Parent Teacher conferences should not be a time for new concerns. Rather it should be a celebration of the learning and growth students have made. -Annonymous Parent teacher conference week is among the most important weeks of the year. It is our opportunity to connect with every single parent and celebrate all the hard work our students and you have accomplished. Please take time to reflect on the incredible academic, social, emotional and behavioral accomplishments you have all seen from our students. It truly is remarkable how much has been accomplished in 9 weeks. Weekly Focus: Our focus this week...

“To Achieve great things, two things are needed: A plan and not quite enough time.” -Leonard Bernstein Over the next week and a half all grade levels will have a substantial amount of time during the day to plan for their grade levels upcoming super unit #2. This gift of time may not be enough to get it all done, but it will give each of you a plan to execute so the next unit can be as successful as the first. I was talking to a teacher this week who said they need a deadline, and actually impose self...

“I believe the best learning happens when it isn’t quiet.” -Anonymous The hard work of teaching and learning is evident in ll classrooms. As you transition from expectation, procedures and routines it is evident that learning is happening at a rapid pace because of the all the noise we hear. These photos represent just a fraction of the amazing student centered work from this week. Students were busy working together to program robots, exploring shapes in art and, and discussing celebrations and challenges. This is the foundational experience to ensure all students understand and know what to do. Well done...

“A world which sees art and engineering as divided is not seeing the world as a whole.” — Professor Sir Edmund Happold Work began in earnest on the STEAM building this week. What I have learned in my short time here is that at the elementary level, the arts are an integral part of what we do and who we are. I am excited that as a school we will soon have more dedicated space for integration for all students. The construction will pose both challenges and opportunities. Please remember it is temporary so please don’t pass up any chances...

Positive emotion is much more than mere ‘happiness‘. Positive emotions include hope, interest, joy, love, compassion, pride, amusement, and gratitude. Positive emotions are a prime indicator of flourishing, and they can be cultivated or learned to improve wellbeing -Fredrickson This quote really resonated this week as the PDL got started in earnest with their work. As we planned for lessons around positive emotions I could not help but reflect on all the ways in which SSIS embraces this with students and staff alike. The aspects of positive emotions have been demonstrated through events like Family Fun Day, where amusement and joy were...

“Life is all about balance. You don’t always need to be getting stuff done. Sometimes its perfectly ok and absolutely necessary, to shut down, kick back, and do nothing.” Lori Deschene I hope you all had an opportunity to do nothing. Last week our students were plenty busy but in library they had a chance to enjoy smores in their tents while reading great books. Creating moments for student to have a love of reading takes many forms and this is by far one of the most creative forms. Be sure to ask your students what they are reading. Weekly...

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing” -Walt Disney The start of our Super Units is a special moment when students and teachers move from the talking to the doing. There has been excitement all week about these launches. All the students have been eagerly anticipating these launches. Whether you launched last week or will launch this week or next, please know your hard work has not gone unnoticed. This week brings us to a long short week. We have a week worth of work in three days and then a well deserved break. When...

“Childhood is that state which ends the moment a puddle is first viewed as an obstacle instead of an opportunity.” – Kathy Williams Both of these photo’s represent this quote so well. The little ones exploring with paint without a care about messiness or “getting dirty” truly represents childhood. The parents at curriculum night were equally excited about being back in school. Coming to class for curriculum night was not something they had to do this year, it was something they wanted to do this year. It went from being an obstacle to being an opportunity. And all of you...

It’s the last week of a “complicated” year! Let’s enjoy our final Monday, Tuesady, Wednesday, Thursday, and half day Friday as an ES team! Congratulations to the whole Grade 4 Team for a powerful learning experience and celebration of their “Thinking Outside the Box” unit. There is some magnificent art in our hallways and the Grade 5 Capstone Exhibition was remarkable.PJ Days are being enjoyed and on Monday we have end of year assemblies to celebrate. The Grade 5 Promotion Ceremony will take place in the afternoon of Thursday, June 9th. Have a great FINAL week ahead! The Week Ahead:...