Friday Focus - May 31, 2013

• It's hard to believe that next week is the last week of school!  Where has the time gone?
• 5th Grade has a lot going on next week: Brain Bowl on Monday, Autograph Breakfast and Talent show on Tuesday, Celebration Party on Wednesday, and Recognition Ceremony on Thursday.  
• Next Thursday is an Early Release day as well as the last day of school.
• Teachers, please make sure that you are completing the EOY Checklist.

Quote of the Week - "Now this is not the end.  It is not even the beginning of the end.  But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." - Winston Churchill

Friday Focus - May 24, 2013

• No School on Monday!  Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend!
• Report cards are due to team leaders on Tuesday and to administration on Thursday.
• Terrific Kids assembly at 8:15 on Tuesday.
• Twin Day is next Wednesday.
• Honor Roll assemblies for 3rd and 4th grade are next Friday - 3rd at 8:15 and 4th at 9:00.
• There will be a Math Superstars Popsicle Party next Friday at 1:15 in the cafeteria.

Quote of the Week - “Be happy in the moment, that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more." - Mother Teresa

Friday Focus - May 17, 2013

• Ronald McDonald Night is next Monday from 5:00 until 7:00 PM.
• Birthday Table is Tuesday.
• The Media Center will be closed on Tuesday as we have an Assistant Principals meeting.  Please be aware that the Assistant Principals and our Director, Mr. Narkier, might be coming around to your classrooms for walkththroughs.
• Wednesday is Pajama Day.  
• Service Club Field Trip to the Magic Kingdom is next Thursday.
• Next Friday is an Employee Planning Day. 

Quote of the Week - "The more light you allow within you, the brighter the world you live in will be." - Shakti Gawain

Article of the Week - 10 Reasons to Try 20 Time in the Classroom  Interesting concept.  Thank you to Mrs. Cary for sharing!  What do you think?  Choice = higher student engagement. 

Friday Focus - May 10, 2013

• Staff Appreciation Luncheon is next Thursday in the Music Room.
• Make Your Own Sundae next Wednesday at 2:15 in the Media Center.  
• Two school tours next week - a regular school tour on Thursday and a Kindergarten tour on Friday.
• PLCs are scheduled for next Thursday afternoon.
• Honor Roll names are due to Ms. Tusa and Terrific Kids names are due to me next Friday.

Quote of the Week - "Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned."  Let it go.


Article of the Week - Learning Relationships  This is a good article for self-reflection.  Is it true that kids can't learn from teachers they don't like?

Friday Focus - May 3, 2013

 

• Team Leader Day next Wednesday.
• We will have two school rehearsals for our Beauty and the Beast show, both at 12:45 in the cafeteria: K - 2 on Thursday and 3 - 5 on Friday.  The parent performance will be on Friday at 6:00.    
• We have a Kindergarten tour next Friday at 8:15.  

Quote of the Week - "The more you are motivated by love, the more fearless and free your action will be." - Dalai Lama. 

Article of the Week - Eight Things Skilled Teachers Think, Say, and Do  Good article for self-reflection. 

Fridy Focus - April 26, 2013

• Our Spring Book Fair continues until next Wednesday.
• Honor Roll assemblies are on Monday: 5th grade at 8:15, 3rd grade at 9:00, and 4th grade at 9:45.
• Super Citizens' Ceremony is on Tuesday and Terrific Kids Assembly on Wednesday.
• SAC and PTA meetings are next Thursday evening.
• Interim Reports go home on Thursday.
• Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast is on Friday at 8:15 AM.
• Next Friday is our AR Celebration Day.

Article of the Week - Now that FCAT is over, how about a look into how we might assess creativity?  What do you think?  Is it Possible to Measure Creativity?  How about a rubric for that same purpose?  Creativity Rubric

Video of the Week - Reasoning About Multiplication and Division  How do the students learn from each other?  How does the teacher give the students time to think through their ideas?  

Quote of the Week - In honor of Shakespeare's birthday this week - "Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none."  Sounds about right to me.

Friday Focus - April 19, 2013

• Please remember that we are testing the 5th grade students in the Media Center next week, Monday through Thursday.  The Media Center will be closed and the main hallway will not be accessible.  Please utilize the cafeteria and Music room doors located in the first grade hallway and the outside door for the Art room.  We appreciate your assistance in creating as optimal a learning environment as possible for our 5th graders.  
• Our Spring Book Fair will begin next Friday in the Media Center.  
• Next Friday night is our Floranada Showcase.  Hope to see you there.

Quote of the Week - "You may have a million desires to be in other places, doing other things, but you are not there, you are here." - Proverb.  Be here now.  

Friday Focus - April 12, 2013

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  • FCAT is next week.  Please remember that we are following the FCAT schedule for Monday through Thursday.  
  • Falcon Express articles are due to Mrs. Olstein on Wednesday. 
  • Report cards go home on Thursday.  
  • Don't forget to send me your Terrific Kids' names today.
  
  
  Strategy of the Week - Check out this video from TeachingChannel - Talk Moves  See how the teacher encourages all of her students to participate and how she has taught them to encourage and motivate each other.  
  
  
  2nd Strategy of the Week - I might have sent this one previously, but I absolutely love this as it revolves around our direction for centering education around text and text-based discussions.  Active Listening  What a great skill to pass on to students not only for their education, but for life!
  
  
  Quote of the Week - This one is great for when you ever feel like life has handed you something difficult.  Always know that you will become a better person for having gone through your hardships.  "In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer." - Albert Camus
  
  

Friday Focus - April 5, 2013

• Last night our SAC finalized our new mission statement.  Thank you to everyone for your contributions in determining what our day to day work here at Floranada should look like.  Our new mission statement is - "Our Floranada community challenges and empowers students to reach their highest potential by fostering creative thinking in a safe, collaborative learning environment."
• Report Cards are due to Team Leaders on Tuesday and to administration on Thursday.
• PLCs are scheduled to meet next Thursday at 2:15.
• Honor Roll names are due to Mrs. Tusa and Terrific Kids' names are due to Mr. Peters on Friday.  

Article of the Week - Give Math a Thumbs Up  This is a short but interesting article.  What do you think?

Quote of the Week - "What do we live for, if it's not to make life less difficult for each other?" - George Eliot.  Makes sense to me.  Are you making life easier for those around you?

Friday Focus - March 22, 2013

• I really need to praise the group of teachers that worked on Tuesday with our visitors from Talent Development and Strategic Achievement.  Tuesday was an extremely productive day as we discussed the current level of our PLCs and our understanding of the Common Core State Standards.  I believe that we all gained insight into how we can shape the direction of each of our PLCs going forward.  Thank you to Mrs. Sterrenberg, Mrs. Nocera, Ms. O'Hara, Ms. Fonda, Mrs. Rowe, Mrs. Barclay, Mrs. Lavere, and Mrs. Chelton for their participation.  Our visitors left extremely impressed with our progress so far this year, especially our effort in utilizing collaborative grouping as a school-wide strategy.
• Please be aware that we will be conducting snapshot and informal observations the week we return, beginning on that Tuesday.  Remember that we need 45 data marks on each teacher.  


Article of the Week - Read to see what one school district did to digitally convert their schools.  Laptop Success Story  The superintendent of that district made a great comment about teachers as learners - “Competency is evolutional,” Mark Edwards says. “Our best teachers five years ago wouldn’t be in our top 70 percent now if they didn’t grow.”


Quote of the Week - This is related to Mark Edwards' statement in the above paragraph.  "If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow." - Dewey.  I share this quote so that you will reflect on the direction that we need to take with the Common Core State Standards.  It is not going to be OK to teach the way that we have done in the past.  We have to rethink what we do with the standards always in mind.



Quote of the Week (part deux) - "Practice loving everything and everybody all the time, but only hang in places and with people who lift you up." - Russell Simmons.  This is my philosophy.  Love everyone, but avoid negativity in your personal life.  Spend time next week with those that are positive and only bring happiness and love into your life.  


Quote of the Week (part trois) - "Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop." - Ovid.  Enjoy your Spring Break!

Friday Focus - March 15, 2013

• Child Study is on Monday.
• Birthday Table and Super Citizens' Ceremony on Tuesday.
• Outback Family Night is next Wednesday.
• Next Thursday is an Early Release Day.  We have PLCs that afternoon.  We will meet in the Media Center at 1:00 for an overview and then you will split up into your PLCs for the second hour.
• Next Friday is a Planning Day.

Quote of the Week - "Every time we praise at least two people feel better, and one of them is us." - Todd Whitaker.  Take a moment and praise someone today and see how you feel.

Video of the Week - This is great as it shows a teacher recording herself teaching as a means of supporting her self-reflection.  I believe that this should become a big part of how each teacher focuses on her/his individual growth.  Let me know what you think.  Improve Teaching with Video

Friday Focus - March 8, 2013

• We have a faculty meeting on Monday afternoon.  There are several items to discuss and we will also be conducting a collaborative activity looking at our vision and mission.
• Data chats continue next week - Day 2 on Tuesday, Day 3 on Thursday, and Day 4 on Friday.
• Team Leader Day is on Wednesday.
• There will be a group here next Thursday and Friday in the Media Center to conduct vision, hearing and BMI for K, 1 and 3.  Dr. Lewis will send a schedule out.
• Bingo Night is next Friday.

Quote of the Week - "It's like an extra recess but with academics." - a student in Ms. Curtis' classroom.  Ms. Curtis attempted a new strategy this week in her classroom where she had the students moving about the classroom determining whether certain weather conditions were weathering, erosion or deposition.  I will not do the strategy justice in this space, but be certain that her students were extremely engaged and invested in their learning.  My favorite part is when she asked the class what they thought about the strategy.  The students were very honest and loved the way they were learning.  Way to go Ms. Curtis!

Second Quote of the Week - "I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework." - Author Unknown

Friday Focus - March 1, 2013

• Data chats will begin next Friday and continue the following week.  Please bring your completed data forms.   Please also be prepared to speak about the standards that you have recently addressed.  We are attempting to help you recognize that you must have knowledge of the standards as we move forward.
• A few items on safety: please be at your doors greeting students at 7:55 each morning; students should never be sent to the field/playground to recover lost items - items will be returned to the front office at the end of each day; and remember to have your doors locked at all times!
• SAC and PTA meetings are next Thursday evening.
• As we continue to practice collaborative grouping as a strategy, I feel that it is important to recognize teachers who have successfully attempted and/or utilized this strategy.  Dr. Lewis and I visited Mrs. Nocera's classroom this past week.  It was truly a pleasure to witness her students working in groups as they utilized text to determine problem and solution.  Mrs. Nocera is very comfortable moving about the classroom discussing each group's progress, providing support and clarifying information to the class.  We were also lucky enough to visit Mr. Burns' class where he was using collaborative grouping to have students complete a review packet.  Mr. Burns is extremely adept at incorporating all levels of students in his activities, completing respecting each one.

 Quote of the Week - "Negative attitudes are a sort of poison." - Fran Tarkenton.  Even consuming it in moderation can be hazardous to your health.

Article of the Week - The fifth grade PLC asked me what I thought was the difference between collaborative and cooperative grouping.  Here are two short articles where the authors attempt to define each and explain the differences - Collaborative vs. Cooperative and A Definition of Collaborative vs. Cooperative Learning  What do you think?

One last thought that I absolutely love -