Welcome Back! 

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving Break, spending time with family, friends & those you love. As we move to the month of December, full of learning, fun, and special events…and a holiday break to enjoy in just a few weeks! We have lots to do with our kids from now until December 21st, and look forward to their growth when they return in January. They always seem more grown up right after the break…happens every year!

Things to keep in mind:

* For some of our students who will say “it’s almost Winter break” and lack motivation, it is time to push them & keep them excited and eager to learn

* For our students who come from challenging circumstances at home and are feeling anxiety about not being at Kennedy for over two weeks (and acting out because of it), it is time to show them how much you care & make the most of these next 18 days.

* For our students that just keep smiling & working hard each day, it is time to pull them aside and tell them how much you appreciate them (Positive Postcard? Good News Call Home?)

Be proud of what we’ve accomplished with our students so far this year, but please keep the focus on learning in your classrooms as we return from Thanksgiving Break. In addition, I’d encourage you to:

*Take a second and tell a colleague that you’ve noticed how hard they are working and that you appreciate them working so hard. Gratitude and appreciation are also essential for a healthy work environment. A simple thank you and a show of appreciation can make all the difference.
*Make time to reflect on some of the positives that we’ve had this year that may have been overlooked as we have overcome the challenges of not having enough time.
* Set a tone for your students that regardless of how much time is left before a long break that all of us will work hard and make the most of our school days.

* Celebrate being a member of our Kennedy School family

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, November 27th
NO STUDENT ATTENDANCE: Full-Day Parent/Teacher Conferences

Tuesday, November 28th
School Resumes for Students

Wednesday, November 29th
3rd Grade Field Trip to Prairie Lakes Theater (9:30am-12:15pm)
CPT Meetings
3rd Grade MTSS

Thursday, November 30th
Happy Birthday Barbara Zawadzka

Friday, December 1st
PreK Screening
5 by Friday! 🙂 Continue making positive connections

“When asked to identify what made the school so good, every person, without fail, said it was the people of the school: the children, the families, and most importantly, the staff. Nobody said, ‘We have a really great computer lab’ or ‘a brand new reading textbook.’
(Eaker, DuFour, & DuFour, 2002)

With the Thanksgiving holidays quickly approaching, I thought it was a great time to simply offer heartfelt thanks to all of you for enriching the lives of our students. Whether you are a returning teacher, a teacher in a new role, or a teacher new to Kennedy School, I am sincerely thankful that you are here. Donna, Kim and I have the best jobs in the world because we are surrounded by the hardest-working teachers in the world. In the above quote, Eaker & colleagues have clearly stated what makes our own school great: It is not our facilities, or our curriculum, or technology; instead, it is each of you performing great deeds day in and day out. THANK YOU for teaching us so clearly what effective teachers do differently, and thanks for teaching with passion each day!

The timing and relevance of this blog post are most appropriate ….. Please take 2 minutes to read Beth Houf’s post, entitled Exhausted Educator, I See You!  As she says:

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, November 13th
Motivational Monday
New Teacher Meeting (with your mentor)

Tuesday, November 14th
Culture Committee Meeting 2:45pm (Room B105)
Happy Birthday Norma Murillo 🙂

Wednesday, November 15th
Thanksgiving Feast in Faculty Lounge
ISBE Onsite Monitoring Visit (EL Program)
Happy Birthday Sandy Montes de Oca
CPT Meetings
2nd Grade MTSS
Board of Education Meeting, 5:30pm @ Washington School

Thursday, November 16th
K-3 Vision/Hearing Screenings (in Conference Room)
BUDDY Activity
Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast (1:30pm-2:00pm in Cafeteria)

Friday, November 17th
K-3 Vision/Hearing Screenings (in Conference Room)
PreK Parent/Student Workshops

(11/19) Happy Birthday Shandi & Alissa Hammer
THANKSGIVING BREAK: NOVEMBER 20 – NOVEMBER 24TH

(11/20) Happy Birthday Rosa Worwa
(11/21) Happy Birthday Emily Kronlage
(11/22) Happy Birthday Suzanne Scott

(11/27) NO SCHOOL: Full-Day Parent/Teacher Conferences

*Please make sure to keep the master Fall 2023 Conference Google Doc updated as changes are made! Also, please notify staff members who have added a “comment” or “note” in the cell so they are aware that a conference time was changed!

(11/28) School Resumes

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, November 6th
Yearbook/STEM Club (2:30pm-4:00pm)
New Teacher Meeting (3:00pm)

Tuesday, November 7th
Happy Birthday Julie Taggart
BPAC Event @ Washington School (3:30pm-5:00pm)

Wednesday, November 8th
Happy Birthday Maria Rodriguez
STORYBUS visits PreK
3rd to LMS for Veterans Day Rehearsal
1st Grade MTSS Meeting
TWD – @ Crust

Thursday, November 9th
PreK Vision/Hearing Screenings
3rd to LMS for Veterans Day Rehearsal
SLT Meeting @ 2:50pm

Friday, November 10th
3rd & 4th Grade Veterans Day Performance @ LMS (9:30am)

(11/11) Happy Birthday Julie Fister