December can be a crazy time in the classroom. The kids are antsy, your personal to-do list is a mile long (professional and person), and you’re still trying to cover the curriculum while you can. But it’s also a time for gratitude, tradition, and reflection, which is why Tales from a Very Busy Teacher created the December Kindness Calendar (below) for the classroom! Download it, print it, and share it with your students!
Here’s our week at a glance:
Monday, December 11th New Teacher Meeting @ 3:05pm
Tuesday, December 12th asdf;ljk
Wednesday, December 13th CPT Meetings MTSS First Grade
Monday, December 4th DoubleGood Popcorn Fundraiser Starts Today!!!! Happy Birthday Michelle Miro! Northwestern Mutual Visit During Lunch Periods in Faculty Lounge Yearbook/STEM Club (2:30pm-4:00pm)
Tuesday, December 5th Kennedy Singers to LMS for Winter Choral Concert Rehearsal (9:30am-10:30am) 3-5 Chorus Concert 6:30pm
Wednesday, December 6th WENDY’S FUNDRAISER ALL DAY (Bring Flyer With You) CPT Meetings Kindergarten MTSS SWIFTMAS @ Kennedy Starts TODAY!!!! Wear a holiday hat/headband!
Friday, December 8th SWIFTMAS: Find the hidden Taylor’s around the school & bring it to the office to get a prize! Happy Birthday Cindy DeRose! 5 by Friday!
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 ofyou 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)
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!
Monday, October 30th (Continue adding HIP ornaments received to bags in the Conference Room)
Tuesday, October 31st Halloween
Wednesday, November 1st HIP Ornaments will be dropped off at the mall CPT Meetings MTSS – KINDERGARTEN
Thursday, November 2nd Fall Picture Retakes ROE Visits District 81 (**Same reminders/look-for’s as when the fire marshall visited earlier this year) 8:30am – 11:00am VETERANS visit/talk with 3rd grade classes
Friday, November 3rd 5 by Friday! Continue making positive connections home!
(11/05) Daylight Savings Ends – Fall “back” an Hour
Monday, October 23rd 7th Grade Buddies Visit 2nd Grade (9:45am-11:00am)
Tuesday, October 24th 8th Grade Buddies Visit 3rd Grade (10:15am-11:30am)
Wednesday, October 25th Fall Birthday Celebrations 6th Grade Buddies Visit 1st Grade (9:15am-10:30am) CPT Meetings – 3rd Grade MTSS Meeting**
Thursday, October 26th 5th Grade Buddies Visit Kindergarten (8:45am-10:00am) 1st Kennedy “Buddy Program” Meet-Up/Event (see email for details)
Friday, October 27th World Occupational Therapist Day! We appreciate you, Jaime! 4th Grade Buddies Visit PreK (8:45am-10:00am) SPIRIT ASSEMBLY @ 9am Trunk or Treat 4:30pm-5:30pm in SOUTH Parking Lot *if you’re able to help out, please let Jenny Thorn know*
Tuesday, October 17th PreK Field Trip to Johansen Farm CPI Training
Wednesday, October 18th 1st Grade Field Trip to Safety Town (B107, B108, B111) 8:45am-11:00am CPT Meetings – EVERYONE starts in Upstairs Presentation Space at 2pm After Team Meetings – EVERYONE report to front of the school for a group picture @ 3pm Board Meeting @ 6:30pm
Thursday, October 19th Happy Birthday Eva Popowska 🙂 1st Grade Field Trip to Safety Town (B101, B102, B105, B106) 8:45am-11:00am
Friday, October 20th Kindergarten Field Trip to Sonny Acres 9:00am-1:15pm
(10/21) Happy Birthday Andy Hohmeier 🙂 (10/22) Happy Birthday Jimmy Cahill 🙂
