The week of August 26th-30th

Food for thought...

Thank you all for an amazing first week! There were smiles everywhere this week-- on the faces of students, parents, teachers, and support staff. It's great to be back at school! Every day, learning was happening for grown-ups and kids alike, and I love being a lead learner. Check out Jessica Johnson's blog post about what it means to be a lead learner! She is a principal in Wisconsin and I follow her on Twitter @principalj :) She inspired me to have a weekly staff blog. There are so many great ideas out there, and here at Star! Do you sometimes feel like others have great ideas? Check out this video shared by my friend (and fellow educator) Trina Carter to discover what I already know:

You are all brilliant! Have a fabulous week!

Jennifer

Success Notes

You might wonder why I am walking around the school and am in and out of classrooms... It's because I am in love with teaching and learning! I am always amazed by how smart both students and teachers are and I love seeing learning in action. I also consider myself to be an "idea pirate" - always on the lookout for instructional strategies and ideas to share. Fortunately, idea treasures are everywhere at Star! Some things I loved this week:

Every time I go in the Karen's TK room, kids are 100% engaged! They are using blocks, they are playing in different areas together, they are listening and learning. One parent shared that her son asked "Why are you here so fast, Mom? I just got here!" Time flies when you are having fun. 

I also had a great time shaking my sillies out with Amy's class- no time for pictures, I was too busy dancing!

Second graders in Julie's class making mini-kids for goal setting!

Tammy and Janet working smarter, not harder by sharing kids for art and PE! 

Writer's Notebooks in Maria's class















Digital writing in Petra's class as they explored the theme of friendship!

First Grade Inquiry: What Makes a Good Friend? Created with PhotoPeach


And...a friendship Padlet!

Created with Padlet

Hope's class took a brain break with this Dinosaur Stomp video!

In Saryn's class, students learned about American symbols using this cool video from BrainPop Jr. 

Finally, Joe Wood visits Star every Thursday. This week, students chose their read aloud in Janet's class- James and the Giant Peach!

Dates and details:

August 28 late start-- grade level / prep

August 29th- Back to School night

• 5:30-6:15   TK / Kindergarten and 1st grade teachers will present in their classrooms 
• 6:20-6:40    General Session in gym with Mrs. Kloczko for all Star Families
• 6:45-7:30     2nd and 3rd grade teachers will present in classrooms

Weekly Tech time with Joe Wood- None this week due to Back to School Night

September 2nd- No school-Labor Day

September 3rd- After school enrichment begins

September 6th- Early release Friday

September 13- Jog-a-thon! Envelopes will go home August 30th

Project GLAD 2 day training September 18 &19
Petra, Hope, Janet & Tammy   8:00-3:00 at Star Academy
December 3-6 Demonstration lessons at Star Academy- Petra's room
Subs needed for all 6 days- see me with questions

September 20th- Picture day!

September 21st- Area 3 Writing Project Super Saturday! Be inspired for FREE!

Tech Tips:

This week, so many of the cool things I observed in classroom were tech-related! You'll find tons of technology inspiration above in the success notes. I'd also like to recommend finding some blogs to follow! Here are a few posts from blogs I follow -- these posts have our Back-to-School theme! Happy teaching!

5 Goals Teachers Should Shoot For This School Year

Why You Should Take Your Time the First Few Weeks of School

Resources for Back--to-School: Social-Emotional Learning