Tea with a Tech this Friday 8:00-8:30, in the Computer lab

How's your plate?

It was fascinating to watch all of us grapple with the Superintendent's Conference Day. For some, it was a day of pure joy. The topic resonated, and it was well received. For others, it was hard. That level of reflecting can make you feel icky and vulnerable. And obviously for some, there was head scratching regarding why we would spend time, as a district, focusing on us. This is our job...aren't we paid to impact kids?

There is an interesting phenomenon happening across the country. More and more companies and industries are recognizing the connection between self-care and work success. It is great to have things off our plate, but equally important is our job in taking care of the plate itself. When we practice self-care, when we really dig deep and adopt habits that promote brain/body health, our plate all of a sudden becomes stronger--not so that we can pile more on, but so we can better manage what we already have. Simply put, our relationship with self sets the tone for all else!

Being in education is hard. Very hard. With all the mandates, initiatives, and woes in our world, it can become very easy to fall into a stress-filled-hole. As we learned this summer, our brains want to focus on all the negative circling around us.

This year, I challenge you-REALLY challenge you-to take care of your plate. Focus on the relationship you have with yourself, and see what fruits you produce. You deserve it, the kids deserve it, and it will strengthen your plate during the tougher seasons of life.

Your plate deserves your best! Nourish it, strengthen it, and adopt habits that will support it.

Reminders!

• On Monday, we will have visitors from across the state/country visiting QUEST to see IB in action. This is NOT part of our evaluation, but instead is a showcase where people see what we do. Please join me in welcoming our guests. Be sure to give the kids a heads up and encourage them to welcome our guests!
• Make a Difference Day is Saturday morning at the HS! Ask Karen V. for details if you are interested in attending. 
• Continue to contact the main office anytime you are going to the creek, town hall area, or when walking through the community. Although these trips do not need field trip forms, because we are off school property we need to know how to reach you in case of an emergency. An email to the office with a contact number will suffice. 

Looking Ahead

One more reminder...

We will meet in the aud. on 10/31 at 9:30 am. We will tell a few Halloween jokes, and after that we will either parade around the bus loop OR parade back to class so parents can see us. This will be weather dependent, but the goal would be a large loop outside on the bus loop and then back into the building. If you have a student that does not celebrate, please reach out and be sure to find an alternative, fair activity for them to do in lieu of the Halloween fun.

Costumes(please review this with your students): 

• ·         No costumes that suggest or display violence.
• ·         No fake weapons or costume props that could be perceived as a weapon.
• ·         Please be mindful that our school is a pre-k through 6 school, and we may have varying levels of sensitivity to masks that appear scary. If a child has a mask, please have them put it in their bag until you deem it an appropriate time to come out.

I am...YOU are

There is incredible power in what we say to ourselves. When we beat ourselves up, when we listen to the negative voices inside our heads, and when we trust--too much--the perspective of others, we are setting ourselves up for failure. How do you talk to yourself? What are the "I am" statements you say to yourself when you look in the mirror? Often, we do not even say I am out loud, but instead it is a looming voice inside our heads. We make a mistake:

• "I'm not good enough."
• "I'm not organized enough."
• "I'm not smart enough." 
• "I'm not patient enough." 

We become what we say. As complex as our minds are, they always want to find the negative. Watch your self talk this year and be sure to be intentional regarding who you say you are. You deserve that.

Sometimes it feels so much easier to be thoughtful with our "you are" statements versus our "I am" statements. As a team that spends a lot of time together, what are we doing to help one another see the good that lies within each of us? How about for our kids? 

People, and children included, will rise and fall the the level of our expectations. If in your head you've already defined who someone is, you have closed the door to really get to know who they are. With our students, how easy is it to tell students who they are: 

"You are a great writer."

"You are inattentive."

"You struggle in math..."

"You are a risk taker!" 

Have you noticed the You are _________(profile) posters in the hall? Do our kids see the profiles in themselves? Do they believe they are those profiles?

Overall, I believe we are a pretty positive school. We want to do right by kids, and we definitely take care of one another. With that being said, let's never settle. I noticed how hard it was at our SEL training for some of us to lift ourselves up. We can find it in others, but struggle when it comes to us.

As we move forward, be intentional with what you put after I am and you are. What we put after them can lift us up or tear us all down...it can build connections, or ruin them.  WE are QUEST, and WE are destined for great things.

Proud to be your Principal, and I am grateful to be part of a school that is intentional. Have a great weekend!

HALLOWEEN!

We will meet in the aud. on 10/31 at 9:30 am. We will tell a few Halloween jokes, and after that we will either parade around the bus loop OR parade back to class so parents can see us. This will be weather dependent, but the goal would be a large loop outside on the bus loop and then back into the building. If you have a student that does not celebrate, please reach out and be sure to find an alternative, fair activity for them to do in lieu of the Halloween fun.

Costumes(please review this with your students): 

• ·         No costumes that suggest or display violence.
• ·         No fake weapons or costume props that could be perceived as a weapon.
• ·         Please be mindful that our school is a pre-k through 6 school, and we may have varying levels of sensitivity to masks that appear scary. If a child has a mask, please have them put it in their bag until you deem it an appropriate time to come out.

Reminders

• CIA on the 29th moved to Monday am at 8:15. Please join us in the BOE room for a light breakfast and to welcome our guests from IB. They will love QUEST. You all work so hard and do so much for our building, next week is a good time to celebrate that. 
• Andrea will be sending out the schedule for next week. Please be sure you are aware of any meeting time that you may be a part of! They want to see you, meet you, and hear you.

Looking Ahead

3 Day Weekend here we come!!!

Looking Ahead

Digital Citizenship Week October 14th-18th

Digital Citizenship week is next week October 14th to the 18th.  It would be awesome if QUEST had 100% participation in this important topic.  I challenge everyone to do at least one thing with students next week that teaches students about Digital Citizenship.  Remember Digital Citizenship starts with basic safety tips and spirals up to teaching kids what to do with social media and  how to be digital leaders.  

For some ideas to use in your classroom check out this recent Cadet Tech Blog post written by Jason or have a conversation with him.  The post has quick 5-10 minute ideas all the way up to hour long lessons for every grade level.  

https://hiltoncadettech.blogspot.com/2019/10/digital-citizenship-week.html 

I'd be happy to run any one of these lessons in the lab with your students or in your classroom.  

Cadet Connect

It is that time of the year again to start thinking about Cadet Connect. Cadet Connect is a day where high school students and Merton students come into the elementary schools and build connections with our students. PBIS is going to plan a friendship week which will culminate in Cadet Connect Day. Each day will be a theme related to friendship with a dress up day, and an easy pre-planned activity for your classroom. This year our Merton and HS students want to build connections earlier. You will be paired with a class in the winter. You and your buddy class will each send two flip grid videos to each other. This will be the class that comes into your room on 2/14. If you would like to participate, please sign up with the link below. Cadet Connect Day is normally in the morning( around 9:00am) for about 45 minutes. Special Areas can sign up too!

If you have any questions related to the flip grid or the day – ask!

It is a fun day that the kids enjoy and PBIS is trying to create more connections this year through the flip grid J

Please sign up by Tuesday, October 15! This will give us time at our district PBIS meeting to pair the classes and start the connections.

https://forms.gle/y124PC9Yd2b2P4sG7

Enjoy the Weekend

Looking Ahead

Reminders

• Next week I will be starting unannounced walk-through observations. Later in the year, I will be doing announced. If you have a preference in what you want me to see because you'd like feedback, please feel free to suggest a time of day for me to come. Looking forward to it!
• Next Thursday we will have our first announced lockdown. Please be sure to review this with your students. In addition, just a reminder that we use Navigate to take attendance and communicate needs during the lockdown. If you are not using your phone for this, please be sure to log-in to a computer to ensure our kids are accounted for. 
• No school for kids next Friday. Please check out Karen's email for specific information about the Superintendent's Conference Day. 
• If you have not done your SLO worksheet yet(see earlier post), please stop by the main office to complete that. 

NYS K-12 Kids Safe Online Poster Contest

The New York State Office of Information Technology Services’ is once again hosting the “NYS K-12 Kids Safe Online Poster Contest.”  The contest is open to all students in New York State public, private and home-schools. 

This is a great opportunity for teachers to talk to students about being safe while on the Internet and while using computers and mobile devices.  The contest has five entry categories: Kindergarten–Grade 2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12 and Special Education. New York State winners will be displayed in the 2021 NYS Kids Safe Online Calendar and entered into the MS-ISAC National Computer Security Poster Contest.

More information on the “NYS K-12 Kids Safe Online Poster Contest” can be found on the contest web page at https://its.ny.gov/2019-2020-kids-safe-online-poster-contest. Questions regarding the contest may be submitted to cyber.outreach@its.ny.gov.

Don’t miss out!  

The contest entry deadline is December 9, 2019.

Fire Safety Poster Contest