“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