Spring is Here!

Flowers are in bloom, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, students are getting squirrely, and the pollen is making our heads as stuffed as a Thanksgiving turkey! This time of year is definitely a mixed bag. However, this is also a time when it is easy to become anxious about end of year assessments. Stressing over EOGs (or K-2 End of year assessments) and inundating students with practice tests has not been shown to yield great returns. What it does usually increase is disillusionment with school, majors, and minors, and that is just how it affects the adults.😆
I am in no way suggesting that you should not review areas that may need to be reviewed with your students. However, there are fun ways to review that do not include huge packets of practice passages.

After a few quick searches online, I found this site with some fun ideas, easily adaptable to other grade level curriculums.

http://www.fifthinthemiddle.com/2018/05/tic-tac-booyah.html

https://www.smore.com/2xe51-eog-review-ideas

I am sure there are so many more!! Please consider these ideas and save some trees!

Also please trust how much you have done all year to help your students grow. You have built relationships to assure that students would learn from you and you have done your best to be sure that they get the scaffolding or the advancement that meets their needs. Have faith that you do not need to "cram".

Busy times in Kindergarten:
Ms. McMahon's Piggy Play
Community Helper Day!

Teachers who Dare!

As I have been visiting classrooms, I am seeing so many examples of great "I can" statements and of teachers referencing those as a part of the learning. Thank you for all of your great work on that!

I have also seen so many of you step out of your comfort zones, trying new protocols or new arrangements in your rooms. I hope you know how much I admire and support that. It is a hard thing to do to try something that you are not used to, but it is the only way to see if it works, and it can pay off big time.
This year you all dared to play with your kids all day. Half the school took a field trip together this week to see a dress rehearsal. Some of you have used mindfulness techniques with your students. These are all experiences that your students will never forget.
Reminders: 

 Spring Break is right around the corner. Physical preparations: Please throw away any food in your classroom. So we do not return to rodents. Please close up all windows and doors after you are out of course.😆 I hope you will spend time with your family and friends and take a well- deserved break that week. Thank you for all you do every day!

Mrs. Buckley leads her class through a Flood Drill

Ms. Sprague helps her students transition from recess to math with some deep breathing and chimes!

This is what is sounds like when 30 5th graders have a text- based discussion! Thanks Ms. Perez for taking that risk!

These lighthouses are so beautiful!!! Thank you Mrs. Driggers!

Finding supporting evidence for the author's point

Ms. Patterson's morning meeting

2nd grade "I can" statements

Ms. Jessica's students show what they see in Spring!