Monday, August 29th - "How was your weekend?"

 What are you doing to get to know your students? These days, I'm enjoying lunch with

some very special students I met on G-Hall.

Build Relationships

Teachers build relationships with their students by showing that they care about them, and by learning about their lives, dreams, and challenges. This is a key element of helping students motivate themselves. Numerous studies have shown that caring relationships with teachers can help build resiliency (the capacity to persevere and overcome challenges) among children. By learning about student interests, teachers can also help connect what is being taught in the classroom to students’ lives and discover their short-and-long-term goals.

The paragraph above is an excerpt from "Helping Students Motivate Themselves," by Larry Ferlazzo.  The full article will be placed in your mailboxes (be sure to file it in your Step 2 Achieve binder).

I'd like for you to consider your success as a teacher, reflecting on the years when an initially challenging student turned out to be one of your favorite.  Most likely, the turning point for that student was the moment that you, as the teacher, took an interest in who that student was outside of the classroom.  Perhaps it began with a question as simple as, "How was your game?" or as I heard in the hallway this morning, a positive comment to a student on his new haircut.  Making the connection now provides you with a foundation upon which you can build all year.  Not sure where to start, how about, "How was your weekend?"

        

The Fundamentals - Monday, August 22nd

The first week of school is behind us. What does this mean in your classroom? Are students aware of the policies, procedures, and expectations? Would your students know how to answer these questions?

• How is homework collected?
• How do I find out what I missed when I'm absent?
• Am I allowed to chew gum?
• What should I do if I need extra help?

Don't assume students will know what to do. According to Harry Wong in The First Days of School, "A well-managed classroom is a task-oriented and predictable environment...Both teacher and students know what to do and what is supposed to happen in the classroom."

Is your classroom a task-oriented and predictable environment? Please post your best practices for establishing classroom routines with colleagues....

Have a great week!

Happy Friday, August 19th

Whew! The first week of school is behind us! Let's see how long we can keep the momentum going...positive attitudes, smiling faces, and big ideas. Thank you to everyone for going the extra mile this week. Your patience, flexibility, and team work truly made for a successful start.

As you have heard, 2 of our teachers have earned Master Teacher certification! This outstanding accomplishment was recognized at the Thursday evening board meeting. I was like a proud mom taking pictures and overflowing with excitement! Congratulations to Robin Berlin and Mark Poole, as well as Jillian Harris, who is still near and dear to Hopewell!

Finally, thanks so much for the feedback over the last few days. We want to continue to tweak our practices and implement policies and procedures that will ensure the absolute best educational experience for our students. This cannot be done without honest and open dialogue, and your input is critical.

I wish you all a safe and restful weekend. You have certainly earned it.

Plan for gradual improvement, not spectacular leaps...A slow and steady stream of water will, in time, erode the hardest rock."

-Dr. David Campbell

Off to a Great Start

Thanks for a great first day everyone! The anxiety of the morning gave way to calm and order by the afternoon. The students looked happy and at ease, and that speaks to the climate you have helped to establish.

Listed below are just a few notes and reminders as we go forward this week:

• Be sure to sign in by 8 am each morning.
• Direct students to use/refer to their agenda often. We are teaching organizational strategies.
• As you heard this morning, our focus is "Respect for self, respect for others, respect for school." Please reiterate this to your students and enforce it consistently.
• We are in the process of gathering sweat pants, belts, and t-shirts for use with our dress code violators. Feel free to donate items!
• It is very important that you report on time with your classes for lunch. This helps us serve lunch and seat students quickly.

Thanks again for a great first day!

"Know what's weird? Day by day, nothing seems to change, but pretty soon...everything's different."

-Calvin, from Calvin & Hobbes