"One drop of positivity can change an ocean of negativity." This was something that Caitlin Haacke's mom had always said to her. And a few years ago, she took her mom's advice. As a high school student, one day Caitlin was the victim of cyber-bullying. Someone had hacked into her account and posted some terrible things on her Facebook page. What did she do? She decided to respond with kindness. A lot of kindness. She came into her school the next day and posted 800 sticky notes that had positive statements on them all over every single locker in the school. She wrote things like, "you are beautiful" or "you're awesome" or a favorite, "you are a cupcake with sprinkles in a world full of muffins." This simple act, turning a negative into a positive, sparked a movement. People all over the world started sharing pictures of their positive post it notes.
Here is a video clip of the news story:
And here is a compilation video of positive post it notes written in one day:
It is rather amazing to think how a small piece of paper, a 3x3 colorful paper piece of paper, with a simple message on it, can have such a big impact. Caitlin's decision that day was inspiring. Now, many people all over will be participating in #PositivePostItDay; people all over will be writing positive messages on post it notes on Tuesday, March 29. I will be joining in on this day, and I encourage all of you to join in as well. I loaded up on sticky notes to add to the already full basket that I have in my office. On Monday, I will be setting time aside to write out lots and lots of positive post it notes! I will be posting them throughout the school, so be on the lookout. I am also going to email parents and encourage them to send post it notes in their children's bags and lunch boxes. Let's all share the positivity love!
Will you join me on Tuesday for #PositivePostItDay and spread the positivity at Floro?!
**And check out this idea that I found online...Tootling- the opposite of tattling. Tootling is when students write a positive note about their classmates or teacher and stick it up on our tootling board. They love doing it, and it helps promote a cohesive classroom community!
Appropriate for this time of year, as we begin to think spring, I read This Year's Garden by Cynthia Rylant. It's a lovely description of the different phases a garden goes through during the year.
I also checked a funny book from the library...recommended by some 1st graders...Pirates Don't Change Diapers. Definitely a good read aloud for young kids!
And thanks to Mrs. Fulreader for the recommendation of The Most Magnificent Thing. This is a great book to talk about growth mindset, perseverance, creativity, simple machines, you name it! Thank goodness my brother gave me an Amazon gift certificate for my birthday...just bought this book and a few others!
I will most likely finish Crenshaw before I go to sleep tonight...another amazing book by Katherine Applegate. Then I can't wait to start Pax; I have been reading reviews and getting lots of recommendations for this one!
And one more week until one of my favorite weeks of the year...the book fair! Can't wait to see what books I will add to my collection. Also, excited that I am apparently on track with my reading challenge to read 150 books during 2016. So far I have read 35. Love keeping track on goodreads.com!
Events this week:
**The SAFE Trailer will be here all back and students will visit it during gym time.
Monday - Our last marvelous Monday in March...time for an egg hunt! After 8:30, be on the lookout in the staff room and the office for eggs! Zumba with MaryKaye @ 3:30
Tuesday - Positive Post-It Day!
Wednesday - Curriculum committee mtg (BLT team) @ 8:30 in the conference room, Grade 3 chorus practice @ 2:25 in the gym
Thursday - FR and SU Grade 1 math PD time in the pm, Zumba with MaryKaye @ 3:30
Friday - 2nd grade field trip to the NE Aquarium, FR/MS transition meetings, Book Fair preview in the library
**Elementary Science Fair will take place in the MS North Gym at 1:00 on Saturday! Come see what our young scientists have done for projects!
Great things I noticed last week:
- I popped into Mrs. Spiczka's kindergarten class, and I enjoyed having students read to me and talk about books.
- Mrs. Guernsey's class did some persuasive writing and invited me in to share supporting arguments to try to convince me that they should have one night a week of no homework.
- It was just me and the giraffe hanging out at the back table in Mrs. Clark's class, listening to a discussion about angle measures using a clock.
- Some of Mr. Smith's students were using an online program to look up the levels of some of the books in their classroom library.
- When I dropped into Mrs. Mills' class, they were just about to start planting!
- And on Friday, I was lucky enough to be Mrs. Lanctot's sub for the start of the day. We might have had a dance party and danced a conga line around the room...we also did a read aloud and sang a funny song from a Tacky the Penguin book!
If you want to hear Caitlin tell her story, watch this TedTalk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cElB84gf6uc&feature=youtu.be
A post about teaching perseverance and grit: http://www.parenttoolkit.com/index.cfm?objectid=08656DA0-6C3C-11E4-876B0050569A5318
And check out this free PD that will be happening online this Saturday...
🎉 THE SCHEDULE IS LIVE!— The Educator Collab (@TheEdCollab) March 24, 2016
🎉 THE SCHEDULE IS LIVE!
(we're kind of excited) 😃🙌👏🎉🎈
👉https://t.co/xYBdHi4AGK 👀 pic.twitter.com/stoI54xIvn
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