Be an Upstander!

Be an Upstander!

It is the time of year where we often have to address student interactions!  The definition of being an Upstander has been introduced to 3rd graders, and will be shared (reminded!) with the rest of the school in the next few weeks through Life Skills classes.  

In order for everyone to help in promoting this behavior, here's a quick overview:

When you see someone being unkind to someone, you can be an Upstander by helping out the situation. Rather than standing by and watching (or being a Bystander), you can be a buddy by stepping in:

• interrupting or redirecting the conversation
• tell the person being unkind to stop
• telling an adult if it still continues.

Students can identify someone as being an Upstander to an adult, which can result in an Upstander Acorn, bracelet, and phone call home.

Please let Sue or Kristen know if you have any questions!

Continued Family Communication

We have completed the best type of family communication we have - face to face conversations through parent-teacher conferences.  This 15-minute meeting is so important!  We all know how research supports the positive impact of family communication and involvement.  Researchers found that children whose parents are identified by teachers as more aware and involved had higher levels of prosocial behaviors and more academic success.  This demonstrates that teachers and parents/families who work together can help improve student performance.

I encourage you to continue this communication, through phone calls and emails, with both celebratory and corrective conversations.  Things like the Houlton postcards (there are more in the office!), personal notes and emails, and face to face conversations with families make a big difference in building relationships that foster collaboration and teamwork when it comes to helping our students.  As we head into the second half of the school year, continue these best practices - making deposits when possible to make tough conversations easier later on.  As mentioned in this week's staff meeting, these personal contacts make a big difference.

Thank you for all you do to connect with families - keep up the great work!

An Overview of Friday's Professional Development Day:
8:00 - Staff Meeting - All Staff invited
We will review the staff survey data and feedback on things that are going well and areas to improve, and then prioritizing suggestions to include in our action plan.  I'm meeting with Support Staff tomorrow, and after their feedback, I'll be sending out the list of things you'll be "voting" on.  I'm hoping for ALL STAFF to be there, if possible, in order to get a "big picture" view of our school.

9:00 - Forward Prep - 3rd-5th teachers and proctors
This will be a 30-45 min. overview of the upcoming Forward Exam (in April), and will include teachers and anyone that may be helping with the proctoring.  Special Ed support staff are invited to stay, as they may be asked to help.

10:00-end of day - WORK TIME for certified staff!

2:00-4:00 - ELA and Math district committee meetings

Importance of Self-Care

Importance of Self-Care as a Teacher

Lindsay Thompson, NEA Today

A recent study reports that 40-50% of new teachers leave within their first five years on the job.  Many factors contribute to the high dropout rate, a severe lack of work-life balance and the inevitable high stress levels teachers feel on the job, to name a few.  Because of this, self-care is extremely important for teachers.  However, it's hard for teacher to take of themselves when their career is taking care of students.  Here are some helpful tips that can be key to self-care as an educator:

Set healthy boundaries for yourself and stick to them!  As an educator, it's easy to let working during non-school hours get out of hand.  To prevent this, set boundaries for when you will stop working every night and the hours you work on the weekends.  If you're struggling to get all of your work done within these constraints, you may want to look into how you can increase your efficiency when working.  In addition, remember that not everything needs to fall on you, and there are people around you that want to help.

Use exercise as an outlet and stay mentally and physically fit by putting some gym time in.  Evidence shows that regular physical activity increases energy and reduces your risk for health problems.  It can also be a great outlet to release energy or frustration that may have pent up from the school day.

Allow yourself to take a break when you feel overwhelmed.  As teachers, we often feel that teaching is much more than just a job, it is our identity.  Sometimes when you don't feel as if you are doing well in school, it gets attached to how you feel emotionally about yourself.  An important part of self-care is managing stress and taking a break when it's necessary.  Take 5 minutes to spend some time relaxing your brain and your body.  This way when you come back, you are rejuvenated and ready to teach.

Self-care looks different for everyone, and there is no one way to take care of yourself.  The idea that there isn't enough time to be a good teacher and take care of yourself is a myth.  Self-care is a must.  Remember to stop and take time to care for yourself, so you can care for your students!

Celebration of SLOs

As I went through the mid-year SLOs this weekend, I was impressed with the work that has been done so far this year!  Staff has worked hard to attain the things they have set out to accomplish - well done!

Here are some tips to continue the fantastic momentum:

Make an Action Plan
As you look ahead to the remainder of the year, think about what you still want to accomplish to support your students, and how you plan to do that.  Create a timeline to help you to set mini goals for yourself between now and the end of the year.  Locate the resources you need to support your work.

Find a Collaborative Partner
Once you've established your plan for the rest of the year, identify the people that can help support your work.  It may be other staff that work with your students, or someone that you know that has successfully addressed similar concerns.  This person can also act as an accountability partner, to help support you along the way.

Ask for Help
If you are finding barriers that are difficult to overcome, ask someone for help!

I'm so proud of our results so far!  Please let me know how I can continue to support you.
Sue