“Change is good…..you go first.”
-Anderson & Feltenstein (2009)

As we embark on learning how to integrate and use new tools in our classrooms, whether it’s iPads or a Promethean Board, we must remember that effective school change depends on what teachers do and think. Since teachers are the ones with the greatest impact on student learning, we must work together and learn together!

Check out these resources below:
124 flipcharts, weblinks, and resource packs for Halloween
50 really useful iPad tips & Tricks

Please take 3 minutes to watch this great clip on the topic of change.

Accepting that we will always be faced with numerous inconsequential changes as well as a few potentially significant changes is necessary for our sanity. Recognizing how to ignore the former & learning to embrace the latter is yet another way we Teach with Passion each day at Kennedy School.

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, September 26th:
SLC Swimming at YMCA
PEP Committee Meeting @ 4:00pm (Faculty Lounge)

Tuesday, September 27th:
PATS/PreK Field Trip to Lincoln Park Zoo
Faculty Meeting @ 2:30pm/3:30pm (Multipurpose Room) <–click for agenda
Mentor Meeting @ 3:45pm (LMS)

Wednesday, September 28th:
1st Grade Field Trip to Safety Town @ The HIP
SLC Field Trip to Brunswick Zone
Common Plan: Assessment
RTI Committee Meeting @ 2:45pm (Room 118)
District Technology Committee Meeting @ 3:45pm (LMS)

Thursday, September 29th:
Happy Birthday Stefanie Widmaier 🙂
Kennedy Singers @ 2:20pm

Friday, September 30th:
Spirit Assembly (Friendship) @ 9:00am

Happy Birthday Sarah (Ziebart) Sicher 10/1

Remember: Our District 5K, Project Heart Well, is this Sunday, October 2nd. Check-in is at 8:00am & the run/walk begins at 9:00am. The event starts & finishes at Kennedy School. We look forward to seeing you attend, as it is a great opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to community involvement. Please sign up to participate or volunteer. Please join us as we show our children that working together, we can all make a difference!

Have a great week & an awesome weekend, as we change from September to October!

If you haven’t seen it already, you must take a walk down the stairwell closest to the elevators to see the Keith Haring-inspired mural on the walls connecting the Art Studio to our Music Room. THANK YOU to Blanche for sharing her time (even on weekends!) and talents to work on designing and painting this beautiful mural. Many of our Kennedy Kubbies offered their talents to helping create this mural alongside Blanche and we are proud of everyone’s efforts. As a result of Blanche’s vision and creativity, District 81 families and staff will be able to enjoy this mural for years to come!

[Happy Belated Birthday to Danielle Peckhart (9/18)]

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, September 19th:
Cycle 1 Assessments Week
Happy Birthday Roger Pape 🙂
Code Red Drill @ 9:30am <–click on link to see Code Red Procedures
Writing Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 107)

Tuesday, September 20th:
Happy Birthday Michelle Lang 🙂

Wednesday, September 21st:
Bridget Elliott’s Birthday 🙂
Flu Shots 7:30am-9:00am @ Kennedy ($25)
9:30am-10:00am  @ Washington
10:30am-11:00am @ Lincoln
SLC to SuperLow
Writing Common Plan
SIP Committee Meeting @ 2:50pm <—see attachment for room #s
Board of Education Meeting @ 7:00pm

Thursday, September 22nd:
Lincoln Investments in faculty lounge during staff lunch sessions
Kennedy Singers @ 2:20pm
SLT Meeting @ 3:00pm (office)

Friday, September 23rd:
Reading Room Plan

Happy Birthday Britney Taylor & Lorena Esqueda (9/24)
Happy Wedding Day to Marissa Frankos (9/24)
Happy Birthday Marta Ocon (9/25)

I want to leave you with this video that is worth all 7 minutes. It’s a Convocation speech, given by 2011 graduate Michael McBride.

My takeaways from this inspiring video:
“A teacher’s job is infinitely more important than teaching. It is helping children learn to live, to laugh, and to love.”

“The best teachers I’ve had didn’t teach me….they inspired me.
They didn’t test my knowledge….they tested my character.
They didn’t capture my attention…..they captured my heart.”

Teach with passion and excitement today & everyday… 🙂

“An apple for the teacher is really nothing new,
except when you remember, parents are teachers, too!” 

**Happy weekend Birthday to Jaime Bolognone & Beatriz Diaz (9/11)**

Monday, September 12th:
SLC Swimming @ 10:30am
Paraprofessional Meeting @ 2:45pm (Faculty Lounge)

Tuesday, September 13th:
Faculty Meeting @ 2:30pm & 3:30pm (Multipurpose Room)
Click here for the agenda

Wednesday, September 14th:
1/2 Day: Students Dismiss at 10:55am
Lunch on your own 11:00-11:40am
RTI Inservice: 11:45-2:20pm (Multipurpose Room)
ESPED Training @ 12:00pm (Washington School)
DLT Meeting @ 3:45pm (Lincoln Middle School)

Thursday, September 15th:
Happy Birthday Blanche Dougal-Kane & Jessica Bomberg 🙂
Lincoln Investments will be in Faculty Lounge during lunch
Kennedy Singers @ 2:20pm
Vision Committee Meeting @ 2:45pm (Room 132)
CURRICULUM NIGHT 6:30pm-8:00pm

Friday, September 16th:
3rd Grade Field Trip to Schiller Park Library
Happy Birthday Jody Horan (*Have your orange bus kiddos wish Jody a Happy Birthday*) 🙂
5 by Friday!!!!!

Thank you for the hard work you have dedicated towards your presentations and classroom websites for Curriculum Night this Thursday. I look forward to visiting all of your classrooms as you highlight the wonderful programming and educational experiences Kennedy School provides, and I know the parents and families are eager to visit as well. A reminder will be sent home with students on Wednesday, but please try to send home another reminder with your students on Thursday *My favorite: the sentence strip head-band reminder! 🙂 *

Here is an article from Scholastic Instructor magazine that includes 44 tips, activity ideas, and last-minute reminders to guarantee a great back-to-school night!

Have a great week!

“Schools are not buildings, curriculums, and machines.
Schools are relationships and interactions among people.”

I hope everyone enjoyed a relaxing and enjoyable weekend with friends and family. Here’s our 4-day week at a glance:

Tuesday, September 6th:
Reading Room Begins!
Technology Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 202)
Epi Pen Training @ 2:45pm & 3:45pm (Cafeteria)

Wednesday, September 7th:
Evacuation Drill @ 9:30pm (to North Park)
Technology Common Plan
RTI Committee Meeting @ 2:45pm (Room 207)

Thursday, September 8th:
Happy Birthday Bailey Stenzel 🙂
1st Rehearsal for Kennedy Singers
Title I & Internet Safety Meeting 6:00-7:00pm (LMS)

Friday, September 9th:
Happy Birthday Karen Niewinski 🙂
5 by Friday!

Here is a link to a blog that shares some tips on dealing with behavior issues while focusing on the positive. Thanks to Jill for passing it along 🙂

“What makes a good school has very little to do with how rich or poor the students are, or the type of curriculum that’s taught. It has very little to do with the special programs, expansive playing fields, snappy uniforms, or whether the school is wired to the Internet. What makes a good school, whether it’s public or private, religious or nonreligious, charter or non-charter, is a feeling. A feeling shared by the entire staff that their particular school is special. The feeling that their school really belongs to them.” (Manna, 1999).

At Kennedy School, each member of our team has a distinctive character that cares deeply about each and every one of our Kennedy Kubbies. Your unique attributes and talents contribute to the feeling people get when they enter this building. As a result, our children will remember you long after they leave Kennedy.

Have a great week!