E-Blast 9-26-14

For Starters…

Hellooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo everyone!!!!! Thought I would add a few extra letters considering I forgot one this week.  Ha! By next week you will have a month under your belt!!! Thank you for a fantastic start to the school year.  The kids are doing exceptionally well and it is in great part due to the environment you have in your classroom.  ODR data clearly indicates that kids are living the expectations you have set for them and the follow through on your part has been great.

What's Hoppening?

• Goal revisions are due next week.  If you still need to meet with me, I have time set aside on Monday and Tuesday.  If we can't make that timeline happen, just let me know.
• Thank you to the Professional Growth Team for their work in helping staff with goals and the review that took place to ensure everyone had the components we were looking for this year.  The goals were well written and provided a solid structure for growth.  The group discussed circulating a new set of reviewers for the 2015-16 school year and that may be a good chance to get others involved in the review and coaching.  More to come on that in the spring, so review team members will remain the same throughout this year.
• I hope we can send the majority of interested people to SLATE this year.  We had more applicants than we have spaces right now.  
• Repeat...still a few out there...If you did not receive an invite to the Google+ page from let shoot me an email.  I tried to get as many people as possible while I was at Google Tech Academy last week. The Google+ community is open only to our staff...I am hoping it turns into a place where we can share articles, great ideas, and/or things going on in your classroom. Here is the link... https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/106247918310540095234.  If you can not get in let me know...it means you will need a Google+ page or an invite.  Either way it is a quick fix.
• How incredible is it to see our high school kids working with our elementary kids? Can't state this enough...the connection our students and families have to this place is amazing.
• Teachscape seems to have fixed their issue, but I am still having trouble seeing the workflow.
• State Report Cards...To be on the list of a handful of districts who have Exceeded Expectations the last 2 years is great and a credit to all of you...but if our scores did not fall into that category I would still say we are doing amazing things here.  Don't get hung up on scores, good or bad...continue to create relationships with kids and build from there.  If we see gaps in the trend data it is our job as administrators to find ways to help you.  That may come in additional support, finding exemplar programs, or just allowing time to dive into data and build better programming for students.  Let us worry about numbers...you worry about making sure the classroom is a place where students would choose to be even if they weren't required to be here.
• I will be out of the office on Wednesday-Friday at the State Superintendent Conference in Madison.  Brian and Brad are both around if you need assistance, but I can also be reached by text or email if you need anything.

Did They Really Say That?

Send me your quotes!!!!

Kindergarten student: "Mr. Sanfelippo...we just want you to know that we both got Cricket Crotches today."

This week in Tweets...

All of our #gocrickets tagged tweets can be archived...this is a great way to tell the stories happening in your classroom.  The idea of telling your story before someone tells it for you is a really key element in getting the word out about the wonderful things happening in your classroom.  If everyone with a Twitter account here posted 2 positive tweets per week we would have over 100 positive messages about our school out to the public.  That number is astounding...and just by taking a minute to shout out a great thing happening in your space.  Add @fccrickets in the tweet and use the #gocrickets hashtag after a tweet to add to the wonderful story of the Crickets...

http://www.fallcreek.k12.wi.us/district/gocrickets.cfm

Articles Worth Reading
Just resources...no need to feel required to read...just click if it strikes your interest.

• Why some kids try harder and some kids give up by Tracy Cutchlow
• My thoughts on Homework by Jeff Zoul
• The power of a positive phone call by Elena Aguilar

Videos Worth Watching:
Not always endorsements of the perspective...but all to make you think...

Things we do in schools that would be weird in real life

Happiness is Helping Others

Cricket E-Blast 9-12-14

For Starters…

Congrats on a wonderful start to the school year.  Kids are engaged, staff interactions are positive, and parents have gone out of their way over the course of the last 2 weeks to tell me how much they love it here.  We have a great group of people in this school community...even when things aren't perfect, your willingness to get through it for kids is what makes you special.  I have no words for that (which is rare!! Ha!)

What's Hoppening?

• Goals were due Wednesday.  I either have all goals or have talked to those people who needed some clarification.  Thank you so much for getting those in...we will start the review process and get any revisions to you soon.  I truly enjoy looking at what you all have chosen to focus on in terms of growing professionally.
• At the end of last year we decided that convening an Insurance Committee would be in our best interest moving forward.  We are not going to wait too long on that process...it will start with a survey and at that time staff will be asked if they would like to be a member of the committee.  Debby will be coordinating that committee and will send out the survey in the coming weeks.
• Repeat...If you haven't signed up for text alerts you can do that by sending a text with the message @fcstaff to 720-445-9824 or send an email to fcstaff@mail.remind.com and Remind will take you through the process.
• Repeat...If you did not receive an invite to the Google+ page from let shoot me an email.  I tried to get as many people as possible while I was at Google Tech Academy last week. The Google+ community is open only to our staff...I am hoping it turns into a place where we can share articles, great ideas, and/or things going on in your classroom. Here is the link... https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/106247918310540095234.  If you can not get in let me know...it means you will need a Google+ page or an invite.  Either way it is a quick fix.
• Thanks to the members of the support staff who took time to discuss alternate pay structures.  Thanks also to those who sent me an email or came in to discuss it if they could not make the meeting.  I hope the meeting was valuable and I look forward to connecting with you to continue the discussion on October 15th.  
• Teachscape...if you are having trouble with Teachscape you are not alone.  Don't spend too much time in there...there is an issue with the workflow, but I think it is coordination of who the evaluator is on our side.  I will connect with Brian and Brad in hopes to get it resolved.
• Challenge...You are now 2 weeks into the year.  I am sure that you have found a student that may not see eye to eye with you.  Find 5 minutes for 3 days in a row and connect with that student.  No discussions about school...just about their world. 

Did They Really Say That?

Send me your quotes!!!!

Allie: Daddy, why is Mr. LaPoint on the playground every day?
Me: He wants to make sure everyone is safe.
Allie: Why weren't you on the playground every day?
Me: You're grounded.

This week in Tweets...

All of our #gocrickets tagged tweets can be archived...this is a great way to tell the stories happening in your classroom.  The idea of telling your story before someone tells it for you is a really key element in getting the word out about the wonderful things happening in your classroom.  If everyone with a Twitter account here posted 2 positive tweets per week we would have over 100 positive messages about our school out to the public.  That number is astounding...and just by taking a minute to shout out a great thing happening in your space.  Add @fccrickets in the tweet and use the #gocrickets hashtag after a tweet to add to the wonderful story of the Crickets...

http://www.fallcreek.k12.wi.us/district/gocrickets.cfm

Articles Worth Reading
Just resources...no need to feel required to read...just click if it strikes your interest.

• How Can We Keep the Kindergarten Spirit via Amber Teamann
• It Begins with Us via Jimmy Casas
• 15 Examples of Student Centered Teaching via Terry Heick
• Together We Are Better For Kids via Brad Gustafson

Videos Worth Watching:
Not always endorsements of the perspective...but all to make you think...

Rhode Island Little League coach after being eliminated