Beg, Borrow and Steal

At my Principal's Meeting today I got several great ideas form some of my colleagues.  I cherish the opportunity to talk with and learn from them.  I work among some very talented and motivating folks. I am never above begging, borrowing or stealing ideas to keep things interesting.  we have several Blended Learning options available for student use this year and I have seen some incredibly brilliant and unique ideas for rotating students through the classroom computers to make sure students are accessing the tools.  I think its time for some school wide motivation and recognition for those who are meeting or exceeding the expectations. So...coming soon to a bulletin board near you...

Under the Big Top Fun!

Tonight was the ever popular PTA Fall Carnival.  It was by far the most well attended event we host all year and certainly the most fun.  I'm pretty sure we hit a record with size of the crowd, nearly running out of candy, prizes, and food.  Aside from the first rain in 17 years it was the smoothest I can remember.  I am always amazed at how everyone bands together to make these magical childhood memories happen for families.

Literary Character Parade

Today was our annual Kindergarten and First Grade book character parade.  Everyone dressed as their favorite character and together the whole celebrated the love of books with our youngest readers.  My ever amazing Media Specialist, KK Cherney, never fails to disappoint a single child by making sure ALL have a costume to wear each year.  This year she directed the costuming effort from the floor of her office, even sick she would not go home and stuck it out the whole day even through he Book Walk at the Carnival tonight. There is nobody who loves books or our babies more than KK!

Dismissal with the Blue Angels!

The Air Show is this weekend and one advantage to being just a few miles from the beach is that we get a preview of the star attraction - the BLUE ANGELS!!  Nothing quite like having them buzz the school!!

Our Missionary Comes Home, For a Visit

Several years ago one of our homegrown teachers, Beth Young, decided to pursue a dream to move to Africa as a missionary.  She intended to use her teaching skills in her new job and train teachers at the various care points for the organization she was traveling with.  She has done a spectacular job providing materials and professional development for educators with the most limited of resources.  I am also proud to say that now she is in a leadership position and is coordinating the educational effort of her group in Swaziland.  I could not possibly be prouder of her.  It was great to see her and her about her adventure.  Her dedication and work is truly changing lives for the better.

Sketch Noting with First Grade

For this month's Book of the Month the Literacy Coach and I taught teachers how to use Sketch Noting with their students as a means of deepening the thinking students do as they listen to information filled text.  You can learn more about what Sketch Noting is here. This morning I got to teach two classes of our first graders how to use this skill as we learned about elections.  What was so cool about this experience was that one of the classes had already tried it and were able to mentor the other class who was new to the idea!

My Mobile Office!

Last week I went mobile! Or at least my office did!! During CAST season I am rarely in my office on observation days and inevitably I find myself being somewhere and needing something. A great idea from a Principal colleague I've followed for years on twitter, Melinda Miller, has transformed my observation life!  She also happens to have a fabulous blog that I follow.  Look for me and my "office" in a classroom near you!

Thursday Morning was BOSS!

Yesterday my awesome faculty threw a Boss' Day celebration for me.  Boss - what a strange thing to celebrate.  I actually feel completely uncomfortable when I hear the word.  Seriously, I look around when somebody calls me that to see who they are talking about.  In my mind it implies such a top down oppressive, demanding or authoritarian type relationship, something I definitely don't want to be a part of.  I actually looked the word up in Webster's dictionary - there are a lot of different meanings for the word boss. Now don't get me wrong I can totally BE bossy, it's a family trait, but for the most part the only definition I could or would want to relate to is the slang definition, which ironically means, excellent or first-rate. Now those two things I aspire to be every day! An example in context - those BOSS teachers at the Creek threw a BOSS breakfast with BOSS pumpkin doughnuts and BOSS cider for their lucky and thankful principal and then gave her a gas card, the most BOSS gift ever! PS - I also got this BOSS poster from my BOSS Extended Day peeps! Love it and them!

CCE Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A!

I had a great time this week as the office and admin staff hosted Spirit Night at our local Chick-fil-A. I am so grateful for this partnership and for all the franchise owners have done to support us over the years! These folks are some of our oldest and most supportive business partners. Thank you for consistently giving back to our school and students!

An Apple A Day Doesn't Always Keep the FLU Away!

Last week I was SICK! S. I. C. K. I rarely ever miss school due to illness but the flu bug jumped up and bit me hard last Monday and it took the entire week to recover physically and then this entire week to recover professionally!  It is amazing what you can miss in one day but in multiple days - yikes!  I greatly appreciate the patience of those around me as I have run double time to try and catch up.