Let’s make this an amazing last 4 days before Winter Break for our KUBBIES!

This week I’m sure we have some changes to our usual routine — Spirit Assembly, Holiday Celebrations and sharing holiday wishes. Then on Thursday, we all head home for Winter Break where our celebrations continue with our family and friends.

True for some, not for all. As Winter Break draws near, along with all of the excitement, it is not uncommon to see an increase in undesired behaviors and regression to previous behaviors in our students. For many of our students, home is a place where relationships are unhealthy, meals are not prepared, and drugs/alcohol or violence are part of daily life. For these students, many of whom we may not even be aware of their circumstances, the most consistent, positive and secure part of their life is time at school. No wonder they are exhibiting some stress. When these students walk out of our doors on Thursday, there may be no breakfast or lunch, no counseling services, no celebrations, no gifts, and no one to encourage and support them.

So we support our children. We collaborate with our community to provide basic necessities (food, coats, hats, gloves, meals). We give our kids books from our classrooms to read over the break. We express that we are thankful for each other and look forward to being together again as a school community in the new year.

And even though we are tired and looking forward to a much-needed break ourselves, we keep an eye on those who are acting out more than usual. We give them structure and routine. We give them a break. We give them encouragement. This may not be their favorite time of the year.

Thank you for ALL YOU DO for our kids EVERYDAY!!! 

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, December 19th
Seasonal Color Day (Wear red, green, or blue)
Happy Birthday Marcela Barron 🙂
Motivational Monday
Hearing/VIsion Re-Testing (in PATS Room)

Tuesday, December 20th
Toasty Tuesday – Wear your favorite holiday socks, flannel shirt or winter hat
December Buddy Activity
SLC/SLBC Winter Celebrations @ Washington School (9:00am-10:15am)

Wednesday, December 21st
Deck the Halls – Wear your holiday sweater or anything festive!
1st Grade Field Trip to Stahl Family Theater (9:45am-12:00pm)
CPT Meetings
Board of Education Meeting @ 7:00pm

Thursday, December 22nd
PAJAMA DAY – Snuggle up for the last day of school!
Spirit Assembly!

Friday, December 23rd
WINTER BREAK through January 8th

(01/02) Happy Birthday Chrysanthe Agos
(01/06) Happy Birhtday Mayra Tellez
(01/08) Happy Birthday Nancy Weir

We’ll see you on January 9th for a Teacher Institute Day!
Have a wonderful Winter Break! 

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, December 12th
Motivational Monday
Winter Benchmarking (No RR this week)
Winter MAP Testing Continues
3rd Grade Data Review Meeting

Tuesday, December 13th

Wednesday, December 14th
TAPS CPT
Kennedy Singers Rehearsal @ LMS (9am)
Spirit Committee Meeting @ 2:45pm

Thursday, December 15th
Happy Birthday Katherine Zoladz 🙂
Happy Birthday Anastasia Todorova 🙂
Kindergarten Gingerbread Hunt
Kennedy Singers Rehearsal @ LMS (9:30am)
NO Kennedy Singers today!
Kennedy/Washington Winter Choral Concert @ LMS (6:30pm)

Friday, December 16th
Happy Birthday Sue O’Connell 🙂
D81 Holiday Party

(12/18) Happy Birthday Kim Sendelbach 🙂

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 5th
Motivational Monday
Winter MAP Window Opens
Yearbook Club (1st Grade Project Space) 2:30pm – 4:00pm
2nd Grade Data Review Meeting (Room E221) @ 2:45pm

Tuesday, December 6th
Spirit Committee Meeting @ 2:45pm
Culture/Celebrations Committee Meeting @ 2:45pm (Room E221)
Charitable Kubbies Committee Meeting @ 2:45pm

Wednesday, December 7th
Happy Birthday Dr. Boryszewski 🙂
TAPS CPT

Thursday, December 8th
Happy Birthday Cindy DeRose 🙂
Kennedy Singers @ 2:30pm
SLT Meeting @ 2:50pm

Friday, December 9th
Kenny’s Kindest Awards
5 by Friday! Make 5 positive Connections!

Welcome Back! 

I hope you enjoyed your well-deserved Thanksgiving Break, spending time with family, friends & those you love. Crazy to think we are wrapping up the month of November and heading into December, full of learning and fun…and a holiday break to look forward to! We have lots to do with our kids from now until December 22nd, and look forward to their growth when they return in January.

Things to keep in mind these upcoming weeks:

• 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 few weeks.
• 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 28th
NO SCHOOL: Full Day of Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher Conference Week
Book Fair Week

Tuesday, November 29th
Book Fair Preview Day
Dr. Seuss Committee Meeting @ 2:50pm

Wednesday, November 30th
Book Fair Buy Day
Happy Birthday Barbara Zawadzka
CPT Meetings

Thursday, December 1st
Book Fair Buy Day

Friday, December 2nd
PreK Screenings

(12/04) Happy Birthday Michelle Miro 🙂

“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 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 of you 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 14th
Vision/Hearing (K-3 Students)
Motivational Monday
1st Grade Data Review Meeting @ 2:45pm (E221)
New Teacher Meeting @ 2:50pm (D205)

Tuesday, November 15th
Vision/Hearing (K-3 Students)
Happy Birthday Sandy Montes de Oca 🙂
New Teacher/Mentor Meeting (4:00pm)

Wednesday, November 16th
Staff Thanksgiving Feast in Lounge (sign up to bring something here)
CPT Meetings
Board of Education Meeting @ 7:00pm

Thursday, November 17th
November Buddy Event
Kennedy Singers @ 2:30pm
TWD @ Bub City (3:15pm)

Friday, November 18th
NO Spirit Assembly Today (we are waiting on the new sound system in the gymnasium)

(11/19) Happy Birthday Shandi Hammer
(11/20) Happy Birthday Rosa Worwa

11/20 – 11/25 THANKSGIVING BREAK

(11/21) Happy Birthday Emily Kronlage
(11/22) Happy Birthday Suzanne Schoepke

(11/28) No Student Attendance / Full Day Parent-Teacher Conferences

How often do we pause & think why we are grateful? I challenge each of you to take some time each day to reflect on the things, events, or people you appreciate. Better yet….if it’s a person, let them know how thankful you are for their role in your life. THANK YOU are two simple words that have the power to transform our health, happiness, performance, and success. Grateful people are happier & more likely to maintain good friendships. Gratitude and appreciation are also essential for a healthy work environment. A simple thank you can make all the difference. Be sure to say thank you to those around you each and every day! Below is a November kindness & gratitude challenge…..give these a try!

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, November 7th
Happy Birthday Julie Taggart 🙂
Yearbook Club (2:30pm – 4:00pm)
3rd Grade Data Review Meeting w/Reading Room (E221)

Tuesday, November 8th
NO SCHOOL for students or staff – Election Day
Happy Birthday Maria Rodriguez 🙂

Wednesday, November 9th
Veterans Day Rehearsal (3rd grade) 9-11am
CPT Meetings

Thursday, November 10th
Veterans Day Rehearsal (3rd grade) 9-11am
Kennedy Singers (2:30pm – 3:00pm)
Spirit Committee Meeting @ 2:45pm (Art Room)

Friday, November 11th
Happy Birthday Becky Shoufer 🙂
Happy Birthday Julie Fister 🙂
FALL BIRTHDAYS CELEBRATION
Vision/Hearing Screenings
Veterans Day Performance @ LMS Little Theater 9:30am

*Please make sure to keep the master Fall 2022 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!

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, October 31st
Halloween Parades

Tuesday, November 1st
Culture/Celebrations Committee Meeting @ 2:45pm (Room E221)

Wednesday, November 2nd
Happy Birthday, Kelly Tarasiewicz 🙂
Safety CPT With Schiller Park Police Department (2-3pm in Cafeteria)

Thursday, November 3rd
SLT Meeting @ 2:50pm (Room B101)
VETERANS visiting 3rd Grade Classrooms
NO KENNEDY SINGERS!

Friday, November 4th
Pre School Parent Workshop (not a regular student attendance day)
5 by Friday! Continue making positive connections with families!

(11/05) Happy Birthday Giselle Alvarez

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, October 24th
Motivational Monday
Red Ribbon Spirit Week: Wear Funky Socks!
2nd Grade Data Meeting @ 2:45pm (Room E221)
New Teacher Meeting @ 2:50pm (Room C101)

Tuesday, October 25th
Red Ribbon Spirit Week: Wear Your Favorite Jersey!

Wednesday, October 26th
Red Ribbon Spirit Week: Crazy Hair Day!
CPT Meetings
BPAC Meeting @ Washington School (3:30pm – 5:00pm

Thursday, October 27th
Red Ribbon Spirit Week: Wear Your Favorite Pajamas!
OCTOBER Buddy Event (3rd Grade Project Space)
Kennedy Singers (2:30pm – 3:00pm)

Friday, October 28th
Red Ribbon Spirit Week: Wear Kennedy Gear or Blue!
Spirit Assembly (9:00am – 10:00am)
Trunk or Treat! Hope to see you there! Please let Melissa know if you can help sell concessions!

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, October 17th
Medical Exclusion Day
Motivational Monday
1st Grade Team & Reading Room Data Review Meeting @ 2:45pm (Room E221)

Tuesday, October 18th
FIRE MARSHALL VISIT: Please prepare your spaces for this visit (refer to Melissa’s email)
New Teacher/Mentor Meeting @ 4:00pm (Kennedy)

Wednesday, October 19th
Happy Birthday Eva Popowska 🙂
CPT Meetings
Board Meeting @ 7:00pm

Thursday, October 20th
THE GREAT SHAKEOUT (Earthquake Drill @ 10:17am) <–Mel will send email
SLT Meeting @ 2:50pm (Room B101)

Friday, October 21st
Happy Birthday Andy Hohmeier 🙂
Building Tour (1:00pm): Please prepare your spaces/environments for this visit
5 by Friday! Send 5 Positive Postcards out !

(10/22) Happy Birthday Jimmy Cahill 🙂

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

**Reminder: Please let me know if you’re able/interested in helping with the after-school tutoring program ASAP, as the number of students we are able to offer this tutoring opportunity to depends on the number of staff who are interested 🙂 If you have any questions about this, please let me know!

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, October 10th
NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, October 11th
NO faculty meeting.

Wednesday, October 12th
CPT Meetings

Thursday, October 13th
Pre School Field Trip to Johansen Farms
Kennedy Singers (2:30pm – 3:00pm)
TWD @ Moretti’s (3:15pm)

Friday, October 14th
5 by Friday! Continue making positive connections with families! 🙂
Physicals/Immunization Records due (Medical Exclusion Day is October 15th) – Jeanne will email you the names of any students who will be excluded from school on Monday, October 17th who are not in compliance.

Interesting in hosting a trunk? Please let Jenny Thorn know by Friday!
Interested in helping out with the event (selling concessions?) Please let Melissa know by Friday!

(10/15) Happy Birthday Rose Karas & Kirby Meza
(10/16) Happy Birthday Rosa Worwa