AND....just like that it's July.
Yikes, it is certainly warm out there. Please make sure we are keeping ourselves hydrated and healthy so that we can be the best for our kids. Remember that many of our kids don't get to go home to nice air conditioned homes. We know that coming up to the end of the year and with temperatures this warm our students anxiety levels are starting to peak. We all know by now that there is a function behind all the behaviors we see in our students. Students don't behave a certain way just because. My challenge for you is to really go deeper than just looking at the behavior. See if you can have that conversation with the student and maybe shed a little light on what the function of their behavior might be. Easier said then done, I know. Especially when we are all facing our own anxieties. Just something to try to have hovering in your mind as we approach these final weeks. Here are your STAFF NOTES for this week. "Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight" - Benjamin Franklin
When I get to this point in the year and I have all these "things" that have to be done, I have often found myself with heightened anxiety and a feeling like things are spiraling out of control. Right when I get to the breaking point, I usually find that many of the things I'm worrying about aren't reality. It is so easy to take a task or one of the "things" we have to do and build it into this giant roadblock. My challenge for all of you this week is to stay in the moment. Attack the things you need to get done and don't build them into things they aren't. As Benjamin Franklin said, "Keep in the sunlight". Don't allow yourself to take that negative dark path. Here are your STAFF NOTES for this week! This week we are finally back to a "normal" week for most of us. No more weird testing schedules. I've put the updated numbers for test makeups in the staff notes. We are sitting in a pretty good position as far as makeup numbers go!
As we start to get to the end and build with anxiety, remember our students are doing the same. Continue to be the solid, predictable, foundation that many of our students don't have anywhere else. Try not to take the things our students say or do personally. Look at these times as an opportunity to check-in with a student. There is always a function behind the behavior and in many cases that positive interaction from an adult is what they need. Thank you for everything you have done and continue to do! Here are your STAFF NOTES for this week. I think we can all agree that the energy in the building is rising quickly. The weather has broken, testing is in full swing, and students are becoming restless. Now, more than ever is when we as adults need to step back and not get sucked into the drain. Take some time to review the 5C's and make sure we are going through that due process with each student. It is so much easier to just boot students out, but we have done so well being consistent and I want to challenge all of us to continue our consistency until the very end.
I appreciate everything you have been willing to do this year. The attitude and general feeling in the building has been very positive and I we all (staff and students) deserve to end the year on a positive note. The end of the year is coming in hot. Lets make a conscious push to remain positive for our kids and make these last weeks enjoyable. Here are your STAFF NOTES for this week. |
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September 2021
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