Showing Up

Principal ponderings...

Eight weeks is all that is left of this school year.  Eight short weeks.  As the weather becomes nicer and the countdown until summer vacation begins, it becomes a little bit harder to focus on the task at hand...providing the best education every day for our students.  The first step is showing up.  There are days when our substitute list is frighteningly long.  My goal is that we finish out the school year with staff present every day.  It was a tough winter with lots of us battling colds and the flu.  Let's hope that we can all finish the year healthy.  The only way we can do what's best for kids is by being present, being in front of them, showing up every day to teach them and to learn with them.

But we need to do more than show up.  While the first step is being here, the more important step is being here for them.  Our students need to know that we are here for them, we are supporting them, we want to see them succeed, we have high hopes for them.  We need to always remember that we are here for them, not the other way around.  They are not here for us.  They deserve to get 100% from us.  Yes, we need to do more than just show up during these last eight weeks.  I would say we should strive to finish even stronger than we started.  In a post last year, I mentioned some amazing brain research that proved that in only 5 days of intervention work with a student, the brain can actually be changed!  Lucky for us, that means we can do so much more in the last eight weeks.  We can keep changing brain matter!

How will you make sure that you stay focused on this task?  Set some high goals for yourself.  Maybe there are some students that you have not connected with as much this year.  Make those connections happen over the next few weeks.  Maybe there are some students who are still struggling with the curriculum.  Figure out how to get through to them in these last few weeks.  Maybe there are some parents that have not followed through with helping their children.  Reach out to those parents and continue to try to bridge that home school connection.  Maybe there are students who have met benchmark.  Push them to go beyond that.

The first step is to show up every day.  That's the easy part.  But we know we need to do way more than just show up.  How will be here for each and every one of your students during these last eight weeks?

Currently reading:
Since I took the week off, I had more time to do some reading of the new books that I purchased at the book fair.  I loved Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library!  It's a great book to get kids talking about reading, book titles and the library!  Kids who read this book will enjoy the clues and puzzles that they have think about to try to help the characters solve.

I also started reading Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson.  It is the author telling stories of her childhood.  The book is written as a series of poems about different experiences in her life as she grew up in both Ohio and South Carolina during the 1960s and 1970s.  So far, it is a phenomenal read.  Here's an example of one of the poems in the book where she is talking about  her sister:

                            the reader

                            When we can't find my sister, we know

                            she is under the kitchen table, a book in her hand,

                            a glass of milk and a small bowl of peanuts beside her.

                            We know we can call Odella's name out loud,

                            slap the table hard with our hands,

                            dance around it singing

                            "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain"

                            so many times the song makes us sick

                            and the circling makes us dizzy

                            and still

                            my sister will do nothing more

                            than slowly turn the page.

Events this week:
Monday - Author visit (see schedule listed below)
Tuesday - Curriculum and Instruction strategy work day
Wednesday - 4th grade canoe trip presentation at the PAC @ 10:00, Kindergarten chorus practice in the gym @ 2:25
Thursday - 2 students will be 'Principal for the Day' (winners from the holiday fair), K & 1st grade Buddy Bench presentation in the gym 9:30-10:00, 2nd-4th Buddy Bench presentation in the gym 10:15-11:00
Friday - 2nd grade Eyes on Owls program @ 9:30

Schedule for author visit:

9:30-10:20 - 1st grade/half day K in the PAC

10:30-11:30 - 2nd grade in the PAC

12:40-1:20 - full day K/half day K in the PAC

1:30-2:45 - 3rd and 4th grade in the PAC

Great things I noticed last week:
Mrs. Lanctot's class was working together to clean up a space outside of their classroom where they can do some reading outside!

• The 3rd grade teachers tried out a great reading activity.  They had their students choose a book to read and discuss in a book club.  The book clubs were made up of students from different classes.  Each teacher oversaw different book groups in their room so they actually got a chance to have many different students from other rooms come into their classrooms.  Ask a 3rd grade teacher about what they did...would be a fun way to do book clubs!
  
   
• SU and FR teachers came together for a joint staff meeting to begin looking at potential new math curriculum.
  
• Several of the 4th grade classrooms hosted an invention convention in their classrooms to demonstrate their inventions that utilized simple machines.  I am always amazed at the ideas that come in each year!
  
  

Check it out:
Loved this graphic that I came across:

And here is a great video clip about an interesting design concept for kindergartners in Tokyo:

Interesting post about a teacher deciding to not thrust her rules on students, but to have students be a community of learners who decide on consequences together: http://pernillesripp.com/2015/04/16/the-story-of-a-poster-how-hanging-a-consequence-poster-changed-the-way-i-taught/

Are you still not convinced about the benefits of Twitter?  Then read this: http://talkswithteachers.com/why-twitter-matters-4-reasons-for-teachers/

I Hope You Never Lose Your Sense of Wonder...

Principal ponderings...

Do you know that song by Lee Ann Womack, "I Hope You Dance"?  After listening to a great presentation by Stephanie Harvey Friday morning at the MRA Conference, I can't get some of the lyrics from that song out of my head.  Lines like "never lose your sense of wonder" and "never settle for the path of least resistance" go along with the message Stephanie tried to get across in her keynote address.  Her topic was "Comprehension, Collaboration and Curiosity: 21st Century Skills that Matter."  I had the pleasure of listening to Stephanie Harvey speak several years ago when she came to speak in Westborough to the entire district.  She was a great speaker then and is even better today! She is definitely passionate about kids and comprehension.  As one of the attendees stated, she's "my kind of people!"

The first part of her presentation focused on the idea that we need to stop driving curiosity out of kids.  Stephanie made the point that our kindergartners come bursting in curious, we definitely don't need to teach them.  Think about our K and 1 students.  Have you had a conversation with any of them?  They are full of questions, always thinking and wondering about the world around them.  But as our students move up through the grades, by the time they graduate, it's like we have squeezed every last drop of curiosity out of them.  Just this weekend, I was talking with my niece, a 6th grader.  Besides the fact that she informed me that they never read in school and have only read two books this year (eek!), when I ask her about school and what she is learning about and doing in school, there is no excitement, no looking forward to new discoveries.  Has she already lost her sense of wonder?

Here's an interesting statement to ponder from Stephanie: It is not "the more kids learn, the more they know."  It is now "the more kids learn, the more they wonder."  She shared a quote from EB White which is so powerful for all kids: "Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder."  In order to help our students not lose their sense of wonder, we have to make sure that we are living a curious life.  Are you living a curious life?

Another message that Stephanie presented was the fact that content changes.  She made the joke that she was really bummed that Pluto got demoted as a planet.  Content is always changing and we have to accept that and prepare our students for an ever-changing world.  We are responsible for getting kids "college and career ready", yet we have no idea what careers we are preparing them for because they are careers that we don't even know yet...they don't exist yet.  And of course, in true Stephanie Harvey fashion, she finished her presentation with a simple statement: give kids a chance to read everyday!

I want us to help our students keep their sense of wonder.  And now I have a little being who I hope will always be full of wonder:

@Stephharvey49 making me think about how I want this little one to live a life of wonder! #MRAC2015 pic.twitter.com/Bw1fa7HQUi
— Liz Garden (@PrincipalGarden) April 10, 2015

So a challenge for all of us is how do we keep that kindergarten curiosity in all of our students?

Currently reading:
For those of us bookaholics...last week was double trouble.  I went to the book fair and walked out with a new pile of books.  And then when I was at the MA Reading Association Conference, I left with a bag full of books.  One of my newly purchased books that I read was called Three Hens and a Peacock by Lester Laminack.  I was lucky enough to be buying the book right when the author was standing next to the display and he autographed my book for me!  Yep, I do consider children's book authors famous and autograph worthy!  Great read aloud book.

Another awesome book I read is called The Pigeon Needs a Bath.  Such a fun book that will make kids of all ages (and adults!) laugh out loud.

One of the speakers at the conference was Jon Scieszka.  I bought his book Knucklehead which stories from the author's childhood.  I was laughing so hard my cheeks were hurting when Jon spoke so I am sure his book will make me laugh out loud while reading it.

Events this week:
**Teacher Appreciation Week...be on the lookout for surprises from the PTA
Tuesday - School Council Meeting @ 3:30
Wednesday - Library Fund Committee Meeting @ 8:15, Grade 1 ELA meeting @ SU 9:00-11:30, Grade 2 ELA meeting @ SU 12:45-3:15, Abe Lincoln presentation in the PAC 9:30-10:30 Grades 1 & 2, 10:30-11:30 Grades 3 & 4, 4th grade Invention Convention 2:15, Grade 3 chorus practice @ 2:25, Combined staff meeting with SU @ 3:30 in the library
Thursday - Half day, 12:15 dismissal, Staff luncheon provided by the PTA
Enjoy the vacation week!

Great things I noticed last week:

• Ms. May was talking to kindergartners about being "considerate"...quite a big word for some of our smallest members!  Unfortunately, this is Ms. May's last week interning with Mrs. Cahill.  We are going to miss her!  We have certainly appreciated having her help us solve problems with students.
  
• Mr. Wiesner and this 4th grade class were improvising with a variety of instruments when I walked into class the other day.  And it sounded amazing!
  
• I did not have my camera with me to snap a photo, but I did manage to walk into Mrs. Potter's class during the end of a simple machine invention presentation.  One student was demonstrating her machine which helped squeeze the toothpaste out of the tube.  Her motivation for making the machine?  Her little sister who usually makes a mess of the toothpaste!
• Our half day K students are really jazzed about reading.  They see themselves as readers and enjoy spending time reading from their book bags.  If you get a chance, pop by Mrs. Spiczka's classroom and ask any student to show off their reading skills!
• Thanks to a grant from GDEF, several FloRo staff members were able to attend the MRA Conference on Thursday and Friday.  I never managed to get everyone together on Thursday for a group photo, but here is the Friday crew.  Ask them about what they learned at the conference...I know they will be excited to share with you!
  

Check it out:
Just discovered this great infographic...certainly could have used it during my presentation the other day at the conference!

And here is a great post which builds on the idea of growth mindset, thinking about characteristics of an innovator's mindset:

http://connectedprincipals.com/archives/11449

The Communication Connection

Principal ponderings...
(**Someone suggested I call this my try again Tuesday blog....here you go...)

When I moved to Massachusetts 15 years ago, one of the first things I did was take the MTELs so I could get a teaching job here.  I remember worrying about them because everyone said they were difficult.  One of the essay questions for the special education test stated that communication was very important and asked you to write about how you could communicate with parents of children with special needs.  Can you believe how easy that question was?!

Fast forward to today.  Clearly the state still understands the importance of communicating with families of all students since one of the four standards for the evaluation process focuses on family and community engagement.  I will still give the same answer that I gave 15 years ago.  How we communicate has not really changed.  We can call and talk to parents over the phone.  We can schedule face to face conferences them.  We can send email updates.  We can write in communication notebooks.  We have many ways to get in touch with parents of all students.  While the answer to that prompt has not changed over the years, the actual act of effectively communicating with parents is no easy task.

We are entering into a time of the year where we begin to hear from parents.  Report cards are being viewed.  Parents are coming in for conferences in a week.  The placement process for next year is beginning.  As the principal, I speak with parents every day.  I am able to work on honing my skills because each day I get to practice.  Some days it is a positive experience and other days I know I still need to work at it.  You want parents to be on your team instead of playing for the opposite side.  Be proactive. The more effectively that you communicate with parents, the more it will benefit you in the classroom.  

Keep practicing your communication skills.  Make that communication connection with parents.  How will you utilize communication to help foster a strong home school communication?

Currently reading:
I checked out some books from our school library to read this weekend.  I read one called Begin at the Beginning.  This is a book written by Amy Schwartz.  She is one of my favorite picture book authors, and this one was about a girl who has trouble getting started on an art project.  Another book I read was called Pie in the Sky by Lois Ehlert.  I loved the paper collage illustrations in this book, plus it had my favorite pie in it, cherry pie!

 I also read another favorite author, Tomie Depaola.  I read Stagestruck.  Tomie's stories are always enjoyable!

Events this week:
**Book Fair all this week at the middle school
Tuesday - Dr. Rodriguez visits FR in the am
Wednesday - Incoming new family tour @ 2:00 led by the PTA, 3rd grade chorus practice @ 2:25, Information Night for incoming 5th graders @ PAC at 6:30
Thursday - Liz and several teachers at MRA conference, Evening Book Fair Event @ 6:00
Friday - Community Reader Day!  Liz and several teachers at MRA conference

Great things I noticed last week:

• Grace shared with me how great reader's workshop is going in kindergarten.  I have seen K students shopping for books in their book bags, turning and talking with partners, and really excited to read!  Love seeing the K students catch the reading bug!
• Sue shared with me how awesome some 3rd graders are doing with the fractions unit.  Students who normally struggle have been receiving in class support and are thriving!
• This adorable little kindergartner brought me some "brownies" on April Fool's Day.  She thought she was so funny!
  

Check it out:
Check out this list of must read education books for 2015:http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/12-must-read-books-on-learning-for-2015/
A post about laughter and learning:
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/laughter-learning-humor-boosts-retention-sarah-henderson

Everybody Reading, Every Day

Principal ponderings...
**I am going to have to start calling my blog Monday Afternoon Musings!  Sorry for the delay today.

Everybody reading, Every Day...this is the topic I will be presenting on next week at the Massachusetts Reading Association Conference.  So I have been thinking over the past week about the transformation that I have witnessed in our school wide approach to literacy.  I thought back to when I first began working here 4 years ago.  Teachers were all doing different things during reading instruction time.  Some were using a program.  Some were doing guided reading.  Some were doing a version reader's workshop.  Some were doing a combination.  There were many times when I would walk into a classroom during a literacy block and no one was reading!  Or sometimes one or two students would have completed their work and were able to read from their book bags.  There were classrooms that had libraries.  There were classrooms that did not have libraries.

A lot can change in just a few years!

I came across this great quote from Stephen Krashen who wrote the book The Power of Reading: “There is massive evidence that self-selected reading, or reading what you want to read, is responsible for most of our literacy development.  Readers have better reading ability, know more vocabulary, write better, spell better, and have better control of complex grammatical constructions.  In fact, it is impossible to develop high levels of literacy without being a dedicated reader, and dedicated readers rarely have serious problems in reading and writing.”

Today, when I walk into classrooms during the literacy block...every student is reading!  Students are shopping for books in the classroom library.  Teachers are conferring with students about books.  Kids are coming up to me and telling me about the book that they are reading.  But what I love is that outside of the classroom people are reading and talking about reading.  On most days, someone comes up to me in the hall or in the staff room or as we are walking to the parking lot and tells me about a book they are reading or recommends a book or asks to borrow a book from me.  Our PTA has committed time and money to renovating and updating our library as well as our shared literature collection and our classroom libraries.  We have authors come into our school to talk to our students.  
It is clear that reading is important to all in our school.  No matter what our job title is, we are all reading role models for our students.  And that makes me proud.  Thank you for being active participants in this important school culture shift.  You are all part of making a difference in the lives of our readers!

Currently reading:
A friend gave me a great gift...a cookbook with tons of great recipes.  I have been reading many of the recipes this weekend and can't wait to try out many of them.

I'm sure you all know the book Goodnight Moon.  Well we have a parody of that book called Goodnight iPad.  Those of you who are technology fans will certainly enjoy it!

I was finding quick moments to read over the week..."emergency reading" as Donalyn Miller calls it.  That's when you carry a book in your purse and pull it out when you wait in line or as you are stirring a pot and cooking dinner.  I have the perfect book for that given to me by a dear friend.  It's a book of funny haiku poems called Haiku Mama (because 17 syllables is all you have time to read).  Here are a few gems from the book:

               Forty thousand pounds:

               How much stuff one baby needs;

               afternoon car trip.

               Awake so early,

               small boy rises with the sun.

               Can't snooze a baby.

                Same book twenty times:

                comforting for the baby,

                not so much for Mom.

Events this week:
**Reminder PARCC testing this week.  See separate schedule from Dianna
Monday - Report cards need to be completed and reviewed, Liz @ Crisis Management Meeting
Wednesday - Report cards available to parents, Grade 3 chorus practice @ 2:25, Staff meeting @ 3:30
Friday - Good Friday, no school

Great things I noticed last week:

• Two of Mrs. Clark's students represented Florence Roche well at the school committee meeting.
  
• Mrs. Taylor's class invited me to come and hear their story they wrote called Dan Flew Over Groton.  It was modeled after a story they read called Dan the Flying Man.
  
• Mrs. Hoke's class worked together to create some very detailed informational posters about different kinds of penguins.
  
• Some of the students from Mrs. Wilkins class having been reading non fiction books and used the facts they learned to write animal riddles.
  

Check it out:
A Washington Post article about Donalyn Miller and the importance of reading:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/reading/book-whisperer-what-about-thos.html
A great blog post by Donalyn Miller that supports the importance of independent reading:
http://bookwhisperer.com/2015/02/08/ive-got-research-yes-i-do-ive-got-research-how-about-you/

Invisible Learning

Principal ponderings...

The other night when I came home from work, I spent about 25 minutes watching my three month old as she played on her activity mat.  She is beginning to realize that the things at the end of her arms are hands and that they can purposely grab onto items.  She would lift her arm above her, stare intently at her hand and then reach for one of the hanging toys.  Sometimes her arm would just swing around in the air and sometimes she would actually latch onto the toy and hold it for a few seconds.  Each time, it was like I could see her gradually developing an understanding of the power of her tiny hands.  Her eyes would get wide and she would hold onto the toy for longer periods of time.  And of course I would talk to her and praise her and then she would smile and laugh at her accomplishment.

What an amazing thing to be able to watch her learn right before my eyes.  As a teacher, you would think I would be used to watching children learn.  But actually seeing the exact moment when a child learns...I don't think that usually happens for us in the classroom.  This moment with my daughter made me think about the fact that often the learning happening around us is invisible.  We don't really see the learning happen.  But somehow it does happen.

Each day in our classrooms invisible learning is going on around us.  Over time, the learning suddenly becomes visible because maybe we have a discussion with a child and realize that what they did not know a week ago, they now know.   Or maybe we give them an assessment and then we see the learning that has happened.  It's not like the cartoons when we can see light bulbs appearing over students' heads when it clicks, when they learn a new concept, that ah-ha moment.  And it's because of this invisible learning that we need to continually check in with our students to make the learning visible to us.

We are always fighting the time battle and moving quickly through our lessons, and the school day goes by fast with so much that needs to get accomplished during the school year.  But I wonder if you take some time to slow down every once in awhile in order to watch the learning happening right before your eyes.  Will you be able to see the actual moment when a child learns something?  I'm not sure, but whether it's a three month old discovering her hands or a third grader grasping the concept of equivalent fractions...what their brains can do...it truly is awesome!

How will you make your students' learning visible this week?

Currently reading:
When I popped into Mrs. Mills' classroom this week, they were just finishing up reading The Lost Treasure of Tuckernuck.  This was the MCBA book that won the Florence Roche vote.  I have to admit that I actually have not read too many of the MCBA books this year, but the students were so eager to hear the end of the story...I decided I definitely need to read this book!

Events this week:
**PARCC testing all week, see separate schedule for changes
Monday - 4th grade Forces in Motion @ MSN 9-10 and 1-2:30,
Wednesday - 3rd grade chorus practice @ 2:25, 4th graders doing the pledge at School Committee meeting @ 7:00
Saturday - Science Fair @ MS  

Great things I noticed last week:

• The 1st grade and multi-age put on an amazing concert Thursday night.  The students certainly looked like they had a lot of fun as they sang and danced in place on stage.  Way to go Mr. Wiesner!
  
• Mrs. Roundtree's class was exploring simple machines in Mrs. Potter's class.
  
• Mrs. Spiczka's kindergarten students were practicing making combinations of ten with their ten frames.
  
• When I stepped into the gym one morning, Mrs. Kinneen's group of third graders was creating routines, demonstrating their gymnastics skills.
  
• Thank you to Rob, Mark and Dianna for leading us in some really great breakout sessions on Wednesday.  Hopefully those of you who attended Rob's session have tried out using Google forms.  I heard several good strategies shared by different teachers during Mark's sharing session.  And Dianna got us all thinking more about growth mindset and the power of "yet."
  

Check it out:
Loved this article about teacher focused versus student focused discipline:
http://connectedprincipals.com/archives/11310
Great short post about the power of the read aloud!
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/trtr.1306/epdf

It's Time to Take a Walk in the PARCC

Principal ponderings...

We have been talking about PARCC, practicing PARCC, and preparing for PARCC, and now the time has finally come to actually complete the first PARCC tests.  The 3rd and 4th grade teachers have been working hard to make sure their students are ready for this new online test.  Teachers have taken the practice tests.  Students have taken the practice tests.  Students have been practicing with the Chromebooks for several weeks.  And now it is finally here!

But before all of the recent "test prep"...we have all been preparing our students to show what they know and explain their thinking.  Kindergarten teachers have introduced this way of learning and assessing students' learning.  First grade teachers have continued the work.  And so have 2nd grade teachers.  It may be a different format for assessing what students' are learning, but the work leading up to it has certainly not been to simply teach to a test.  We want to see how our students do with reading passages, comparing, comprehending, analyzing.  We want to see how our students do with solving math problems, explaining their thinking, understanding concepts.  Crucial critical thinking skills that we want all of our students to move on from our school with as they advance to the middle school, high school, college and beyond.

So while PARCC is new, what we are hoping it shows us is that we are on track for the teaching and learning happening every day in every classroom.  Take a deep breath, relax and watch your students demonstrate their learning.

Currently reading:
As I was going through things in my office that had piled up while I was on leave, I came across two books that had been given to me.  The first book was The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?  I love the Mo Willems books, and this is another great one.  I am sure it will make for a great read aloud with our kindergarten and first grade students.

The other book I discovered was Patricia MacLachlan's book, Snowflakes Fall.  This was a good one to read right now since it focuses on snow turning to rain so that flowers can grow. 

I donated both of these books to our library so you can check them out from the school library any time you want!

Events this week:
**PARCC testing in 3rd and 4th grade all week
Tuesday - Grade 1 & Multi-age rehearsal @ 12:00
Wednesday - Library Fund Committee meeting @ 8:15, Dr. Rodriguez visits in the am, Grade 1 and Multi-age school concert @ 1:40, staff meeting @ 3:30
Thursday - Grade 1/Multi-age field trip, Grade 1 & Multi-age concert @ 7:00

Great things I noticed last week:

• On Tuesday, we had Digital Learning Day in the library!  Students got to experiment with MakeyMakey boards and augmented reality.  Thanks to members of the tech team who came over from other schools to help.
  
• Mrs. Kavanaugh's kindergartners were practicing turn and talk after watching Mrs. Volpe and Mrs. K model how to do turn and talk to discuss a book.
  
• 3rd graders in Mr. Smith's class were practicing on the Chromebooks in preparation for PARCC testing.
  

Check it out:

I thought this clip was great...an entire neighborhood learned sign language and surprised a member of the community.

The Sound of Learning

Principal ponderings...

I have been away from blogging for a little bit so I definitely battled a little writer's block this weekend as I sat down to write my first post back from maternity leave.  I have missed writing so I am excited to get back in the habit.  On Sunday afternoon, I sat in the audience of the Assabet Valley Master Singers concert, listening to my husband and sister-in-law sing.  They were part of a large community choir, joined by another local choir group, a full orchestra and a soprano soloist.  They were performing Annelies which is a work based on Anne Frank's diary and music written during her lifetime.  It was a beautiful and moving concert.

As I sat in the audience watching everyone on stage, I couldn't help but think of the similarities to what I saw in your classrooms as I returned last week.  I know that my husband and the other members spent many weeks rehearsing.  You have put many months of work into your classrooms and your students' learning.  During the rehearsals, smaller groups worked together, just like you have pulled students into smaller groups or sometimes one on one.  There were so many different singers, musicians, abilities up on stage.  Of course, you could group them by soprano, alto, bass, etc.  You could also group them by singers and musicians.  You could even group them by veteran singers, novice singers, and shower singers!  In fact, my husband had been told by the director to make sure to sing into the ears of the man in front of him because he tends to follow his own tune. :)  I'm sure you can think of a few learners like that in your classrooms!

You deal with your own variety of singers, or learners in your classroom in each day.  Everyone of them is learning in a different way, at a different rate.  And you are all the ones directing, conducting the curriculum.  After being out for a while, when I stepped into classrooms, I could see that all of your rehearsals are paying off.  Students are engaged, active, excited, learning.  Keep making that beautiful music because the sound of learning coming out of your classrooms is amazing.

Currently reading:

Just as I am gradually easing back into work, I am gradually easing back into my reading habits.  I have clearly had to make some adjustments since now my reading time usually involves juggling a baby or finding in between time when she is sleeping (which she was not doing much of last night!).  And of course now my reading also includes lots of board books like Baby Faces or Giraffes Can't Dance.  I was excited that Cynthia Lord sent me an advance copy of her new novel coming out in May.  I had two weeks to read it and then pass it on to someone else to read.  It is called A Handful of Stars.  It involves blueberries, a small town pageant, a blind dog and an interesting friendship between three girls.  I definitely recommend it when it comes out.

 I also read Counting by Sevens.  This is a story about a girl who could certainly be described as being on the spectrum or at the least...a little odd and rather interesting group of people who come together to help take care of her.  Such a great book!  Read it!

Events this week:

Tuesday - School Council Meeting @ 3:30

Wednesday - Kindergarten literacy meeting @ FR 12:45-3:15, 1st grade and multi-age chorus practice @ 2:25

Thursday - Curriculum half day, dismissal at 12:15, PTA General Meeting @ 7:30

Friday - Term 2 ends, grades will be open for teachers, para meeting @ 9:00, first grade and multi-age chorus practice @ 2:@5

Great things I noticed last week:

• Everyone welcomed me back with such enthusiasm that it made my first days back a little bit easier.  I'm glad I was n't forgotten!  The students had lots of questions for me about the baby, including "do you have a babysitter?"  They are certainly thoughtful!
• I noticed the great chart that Dianna put out in the front lobby where people are listing things related to growth mindset.  Mrs. Pierantozzi had a great discussion with her students about this topic, and then they added to the list!
  
• We had standing room only at our kindergarten orientation on Thursday evening.  Lots of new faces coming to Florence Roche next year, along with many younger siblings.  The K team and Lorinda were on hand to answer parent questions and get to know the future members of our community!
• Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Potter tried to bring some spring onto campus with their students.  They painted flowers in the snow with water bottles Friday afternoon.  Hopefully soon we will see the real thing instead of all this white stuff!
  
• Thank you to Mark Coronis for encouraging his peers to share positive actions that you are all seeing each other do throughout the week.  It is so important that we all take time to recognize the amazing work done each and every day at our school.

Check it out:
As I quickly approach a birthday that ends in a zero, I found this list of 41 things I know about education interesting: http://leadingmotivatedlearners.blogspot.com/2015/03/41-things-i-know-about-education.html
And here is a quick blog post with good suggestions about teachers using their own writing to add in instruction: https://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2015/03/09/using-your-own-writing-as-a-teaching-tool/