Tuesday April 15th, 2014

Our school website usually has about 600 visits a day on average. April 10th was our highest ever, at 1123 visits! It is a really important communication tool. If you have something you would like posted let me know.

We have two young ladies in fifth grade who love to draw, and they spent their weekend making 7 Habits posters for the second grade hallway. Here are their drawings from a post on the school website.

7 Habits Posters

The Math-a-Thon assembly has been scheduled for May 8th. I'm not in a rush to kiss a pig, but others might want to put the date on their calendar.

9am- AM K, 1st, 2nd, & 5th Grades

1pm- PM K, 3rd, & 4th Grades

The school supply lists for Fall 2014 are posted on the school website if parents ask, under the school information tab.

Supply Lists

Positiveness and laughter are essential pieces to getting through the hard times in life. We need our students to know that too. Here are two articles with tips for how to include more laughter and positiveness in our lives.

9 Ways to Stay Positive

18 Ways for Laughter

Here is your image for the day:

Monday March 31st, 2014

Duties for the week:
     AM Bus: Bloxham/Dickinson
                  Kenyon
                  Sweet
     PM Bus:  Jacobson
                  Jensen
                  Webb
     Lounge: Playground Aides: Treanor/Anderson/Wilson

Meetings/Reminders for the week:

* Please remember that we are starting the fourth quarter. Please check the block schedule under schedules so you know where your students go for specials when we come back.  

March 31st, 2014- Monday- RTI

April 1st-4th, 2014- Monday-Thursday- Conferences

April 2nd, 2014- Wednesday- Eval Team

April 2nd, 2014- Wednesday- PTA Providing Dinner for Teachers.

April 3rd-4th, 2014- Thursday-Friday- No School Due to Conferences.
 
Please remember to talk with your grade level about who you are recommending for summer school. Conferences is the perfect time to have permission slips signed. Please consider teaching as well. 

Here is an article that helps remind us how to be happy in our role as teachers. As you read you will notice the same habits we are teaching students, like 'sharpen the saw' and 'seek first to understand, then to be understood.'

Surviving to Thriving as a Teacher

Here is an interesting article on digital skills for students.

63 Things Students Should Know in a Digital World

The school google calendar, school website, and school app are all updated through the end of the school year. As you plan end of the year field trips and special activities, please let me know so I can add them. 

Well, we are on to April!
                                

Wednesday February 12th, 2014

Please remember the staff meeting after school.

Here is an inspiring article and video. The last line is great to share with students: "Don't let your situation that you're in now define what you're going to become later. It's not where you start, it's how you finish."

How You Finish

Wednesday January 15th, 2014

Here is a video about 20 things we should say more often, with a little bit of laughter mixed in:

20 Things

Please note the starting time of the Monday training: 8:30 am sharp. 

Friday December 20th, 2013

I love this article. Having a positive attitude is important:

How We Respond is Our Choice

Here is an article on remembering to have our classrooms inviting to all students. It talks about boys, but could definitely apply to girls. We have some girls who want absolutely nothing to do with the color pink:

Classrooms

Have a great Christmas vacation with your friends and family!

                                

Thursday December 19th, 2013

There might be one item on this list that grabs your interest:

Web Tools For Teachers

Christmas time can be hard for some kids. Before students leave for Christmas break, try to mention to each in your class that you care about them and will miss them. Every kid at Harrison has a lot of adults that care about them, and they need to know that. Here is an article that goes perfectly with that thought:

3,000 Chances 

We have been very blessed at Harrison the last few weeks. People have donated brand new winter boots, tennis shoes, coats, and other winter items. If you have a student who could use assistance with shoes, please let the office know.

Tuesday December 10th, 2013

Tuesday is grade level teaming meetings. It is also the once a month meeting that Special Ed, ESL, and Title 1 attend. Thank you for you flexibility and patience.

Change can be hard, but it can also be exciting for growth opportunities. We definitely have several changes occurring in education right now with curriculum, assessments, demographics, environments, and others. Here is a short article and image with 9 items to consider as we approach each of those changes that we encounter:

9 Statements of Affirmation

This chart is from California, but it might be helpful when deciding which technology and digital skills to target when teaching common core state standards.

Digital Literacy and Technology Skills

We talked at WISE team on Monday about a mind shift. There is definitely a skill shift, but also a mind shift. Instead of starting with activities and lessons, going unit by unit or chapter by chapter, we are starting with the standards first. Then we determine assessments to help us determine whether students have shown mastery with those standards. Finally, we decide the activities and instruction. You may have seen/heard this from Wiggins and McTighe. Here are two handouts that explain this with the new common core standards. The second link has some fonts hard to read, but should still give a nice overview:

Understanding by Design Link 1

Understanding by Design Link 2