Holiday Edition

Mr. Browne's Precept

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world" ~ Desmond Tutu

Honey- Do List 

Rest- January 6th

Take at least 3 hours for yourself- January 6th. 

You Are The Bee's Knees  

 Thank you to all of you for hanging in there with our joyful, emotional, busy small humans. Not once did you let an ounce of frustration or exhaustion show throughout this hectic week. I appreciate all of your positivity, compassion and caring

The Buzz in My Brain

I am suspending the usual Hive activity because I want each of you to unplug over this extended break. Read, learn, sleep, eat, drink, laugh, cry but do it because it is what you want to do NOT because it is what is expected of you. 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you do every day for our kids. Thank you for making me laugh at just the right moment. For understanding that this work is hard and not making it any harder with unnecessary drama. Thank you for trusting that I will do the right thing. Each day I try to earn that trust, model that trust and grow from that trust. I hope you know that. Thank you for allowing me the grace to make mistakes and learn from them. Thank you for believing in our children and each other even when they or we may not believe in themselves. 

During this special time of year, I want you to know that your presence in my life is indeed a present. 

Please take the next two weeks for you and your family. I look forward to all 2020 has to bring to our Lee Academy family. 

With Love and Gratitude,
Jodi

Coming in 2 Weeks

What, Why and How of Knowledge Building
Revising Plan for completing 2 units

Week 16 12.13.19

Mr. Browne's Precept

"You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream" ~ C.S. Lewis

Honey- Do List 

12/20/19- Please clean out book bins and return guided reading sets to the bookroom. 

You Are The Bee's Knees  

 Thank you to the team that represented us so well at the School showcase. Alyce, Lyndsay, Danielle, and Sarah you are amazing and I am sure that the prospective parents were delighted to meet you and hear about the amazing work that we are doing. 

You are all amazing and awesome but I want to make sure that you are taking care of yourself during this busy time of year. Do not overextend yourself here and make sure to treasure the moments with your family. 

Four more sleeps until a very long, well-deserved vacation!

The Buzz in My Brain

I have noticed that many of you are using materials that you have curated from online sites. A gentle reminder is to be sure that these materials are rigorous (in the best meaning of the word) and aligned to the state frameworks. 

Though I disagree with some charter organizations on some policies and procedures they use, the Match organization has made its curriculum available for free online. It is good. You can sign up for free access to these materials at this link. This curriculum has been highly rated by EdReports. 

I have been fielding questions about what my plans are for next year. I am sensing the underlying anxiety underneath the question. The last thing that I want to do is to cause any anxiety. If all goes as expected and you will have me I would like to stay in my role at Lee Academy next year. 

Family is Everything

I truly believe that what we do is a vocation. I know that I could not do this without the support of my family. They keep me strong! We have always treated my career as a family affair because I believe that we are a family for our students and each other. I always have the family CORI checked and ready to go. So you may see them around.

My husband is usually here on Movie Night Fridays so he can help with crowd control. He always finds some way to make my office better too. Stop in and say hi. Do not be afraid to kick him out of we need to chat about something. 

When I went to send the Hive on Friday somehow it did not autosave so now as I write Monday morning my son is sitting in the office with me. He wanted to meet some students and is up to helping out in classrooms during center time or do what needs to be done.

My sister is a teacher in a private preschool. She is coming to observe and meet some of our friends on January 10th and will be my plus 1 at our Holiday Party. She is trying to decide if she wants her certification in early childhood or elementary education. 

If you would like to have your family see what you do every day please feel free to have them come in and spend some time. I would love to meet them. 

Time Away from The Hive

When you are entering time off into the ESS system under notes please indicate if you need a substitute or not. This will be very helpful to me in the next few steps of recording absences. 

You all should have received a link to our substitute calendar last week so you can see which colleagues are here or not. This will also let you know who the subs are in the building. 

This Week

This week I will be out on Tuesday for the big central office budget meeting. Hopefully, we will not get snowed out. 

This is a family council and governing board week. The governing board will begin working on the budget. I will send out updates using the Hive as they are available.  

Week 14 12.6.19

Mr. Browne's Precept

"Ah! the immensity of the value of persons to each other, and of kind deeds and affectionate inventions between them, for the making of happiness" ~ James Vila Blake, More than Kin

Honey- Do List 

12/9/19- Please submit the results of the movie vote by 12:00 noon. (See Thursday's email)

You Are The Bee's Knees  

OMG! I am so happy that I saved this to last to write. Thank you to all of the team that stayed to help when bus 539 did not show. Alyce, Jovi, and Nee you are heroes. Zoraida thank you for manning the phones and creating our list of students being picked up. Stephanie, Eleanor, and Meredith thanks for keeping the kiddos busy as we tried to separate them so we were not so outnumbered. Chris and Geraldine thank you for offering to take the kids downstairs for a movie.  The added bonus of calling 911 in the middle just made it more exciting for everyone in the building. Though you all missed the punchline: Twenty minutes after the bus left another puzzled bus driver showed up and said he was covering the run! 

There is no one that I would rather have crazy Fridays with more than this team. Thanks for making me laugh and having my back! 

The Buzz in My Brain

Over vacation, I went to see a "Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" with my son. Pat and I recently discovered the wisdom of Fred Rogers together and were excited to see the movie.  I did not like the show when I was a kid it was much too slow and boring; though I specifically remember the episode where we visited the crayon factory. I appreciated the faster pace of Sesame Street, Zoom, and the Electric Company. (Two of those shows most of you are too young to remember). It was not until recently reading his words that I began to see the beauty of his teachings and his wisdom. Mr. Rogers taught students to accept themselves, their failures, and their feelings. He taught resilience and forgiveness. 

These are the very things that we are trying to teach our students. 

Every card I send Pat starts with a Mr. Rogers quote about something he is encountering in his college journey. I read the poetry of Mr. Rogers and I see our children and what they are struggling with. 

In my old age, Mr. Rogers has reminded me how to be present in all aspects of my life. 

This article from The Atlantic has been buzzing in my brain since I first read it. If you find a few moments you might enjoy reading a well-written piece full of voice and emotion too.  

The last line is a little haunting for me but is one that resonates deeply. "Tell me I’m a good man (person). Tell me I’ve lived a good life, then tell me what to do now."

Student Support

By Wednesday 12/11 the following staff members will be certified in Safety Cares to help de-escalate students or in the rare case that de-escalation does not work perform restraints. 

Denise Devaney

Jackie Stroud

Jen Mederios

Keri Purple

Chris Wade

Me

Mr. Greg has become such a part of our community supporting Marvis. Unfortunately, today is his last day with us. 

Two of our friends will be transitioning from Lee Academy to new schools. These transitions may not happen before the December break and we will need to be all hands on deck to continue to support these students and their peers. We've got this!

Mice

We have had several mice sightings in the building. Please be mindful of food storage (plastic or glass containers). The most recent relocated rodent was just a baby which means they are procreating. I love their little faces but those tails UGH. 

Time Away from The Hive

When you are entering time off into the ESS system under notes please indicate if you need a substitute or not. This will be very helpful to me in the next few steps of recording absences. 

You all should have received a link to our substitute calendar last week so you can see which colleagues are here or not. This will also let you know who the subs are in the building. 

This Week

This week I will be out on Monday and Tuesday for SafetyCares Training. I will also be out on Thursday for all principal PD unless I can think of some way to avoid it. 😉 (Just kidding).

Friday night is Movie Night!