Monday November 2nd, 2015

Duties for the week: 
     
     AM Bus: Simson
                  Lancaster
                  Anderson
     PM Bus: Porter
                  Enders
                  Tahiri
     Lounge: Bloxham/Dickinson
 
 
  Meetings/Reminders for the week: 
   
   November 2nd, 2015- Monday- Principal's Lunch with October Student Leaders

   November 3rd, 2015- Tuesday- Intervention Meeting
   
   November 4th, 2015- Wednesday- Eval Team

   November 5th, 2015- Thursday- Lighthouse team meeting

   November 5th, 2015- Thursday- Picture Re-Takes

   November 5th, 2015- Thursday- Leadership Event 1:30-3:30

   November 6th, 2015- Friday- Friday Fun Day- Crazy Hair Day

   November 6th, 2015- Friday- Caramel Apple Suckers for .50¢ with Student Leaders

Future:

   Monday November 9th, 2015- Monday- Grade Level Teaming with Resource, Title 1, and ESL
    

 
 Habit of the week/Classroom leading morning announcements: 

   Lent- Habit 3: Put first things first



Here are pictures from the last week, with several from Halloween activities:

Pictures This Week

Friday October 30th, 2015

Fifth grade will be going on a field trip to the CSI corn maze in the morning.

The Halloween parade starts about 1:30, with classroom parties after.

As students are struggling to focus and stay on task today, remember the difficult situations that many of our students encounter/have faced at home. We strive to have opportunities for students to laugh, have fun, and be a kid. This afternoon is one of those days. That's educating the whole child.

You know when you can't find a file in your documents, or remember what you titled something in your google drive, well this cartoon might have the answer why. Have a great Halloween weekend!

Thursday October 29th, 2015

We've talked about the importance of integrating soft skills throughout the school day. These articles discuss the importance of items like social skills and empathy. Academic skills plus soft skills are both important for students to practice and be authentically engaged with every day. It's important for everybody, staff and students, to play nice together in the sandbox. We model for students everyday:

5 Needed Skills

Why What You Learned in Preschool is Crucial at Work

Great thought for today.This goes well with seeking first to understand. More ear time, than air time:

Wednesday October 28th, 2015

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

Quick read about another school implementing the Leader in Me. Belonging, finding genius in every student, and goal setting:

Leadership

Tuesday October 27th, 2015

Grade level teaming meetings with teachers are today.

Monday had great weather for field trips to the pumpkin patch. Here are pictures from the newspaper, with first grade students enjoying their field trip.

Pumpkin Patch

This is great thought from #KidsDeserveIt, and it can be a great reminder for everybody. We need students to learn and live this, as well as staff. This will create change, positive effects, and great results:

Monday October 26th, 2015

Duties for the week: 
     
     AM Bus: Moore
                  Garcia
                  Hammond
     PM Bus: Lent
                  Owens
                  Pauley
     Lounge: Sweet
 
 
  Meetings/Reminders for the week: 
  
   October 26th-30th, 2015- Red Ribbon Week

   October 26th, 2015- Monday- Second Grade Field Trip to Tubbs Berry Farm AM

   October 26th, 2015- Monday- First Grade Field Trip to Tubbs Berry Farm PM

   October 27th, 2015- Tuesday- Intervention Meeting
 
   October 27th, 2015- Tuesday- Grade Level Teaming Meeting

   October 28th, 2015- Wednesday- Eval Team

   October 28th, 2015- Wednesday- Staff Meeting

   October 29th, 2015- Thursday- Kindergarten Field Trip to Tubbs Berry Farm

   October 30th, 2015- Friday- Last day to nominate staff for October Oscars

   October 30th, 2015- Friday- Halloween Parade 1:30

    

 
 Habit of the week/Classroom leading morning announcements: 

   Moore- Habit #2: Begin with the end in mind


We have our annual Halloween Parade on Friday. We start about 1:30, with classroom parties after that. Let us know in the office if students need something for a costume. We always can find something, and several staff members also have items for students to borrow. 

Staff meeting agenda this week:

1. Federal Programs- Mr. Brulotte

2. TFSD Ed Foundation/United Way- Mr. Brulotte

3. Calendar Committee Update- Mrs. Lent


We have several fun activities planned this week for red ribbon week. Here is a schedule for each day, and a big thank you to Mrs. Jensen for planning the daily activities:

Red Ribbon Week 2015

This article should be titled 'Welcome to Harrison.' As we are starting the second quarter, this article gives a nice overview of what we strive for everyday at our school. This is a great article that relates very well to our school. Everyday we get the great opportunity to help create change with our students. We can't address academics without addressing the whole child, and each of their needs and situations. This is a great overview:

5 Ways to Stand for Greatness in Education

We had a busy week with student led conferences, a family night event, and several great learning opportunities throughout. Here are pictures:

Pictures This Week

Thursday October 22nd, 2015

Please remind students and families that there is no school tomorrow, Friday.

Please remind students and families about our Lights on After School family event that is tonight, starting at 5 pm. The three rooms for activities are the lunchroom, library, and room #19. A big thank you to Mrs. Nail and Mrs. Vandenbosch for letting us use their rooms!

As I have attended conferences this week, one of my favorite parts is the victory section of the leadership notebooks. Every student has something to celebrate. I have heard often about perfect attendance for the first quarter. We are working hard to increase attendance, like last year. Last year we had 161 students with perfect attendance for the first quarter, and this year we have 217 students with perfect attendance for the first quarter. We have several others who only missed 1 or 2 days. Awesome!

We will be having the Getting Ready for Kindergarten workshops again this year. This is a great opportunity for families, and a great partnership with United Way. Please share this post from the school website with families. The first workshop is November 9th:

Getting Ready for Kindergarten Workshops

I was in a second grade classroom, and saw students using google hangouts with their gmail, with the second grade classroom next door. Blended learning! This is a great real life skill that incorporates speaking and listening standards:

This picture is from Mrs. Mason's weekly STEM class on Wednesday. This is a fourth grade classroom driving their own learning as they complete a blended learning lesson. They had all the links and videos on the teacher's Science blog. They were all completing the same assignment, but had choice with the videos, articles, and websites as they clicked on links from the blog. Digital literacy and media literacy were being learned as well. Cool beans! The best part was hearing students ask if they could sit by students who needed assistance with reading, so they could model and help.

Mrs. Mason's Science Blog

Have a restful Friday after a long week of student led conferences, and a great weekend!

Wednesday October 21st, 2015

Please bring all box tops to the office. Please make sure a classroom number or teacher name is on every sheet. Today is the last day for the Fall submission. We have student office leaders who have been doing a great job cutting and gluing them.

We'll have the teacher dinner ready by 5:00 in the staff room.

The Lights on After School event is Thursday, with our 21st Century Grant. This is a national event to recognize the importance of before and after school programs, extended learning opportunities for students. Please help remind students.

You'll need a tissue for this video, and it would be great to share with students. This video is a great example of student leadership, synergy, using your voice and inspiring others to find theirs, STEM, and beginning with the end in mind. This is also a great video about the importance of education and college, and how those are powerful tools that can be used to help others.

Student Leadership

Great thought to share with students:

Tuesday October 20th, 2015

This is a great video about Halloween and inclusion of all students. We have our annual parade next week. Get your costumes ready:

Halloween Wheelchairs

We had three awesome ladies scratch lottery tickets Monday! Here is a great picture:

Great reminder for this week, especially as students are leading their learning this week during conferences with their leadership notebooks. We have high expectations at Harrison for all students:

Monday October 19th, 2015

Duties for the week: 
     
     AM Bus: Terrell/Sorensen
                  Mason
                  Jensen
     PM Bus: Sorensen
                  Sweet
                  Bloxham/Dickinson
     Lounge: Moulson
 
 
  Meetings/Reminders for the week: 
   
   October 19th-22nd, 2015- Student Led Conferences

   October 19th, 2015- Monday- Lottery Scratch It event

   October 20th, 2015- Tuesday- Intervention Meeting
   
   October 20th, 2015- Tuesday- 5th Grade Arts on Tour at CSI

   October 21st, 2015- Wednesday- Eval Team

   October 21st, 2015- Wednesday- Fall Box Tops Due

   October 21st, 2015- Wednesday- Teacher pizza dinner during conferences

   
   October 22nd, 2015- Thursday- 2nd Quarter Classified Staff Meeting (PRC/Preschool) 8:30

 
   October 22nd, 2015- Thursday- No School Kindergarten

   October 22nd, 2015- Thursday- Lights On After School Family Event 5:30

 
   October 23rd, 2015- Friday- No School for all students
 

 
 Habit of the week/Classroom leading morning announcements: 

   Standley- Habit #1: Be proactive

Here are several pictures from our Sharpen the Paw day. Please share with students, so they can see ideas for choices they might select for the second quarter event. 

Sharpen the Paw Pictures

As we start the second quarter, please remember to print the second quarter block schedule.

Friday October 16th, 2015

Here are pictures from the week.

Pictures This Week

A big thank you to everybody for helping with our first Sharpen the Paw day. It was a great success and students are excited to have another one at the end of the second quarter. Please continue to email pictures. The ones received are great. I will put together a post to share with students and families, like the following picture.

Many of our kids have struggles, but we have very loving and kind students. I saw older students over and over helping with the younger students, and demonstrating such a great example of leadership. Here is an awesome young man walking down the hall holding hands with a younger student, as he helped him to find the room for his activity:

Have a great Friday!

Thursday October 15th, 2015

Thursday is the end of the first quarter, and a very busy day. Then Friday is all yours. The first quarter has flown by. We all have a long Friday to do list, but also remember to go enjoy lunch with your team and colleagues, and sharpen the saw. Feel free to join the office for lunch as well, just like other no student days. We love when you join us.

Here is the schedule for Thursday:

   8:00- Lighthouse Team Meeting

   8:30- 2nd Quarter Classified Staff Meeting in Mrs. Jensen's Office

   AM- 3rd Grade Field Trip to CSI Herrett Center- Walking
 
   11:15- 2nd Quarter Classified Staff Meeting in Mrs. Jensen's Office

   1:30-2:25- 1st Session of Sharpen the Paw Activities

   2:30-3:25- 2nd Session of Sharpen the Paw Activities


It's all hands on deck for our first Sharpen the Paw day. Students are excited, and the activities are awesome. Please help take pictures. Students all have a ticket with their session activities, and they may need help finding rooms.

Please remind students that there is no after school program today.

Wednesday October 14th, 2015

Staff meeting is today in the library at 3:50.

Please remind students about our 1st Sharpen the Paw day Thursday afternoon.

Great thought for the day:

Tuesday October 13th, 2015

Today is Tie Tuesday!

October is Connected Educators Month. This link has a starter kit you can download, and there are ideas for every day in October. There might be one that catches your eye. I am so grateful for the online resources and learning I have received from other educators, both in the US and the world. We all have the same students and struggles, and the same very full plate of tasks to complete everyday.

Connected Educators Month


                                 
                                                                                                                                                       image: ascd.org

Monday October 12th, 2015

Duties for the week: 
     AM Bus: Porter
                  Garcia
                  Osborn
     PM Bus: Owens
                  Warner
                  Nail
     Lounge: Dickinson
 
   Meetings/Reminders for the week: 
   
   October 13th, 2015- Tuesday- Intervention Meeting
   
   October 13th, 2015- Tuesday- Tie Tuesday!

   October 7th, 2015- Wednesday- Eval Team

  October 14th, 2015- Wednesday-Staff Meeting

   October 15th, 2015- Thursday- Lighthouse Team Meeting

   October 15th, 2015- Thursday- 2nd Quarter Classified Staff Meeting (Preschool Next Week)

   October 15th, 2015- Thursday- Sharpen the Paw!

   October 16th, 2015- Friday- End of the first quarter- No School for all students

 
Habit of the week/Classroom leading morning announcements: 

   Fullmer- Habit #8: Find your voice, and inspire others to find theirs

A big thank you to everybody who helped with our October cookies sale. From helping students count money, taking orders, helping pass out and package, and more. Student leaders also did an awesome job!

A big thank you to Fred Meyer for not only baking the first batch, but also baking a last minute batch so every student went home with a smile on their face. We now know that cookie sales are very popular. A big thank you to Mrs. Simmons for counting all the money and depositing on a Friday afternoon. Just think about all those coins.

Please remind students that Tuesday is Tie Tuesday. We have a few of these days during the school year, and classrooms usually have a very different climate. For those who don't have ties, scarves are great as well.

Here is the agenda for our staff meeting Wednesday:

    1. Migrant Programs- Ms.Montano

    2. School Nurse- Mrs. Ward

    3. Fidelity

Thursday afternoon is going to be a really fun day. As we end the first quarter, this is a great opportunity to sharpen the saw and be refreshed for the second quarter. This is also an opportunity to practice social skills, soft skills, and have opportunities that students might not otherwise have. We have several great opportunities for students, with learning integrated throughout. Since our school is the Huskies, we are sharpening the paw. Here is our line up:

Sharpen the Paw 1st Quarter

We have several great pictures to share. I especially love the friendship leaders. They did such a great great job ensuring students had friends to play with during recess, so patient and kind, and a great example to their peers.

Pictures This Week

Friday October 9th, 2015

I love this video. This video showcases a Leader in Me school with similar demographics as our school, and it highlights so many great successes that we can relate to at our school.

Video

We have mismatched day, Halloween cookies for fifty cents being sold by student leaders, and it's Friday! Have a great weekend.

Great thought:

Thursday October 8th, 2015

Thank you to everybody who participated and helped with the Walk to School day event. We had a great turn out.

Please help remind students about two items on Friday:

1. Friday Fun- mismatched everything
2. Halloween cookie sale with student leaders

We don't always think about it, but customer service is at the heart of everything we do. Service towards others is kindness, and it's free. Look for opportunities to give daily towards colleagues, students, families, and visitors to our school. There is power in being kind and gracious:

Service with Grace

Great reminder that fits with service and kindness:

Wednesday October 7th, 2015

The big event today is Walk to School Day. Please join us at 8:10 am, and we have donuts afterward. Please make sure to thank our dad's group for helping to organize the event.

The ASCD magazine this month is all about emotional health. Every classroom has students who struggle with social-emotional skills. This infographic with the overview of the magazine has great reflective quotes. One is that misbehaviors are a form of communication. How true that is:

Emotional Health

Thought for today:

Tuesday October 6th, 2015

Here are the student leaders for August and September:

Student Leaders

Please share this Walk to School post with families. Please help remind students:

Walk to School Day

The culture of a school matters. Going to work should be a joyful experience, instead of just showing up because it's a job. We spend a large amount of our day together, and having a positive school culture is important. This article describes a few ideas that are similar to what we do at our school:

School Culture Matters

One new exciting opportunity this year is recognizing colleagues for the great things they do that contribute towards building a positive school culture. Often, their actions and words are not seen by others. They each have an Oscar statue on their desk for the month:

August/September Oscars

As we've talked before, students notice everything you do and say. We model everyday. This young lady couldn't stop telling me during lunch how impressive her teachers were. She wanted to fill out a Caught Being a Super Husky for them, and she did. Loved reading it on the intercom. School culture matters, and it impacts students:

Monday October 5th, 2015

Duties for the week: 

     AM Bus: Coleman
                  Miller
                  Standley
     PM Bus: Enders
                  Lancaster
                  Moore
     Lounge: Goodwin
 
Meetings/Reminders for the week: 

   October 6th, 2015- Tuesday- Intervention Meeting

   October 6th, 2015- Tuesday- Grade Level Teaming Meetings with Rhonda Birnie, Title 1, ESL,
                                              & Resource

   October 7th, 20150 Wednesday- Walk to School Day 8:10 am with Dad's Group, & Donuts After

   October 7th, 2015- Wednesday- Eval Team

   October 9th, 2015- Friday- Friday Fun Day-Mismatched Everything

   October 9th, 2015- Friday- Halloween Cookie Sale .50¢ with student leaders


Habit of the week/Classroom leading morning announcements: 

   Lancaster- Habit #7: Sharpen the Saw

As part of our school improvement plan this year, every teacher is completing at least one peer observation every quarter. We don’t have individual classrooms learning in isolation. We have a collaborative group focused on common goals, and we have the same students and challenges. Everybody has a talent/strength to share. This is a great best practice, and this article describes the power of peer observations:

Peer Observations

Here are a few pictures from the past week:

Pictures This Week