Last of the year!

We're almost there! Not much to report this week. I feel like I've spent a lot of time with your students this week doing all kind of activities: breakouts with kindergarten and buttons, hot chocolate, and circuit cards with all. 

The hammock forest was popular the first part of the week. If you'd like to utilize the forest (and I'm sure we'll have many unseasonable days this winter), review the schedule to see if it's available: Hammock Forest Master Schedule. Then email me with the time you'd like. If you are scheduling in advance, Ms. Hickcox's class will be happy to set the hammocks up in the morning for you. If it's an impulse event, the hammocks are housed in room 322. You can grab them on the way down and put them back when you're done. 

Kindergarten completed a gingerbread man breakout activity. Unfortunately, they all broke out and I wasn't able to eat their cookies. And apparently I offended at least one student to the point where she didn't deliver a cookie to me like her teacher told her too. She's definitely been added to my naughty list. Let me know if you're interested in trying out a breakout when we return. I tailor them to your students' needs. 

Festivus is near!
Don't pack a lunch on Tuesday! We'll have an array of delicious soups, salads, breadsticks, desserts, and school appropriate drinks in the media center for your enjoyment. There will be prize drawings for gift cards and merch. There might also be a selection of Villasana Designs woodcraft in case you're looking for some classy gifts (cash, check, Venmo). Be sure to fill out your Airing of the Grievances form by Monday. Those will be on display for almost everyone to enjoy. And for the record, the grievances can be about staff other than me. 

Have a great weekend!

Darren is awesome!

First off, congratulations to Darren for an amazing performance last night. Your passion for music is definitely rubbing off on the students. You surely deserved a day off today!!

It's been a huge week. The Fishbowl was buzzing with circuits, buttons were created, and hot chocolate was poured. And there was a bit of construction happening on the grounds. Shoutout to Kara and her wonderful selection of lotions that are keeping my hands supple! 

Hammock Forest
The hammock forest is scheduled to be open on Monday. The weather is looking pretty great the first part of next week. Email me if you'd like to take your kids out there. I'm still thinking through logistics but the idea is that student helpers will set up the hammocks in the morning and take down in the afternoon on days where it's scheduled to be used. Our families have dumped a good amount of money into this project, so we need to teach students how to use it. When you are using the area, please review the expectations with students:

• The forest is a relaxation area
• The hammocks are for sitting and laying in only
• Gentle swaying is encouraged; they are not swings
• You should only be touching your hammock; if you need to move, duck under your neighbor alongside the post

Document Cameras

I was ambushed by third grade today over document cameras. If you currently have a document camera and find you aren't using it much, or for only a part of the day, please let me know. It would be great to share the love and then perhaps Taryn will buy more for all to use. 

Festivus
Our celebration of Festivus will be on December 21 during your lunch time. We have parents signed up to bring in delicious soups and cold school appropriate beverages. FTO is giving desserts and Taryn is supplying OG (apparently that's the abbreviation for Olive Garden) salads and breadsticks. To prepare for the Festivus "Airing of the Grievances", start thinking about all the ways your coworkers have disappointed you this past year. I'm using a spreadsheet because I realized I needed more space for Jen and Lori. 

Have a great weekend!

Happy Festivus!

I hope you are enjoying the treats in the fridge. We'll try to keep it stocked as much as
possible to keep you energized for this holiday season! To clear any confusion, the spreadsheet and Christmas Movie Bingo cards were intended for your personal use, not with students. 

December Activities
Thanks for the interest in the three December activities! I'm now fully booked for the rest of the month. I have 63 events scheduled the next 12 days. Should be fun!

Hammock Forest Update
The hammock forest project is heating up. We have raised the necessary funds to purchase all the building materials and we nearly have all 30 hammocks donated as well. Tomorrow, a parent will digging our post holes. Installing the posts will take some time and will be weather dependent. I will likely reach out to 4th and 5th grade teachers to coordinate student groups to install posts. With any luck we'll have it ready to go just in time for winter. 

Festivus is back!
Mark your calendars for December 21 at lunch time. Come to the media center to enjoy a meal, watch a traditional Festivus show, air your grievances, and participate in feats of strength. Families will be providing soups or chili, Taryn will be providing Olive Garden salad and breadsticks, and FTO is giving dessert. There might even be attendance prizes...

Library Checkout Request
Please have students leave water bottles, toys, or other distractions in the classroom.

Have a great weekend!

It's that time of year again!

It's Christmas movie season again! This week's post contains my most famous contribution to society: the definitive list and ratings of Christmas movies and "Christmas Movie Bingo" (trademark pending). Scroll down to access these treasures.

Updates
I know it's been super busy, but here are a couple of things we've done through the media center:

• 
  More Mystery Zooms are taking place. I met with Ms. Ziegler and Ms. Long's class to get started on the process. Ms. Kunkel met with classes in Massachusetts and California this week. Ms. Hickcox also connected with a class in Massachusetts. Next week, Ms. Tierney and Ms. Hickcox have sessions scheduled. 
• Balloons were floating through the Fishbowl this week. Ms. Tierney and Ms. Maude visited to hear "Balloons Over Broadway" and then created their own balloons to showcase on our very own street with stores named after our very own staff. Really fun!

Sora Updates
Our circulation numbers are climbing quickly. We now have over 230 checkouts which is double the number we had just two weeks ago! Thank you for promoting this resource in your class. And extra great news: my grant money has arrived! So when students return from break, there will be another $2000 worth of eBooks and audiobooks waiting for them. Sweet!

Teacher Appreciation Committee
We have new FTO committee focused on Teacher Appreciation. Joining me on the committee is Abbey Upton, Nikki Kunkel, and Rachel Burlison (she doesn't know yet. I love surprises!). If you have suggestions for activities, please let one of us know. Our first order of business is to plan and implement an ongoing beverage and snack station in the lounge. Please fill out this Teacher Appreciation Lounge Survey to let us know what you like! I'm also planning a return of the Festivus luncheon this year on December 21. Stay tuned for details!

Kiss the Pig Link
Monday will be the Kiss the Pig event. Students will be able to watch the event through Zoom in your classrooms. FTO has arranged for some snacks and drinks to be delivered for the viewing. Here is the link we'll use on Monday: Kiss the Pig Zoom Link

Alright, here's the content you're really here for. I hope you enjoy!

Christmas Movie List
-2021 movies are highlighted in green
-Netflix movies are highlighted in red
-if you have issues with the ratings, make your own list!

Christmas Movie Bingo

Have a great weekend!

You did it!

It's been a long week! Congratulations on making through the first trimester of another
crazy year. I only have one thing for you in this edition. 

"Matt Grants" are back!
Are you wanting something for your classroom that will enrich the education of young minds? Books, technology, seating, etc? Look no farther because "Matt Grants" are back. Running a book fair again has added a significant number of Benjamins to my Scholastic Dollar account. There's no real criteria or limit to what you can ask for. There's really no submission form either. Just tell me what you want (Scholastic Catalog). Enter 68863 as our account number and then your info. Sounds like you can make wishlists too. So look around and tell me what you want. The worst I can say is "no"! 

Ok, one more thing. We've had half as many Sora checkouts in the last two weeks as we did from August through the end of October! That's good. Please, please, please give your kids time to view the Sora app. It would also be great to include it as an activity to do when students finish their work. I have titles that suit grades 2-5 with more coming once my Links to Learning grant money arrives. 

Have a great weekend!

Your Definitive Book Fair Guide

What a great week! I'm sure you noticed that my usually cheery personality has

been in overdrive this week. In case you didn't know, the Braves are World Series Champions! 

Book Fair Information
All the info for next week's book fair:

• Your class will be completing digital wishlists during library time next week. Have them bring their iPads. They will be taking pictures of desired books and can post them to Seesaw.
• Sales will take place after school each day from 3:45 to 7:00.
• There will be no sales during the day. However, if you have a student who brings in money and you know their parents won't show up for conferences, let me know and we'll make it work.
• Come in after school today to pick out your classroom wish list books. Please don't clean us out. And don't take the last copy. If you'd like the a title that only has one copy left, let me know so I can order more first. You are welcome to come in during next week and add books to your stack. Or you can be like Jen and disregard all my directions and pick out 47 books. 

What's been happening...
It's been a busy week. Here are some of the highlights...

• 
  All of second grade visited the Fishbowl to create seed dispersal machines. We
  loved seeing so many unique designs to evenly spread seeds over our test area. Some worked well, and some failed miserably. But that's how it goes!
  
  
• Several kindergarten students visited my secret workshop to paint their new picnic tables. We'll have those out on their playground next week.
  
  
• 
  Ms. McIntyre and Ms. Wilson's classes came to the Fishbowl to take on the fall STEM challenge. They used apple chunks and toothpicks to build their names.
  
  
• Ms. Hickcox's class started working on Mystery Zooms. We introduced how it works and ran through a practice session with me. Their first real Mystery Zoom is scheduled for November 22 with a class somewhere in the world.
  
  
• Kindergarten had a special visitor this morning. Daisy, a therapy dog, had lots of books read to her this morning. 

Get all the rest this weekend! Thanks to YouTube TV, I'll be watching replays of World Series except during the three hours when Georgia is slaughtering the Tigers. 

Midweek edition

I wanted to send a midweek update to cover the rest of the time before Halloween Break. 

What's been happening?

• 
  Fourth grade is continuing their Mystery Zooms. Maybe you've seen our progress on the board outside the library. This week, Mr. Akkerman's class connected with a class in Ottawa, Ms. Kunkel's class connected with a class in Minnesota, and Ms. Tierney has one scheduled for Friday.
• Ms. McIntyre continued her work with Mystery Words. This afternoon, her class connected with a Locust kindergarten class to share and guess mystery words. She saw what fourth grade was doing and we put together this cool activity!
• I worked with Ms. Tierney's and Ms. Kunkel's classes on using the Clips app. Students are using Clips to share the information they've gathered about Native Americans. After a quick tutorial and about 30 minutes work time, the students had some pretty cool videos made.
• 
  Ms. Hickcox's class is working on book recommendations. I visited for a quick minilesson about recommendations and the Clips app. Now her students are creating recommendations using Clips and they will be posted to a Flipgrid to share via QR codes with other students. Look for their display to continue "growing" in the hallway.
• Ms. Kunkel's class used the Fishbowl for an egg drop activity. They have been studying how to keep their brains safe. We set out materials for student groups to build a protective vessel for an egg from the Cardinal flock. After getting rained out on Friday, I ventured to the roof on Monday (nah, that probably wouldn't be allowed) and dropped the contraptions. The results were fun to discuss!
• I've continued with my five Mark Twain nominee groups. It's been fun discussing the stories with the kids. Today, one group was served tea to go along with the book and you might see us learning how to play cricket outside very soon...

Fall STEM activities
Being gone the first week of October really through things off for me. So my October STEM challenge will become the Fall challenge. This time I'm giving you a choice of activities centered around apples:

1. Apple Letters/Names - students will create letters/words/their name using apple chunks and toothpicks. Creations will be shared via Seesaw
2. Apple Shapes - we'll use apple cubes and toothpicks to create 3D shapes such as cubes, cylinders, or spheres. Creations will be shared via Seesaw
3. Apple Boats - students will create apple boats using apple chunks and other materials available to them. We will test the boats' strength by adding coins until they sink. Creations will be shared via Seesaw

When you decide what you'd like to do, email me in the form of a fast food order. I can start taking orders for days in November.

Bookroom Accommodation
Thanks to a recommendation from Ms. Jeffries, I have added a couple of desks to the center of the book. If you are lacking the height to see the bins on the top shelf, you can now bring the tub to the desk to sort through.

Halloween/Thanksgiving Buttons
If you'd like to schedule a time for students to make buttons for Halloween or Thanksgiving, contact me. My schedule is pretty stacked up before Halloween, so that might be tricky at this point. 

Email on iPads
Students in grades 3-5 have access to email. Mandy can teach them how to set up their email, create a signature, and discuss digital citizenship guidelines for usage. In the past, we have left it up to teachers to make the call about whether or not they learn how to set it up. Let me know if you are interested.

Book Fair
There will be an in person book fair this November. It should arrive on November 5th and be set up for conferences the week after. We will have students preview the fair and create wishlists during their library time that week. Sales for the fair will only take place after school. I'll send out the times to you and families when I get it figured out. 

That's it.

See you in a week!

I'm heading out to Tennessee on Sunday with the fifth graders. If you need anything at all, including lunch pickup anywhere in town, just contact Kendra Collard at extension 0. 

Thank you to Susan, Taryn, Lori, Jen, and me for volunteering to enter the "Kiss the Pig" contest. There's still time to sign up. Let me know if you want to be added to the list. It's fun, and your kids will never let you live it down if you don't sign up. Just saying. 

Classroom Happenings

• 
  Mystery Zooms are in full effect in fourth grade. We completed three this week
  and visited with classrooms in Illinois, Kansas, and Pennsylvania. We have four more on the calendar already for October. Look for a display in front of the library that will show our progress.
• We wrapped up the LEGO storytelling activity this week with four more classes. We had 18 classrooms come through this month. Next month will be much shorter, but look for the October activity in next week's blog.
• I visited Ms. Hickcox's class to show them the Clips app. I'm looking forward to seeing what they create. I'd be happy to visit your class to do the same.

Bookroom update
I spent some time over the last few weeks getting all the Geodes barcoded. All sets are now ready for use! I also rearranged the entire space. You'll now find all the "old" leveled sets on the left side of the room. All the Geodes are on the right now. I also have our lit sets cleaned up for you. In case you didn't know, we have the best set of chapter books of any elementary school in the world. Use this link of available books to see what we have. I have added the lexile and reading level as well. 

Current Events with "The Week Junior"
I would like to start working with classroom in grades 3-5 on current event literacy and discussion. We purchased "The Week Junior" for our Flipster catalog to support that work. It's an excellent resource with short articles and activities about a wide variety of topics. I have reached out to Joy Bess for integration ideas. It includes teacher editions located here. If your class or whole team would like support with current events, please let me know. In the meantime, access the "The Week Junior" and other periodicals through the Flipster app. 

Computer Imaging
Carl needs to image your machines if he hasn't already. If you don't have the "Can't Hide Awesome" on your desktop, then you are out of compliance (looking at you Jen). Just kidding, it's not that big a deal. You just might not be able to print or anything. Let me know so I can get it scheduled with Carl. It does erase everything, so save your stuff. 

Library Checkouts on the 28th and 29th
Stephanie and Lori have me scheduling really far out now. I think Lori is a little Type A. So if you have a library checkout on the 28th or 29th, we are going to reschedule you for either the 25th or 27th in the morning. Let me know what time works for you.

Have a great weekend!

My apologies...

Idina Menzel (Elsa)

First, let me apologize for the amateur mistake during announcements. My daughter pointed out at lunch that I mistakenly had "Elsa" matched up with Kristen Bell. Of course, many of you already know that I should have had "Anna" there or Idina Menzel. As a Disney fan, I feel embarrassed by my error and will never let something similar happen again. 

Sorry if I didn't get to your team planning meeting this week. I preference classroom visits/activities over planning time in my schedule. So if I don't show up, it's not you, it's me. Track me down if you have anything to discuss/ask/demand.

Classroom Happenings:

• Completed beginning sound scavenger hunts with kindergarten this week
• Continued LEGO Storytelling with many classes
• Hosted eight student book groups (19 students) for our Mark Twain Award nominees
• Made buttons in Ms. Guillory's room
• Failed miserably in labeling basic animated characters to their voice actor
• Supported fourth grade with their first class to class Mystery Zoom session
• Planned with Kindergarten to put together some Mystery Number/Word sessions starting next month

Flock Updates
Thank you to Hannah for braving muddy conditions this week. I went in after meetings Wednesday to complete some maintenance so hopefully we'll be mostly dry going forward. Ms. Corwin is taking next week as well and then Ms. Kinkead will handle the first week of October. 

Egg Production Data
Here is a link to the production of the flock: Link to Egg Production. Feel free to use it with your students. 

STEAM Kit Checkouts
I have been receiving hold requests for STEAM kits. But while I was getting them ready to go out, I remembered that iPads weren't going home. So after talking to our fearless admin team, here's what will happen:

1. A student puts a hold on the STEAM kit
2. I contact the parent via Seesaw to confirm that the iPad will be coming home the week of the checkout
3. If they say no, then done
4. If they say yes, then I'll get the kit, deliver it to your classroom, and then the student can take their iPad home with them with the kit
5. If the iPad doesn't return to school, contact the parent and let them know the deal is off if the student forgets it again
6. I will also put the student in the STEAM Seesaw course so they can complete the activity to get credit for the drawing at the end of the year
7. Super clear, right?

iPad Updates
At some point next week, can you confirm that your students' iPads are on the latest iOS? I've been seeing some strange occurrences and want to eliminate that variable when I put in work orders. 

Have a great weekend!

What's in the box??

My data shows that more people opened my blog when I featured a Daniel Craig meme. So for this week, since I have lots of technology to offer people, let's go with Brad. 

I had several students ask me if we are playing Wheel of Fortune with The Fishbowl letters. They are having a hard time solving the puzzle. So if your team has some spare time on Wednesday, consider working on your letter! 

What's happening

• Fourth grade all continued their work with Mystery Zooms. They did a practice run with me as the mystery class. Next week, they'll zoom with each other as the last practice run before connecting with other classes. This activity is great for grades 3-5. We can also do "mystery numbers" with most grades.
• Third grade is pushing forward with their "passion projects". Students have created heart maps and are choosing topics to research. Next week, they'll be highlighting questions to research and will be starting gathering information.
• 
  Six classrooms visited The Fishbowl for the LEGO Storytelling activity. Students continue to impress with their creations. We also had several classes working in groups to build large scenes from the books. Finished projects were uploaded to Seesaw with a photo and voice recording of their work. If you haven't scheduled a visit yet, you still have a chance before October.
• Kindergarten has planned for a "breakout scavenger hunt" next week. Students will be finding locations around the building and recording the beginning sound of each location to uncover the secret code. I'm happy work with all grade levels on breakout activities.
• I started four book groups with 19 fourth and fifth graders. We are challenging ourselves to read all 12 Mark Twain Award nominees this year. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade teachers, if you have some students that you think would benefit from a pull out book group, talk to me and we'll see if we can set something up.

Geode kits
I am still working through the Geodes. I have first grade mostly finished and have one module from kindergarten and second grade finished. If you are looking for additional modules, let me know and I will get it ready for you. 

Amplifiers
We still have 13 portable voice amplifiers available for checkout. Coach grabbed one last week and has said that the amplifier has had a greater impact on his life than his entire experience in fourth grade with me as his teacher. So basically, huge. 

Document Cameras
I also have a couple of document cameras available for use. Let me know if you would like to try one out in your classroom. It's for showing stuff on your flat panel.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Can you hear me now??

The shortest weeks are always the longest. Quick updates below.

Classroom updates
I'd like to start including activities I've been involved with in different grade levels so I
can prove I'm working on something. Here's what's been happening...

• 
  Started "Mystery Zooms" with fourth grade. Students are learning US geography and will be zooming with classes across the country to figure out the mystery state. We'll be practicing next week with the hope of going live in two weeks.
• Planned with third grade about starting "passion projects" or "genius hour" to allow students to work on research and presentation skills. 
• First grade has started planning a team sustainability project. We're looking to install gardens and birdhouses for their courtyard. 
• Second grade is moving forward with creating a garden outside the media center window. They'll be planting bulbs to observe the growing cycle.
• LEGO Storytelling has started in The Fishbowl. Ms. Jeffries' class started out this morning. We read "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" and built scenes from the story.

STEAM Kits
I'm ready to start STEAM Kit checkouts. For those of you who weren't here last year, students can check out kits to use at home. Kits include Spheros, Ozobots, Duct Tape, etc. Checkouts are made by putting a hold in Destiny. I need to make a new video for directions. When I do, I'll send it out to you. In the meantime, the route is Classlink>Electronic Library>Destiny CRE>Collections>STEAM Kits. 

Flock Care
Thanks to Ms. Guillory for handling the flock this week. I have now prepared a checksheet for your class. It's on a clipboard. Complete the week and record the number of eggs you collect each day on the sheet. You can distribute the eggs to students to take home or keep them for yourself. You could cook them up for students if you want! Ms. Guillory, please pass the clipboard, egg cartons, and coop key to Ms. Heath for next week. At the end of the week, please have a student bring me the checksheet so I can record the egg production on our master spreadsheet. Here's the upcoming schedule:

• Week of September 13 - Heath
• Week of September 20 - Corwin
• Week of September 27 - Kinkead

Inspiration Station
We will be offering the Inspiration Station for collaborative work again. Students can display an iPad to the flat panel. All you have to do is let me know when you'd like to send a group so we can make sure they are supervised.

Amplifier systems
Dr. Nelson found some portable amplifier systems on the black market. We have eight available for you to use in your classroom. They are on backorder now but more should be arriving next month. Let me know if you'd like one.

Have a Great Weekend!

September STEAM Challenge and more

Here you go...

#CREmediabingo
It's been fun seeing so many tweets the last few days from classes completing bingo challenges. Anita was tweeting like crazy today! I have posted a master board outside the Media Center to track progress. I'm adding your grade/name when I see your tweets (1J for Jeffries). I've seen Ms. Tracy (@MissTracy_CRE), Ms. Faust (@MissAbbyFaust), and Ms. Long (@Long5thCRE) join Twitter this week. Give them a follow! Next week, I'll get the buckets and chairs out to accessible locations for you. If you need help getting started with #CREmediabingo, please let me know. 

September STEAM Challenge
This month's activity will be LEGO storytelling. Classes who participate will come to The Fishbowl for a story. After hearing part or all of the book, students will be challenged to create a build with LEGO to go along with the story. Depending on your class, we could also have students upload their creation to Seesaw along with a voice recording explaining their build. I envision the activity taking 45-60 minutes. Let me know if you are interested. 

Library Checkouts
This year we are back to back checkouts from 1:00-3:00 which makes things tight. We are working to finish the book/mini-lesson before the 15 minute mark so there is plenty of time to checkout. We'd like to start the lining up process with enough time to get out the door after 30 minutes. So that time will vary for each class depending on how fast you can line up. A couple other reminders:

• Send your returned books to the library in the morning. If books aren't returned in the morning, we won't be accepting them during library time. It's just too much to manage on the fly.
• Get those book bins decorated (optional) and clearly labeled (mandatory) with your name. Bingo!
• Books that need to be renewed can be brought down by the student during library time
• Students in grades 2-5 are welcome to continue bringing their iPads to use the Destiny catalog
• Remind students to leave any distracting toys/games/objects in class
• We need masks fully worn in the library. If students are unable to keep them on, they will be asked to wait outside. We have too many students in and out all day to contact trace, so masks are pretty important to keeping the library open. 

Media Class
Please check to make sure your iPads are charged for Media class. I'm working on acquiring more chargers for the classrooms. In the meantime, try to manage usage so they are fresh for Media. iPads will be the main tool used during class.

Book a Day Form
Here is the link to our "Book A Day" form. Please submit books you are reading to your class and encourage students to submit their own form. I will draw names before the book fair to award coupons to students/classes for a free book from the fair. The form is also available on the Media Center website on the left sidebar.

Website Updates
Please send me a picture to include on your staff directory webpage. Email is great. 

Enjoy your extra day off. If you need me, I'll be on the golf course.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the weekend.

Whew, what a week! If you are on Twitter and don't follow @CraigWeekend, you need to start now.

It's been a crazy week. Thanks to Lori, we have the bulk of iPads out in classrooms. I know we'll be dealing with one-off issues throughout the week. But I'll be able to be much more responsive than I was this week. Please email me with your issues/missing devices and I'll add you to the queue. My goal is to have every student fully operational by midweek. 

I'll also be able to really start planning out activity opportunities. So next week's blog is going to be full with information, including a brand new bingo board. If you are familiar with my world famous "Christmas Movie Bingo", then you know what to expect.

I had a blast today making buttons with every kindergarten student. We made "about me" buttons. Let me know if you are interested in a visit next week. 

Instructional Tech ideas
I'm ready to be used in your classrooms. Here are a few things you may want me to teach or help you out with:

• General "we got a lot of issues" support - schedule a time for me to come down and troubleshoot everything
• Seesaw - get started with activities
• Apple Classroom - get your students enrolled
• Using QR Codes
• Something else you want to do! 

Geodes
Yes, we do have the Geodes books for your reading instruction. No, they aren't all ready for checkout. But they can be. If you are planning on using the Geodes, please give me a day or two to get them ready. Just email me the level you want and I'll get it prepped for you. We should be able to work through all of them now the iPad purgatory is about over. 

Chicken Schedule
I got a late start on the flock care schedule. Here's what I have scheduled so far. I'm pretty sure more of you have talked to me, but I've forgotten. So email me if you are interested.
    Week of August 30 - Ms. Hickcox
    Week of September 6 - Ms. Guillory

Website Updates
The district is requiring staff pictures on our websites. So I'll be in the process of adding your pictures. Please email me a classy picture (I'm assuming they want a headshot and not you standing in front of a sketchy Volkswagon van) via email and I'll update the pages. I'd love them before next Friday. 

Library Checkout
If you teach in grades 2-5, please have your students bring their iPads to library checkout. We will be learning how to search for books and place holds next week during checkout time.

Media Class
From this point forward, please bring your iPads to Media class. Mandy will be getting students enrolled in Apple Classroom this week and will be reviewing iPad expectations. 

Grade Level Meetings
Team leaders, please email me the day/time you are meeting as a team. I'd love to get those on the calendar so I can start finding ways to help integrate. 

Have a great weekend!

Game time!

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend. I wanted to give you a few updates before Monday. Please, please, please test out your connection to your flat panel, sound, and touch display if you haven't already!! As always, find me if you have any questions. 

iPad distribution
I still have work to to prepare devices. Currently, I'm short on iPads and am waiting for more to be sent over by technology services. My goal is to have them already enrolled to students before passing them out but I'm running short on time. If you are dying to have them, contact me so I know and can move you to the top of the list. I'd love to help distribute the iPads with you to help with the process of connecting to wireless. But if the schedule doesn't allow, I can walk you through it. 

Library Checkout
I shouldn't have been surprised to find out Lori's shady behavior has warranted a background check. So even though she's taught for 47 years in CPS including as recently as June 30, she can't start on Tuesday. Hopefully we will get clearance really soon. I will cover classes on Tuesday and Stephanie will be here Wednesday through Friday. 

Your students do not need to bring anything for library this first week. If you are coming from the main hallway, line up along the windows. If you are coming from the Kindergarten side, have your line leader stop by the bulletin boards across the hall from the doors. Stephanie, Lori, or myself will meet the classes in the hallway. We will use the carpet for read aloud and mini lessons. I will have you choose students to sit on the couch or blue chairs during whole group time. Students will be assigned tables after checking out based on their classroom seating. So please bring your seating chart on the first day. I'll have the tables numbered so it's easier for students to remember where to go. We'll have teachers dismiss the class to lineup so you can use whatever system they're used to. 

Grade level activity in The Fishbowl Monday
I'm asking for your help in customizing our Makerspace. We have set out stations for all grade level teams to create a custom piece for the space. We'll be adding the word "CREATE" to the upper windows facing the hallway. Each grade is responsible for one letter. You'll find a piece of foamboard set out for you. Your task is to cut out and decorate your assigned letter. Please make it as large as possible, but it's up to your team to decide if it's upper or lower case, basic or fancy font, positive or negative. Maggie laid out a large variety of objects on the kidney table for you to use. Here are your assignments:

C - Kindergarten
R - First grade
E - Second grade
A - Third grade
T - Fourth grade
E - Fifth grade

Flock care
I'm looking for a class who'd like to help out with the chicken the first two weeks. Let me know if you are interested. I'll be visiting the flock at 9:00 Monday morning if you'd like to take a look at how we gather eggs and replace the food/water. And if you help, you'll get free eggs! 

See you Monday!

Back to School Yelling Session

Welcome back! Larry said I had thirty minutes to yell at staff. Because most of what you'll hear
will be soon be forgotten, here's a rundown topics I'm covering...

The Team
Stormi Pryor - Lover of powdered doughnuts
Stephanie Criblez - Nicest Media Center staff member
Lori Huhman - Just working for beer money 
Carl Robinson - Building technician

Communication
I try to write a blog post each Friday. My goal is to keep your inbox clean by summarizing information and sending it out at the end of the week. I'll only send out blasts if the info is critical. If you don't read my posts, you won't know what's going on and your kids will miss out on opportunities...

Checkout Schedule
Library checkouts will be available Tuesday through Friday. This year will feature a friendly competition to determine checkout times. Visit the media center Wednesday morning from 9-11 to partake in a fun game set up by Jake. Best score will get first pick of times. Worst score will pick last. Fun! Checkouts will start on day 1 unless you want to wait. But why would you? Come pick up a library return cart from the media center. Have your students decorate it and you could win $50 to the next book fair! 

Library checkout is not release time. It's important to have all hands on deck to support their browsing and for active supervision. I'm still working on details for how the process will work this year in regards to Covid protocols. I'll send out directions later this week. 

Collaboration
My job is to support your instruction. I will attempt to get back to meeting with grade level teams each week. No, I will not be talking at you. I'll be there to listen to what's going on, offer integration ideas when applicable, teach you new skills you are curious about, share updates if needed. If I know what you are teaching, then I can better support your students. Team leaders, please let me know what day/time you'd like for me to join you. 

Schoolwide Literacy Focus
For those of you who weren't scared off by Larry, you'll recall we instituted several vertical activities such as Friday announcement read alouds, "The Masked Reader", and "March Reading Madness". We loved how many students in different grades talked books with each other. Here are some things we have in motion...

• Monthly genre/author/topic focus
• "Book a Day" board will be making a comeback. Prizes for those classes/students who participate.
• "Mark Twain Nominee" book groups with 4th/5th graders.
• Student book recommendations in Destiny
• Other ideas from you!

What have I put into it for this year?

• I purchased $950 worth of Flipster magazines (The Week Junior, Zoobooks, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Ranger Rick Junior, Girls' World, Baking Heaven, How it Works, Cobblestone, Brainspace, All About Space, Eco Kids Planet)
• I purchased $1300 worth of new books for the library
• I submitted a $2000 grant proposal for additional eBooks and audiobooks for Sora (fingers crossed!!)

I'm asking for your help in supporting the resources that I've put into our program. Epic is fine and all, but there so much good content in Sora and Flipster. You'll be hearing us promote it frequently, you'll start to see posters in the hallways, but we need you to be a promoter as well. 

Makerspace - The "Fishbowl"
Our new and improved (and hopefully permanent for as long as I'm here) Makerspace is ready for action. I'm envisioning starting with three ways to use it:

1. Monthly maker challenges
2. Daily "open lab" times for grade levels
3. Special integration projects for grades/classes

Visit with your grade level team sometime Thursday or Friday for a super-duper fun activity! You'll be tasked with making an item to display in the Fishbowl. Plan on 30 minutes or so. 

We will continue with STEAM checkout kits. Look for information in a few weeks. 

The Flock
A classroom rotation will be set up to care for the chickens this year. Look for an email signup from me later this week. Once signed up, I'll work with your class to make the process as smooth and clean as possible. I'll also reach out to classes to help with more involved coop maintenance once the year gets going. Nikki, you'll be in charge of performing chicken physicals. 

Bookroom

Reminders about how to use the bookroom:

1. Walk to the bookroom located in the art hallway (I can give tours to our new folks)
2. Select the books you want. Grab the chapter books or the entire bag of books.
3. Walk to the library to check them out. This step is important. I will be looking at weeding materials every year so if they aren't getting checked out, I won't know you're using them. If nobody is there, either leave a post it on the materials (Rachel is a pro at this) or you can write your name and the barcodes on a post it. 
4. Use them in the classroom
5. Put all the books back in the bag and put the papers so everyone can easily see the front. 
6. Return to the blue crate located just outside my office door.

Important: if you are skipping step 3, do not bother to return them to the blue crate. Put them back on your own. I don't want to spend time shelving materials you didn't bother to check out :)

Technology
Ready, set, go...

• I will meet with your teams later this week about iPad distribution
• iPads labels for all with passwords for K-2
• Charging solutions
• Plan for taking home or not
• Students in grades 3-5 will be required to change passwords. I'll work with Stormi to handle that process in Media. You'll get their password information once it's changed. We'll set a convention for each grade to help them remember. 
• There is no computer lab. We have two laptop carts
• One will be housed with Stormi for Media class needs
• The other will be available for classes to checkout for use
• We won't be able to support handing out loaners to students who don't have iPads, so we'll figure that into your iPad take home plan
• Seesaw - I haven't received any updates on how classes will turn over for next year. I'm working on getting information.
• I need to check out all teacher devices. At some point Thursday or Friday, bring your iPad and laptop to me to check out.
• If you need your laptop imaged, bring it to the Media Center with your name and room number on a post it. Carl will get to them as soon as he can. 

Tech Integration Training
I know that teachers new to CPS don't get any real training anymore. I'm thinking we'll tackle your learning a few different ways.

• Grade level meetings
• 1 on 1 walkthroughs
• After school technology specific training, probably on a set day of the week
• Upcoming sessions in the media center:
• Thursday 1:00 - Getting families connected to Seesaw
• Friday 1:00 - Apple Classroom

Outdoor Learning Spaces
A reminder about all the outdoor learning spaces that are available to you:

• Outdoor deck classroom near the fourth grade wing - look for a schedule for sign up
• Folding chairs
• Buckets, lots of buckets

Composting
Yes, we will continue our composting project. Emily is in charge of putting the compost bins back together. If students eat in the cafeteria, it will all be done there. Look for information for students to join the "CRE Green Team" to help support our sustainability efforts in upcoming blogs. Might I suggest telling room parents that we don't support single use plastic bottles??

I'm done

Big week ahead!

First, it was such a fun time today seeing and hearing all the happy kids enjoying field day! Congrats to Karla and crew for making that happen. I can't wait to see what Mr. Floyd puts together for next year (it's in writing now so it has to happen!). Just a couple of updates heading into the last weekend of the school year. 

iPad Collection
Tuesday morning marks the beginning of iPad collection. See the link below for the detailed directions. Email me to let me know if you'd like for me to come to you or if you'd like to bring your class to the library to turn in everything. I'm putting a sheet of blank labels in your mailbox so every device can have a fresh name label. Please use a class list to mark off returned chargers and cables. If you need clarification on anything, please ask! We have a lot to get done in a short window.

iPad Collection Directions - Read Me!

The New Makerspace
Exciting news! Our fearless leaders have given me the green light to move our makerspace into the computer lab. I'm really excited about the possibilities of having the space adjacent to the media center and open for all to see. I've already begun some setup. If you have ideas about equipment or stations (for example, we'll have sewing machines set up for Julia), please let me know. iPads are the focus of Media class and that will continue for next year. We'll have a laptop lab available for when it's needed for Media. We'll also have another laptop cart open for teachers to use. Which leads me to...

Technology Updates
Please read these carefully:

• 
  I need you to return your old laptops. Those will be used for the laptop labs for next year. Looks like the one over there >>
• Many of you have iPad Minis on your Destiny accounts. Ignore those. Those are all gone so I need to go in and manually check them in. 
• Carl is ready to image the new laptops you received over the summer at the Aslin drive thrus. It'll have to be done at some point before next school year. If you want to get it done next week, simply put a post it on your laptop with your name and room number and put it on the purple table in the library. He'll image it and get it back to you as fast as possible.

Book returns
Please follow up with families with materials out. You know the best way to contact them, so I'd appreciate any help you can give. I will continue to make the rounds in the morning to get books and bring by raffle tickets for those students who clear their accounts. I will draw winners and come around with the prize cart on Thursday morning. 

Have a great three day weekend!

STEAM, Flipster, End of year checkout, and more!

It's that time of year when we all start looking towards the next year! I'm working on
some new ideas for next year as well as ways to enhance current programs. I'm always open to feedback as long as it's creative, forward-thinking, out of the box, and not from Emily. Totally kidding! Anyone who thinks to get a custom cup holder for an 84 oz drink is definitely special. Come share your ideas with me. And bonus points if you start the conversation with "I have a totally crazy idea". 

**Please return any laptops you have borrowed for students to the cart in the lab. It's looking pretty thin and I need to start inventory for next year's laptop carts.

Book returns
Next week I'll make the rounds each day to pick up book returns. Starting with Monday's classes, I'll come around with raffle tickets for students with all materials returned. I will draw winners after school on the 2nd and then drive the prize wagon around the school the morning of the 3rd. You'll also notice I've posted a display in the library of how many library materials are checked out. I'm not sure what I'll do with it though. Just for fun unless you're the competitive type. 

End of year checkout
There will be a few media center items on your checkout sheet. Here's a preview:

• Teachers staying at Cedar will hold on to your iPad and new laptop
• Teachers leaving CRE need to turn in your iPad, all laptops, and all chargers
• All books/book room materials need to be returned (you can see what you have checked out in Destiny just like the students: Classlink>Electronic Library>Destiny CRE). There's either a "My Info" tab at the top of the screen or press the hamburger in the upper left and choose "Checkouts". If you can't find it, let me know. But I'll judge. 
• If you have an older laptop that I gave you a few years ago, I'll need that back as well. It's the grayish one with the touch screen. 

You know where to find me if you have questions!

Flipster purchases
I just submitted my order for next year's Flipster titles. Digital magazines will be a focus on the media center next year. Expect to see interactive bulletin boards and hear about new editions regularly. I purchased a much larger collection for next year to try to appeal to broader interests. Here's the lineup:

• The Week Junior
• Zoobooks
• Sports Illustrated for Kids
• Ranger Rick Junior
• Girls' World
• Baking Heaven
• How it Works
• Cobblestone
• Brainspace
• All About Space
• Eco Kids Planet

STEAM Kits
I think we had a decent first attempt at STEAM kit checkouts. We had close to a 100 individual checkouts and nearly 75 Seesaw submissions. We will keep this program going next year. Nothing was lost or stolen (my plan really freaked out quite a few media specialists: "they'll steal everything!!"). We'll promote early in the year and continue having students place holds through Destiny to check out kits. I'll once again offer prizes for those who complete the submission. Congrats to Asher, Amelia, and Alex for winning this year's STEAM drawing. Yes, it was limited to kids with "A" names.

Mark Twain Champion Readers
Congrats to Mikayla, Asher, Aniayah, Rylan, Reneelynn, and Bailey from Mrs. Upton's class for reading all twelve Mark Twain Award nominees this year. Be sure to give them a pandemic elbow (not a Cardinal Punch) if you see them in the halls. They'll be in the media center Wednesday afternoon for a pizza, ice cream, and Mario Cart celebration. My daughter also read all twelve but she won't be joining us. Don't worry, I'll get her a ring pop or something. I'm looking forward to establishing more book groups next year with our 4th and 5th graders with the goal of having 20 or more students read all the books. 

Have a great weekend!