When the school year starts, lots of eager (sometimes nervous) little faces come through our doors. They are ours to love on, mold, and guide for a short window of time. We are the ‘receivers’. If you have school-aged children of your own, then you know what it is like to be a ‘sender’. As nervous as those little faces are, the faces left at home are much more nervous! Sure, some may do a happy dance as they wave good-bye to the big yellow bus and say hello to some child-free alone time, but they are also hoping that the person on the receiving end is going to appreciate their little loves (quirks and all) as much as they do.

Kelle Hampton has a fabulous blog that I, like many, discovered when her candid post about the birth of her daughter Nella went viral. This past week she posted about sending her oldest off to Kindergarten. As teachers, it’s important to be aware of where our little ones are coming from and keep in mind the trust that parents must place in us! Please take a moment to read this blog post entitled: The Night Before Kindergarten.

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, August 27th:
MAP Testing Begins (in faculty lounge) *click here for schedule*
SEL Committee Meeting @ 3:15pm (Room 103)

Tuesday, August 28th:
Faculty Meeting @ 2:30pm <—click for agenda

Wednesday, August 29th:
Curriculum Common Plan
Happy Birthday Audrey Tillack 🙂 

Thursday, August 30th:
Evacuation Drill @ 9:30am
RTI Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 118)

Friday, August 31st:
5 by Friday: Let’s send out 5 positive postcards 🙂
(extras can be found in the office)

*Here’s a great article on The Power of Positive Connections with Families

(08/31) Happy Birthday Marisha Jaroszkiewicz 🙂
(09/01) Happy Birthday Rosa Andreuccetti 🙂
(09/04) NO SCHOOL: Labor Day 

As we prepare for our first full week with the students, I hope you will take a few quiet moments to put aside lesson planning, forget about administrative tasks and consider our purpose (as a school, and as individual educators). When we walk in on Monday morning, please remember that you are a difference maker! The small gestures you make to welcome students and show an interest in their lives will have an impact. This year, you will have opportunities to build confidence where it hasn’t existed, develop connections that have never been present, and generate hope with your students. Our classrooms are filled with individuals with a variety of needs, and it’s up to US to make sure they thrive! The only way for that to happen is to build a connection with each student. When we truly know them all as individuals, we can understand them as learners.

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, August 20th:
First day of Pre School!
AIMSweb Fall Benchmarking begins!
Happy Birthday Melissa Ortiz 🙂 

Tuesday, August 21st:
Bus Evacuation Drills <—-Click to see schedule of when your class will go!
PEP Event @ 6:00pm-7:30pm @ LMS

Wednesday, August 22nd:
Common Plan: Team Leaders will distribute agenda via First Class

Thursday, August 23rd:
SLT Meeting @ 3:00pm

Friday, August 24th:
All classroom teachers: Bring 1 student laptop & charger (the one with a star sticker) to faculty lounge after school

Welcome to the start of the 2012-2013 school year! Let’s make it the best year yet! 🙂

Remember, every parent wants their child to feel fully known, fully understood & fully loved. If we can do this for ALL students, then we will be the best school in the country!

Parents are hoping you will find the uniqueness and light in their child. Don’t give up until you discover it for each of your students!

Finally, please collaborate & be kind with one another. I truly believe you are here at Kennedy because you are the best in your field, or have the potential to be the best in your field. Learn and share with each other.

Let’s make this the best year ever!

Here is the Apple recruiting video in case you wanted to watch it:

Welcome to Kennedy School!