with Leader in Me and restorative justices practices:

Creating Safe, Strength-Based Classrooms