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.