Thursday February 1st, 2018

Next week is National School Counseling week. Our students and staff are super lucky to have such an awesome counselor.

Today is World Read Aloud Day. Literacy is a powerful tool. We get to experience every day the moments when children find their voice:

World Read Aloud Day


Thought for today:

Wednesday January 31st, 2018

Leadership Day is coming. You can feel it in the air.

Please help remind students and families about Friday Fun. Yes, this Friday is February. The theme is your favorite sports team, like a shirt or sweatshirt. That could even include CSI or Canyon Ridge.

Please help remind students about the slime sale on Friday as well. School store leaders are excited. There are samples on the counter in the office.

Thought for today:

Tuesday January 30th, 2018

The weather might be confused, almost like Spring during afternoon recess, but we still have half a school year left for learning and growing. Every day, every minute, is a fresh start, just like we tell our students. This post is a great reflection tool for all staff, not just classroom teachers. There might be one tip that catches your eye, or helps to reassure:

Thriving in Your First Years as a Teacher


This is so true. Everybody has moments with struggles, and every person has potential:

Monday January 29th, 2018

Meetings/Reminders for the week:

   January 29th, 2018- Monday- Leadership assembly 8:05 in the gym

   January 29th, 2018- Monday- Eval team

   January 30th, 2018- Tuesday- Intervention Meeting/MTSS

   January 30th, 2018- Tuesday- Principal's lunch with January student leaders

   February 1st, 2018- Thursday- 4th grade hygiene presentation- 2:00 pm

   February 2nd, 2018- Friday- Friday fun- clothing from your favorite sports team

   February 2nd, 2018- Friday- School store leaders selling slime packets for .50 cents each


Habit of the week/Classroom leading morning announcements:

   Blair- Habit 4: Think win win

next week: Enders- Habit 5: Seek first to understand, then to be understood


The pictures from this last week include leadership, kindness, learning English, STEM, art, and other learning activities. Ms. Blair's classroom visited with a classroom from Louisiana through Empatico as students practiced global learning skills, and we had the spelling bee.

The English classes for adults started this last week, and there has been an impressive turn out. A big thank you to Jenny for applying for the grant, and for the teachers giving of their time to teach. We see our students struggling at times to learn, read, and write English. Imagine as an adult in a brand new country. My grandparents took English classes at the high school my brother later attended, so I have a soft spot for immigrants. Leaders learning:

Pictures This Week


This month's Principal magazine had several articles that related well to our school, like inclusion and the arts. While written for principals, we all have an opportunity to advocate and be involved. Here are a few:

    Afterschool learning

   Restorative Practices and Behavior

   Social-Emotional Skills and Student Success

   Preschool is More than Fun and Games

   Poverty

   Engineering in the Classroom


On another note. What would we do without every person, every colleague, at our school. Everybody fits, everybody has a place, and everybody is an important piece of the puzzle:

Your Nine Secret Favorite Coworkers

 
Thought to start us off for the week:

                                                                       Desmond Tutu

Friday January 26th, 2018

A big thank you to Mrs. Sweet for completing all the IRI testing, and the growth by students is amazing. A big thank you to our staff for all that you do to assist students. It's everything. Yummy food for lunch so they are fed and can focus on learning, a clean building to learn in, all the positive check ins and a listening ear, intervention groups, and more. Thank you!

We celebrate kindness everyday, and this week was the Great Kindness Challenge. Students have been completing different acts of kindness all week. If you have a chance, there are several great kindness posters to read that have been posted in the hallways by students. Thought for today:

Thursday January 25th, 2018

Today is day two of Thinking Maps training. This will include 4th-5th grade teachers, and all the specials and content area teachers. A big thank you to everybody for assisting with items on Wednesday, where ever you saw a need. Today will be another day with several guest teachers.

There are extra handouts from the staff meeting on the table in the staff room. There is information about the upcoming plant facilities levy.

Our monthly Leadership Assembly for January will be Monday morning.

Thought for today:

Wednesday January 24th, 2018

Today is day one of two days with Thinking Maps training. This has been a great piece to assist with writing skills. The grades participating today are Kindergarten-Third. We will have several guest teachers. Please help remind students about behavior expectations. Our kids can be totally awesome, and then one new adult leading their classroom, and the student's whole world is out of order. Positive check ins are super helpful. Thank you for also assisting guest teachers and helping them feel welcome.

Thought for today:

Tuesday January 23rd, 2018

The all school Spelling Bee is today, and it will start at 3:15 in the library. A big thank you to everybody who jumped right in and offered to assist.

We have a family note going home this week. There is also a list of upcoming activities that will be attached. The list of dates has most items through May. We'll have end of the year field trips and other Spring activities to add later, but this is a start to help families so they can plan and attend the activities:

Family Note front page 1

Family Note page 2

Family Note back with dates



The world is already filled with plenty of negatives and divisiveness. Strive for kindness and positives:

Monday January 22nd, 2018

Meetings/Reminders for the week:

   January 22nd, 2018- Monday- Eval team

   January 22nd-26th, 2018- Great Kindness Challenge

   January 23rd, 2018- Tuesday- Intervention Meeting/MTSS

   January 23rd, 2018- Tuesday- Spelling Bee, 3:15 pm in library

   January 24th, 2018- Wednesday- Thinking Maps training for K-3rd and Instructional Coach

   January 25th, 2018- Wednesday- Staff Meeting

   January 26th, 2018- Thursday- Thinking Maps training for 4th-5th, Music, Library/Media Center, Title 1, Resource, and Innovation Lab


Habit of the week/Classroom leading morning announcements:

   Wilkins- Habit 3: Put first things first

next week: Blair- Habit 4: Think win win


For the staff meeting this week, our school superintendent will be speaking. He will be discussing the state of the district and the upcoming plant facilities levy. While the staff meetings are usually only certified staff, everybody is welcome to attend if you are interested. The topic is very much relatable to us at Harrison. We have an older school building, and information shared will be really pertinent.

The pictures this week are great examples of leadership. We have student leaders welcoming new students to our school, leaders learning, student leaders seeing needs and taking care of them, and a new fourth grade teacher.

Kindergarten has also been striving to using Istation and integrate chromebooks as a tool for learning. The pictures are great for staff to see flexible learning spaces. We have many classrooms and students learning with non-traditional furniture. Wobble stools, lower kneeling and sitting table areas, and different shaped tables. We are striving to modernize furniture as money allows, and these flexible learning spaces and furniture items are much cheaper than traditional desks.

Pictures This Week


Thought for the week:

Friday January 19th, 2018

We have our all school Spelling Bee next Tuesday, at 3:15 in the library. It's always a great event if you are interested in attending. The students love the support.

This is a great check list of items as we are starting a new year, though every day can be a fresh new start:

Proven Habits that Will Change Your Life

At the end of the day, I know I don't usually look the same as when I left my house in the morning. Learning is messy. Life is messy. Enjoy the journey and remember to laugh along the way. Have a great Friday:

Thursday January 18th, 2018

Student lighthouse team meets this morning.

We moved Kindergarten teaming and it will be after school today.

The Great Kindness Challenge starts on Monday. You can sign up for a checklist of ideas if you are interested, and there is a great video with an overview:

Great Kindness Challenge


Thought for today:

Wednesday January 17th, 2018

We have our building leadership team/staff lighthouse meeting after school today.

Please help remind student lighthouse team members that their meeting is Thursday before school.

Words matter, and you matter. Every person matters. This is a great visual you can click on to see it in a larger size. Thought for today:

source:@AngelaMaiers

Tuesday January 16th, 2018

Today is all about beginning with the end in mind and synergize:

* Intervention meeting 7:30
* Garden meeting 7:30
* Grade level teaming for 1st-5th

Let a rep know if you have something you would like added to the agenda for the staff lighthouse/building leadership team meeting that is occurring on Wednesday.

There is so much to be thankful for. Thought for today:

Monday January 15th, 2018

Meetings/Reminders for the week:

   January 15th, 2018- Monday- Eval team

   January 16th, 2018- Tuesday- Intervention Meeting/MTSS

   January 16th, 2018- Tuesday- Grade level teaming- 1st-5th

   January 17th, 2018- Wednesday- Building leadership team/staff lighthouse- 3:10 pm, rm #10

   January 18th, 2018- Thursday- Student lighthouse team- 7:30 am, rm #16

   January 19th, 2018- Friday- Grade level teaming- Kindergarten


Next week: The Great Kindness Challenge


Habit of the week/Classroom leading morning announcements:

   Schroeder- Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind

next week: Wilkins- Habit 3: Put first things first



Digital literacy and media literacy are super important skills. Our students get to engage with devices everyday, all day long. Besides reading text, student need to evaluate and discuss the text. If you scroll down a little, this link has a great visual to assist with teaching and learning these skills:

Critical Reading Checklist


Active listening is always a great skill to learn more about, both for adults and our students. Listening is more than just hearing. Here are tips and items to think about:

7 Tips for Active Listening


A positive school culture is always something we are striving for. Everybody needs to feel safe and welcome. That includes students, staff, and and families. The benefits of a positive school culture include an increase in student achievement, resilience, and other important skills. This is especially important in high poverty schools and with at risk students.

This link has an overview:

Certain School Behaviors Tip Balance to More Positive School Culture

This link has a visual with the 20 most essential skills needed for a positive school culture, like leadership and kindness. There is a handout you can ask to be emailed to you if you are interested in more information:

Positive School Culture Inventory


Students love seeing their pictures on the big screen tv in the school lobby. When they see themselves, their faces are priceless. They think they are famous. As a result, they love having their picture taken, because they know it will be on the tv. The pictures from this last week include several pictures of new learning activities. You can click on the pictures to see them in a larger size, and these would be great to share with students. There are also several pictures from after school activities. Knitting, positive affirmations, one of our new teachers, video production, and more:

Pictures This Week


Remember to breathe and be present. Thought to start us off for the week:

Friday January 12th, 2018

We have our Friday fun theme today, dressing as a snowman. We also have our candy sale with school store leaders.

Sometimes what is seen and heard in the news is shocking. Thankfully we can buffer our kids during the day with kindness, and we get to model how great leaders have couth. Thought for today:

Thursday January 11th, 2018

Please help remind students and families about Friday fun, dress like a snowman, and also the candy sale with school store leaders.

This post has been shared before, but is a great strategy when working with children who struggle with behavior. Children are smart, every child. They know if you care and are interested. Just two minutes can help:

Two Minutes to Better Student Behavior


Thought for today:

Wednesday January 10th, 2018

We have a staff meeting after school in the library. The main item is Istation. Feel free to bring a device and any questions.

We will also be have a reminder about the Code of Ethics. Copies have been made for all certified staff. We have a large staff and we have more classified and support staff than certified staff. It really doesn't matter your role. It's important for everybody to act appropriately. Copies of the code of ethics will also be on the staff room table for all staff to read.

This post is a great resource. It doesn't matter your role at Harrison, we all work with children. Every classroom has students who struggle with behavior, and even we as grown adults have moments where we just need a time out and time to breath. There is no magic solution, but it's reassuring to know that you are trying and doing your very best:

Extreme Behaviors


Every human being needs to know that they matter and that they are noticed. Thought for today:

Tuesday January 9th, 2018

Several yawning kids and adults, but Monday was an excellent day. Students had great behavior, and the tardy line was the shortest ever. Families were so excited to get their kids to school. Let's think positive thoughts and that these trends will continue this new year.

Today is Tie Tuesday.

With it being half way through the school year, please let the office know if you or any students need school supplies.

Thought for today: