I see the school year as a marathon, not a sprint. There are long stretches at the beginning and end, then those long days where winter’s cold temperatures (even though it has been unseasonably warm….we’ll TAKE IT!) and lack of sunlight drain us. When viewed within the scope of an entire school year, 15 days isn’t really that many. However, 15  is the exact number of days that we have with our little Kennedy Kubbies before Winter Break.

• For some of our students who will say “it’s almost break” and lack motivation, it is time to push them & keep them excited and eager to learn.
• For our students who come from challenging circumstances at home and are feeling anxiety about not being at Kennedy for over two weeks (and acting out because of it), it is time to show them how much you care & make the most of these next 15 days.
• For our students that just keep smiling & working hard each day, it is time to pull them aside and tell them how much you appreciate them (Positive Postcard? Let’s keep our goal of 5 by Friday!)

In these 15 days, we have a lot of work to do & lots of wonderful learning experiences to provide our students.  We’ll continue to persevere as the professionals that we are! No matter what your title is, what grade you work with, or what you do at Kennedy, please look at these next 15 days as times to deliver the highest quality service to our students, parents & community.

Be proud of what we’ve accomplished with our students so far this year, but please keep the focus on learning in your classrooms. In addition, I’d encourage you to:

• Take a second and tell a colleague that you’ve noticed how hard they are working and that you appreciate them working so hard.
• Make time to reflect on some of the positives that we’ve had this year that may have been overlooked as we have overcome the challenges of not having enough time.
• Set a tone for your students that regardless of how much time is left before a long break that all of us will work hard and make the most of our school days.
• Celebrate being a member of our Kennedy School family

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, December 3rd:
PATS Field Trip to Museum of Science & Industry
Environmental Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Art Studio)

Tuesday, December 4th:
Happy Birthday Michelle Miro 🙂
Buddy Meeting @ 7:20am (Room 109)
SEL PreK/4th Grade Buddies Activity
RTI Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 118)
Reading/ELL Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 110)

Wednesday, December 5th:
2nd Grade Field Trip to Mitchell Museum (104/105)

Thursday, December 6th:
2nd Grade Field Trip to Mitchell Museum (Rooms 106/115)
Celebrations Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 104)
Common Core Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 205)
District Band Concert @ 6:30pm (LMS)

Friday, December 7th:
Happy Birthday Dr. Kim Boryszewski 🙂
PRE SCHOOL SCREENING
1st Grade & Multiage Field Trip to Stahl Theater

(12/08) Happy Birthday Cindy DeRose 🙂

Welcome Back! I hope you enjoyed your time off, spending time with family, friends & loved ones. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’d like to share with you the benefits and power of two simple words. THANK YOU.

They are 2 words that have the power to transform our health, happiness, performance and success. Research shows that grateful people are happier and more likely to maintain good friendships.

Gratitude and appreciation are also essential for a healthy work environment. A simple thank you and a show of appreciation can make all the difference.

Gratitude is like a muscle. The more we do with it, the stronger it gets. Be sure to say thank you to those around you each and every day.

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, November 26th:
Welcome Back!

Tuesday, November 27th:
Kindergarten Field Trip to Washington School (SEL Buddies activity)
Faculty Meeting @ 2:30pm
Mentor Meeting @ 3:45pm (LMS)

Wednesday, November 28th:
SLBC to Denny’s
Common Plan: TAPS

Thursday, November 29th:
PreK Field Trip to Shedd Aquarium
SLT Meeting @ 3:00pm

Friday, November 30th:
Spirit Assembly (Integrity)

**Just a friendly reminder to schedule 2nd round of observations, as they must be completed before Winter Break**

With parent teacher conferences taking place this week, here are some articles I’d like to share:

‘Twas the Night Before Conferences: A Parent’s Perspective on Parent-Teacher Conferences

Making the Most of Parent-Teacher Conferences 

Why Parent Teacher Conferences Matter

Here’s our week at a glance: 

*American Education Week* 
Parent/Teacher Conferences all week
*If your schedule changes for some reason, please be sure to submit an updated copy to the office* Also, Donna and I are able and willing to attend any conferences, if needed.

Monday, November 12th:
Breakfast served in faculty lounge from Dr. B in honor of American Education Week 🙂
Happy Birthday Sarah Mixa 🙂 

Tuesday, November 13th:
First Buddy Event! (Conference Room)
Parent Visit Day (9am-10am & 1pm-2pm)
*No Faculty Meeting*

Wednesday, November 14th:
*No Common Plan*
Board Meeting @ 7:00pm (LMS)

Thursday, November 15th:
Thanksgiving Feast in Faculty Lounge
Happy Birthday Sandy Montes de Oca 🙂
*No SLT Meeting*

Friday, November 16th:
1/2 Day of School (K-3 students dismiss at 10:55am)

Thanksgiving Break 11/19-11/23
Happy Birthday Rosa Worwa (11/20)
Happy Birthday Emily Kronlage (11/21)
Happy Birthday Jill Geritano (11/25) 

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, November 5th:
Happy Birthday Shannon O’Malley 🙂
Kennedy Election Day  <—-click for schedule
Here are some election day texts:
 

Tuesday, November 6th:
Teacher Inservice Day <—click for agenda

Wednesday, November 7th:
Buddy Sub-Committee Meeting @ 7:20am (Room 109)
SLBC to Franklin Park Ice Arena
Assessment Common Plan
PreK/PATS Thanksgiving Feast (2:00pm-3:30pm)

Thursday, November 8th:
District Veterans Day Performance @ 6:30pm (LMS)

Friday, November 9th:
Happy Friday! 5 by Friday 🙂 Keep making those positive connections with families!

Happy Birthday Julie Fister & Becky Shoufer 🙂 (11/11)

 Things to share:
*Having a hard time coming up with comments to share at conferences with parents? Here is a list of suggestions!!

*Here are some ideas from Pinterest for Parent/Teacher Conferences
  

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, October 29th:
Cycle 2 Assessments This Week

Tuesday, October 30th:
RTI Committee Planning Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 118)
Common Core Committee Meeting @ 2:45pm (Room 205)
*Please remember to bring the office ladies a list of the names of parents you anticipate coming to your classrooms on Halloween. Please STAR/indicate which parents have visited our building this year & have checked in with the Raptor system so we can pre-print their visitor badges*

Wednesday, October 31st:
Happy Halloween!
*AM PreK Parade @ 10:00am (around inside of school)
K-3 Lunch/Changing into costumes taking place in classrooms between 10:30am-11:50am
*K-3 Parade @ 12:00pm (outside; weather permitting)
*PM PreK Parade @ 1:20pm (around inside of school)
*If you are a Halloween Helper, please remember to report to your spot during the K-3 parade at noon (*refer to email sent in the Kennedy Conference on First Class)! Your help is greatly appreciated 🙂
Remember it is early dismissal Wednesday!

Thursday, November 1st:
Celebrations Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 104)
SLT Meeting @ 3:00pm

Friday, November 2nd:
End of Trimester 2
3rd Grade Field Trip to East Leyden High School (Alice In Wonderland)

Here are some Halloween Ideas from Pinterest <—-click to see entire board.

The storybook pumpkins look AMAZING! The pumpkins are a perfect example of the wonderful, creative, imaginative work that can happen when great minds get together for a common cause. You showed tremendous teamwork and I am so proud of your efforts and creativity. The parents, students and teachers alike were amazed and in awe of everyone’s efforts and final products. NICE JOB!!!

Here’s a week at a glance:

Monday, October 22nd:
RED RIBBON WEEK
Fire FIghters Visiting <–click for schedule

Tuesday, October 23rd:
PATS Field Trip to Cosley Zoo
Fire Fighters Visiting
Faculty Meeting @ 2:30pm <—-click for agenda
Mentor Meeting @ 3:45pm

Wednesday, October 24th:
SLBC Outing to Jewel
Storybook Pumpkins Common Plan
Board Meeting @ 7:00pm

Thursday, October 25th:
Kennedy Carnival 6:00pm-7:30pm
HIP Ornaments due! Put all your ornaments in a large, black trash bag and drop off bag in Room 117.

Friday, October 26th:
Spirit Assembly (Teamwork)
Multiage Field Trip to Goebbert’s

*I pinned some neat Fire Safety activities from Pinterest, if you’d like to take a look.

Fire Safety Reflection <—-click for PDF

My go-to blog, Venspired, coming through again this week with yet another inspiring message:

“That part of the school year. The one where your plate gets so full you don’t know what to tackle first. The one where you’re pulled in 86 different directions, buried in to-do lists, and you feel behind on everything. Your classroom. Your graduate classes. Your life. It’s tempting, desirable, even easy to just settle. But when you settle, you’ll miss something. You’ll never know what amazing thing your class might create. You’ll never know about that better way to assess, plan, integrate. You’ll never read that article that changes your perspective. You’ll never see that opportunity you missed. Yep, you could settle. Or, not. It’s really up to you!”

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, October 15th:
Medical Exclusion Day
Dentist Visits in Conference Room
Vision Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 127)
Compass Learning Meeting @ 2:45pm (Room 205)
Happy Birthday Rose Karas 🙂

Tuesday, October 16th:
Buddy Meeting @ 7:20am (Room 109)
Holiday Fund Meeting @ 7:30am (Room 101)
Dentist Visits in Conference Room
Common Core Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 205)
SEL Committee Meeting @ 3:30pm (Teacher’s Lounge)
Happy Birthday Rosa Worwa 🙂 

Wednesday, October 17th:
Dentist Visits in Conference Room
Technology Common Plan/Group 3 Planning with Reading Room
Justin Chibucos (AXA Rep) Visiting <—see attached flyer

Thursday, October 18th:
Pre School Field Trip to Sonny Acres
RTI Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 118)
K-3 Paraprofessionals Meeting @ 2:30pm (Teacher’s Lounge)
SLT Meeting @ 3:00pm
PreK Paraprofessionals Meeting @ 3:45pm (Teacher’s Lounge)

Friday, October 19th:
1st Grade Field Trip to Goebbert’s
Happy Birthday Ewa Popowska 🙂 

*From my favorite blog; Venspired

School? It’s about the kids. Society loves to simplify our jobs. Make it about facts and kids knowing stuff. Make it about graphs and charts that display our school’s weak points. But what aren’t people seeing? The kids.

The kids whose parents no longer live in the home. The kids who get one meal a day, their school lunch. The kids who cry at night because they are the adult in the house. The kids who have amazing potential buried in trying to help raise a younger sibling or who have big struggles caused by the fact that they are caring for themselves. The kids whose parents have a terrible drug problem and are headed to prison. The kids who haven’t lived more than six months in the same place since they were born. The kids who don’t know what Santa visits are like. The ones who don’t have a Crockpot with warm meals filling their house when they hop off the bus.

Every teacher knows a student whose story would break your heart.

A story that would stop you in your tracks.

A story that would remind you what education is about. Education? It’s about the kids.

The charts & graphs in the paper are just numbers. Teachers? We impact lives.
Thank you for all that you do to make an impact on our Kennedy Kubbies each and everyday! They are blessed to have you in their lives. 🙂

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, October 8th:
NO SCHOOL: COLUMBUS DAY

Tuesday, October 9th:
Faculty Meeting  @ 2:30pm  <—-click for agenda
Reading/ELL Committee Meeting (Room 110)
School Community Committee Meeting (after faculty meeting)

Wednesday, October 10th:
2nd Grade Field Trip to Tyrell Trailside Museum (Rooms 104 & 105)
SLBC to Schiller Park Police Department
Reading/ELL Common Plan
*PreK: Faculty Meeting at start of common plan @ 2:50pm*

Thursday, October 11th:
2nd Grade Field Trip to Tyrell Trailside Museum (Rooms 115 & 106)
Event Planning Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 115)

Friday, October 12th:
Pre School Screening
Kindergarten Field Trip to Didier Farm

I’m sure we’ve all encountered situations when we’ve observed a parent raising their voice at their child, or you’ve tried to soothe a student that was sad from being yelled at by his/her parents before school. I wonder how many of our students come to school upset, repeating messages to themselves that they’ve heard from their parents/care-givers that perpetuate their own negative feelings about themselves?

On the flip side, I’m fortunate to constantly witness the positive models that you are for our students at Kennedy. Every morning, faculty greet students with a smile, telling each and every one how happy they are to see them! I’ve seen upset students calm down, because a teacher spoke in a soft, loving voice. I’ve seen high fives and hugs, and teachers praising students.

Our students are so lucky to have you in their lives to make sure that they hear positive messages each day to build them up!

Here’s our week at a glance:

Monday, October 1st
First Grade Field Trip to Safety Town (HIP Mall)
Environmental Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 105)
Happy Birthday Sarah Sicher 🙂 

Tuesday, October 2nd:
Buddy Committee Meeting @ 7:20am (Room 109)
Multiage Field Trip to Safety Town (HIP Mall)
RTI Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 118)
PEP Meeting @ 6:00pm @ LMS

Wednesday, October 3rd:
TAPS Common Plan

Thursday, October 4th:
3rd Grade Field trip to Goebbert’s
Celebrations Committee Meeting @ 2:30pm (Room 104)
SLT Meeting @ 3:00pm
Happy Birthday Stephanie Alessi 🙂 

Friday, October 5th:
Fall Picture Day <–click for schedule
GROUP Staff Photo on playground @ 7:10am: Wear your kennedy polo or a blue shirt!
Happy Birthday Barbara Brzozowska! 🙂 

(10/6): Happy Birthday Anna Gabriel (green bus) 🙂
(10/7): Happy Birthday Nicole Novak 🙂
(10/8): NO SCHOOL/Columbus Day