September... the smell of pencils and crayons have filled the air and school is in full swing!

I love all that a new school year brings. One of the great things about having children or working with children is that we get to have 2 new years! Think about it... doesn't the beginning of the school year feel just like New Years? A time where we get to start fresh with new clothes, new supplies, new goals??? Everyone is happy to be here... so refreshing! As I sit and think about this year I almost become 'giddy' inside. 

Happenings from my office:
     I will see every classroom 4 times this year for classroom guidance. 
     Our parent volunteer program will continue... click on the link above to read more.
     6th Grade students are currently writing slogan proposals for Red Ribbon Week... I cannot wait to see what they come up with.
     I will continue with group guidance- our first round of groups will begin this week and we are focusing on 'School Success'.

February is almost over!

WOW! Times flies the spring semester... students are settled into the comfort zone of their classrooms, teachers are working harder than ever to make sure they have prepared their students for the next adventure.

This is actually the time of year that we see more students struggling to get along. It makes sense though, they have been in the same classroom together since August and they are comfortable enough around each other to start acting like brothers and sisters... here is an article that touches a bit on just that.

We all know the story of that boy who cried, "Wolf!"   In the end, there really was a problem and he didn't get the help he needed.   With so much emphasis on bullying these days, do we run the same risk?   If kids learn to take slight offenses too seriously or rely on authority figures to solve every small conflict, could that make things worse?   Of course, adults should step in when there is real danger, but there's another important piece: Teaching kids to be more-resilient, less-enticing targets. This can help adults separate the serious from the not-so-serious.   We encourage parents and teachers to empower kids - NOT to overreact to teasing and less-harmful testing that often occurs in peer relationships. Otherwise, like the boy who cried, "Wolf," real bullying may not get noticed and kids may not get help when they actually need it.   Adults should get involved when there is real harm or the threat of real harm. But all kids will encounter some mean people in life and will benefit from learning to handle it while they're young.   Role-playing responses can help kids handle name-calling and teasing:   Some kids put their hands in their pockets, smile, and say, "Hmm, I hadn't noticed that before. Thanks for letting me know."   Some kids say, "Oh, that reminds me… " and then move away like they just remembered something important.   Some kids make sure they are near adults when mean kids are on the prowl.   Prepared kids make less viable targets.   Let's all do our part, from modeling kindness, to providing good supervision and intervention when kids need help, to teaching kids how to get along and handle the small stuff.   Find more solutions to help kids learn how to deal with the issues of teasing and bullying in Sally Ogden's book, "Words Will Never Hurt Me."   Thanks for reading! Our goal is to help as many families as possible. If this is a benefit, forward it to a friend.   Jedd Hafer

This is a great form for teacher to use... click on the pic for the pdf file

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

What a wonderful break! Nothing like two weeks to rejuvenate! Today it was exciting to see all the children back in school; everyone had fun stories to tell about their family gatherings and events. What always amazes me is how grown up these little people seem when they return from the Christmas break.

Studies show that children who participate in goal setting are consistently more motivated and self-directed. School success is supported by children developing the skill of self-determination. They need to be able to make their own decisions and guide their own behavior, setting goals facilitates this process. Goal setting helps kids make a connection between their personal choices and the end results.

 I want to share some awesome sites/activities that I found to help children set goals. I encourage all teachers and parents to give some of these a try...

I love this one... wouldn't it be fun to do these every year and read at life's benchmarks? (graduations, weddings, etc.) There is also one for adults... click HERE for adults and HERE for kids. Thank you THIRTYHANDMADEDAYS.COM for these printables!!

What I love about these worksheets is that it focuses on how goals are going to be acheived... this is great to use in the classroom... click on the picture to get the worksheets- click HERE to see the lesson plan. Parents! There is also a spiritual goal sheet provided if you would like for home...

Here is a very simple form to use... just think of the extension activities you could do with this one! How many writing prompts??? Click on the picture for a FREE download at teachers pay teachers...

Speaking of setting goals... check out these awesome guided reading bookmarks! Click on the picture for a FREE pdf download at teachers pay teachers... thank you Hilary Lewis!!

I LOVE the Elf!!!

I have to admit, every year people talk about 'Elf on the Shelf' and I really didn't give it much thought or attention, that is until this year. My youngest son asked me why we didn't have an Elf; my middle son chimed in and stated that he felt our house was deserving of one and then my oldest who is 14 said that he too felt we needed one. Child pressure at its best! So, we now have an elf named Christian who finds himself in some predicaments and sometimes he is just hanging around. Now that I am 'in' to this elf thing I have found some amazing things you could do in the classroom with the Elf... at all grade levels!! I am posting two pictures of our cute elf, Christian in addition to some great resources for teachers and parents on how to use 'Elf' for education.
ENJOY!!

TONS of fun activities for home and school...

Elf on the Shelf Writers Workshop

From TEACHERS PAY TEACHERS...

FREE Elf on the Shelf Puzzle Order Numbers or a Sentence or Count by 2s

FREE Elf on the Shelf Writing Paper Pack!

FREE My Elf Creative Writing

Free Elf on the Shelf Name Graph

Free Elf on the Shelf Activities   

Not the Elf... but some fun Christmas activities...

Oh what fun it is!!!

WOW!!! The halls have been DECKED!!

Click on the links below each picture to see the hallway theme...

Twas the Night Before Christmas

All Aboard the Kinder Polar Express!!

North Pole

A Partridge in a Pear Tree
Don't you just love our school principal as the partridge??

Elves Gone WILD!

Gingerbread Lane

Christmas Movies

A Terribly Tacky Christmas

Sugar Plums

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

I just love the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas!! This year at CES we are 'Decking the Halls'!!! Each hallway cluster has come together to show their Christmas spirit. As our groups finish their designs I will post some pictures here. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

First grade went with a North Pole theme- every morning the sounds of Christmas are played in their hallway. We have been told to not feed the Reindeer... I personally love the snowmen that each class built and all the little elf's with students faces!! 

Entering into the hallway

Fireplace with teacher names on the stockings...

Rudolph!!

Each homeroom created and decorated a snowman

Don't you love how the reindeer are covering the word "DON'T"?

It just wouldn't be the North Pole with out St. Nick! All our first graders names are listed on the Nice list...

***Here is a really cool link... want to see your house in a snow globe?? Maybe your grandma's? Click HERE to see it happen.

Fall is in the air...

What a great week last week was! October is such a busy month for educators... it seems as though time flies and there just isn't enough of it!! I love November. November is National Thankfulness Month- I have so much to be thankful for! 
     I am thankful that I have a super staff to work with, an awesome administrative team, and perfect parents here at CES!

This weeks favorites...


A book I think every K-3 math teacher should have-

Just as athletes stretch their muscles before every game and musicians play scales to keep their technique in tune, mathematical thinkers and problem solvers can benefit from daily warm-up exercises. Jessica Shumway has developed a series of routines designed to help young students internalize and deepen their facility with numbers. The daily use of these quick five-, ten-, or fifteen-minute experiences at the beginning of math class will help build students' number sense.

Students with strong number sense understand numbers, ways to represent numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems. They make reasonable estimates, compute fluently, use reasoning strategies (e.g., relate operations, such as addition and subtraction, to each other), and use visual models based on their number sense to solve problems. Students who never develop strong number sense will struggle with nearly all mathematical strands, from measurement and geometry to data and equations.

In Number Sense Routines, Jessica shows that number sense can be taught to all students. Dozens of classroom examples -- including conversations among students engaging in number sense routines -- illustrate how the routines work, how children's number sense develops, and how to implement responsive routines.

Additionally, teachers will gain a deeper understanding of the underlying math -- the big ideas, skills, and strategies children learn as they develop numerical literacy.

Time Teller - Lift and Peek

I love this paper plate clock... great for visual learners. Grab two paper plates, count every 4 to 5 notches and make your cuts. Write your hours numbers in between the cut notches. Then, take your second plate and hold it underneath your hours plate. Make marks to indicate where your number should be. Once your plate is marked, choose another marker color and add your numbers by your pencil marks. Stack your plates, hours on top and make a hole for your fastener. Create colorful clock hands, attach with your fastener and presto- a time teller cheat and peek! 
Kids can take a peek if they forget how to read minutes. 

Fun BLOG for the Language Arts teachers...