Week of November 25

As I celebrate this Thanksgiving season, I want to share how thankful I am for each of you.  The work we do stretches and challenges us daily.  Especially at the end of a term, we can feel pretty tired (exhausted?) from the efforts we've made to make a difference in our kids' lives.  I am thankful to work with a group of professionals that builds one another up, that sees the best in each other, and recognizes that our greatest achievements come when we work together.  Walking around the building today and watching kids involved in the messy work of learning and growing made my heart happy.  This good work is only possible when a team of people is committed to overcoming every obstacle and pushing forward through personal and professional difficulties to make school a place where kids and adults want to live and learn together.  My hope for each of us is a week that leaves us refreshed and ready to continue with our work that is much more of a calling than a profession.

Bus/Parking lot duty:  

Monday 11/25:  Non-Work Day

Tuesday 11/26: Non-Work Day
Wednesday 11/27 Non-Work Day
Thursday 11/28: Thanksgiving

Friday 11/29: Black Friday

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Levy and Eastman

Monday 12/2:  Non-Work Day

Tuesday 12/3: First day of Term 2
Wednesday 12/4 Kaiser, Smotherman, Haynes, Beck, Higgs at a conference
Thursday 12/5: Kaiser, Smotherman, Haynes, Beck, Higgs at a conference

Friday 12/6: Kaiser, Smotherman, Haynes, Beck, Higgs at a conference

Week of Nov. 11

The next staff meeting is on December 9th.  Chapter 7 of Onward is all about appreciation and "Focusing on the Bright Spots."  Please read all of chapter 7 before Dec.9.

Two minute video that explains the Negativity Bias:

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Gonzalez and Fehling

Monday 11/11:  Teacher Work day

Tuesday 11/12: 
Wednesday 11/13 
Thursday 11/14: Kaiser@Conference

Friday 11/15: Holiday Dinner;  Kaiser@Conference

Bus/Parking lot duty:  

Monday 11/18: Non-work Day

Tuesday 11/19: 
Wednesday 11/20: 
Thursday 11/21: 

Friday 11/22:  

Bus/Parking lot duty:  

Monday 11/25:  Non-Work Day

Tuesday 11/26: Non-Work Day
Wednesday 11/27 Non-Work Day
Thursday 11/28: Thanksgiving

Friday 11/29: Black Friday

Shout Out to Angie...  The "Bullying builds walls..." display is awesome!
Thank you for getting students involved in positive ways to make a difference in their school community.

Today is the last Wellness for Trimester 1.  These were wonderful experiences for kids and I heard so many positive things about them.  Kudos to all of you for creating this fun opportunity for students to explore new and fun activities.  Think about what you might like to do for next Trimester.  This time, everyone needs to write a descriptive paragraph so that kids know what they're signing up for.  We will discuss at the December staff meeting.

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Smith and Cooley

Monday 11/4:  PD day:  Agenda

Tuesday 11/5: 
Wednesday 11/6: IMEN visit
Thursday 11/7: 

Friday 11/8: 

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Gonzalez and Fehling

Monday 11/11:  Teacher Work day

Tuesday 11/12: 
Wednesday 11/13 
Thursday 11/14: Kaiser@Conference

Friday 11/15: Holiday Dinner;  Kaiser@Conference

Bus/Parking lot duty:  

Monday 11/18: Non-work Day

Tuesday 11/19: 
Wednesday 11/20: 
Thursday 11/21: 

Friday 11/22:  

Bus/Parking lot duty:  

Monday 11/25:  Non-Work Day

Tuesday 11/26: Non-Work Day
Wednesday 11/27 Non-Work Day
Thursday 11/28: Thanksgiving

Friday 11/29: Black Friday

Week of October 21

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Gaynor and Frame

Monday 10/21:  PD Day: Agenda

Tuesday 10/22: Kaiser out @am
Wednesday 10/23: Kaiser out
Thursday 10/24: NIC Field trip

Friday 10/25: Recover from the NIC field trip

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Doering and Baker

Monday 10/28:  Non Work day

Tuesday 10/29: 
Wednesday 10/30: 
Thursday 10/31: Boo Boo Q

Friday 11/1: 

Week of October 7

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Mahoney and Meeks

Monday 10/7:  PD Day Agenda

Tuesday 10/8: 
Wednesday 10/9: District Admin classroom visits
Thursday 10/10: Eastman, Meeks, Kaiser out of the building (Halloween decorations)

Friday 10/11: Eastman, Meeks, Kaiser out of the building 

Bus/Parking lot duty:  

Monday 10/14:  Non Work day

Tuesday 10/15: 
Wednesday 10/16: 
Thursday 10/17: 

Friday 10/18: Kaiser out

Week of September 30

Phones... This is a reminder that phones are not allowed during the school day, except for lunch.  If there is a specific academic reason to have them, an exception can be made.  The kids are not reliable reporters, but they are saying that it's okay to use them in some classrooms, or that it isn't a big deal if they use them.  On Tuesday, please reiterate the phone policy with your classes.  Nobody wants to make a big deal out of it, but the best place for us to be is united on this policy.  I appreciate the work you're doing with kids and phones shouldn't be a barrier to their ability to socialize and collaborate with the living, breathing peers that are sitting right next to them.

A Word From Our Mental Health Team...

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Levy and Eastman

Monday 9/30:  Non Work Day

Tuesday 10/1: 

Wednesday 10/2:  

Thursday 10/3: Parent/Student Conferences 2:30 - 6:30 

Friday 10/4: Staff Pd: Gizmo

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Mahoney and Meeks

Monday 10/7:  PD Day

Tuesday 10/8: 
Wednesday 10/9: District Admin classroom visits
Thursday 10/10: Eastman, Meeks, Kaiser out of the building

Friday 10/11: Eastman, Meeks, Kaiser out of the building

Week of September 23

Creating Cultures of Thinking: The 8 Forces We Must Master to Truly Transform our Schools.

This chapter explores why the culture of the school and classroom matters and how schools enculturate students into ways of being through the messages they send about learning and thinking. It looks at traditional messages schools have sent in the past, the dominant messages being sent presently, and the new messages we need to send as we think about preparing students for the future. The Eight Cultural Forces are presented as a grounded theory to understand the mechanisms of enculturation.

Pay particular attention to:

Page 17 and the "survival skills"

Page 21 and the metaphor of culture as a story we tell

Page 31 and 32 about the kinds of thinking we value

Trust-Based Relational Intervention is a model for interacting with students that is being adopted by our district and by the Kootenai County Juvenile Justice. Keith Orchard and Andi West are conducting trainings in every building. The first one is for 3 hours, followed by 1.5 hours once a month. We are sandwiched between other trainings that day, hence the late start time. Classified and certified staff are invited to this first session. Because of the weird time, we will serve lunch (Carusos)

Conferences are around the corner. Angie and Val are providing a sit-down dinner for the families. They did this a couple of years and it was quite well received.

What kinds of thinking have your students been doing? How can this be showcased for parents for parents to see and appreciate the hard work their teens have been doing?

Bus/Parking lot duty: Hamill and Higgs

Monday 9/23: PD Day TBRI training: Collaboration Agenda

Tuesday 9/24: 
Wednesday 9/25:  
Thursday 9/26: 

Friday 9/27: 

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Levy and Eastman

Monday 9/30:  Non Work Day

Tuesday 10/1: 
Wednesday 10/2:  
Thursday 10/3: Parent/Student Conferences 2:30 - 6:30 

Friday 10/4: Staff Pd: Gizmo