"What would you do if you knew you could not fail?"
Many of us were able to join in the celebration of Mary Beth Lorenz's retirement on Friday night and what a celebration it was. Surrounded by family and friends, people told stories, shared laughter, and honored her career as an educator. We serve in so many roles in this job: teacher, partner, friend, team member, counselor, etc. Last week, Terry wrote about our team potential. Mary Beth was celebrated on Friday not only for the role she played in the life of all of her students but also for the role she played on our team. She cannot be replaced. Who else brings the treats to PD? Donuts on Fridays? Remembers your favorite candy/cake/pop and drops it on your desk at just the right moment? Who could forget the story of how she refused to open her mouth for her dentist until he wrote a check for a camp scholarship?
Lately, we have been heartbroken to hear the many stories of fellow friends and educators who have gotten sick just as they retired. We put things off all of the time thinking that we can do it later when we have more time. We'll never have more time. Start. Just start. When I first started teaching, I thought I had to wait to the beginning of the year to start anything new. Yet, what I soon learned was that any time was a good time to start. Try Daily Five in February? Why not? At least, I'd have some data and ideas about whether I would want to do it the next year. What do you want to try? New technology? Student led conferences? Join the Lighthouse Team? Read a new book? Run a 5K? As George Eliot once said, "It's never too late to be what you might have been."
Big Rocks/Weekly Focus:
Count Day is Wednesday! Pam will have a roster sheet in your mailbox Wednesday morning
Please work on walking quietly in the halls this week. Remind your class of the expectation that classes walk on the right hand side and stop at intersections. If a class is already crossing, that class has the right of way. It has been especially loud and chaotic during lunch transitions. As you are bringing your students down to lunch and picking them up, this is a good time to practice hallway expectations.
Calendar for the Week of September 29th:
Monday: Lighthouse Team Leadership Training 8:30-3:30
Bond Furniture Meeting @ CO (Sarah) 1:00-3:00
Tuesday: LEAD time 8:45-9:35
Technology meeting 8:00 LMC
Peer to Peer meeting (Sarah, Terry, Sally, Annette, Shelly) RCR 11:30
Wednesday: QAR Meeting @ (Sarah) CO 9:30-11:00
Count Day
Foundation Grants Due
Thursday: Extended Staff Meeting on Website Training 3:45-4:45
Friday: DAC Meeting @ CO (Terry) 8:00
PTA Clean Out 4:00
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Monday, September 22, 2014
What is our Team Potential?
"You don't climb mountains without a team, you don't climb mountains without being fit, you don't climb mountains without being prepared and you don't climb mountains without balancing the risks and rewards. And you never climb a mountain on accident - it has to be intentional." Mark Udall
The best thing about Cooper Upper Elementary has always been the team-aspect of our processes. We are the school we are because of the team potential we created nine years ago and continue to use. We have teams for everything we do, and the teams are responsible to the whole.
We've had a break down of some of these processes with the renovations and the "recovery" from the renovations. The work lately has caused most of us to get into our rooms and get ourselves setup as we get things put back in order. The break down has not stopped all team functions, but it has slowed us down a bit.
Not it's time to renew the team aspects. Our Lighthouse Leaders are rotating out, and we need people to join this leadership group. It's time for new people to take the reigns and lead us as we move forward with our vision of a true Leadership School. The intentionality of our efforts will be the determining factor for our success.
What is your intention for Cooper? How can you help us continue and grow our team processes?
We need to thank all the people who have been on the Lighthouse Team through the first three years. Eventually, we rotated out some. Nicole, Lauren and Kathy T. have joined. We will need more people to step up as Judy, Robin, and Sandy move over to give more staff leaders the opportunity to make a difference.
The commitment we make is to each other and to the processes that create and maintain a great school. Please let us know your interest!
Our team potential is only as strong as our team commitment.
Calendar for the Week of September 22, 2014
Monday: Administrative PD meeting (Terry), 8:00 with CO
Tuesday: 8:00 Center EPT
8:00 Tech Meeting in LMC
8:45-9:45 LEAD time
3:45 Lighthouse Meeting
Wednesday: 8:00 IST meeting in conference room
3:45 Planning Team
Thursday: 8:00 Staff Meeting-Leadership Teams
EPM 1-4:30
Friday: ASSET data due
Retirement Party for Mary Beth, 4-8:00 pm
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Question Everything
"Knowing the answers will help you in school. Knowing how to question will help you in life."
Warren Berger
"Children enter school as question marks and leave as periods."
Neil Postman
"The word 'why' not only taught me to ask, but also to think. And thinking has never hurt anyone. On the contrary, it does us all a world of good."
Anne Frank
Terry and I receive the Marshall Memo on a weekly basis but I personally don't make it a priority to read it every week. I should because Kim Marshall has already done the work for me by summarizing the major articles in education that week. Stuck at Jungle Java on Saturday night, I pulled up the articles on my phone. I became slightly obsessed with one of the articles on helping students become better questioners.
Marshall summarized an article by Warren Berger entitled 5 Ways to Help Your Students Become Better Questioners. Berger believes we need to make questioning safe, cool, fun, rewarding, and a habit. It wasn't so much the article I loved but several websites that were included as resources. I would highly recommend checking out the websites A More Beautiful Question and Right Question Institute.
We've been hammering home the idea of understanding our "why." Perhaps, that's why I love the Anne Frank quote. As much as I like a good answer, sometimes asking the right questions provides us with a much clearer picture of our direction in life and helps us understand our personal mission or "why." I was the student who always had the right answer and it wasn't until I got older that I understood the power of mindset. I often worry that my oldest, Carys, is too fixed mindset. I mentioned to her this idea of always knowing the right answer and she replied, "I know, Mom, it's about asking the right questions." Smart kid. :)
So how do we create a culture of inquiry in our classroom and our school? How do we encourage students to spend more time on a question? How do we create a path for students to get from a question to a more meaningful result? Between the ages of 2 and 5, children ask 40,000 questions but after that we kill it out of them. Take the 3 minutes to watch the following video, What Kills Questioning? and then let us know what questions you have.
Big Rocks
A big thanks to Julie Juenemann for sending out the email about the Universal Precaution videos. Please watch them and turn in your form by October 1. We do have students with severe health issues this year that could require the use of Epi-Pens and Diastat.
As you work out your personal classroom schedules, please turn in a copy to Terry and/or Sarah. We realize they may still be in the works but they are helpful for us when scheduling observations and walk-throughs.
Camp is just around the corner! We are not sure what numbers to expect yet due to the change in camp dates. If you have any students who are not going due to financial restrictions, please see Terry, Sarah, and/or Julie. Camp money is due September 26 but we have already fielded some calls from parents who do not get paid until the 1st of the month. If you have a parent who is in this situation, please touch base with us in the office. We want every child to have the opportunity to attend camp.
The Book Room is unpacked and ready for use thanks to the hard work of Robin, Kathy, Christine, and Shelly. Please use the sign out sheet as they continue to update the spreadsheet and to ensure accurate inventory. At this time, please do not re-shelve books. You may return them to bin on the rectangular table.
The Young Adult Book Club will be meeting this Friday at 8 am in the lounge to discuss Loki's Wolves. I hope everyone had the chance to read it. I think our Rick Riordan fans will really enjoy this new series. I found the book slow to start but then couldn't put it down. In my opinion, the second book, Odin's Ravens, is even better.
Calendar for the Week of September 15, 2014
Monday:
Tuesday: 8:00 Tech Meeting in LMC
8:45-9:45 LEAD time
10:15 Tornado Drill
1:15 Inservice on the PA (Sarah, Terry, Pam, Colleen, Jeff)
3:45 Lighthouse Meeting
Wednesday: 8:30 Terry LEADS meeting at Emerson
3:45 Planning Team
Thursday: 3:45-4:45 Extended Staff Meeting on Student Led Conferences
6:30 PTA Meeting
Friday: 8:00 Young Adult Book Club Loki's Wolves
Warren Berger
"Children enter school as question marks and leave as periods."
Neil Postman
"The word 'why' not only taught me to ask, but also to think. And thinking has never hurt anyone. On the contrary, it does us all a world of good."
Anne Frank
Terry and I receive the Marshall Memo on a weekly basis but I personally don't make it a priority to read it every week. I should because Kim Marshall has already done the work for me by summarizing the major articles in education that week. Stuck at Jungle Java on Saturday night, I pulled up the articles on my phone. I became slightly obsessed with one of the articles on helping students become better questioners.
Marshall summarized an article by Warren Berger entitled 5 Ways to Help Your Students Become Better Questioners. Berger believes we need to make questioning safe, cool, fun, rewarding, and a habit. It wasn't so much the article I loved but several websites that were included as resources. I would highly recommend checking out the websites A More Beautiful Question and Right Question Institute.
We've been hammering home the idea of understanding our "why." Perhaps, that's why I love the Anne Frank quote. As much as I like a good answer, sometimes asking the right questions provides us with a much clearer picture of our direction in life and helps us understand our personal mission or "why." I was the student who always had the right answer and it wasn't until I got older that I understood the power of mindset. I often worry that my oldest, Carys, is too fixed mindset. I mentioned to her this idea of always knowing the right answer and she replied, "I know, Mom, it's about asking the right questions." Smart kid. :)
So how do we create a culture of inquiry in our classroom and our school? How do we encourage students to spend more time on a question? How do we create a path for students to get from a question to a more meaningful result? Between the ages of 2 and 5, children ask 40,000 questions but after that we kill it out of them. Take the 3 minutes to watch the following video, What Kills Questioning? and then let us know what questions you have.
Big Rocks
A big thanks to Julie Juenemann for sending out the email about the Universal Precaution videos. Please watch them and turn in your form by October 1. We do have students with severe health issues this year that could require the use of Epi-Pens and Diastat.
As you work out your personal classroom schedules, please turn in a copy to Terry and/or Sarah. We realize they may still be in the works but they are helpful for us when scheduling observations and walk-throughs.
Camp is just around the corner! We are not sure what numbers to expect yet due to the change in camp dates. If you have any students who are not going due to financial restrictions, please see Terry, Sarah, and/or Julie. Camp money is due September 26 but we have already fielded some calls from parents who do not get paid until the 1st of the month. If you have a parent who is in this situation, please touch base with us in the office. We want every child to have the opportunity to attend camp.
The Book Room is unpacked and ready for use thanks to the hard work of Robin, Kathy, Christine, and Shelly. Please use the sign out sheet as they continue to update the spreadsheet and to ensure accurate inventory. At this time, please do not re-shelve books. You may return them to bin on the rectangular table.
The Young Adult Book Club will be meeting this Friday at 8 am in the lounge to discuss Loki's Wolves. I hope everyone had the chance to read it. I think our Rick Riordan fans will really enjoy this new series. I found the book slow to start but then couldn't put it down. In my opinion, the second book, Odin's Ravens, is even better.
Calendar for the Week of September 15, 2014
Monday:
Tuesday: 8:00 Tech Meeting in LMC
8:45-9:45 LEAD time
10:15 Tornado Drill
1:15 Inservice on the PA (Sarah, Terry, Pam, Colleen, Jeff)
3:45 Lighthouse Meeting
Wednesday: 8:30 Terry LEADS meeting at Emerson
3:45 Planning Team
Thursday: 3:45-4:45 Extended Staff Meeting on Student Led Conferences
6:30 PTA Meeting
Friday: 8:00 Young Adult Book Club Loki's Wolves
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Much to do, much to plan!
“Be a light, not a judge. Be a model, not a critic”
― Stephen R. Covey
We are just now getting to know our students while, at the same time, we're getting to know our renovated building! Sweet surprises are all over the place. We finally figured out how to turn the Cafe lights on and off (the switches are int he lighting panel on the stage). Jeff is labeling all the new switch boxes in the hallways and the gym. We're getting the sinks repaired that weren't working, and at the same time are so grateful the plumbing is working so much better than before!
Four students came to have lunch with me (Terry) on Friday. They were amazing! They already love Cooper and their teachers. They already want to get busy on decorating the white hallways. They are all fifth graders and they are all Cooper students after just a few days with us. The excitement within them was palpable! Now we are set to honor their feelings and their ambitions for Cooper with some work-a-thons, which I hope we will schedule soon.
Looking at the Covey quote above, we can find a lot to think about regarding our students and our renovated school. We've been trying for three-plus years to envelop the 7 Habits into our lives. Habit 1, Be Proactive, says we have choices about all of our actions. Our actions are based on our beliefs. Our beliefs are based on our perspectives, which may or may not be correct. Our perspectives (our paradigms) are based on the ways we see things. That includes our personal weather. If we're to be a light, not a judge, we need to "show" students and parents what we are about. If we're to be a model, not a critic, we need to "have the character" we're teaching others to have. It's not enough to tell them the expectations' we needy to be a light, be a model.
I have to keep these things in mind everyday. It's so easy for me to be sarcastic; I am trying to be funny. Most of our students do not understand sarcasm and can be hurt by it. I want to model positive interactions with everyone when students are there learning from me. I'm still working on this, and I know the 7 Habits are helping. I am using my accountability partner to help, too! How is this going for you and your accountability partner?
There is much to do and much to plan! We have camp coming up soon. So is open house! What do we want to do to show off Cooper? To communicate to parent and the community all we do?
We'd love to hear your comments! Click on the comments section below each post; you can write a word or a line or two!
Big Rocks:
Foundation Grants are available again this year! Forms are on line. The due date is October 1st, so get your ideas together and fill out the application! If you have questions, see Sarah, Terry, or Judy.
EveryDay Math testing window is extended to September 19. Our labs are almost all functioning, so sign up and let the testing begin...
Annoucements can begin. We will start with Sarah and Terry doing them at first. We'll work the students in. Sue is planning to train students again this year. Thanks, Sue!
Our LEAD time assembly this week will be on a more detailed explanation of the 7 Habits for our students. The meeting times and places (within the LEADS time) will be determined Monday and we will send out an email for you. Please don't fret too much about LEAD Time. It is an evolving concept. We will begin to make best use of planning for them soon and will be able to give you more time to plan as well.
We can't thank all of you enough for your patience and flexibility as we continue to get everything working in the school. The unusual hot weather and the tough start without printers was bad enough, but communication was difficult with no PA or phones. We will get lists of phone numbers and extension information as soon as we can. Computer and phone hook ups are being completed as quickly as can be done. Thank you all for your understanding, tolerance, and cooperation as the renovations continue!
Lost in the busy-ness of getting the school up and running has been how great it is to see everyone again! The summers are wonderful, but we also have a great time working with all of you! Cooper is such a fabulous place to come to work!
Calendar for the Week of September 8, 2014:
Monday: Terry has dentist, then Randy meeting at 7:30
EDM Testing window begins
Tuesday: LEAD Time: TBA how we will meet (see above)
Terry and Sarah will do 7 Habits in some detail.
Wednesday: Learning and leading
Thursday: Staff Meeting 8:00...CPS Reporting
Elementary Principals Meeting (EPM), 1:00-4:30
Student 6th grade Camp Meetings (Time to be determined)
Parent Camp Meeting, 6:30 in Cafe
Friday: Camp forms due (6th grade)
Fire Drill 2:00
― Stephen R. Covey
We are just now getting to know our students while, at the same time, we're getting to know our renovated building! Sweet surprises are all over the place. We finally figured out how to turn the Cafe lights on and off (the switches are int he lighting panel on the stage). Jeff is labeling all the new switch boxes in the hallways and the gym. We're getting the sinks repaired that weren't working, and at the same time are so grateful the plumbing is working so much better than before!
Four students came to have lunch with me (Terry) on Friday. They were amazing! They already love Cooper and their teachers. They already want to get busy on decorating the white hallways. They are all fifth graders and they are all Cooper students after just a few days with us. The excitement within them was palpable! Now we are set to honor their feelings and their ambitions for Cooper with some work-a-thons, which I hope we will schedule soon.
Looking at the Covey quote above, we can find a lot to think about regarding our students and our renovated school. We've been trying for three-plus years to envelop the 7 Habits into our lives. Habit 1, Be Proactive, says we have choices about all of our actions. Our actions are based on our beliefs. Our beliefs are based on our perspectives, which may or may not be correct. Our perspectives (our paradigms) are based on the ways we see things. That includes our personal weather. If we're to be a light, not a judge, we need to "show" students and parents what we are about. If we're to be a model, not a critic, we need to "have the character" we're teaching others to have. It's not enough to tell them the expectations' we needy to be a light, be a model.
I have to keep these things in mind everyday. It's so easy for me to be sarcastic; I am trying to be funny. Most of our students do not understand sarcasm and can be hurt by it. I want to model positive interactions with everyone when students are there learning from me. I'm still working on this, and I know the 7 Habits are helping. I am using my accountability partner to help, too! How is this going for you and your accountability partner?
There is much to do and much to plan! We have camp coming up soon. So is open house! What do we want to do to show off Cooper? To communicate to parent and the community all we do?
We'd love to hear your comments! Click on the comments section below each post; you can write a word or a line or two!
Big Rocks:
Foundation Grants are available again this year! Forms are on line. The due date is October 1st, so get your ideas together and fill out the application! If you have questions, see Sarah, Terry, or Judy.
EveryDay Math testing window is extended to September 19. Our labs are almost all functioning, so sign up and let the testing begin...
Annoucements can begin. We will start with Sarah and Terry doing them at first. We'll work the students in. Sue is planning to train students again this year. Thanks, Sue!
Our LEAD time assembly this week will be on a more detailed explanation of the 7 Habits for our students. The meeting times and places (within the LEADS time) will be determined Monday and we will send out an email for you. Please don't fret too much about LEAD Time. It is an evolving concept. We will begin to make best use of planning for them soon and will be able to give you more time to plan as well.
We can't thank all of you enough for your patience and flexibility as we continue to get everything working in the school. The unusual hot weather and the tough start without printers was bad enough, but communication was difficult with no PA or phones. We will get lists of phone numbers and extension information as soon as we can. Computer and phone hook ups are being completed as quickly as can be done. Thank you all for your understanding, tolerance, and cooperation as the renovations continue!
Lost in the busy-ness of getting the school up and running has been how great it is to see everyone again! The summers are wonderful, but we also have a great time working with all of you! Cooper is such a fabulous place to come to work!
Calendar for the Week of September 8, 2014:
Monday: Terry has dentist, then Randy meeting at 7:30
EDM Testing window begins
Tuesday: LEAD Time: TBA how we will meet (see above)
Terry and Sarah will do 7 Habits in some detail.
Wednesday: Learning and leading
Thursday: Staff Meeting 8:00...CPS Reporting
Elementary Principals Meeting (EPM), 1:00-4:30
Student 6th grade Camp Meetings (Time to be determined)
Parent Camp Meeting, 6:30 in Cafe
Friday: Camp forms due (6th grade)
Fire Drill 2:00
Monday, September 1, 2014
See the Opportunity
Terry and I were at a professional development day at Schoolcraft two weeks ago where the speaker, Dr. Luis Cruz, said, "Frustration is the root of toxic culture." One of the things we want most at the beginning of a new school year is a positive and safe school culture. A school's culture is determined primarily by the values, shared beliefs, and behavior of all the stakeholders. As a Leader in Me school, we have spent a great deal of time on defining our school mission, classrooms missions, and personal mission statements, as well as, reflecting on our values, beliefs, and adult behaviors that create our school culture everyday.
This has certainly been a unique start to the school year and it has been our fear that the heightened frustration about the state of the building leaves us depleted at a time where we need to be fully energized. We need to be Marios with fully charged batteries and instead many of us last Thursday saw energy levels drained as we jumped over and under wires, dodged paint cans, and searched for that last gold coin in the piece of furniture we were sorely missing.
Winston Churchill once said, "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. An optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." The beginning of a new school year is filled with opportunity. It's one of the things we all love about our profession. What other profession gets a "do-over" every year? We must see the opportunity in the new Cooper. The few children that walked through the doors last week were so excited. Let's not forget to look at new opportunities through the eyes of a child.
It's going to be a great year! Try new technology. Refine your guided reading groups. Collaborate with a colleague. Don't say "just." As Theodore Roosevelt once said, "If you want something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done." GO DO IT!
As we start a new year, check out this video from Kid President where he surprises a retired teacher with her former students. What you do matters. Leave a legacy!
Big Rocks:
The first special schedule is being sent out but it is rough! Feedback is welcome and we will try our best to make changes. Thanks for being patient.
We still don't know who is showing up for Victoria Estes' room so any help in the morning would be very welcomed and appreciated.
There appears to be a need for a Lost and Found. We will work on securing a place. It seems like most items have ended up in the Media room. A lot of that was apparently items that people were discarding but we need to make sure that is the case!
Thanks and Special Recognition:
A very big thank you to Jeff, Paul, Linda, and the rest of the LPS custodial staff for their hard work and dedication this summer. They have been working non-stop and deserve many heart felt thanks.
Thank you to Colleen and Pam for getting us ready to start school from Hayes Elementary. Being homeless is no fun! We are still learning to use the PA so be patient with the office staff as we begin this week. Pam did just figure out how to transfer and put people on hold with the new phones. :) This is definitely a learning curve!
Calendar for the Week of September 1, 2014:
Monday: Sharpen the Saw
Tuesday: First Day of School!
Assembly first thing: 6th grade in Gym, 5th grade in Cafe
Terry and Sarah will go over expectations and 7 Habits briefly and introduce teachers.
12:15 Staff Photo in the Cafe
Call all absent students in the afternoon to see if they are drops.
Wednesday: Full Day
Fire Drill 10:00
Thursday: Staff Meeting 8:00
Friday: Lockdown Drill 1:15
This has certainly been a unique start to the school year and it has been our fear that the heightened frustration about the state of the building leaves us depleted at a time where we need to be fully energized. We need to be Marios with fully charged batteries and instead many of us last Thursday saw energy levels drained as we jumped over and under wires, dodged paint cans, and searched for that last gold coin in the piece of furniture we were sorely missing.
Winston Churchill once said, "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. An optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." The beginning of a new school year is filled with opportunity. It's one of the things we all love about our profession. What other profession gets a "do-over" every year? We must see the opportunity in the new Cooper. The few children that walked through the doors last week were so excited. Let's not forget to look at new opportunities through the eyes of a child.
It's going to be a great year! Try new technology. Refine your guided reading groups. Collaborate with a colleague. Don't say "just." As Theodore Roosevelt once said, "If you want something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done." GO DO IT!
As we start a new year, check out this video from Kid President where he surprises a retired teacher with her former students. What you do matters. Leave a legacy!
Big Rocks:
The first special schedule is being sent out but it is rough! Feedback is welcome and we will try our best to make changes. Thanks for being patient.
We still don't know who is showing up for Victoria Estes' room so any help in the morning would be very welcomed and appreciated.
There appears to be a need for a Lost and Found. We will work on securing a place. It seems like most items have ended up in the Media room. A lot of that was apparently items that people were discarding but we need to make sure that is the case!
Thanks and Special Recognition:
A very big thank you to Jeff, Paul, Linda, and the rest of the LPS custodial staff for their hard work and dedication this summer. They have been working non-stop and deserve many heart felt thanks.
Thank you to Colleen and Pam for getting us ready to start school from Hayes Elementary. Being homeless is no fun! We are still learning to use the PA so be patient with the office staff as we begin this week. Pam did just figure out how to transfer and put people on hold with the new phones. :) This is definitely a learning curve!
Calendar for the Week of September 1, 2014:
Monday: Sharpen the Saw
Tuesday: First Day of School!
Assembly first thing: 6th grade in Gym, 5th grade in Cafe
Terry and Sarah will go over expectations and 7 Habits briefly and introduce teachers.
12:15 Staff Photo in the Cafe
Call all absent students in the afternoon to see if they are drops.
Wednesday: Full Day
Fire Drill 10:00
Thursday: Staff Meeting 8:00
Friday: Lockdown Drill 1:15
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