Friday Newsletter - October 28th
There are few things that make me happier than the little things. By that I mean, it’s truly the simple things that matter the most.
Lots of teachers (and sometimes me, too) wear jeans on Fridays. It might seem like a little thing, but that simple wardrobe adjustment can really make us feel a little lighter, and a little more carefree for the day. Have you ever found the best parking spot, or needed an emergency dentist appointment because you lost a filling, and the dentist just happened to have a last-minute cancellation? How about when you are getting your child up for school and by some miracle they tumble out of the bed the first time you call? Or, you make a dinner that everyone likes? See what I mean? Little things.
Well, it’s just like that in school. We often focus on the big things, like test grades, scores on standardized testing, and excelling at a sport so much that being the leading scorer seems like the most important thing. We tend to be so wrapped up in the grade point average or the big picture, that we lose sight of the little things. But, here’s the good news; the little things are happening here. And, they’re happening a lot.
This week I noticed a pre-k student helping a classmate with his backpack. I saw 8th graders carry bags in for a teacher. I had a student tell me he is bringing some card games to his grammie’s house this weekend so that he can ‘be with her, and not be stuck in a video game world’ while he’s at her house. An unnamed fourth grader won a prize in P.E. this week for making “The Impossible Shot”. (She wants to remain anonymous, so her secret is safe with us.) And, I saw a kindergartener’s mom greet all of her daughter’s classmates when she dropped her off at breakfast, and the smiles on the faces of those children lit up the room. It’s nice to be noticed, it feels good to be greeted, and it is such a wonderful thing to start one’s day off knowing someone thinks you matter. She did that for them. These are the little things. And, little things add up to big things.
Speaking of big things, today was our October Student of the Month assembly. Students are working hard, being good friends, and producing terrific work. So, we once again celebrated them as an entire school community.
Additionally, this month we celebrated a couple of extra things. Mrs. Bragg’s class, as a whole, increased their collective STAR 360 Reading and Math scores by a whopping 1,024 points!!!
We had our first Principal’s Citizenship Awards as well. Owen, Nick, and Brielle were recipients. I don’t always give this award, but some things happened this week that warranted some serious recognition for these students. They went above and beyond typical expectations and looked out for others. I appreciate their behavior and am proud of the role models they have been.
As we head off into the weekend, my wish for you is that you find a weekend filled with a lot of little things. As always, thank you for the ways all the little things you do for your students add up to the big things here at school.