1/26/2915 MMM

Scheduling for the 3rd evaluation on standards 1 and 2 is available now.  Click on the link.
Please read this passage and reflect on how your PLCs are doing.  This is not me saying there are problems.  It is me saying there is always room for improvement and reflection.  If you are not afraid, reflect by commenting to this post.

In The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (2013), a retelling of the story of the University of Washington men’s crew team which won the 1936 Olympic gold medal in Berlin, the idea of the collective superseding the whole becomes the central theme of the book. Again and again Brown focuses on how these college athletes had to learn to work for the team rather than for themselves in order to achieve more together— Olympic gold—than they could have ever achieved alone.

Brown’s narrative is largely told through Joe Rantz, a member of the gold medal team and a kid with a very, very difficult start in life. As Rantz is learning to become part of Washington’s varsity crew, he is taken under the wing of a wise, older boatbuilder and coach, George Pocock. On the brink of being cut from the varsity team that would eventually row in Berlin, Rantz finally “hears” the boatbuilder’s advice, which is this:

Pocock [after watching Joe race and fail and race and fail] said that there were times when Rantz seemed to think he was the only fellow in the boat, as if it was up to him to row the boat across the finish line all by himself. When a man rowed like that, he said, he was bound to attack the water rather than work with it, and worse, he was bound not to let his crew help him row.

He suggested that Joe think of a well-rowed race as a symphony, and himself as just one player of the orchestra. If one fellow in an orchestra was playing out of tune, or playing at a different tempo, the whole piece would naturally be ruined. That’s the way it was with rowing. What mattered more than how hard a man rowed was how well everything he did in the boat harmonized with what the other fellows were doing. And a man couldn’t harmonize with his crewmates unless he opened his heart to them. He had to care about his crew. It wasn’t just the rowing but his crewmates that he had to give himself up to, even if it meant getting his feelings hurt.

Pocock paused and looked up at Joe: “If you don’t like some fellow in the boat, Joe, you have to learn to like him. It has to matter to you whether he wins the race, not just whether you do.”

 -From http://www.allthingsplc.info/blog/view/282/finding-meaning-in-texts

To Be Aware of

• Winter DRA Testing window is open till the 3rd of next month.  The Data Entry window will be open till the 6th of next month.
• Flu season is not over.  Please take care of yourselves.
• Parent Teacher conferences are the first part of next month.  Start planning now what you will show parents and how.  Last year we had some pretty innovative sharing and the parent really appreciated it.
• iReady diagnostics are ready to use both in math and reading.  Please let me know when you are doing them so I can come around and watch.

Cleaning Schedule

Sept.  Office

Oct. 6th Grade

Nov.  5th Grade

Dec.  3rd Grade

Jan.  2nd Grade

Feb. 1st Grade

Mar. 4th Grade

Apr. SPED and Computer Specialist

May  Kinder, Life Skills, & P.E. Specialist

Lunch Schedule

Save the Date

1/26 Limo Ride for Fundraiser winners (Finally!)

1/27 BYU Principal's Mtg @ D.O.

1/29-30 Associates for Kyle, Lana, and Angie

1/29 NAEP Testing for 4th graders

2/2 Choir starts again

2/2 PG Cluster Mtg - Kyle & Zack 8:30-9:30

2/2 SAGE Writing Assessment window opens

2/3 DRA Testing window closes

2/4-2/5 Parent Teacher Conferences

2/4 CTL Mtg w/ BYU

2/6 DRA Skyward data entry window closes

*Look at the Faculty Calendar on Google for other events.

Happy Birthday

1/29 Mimi Kendall

Celebrations/Things I Noticed

If any of you notice great things some of your teammates are doing, please share by commenting below or telling me so I can include it in future MMMs.

• Alyssa Richins recorded one of her kiddos on her iPad, edited the video to show him how to behave every day.  It was cool to see her show the video to this boy to help him with his day.
• The ballroom teams competed this last weekend.  Each team earned all gold and silvers.  Also you will notice a HUGE trophy in the office.  That's right, they one the spirit award as well.  Please congratulate the instructors and students on an amazing job.  Selected teams will compete at UVU in February.
• As far as I can tell, Rashel was the first to try the iReady diagnostic last week.  She did the reading one.  Both math and reading diagnostics are ready to use for all of you.

Great Video clip of the Week

Give me your thoughts on Genius Hour.  Lauren found this.  Is there place for something like this in our school?

You can get on Youtube and see all kinds of ideas about Genius Hour.  It is pretty cool what kids and teachers come up with.

Great Read of the Week
Those who are wondering about the benefits of blogging.  Click this link and then tell me what you think.

Have a Great Week!  #PawPower!!