December 16, 2014

Look who joined us for lunch on Monday!

Welcome to the Speas Global Elementary Blog!

All staff members, let's make sure we are teaching, reteaching, and teaching again the procedures in the common areas (Hallway, Cafeteria, Bathrooms, Playground, Bus).  We should be giving out lots of Bee's for students demonstrating the basic expectations.  It is a good idea to review the procedures before you leave one area to travel to another area.  

Our Mission: It is the mission of Speas Elementary School to provide its students with the tools necessary to successfully meet the challenges they will face in a diverse world.

Goals:

To increase English Language Arts achievement by 10%
To increase Mathematics achievement by 10%
To increase Science Achievement by 10%

picture by C. Cardona

Check out this graphic about global education.  The things above water are just the tip of the iceberg.   Try to go deeper in your instruction and touch some of the issues below the surface.

ISS
Specialists will begin holding ISS in their respective areas on their assigned days on 10.8.   The schedule is below.  Teachers, specialists may be contacting you for work for students assigned to ISS.  Please get them work as soon as possible.   

Day	Teacher	Location
A	Arora	Room 213
B	Bowen	Music
C	King	Art
D	Childers/McMasters	Media/CL
E	Lindquist	Gym

Announcements:.

 Dollar Dress down is Thursday.

Movie and PJ Day is Friday

AND....... A Big Congratulations to our Teacher of the Year

Karen Johnson

New Speas Elementary Symbaloo page for quick references for a multitude of sites:

http://www.symbaloo.com/home/mix/13eOcMEZPT#

email: djjohnson@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
pass: speasbees2014

Please email us with your favorite educator sites so we can create a huge selection of online resources.  

All staff members, let's make sure we are teaching, reteaching, and teaching again the procedures in the common areas (Hallway, Cafeteria, Bathrooms, Playground, Bus).  We should be giving out lots of Bee's for students demonstrating the basic expectations.  It is a good idea to review the procedures before you leave one area to travel to another area.  

SMOD Tickets (dress code violations) are located in the workroom.  Please keep the bottom portion for your own records as a way to keep track of the number of violations.  The continuum is as follows:

1st offense: verbal warning, and letter will be sent home to be signed.  Parent or guardian notified of violation
2nd offense: Teacher notifies parent or guardian and student is removed from class until proper SMOD is delivered.

(Teachers, we all should be enforcing this, it will only work if we all enforce it).

Are your kids more active/talkative lately?  Remember Tis' the Season.  Don't fight the extra energy---harness.  The next two weeks are perfect for group work, collaborative learning, discovery activities--etc.   If you try to make them sit and do seat work this time of year, you may be setting up your class and yourself to fail.  If you need to take more breaks during the day.

The videos and links below can help.  

Interesting facts about Christmas:

http://www.allthingschristmas.com/traditions.html

1. Quick Brain Breaks to use with your students.  

Here is a list of the activities and times during the video
Ear and Nose (0:30)
Lap Clap (1:30)
Vowels ( 3:00)
Flamingo (5:00)
Numbers ( 6:50)
Dancing (11:15)
Fish and Snake (14:00)
Tap Your Head and Rub Your Tummy (16:50)
YMCA  (19:45)
5 Little Monkey's (22:50)
Let's Go Swimming  (25:00)
Let's Make a Pie  (28:20)

There are actually some really good ideas here.  
http://www.teachhub.com/top-10-holiday-learning-activities

When all else fails: dancing is always fun

http://teachtrainlove.com/brain-break-videos-the-ultimate-holiday-collection/

Calendar

Date	PLT	Encore	T/M	Gym	Events/Reminders
12.16	6	C	X		Committee Meetings
12.17	1	D	X
12.18	2	E	X		Happy Birthday SR!!!!!!!; Dollar Dress Down Day; Staff Dress Down Day; 3rd-5th Trip to WFU Game; Ash out-meeting
12.19	3	A	Y		Happy Birthday Becerra!!!!!; Student Gift Bags go home; Spelling Bee; PBIS incentive Movie and PJ day; Ugly Sweater Dress Down Day
12.20-1.5					No School, Winter Vacation
12.22					Happy Birthday K. Johnson!!!!!!!
12.23					Happy Birthday Vidal Cuenca!!!!!!!!
12.28					Happy Birthday Lindquist!!!!!!!
12.29					Happy Birthday Higgins!!!!!!!
1.1					Happy Birthday Farra!!!!!!!!
1.2					Happy Birthday Hart!!!!!!!!!
1.5	4	B	Y
1.6	5	C	Y		Ash out meeting
1.7	6	D	Y		Canty Out-Meeting
1.8	1	E	Y		Subway Night
1.9	2	A	X
1.12	3	B	X		Quarter Test window opens
1.13	4	C	X		CWT Review
1.14	5	D	X
1.15	6	E	X		Happy Birthday Summey!!!!!!!!; Ash out meeting
1.16	1	A	Y		Quarter Test window closes
1.17					Happy Birthday Bumbrey!!!!!!!
1.20					Happy Birthday Linville!!!!!!!!!
1.21	2	B	Y
1.22	3	C	Y		Johnson out AM, Yoforia Spirit Night
1.23	4	D	Y		Happy Birthday Brown!!!!!!!!
1.24					Happy Birthday Bushey!!!!!!!!!
1.26	5	E	Y
1.27	6	A	X		Report Cards go home
1.28	1	B	X
1.29	2	C	X		Johnson out Quarterly Awards
1.30	3	D	X
2.3					Ash out AM; Access Testing window opens
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.9					Happy Birthday Billingsley!!!!!!!
2.10					IC meeting learning walks
2.11					Early Release
2.12					Ash out AM; Canty Out-Meeting
2.13					Yoforia Movie Night
2.15					Happy Birthday Cartwright!!!!!!!
2.16					No School(workday)
2.17
2.18
2.19
2.20
2.22					Happy Birthday Cokely!!!!!!!!!!
2.23					Ash out AM
2.24
2.25					Johnson out AM
2.26					Evan meet w/grade levels; Happy Birthday Ryabova!!!!!!!!!
2.27
3.1
3.7					Happy Birthday Faragher!!!!!!
3.12					Ash out AM; Chik-fil-A Spirit Night
3.14					Access Testing window closes
3.17					Canty Out-Meeting
3.19					Evan w/ Teachers; Happy Birthday Pfitzner!!!!!!!; Yoforia Spirit Night
3.23					Quarter Testing Begins Happy Birthday Smith!!!!!!!
3.25					Johnson out AM
3.27					Johnson out; Quarter Testing Ends Happy Birthday Ferguson!!!!!!!
3.29					Happy Birthday Mitchell!!!!!!!!
4.7					Ash out AM
4.8					Evan mtg w/grade levels
4.9					Quarterly Awards
4.10					1st Grade Dan Nicholas Park 8:30-2:00
4.13					Canty out-training
4.14					Report Cards go home
4.16					Happy Birthday Hooker; Ash out AM; Yoforia Spirit Night
4.17					Kids Night In Movie Night
4.21					IC mtg.  Instr. strategies
4.22					Johnson out- AM
4.23					Johnson out
4.26
5.1					Canty out meeting
5.5					Ash out AM
5.14					Ash out AM; Papa Murphy’s Spirit Night
5.7					4th Grade Heritage Theater, New Winston Museum
5.20					Johnson out AM
5.22					1st Grade NC  Zoo 8:00-2:00 PM; Yoforia Movie Night; Ready EOG window opens
6.5					Ready EOG window closes
6.7					Water Day

On This Day in World History

1431		Henry VI of England is crowned King of France.
1653		Oliver Cromwell takes on dictatorial powers with the title of "Lord Protector."
1773		To protest the tax on tea from England, a group of young Americans, disguised as Indians, throw chests of tea from British ships in Boston Harbor.
1835		A fire in New York City destroys property estimated to be worth $20,000,000. It lasts two days, ravages 17 blocks, and destroys 674 buildings including the Stock Exchange, Merchants' Exchange, Post Office, and the South Dutch Church.
1863		Confederate General Joseph Johnston takes command of the Army of Tennessee.
1864		Union forces under General George H. Thomas win the battle at Nashville, smashing an entire Confederate army.
1930		In Spain, a general strike is called in support of the revolution.
1939		The National Women's Party urges immediate congressional action on equal rights.
1940		British troops carry out an air raid on Italian Somalia.
1944		Germany mounts a major offensive in the Ardennes Forest in Belgium. As the center of the Allied line falls back, it creates a bulge, leading to the name–the Battle of the Bulge.
1949		Chinese Communist leader Mao Tse-tung is received at the Kremlin in Moscow.
1950		President Harry Truman declares a state of National Emergency as Chinese communists invade deeper into South Korea.
1976		President Jimmy Carter appoints Andrew Young as Ambassador to the United Nations.
1978		Cleveland becomes the first U.S. city to default since the depression.
1998		The United States launches a missile attack on Iraq for failing to comply with United Nations weapons inspectors.
2003		President George W. Bush signs the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, which establishes the United States' first national standards regarding email and gives the Federal Trade Commission authority to enforce the act.
Born on December 16
1485		Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII, who bore him six children; only one, Mary I, survived to adulthood.
1770		Ludwig Van Beethoven, German composer best known for his 9th Symphony.
1775		Jane Austen, novelist (Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice).
1917		Arthur C. Clarke, English science fiction writer (2001: A Space Odyssey)
1932		Sir Quentin Saxby Blake, illustrator and children's writer; received the Hans Christian Andersen Award (2002) and was Britain's first Children's Laureate (1999–2001).
1936		Morris Dees, activist; co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
1938		Liv Ullmann, Norwegian actress and director; won Golden Globe for Best Actress–Motion Picture Drama for The Emigrants (1971).
1943		Steven Bochco, TV producer and writer (Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law).
1949		Billy Gibbons, sinner, songwriter, musician with ZZ Top and Moving Sidewalks bands.
1955		Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este.
1962		William Perry, pro football defensive lineman nicknamed The Refrigerator because of his size.
1963		Benjamin Bratt, actor best known for his role of Rey Curtis on the Law & Order TV series.
1969		Adam Riess, astrophysicist; shared 2006 Shaw Prize in Astronomy and 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics for providing evidence the expansion of the universe is accelerating.