While the graphic below shows the Phases of First Year Teachers, it’s completely normal for all educators (and admin) to experience these “phases” throughout the course of a school year. I  know as a principal, I too, experience these sentiments. The difference is that I know to expect these different phases of the year, and that I will make it through each one. I don’t know about you, but I don’t even need to look at this image below to know that we’re at the “survival” point of the school year.

The key to the survival phase is to make sure that you are taking care of yourself, because you can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself first. I appreciate the thoughtful time you are putting into preparing for report cards & Parent/Teacher Conferences coming up soon and that you will have great conversations with your students’ parents to inform and involve them in their child’s learning. I realize this means you have many late nights ahead of you in the weeks ahead, so please make sure to make time for yourselves to relax or do whatever it is that you do to rejuvenate!

Some other great tips to avoid teacher burnout include:
-Ask for help
-Don’t sweat the small stuff
-Don’t play the teacher at home
-Take time for yourself
-Remember why you teach

Monday, November 6th
Happy Birthday Kaitlin Teater 🙂
3rd Grade Veterans Day Rehearsal in Presentation Space (8:05am)
Kindergarten/1st Grade going to LMS for Musical @ 8:45am
Reading Room Plan with 2nd Grade (Presentation Space) @ 2:35pm

Tuesday, November 7th
No School for Students – Teacher Institute Day <–click for agenda
Happy Birthday Maria Rodriguez 🙂

Wednesday, November 8th
2nd/3rd Grades going to LMS for Musical @ 8:45am

Thursday, November 9th
3rd Grade Veterans Day Rehearsal in Presentation Space (8:05am)

Friday, November 10th
Happy Birthday Gloria Reyes 🙂
3rd Grade Veterans Day Performance @ LMS (10:30am)
*5 Positive Connections by Friday!
*Please try to have your report cards printed by today! If there are any issues, we need to know about them so we can help resolve them! 

(11/11) Happy Birthday Becky Shoufer & Julie Fister 🙂
(11/12) Happy Birthday Sarah Mixa:)

*Need another Winter Spiritwear Order Form? CLICK HERE – Orders due November 17th!

*Please make sure to keep the master Fall 2017 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!

The storybook pumpkins look AMAZING! The pumpkins are a perfect example of the wonderful, creative, imaginative work that can happen when great minds get together! You showed tremendous teamwork and I am so proud of your efforts and creativity. Everytime our students walk through the media center, they admire the Storybook Pumpkins and comment on how creative they are! NICE JOB!!! Remember — each student should cast their vote for their FAVORITE storybook pumpkin on Halloween! Google Form ballot will be emailed out tomorrow!

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, October 30th
Reading Room Plan with 3rd Grade (Presentation Space) @ 2:35pm

Tuesday, October 31st
Halloween Parades <—see doc for all info
8:45am (AM PreK Parade), 12:30pm (PM PreK Parade), and 1:00pm (K-3 parade)

Wednesday, November 1st

Thursday, November 2nd
SLT Math Meeting @ 2:35pm (PD Space Upstairs)

Friday, November 3rd
Trimester 1 Ends
Fall Birthday Breakfast (in Lounge)
PreK Screening

**Reminder for Tenured Teachers*
Tenure teacher professional growth meetings completed before November 1st.
ALL tenured teachers must complete a Professional Growth Plan.

16 Best Classroom Pandora Stations, As Recommended by Teachers

Print Custom Sticky Notes with Google Slides

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, October 23rd
Red Ribbon Week Begins! Wear RED
Fire Prevention Week ~ SPFD meeting with classes in Presentation Space ~ schedule here
Kindergarten Reading Room Plan Meeting @ Presentation Space (Data Review) 2:35pm

Tuesday, October 24th
Bring Music Into Your Day! 
Faculty Meeting @ 2:50pm

Wednesday, October 25th
Nationwide UNITY Day! Wear ORANGE to show support for bullying Prevention ~ students will receive Red Ribbon Week stickers.
*Storybook Pumpkins with teams during Common Plan Time

Thursday, October 26th
You Have the Power to Say No to Drugs! Wear your favorite Superhero T-Shirt
Kindergarten Field Trip to Johansen Farm
District Mentor Meeting @ 3:45pm

Friday, October 27th
Wear Your KUBBIE Spirit Wear! 
Spirit Assembly at 9:00am
1st Grade Field Trip to Goebbert’s

Fire Prevention Activities (from Pinterest)
                

My go-to blog, Venspired, comes through again this week with another inspiring message:

“That part of the school year. The one where your plate gets so full you don’t know what to tackle first. The one where you’re pulled in 86 different directions, buried in to-do lists, and you feel behind on everything. Your classroom. Your graduate classes. Your life. It’s tempting, desirable, even easy to just settle. But when you settle, you’ll miss something. You’ll never know what amazing thing your class might create. You’ll never know about that better way to assess, plan, integrate. You’ll never read that article that changes your perspective. You’ll never see that opportunity you missed. Yep, you could settle. Or, not. It’s really up to you!”

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, October 16th
Medical Exclusion Day – Please see email from Anna Wrobel re: students who are not up to date with paperwork
Dental Screenings
1st Grade/Reading Room Team Plan @ 2:35pm

Tuesday, October 17th
Dental Screenings
Happy Birthday Mary Beth D’Andrea 🙂
1st SIP Committee Meeting @ 2:45pm <—-did everyone sign up for a committee?

Wednesday, October 18th
Dental Screenings
PreK/K/1st Grade TAPS Meetings
Board Meeting @ 7:00pm

Thursday, October 19th
Happy Birthday Eva Popowska 🙂
PreK Parent Workshops
The Great Shakeout (Earthquake Drill) @ 10:19am *See email for more info!
SLT – ELA (Cancelled)
District Math K-5 Meeting @ 3:30pm (District Office)

Friday, October 20th
Fall Picture Re-Takes

I hope you had a wonderful 3-day weekend and enjoyed this beautiful October weather with your family & friends!

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, October 9th
No School: Columbus Day
Happy Birthday Mandy Vanderwaal 🙂

Tuesday, October 10th
Team Up Against Bullying – Wear your Favorite Sports Team
ROE Life Safety Visit
Faculty Meeting @ 2:50pm
Family Math Night/BPAC 4:00pm-5:30pm

Wednesday, October 11th
2nd/3rd Grade TAPS Meetings

Thursday, October 12th
PreK Field Trip to Johansen Farm
PATS Field Trip to Cosley Zoo

Friday, October 13th
2nd Grade Field Trip to Goebbert’s

(10/15) Happy Birthday Rose Karas 🙂

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, October 2nd
Parent Visitation Day (9-10am and 1-2pm)
Project Connect K-3rd *Students will write an anti-bullying message on a strip of orange paper that will connect to form a school-wide chain! Our message is much stronger when we come together to make a difference!

Tuesday, October 3rd
3rd Grade Field Trip to Goebbert’s

Wednesday, October 4th
1st Grade (Rooms 100, 101, 110) Field Trip to Safety Town

Thursday, October 5th
Vision/Hearing Screenings (Room 112)
SLT Math Meeting @ 2:40pm (Upstairs PD Space)
Happy Birthday Barbara Brzozowska 🙂

Friday, October 6th
Vision/Hearing Screenings (Room 112)
PreK Screenings

Blog Posts Worth Reading:
What’s In Your Teacher Carry-On?

10 Things to Say Instead of ‘Stop Crying’

Each day we choose to bring our best self, ready to learn and provide the best learning experiences for our students!

Learning is what happens when we seek new experiences, try what we have never experienced, or when we fail to accomplish what we set out to do. Doing the same exact thing again and again will not create new learning. BE BOLD! What’s the worst thing that can happen?

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, September 25th
Reading Room Plans with 3rd Grade (2:35pm-3:05pm, E217)
Happy Birthday Marta Ocon 🙂 

Tuesday, September 26th
Faculty Meeting @ 2:50pm (Presentation Space)

Wednesday, September 27th
1st Grade (Rooms 102, 103, 108, 109) Field Trip to Safety Town – 9:00am-11:00am

Thursday, September 28th

Friday, September 29th
5 Positive Connections by Friday!

Blog Posts Worth Reading
Search for the Best Chrome Apps & Extensions to Use in the Classroom

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, September 18th
Math Team Leader Meeting @ District Office 3:45pm

Tuesday, September 19th
Happy 75th Birthday Roger Pape 🙂

Wednesday, September 20th
Happy Birthday Michelle McMorrow 🙂

Thursday, September 21st
Happy Birthday Bridget Elliott 🙂
SLT (ELA) Meeting @ 2:45pm (Prof. Development Space Upstairs)
Mentor Meeting @ LMS 3:45pm

Friday, September 22nd
5 by Friday! Continue to make POSITIVE CONNECTIONS with families each week!
Cycle 1 Ends.

(09/24) Happy Birthday Brittney Lane 🙂

****Interested in showcasing some of your amazing technology integration ideas at the ICE (Illinois Computing Educators) Conference? Submit a proposal!
Blog Posts Worth Reading:
What All Grade Levels Can Learn from a PreSchool Classroom via Bethany Hill

5 Ways to Help Students in Trauma via Edutopia

The Brain is Wired for Math – Sort Of via Edutopia

Have you tried MyOn News in your classroom yet? Our free trial lasts until the end of October & I’m eager to hear your feedback!

myON NEWS 2017 from myON Fanclub on Vimeo.

Monday, September 11th
New Teacher Meeting
Happy Birthday Beatriz Diaz 🙂
Spiritwear Sale Begins! <—click to order online, or fill out an order form!

Tuesday, September 12th
PreK/PATS Field Trip to Lincoln Park Zoo
Faculty Meeting @ 2:50pm (Presentation Space)

Wednesday, September 13th
1/2 Day (AM PreK dismisses at 10:30am, K-3 dismisses at 10:55am)
*SIP Agenda will be emailed on Monday!

Thursday, September 14th

Friday, September 15th
Kennedy Fall Picture Day <–click for the schedule
(*Teachers, please add your classroom totals – see any issues with your picture time? Please email Stephanie)
5 Positive Connections by Friday 🙂

“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.”

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

Monday, September 4th
NO SCHOOL: Labor Day

Tuesday, September 5th
Book Fair Preview Day (*In Room 106)
Full Time Bilingual Services Begin
K-3 Faculty Meeting @ 2:40pm (Presentation Space)
PreK Faculty Meeting @ 2:50pm (Media Center)

Wednesday, September 6th
Book Fair Buy Day (Room 106)

Thursday, September 7th
Book Fair Buy Day (Room 106)
Curriculum Night (6:30pm-8:00pm)

**Check out our Kennedy School Curriculum Night Pinterest Board & pin your ideas to the shared board.

Friday, September 8th
GO GOLD for Childhood Cancer Awareness
*5 by Friday — Have you made 5 positive connections this week? Phone call, email, positive postcard….