Thursday Thriller
April 22, 2021
Way to go NJHS!! UB recognition!
Little science and social studies. I enjoy learning while visiting your classrooms. I don't do it often enough but when I do I have to snap a few pics. :D
Super excited she is back!
Nuts-n-Bolts
1. Thank everyone for participating and creating the most beautiful bouquets of flowers for our AWESOME secretarial staff!!! You made their day. Thank you!
2. Students who arrive early on Monday will come into the building, sit on a chair and wait until 8:35. We may have those covering the morning, walk the track with these students so they are just sitting. We are allowing early entrance when parents communicate with either Carina or myself. There are extenuating circumstances in which we want to be helpful.
3. Carina and I will be tag teaming the elementary to middle school resource room transition meeting all day tomorrow.
4. Picture day Wednesday the 28th during Social Studies. Ashley is creating the schedule.
5. School spirit day Friday the 30th Tie Dye!
6. Certificated staff, you will begin receiving eval notifications. I am 'batching' and putting it all together for you to sign. Just wanted to give you a heads up. You don't need to do anything with the notifications.
7. Encourage students to bring food for the food drive. 6th grade has been a little dismal :D
8. Today at 4:30 (6th), 5:00 (7th) and 5:30 (8th) Carina and I are holding grade level Q &A sessions regarding the start of full days on Monday the 26th via Zoom. You are more than welcome to join.
9. This is a video regarding lunch procedures. It will be a link in the GMS Family Newsletter, sent to students via email and part of GNN on Monday. If students bring their own lunch, they head right outside. There will be staff on hand to help direct students.
10. Enjoying your EOY Reflections. If you haven't completed it yet, please do so and then sign for your hours.
11. Summer Sol-If you are interested in making a litter extra cash, we would love to have you! There are two four week sessions. June 21-July 16th and July 19-Aug 13th -8:15-11:00 (10:30-11:00 is planning for the teacher) is for the academic part. If you are interested, please let me know. The focus is ELA and Math for the academic piece. ELA and Math departments have been working to identify students that would be strongly encouraged to attend. The goal is to reengage students and fill some core holes. Students who are not attending the morning session can come from 10:30-5:00 or part of that. There are going to be some fun activities for students to participate in. Let me know if you need more information or are interested.
Click here to see who has already signed up.
12. The library will be closed during fourth period beginning on Monday the 26th. As things settle into full days, we may be able to open it up. Stay tuned.
13. Shout out to Zoe!!! She is now a permanent teacher at Garrison!! Her contract was temporary this past year. Whoop!! Whoop!!! Also, Amy Kasenga was offered a position working with the district Equity and Access Department. We hate to see Amy go. However, she will be working with teachers and students at Garrison just in a different capacity. Her position will be posted soon. CONGRATULATIONS, AMY!
Tracy Gerbino is a fifth grade teacher from Edison with an ESL background and a passion for social studies! She will be our new social studies teacher. Welcome, Tracy!
We still have our Math/LAP Position open. We will be hiring soon.
Something to Ponder
Have you ever thought of doing something else? I'm sure I could but I have never had the courage to try. Maybe because I love the work I do even though, like you, it's tiring, frustrating, exhausting but lots and lots of times joyful!
Dave Stuart, Jr. hit home with really making me think about why I'm here. I want YOU to THINK of WHY YOU ARE HERE. YOU ARE IMPORTANT!
The work to come is not going to be easy. It will be another transition, with more students and probably even more social and emotional needs. Ponder these last few paragraphs from the article "Here's the Thing: We Could Do Something Else". Hope you find a gold nugget.
But I also want you to know — to be told by a person who respects you — that there are other things you could do. Things that'd be profoundly important because you are important and because we all are.
I think you need to sit with that for a bit, take some walks with it, work through it with a trusted friend or two.
And then? Decide.
Because for the work to come, we all need to be here because we've chosen to be. Because teaching, fundamentally, is always that: a choice. That's what it was in my classroom today, and that's what it was in yours.
So let's make it willfully.
Quote
This was a great book!
“I'm not perfect; no, I step in shit all the time and recognize it when I do. I've just learned how to scrape it off my boots and carry on.”
― Greenlights
Little Humor
In the words of Kevin Costner in Bull Durham, "We're dealing with a lot of sh*t." Teamwork makes things better. :D Hope you can laugh a little.
