Our hearts go out to those precious students, teachers, and staff members who did not return home from school on Friday and those families & friends related to the Newtown community. We extend heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies to the entire Sandy Hook school community and join them in mourning the children and adults whose lives were lost.

Parents will hold on to children (of all ages) tighter, and you will, with firm resolve, assure them you are a professional who knows what to do when tragedy strikes. Some children might cry and you will dry tears. Some might lash out in anger and you will know that fear is rearing its head another way.

We’ll all need to be sensitive to our own little angels when they arrive on Monday morning. We have no way of knowing how much media coverage they will have been exposed to over the weekend. When students arrive in your classroom, some might be wondering:

*Am I safe?
*Could this happen to me?
*Could this happen here?
*What if someone came to our school?
*Why do things like this happen?
*Am I going to be okay?

There is no lesson plan for that. There is no magic strategy or super app that can look children in the face and assure them that the world will be well again.

You touch hearts everyday.
You will look into their eyes, and they will see in yours that you love them.
You will assure them with your poise and presence that the world is a beautiful place.
You will calm their fears by showing them that Kennedy is a great school filled with wonderful teachers, leaders, parents and students.
You will TEACH. You will do what you are born to do. You will do what you are called to do. You will do what students need you to do.

You touch hearts everyday.
You change lives everyday.
Monday is no different. On Monday, and for all the days that follow, you will prepare lessons, watch for that student who doesn’t quite grasp the point, encourage the student who hesitantly offers an idea, help the shy one make a friend, remind the bossy one to listen more. And you’ll do what no college course ever prepared you to do: you will show that when tragedy strikes, hope lives and goodness can always be found. You will show that we all go on, in spite of fear, or perhaps more importantly, to spite fear. You will be in your classrooms, teaching our children.

Each day, parents entrust their children to us and parents hope that above all, they will be nurtured, safe and loved. Our students are truly blessed to have you in their lives. You act as mothers, fathers, counselors, nurses and providers. You nurture their physical, emotional, and social needs. You take responsibility each day to educate our little Kubbies and develop them as individuals and you are amazing at it!

Helpful Reminders:
-Keep yourself calm. Your presence can help your students feel more secure.
-Keep regular routines as normal as possible. Children and adults count on their familiar pattern of everyday life.
-Give children extra comfort and physical affection, like hugs, and please do not hesitate to refer any students to Jaime or Elise for additional support.
-Focus attention on the helpers, like the police, firemen, doctors, nurses, paramedics, and volunteers. It’s reassuring to know there are many caring people who are doing all they can to help others in this world.

Remember Them  <–click to read blog post by Krissy Venosdale

“May we always honor the memories of those who lost their lives in this tragedy by never taking for granted what we have in front of us. Treasure your students, support your colleagues, reach out to people who need it, give back.” 

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, December 17th:
*Faculty Meeting @ 2:30pm to review Emergency Procedures

Tuesday, December 18th:
Winter Choral Concert @ 6:30pm (LMS)

Wednesday, December 19th:
Curriculum Checkpoint/Pinterest Sharing & Making Common Plan
PATS/PREK Tree Decorating Event @ 2:00pm-3:30pm
SLT Meeting @ 3:30pm

Thursday, December 20th:
December Buddy Event

Friday, December 21st:
Spirit Assembly (Generosity) @ 9:00am
POLAR EXPRESS DAY!

12/24-01/06: Winter Break
School Resumes on Monday, January 7th, 2013

(12/29) Happy Birthday Jimmy Kennedy 🙂
(01/05) Happy Birthday Elise Lagattuta 🙂 
(01/06) Happy Birthday Mayra Tellez 🙂 

“Do your little bit of good where you are;
it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
-Desmond Tutu

“Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.”

This week, a random act of kindness was caught on camera and the photo quickly went viral. A NYPD officer came to the aid of a homeless man in New York by buying him a pair of boots with his own money. Could this publicized, heart-warming story be just what we need this holiday season? Will this random act of kindness cause a ripple effect in paying it forward? I’ve seen many examples that inspire me to share kindness with others:

What will you do today? Go out and spread some cheer! Let’s keep making the world a better place. Pay it forward!

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, December 10th:
Environmental Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (cafeteria)

Tuesday, December 11th:
Faculty Meeting @ 2:30pm

Wednesday, December 12th:
SLBC to HIP Mall
Common Core Common Plan
Board Meeting @ 7:00pm (LMS)

Thursday, December 13th:
3rd Grade Field Trip to The Nutcracker
District RTI Committee @ 3:45pm (District Office Conference Room)
Winter Choral Concert @ 6:30pm (LMS)
Happy Birthday Linda Dwoinen 🙂

Friday, December 14th:
5 by Friday! 🙂
Holiday Party @ 6:30pm

(12/16) Happy Birthday Ola Heitz 🙂

With the students’ being more likely to be indoors for recess, here’s a great link to games/activities for interactive whiteboards (Click picture below) There are lots of fun holiday games:

I see the school year as a marathon, not a sprint. There are long stretches at the beginning and end, then those long days where winter’s cold temperatures (even though it has been unseasonably warm….we’ll TAKE IT!) and lack of sunlight drain us. When viewed within the scope of an entire school year, 15 days isn’t really that many. However, 15  is the exact number of days that we have with our little Kennedy Kubbies before Winter Break.

• For some of our students who will say “it’s almost 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 15 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? Let’s keep our goal of 5 by Friday!)

In these 15 days, we have a lot of work to do & lots of wonderful learning experiences to provide our students.  We’ll continue to persevere as the professionals that we are! No matter what your title is, what grade you work with, or what you do at Kennedy, please look at these next 15 days as times to deliver the highest quality service to our students, parents & community.

Be proud of what we’ve accomplished with our students so far this year, but please keep the focus on learning in your classrooms. 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.
• 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, December 3rd:
PATS Field Trip to Museum of Science & Industry
Environmental Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Art Studio)

Tuesday, December 4th:
Happy Birthday Michelle Miro 🙂
Buddy Meeting @ 7:20am (Room 109)
SEL PreK/4th Grade Buddies Activity
RTI Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 118)
Reading/ELL Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 110)

Wednesday, December 5th:
2nd Grade Field Trip to Mitchell Museum (104/105)

Thursday, December 6th:
2nd Grade Field Trip to Mitchell Museum (Rooms 106/115)
Celebrations Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 104)
Common Core Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 205)
District Band Concert @ 6:30pm (LMS)

Friday, December 7th:
Happy Birthday Dr. Kim Boryszewski 🙂
PRE SCHOOL SCREENING
1st Grade & Multiage Field Trip to Stahl Theater

(12/08) Happy Birthday Cindy DeRose 🙂

Welcome Back! I hope you enjoyed your time off, spending time with family, friends & loved ones. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’d like to share with you the benefits and power of two simple words. THANK YOU.

They are 2 words that have the power to transform our health, happiness, performance and success. Research shows that grateful people are happier and more likely to maintain good friendships.

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.

Gratitude is like a muscle. The more we do with it, the stronger it gets. Be sure to say thank you to those around you each and every day.

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, November 26th:
Welcome Back!

Tuesday, November 27th:
Kindergarten Field Trip to Washington School (SEL Buddies activity)
Faculty Meeting @ 2:30pm
Mentor Meeting @ 3:45pm (LMS)

Wednesday, November 28th:
SLBC to Denny’s
Common Plan: TAPS

Thursday, November 29th:
PreK Field Trip to Shedd Aquarium
SLT Meeting @ 3:00pm

Friday, November 30th:
Spirit Assembly (Integrity)

**Just a friendly reminder to schedule 2nd round of observations, as they must be completed before Winter Break**

With parent teacher conferences taking place this week, here are some articles I’d like to share:

‘Twas the Night Before Conferences: A Parent’s Perspective on Parent-Teacher Conferences

Making the Most of Parent-Teacher Conferences 

Why Parent Teacher Conferences Matter

Here’s our week at a glance: 

*American Education Week* 
Parent/Teacher Conferences all week
*If your schedule changes for some reason, please be sure to submit an updated copy to the office* Also, Donna and I are able and willing to attend any conferences, if needed.

Monday, November 12th:
Breakfast served in faculty lounge from Dr. B in honor of American Education Week 🙂
Happy Birthday Sarah Mixa 🙂 

Tuesday, November 13th:
First Buddy Event! (Conference Room)
Parent Visit Day (9am-10am & 1pm-2pm)
*No Faculty Meeting*

Wednesday, November 14th:
*No Common Plan*
Board Meeting @ 7:00pm (LMS)

Thursday, November 15th:
Thanksgiving Feast in Faculty Lounge
Happy Birthday Sandy Montes de Oca 🙂
*No SLT Meeting*

Friday, November 16th:
1/2 Day of School (K-3 students dismiss at 10:55am)

Thanksgiving Break 11/19-11/23
Happy Birthday Rosa Worwa (11/20)
Happy Birthday Emily Kronlage (11/21)
Happy Birthday Jill Geritano (11/25) 

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, November 5th:
Happy Birthday Shannon O’Malley 🙂
Kennedy Election Day  <—-click for schedule
Here are some election day texts:
 

Tuesday, November 6th:
Teacher Inservice Day <—click for agenda

Wednesday, November 7th:
Buddy Sub-Committee Meeting @ 7:20am (Room 109)
SLBC to Franklin Park Ice Arena
Assessment Common Plan
PreK/PATS Thanksgiving Feast (2:00pm-3:30pm)

Thursday, November 8th:
District Veterans Day Performance @ 6:30pm (LMS)

Friday, November 9th:
Happy Friday! 5 by Friday 🙂 Keep making those positive connections with families!

Happy Birthday Julie Fister & Becky Shoufer 🙂 (11/11)

 Things to share:
*Having a hard time coming up with comments to share at conferences with parents? Here is a list of suggestions!!

*Here are some ideas from Pinterest for Parent/Teacher Conferences
  

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, October 29th:
Cycle 2 Assessments This Week

Tuesday, October 30th:
RTI Committee Planning Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 118)
Common Core Committee Meeting @ 2:45pm (Room 205)
*Please remember to bring the office ladies a list of the names of parents you anticipate coming to your classrooms on Halloween. Please STAR/indicate which parents have visited our building this year & have checked in with the Raptor system so we can pre-print their visitor badges*

Wednesday, October 31st:
Happy Halloween!
*AM PreK Parade @ 10:00am (around inside of school)
K-3 Lunch/Changing into costumes taking place in classrooms between 10:30am-11:50am
*K-3 Parade @ 12:00pm (outside; weather permitting)
*PM PreK Parade @ 1:20pm (around inside of school)
*If you are a Halloween Helper, please remember to report to your spot during the K-3 parade at noon (*refer to email sent in the Kennedy Conference on First Class)! Your help is greatly appreciated 🙂
Remember it is early dismissal Wednesday!

Thursday, November 1st:
Celebrations Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 104)
SLT Meeting @ 3:00pm

Friday, November 2nd:
End of Trimester 2
3rd Grade Field Trip to East Leyden High School (Alice In Wonderland)

Here are some Halloween Ideas from Pinterest <—-click to see entire board.

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 for a common cause. You showed tremendous teamwork and I am so proud of your efforts and creativity. The parents, students and teachers alike were amazed and in awe of everyone’s efforts and final products. NICE JOB!!!

Here’s a week at a glance:

Monday, October 22nd:
RED RIBBON WEEK
Fire FIghters Visiting <–click for schedule

Tuesday, October 23rd:
PATS Field Trip to Cosley Zoo
Fire Fighters Visiting
Faculty Meeting @ 2:30pm <—-click for agenda
Mentor Meeting @ 3:45pm

Wednesday, October 24th:
SLBC Outing to Jewel
Storybook Pumpkins Common Plan
Board Meeting @ 7:00pm

Thursday, October 25th:
Kennedy Carnival 6:00pm-7:30pm
HIP Ornaments due! Put all your ornaments in a large, black trash bag and drop off bag in Room 117.

Friday, October 26th:
Spirit Assembly (Teamwork)
Multiage Field Trip to Goebbert’s

*I pinned some neat Fire Safety activities from Pinterest, if you’d like to take a look.

Fire Safety Reflection <—-click for PDF

My go-to blog, Venspired, coming through again this week with yet 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 15th:
Medical Exclusion Day
Dentist Visits in Conference Room
Vision Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 127)
Compass Learning Meeting @ 2:45pm (Room 205)
Happy Birthday Rose Karas 🙂

Tuesday, October 16th:
Buddy Meeting @ 7:20am (Room 109)
Holiday Fund Meeting @ 7:30am (Room 101)
Dentist Visits in Conference Room
Common Core Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 205)
SEL Committee Meeting @ 3:30pm (Teacher’s Lounge)
Happy Birthday Rosa Worwa 🙂 

Wednesday, October 17th:
Dentist Visits in Conference Room
Technology Common Plan/Group 3 Planning with Reading Room
Justin Chibucos (AXA Rep) Visiting <—see attached flyer

Thursday, October 18th:
Pre School Field Trip to Sonny Acres
RTI Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 118)
K-3 Paraprofessionals Meeting @ 2:30pm (Teacher’s Lounge)
SLT Meeting @ 3:00pm
PreK Paraprofessionals Meeting @ 3:45pm (Teacher’s Lounge)

Friday, October 19th:
1st Grade Field Trip to Goebbert’s
Happy Birthday Ewa Popowska 🙂