As the holidays are around the corner, here are a couple of resources you might want to bookmark:
Storyline Online is now hosting The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg Portable North Pole is a website that allows you to create a personalized video message from Santa!
Here’s our week at a glance:
Monday, December 12th: Technology Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 202)
Tuesday, December 13th: Faculty Meeting @ 2:30pm & 3:30pm <—click for agenda
Wednesday, December 14th: SLC to Washington School
Common Plan: Technology
PATS/PreSchool Tree Decorating Party (2:00pm-3:30pm)
Board Meeting @ 7:00pm (LMS)
Have you been wishing/hoping your students could access our Tumblebooks subscription on the iPads? BIG NEWS:
“Dear Teachers, We are pleased to announce that we have begun a project which will allow your students and patrons to access your TumbleBooks picture book collection on the iPad and iPhone 4!! As you may know, TumbleBooks are created using flash animation and Apple has been steadfast in refusing to include flash in their iPads and iPhones. So, in the spirit of, “if you can’t beat them, join them”, and in our continued efforts to give our subscribers the best experience possible, we are making non flash videos especially for the iPad. You can check out our first batch of iPad-compatible TumbleBooks by signing into TumbleBookLibrary on your iPad and going to the Story Books section. There are currently 44 iPad books to choose from! Just below the “Story Books” heading, there is a link called “Click here for iPad-compatible titles”. Click on this link, and the iPad books will be sorted for you. Now, simply click on the “iPad” button to launch the book of your choice! The book will appear in a small window at first, but to expand, simply click on the “full screen” button. In the coming months, we will be creating iPad content for the entire TumbleBooks animated picture books collection. Thank you for your time! We would love to get feedback from those of you using iPads, so be sure to tell us what you think. Please email comments and questions to me at marianne@tumblebooks.com.
Wednesday, December 7th: Happy Birthday, Kim Boryszewski 🙂 Community Outreach Committee Meeting @ 7:20am OR 3:00pm (Room 206)
Common Plan: SEL
Celebrations Committee Meeting @ 2:45pm (Room 104)
District SPED Meeting @ 3:45pm (Media Center @ Kennedy)
Thursday, December 8th: Happy Birthday Cindy DeRose 🙂 Picture Retake Day
Kennedy Singers @ 2:20pm
SLT Meeting @ 3:00pm
District Winter Band Concert @ 7:00pm (LMS)
Friday, December 9th: HAT DAY!
Reading Room Plan
Krissy Venosdale, one of my favorite bloggers, posted this on her most recent post:
Do you ever have those conversations with your class? You know the ones, that come up, at random, opportune times where you talk about risks, about never giving up, and about reaching for the highest star? Want to remind them to never give up? Make them think about their goals, even when they seem different from everyone else’s, and how to achieve them? Share this video. 288,000 jelly beans and 22 months of creativity and hard work made this video. Don’t wait for your students to be inspired… Inspire them.
(If you have time….check out the “Making Of” video to see how it was made! VERY COOL!)
**As we embark on the next 13 days before Winter Break, remember to continue to inspire your students & engage them in learning! Thank you for Teaching With Passion each day!
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 (especially in Chicago) and lack of sunlight drain us. When viewed within the scope of an entire school year, 18 days isn’t really that many. However, 18 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 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?)
In these 18 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 18 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 your ‘eye on the ball’ and 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.
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 28th: Welcome Back!
Please turn in any parent/teacher conference surveys to the office.
“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 & me. 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. I have the best job in the world because I am surrounded by the best teachers in the world. In the above quote, Eaker & colleagues have clearly stated what makes our own school great: It is not our pristine facility, or our curriculum, or technology; instead, it is each of you performing great deeds day in and day out. THANK YOU for teaching me so clearly what effective teachers do differently, and thanks for teaching with passion each day!
Here’s our week at a glance:
Happy American Education Week!
Parent Teacher Conferences (all week)
Monday, November 14th:
Tuesday, November 15th: Happy Birthday Sandy Montes de Oca 🙂
Parent Visitation Day 9-10am, 1-2pm NO Mentor Meeting (conferences)
Wednesday, November 16th: SLC to McDonalds
Thanksgiving Feast in Lounge
No Common Plan (conferences)
PATS/PREK Thanksgiving Feast @ 2:00-3:30pm (cafeteria)
Board of Education Meeting @ 7:00pm
Thursday, November 17th: Spirit Assembly (Integrity) @ 9:00am
No SLT Meeting this week (conferences)
“Be positive with people and you’ll get positive results.”
(Blanchard, Lacinak, Tompkins, Ballard, & Blanchard, 2002)
Fall (November) is officially upon us as we are surrounded by beautiful warm colors & cooler weather. I hope you had a refreshing, relaxing weekend and are ready for the week ahead.
As parent-teacher conferences are upon us, I wanted to share a blog post with some tips and principles to keep in mind. Parent-Teacher Conferences offer teachers and parents the opportunity to see, celebrate and support each child. Conferences have provided me with some of my most rewarding moments in teaching. Just as we appreciate praise for our efforts, parents appreciate praise for their efforts & their child’s progress. Our school calendar may set aside days for parent-teacher conferences each year; however, I believe great teachers like all of you at Kennedy know that parent-teacher conferences are held throughout the entire school year. A great teacher keeps the student, the team, and the parents informed at all times!
Here’s our week at a glance:
Monday, November 7th SLC Swimming @ Elmhurst YMCA Tuesday, November 8th Happy Birthday Kellie Fazio 🙂
Hearing/Vision Pre School Field Trip to Kohl’s Children’s Museum Faculty Meeting @ 2:30pm & 3:30pm <–click for agenda
CPI Training @ 3:00pm (Washington School)
Wednesday, November 9th SLC to Super Low
Assessment Common Plan
CPI Training @ 3:00pm (Washington School)
Thursday, November 10th Hearing/Vision Kennedy Singers Rehearsal @ 8:45am
101/109 Field Trip to Native American Museum
No Kennedy Singers After School
District Veterans Day Performance @ 7:00pm (LMS)
Friday, November 11th Happy Veterans Day (Here is a Veterans Day Writing template if you’d like to use it!)
Happy Birthday Julie Fister & Becky Shoufer 🙂
Reading Room Plan
Hearing/Vision
(11/12) Happy Birthday Sarah Mixa 🙂
Here are some November Reminders/Upcoming Dates to Remember.
I hope you have a fantastic week! Enjoy our Kennedy Kubbies…..and as always, thank you for TEACHING with PASSION!
“Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.” -Voltaire
Life is NOT a shipwreck, but it definitely presents challenges. Sometimes, when it is too hard to concentrate, when the kids don’t behave as you’d like, when a lesson doesn’t go as planned, or when the work piles up and time slips away, it can be difficult to find our singing voice. When we have “these days” it is important that we take time to celebrate the successes in our school. It doesn’t mean we ignore the problems, but we can certainly use “the positives” to energize our efforts to address the challenges.
Challenge for the Week: Pick at least 1 positive thing that has happened in your classroom or at school and email it to a colleague or two. Encourage them to add to the list and pass it along. Like a chain-letter (without the associated misfortune) it will be good to hear the singing…even if we aren’t in lifeboats!
Here’s our week at a glance:
Monday, October 31st: Happy Halloween!
AM PreSchool Parade @ 10:30am (through the hallways of the school)
*an announcement will be made if your class would like to sit in the hallways to watch the PreSchoolers parade around the school* 1:00pm Parade Begins!! Please review the Halloween Info to see where your class will take group photos after the parade & which door you will re-enter Kennedy School.
*THANK YOU to the Halloween Helpers, too! Click here to refer to the areas where you will be helping!*
Tuesday, November 1st: Art Stamps Due!
Cycle 2 Assessment Week!
3:00pm CPI Training (new) @ 3:00pm (Washington School)
Wednesday, November 2nd: Math/Writing Common Plan
Community Outreach Committee Meeting @ 7:15am (Room 206)
104/105 Field Trip to Native American Museum
3rd Grade Field Trip to E. Leyden to see Jack & the Beanstalk
SLC to Washington School
District SPED Team Meeting @ 3:45pm (Washington School)
Thursday, November 3rd: 106/115 Field Trip to Native American Museum
Kennedy Singers @ 2:20pm
SLT Meeting @ 3:00pm
Friday, November 4th: Trimester 1 Ends
103/107 to Native American Museum
5 by Friday!!!
I hope you had a wonderful, relaxing weekend!
Please take a moment to read this blog post on TeachFactory
about the best type of teaching we can provide our students.
Monday, October 24th: SLC Swimming @ 10:30am (YMCA)
Math & Writing Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 107)
Tuesday, October 25th: Ronald McDonald Friendship Assemblies <–click for schedule
School-wide voting on Kubbie mascot’s name (lobby) Faculty Meeting @ 2:30pm & 3:30pm <–click for agenda
Mentor Meeting @ 3:45pm (LMS)
Wednesday, October 26th: Unity Dance Day
SLC to Super Low @ 10:00am Common Plan: SEL *Please bring your laptop to take KEYS Survey as team*
Celebrations Committee Meeting @ 2:45pm (Room 104)
Thursday, October 27th: 3rd Grade Field Trip to Goebbert’s
Kennedy Singers @ 2:20pm
FUN FAIR/CARNIVAL @ 6:00pm-7:30pm
(Volunteers: Please plan on arriving at 5:30pm)
Friday, October 28th: Spirit Assembly @ 9:00am (Teamwork)
“Every Monday morning, when the alarm goes off, we have a choice. We can go, “Ugh…here we go again.” Or, we can see it as an opportunity. Afterall, every Monday could be seen as just the beginning. This could be the week we start something big. So…..are you ready for Monday, or should I say….is Monday ready for you?”
In honor of Fire Prevention Week, the Schiller Park Fire Department will be at Kennedy on Tuesday and Friday. Please check out the schedule below to see when your class will participate. HERE are some fire safety printable activities if you are interested.
Here’s our week at a glance:
Monday, October 17th: Pre-K Field Trip to Goebbert’s
Event Planning Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 115)
Tuesday, October 18th: Helping Hands Committee Meeting @ 7:30am (Room 109) Schiller Park Fire Department Visits <–click for schedule
Dental Exams
Reading/ELL Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 110)
Multicultural Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 118)
School Vision Committee Meeting @ 2:40pm (Room 127)
CPI Re-Certification @ 3:00pm (Cafeteria)
Thursday, October 20th: Kennedy Singers @ 2:20pm
SLT Meeting @ 3:00pm
CPR Training @ 3:30pm (cafeteria)
Friday, October 21st: Put a Cap on Bullying *wear a hat to school* Schiller Park Fire Department Visits <–click for schedule
Reading Room Plan
5 by Friday! 🙂
*Congratulations to Kate Schnelker-Parks on her recent engagement!*
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 10th: NO SCHOOL: Columbus Day
Tuesday, October 11th: Buddy Committee Meeting @ 7:15am (Room 109)
Dental Exams Faculty Meeting @ 2:30pm/3:30pm <—click for agenda
Wednesday, October 12th: Dental Exams
PATS Field Trip to Cosley Zoo
SLC to Super Low
Common Plan: Theme
RTI Committee Meeting @ 2:45pm (Room 118)
Thursday, October 13th: PreK Field Trip to Goebbert’s
Kennedy Singers @ 2:20pm
PEP Event @ 6:00pm (LMS)
Friday, October 14th: Team Up Against Bullying (Wear your favorite sports team clothes) *Here* is a calendar of this month’s Bully Free/Drug Free events for your reference
PreK Screenings
Kindergarten Field Trip to Didier Farm
Happy Birthday Rose Karas (10/15)
As we enter this short 4-day week, I’m hopeful you’ll take some time to read this great blog post by Krissy Venosdale regarding Energy in the Room.
What energy are you bringing to Kennedy School each day?
