6/7-6/11

Happy Last Week of School!

As I was sitting here thinking about writing my last Monday memo blog for this year I started thinking about what I know for sure about our school. What I know for sure is that project based learning and student driven technology has taken hold. I applaud all of you in your efforts to integrate technology and project based learning into your students' day.

Here are a few of the many examples that I have seen this past week:

• 2nd grade Sue's room: students working on their power points with some students acting as peer coaches. Sue taking digital pictures of students for their projects. Sue said something to me like every classroom should have a mobile lab every day. I also know that she was able to do this work with her students because she was willing to take a leap out of her comfort zone and had the support of both Clary and Adam. Their classroom student presentations were very impressive.

• 3rd grade: their approach to their presentations was a blended project approach. One part technology and one part poster board. Their students were so proud to display their work.

• 4th grade: As I did observations in 4th grade I saw three classrooms all working on the same project but using different technology formats for the product (glogster, powerpoint and movie maker). When I asked the students how they ended up working on the project in a certain format they told me the teachers gave them a choice. Wow! powerful stuff letting the students have a voice in their learning. I love it.

I could go on to list many more examples of the wonderful ways we are teaching and reaching our students every day but this blog would go on forever. Thank you for being the best faculty ever!

Here is our week:

Monday:

• Kindergarten trip-blueberry farm

Tuesday:

• 12:15-1:15 4th grade 20th century project showcase

Wednesday-Friday:

• 12:15 early release (there was a phone home but please keep reminding your families)

Friday:

• EOY luncheon 1:30pm-see Debbie's email

Coming Soon/Announcements:

• Moving timeline: 6/10 boxes arrive, early release days to be used for packing and purging, 6/16-6/18 packing and purging days.

• 6/14-6/15 post planning

• 6/16-6/18 paid moving days

Celebrations:

• Hurray for us for having such a great year!!!!

• Happy Birthday to: Amanda A (6/10), Jill Ozog (6/20), Michele Krank (6/23), Ritzy (7/1) and Kelly Dolan (7/15)!!!!!

Celebrate Summer - Sun drenched days and starlit nights...

It has been a joy to work with you this year,

Amy

6/1-6/4

Hi Everyone,

Here is what is going on this week:

Tuesday:

• 9:00am peek across the creek

Wednesday:

• EOY celebration at Ritzy's house 1:30pm-???

• Chorus trip to Chuck E. Cheese 1:00-4:00pm
  

• Senior's last day on campus!!!

Friday:

• graduation congratulations class of 2010!!!

Coming Soon/Announcements:

• 6/9-6/11 Early Release days (12:15pm) - Please continue to spread the word!

• kindergarten field trip to blueberry farm

Celebrations:

• Congratulations to Michael on a wonderful concert!!!

• Happy Birthday to: Adam Escue 5/31 and Eric Lemstrom 6/1 (11th grade LA) !!!!

"I used to think that cyberspace was fifty years away. What I thought was fifty years away, was only ten years away. And what I thought was ten years away... it was already here.

I just wasn't aware of it yet."

Bruce Sterling

See you in your rooms,

Amy

4/24-4/28

Hi Everyone,

Here is what is going on this week:

Wednesday:

• Elementary Lead team meets 1:15

• 3:00pm K-12 faculty meeting
  

Thursday:

• 6:00pm 3rd grade/Chorus concert

Friday:

• 4th grade to space camp

• Data due to Marisa
  

Coming Soon/Announcements:

• 5/31 Memorial day (no school)

• 6/1 kindergarten field trip to blueberry farm

Celebrations:

• Congratulations to Kathy on a wonderful spring arts festival!!!

• Happy Birthday to: Cary Kirby 5/24, Diana Joyce (school psych) and Ginny Busch 5/27!!!!

"I believe the choice to be excellent begins with aligning your thoughts and words with the intention to require more from yourself."

Oprah Winfrey

See you in your rooms,

Amy

4/17-4/21

Hi Everyone,

Here is what is going on this week:

Tuesday: 

• 5th grade 20th century project presentations

• SAC 5:30pm-get your grade level info to Macy
  

Wednesday: 

• Learning Community Meeting 1:15-4:30pm. Plan it forward topics: revisiting and realigning our K-5 Home reading program, Kagan structures aligning what structures will be taught at each grade level, looking over the schedule to decide if we need changes based on the learning community model.

Thursday:

• 4-7pm Spring Arts festival-don't forget to preview the show with your class after lunch.

• Kindergarten open house 5-6pm

Friday:

• R-Evolution instrumental Music Ensemble Class production 7:00pm in the PAC-free and very very fun!!!!

Coming Soon/Announcements:

• 5/22 Prom at the Best Western 39th/I-75

• 5/27 chorus concert

• 5/28-5/29 4th grade to space camp

• 5/28 CBM data due to Marisa

Celebrations:

• Happy Birthday to: Officer Blair 5/20 and Jackie Sirmopuolos 5/21 (7th grade civics)!!!!

• Congratulations to all three first grade teachers on their fantastico Mexican restaurants!!!!

"The world is like a mirror you see? 

Smile and your friends smile back."

Japanese Zen saying

See you in your rooms,

Amy

4/10-4/14

Z to A countdown is on!

Hi Everyone,

Here is what is going on this week:

Monday:

• CBM/FAIR testing continues

Tuesday: 

• Dolan Mexican Restaurant.

• PKYPTO 5:30pm
  

Wednesday: 

• Learning Community Meeting 1:15-4:30pm.

Thursday:

• Pavlik Mexican restaurant

• Band Concert

Friday:

• 3rd grade trip to Epcot 

Coming Soon/Announcements:

• Formal Observations: we will have a sign up this Wednesday at our learning community meeting.

• Calling all fun loving teachers: we need a team or group to volunteer to do the K-8 talent show-more details at Learning community this week.

• 5/18 5th grade 20th century projects during the day/SAC 5:30pm

• 5/20 Spring Arts and kindergarten open house

• 5/21 Instrumental music ensemble's  rock, bluegrass, blues and girl's punk band end of the year concert-come and see a free totally student developed and run performance in the PAC at 7:00pm.

Celebrations:

• Happy Birthday to: Brian LaPlant 5/13 (6th grade world cultures)

• Congratulations to Teddi B on her new baby!

• Great Job Ms. Johnson's class on their Mexican restaurant!!! 
  

"Just do it"

Nike slogan

See you in your rooms,

Amy

4/3-4/7

Hi Everyone,

Here is what is going on this week:

Monday:

• CBM/FAIR testing begins

Tuesday-Friday: 

• 5th grade trip to Washington D.C.

Wednesday: 

• Class Lists-we will work on our class lists for the 2010-11 year.

Thursday:

• Johnson Mexican restaurant

Coming Soon/Announcements:

• 5/11 PKYPTO 

• 5/13 Band Concert

Celebrations:

• Happy Birthday to: Dianne Skye 5/4 (HS Art) and Sandhya Keskar 5/8 
  

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; 

Courage is also what it

takes to sit down and listen."  

Winston Churchill

See you in your rooms,

Amy

4/26-4/30

What I love most about the family picnic-community

Hi Everyone,

I hope that you had a fabulous weekend and are ready for another great week!

Here is what is going on this week:

Monday:

• Walkmania during specials. 

Wednesday:

Moving, Moving, moving-this is our day to discuss classroom/learning community moving for next year. Please come to our meeting with the following things: 

• an open mind

• an understanding that we will be moving. 
  

•  an understanding that we will be making decisions based on our new model of learning not on what makes us as adults feel comfortable. 
  

•  An understanding that we are working to shatter our old paradigms of teaching and learning in order to move ourselves into the 21st century learning community model.
  

• Nancy Dana will also join our meeting to start collecting input for the new director search
  

Friday:

• 2nd grade trip to the Jax zoo

Coming Soon/Announcements:

• 5/3 FAIR testing/ CBM window starts 

• 5/3 AP tests start for secondary

• 5/4 5th grade trip to Washington DC

Celebrations:

• Thanks to everyone that helped make RIA on 4/22 a success!!!

• Happy Birthday to: Amy Murphy 4/25 (8th grade LA) and Fran 4/28!!!
  

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, 

but by the moments that take our breath away." 

Author unknown

See you in your rooms,

Amy