Friday MM - Day "A"

Good Morning!

Enjoy the holiday and feed your soul.  With two full weeks, we have an opportunity for reflection on education and our effect/affect on society.  I am going to let my mind wander and do a LOT of reading in the early stages of the break. I hope to narrow my interests and do some focused reflection that can be turned into action as we return.

Here is an news story from NPR (SCIENCE) that caused me to pause and reflect.  My hope is to hear from each of you about the topics and information that will come across your radar and inform your work here at Brunson. 

I cried for Mariela and I will cry as Silvia leaves our school.  The relationship between an amazing administrative/financial assistant and the principal is strong as both rely on each other to create a space where others come first.  Silvia has always put the needs of students, parents and teachers above those of her own.  She has impacted my life in a positive manner and I wish her well as she ventures to a new role at Wake Forest University. 

Subs:
Rosemary for Lisa

Thursday MM - Day "F"

Good Morning!

COG's for the raffle are due before the end of the day.  We will have the drawing on Friday morning!

I am at the Elementary Principals meeting today and will be back after lunch.  The agenda is posted in the Blog documents folder on the shared drive.

STEM NIGHT!  see you at 6:00 in your locations to welcome parents to see our progress.  The musical program begins at 6:30.  

Subs:
Rosemary for Lisa

Wednesday MM - Day "E"

Good Morning!

Big thanks to our STEM team for the judging of the STEM projects yesterday.  PLEASE get out and about today to visit some classrooms and recognize our students for their efforts.  A HUGE thanks to all of you who made this event positive for our students.  Your work is evident in the preparation of the students.

See you at the faculty meeting this evening!

Vickie Jones for Cindy Sanders
No sub for Jenny

Tuesday MM - Day "D"

Good Morning!  

I am looking forward to our STEM night and performance by the 4th and 5th grades.  Please welcome the judges as they volunteer their time to give feedback to our students.

Today we also host the PTA birthday Bash.

Wednesday we have an author visit and a faculty meeting.  We will elect our 2014 Teacher of the year at that meeting so be thinking about who earns your vote!

Remember to visit the Be.Cafe today for some bagels and coffee as my holiday appreciation for each of you!

Monday MM - Day "C"

Good Morning!

I want to show my appreciation by providing a light breakfast of bagels and coffee on Tuesday morning  in the Be.cafe.

Subs:
Rosemary for Kim

PBIS Raffle

Teachers:

The PBIS Team is excited to announce our FIRST PBIS RAFFLE!  We are encouraging students to peruse the prizes and put COGS in for the items they want most.  The prizes are being advertised on a short video on your K drive (K drive> 2013-2014> PBIS> PBIS Raffle!).  Please show the video before the end of the day Monday.  We will collect COGS on Tuesday and Wednesday and pick the names of the lucky winners Thursday!

Good luck to all!

Good Morning!

My holiday gift of thanks to each of you will be a Bagels, and coffee in the Be.cafe on Tuesday morning!  I will have them ready at 7:30 so come early and grab a some sustenance.   

• Now this is a story all about how my life got flipped-turned upside down and I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there, I'll tell you how I became thankful for a lady named Mrs. Correa.  I am thankful for her compassionate heart, her seemingly endless patience and her love of children!
• Ms. Cook - I really appreciate you getting me a cup of good cold water last week when I was having a coughing spell.  I helped me stop coughing and allowed me to better serve our students!
• Deb Gray is a special woman who makes me feel better when we have ahd a conversation - Sweet, fun and non-judgmental
• Bridget, I truly enjoy hte atmosphere you create in your classroom.  I love the way you teach and interact with your students, and I feel privlidged to witness that first hand.  It has been a joy to get to know you this year as a colleague and as a friend
• Jessie, You rock!  you are an amazing teacher with an outstanding attitude.  I am lucky to teach with you!
• To Mrs Wilheit - Thank you for your kindness and patience throughout the time I have been at Brunson.  You make me confident and full of energy!
• I am grateful for Mrs. correa She is the queen of multi-tasking, is effective and efficient at all she does and does it with a smile.  Often what is accomplished in the office goes unrecognized.  Mrs Correa is a professional that Brusnon depends on and appreciates.

Thursday MM - Day "A"

Good Morning!

Symphony performance for 4th and 5th grade @ 9am in the gym.

Barnes and Noble Book fair for Brunson Friday, Dec. 13 through Sunday, Dec. 151925 Hampton Inn Ct.

Student performances Saturday at 2:00. 

You can also make purchases online through Dec. 20 using Book fair ID 11181633 at checkout.

• Angela Adams: thank you for your humor and kindness.  you have brightened many of my days without even knowing it,  Especially with Dance PARTYING.  I am so grateful for you!
• Thank you to Jenny for always being there for Students and teaching student centered classroom guidance lessons
• I am thankful for our Tech Teacher,  she is amazing and loves it here at Brunson.  Her position is Vital as our students become 21st century learners and attend our STEM School
• Deb Gray; thank you for your willingness to walk me through the nuances of the English Language.  You have been an inspiration as mother and woman to me!
• Deb Fidali - Unique individual who contributes SO MUCH to our school
• Demarie Anderson - thank you for being a consistent and strong instructional and PBIS leader
• Kim Burch - thank you for being a great teammate, suite-mate and friend.  I appreciate your willingness to work on the "complicated" cases and all the help over the years.
• Tiffany Ray - I love your positive Can-DO attitude.  So glad you are here
• Thanks you Mrs Correa!  you stay late when you do not have to.  Help with my communication to non-English speaking parents during conferences.  THANKS for ALL you do!
• Lisa Weber - Great teacher, stands up for her children, hardworking, fun and easy to talk to.
• I am thankful that Linnea Patrick is a fabulous wordsmith and supportive team player!
• Bridget Hollomon - You found a way to get 620 kids excited about being generous and compassionate!  thanks you for including me in the pasta for pennies project.  It is awesome to see how much kids have learned about kindness in the past weeks.  you started it all!  That is so cool and I am so fortunate to work with you!

Wednesday MM - Day "F"

Good Morning!

Please watch this STEM Fair video with your students at a convenient time today! 

Go to the K: drive

• 2013-14
• STEM PICS and VIDEO
• STEM Fair

Thanks to Mrs. Swanson and our students for channeling their STEM fair enthusiasm into this 3 minute montage. 

Also please make plans with your Mix-it-up buddy class to share and view class projects next week as our school will be stocked with amazing learning opportunities!

No PD today as we have a faculty meeting next Wednesday and STEM Fair next Thursday.

Subs:

Catharine Lowe for Michelle

No sub for Deb Gray

James Reams for Tonya L. 

Tuesday MM - Day "E"

Good Morning!

We want to balance the joy and excitement of the season with the academic "press" that is our main objective.  To this end let's be sure to schedule our Holiday classroom celebrations for the afternoon on one of the last two or three days of this year. 
(Wednesday-Friday, December 18, 19 or 20)

If your celebration keeps you from the lunch room, I am SURE you have already informed our cafeteria manager.  If that has not occurred, please do so ASAP.

We do not have any holiday assembly planned for the last week of school so PLEASE encourage ALL families to attend the PTA STEM FAIR event and holiday program by the 4th and 5th grades on December 19th.

I am at the Joint Principals meeting today and will return near noon.  the agenda is posted in the "Blog documents" folder on the Staff Shared Drive.

Subs:
Deb Gray for Trish
Rosemary Hazy for Darcy

Re-COG-nition for STAFF

• I am grateful for Scott Houston who makes the media center able to have many activities running concurrently
• Mrs. Anderson - thank you so much for the kind words in the hall the other day on how I have been doing.  It helped make my day!
• Michelle, I really admire the ability you have to make such an incredible difference in the lives of your students.  You make such a positive impact on them all!  you take such care to recognize each child's needs and find such creative and inspiring ways to help them grow, not only in knowledge but in character
• Mrs. Mason's Smile and flexibility is appreciated DAILY!
• Props go to Stacy Swanson,  AWESOME job with Technology
• I am grateful for Silvia!  She is the smiling "glue" that is at once caring, organized and persistent in keeping us rolling along as smoothly as possible
• Lisa, thanks you for teaching touch math to all of the 4th graders
• Mrs Ray, HANG TOUGH!  you are Awesome
• Paige, I am lucky to have such a fun and supportive partner in crime
• Jenny - Wise beyond her years, helpful and caring
• Debbie Gray - you have a keen sense of each student's needs and you know just what to do
• Mrs. Fidali thinks about the students first in everything she does
• Janet Gauss is a wonderful friend who is supportive and encouraging - a good person and a talented teacher
• I am thankful that Donna McNatt is very organized and great to work with!
• Mrs. Catstello - thanks for the vibrant energy that you bring to our school

Monday MM - Day "D"

Good Morning!

We have Asked, We have Imagined, We have PLANNED...Today We CREATE.

Subs:
Emma Pitts for Nancy

Michelle Hart for Demarie

(Andy and Demarie are at a PBIS coach meeting today and will return after lunch)

Here are the remainder of the Appreciation cards that identify Multiple staff members.
Individual recognition's will be sprinkled in the remainder of this weeks blog posts.

• Mrs. Hailstock and Mrs. Kiger were very helpful and supportive of me coming into their classrooms a their new assistant
• Bridget and Deb, It's fun being your class big buddies!  Excited for the rest of the year.
• To all specialists; Thanks you for all the wonderful lessons you provide to our whole school.  Classroom teachers appreciate the time you give us to plan.
• Joel, Stephanie, Michelle, Marcella, Jennifer, James, Cindy and Tanya - I appreciate your vision initiative and inspiration as you create Little-Free-Libraries for our community.
• Thanks to Mrs cook and Davis whom are willing to help any and everybody
• Thanks to all of the assistants for their hard work they put in daily
• To the whole Brunson Staff;  Thanks you for sharing your love, nuturance and profession with me, the students, their families and each other.  I love you and I love working with you!
• Thanks to all the people who get pushed and pulled in a thousand directions at a time and try to do it with a smile (that's not always easy)
• I want to thank the entire staff for being my support system these past couple of years! 
• I am grateful and thankful for the professionalism and kindness everyone has shown this year.
• Thanks you to our assistants who work hard and try to help teachers as much as possible
• Thanks to our administrators for letting us teach the way we think is a great fit for our kids (as long as we are doing it right)
• I am thankful for Donna McGee and Sara Davis who have been supportive and who always share their perspectives in a professional manner
• To Jeff, Andy and Kathy; Thank you for always being supportive and upbeat.  It's refreshing to our atmosphere and makes teaching fun!
• Joel, Jeff, James, Mr. Kirby, Scott and Willie - thanks for participating in Movember. Men's physical health and mental wellness are often not discussed openly.  You are renegades with sketchy facial hair.  Bravo!
• I am thankful for the continual support i feel from the administration.  I am given the freedom to make decisions about what is best for my own class.
• I am thankful for a strong specials team that work so well together integrating their own curriculum w/ those of the other subjects and grades as well!  yeah
•  Specialists, Thanks for welcoming me with open arms and minds this year. You all have truly made my transition to a new school smooth with little stress.
• Every single person at Brunson has affected me in different ways and I am grateful for a warm-welcome and open minded attitude.  Foreigners have the power to make others afraid of them yet also generate curiosity, interest, develop kindness love compassion and patience.  You have been such a great blessing to me!

Friday MM - Day "C"

Good Morning!

Thank you for all the well wishes that I received after my two days out sick.  I truly sensed that my presence was missed, and it felt good to be appreciated, thanks!

I had a great conversation with a colleague last night about kindness.  When we, the leaders of all these children, demonstrate kindness it has a multiplicative effect on our students.  I believe most of our negativity is reactive and can become our default method of dealing with "issues."  Let's train ourselves to respond with love to challenging situations and model kindness for all.

Thanks for the support during our tours today.  I am proud of the work we do to create a "home" for our students and their families.  It was very gratifying to see a parent who chaperoned the Thunderbird trip re-connect with students in ALL five fifth grade classes.  Breaking down barriers and celebrating diversity!

Subs:
Rizwana Khan for Marcella
James Reams for Jessie
Rosemary for Kyrie

Thursday MM - Day "B"

Good Morning!

Did you miss the blog yesterday?  I am considering a weekly format with daily sub updates and would like some feedback on your receptive communication style.  We can accomplish this at our faculty meeting on December 18th.  Also on that day we will elect our Teacher of the Year.  Allison has been an excellent representative and it is time for her to pass the torch. 

We have two tours today - 8:30 and 12:00.  Be prepared for visitors as we enter the magnet recruitment, followed by zone choice and subsequently HAG scores for 2nd graders.  January dates are on our calendar.

Subs:
Patty Perrin for Venice
Beverly Baldwin for Paige
Catharine Lowe for Suzette

Tuesday MM - Day "F"

Good Morning!

SIT meeting today at 3:30 in the Art room.  

Lots of subs as we have a differentiation workshop for our HAG staff.

Lina Lopez-Bernal for Marcella
Dana Marcus for Darcy
Camesia Goldsmith for Lara 
David Koerner for Tonya G.
Rosemary for Kyrie
Vickie Jones for Sara D.
Kelly Litner for Brenda
Shelly Kirley for Demarie
Robin Phelps for Donna McGee

Monday MM - Day "E"

Good Morning!

I am thankful for the responsibility of education!  I am thankful for the 15 days we have until the holiday break as I plan to be productive with my time.  I am thankful for you as we travel this path together.

Our penultimate PD session for verbal de-escalation will be Wednesday from 3:25-4:30.

Our district is being evaluated this week for the Broad Prize.  Click the link to see more info and let me know if you have been asked to sit on a focus group.

Subs:
Rosemary Hazy for Kyrie