Week 10: 10/14/19 – 10/18/10

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Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, October 14th
NO SCHOOL: Columbus Day

Tuesday, October 15th
Happy Birthday Kirby Luczak & Rose Karas 🙂
Medical Exclusion Day
SPFD Visits: Fire Prevention Presentations
PATS Field Trip to Bison Bluff
1st Grade Field Trip to Goebbert’s
Charity Committee Meeting @ 2:45pm (Room E217)
Spirit Committee Meeting (Room D209)

Wednesday, October 16th
Happy Birthday Rosa Worwa 🙂
SPFD Visits: Fire Prevention Presentations
TAPS (2nd/3rd)

Thursday, October 17th
Happy Birthday Mary Beth D’Andrea 🙂
SPFD Visits: Fire Prevention Presentations
4th Grade visits PreK Kennedy Buddies (8:30am-9:45am and 11:50pm-1:30pm)
THE GREAT SHAKEOUT (Earthquake Drill @ 10:17am)
SLT (2:45pm in Conference Room)

Friday, October 18th
5 by Friday! Have you made 5 positive connections with families by Friday? 🙂
Positive Postcards can be found in the office!

(10/19) Happy Birthday Eva Popowska 🙂

Week 9: 10/07/19 – 10/11/19

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Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, October 7th
Parent Visit Day (9-10am and 1-2pm)
*Thanks in advance for welcoming our families for “Bring Your Parent to School Day”. This is a great opportunities for our families to experience the meaningful learning opportunities you create daily for our Kubbies! Remember, if your class is not in the classroom during the visitation time, please put a note on your door, sharing WHERE they can find your class. Please spend some extra time tomorrow morning making sure all of our learning spaces look AMAZING, NEAT and TIDY for all of our visitors!!!! Please encourage parents to sit next to their children and engage with them during the lessons/activities! 
SLT @ 2:45pm (Media Center U-Shaped Couch)
Fundraiser Committee Meeting @ 2:45pm (Room D116)

Tuesday, October 8th
Faculty Meeting @ 2:40pm (Presentation Space)

Wednesday, October 9th
Happy Birthday Mandy Vanderwaal 🙂
PreK Field Trip to Goebbert’s
TAPS (PreK, K, 1st) during CPT

Thursday, October 10th
3rd Grade Field Trip to Goebbert’s
Flu Shots (2:45pm-4:00pm) in 1st Grade Project Space

Friday, October 11th
Kindergarten Field Trip to Goebbert’s

(10/14) NO SCHOOL: Columbus Day

Week 8: 09/30/19 – 10/04/19

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Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, September 30th
*Please join me in welcoming Lauren Thorn to the 3rd grade team! She will be serving as the maternity leave replacement teacher in Room E201 while Becky Zora is on leave. We wish Becky Zora the best of luck as she prepares to welcome Baby Girl Zora to their family!
*DRYFUS Therapy Dog Presentations This Week in Presentation Space (Click Here for Schedule)

Tuesday, October 1st
National Bully Prevention Month Starts!

Wednesday, October 2nd
Custodian Appreciation Day!
1st Grade Field Trip to Safety Town (B106, B107, B108, B111)

Thursday, October 3rd
1st Grade Field Trip to Safety Town (B101, B102, B105)

Friday, October 4th
PREK SCREENINGS
Author AARON REYNOLDS visits Kennedy SchooL<—- click here for schedule
Family Movie Night @ LMS (6:30pm)

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(10/06) Happy Birthday Anna Gabriel (green bus driver)
(10/07) Parent Visitation Day!

Week 7: 09/23/19 – 09/27/19

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Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, September 23rd
Happy Birthday Amanda Quinlan 🙂

Tuesday, September 24th
Happy Birthday Britney Lane 🙂 
2nd Grade Field Trip to Goebbert’s
Faculty Meeting @ 2:45pm
Mentor Meeting (4:00pm-5:30pm)

Wednesday, September 25th
Happy Birthday Marta Ocon 🙂

Thursday, September 26th
Happy Birthday Jill Michalski 🙂

Friday, September 27th
Spirit Assembly @ 9:00am
SLBC to YMCA for Swimming

(09/28) Happy Birthday Gina Cacioppo 🙂

Week 6: 09/16/19 – 09/20/19

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Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, September 16th
Dentist Visits (Room 135)
Happy Birthday Jody (Orange Bus Driver)
1st SIP Committee Meeting of the Year (2:45pm) <—click to see where committees will be meeting. Have you signed up for one yet? ALL staff sign up for ONE committee!

Tuesday, September 17th
Dentist Visits (Room 135)

Wednesday, September 18th
Dentist Visits (Room 135)
Board Meeting @ 7pm

Thursday, September 19th
Happy Birthday Roger Paper 🙂 
SLT Meeting @ 2:45pm (Conference Room)

Friday, September 20th
Happy Birthday Michelle McMorrow
GO GOLD for Childhood Cancer Awareness

Blog Posts Worth Reading:
The Importance of the Reciprocated Relationship in Education

Bringing Out the Gifts and Talents of Every Child

Week 5: 09/09/19 – 09/13/19

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Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, September 9th
Reading Room Begins!

Tuesday, September 10th
PreK/PATS Family Field Trip to Brookfield Zoo
Faculty Meeting @ 2:50pm

Wednesday, September 11th
Oral Health/Hygiene Presentations
1/2 Day of School (AM PreK dismisses at 10:30am, K-3 dismisses at 10:55am)
Agenda for SIP <–being emailed out this week

Thursday, September 12th
Oral Health/Hygiene Presentations

Friday, September 13th
Fall Picture Day <—click for schedule

**Do you have extra shoeboxes at home? Please bring them in to Sara’s office if you do! We need them for an activity on our 1/2 day this Wednesday! 

Week 4: 09/02/19 – 09/06/19

“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.

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

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

Monday, September 2nd
No School – Labor Day

Tuesday, September 3rd
Book Fair Preview Day

Wednesday, September 4th
Book Fair (Buy Day)

Thursday, September 5th
Book Fair (Buy Day)
Reading Room (Drop Off & Plan)
Curriculum Night (6:30pm-8:00pm)

Friday, September 6th
PreK Screenings
Cubs Scouts Visit (Presentation Space) <–homeroom teachers, schedule your class a time!
GO GOLD for Childhood Cancer Awareness
Reading Room (Drop Off & Plan)

Please record your introduction Flipgrid video ASAP, so we can share it with families:
Flipgrid   Password: kennedy2019

Week 3: 08/26/19 – 08/30/19

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Thank you for opening up your classrooms to our Kennedy Kubbies and setting the tone for a culture of caring. It’s wonderful to observe classrooms where teachers and students care about learning, about each other, and care about our community. Remember, the first weeks of school set the tone for the entire year. If our students leave school feeling excited about themselves as learners & about you as their teacher, then you’re doing something right! Always remember that our students will meet ANY expectation we set for them, as long as we are firm, fair and consistent with these expectations and build relationships with our students so that they will want to meet them. The best way to accomplish this positive relationship-building with our students is simply caring deeply about them as learners and as little people–and taking the time to get to know them, in addition to showing them just how much you care.

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, August 26th
Book Checkout Begins this week!
MAP Testing Continues
Benchmarking Continues this Week
Faculty Meeting @ 2:45pm

Tuesday, August 27th
Evacuation Drill to North Park @ 9:00am
Mentor Meeting @ 4:00pm (Kennedy Presentation Space)

Wednesday, August 28th

Thursday, August 29th
AXA to visit staff in the faculty lounge during lunch periods

Friday, August 30th
Code Red Drill (time unannounced)

(09/03) NO SCHOOL: LABOR DAY

Week 2: 08/19/19 – 08/23/19

What a great first week (technically 3 days) at Kennedy! Despite the few tears, the smiles and laughs outweighed the few. I appreciate everyone’s help and extra care during arrival. Thank you to ALL staff for going the extra mile to help get our year off to an amazing start. Let’s keep that up this week, as well! This week, we welcome our littlest Kubbies! All extra hands on deck around 8:25am in the PreK hallway near Door 22!!!

As we prepare for our first full week with the students, I hope you will take a few quiet moments to put aside lesson planning, forget about your to-do list and consider our purpose (as a school, and as individual educators). When we walk in on Monday morning, please remember that you are a difference maker! The small gestures you make to welcome students and show an interest in their lives will have an impact. This year, you will have opportunities to build confidence where it hasn’t existed, develop connections that have never been present, and generate hope with your students. Our classrooms are filled with little ones with a variety of needs, and it’s up to US to make sure they thrive! The only way for that to happen is to build a connection with each student. When we truly know them all as individuals, we can understand them as learners.

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Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, August 19th
1st Day of Pre School
Happy Birthday Lauren Oraham 🙂
MAP Testing Window Opens  **See schedule/add the dates and times when your classroom will test! 

Tuesday, August 20th
Faculty Meeting @ 2:45pm (Presentation Space) *agenda will be emailed out

Wednesday, August 21st
Common Plan Time
Board of Education Meeting @ 7pm

Thursday, August 22nd
Benchmarking Begins <—-click here for schedule

Friday, August 23rd
Kennedy Bus Evacuation Drills <—PreK-3rd teachers: Sign up for your time slot!

*Remember, we must also make an effort to build relationships with our families, too! Read this awesome blog post here about how to successful engage with our families!

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Blended Learning Playlist …. be sure to check off the items as your completing them! 

Week 38: 05/27/19 – 05/31/19

Congratulations on the completion of the 2018-2019 school year! 
 
It’s hard to believe the year has come to an end. Please accept our thanks for all the wonderful experiences you provided the children this year.
 
Thank you for always making our Kubbies feel loved, safe, happy and for nurturing their growth. We are confident the children will never forget how you made them feel 🙂 
 
We look forward to our continued work together next year and we are confident that our collective staff will continue to keep our eyes on the children and support each other! 
 
We are proud of what we have been able to accomplish this year and look forward to what we can continue to do for the children of Kennedy School….together! 
 
Have a wonderful summer. Enjoy your time with those you love. You certainly deserve it! Here’s a great blog post from George Couros…3 Reminders for the End of the School Year
We challenge you to reflect on 4 questions as you head into summer break:
  1. What did I do well this year?
  2. Where do I need to grow?
  3. What things will I challenge myself with next year?
  4. How will all of these answers impact the learners I serve?

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, May 27th
NO SCHOOL – Memorial Day

Tuesday, May 28th
1st Grade Picnic
Laptop Refresh Continues <–click for schedule
Happy Birthday Jaime Rutkowski 🙂
PreK Screenings (8:30am-12:00pm)
LAST Faculty Meeting @ 2:40pm

Wednesday, May 29th
3rd Grade Picnic

Thursday, May 30th
1/2 Day of School – LAST DAY!
LAST Day of School ~ All staff report to the bus lane at 10:50am for our annual tradition of “waving goodbye to our students” …. *Check out our photos/videos from previous years here.
Happy Birthday Tanya Disheva 🙂

FINAL THOUGHTS…….

“Just know that, even if nobody said “Thank You,” today, there’s a kid somewhere who loves you, who appreciates you, and who is wondering about something because of something you said in your classroom. Right now there might be a parent who thinks you are the best thing under the sun because you might be the very first person who has understood her child. There’s an administrator who is grateful to have you on staff at your school. At this very moment, there is a student close to graduating high school who found a photo from your classroom that she has saved all these years because you were her favorite. Tonight, a colleague of yours will go home with a smile because something you took the time to say today. One of your students that pretends not to care about his work will be working extra hard tonight, because he wants to show you he can do it.

You’re appreciated. You matter to more kids than I can count on my fingers and toes, and your message to the world will travel well into the future in the hearts of kids who will grow up with dreams and passions that all started right where you are. In your classroom.

Just in case you forget.”

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