"In Union there is Strength." Aesop

Wow! What a week that was at Cooper!  There was so much synergizing and hard work that went into making everything happen.  A big thank you to all of the 6th grade teachers and special teachers who stayed to make 6th grade Open House and Curriculum Night such a success.  Thank you to Judy for another terrific Book Fair and all of you for supporting her by buying books and helping to put it up and take it down.

Friday was an incredibly busy day but also full of excitement.  Many of us started the day by sharing passionate views about Sharon Creech's novel The Boy on the Porch.  We can't wait to hear what more students think after teachers give book talks in their classrooms.  Our next book is Loot by Jude Watson that many Cooper students are already reading around the building.

It was fun to watch the Jump Rope Assembly and have the jumpers share how they have to Begin with the End in Mind to improve and work toward their personal goals.  Santi and Erickson wowed the crowd in the second assembly with their jumping skills.  At lunch time, Franklin students shared how to say no to drugs with Cooper students.  Please bring your classes down and have them sign the banner in the Cafe to pledge to say no.

We could not have asked for a nicer day for the Walk-a-thon.  Our leaders did such a wonderful job walking appropriately with friends, sharpening the saw, and practicing proper assembly behavior during the announcements of the goal and prizes.  Thank you to all Cooper staff for collecting funds, pumping up the Walk-a-thon, and supporting our students in meeting our school goal.

Finally, the Cooper Family Fun Night may have been one of the most successful PTA events in Cooper history.  We had over 700 people RSVP for the event and it sure did feel like that many people showed up.  The main goal of the PTA was to create an event to encourage family fun and involvement and they sure did do that.  A big thank you to PTA President Lori O'Dell for all of her hard work and delegation in making this event happen.  Another big thank you to all of the teachers who came to support the Family Fun Night whether in setting up, running a game, cleaning up, mingling, or getting pied in the face.  EEW!  That was so gross but so worth it to see the excitement on the students' faces.  

The success of Cooper and the Leader in Me program truly is due to the hard work that all of you put into it everyday.  We are actively striving to live the 7 Habits at Cooper.  There is a great Facebook page that I (Sarah) have liked called Proactive Coaching.  Although it is directed at coaches, I believe so much of what they have to say applies to what we do everyday.  I often find myself transferring the word "coach" for "teacher" and "team" for "school."  I found this post especially applicable to what we do everyday.  Enjoy.

Ten Traits of Successful Programs
1. Consistent and clear standards and values – Preset team values are the foundation or cornerstones for every successful team. What is your team’s identity? Great teams establish their own culture.
2. The team members feel a collective responsibility to learn and follow the team values – People commit to the team values and live it in their actions. "This is the way we do things around here" is something the team members are proud to express. The feeling is that "we don’t want to do anything that would let down the coaches, the team and each other". Everyone is accountable.
3. Master Teachers – Master Motivators – The first way coach’s gain credibility, respect and trust is how much they know and how well they can teach it. Successful coaches understand the game and their players and how to teach both.
4. Positive role models – Coaches must consistently live the team values in their actions. The seniors are the best examples of team values. In these programs freshmen or sophomores can be told, "If you are not sure how hard to work or how to act in any situation, just watch our seniors and follow their lead". Your older players and most talented players must be your best workers.
5. All roles are valued – When there is relationship based leadership everyone who contributes to the team is shown value. Credit is shared. When all roles are valued, players are more willing to accept roles and teams are more successful.
6. Positive rites of passage – Intentionally created positive traditions provide a path for athletes to be welcomed, and to grow into leadership. Nothing that could be considered hazing is ever present.
7. Consistent performance feedback – Coaches know how to balance praise and correction. Athletes take correction as a compliment – they are coachable.
8. Trust – Players trust each other and their coaches. They trust their training. Mutual trust allows direct, open, honest communication and fearless play.
9. Sense of Urgency – There is a high energy level. Individual and team discipline is visible in the focused attention and focused effort of everyone. Details are important. Only disciplined teams have a chance to win championships.
10. Impact the player’s lives – Players in these programs treasure the experience so much that they carry the lessons and values over beyond the season and into their lives. They build successful teams of their own.

"Lighthouses don't go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand their shining."  Anne Lamott (courtesy of Christine McQuiston)


Schedule for the Week of October 27th:

Monday: Quick Staff Meeting 8:00
              School Improvement Program Evaluation Tool 1:00-4:00 (Sarah and Robin)

Tuesday: Parent Lighthouse Team Meeting 6:00-8:00

Wednesday: Planning Team (QAR visit) 3:45
                    Fall Vocal Concert 7:00

Thursday: Staff Meeting 8:00 (Leveled Library and Short Text Resources)

Friday: Happy Halloween

Another Busy Week...We are making Great happen!

"When leaders take back power, when they act as heroes and saviors, they end up exhausted, overwhelmed, and deeply stressed." Margaret J. Wheatley

Meg Wheatley's quote was written in the context that leaders need to lead from behind, letting others take charge of all they can do. Our jobs are not to take on so much that we act as heroes and saviors. In the language of the 7 Habits, we need to get our priorities straight so we can live in Quadrant 2, the quadrant of important but not immediate. There are so many irons in the fire this week that it can feel overwhelming. Monday is 6th grade open house along with the book fair. We also have Center EPT and LEAD time on Tuesday, IST Wednesday, followed by Leaders Leading Leaders on Thursday along with a staff meeting. Then Friday tops them all with four events: Jump Rope assemblies in the morning, Franklin Leaders at lunch, Walk-a-thon in the afternoon, and Fall Family Fun night in the evening. (Wow! I'm still tired from camp last week!)

To manage all there is to do, we need to help each other as accountability partners to stay on track with our best efforts to plan and place our big rocks in the schedule first, ready to say no to that which does not fit. We'd love to see staff at Friday's Fall Family Fun Night. It will be exciting to see families playing together in the Haunted House, cake walk, pie throw, and more! Seeing students interacting in non-traditional ways enhances our understanding of them. We certainly see that at camp.

A Cooper student (on the ASD spectrum) was asked his favorite part of camp, he said, "I liked the staff best. They care about you even when you don't want them to."

Speaking of camp, 6th grade teachers were able to have Cooper Time at camp this year where they took their own group and planned an activity. The students really enjoyed the camaraderie at camp, and being able to have their teachers be part of it was sensational! LEAD time this week can be a continuation of the camp spirit. Sixth graders can show fifth graders the spirit of camp but not only sharing their camp experiences, but by having fifth graders participate in a camp-style activity similar to what sixth grade teachers provided at camp. Sarah and I would love to see what ideas you are trying during LEAD time to integrate 7 Habits, Leadership Notebook usage, and ideas for making Cooper better.

"When you do nothing, you feel overwhelmed and powerless. But when you get involved, you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment that comes from knowing you are working to make things better." Anonymous

BIG Rocks and announcements this week:

• So many "thank you's" to extend! Sixth grade teachers for making camp the best ever! Robin, Tim, Pam, Bill, Colleen, Tracy, and Julie contributed to fund raising, scheduling, contacts, souvenirs, and much more. It was truly a team effort, and the results were outstanding!
• From 8:30 to 11:00 on Thursday of this week, the Leaders Leading Leaders group consisting of former Galileo members from all over the Metro Detroit area who are now administrators will be meeting at Cooper in the LMC (thank you, Judy!). We will need some students to help guide guests to the LMC. It would be a chance for our Leadership Photographers to take some photos as well. Let me (Terry) know if you have students available. We can use SACC students to help at first.
• Open House for sixth grade is Monday. Parents have been very patient waiting to get in the building. It's important to emphasize the good changes from the renovations along with your presentations.
• Keep the punch list items coming in! Don't be concerned about repeating yourselves!
• Our phones are changing once again. Beginning Tuesday, October 21, all outside calls will be placed by dialing 8 plus all ten digits. No "1" is necessary for any calls, but even local calls will require area codes.
• We have a Jump Rope assembly Friday morning. There will be a sign up in the office for you to select your class time. The assemblies will be in the Gym (Fatino is so awesome!) from 9:00-9:30 and then 9:40-10:10.
• Franklin is sending their "no drugs" messengers to Cooper in Friday at lunch times. Our students will get suckers from the high schoolers. It will be great to see some of our former students!!
• Our Walk-a-thon is Friday, and with camp, pledges have been sluggish. Please help students remember to help with our drive for supporting LIM activities!
• Two issues still occurring around lunch need addressing. Please continue to remind students that hallways are never places for shouting and loud talk. We need to start that right at the beginning of the day when taking students to class. It will help immensely if teachers can set the tone for quiet hallways at the start of school and during lunch times. The other issue is fifth grade lunch times. The second set of lunches and recess start at 12:10, not 12:05. Please continue to supervise your students up to 12:10 in the halls or outside if you're taking them out before 12:10. Pick up times for 6th grade lunch/recess is 12:05. Pick up time for 5th grade lunch/recess is 1:00.
• It is Cooper's turn for a QAR visit this year. We are trying to arrange the times to be outside of the times principals are on leave (see below). We will keep all of you in the loop about the expectations and dates of the visits. The principle function for all of us is to know our responsibilities relative to the Cooper school improvement plan. If you have questions, please see Robin, our school improvement chair, or one of the administrators.
• Sarah will be going on leave soon to have her baby. I, for one, can't wait to find out his name. Sarah is just not telling! The plan is for her to return in mid-January. I am missing her already!
• As many of you may know already, I will be having knee replacement surgery. I am planning to wait until Sarah returns before I go out. The recovery is expected to take 4-6 weeks. Right now I'm looking at the first week of February. That should keep me here for Career Day and back in time for TBOB. Of course all of this is predicated on variables we can't control. Sarah and I are both anticipating the best for our returns from leave. While we're out, someone will be here to help the lone administrator muddle through. We will let you know who when we're solid on the plans. Since we're both planning to take a little time off, we will be getting our evaluations completed earlier than last year. Look for us to be in classrooms often in the next few weeks.

Schedule for the Week of October 13, 2014:
Monday:    Terry B-Fast with Randy, 7:30

                  Sixth Grade Open House/Curriculum Night and Book Fair: 6-8

Tuesday:   Center EPT, 8:00

Wednesday: IST Meeting, 8:00

                     Principal PD meeting (Terry with others) 10:30 at Cooper

                     EPM, 1:00 (Terry and Sarah)

Thursday: Staff Meeting in Lounge, 8:00

                 LLL Meeting in LMC, 8:30-11:00 (Terry and others)

                 Skate Night for students at Riverside Arena

Friday:          Jump Rope Assemblies, 9 and 10:40 in Gym

                     Walk-a-thon, 2:00

                     Family Fun Fall Festival, 7:00-9:00 at Cooper!!

Cooper Staff and Students Light the Way!

"Let Nature Be Your Teacher." William Wordsworth

Camp is here!  It's hard to believe that in just a few hours we will be heading to Howell Nature Center.  With such a crazy start to the school year, we almost didn't think we'd pull it off.  A big thank you to all of you: the fifth grade teachers who helped our sixth graders fundraise, the sixth grade teachers for getting everything ready and going on the grand adventure, Julie for organizing health plans and scholarships, Robin for coordinating with Howell Nature Center and helping with meetings and paperwork, and our fabulous secretaries, Colleen and Pam, for taking care of camp money, medications, and parent questions.  Go Team Cooper!

People question why we still go to camp.  Camp instills important leadership skills.  Students have to make their own choices and are empowered to try to new things.  They synergize with others to accomplish different tasks and build confidence through the knowledge that they are capable of amazing things.

Research shows that both children and adults benefit from increased time in nature.  Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder, argues that due to parental fear, less access to the outdoors, and increased screen time, children are spending less time outdoors which has grave effects on their health.  Increased time in nature has been associated with a reduction in ADHD symptoms, depression, anxiety, and stress.  It also has been shown to increase creativity, self esteem , and overall happiness.  Perhaps this is why we often worry less about some of our more challenging students at camp.  We often have less behavior problems and see more students excel in the outdoor camp environment.  Camp helps us live our mission of "Learning and Leading."            

Big Rocks
Fifth grade teachers have a big night ahead of them as well this week.  Fifth grade Open House and Curriculum Night is this Monday, October 13.  Thank you to all of the fifth grade teachers and special teachers for your hard work and preparation for this event.  Sarah will be present, as Terry will be at camp.

Schedule for the Week of October 13, 2014:
Monday: Backiel, Cohan, Daraskavich, McGlinch, Mansour, Kopacko go to camp.
               Sarah and Terry will follow the 6th graders out to camp.
               Fifth Grade Open House/Curriculum Night and Book Fair: 6-8

Tuesday: Terry at camp.  Sarah will be out in the AM due to doctors' appointments and most likely at
                camp in the afternoon.

Wednesday: First sixth grade group returns to Cooper.
                    Erickson, Lietz, Martin, Spence, Webster, and Kimball go to camp.
                   Terry at camp.  Sarah at Cooper.

Thursday: Title I Meeting at CO with Dr. Spybrook: 8:30-3:45 (Terry, Sarah, Robin, Kathy)
                  PTA Meeting: 6:00 Board, 6:30 All Members
                  No Staff Meeting

Friday: Sixth graders return from camp.  Sarah at Cooper.  Terry at camp.

Rolling Along...

"Beware the barrenness of a busy life."

Socrates

Socrates has always been one of my favorite philosophers. It's hard to imagine what daily life was like for him, but not hard to see and use his wisdom. Henry David Thoreau wrote about being busy, too. He asked that we be careful about being busy, for even ants are busy. Thoreau was careful to point out that it's more about what we're doing, what our focus keeps us busy doing, than that we stay busy. Socrates would have agreed. It all goes to being intentional, living within the Private Victory of the first three Habits, wherein the focus is on our person missions. Once again, we stay aware of the "Why" of what and how we live.

It's getting very busy at Cooper! Camp is next week, as is our first Open House/Curriculum Night. It's important that you communicate to your parents how you are providing information that evening. Many teachers do the curriculum presentations at 6:30 to allow parents the option of coming earlier or staying later to accommodate their family schedules. Also consider what you'd like them to do with their student who might be with them. WE've had issues in the past with students roaming unattended and disrupting other classroom presentations while their own parents are in a presentation with their parents. Let the parents know what their choices are for that time. If you have questions, of course, see one of us.

Staying busy as we do, we are sometimes forgetful about some things that make Cooper work better. We are still having issues during both lunch periods with noise in the halls. Please walk your students to the lunch line in a quiet line, and remind students that when they enter the school after their recess, their voices need to stop. Line behavior overall is wonderful except at lunch. We need everyone to help take charge of students, encouraging them to remember line behaviors even at lunch time. 

Camp is next week. Robin has been working furiously to get cabin and travel group assignments. We will be having camp meetings this week to speak with student and chaperones. We are almost ready! A huge thanks goes to Bill, Pam and Julie for all their work on Pizza Kits and Camperships. We have a lot of students in need, but more going to camp than most years. It's such a team effort to get camp to work! Thanks to everyone for helping! Remember, sixth grade teachers, to submit your team time plans prior to camp.

Bond renovations are still ongoing. While they seem never ending, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The punch lists are getting difficult to keep up on because so much is getting fixed! Please email items still not correct to me.

Tuesday LEAD Time is working in some ways, not in others. We need solutions to getting groups to the Cafe more quickly so we can start on time and end on time. Tuesday's assembly is on bullying and we have two videos we'd like to show. We will call the second group to the Cafe as a reminder, and it would help if the first group comes on their own, planning to be there as close to 8:45 as possible. This week, we'd like A lunch teachers at the first assembly with their accountability partner classes. B lunch and their accountability partners will be called to the second assembly.

We have a fired drill Monday morning right after announcements. This will be the last one until spring. We also have a lockdown drill at 9:15 on Thursday, using the same method for the drill as last time. It's a hide and wait drill. We will have one more lockdown drill later this year.

SO...Are we busy? Are we busy doing the things that matter? 

Calendar for the Week of October 6th:
Monday: Wear Blue for International Anti-Bullying Day!

               Fire drill at 8:50ish

Tuesday: LEAD time assemblies 8:45-9:35
                Volunteer Meeting for Family Fun Night, 6:00-8:00 in the Cafe

Wednesday: Camp Meetings, 1:30-2:15 for A lunch and 2:30-3:15 for B lunch

                      Chaperone Meeting, 6:00 in the Cafe

Thursday: District PD Day. All classroom teachers at Riley.

Friday: Staff meeting at 8:00 (Yes, it's on Friday)

            Lock Down Drill 9:15

            EPM (Yes, it's on Friday...) 1:00-4:30 at CO