Monday Morning Musings: S.M.I.L.E.

Principal ponderings...

A1 S.M.I.L.E. Show Me I am Loved Everyday even on the rough days. #edthink
— Ro Menendez (@romenendez14) February 1, 2016

I participated in a Twitter chat with the group #EDthink and the topic was "Relationships: Building a Foundation for Learning." When it comes down to it, relationships are everything in the business of education. We build relationships with our peers. We build relationships with our students. We build relationships with parents. Relationships can be easy. Relationships can be difficult. But they are the glue that holds everything together. And it is especially our relationships with each and every student that makes learning and growth possible.

When I saw someone tweet the above acronym...I had to borrow it for this post! What if we all remembered S.M.I.L.E.? We need to make sure that for every student that walks through our front door (or side door!)...we show them that they are loved. I know that on some days this is not easy. Maybe you have something going on at home that is weighing on your mind. On some days it is not easy because for some students you might have a hard time finding the love. But I am hear to tell you that each student needs to be loved by you. Every student deserves to be loved by their teacher.

A3) A fav quote, "I don't care how much you know, until I know how much you care"#edthink
— Nicci Giehll (@mtlsdgiehll) February 1, 2016

Here's another great quote to think about. Your students are going to want to learn more from you as soon as they know that you truly care about them. They will want to impress you with their learning.

We are much more than their teachers when they are here with us for 6 hours. We are their parents. We are their counselors. We are their nurses. We are their shoulders to cry on. We are their hugs when they need them. We are their cheerleaders. We are their coaches.

A4: My mantra regarding kids and families: #EDthink pic.twitter.com/rXBZhaRqNf
— Bethany Hill (@bethhill2829) February 1, 2016

I can't remember if I shared this already, but it doesn't hurt to share it again!

A5: #EDthink Just retweeted this earlier today! https://t.co/w8KD8MBpkJ
— Nicole Marchick (@NickiMarchick) February 1, 2016

So my question for you all this week...
Will you S.M.I.L.E. at each of your students...even on the rough days? Will you keep working on building those crucial relationships that we know have a direct impact on student learning?

Currently reading:
I am listening to Hoot during my drive, just started it, but it certainly has some interesting characters in it. I have to admit that I just read Red: A Crayon's Story this week. Yep, I ordered multiple copies of this book for our school without having read it, but I trusted those of you who recommended it! It really is such a simple book about a crayon, but when you think about it, it is so much more...there are a lot of themes that we are going to be able to pull out of this book as we discuss it with our students.

Here is a 30 second books trailer about the book:

And here is a post that Grace found where a mom talks about the different possible themes of this book: http://www.balancingmotherhood.com/red-crayons-story-provocative-childrens-book/

Events this week:
Monday - Zumba with MaryKaye in the gym @ 3:30!
Tuesday - Dr. Rodriguez visits FloRo in the morning, School Council Meeting @ 3:30
Wednesday - Liz at DESE in the morning, Acton Discovery Museum visits 1st grade: Color and Light Exploration Workshop, Grade 2 Chorus Practice @ 2:25, Staff Meeting @ 3:30

Great things I noticed last week:

I was very excited to open this box of books! Our One Book, One School book, Red: A Crayon's Story arrived. Looking forward to handing these out at our staff meeting and starting discussions around the school about this book!
It was so great to see everyone come together to say goodbye to one of our awesome paras, Emily. We wish her the best of luck in her new adventures out of state. Last week, we also welcomed Sue Schumaker, a new para who will be working with the students in Mrs. Robinson's classroom.
Popped into Mr. Coronis's class during Reader's Workshop and listened in on a non-fiction mini lesson. Students were practicing reading non-fiction passages and using "teacher voices" to share what they read.
Half day K students switched sessions this week, and I took the opportunity to go in and read a story to both groups. Amazing to see them change before our eyes throughout the school year!
I was walking down the hall and this 3rd grader stopped to show me his flashlight that he designed! Love the young engineers and electricians in our school!
I spent Friday evening and most of Saturday at the Groton Country Club as part of the Future Search. Dianna Fulreader, Mollie Kavanagh, Sue Wynn and I, along with 80 different parents, teachers, administrators, business leaders, community members, current and past School Committee, participated in activities that helped us find some common ground about what we all want for a vision for GDRSD.