Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

The school is rustlin' with Christmas parties and crafts; the Santa Shop is almost completely sold out and all of the Holiday performances are over.

It was a wonderful last couple of weeks at Kennedy Elementary School. I am almost sad to see it all over, but it is very exciting to have a long Christmas break the next couple of weeks. It is also well-deserved.

I hope that every student, parent, community member, and teacher has a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I will see you on January 6th ready to go. When we get back, there will be 61 days until the CRCT. We will "Slam Dunk It", but we ALL need to come back ready to work.

The Week Before Christmas

The week before Christmas is always fun if you are in an Elementary School. It is amazing to see teachers prepare lessons that continue to teach the Georgia Performance Standards, but also get the students involved in the holiday spirit. Today I saw Mrs. Williams tie in sequencing skills along with making predictions as she read the book Night Tree. The students were engaged in the story and you could also hear them talk about their own holiday traditions. I saw Mrs. Watrous' class making Christmas Tree decorations using triangles and trapezoids. Mrs. Harwell and Mrs. Patterson used Olive, the Other Reindeer, as an activating strategy to engage their students in a lesson. Yesterday I saw our SCOPE Classes present books as gifts to the library as part of their poetry reading. I also saw our 4th Grade students getting the final touches on their show, Elves Impersonator. You should come out and see it Wednesday night at 6:45.

What a Wonderful Partner!

Today was a fantastic day. One of our Partners in Education is Mitsubishi. Mitsubishi has a philanthropic program that looks to assist with special needs programs around the country. The local Mitsubishi plant in Braselton, Georgia has partnered up with the Kennedy Special Education program for the last few years. They have provided Christmas presents to our special needs students, have assisted with small programs, made donations for our carnivals, and have invited our special needs students to participate in their hallway golf fundraiser. But today, they out did themselves. Today they presented our special needs program with a check for $6,083.00. This money will assist with so many needs for our special needs program. We sincerely appreciate Chuck Painter, Peggy Bray, Mike Stapleton, Martha Mantlow, and Brent Coleman from Mitsubishi for taking time out of their day to spend with our entire special needs program. Not only did they present us with the check, they also brought a gift for each of our students. They even have decided that they will be replacing our big screen TV for a brand new Mitsubishi big screen.
Mitsubishi is truly a REMARKABLE partner!!!

It is 9 o'clock and all is well!!

I can still remember my 5th grade holiday performance at Vanderlyn Elementary school. It was 1981 and I was the light keeper. I had one line: "It is 9 O'clock and all is well!" My mom made me wear knickers and a bowler hat. I was embarrassed, but I believe she was very proud. It is amazing that I still remember it that well.





The next two weeks, Kennedy Elementary School will be doing the same. We will have two different groups putting on Holiday performances. This week (Thursday, December 10th 8:10am, 9:20am, 6:45pm at KES and Friday, December 11th 10:00am at the PDC) our Special Education program will be putting on "An I CAN Christmas". This is the second year they have done it, and this year promises to be bigger and better than last year. Next week, our 4th Graders will be putting on "The Elves' Impersonator". There will be a night time performance on Wednesday, December 16th at 6:45 and then two on Thursday December 17th (8:15 & 9:15). I hope that you can come out and enjoy a performance or two with us.

Glad to be back at Kennedy

I loved the long Thanksgiving Break, but I was really glad to be back at Kennedy Elementary School this week. We have moved from November to December and are really getting into the Holiday spirit. The looks wonderful all decorated with Holiday ornaments, and our festival of Grade level trees looks even better than last year. You should come out and see it.

We wasted no time coming back from the break to get right into things. Yesterday we had our Quality Assurance Team visit (QAT). This where teachers and administrators from other schools within Barrow County come out and observe classes. Well, let me tell you that the Kennedy teachers and students did not disappoint. Some of the comments that we received were: "Kennedy is a very engaging place to be."; "Classrooms had a positive, warm feeling."; "Joyful learning going on in every classroom."; and "All teachers used positive reinforcement and showed excitement for teaching." It was a great visit, and I am very proud of our students and teachers.

The pride did not stop after the visit though. Last night at the board meeting, Kennedy Elementary School was a big time winner (I felt like Taylor Swift at the American Music Awards this year with all the accolades received). Kennedy was recognized as a Distinguished Title I school for the 7th consecutive year; Two Kennedy students (Cassandra Weber and Carla Hernandez) were recognized as winners in the Georgia Fire and Safety Commissioner's awards for their art work; and Kennedy Elementary School also won the "Clean School Award" for the month of November. It was a great night. I was very proud of our teachers, students, and Mr. Freddie, Ms. Carlotta, Ms. Arvora, and Mr. Billy for their hard work and dedication to Kennedy Elementary School.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope that all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family. Thanksgiving was designed to take time away from work and responsibilities to reflect on what we have and what we should be grateful for. If we are always taking the time to focus on what we are working towards or what we have not yet achieved, we never see the many blessings that are right in front of us.
I took a challenge from one of our teachers to write one thing that they were thankful for each day until Thanksgiving. Here is the ten that I shared with the KES students and staff for the last 10 days of school before Thanksgiving.
# 10 - Monday, November 9th : A job at a school where I get to work with wonderful teachers and super students each day.
#9 - Tuesday, November 10th: People that I work with that love kids !
#8 - Wednesday, November 11th : A country that celebrates and honors the people who have sacrificed for my freedoms.
#7 - Thursday, November 12th: Kennedy Elementary School teachers who work hard each day even when they are exhausted to give kids the best education possible.
#6 - Friday, November 13th: Opportunities to grow each day and that includes the struggles I have because they make me stronger.
#5 - Monday, November 16th: My parents who gave me so much so I could be the person I am today.
#4 - Tuesday, November 17th: Good Health
#3 - Wednesday, November 18th: Living in the United States where I have freedoms to express myself.
#2 - Thursday, November 19th: My wonderful wife and children. They bring so much joy to my life.
#1 - Friday, November 20th: A God that provides for me everyday! I am so blessed!

I could think of many more, but those were my top 10. I challenge each of you to do the same. It will really make your Thanksgiving meaningful. Happy Thanksgiving.

Friday the 13th!

Kennedy Elementary School had a very busy Friday the 13th. The morning started off with our first of 2 Dads Volunteer Day. We had over 20 dads that came into help set up Christmas trees, plant pansies, put together food packages for Thanksgiving, and cleaning up our Dragon's Trail. It was nice to see so many dads helping out their child's school. Their help was so much appreciated!

Our 4th grade had Beth Woodward from the Atlanta History Center come and speak to them about the early colonists and how we became a country. It was very interesting to see the primary sources that Ms. Woodward brought into to the school. I especially liked how Ms. Woodward was able to have our 4th graders "relive" the colonists meeting the natives. Thanks to Ms. Ballard for organizing this experience for her students.

The night ended with our first school dance. DJ Osborne came out to Kennedy once again and played some fantastic music for our families to dance to. It was great to see so many families at the school Friday Night enjoying themselves.

Happy Veterans' Day!

Sorry I am a little late with this one, but on 11/11 we took time to celebrate, honor, and thank those who have given their time, effort, and even their lives so that we can have the freedoms that we have in the greatest country on Earth. I am humbled by the sacrifices our military. They selflessly go out and defend our freedoms with delay. They do it with honor and pride and they do it without getting the credit they deserve. The fact that I have the ability to get on a computer and freely talk about the wonderful students and teachers at Kennedy or the fact that our students have the right to an education is because of our military past and present. Thank you to all of our veterans. On Veteran's day, Kennedy Elementary School took 11 seconds of silence at 11:11 on November 11th to honor those who have sacrificed for our freedom. I was very proud!

This was a video to honor those who have fought for our freedoms

A Week Full Of Events

Next week, Kennedy Elementary School will have a lot going on, and it all seems to occur on Thursday and Friday. Thursday, November 12th we will be having our Sonic Family Night at the Sonic in Winder from 5:00-8:00. Go on out and enjoy a meal with your family and 10% of the proceeds come back to Kennedy to assist with instructional assistance. Thursday night we will also be having a Hot Dogs and Homework for Kindergarten through 2nd Grade. This is an opportunity for parents to find out what is going on in the classrooms while the students get some additional help with homework from the teachers. From 5:30-6:00 we will serve dinner and from 6:00-7:00 we will do the homework.
Friday the 13th will also be a day filled with events. Dads Volunteer Day (DVD) will happen from 8:00-12:00 that morning. If you would like to help out, please contact the school and we will get you hooked up. We need dads to help reading in the classroom as well as help setting up Christmas trees and sprucing up our grounds. Friday night we will have our Fall Dance from 6:00-8:00 pm. Once again DJ Osborne will be here playing some of your favorite tunes to dance to.

I love a Parade!

Today Kennedy Elementary School held their first ever Vocabulary Parade. This was a fantastic event. We had well over 300 students dressed as a vocabulary word. From "Princess", to "Entertainer", to "Inundate" to "President. The winners for the best costume and vocabulary word were Brody Ham as "COOL" for Kindergarten, Ethan Guthas as "INFINITY" for first Grade, Cambree Henson as "EDIBLE" for 2nd Grade, AJ Millbrooks as "PRESIDENT" for 3rd Grade, Chloe Hogan as "INUNDATE" for 4th Grade, and Ashley Banner as "MAGICAL" for 5th Grade. Mrs. Bray-Teate's Class won for the best class as "FOUR SEASONS" and Mrs. Whiddon won for the best teacher costume as "PATRIOTIC". Thank you to Mrs. Paramore for organizing the parade. I would also like to thank all the teachers who helped out and supported by having their students dress up. This was a fantastic way to end our RED RIBBON WEEK and get ready for Halloween while still making it educational. I would also like to thank Ms. Bachman for her wonderful work with the Red Ribbon Week. The Winners for the door contest were Mrs. Paramore's Class, Mrs. Dercola's Class and the Grand Prize winner was Mrs. Pittman's class. What a great week it was!

Thank You Mr. Freddie!

I had a parent say something to me that made me feel really good. The parent told me that she had asked her son what he would do if someone was bullying him. He told them that he would, "Just get Mr. Freddie!" She was a little confused, and asked why. He said, "Because Mr. Freddie knows everyone in the school, and he will definitely keep me safe!" Although I would have loved for him to say that I would go to the teacher or Mr. Butcher it made me feel good that everyone from Principal to Teacher to Custodian knows, cares, and keeps every child at KES safe.

Fall Carnival SUCCESS!!

Today was a fantastic day. We had families all over Kennedy Elementary School having fun. Thanks to Jenny Evans for her organization of it and all the teachers for their participation. It was great to see Kennedy Dragon at the school on a Saturday jumping in the jump zones, winning goldfish, cake walking, and dunking their teachers in the dunking booth. My hands having finally thawed out enough for me to type.

Thankless Job!

When talking with someone (who happens to be a teacher)about an article I wrote on my blog, they mentioned to me that it was nice to thank the parents for what they did for KES, but did I thank the teachers for what they do EVERY DAY?

I thought for a moment before I answered, "Probably NOT like I should!"

Teachers don't teach because they want a "Thank You"; they get that when a child learns a new letter sound or figures out how to use transition words effectively in their story, or finally organize their notebooks like the teacher has been showing them for weeks. Teachers teach because they have a passion for making a difference in a life. They see it as their mission to impact the future 1 kid at a time. Teachers teach because they know deep down that if they invest themselves in the life of a student that it will never come back void. They may not see the impact for a day, a month, or even years down the road, but they will see the change eventually. Every person has a story of a teacher that changed their lives (Mine was Ms. Gabrielli in 3rd Grade), and every teacher has a story of a student who has come back to them (in a letter, phone call, email, or visit) and said how they changed their life. That is the THANK YOU teachers need.

With that being said, I do need to thank the teachers at KES for what they do EVERY DAY. Kennedy has an amazing group of people that just happen to be great teachers as well. I thank GOD for allowing me to be the principal of such a great group of people.

Thanks!

I wanted to take this time to thank some wonderful parents who organized a staff tailgate party yesterday. Stephanie Waters, Rachel Merrill, Charity Lee and a few others were able to put together a nice lunch time feast for the teachers and staff at KES. There was chili, stew, hot dogs, snacks, and a whole lot of desserts!! It was very nice of the parents to organize this to say thanks for what the teachers and staff do for their children each day. I want to say thanks to them.

I also want to take this time to advertise our upcoming Fall Carnival. A week from today on Saturday, October 24th from 12:30-4:30 we will be having our Kennedy Fall Carnival. We will have games, prizes, Bingo, Jump Houses, and even a dunking tank! Not to mention their will be FOOD, FOOD, FOOD!!!!! Come out to Kennedy from 12:30 - 4:30 next Saturday, October 24th to see! You can also see our advertisement for the carnival on Winder TV on 8:00 am, 7:00pm , or 11:00pm all next week.

Awards Day and Early Release

Today at KES we tried to accomplish as much as you could possible accomplish in one day, and we did it in just a half of a day. October 15, 2009 was Awards Day and report card day for every grade level. We tried something new this year by having it in the individual (or a couple of classes) classrooms instead of as an entire grade level in the media center. We wanted it to be a more intimate and welcoming environment that could be personalized by the teacher. (The cookies in Mrs. Ballard's Class were phenomenal I heard!) It was more personalized, but it made it very difficult for me, Dr. J, Mrs. Sears, and Ms. Bachman to get to every class without rushing around. I love seeing the students getting honored for their hard work and dedication, and I absolutely LOVE seeing parents faces when their child (or grandchild) gets recognized. I especially like it when they win the Dragon's Wings award for being Ready, Respectful, and Responsible.

We also had a guest today for our 3rd -5th Graders. Robert Belinic came to play his classical guitar for our upper grades. It was amazing to see him play and interact with our students. He played some Spanish classical music, some Bach, and even some Eric Clapton. Our students were a very good audience and were very respectful. They asked some very good questions, and I had many students comment on how they want to learn to play the guitar. I also learned that we have many student that already play and even have a band. I can not wait to hear CJ Lynch's band play.

We ended the day by leaving at 11:00 so that the teachers could have conferences. This was not the best laid out plan because we also had parents trying to leave from the awards ceremony as well. That was not the more intimate meeting I was looking for. We will look at improving that next time.

Why I Love Barrow County

Many people will probably see this title and think that I love Barrow County because we have a Fall Break that lasts for an entire week. While I have thoroughly enjoyed the time off and feel that the students and teachers really deserve the week off, that is not why I love Barrow County.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to be on a show called the Talk of the Town which is on Winder TV channel 21 on Comcast. The first question that she asked me was, "What brought you to Barrow County?" I had not thought about that for a while, but the answer was easy. It is cliche to say it is the county's motto, but it is the truth. I love the motto, "World Class Education, Hometown Values". The thing is, it is not just a saying. The county backs it. The superintendent knows my name and is supportive of what we do for kids each and every day. The board of education is visible and try their best to keep everything in place to give teachers what they need to educate kids. Teachers work hard to give each student an opportunity to be successful. The best part is that the schools are community schools. All the Apalachee cluster schools "Back the CHEE!", and each Winder Barrow cluster school gives that "Double G" effort. It really is a blessing to be in a county that sets high expectations and doesn't give excuses for not working hard to meet them, but at the same time gives you that face-to-face support and truly backs what you are doing. I love that part of Barrow County. I also think that a TV show doing an interview with the principal of one its elementary schools about their carnival will only happen in a community that TRULY backs their schools.

Cells Never Tasted So Good!

Yesterday our 5th graders in Mrs. Allen, Mrs. Hixson, and Mrs. Liptak's classes created some very neat and TASTY plant and animal cells. This was a culminating activity from their Science lesson on cells. In 5th Grade students should be able to diagram and label parts of various cells (plant, animal, single-celled, multi-celled), Identify parts of a plant cell (membrane, wall, cytoplasm, nucleus, chloroplasts) and of an animal cell (membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus) and determine the function of the parts, and explain how cells in multi-celled organisms are similar and different in structure and function to single-celled organisms.

This activity allowed the students to diagram and label the different parts by actually creating their own cells. Vanilla Wafers were the nucleus, peanut butter or icing was the membranes, the sour strings were the cell walls, candy corns were cytoplasm.

It was a great activity, and as I talked with different students they were able to explain how they were different and similar. Not to mention, they tasted really good!!!!

Star Lab is out of this World!!!

This week at Kennedy Elementary School, we have been extremely blessed to have the Star Lab here. I want to thank Mrs. Sears for making the arrangements to have it at Kennedy, and I want to thank Mr. Frame and Ms. Hall for making the media center available to house it so the kids can have this wonderful learning experience. I also need to give a huge thank you to Mr. Thornton for agreeing to rearrange his music schedule and teach ALL 594 students about the stars, solar system, and constellations. Mr. Thornton was really a wonderful presenter and the kids (and myself) seemed to learn a lot.

The Star Lab is an inflatable planetarium. Each student was able to sit under the stars and learn about our solar system.

Here is a short list of some of the things Mr. Thornton taught them.

1) Sirius is the brightest star we see at night, but the Sun is the brightest and closest star to Earth.

2) The stars that make up the belt of Orion, the hunter, point to Sirius.

3) There will be another meteor shower that we will be able to see in December.

4) What the Milky Way is and where you can see it.

There were many other things that they learned, please ask your child about them when they get home.

The thing that I thought was the coolest to me is that I was actually able to find some of these constellations this week as I opened the gates to the school at 5:30 in the morning. Thanks Mr. Thornton for opening me up to a whole new world!

A quote from Brooke, a student in 2nd Grade, "This is AMAZING, I have never done anything like this before!"

That is what education at KES is all about. Caring enough about the students to give them educational opportunities that encourage them to go further than they want to or think that they can!

Another Exciting Week at KES

This week ahead will definitely be out of this world. KES will have Star Lab in the media center all week. During each class's music special this week, they will come to the media center and go into the planetarium where Mr. Thornton will talk about stars, planets, space, and constellations. It should be really exciting for all the students. Thank you to Mr. Thornton for teaching it, thank you Mrs. Sears for getting it to us, and thank you Mr. Frame for housing it in the media center.


How did we do on the Week 8 goals?


1) Only 37 people went online to enter KES for a chance to win $20,000. You can still go on and vote though! Please go to www.care2.org/schoolcontest and vote for KES.

2) We had 13 classes meet their math goal this week. We are almost there.

3) Balanced Scorecard was finished and turned in a day early. We are really looking forward to Dr. Saunders visit on October 14th.
4) Rise and Shine got off to a good start. We had 67 students that were served this week in Rise and Shine.
5) The new enrichment clubs got off to a good start.

Week 9 Goals
1) 15 Classes meet the math goal.
2) Star Lab to go smoothly.
3) Have 80% of the school meet their AR goal.
4) Get into every classroom.
5) Get to Friday and have a wonderful Fall Break!!

Self-Discipline!!

On Monday, we started our new after school enrichment programs at Kennedy. The four clubs are Team Sports (led by Ms. Mullis), Computers (led by Ms. Hall and Ms. Bailey), Nature (led by Mr. Anglin), and Running (led by Ms. Russell and myself).

In the running club, we talk about the benefits of making running for pleasure and exercise a part of their lifestyle. Running is an excellent source of exercise because anyone can do it and you can pretty much do it anywhere. Running is also a great form of exercise because it does not cost anything. We also talk about how to run effectively using the correct form and the importance of stretching before you run.

When we do the club, we also focus on a character trait that will help them not only when running, but anytime during their day. This week's character trait is SELF-DISCIPLINE: working hard to control your emotions, words, actions, impulses, and desires. Giving your best in all situations. This was also the character trait that we focused on during the morning announcements this week. We focus on those three "R's (Ready, Respectful, and Responsible) everyday. When you have SELF-DISCIPLINE, you will always be ready for what comes your way because you have control of yourself and can think about what to do before you do it. SELF-DISCIPLINE also shows respect for others because when you control your emotions, actions, and words you will think before you say or do things and only do those things that are right and will encourage others. When you have SELF-DISCIPLINE, you also show that you are responsible because that control of your words, actions, impulses, and desires will not allow you to do things that will get you in trouble.

We work really hard each day to encourage ALL of the Kennedy Dragons to be Ready, Respectful, and Responsible. Please talk to your child about SELF-DISCIPLINE and how it is important to work hard to control your emotions, words, actions, impulses, and desires.

Week 7 successes

We have finished 7 weeks of school. For 34 days, the students and teachers have been working really hard to cover the Georgia Performance Standards for their grade level. It is amazing how much each grade level has to master in a given year. (Please check out http://www.georgiastandards.org/ if you would like to see what standards your child will be learning this year.)

This video is a good to illustrate some of the standards that Kindergarten students are responsible for in math. It also has some vocabulary for 1st graders as well.

As I make my walks through the classrooms, I am always impressed by how much more the students at KES are achieving this year than they did this time last year. I am so thankful for the teachers that work at Kennedy and how they work to instill a strong work ethic in the students.

So how did we do on the goals for week 7?

1) Rise and Shine is ready to start on Tuesday. We have 20 teachers working with 85 students to provide some additional support in reading and math. If your child is participating in the program, you should have gotten a phone call to remind you to have your child at school by 7:30 each day.

2) We had 12 classes make their math goals. 3 short of the goal but 2 more than last week. Keep working on those facts!!

3) We once again had to cancel Hot Dogs and Homework due to lack of interest. We will try again in October.

4) I saw some amazing writing in all grade levels. Keep up the good work!

5) The CHEE beat Clarke 21-7

Goals for week 8

1) Get 300 people to tell http://www.care2.com/schoolcontest/ why Kennedy deserves $20,000.

2) Have 15 classes meet their math goal.

3) Finish up Kennedy's Balanced Scorecard and turn in to Dr. Saunders.

4) Have a successful week of Rise and Shine.

5) Get our new after school enrichment programs started off right: Running, Team Sports, Computer, and Nature clubs

Rainy Days

What do rainy days mean for an elementary school?
I am not complaining about the rain, because we REALLY need it. My yard is saying, "THANK YOU" because it needed it so much. But rain really changes an elementary school.
The first change is the sound. Usually when students come into the school each day, you hear a very excited mumbling of young people coming into the building. You hear students saying hello to their teachers and friends and are hustling to get to class to start the day. When it rains, all you hear is the squeaking of shoes on the shiny tile floor. It does not matter how hard you try to not squeak, all you get is the squeak. We try to tell the students to not squeak their shoes when they walk, but it is very difficult not to squeak. Tennis shoes, boots, even flip-flops all squeak when you have rainy days. I have to admit, when I am here all by myself in the morning on rainy days, I enjoy making the squeaking sound with my shoes. It is pretty fun.
The second big change is the amount of students who come in through carpool. When it rains, parents don't want their children standing outside at the bus stop so we always have lots of cars in the carpool line. I saw that first-hand this week because it just happened to be my week for carpool duty. Nothing starts a day off better than a white Oxford shirt soaked on both arms!!!
The final difference is that the students do not get recess. As a teacher, this is a BIG change! Students in the elementary school NEED recess! Teachers in the elementary school NEED recess! When it rains, they just can not get that physical break from instruction that they need. Even though it is only 15-20 minutes, it does really help to give the students and the teachers the break to recharge and get back into the right frame of mind for learning. As a principal, the rain helped me to see just how amazingly flexible and creative my teachers are at maximizing instructional time and making it fun. I saw plenty of classes that normally would be outside for recess playing math games and having reading or writing workshops. The students and teachers were engaged and actively learning during that time. You could tell it was normally a recess time because some kids and even some teachers had their shoes off or were laying on the floor, but boy were they learning!!!

Book Fair Success!

Last week was a very good week. Even though it was only a four day week, Kennedy Elementary was extremely busy.

Our Book Fair was a huge success. We did have over $4000 in sales last week, and we will still be open on Monday and Tuesday as well. If you have not purchased your books, please come by on Monday or Tuesday. Mr. Frame and Mrs. Hall did an amazing job promoting the book fair and had many volunteers helping out throughout the week (Thanks Mrs. Cheek, Mrs. Hardy, and Mrs. Lee). I can't wait to see Mr. Frame get hit with 5 pies for the sales.

We also had an amazing turnout for our two Grandparents Breakfasts. Over 200 Parents and Grandparents came in to enjoy a wonderful breakfast at KES. Thanks to Mrs. Evans for organizing it and to Mrs. Moubray and all the cafeteria ladies for cooking the wonderful food.

If that was not enough, we had picture day as well. The students all looked wonderful all dressed up for their school pictures. I love when the parents send their children in to school all dressed up in their best!

Our clinic was also very busy this past week as well. We have had many students visit the clinic with sickness. We have been doing everything we can to make sure that our building is clean and sanitized. Mr. Harris and his custodial staff have been working later each evening to make sure that every desk, bathroom, and even the door handles are sanitized before they go home. I also know that the teachers are taking additional hand washing trips. 2 of the 4 morning announcements this week also focused on the importance of hand washing to prevent sickness. If you have any questions about what Barrow County schools in doing to prevent flu, please check out the website: www.barrow.k12.ga.us/kes .


How did we do on last week's goals?


1) We did have over $4000 in sales, and we still have 2 more days to go!

2) We had 206 Grandparents in for the Breakfasts, and they all seemed to really enjoy their time!!

3) We had to cancel our Hot Dogs and Homework night on Thursday due to lack of interest. Wednesday afternoon at 3:00, we only had 6 signed up for the night. We cancelled on Wednesday afternoon, but got 5 more on Thursday morning. We had already cancelled. The goal was to have 10 here, and we did have that many but we cancelled because they came in so late. H & H can be an amazing opportunity for both students and parents, but we need to make sure that we are allowing us enough time to prepare. If you are planning on attending, it is very important for us to know the Monday before.! thanks

4) We had 9 classes meet their Math goals this past week. We came up 6 short, but we had many classes that were almost there! Keep working on those math facts each day.

5) Apalachee did not play this week. Sorry I got the wrong Friday!

Goals for week 7
1) Make sure everything is in place for Rise and Shine to start on the 21st!
2) Have 15 classes make their Math goal for the week!
3) Have 10 parents at 4th &5th Hot Dogs and Homework on Thursday!
4) Get into each classroom to see some more writing!
5) Watch AHS beat Clarke Central!

What a Great Day!

Today started out fantastic. We had over 130 grandparents at Kennedy for our first Grandparents Breakfast. It continued with just about all of those 130 buying something at our Book Fair. Mr. Frame and Ms. Hall are doing an excellent job promoting it (Even though I can't talk either of them into wearing the Clifford costume!!).

The day got even better when I went over to Haymon-Morris Middle school to see Dr. Sheila Kahrs be honored as the National Middle School Principal of the year. She is an amazing woman who puts a passion for kids and teaching as her number 1 priority. That is what it is all about. It was good to see her, the teachers at Haymon-Morris, the school, and Barrow County being recognized on a NATIONAL level. That is a goal of mine for Kennedy.

When I came back to Kennedy after the ceremony, I was able to cover some computer classes because our computer teacher was out with her sick daughter (Get better soon Miranda). We are not getting subs for computer teachers when they are out and our teachers needed to go to a math professional learning meeting. It was fun to be back in a classroom again. When I covered Mrs. Russell's kindergarten class, we used the Promethean Board to review and take a quiz on the book Nighty Night by Margaret Wild. Michael Jenkins of the Atlanta Falcons and THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY (GO BUCKEYES... BEAT USC). The class was great and they really enjoyed the technology. It was a lot of fun!!

Tomorrow will be just as good! They always are at Kennedy!

Happy Labor Day!

It was very nice to have a Monday off. After 5 weeks of really bustin' it, I think the teachers deserved a day off. I hope that everyone enjoyed it and comes back ready to hit the ground running after getting a well deserved break.



We will be starting our Book Fair this week and will be very busy with Grandparents breakfasts on Wednesday and Thursday as well as Hot Dogs and Homework for 2nd and 3rd grades. I hope that we have plenty of traffic coming in and out of KES this week, because that means that we have plenty of people seeing just how hard Kennedy's teachers work to provide a quality educational experience for our kids.



We will also be wearing our RED, WHITE, and BLUE on Friday as we celebrate Patriots Day. I am so proud to live in the USA and have the freedoms that we have. I love when we get to celebrate these days that recognize the freedoms that we have in this country.

How did we do on week 5 goals?

1) Got into every classroom, but because of all the meetings I had this week, they were just quick drop ins.

2) I will let you know how we did on the Math goals on Wednesday. As of Friday, we were at 5, but some classes had not posted yet.

3) We had 12 people (5 adults and 7 kids)at Hot Dogs and Homework. It was definitely less than what I was hoping for, but it was a start and it went really well!

Goals for week 6:

1) Have at least $4000 in sales at our book fair! Mr. Frame and Ms. Hall have been doing an awesome job promoting it.

2) Have 200 grandparents come in for the breakfasts on Wednesday and Thursday.

3) Have 10 parents at 2nd & 3rd Grade Hot Dogs and Homework on Thursday.

4) Have 15 classes meet their Math Goals.

5) Watch Apalachee High School beat Clarke Central!

Hot Dogs and Homework 1

Tonight was our first Hot Dogs and Homework Night. We did it for Kindergarten and First grade parents and students. We only had a handful of students and parents, but it was a really successful night. We had great hot dogs, chips, and cookies and then split up. The kids went to work with the teachers, and the parents came with me to learn some math games. I had a blast showing the parents how they can play games with their kids at home that work on the standards that the teachers teach each day. We played Roll and Record, Blink, and War. These games help students to understand small numbers and quantities; count, compare, describe, and sort objects; as well as recognize and name basic geometric shapes and spatial relationships. They also teach students how to collect data and make picture graphs. These games are all easy to make and are fun to play. I look forward to our next one with the 2nd and 3rd graders next Thursday.

The End of the 1st Month!

We have been in school for 20 days now, and tomorrow marks the end of the first month of school.

A lot of great things have been happening at KES in August. We have had Open House, Sonic Night, Curriculum Night, and Kindergarten Family Night. We had over 50 girl scouts and over 40 boy scouts come out to sign up. We have also started our planning for the Carnival on October 24th. It is amazing to see how much is going on at KES.

September promises to be more of the same. This week, on Thursday, we will have our first Hot Dogs and Homework night for Kindergarten and First Grade. For $2.00 per person, you can get a meal and then have some assistance with your homework. The parents will also get to see how they can reinforce what their students are doing in the classroom. Hopefully we will have plenty of people taking advantage of the opportunity to show how important education is at Kennedy. It all starts this Thursday at 5:30.

I did pretty well on my goals for week 4.
1) I was able to get into everyone's classroom for a few minutes and saw some excellent teaching and learning. The highlight of this week was either my conversations with our second graders at lunch. On Friday, I sat down with a few of them while they ate and they talked about the different shapes of their food (Pizza, PBJ, Milk, and even their trays). They were able to tell me about the different attributes of these shapes (vertices, sides, and angles). Can you tell me where an edge on a lunch tray is? or How many vertices were on the pizza? Our second graders can!!! If that wasn't the highlight, then my math competition with Ms. Cunningham's class was. There were 2 students (Leshon and Chanda) who were convinced they could beat me in a multiplication speed test. It was fun, but the 2 of them still need to work to compete with me!!!
2) Ms. Bailey in the computer lab had some good lessons in the lab, and our 5th Grade teachers continue to really incorporate the Promethean Boards into their lessons. It is very exciting.
3) Ms. Evans and about 7 parents have started the initial planning of our Fall Carnival on October 24th from 12:30 to 4:30. It promises to be a fun-filled day. Don't worry, It is a UGA off week, so we will see you ALL there!!
4) I heard ZERO HERO came, but I did not see him! Maybe next time.

Goals for week 5:
1) See every classroom!
2) Have at least 10 classrooms meet their math fact goal (We had 5 last week!)
3) Have a good turnout for our 1st Hot Dogs and Homework.

My favorite things!

I have spent a lot of time visiting classrooms to see what our students have been doing. This week, I have been so impressed with the writing of our 3rd Graders. I was able to see a very good rough draft from one of our new students in Mrs. Watrous' class. She was writing about Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. Eeyore was one of my favorite characters when I was growing up along with Oscar the Grouch and Snoopy. She was not quite finished with it, but told me today at carpool that I would be able to read it tomorrow. I am very excited. I also was able to read a student named Vanessa's paper about her Golden Retriever. It was 5 paragraphs about the dog and why she loved her so much. My mother-in-law works with Golden Retriever rescue and would have been so proud of Vanessa's love for her dog. It was a very well written paper. All of our 3rd graders, along with every grade, have really been doing an amazing job with their writings. So that has been my favorite thing this week so far!

It is hard to believe that we have had 3 weeks of school already. All the teachers have the students actively engaged in all sorts of fun learning experiences. I was able to see Mrs. Hixson's class working on the divisibility rules for 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's, 6's. All of them seemed to be getting the rules and applying them to large numbers on the board. I know that she also had a Promethean Board lesson that the students did that allowed them to apply what they had learned in class. I also was able to see Mrs. Dercola doing calendar math with her students. It is amazing how many math skills can be learned just by doing the calendar each day. The best part of the week though was seeing the students playing partner Math games. I saw students playing a game that reinforced place value as well as a guessing game that allowed students to talk about characteristics of numbers (odd, even, greater than, less than, etc.). The students were having fun while they were learning, and that is what it is all about.

I was able to meet most of my goals for week 3.

1) I was able to get into each classroom for a few minutes each day. It is nice to see the students progressing through the year.

2) As I stated before, I was able to see some creative math lessons, but I still haven't seen one from each class.

3) The Carnival is getting planned. We have the date set for October 24th. We have a parent planning meeting this Friday at 7:30 (August 28th). We have gotten a foursome of golf donated as a raffle prize, and some other very promising prospects.

4) The Kindergarten Family Night was a big success. We had almost 150 people here. Thanks to all the Kindergarten Teachers and instructional assistants as well as Ms. Bachman, Dr. Jordan, and Ms. Lott for their help. It seemed like all the families were enjoying themselves.

Goals for week 4

1) Continue to get into all the classrooms.

2) See some technology incorporated into lessons.

3) Continue to plan the Carnival and our first Hot Dogs and Homework on September 3rd.

4) Find Zero Hero!!!

So much to do!

I love my job. I consider it a blessing to have a school to be the principal of each day. I love seeing kids eager to learn, and I think teachers are the most amazing people in the world. But I marvel at how much has to be done to make a school run effectively. Teachers have to have lesson plans, look a data to determine needs of their students, communicate with parents, be an encourager and mentor to kids that are not always appreciative of the effort give to invest in their lives. They also have to grade papers and then come up with new ways to present stuff that needs to be done again while at the same time challenge those who have already gotten it with ease. I haven't even gotten to the teaching in the classroom.

It is amazing what a teacher does every day, and I feel privileged to work with 70 fantastic ones each day. I can never express how much I appreciate what they do, and they probably wouldn't slow down from getting ready for the next day with their students, but I do love the teachers that work at Kennedy Elementary School. They are REMARKABLE!!

Great Night!

We had a wonderful Curriculum Night on Thursday, August 13th. We had over 100 families here at Kennedy to learn about the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) that their children will be learning this year and exactly how they will be learning them. It was really good to see everyone.


Just a reminder that starting on Monday, August 17th we will be starting school at 7:40, NOT 7:45. I would also like to make everyone aware of some opportunities to volunteer at KES. Our parent volunteer coordinators are in the process of finding parent to assist in classrooms so that our teachers can do some very important individualized assessments on students. We will also be having a carnival on October 24th and will need assistance in the planning and carrying out as well as help getting donations for raffle prizes. Please contact the school if you are interested.

So, how did I do on last week's goals???
1) I did not get to a Math lesson at each grade level, but I saw some wonderful math lessons . One was in Ms. Paramore's class. They were discovering arrays in their classrooms. A few students pointed out arrays to me and then were able to explain to me the dimensions and how they correlate to multiplication. I also saw Ms. Cunningham's class comparing numbers (greater than, less than, equal to) using standard, expanded, and word forms. This was a very interactive lesson where the students had to set themselves up so that their statements made sense. Both lessons had students communicating using the language of math and showing a deep understanding of the standards. Way to go 4th grade!
2) I was able to make it into every class pretty much everyday. I love seeing students and teachers in action. One of my favorites this week: Mr. Thornton's music class where groups of students had to come up with body motions to go with the different music terms and then act them out when they heard them in the song. It was a lot of fun!! The other, some very descriptive writing in Ms. Harwell's 3rd grade class. The sentences were so descriptive that I did not even need to the picture they drew to know what it looked like. Great Job.
3) I did not see him, but the Kindergarten students told me that Zero Hero came to their class on Friday. I don't know why I never see him when he comes, but I will be looking for him on the 20th day!
4) Our Curriculum Night was a success. Congratulations to Ms. Whiddon's class for the highest participation rate. Your popcorn will be there on Monday!!!

Goals for next week:
1)Get into every classroom
2)See more Math Lessons
3)Start the planning for our Carnival in October
4) Have a fantastic Kindergarten Family Night on Friday

Upcoming Events and Changes!

The second week has really been going well. We are really seeing students in classes getting an established routine and doing some really nice work. Our media center has been bustling as students are listening to Mr. Frame tell stories and then checking out some good books. I love to see students excited about reading!! I have been excited about seeing our 5th graders using some of the new technology to teach lessons. Our most seasoned dragons are up at the Promethean Board using the pens to move place value cubes all electronically is pretty cool!!! I don't think the 5th graders will admit it, but they think it is cool to learn that way as well.

I am also really encouraged by the parent volunteer coordinators who have stepped up to help get our volunteer program going. If you have not been contacted by one of them, and you can help out, please let me know and I will get you hooked up with someone. We have some volunteer opportunities coming up at the end of the month, so if you want to help out just let us know.

We do have some important events coming up. Tomorrow (Thursday, August 13th) from 6:00-7:15 is our Curriculum Night. This is the best opportunity to come and learn about what your child(ren) will be learning in their classroom. You will hear about the GPS (Georgia Performance Standards) they will be responsible for learning as well as how they will be assessed. The teachers will also share their expectations for homework as well. Please come out and invest the time in your child's education. On Friday, August 21st we will be having our 3rd annual Kindergarten Family Night. There will be free food and games for kindergartners and their families.

We do have a change coming up as well. Starting next Monday (August 17th) we will be starting school at 7:40 instead of 7:45. This is to make up for the furlough days that will be coming in November. With that being said, I would like to apologize for my miscommunication on our school information. In the literature we sent home, it states that school starts at 7:45, but it does not state that we expect students to be in their seats in the class at 7:45. If your child is walking into the building right at 7:45, they are considered "tardy" for the day. That was NOT stated clearly in our information packets, and I apologize for that. I want you to know that we are doing everything we can to make sure we communicate clearly our expectations so that we can best take care of your children, but sometimes we are not clear in stating those so everyone can understand. I will be relaying this information in a more clear and concise manner in the upcoming Kennedy Connection newsletter.

Once again thank you for your support of Kennedy Elementary and for sending us wonderful students to work with each and every day. As I stated in our parents' meetings and will state tomorrow night at curriculum night, I want Kennedy to be a REMARKABLE school with REMARKABLE teachers and students and REMARKABLE test scores, but I know we don't produce test takers. We produce REMARKABLE young men and women who will be the future of this great country. That is why my number 1 priority as the principal of Kennedy is to make sure that your child is loved, cared for, and respected. When my REMARKABLE teachers do that (which I think they do better than any other school) the test scores and everything else will take care of itself.

Thanks again and see you at Curriculum Night

Week 2 Begins!

The first week of school we really concentrate on getting everyone where they should be and make sure that we have everything in place to be successful. Week 2 is when we really get it going academically. I am excited to see what will happen this week as our teachers in 3rd-5th grade are rolling out a new reading series. The teachers have been getting it all ready, and it looks like it will be an excellent resource to challenge all students at KES. I am also excited to see how all of the students at KES get going with their math facts. Last week we already had some students master some of their facts, and this week they will move on to the next level. We will also start our students out on the newscasts this week, and one of our 5th grade classes will be doing the first patriotic song of the year.

We will also be advertising our new start time for August 17th. Due to the furlough days, we will be starting at 7:40 instead of 7:45. This new start time will NOT affect any bus routes, but those who cut it close to 7:45 in car pool need to make sure they leave about 5 minutes earlier.

Goals for week 2:

1) See at least 1 math lesson for each grade

2) Get into each classroom every day

3) Make sure ZERO HERO visits on the 10th day!!

4) Have a great turnout for Thursday's night Curriculum Night from 6:00-7:15.

How did I do on last week's goals?
1) All the kids who came did get home. (A couple got home a little later than expected, but they did get home :) )
2) We had over 70 families come out to the parent meetings and all seemed like they wanted to be involved. That is a start to a supportive PTO.
3) I hope the teachers know how much I appreciate them.

Day 3

The parent meetings went really well. We had over 70 different families represented at the3 different meetings. All of the parents seemed eager to learn about the mission for the school year and were also eager to help us meet it. If you are a parent that wanted to come but were unable, we will be putting a video link on the website (www.barrow.k12.ga.us/kes ) in a few days. We will also be holding our curriculum night meetings next Thursday, August 13th at 6:00. This is the best way to find out exactly what your child will be learning at Kennedy Elementary School this year. You will also hear how you can plug in and help out with upcoming events and volunteering opportunities.
A week ago I said I couldn't believe that the new school year was going to start, and now I am just so excited to see that our students have hit the ground running. When I was walking down the halls today, I heard kindergarten teachers and students singing the letter song; I saw First graders creating flow-maps about the story they had just read; I witnessed 2 graders writing about why following directions is so important; I noticed 3rd graders working on math facts; Our 4th graders were learning the expectations for working in small groups effectively; while the 5th graders were discussing place value and whole numbers. All that was just in 1 walk around the school.

It is quite obvious to me that it is going to be a year filled with learning! The students have shown me in just 3 days that they are READY. We will continue to watch as they develop into RESPECTFUL and RESPONSIBLE young Dragons!!

The First Day!!

Well the first day has come and gone. We had 576 students come to school today and all 576 of them got home the way they were supposed to get home. We had a few that we had to make changes on, but they all got home so today was a success. It was great to see all the smiling faces and excited young people in the halls. That is what makes a school a school. This year's group of children is great, and I am excited for what the year has in store.

Tomorrow we will be having 3 welcome back parents' meetings. The first one is at 8:30 am, the second is at 12:30, and the last one is at 6:00pm. I hope that plenty of parents come out to see what is in store for this year as well. Parents are a vital part of the education process and I need them here to share what our vision is for their children.

I will add more later. I am really worn out after the first day!!!

Tomorrow's the big Day!

Well, tomorrow is the big day! The teachers have had their time to get it ready, the custodians have the halls shiny, the bus drivers have done their practice runs, and tomorrow all the kids come back to school! The 2009-2010 KES School year is here!

I have put up in the school a bulletin board that has a purple cow on it that says at KES we are READY, RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE and REMARKABLE. That comes from a book that I read (The Purple Cow by Seth Godin) about how successful businesses are run. They are successful because they are remarkable. They are remarkable because they stand out and are different. Like a purple cow would be. That is what I want from KES. A successful school because we are REMARKABLE.

I am so excited. I have been eagerly awaiting this day to come. I have been praying for a safe and successful year. I ask for guidance and wisdom to lead and to set a tone that will show love and respect for the teachers, parents and kids. I ask for a safe place that students, parent, and teachers will want to come to and know that they will be treated well. I have been praying for a REMARKABLE year. A year that we will stand out as the best school in Barrow County.

Pre-Planning Week!

Well, after being very nervous about the first day of pre-planning, the week has gone vey well. It was great to have all the teachers at school and to see the excitement on the kids' faces today as they met their teachers at Open House!! The week has flown by; it is truly unbelievable that we will start the 2009-2010 school year with kids in 4 days! It is going to be a remarkable! Goals for next week:
1) Get all the kids that come to KES home from KES.
2) Continue to work to build a supportive and active PTO for Kennedy Elementary (HINT HINT HINT: We will be having parent meetings on Tuesday, August 4th!!!)
3) Tell each teacher that works at KES how much I appreciate all their hardwork and love for seeing kids be successful!!!

The Night before!

Twas the night before teachers came back to school and this principal is hoping he's ready so he doesn't look like a fool.
The handbooks are ready and the schedules are too; the supply lists have been sent out and they all contain Elmer's glue.
The janitors have gotten the school all spiffy; because the teachers and students will be here in a jiffy.

I guess that is about all the poetry that I can muster right now.

I always got nervous the night before the kids came when I was a teacher and always got nervous before my first game of the year when I played ball. I get the same way the night before pre-planning and the first day for teachers. This night is NO exception. I can not wait until tomorrow, but I worry that I will not set the tone in a positive light or forget to tell them something that they need to hear to know that I appreciate them and love them. I always say that it doesn't matter if I am ready because they are coming any way, but I really want to be ready to make sure they know that I care for them and will do whatever it take to make sure they can be successful. When the teachers are successful and love the kids, the kids will all be successful.
It is going to be a remarkable year, and I hope it all starts tomorrow with a remarkable first day of pre-planning.

Only a few more days!

I have been back from vacation for a few days now and have been really getting back to focusing on the new school year. It seems that we have everything in place and are pretty much ready to go. My head must still be on vacation or something, because I have a strange feeling that I am missing something to be this ready! The handbook is printed, the class lists have been sent out, the schedules made; it just seems we have it all in place. I guess now all I need is the teachers to all be here and then the kiddos.
I remember a few years ago when I taught coming in a few days early to start setting up my room. That was such a neat feeling! You have so many great ideas and exciting plans and nothing ( angry parents, demands from administration, unruly kids, or stress) can put a monkey wrench in those plans. I have had several teachers up here this week setting up, and I envy what they are doing. I miss that excitement of planning a school year that will directly involve me in the lives of our future leaders. That is what teaching is all about: Having the opportunity and privilege to build a relationship and impact a life of a person who will be a future doctor, lawyer, pro athlete, politician, or teacher. I feel blessed, don't get me wrong, to have my job and be a leader of a school, but I still miss that everyday, direct relationship with young people. They bring so much excitement and perspective to life. They are still in love with their teacher and want to learn. I miss that!
I guess I just need to make sure that I take more time this school year to slow down and get in those classrooms more to soak up that love for learning.

Only 5 more days until the teachers get here and only 11 more until I have them all in place to be a REMARKABLE school!

The last week before the teachers return!!

I just got back from vacation in Florida, and now it is really getting exciting because there is only 1 week until the teachers come back to work. It is very hard to believe that the summer has come and gone so quickly, but I can not wait to get the 2009-2010 school year started. We are going to have a remarkable year as we pick up where we left off from last year and accomplish even more this year.

Welcome Back Message for 09-10 School Year

It is my pleasure to serve you as Principal of Kennedy Elementary! I feel truly blessed that you place your trust in us to educate your children every day. All of us at Kennedy are eager and excited to begin what promises to be the best year ever. This year is going to be “Remarkable” as we continue to strive to produce young people who are Ready, Respectful, and Responsible and will positively impact our society in the future.

We will work tirelessly to provide challenging educational opportunities for your child each day they are here, but to be as successful as we can be, we need your help. Open communication is vital to insure a successful home-school partnership throughout the year. Please make every effort throughout the year to be involved and stay in touch with us. The more you are involved with your child’s classroom, the better your child’s school experience will be!

Every other week I publish the Kennedy Connection newsletter. This letter will keep you informed of upcoming events within the Kennedy Community as well as give you a glimpse of what is happening academically in each grade level. This newsletter is also sent electronically to the email address you listed on the student locator card. Please also visit our school website, www.barrow.k12.ga.us/kes . You will find it a useful tool to learn more about Kennedy and Barrow County Schools.

As principal, it is important to me that everyone who steps though our doors- staff, students, and parents - are happy and excited to be here! This attitude enables us to meet the challenges of academic excellence in a positive, fun, and nurturing environment. Our mission is to provide our students with opportunities to meet individual needs and to insure that every child has experiences that challenge them to go further than they thought they could. We want them to believe that they can succeed and have many opportunities to be successful.

We will meet this mission with the support and involvement of our parents and community. With your help and support, we will succeed in our mission, creating a great place for students to learn and teachers to teach.

When we ALL work together and do things with the best interests of our students as the focus, we will be a Remarkable school!

If I can ever be of assistance, please call or email me! It is through honest and open communication that I can best serve our students.

Sincerely


Ryan Butcher

So proud of Kennedy Elementary School

As I work this summer to prepare for the 2009-2010 school year, I am constantly reminded of how proud I am of the hard work and dedication of the teachers at Kennedy, the parents of the students at Kennedy, and especially the students at Kennedy!

We once again made AYP in all areas and had increases in every area of the CRCT! Even though we made great progress on the CRCT, that does not really show what really happend this past year at KES. Our teachers worked very hard to challenge the students at KES academically, but they also challenged them to be good people who will be successes in the future no matter what they choose to do for a living. That is what makes me so proud to be the principal at Kennedy. My teachers and staff have dedicated themselves to influence our future in a way that makes them Ready, Respectful, and Responsible! We will continue this again in 2009-2010, but we will also add another "R" to the list. That "R" is Remarkable! We are going to be remarkable in the next year!

Check off another one from the list

I have put on the chalkboard a list of all the things that need to be completed before I go on vacation in 2 weeks. These ranged from redoing the staff handbook to finalizing class lists to updating the website look. I have been able to check off a bunch of the things on my list (with lots of help from Dr. J, Ms. Sears, and Ms. McGaha). Today I was able to finish writing the welcome back letter to the teachers and print it off. We will mail it next Tuesday. I don't want to ruin my fabulous teachers' Fourth of July fun :).
Today was also the day that we got our new Promethean Board installed in the Media Center. It is going to be a fantastic tool that Mr. Frame can use to engage all of our future leaders. I can't wait for the networking people to get in here and hook up the cabling so that we can get it going.
A lot of things are getting checked off the list, but there is still a lot to get done before the teachers and students get back. The excitement of how "Remarkable" of a year we are going to have makes it so much easier to get this work complete. I can't wait for my wonderful teachers to come back and get this school ready for what it is designed to do; PREPARE OUR FUTURE!

I am ready to have some time at the beach with my family though!!!

Summer Plans of a Principal

Many people ask, "What do you do all summer when there are no teachers or students at the school?" Well that is a good question. I would love to say that we take vacations and eat lunch out a lot, but that would not be the case. We spend most of our days finalizing class lists and schedules for the upcoming year, making contacts with our business partners so that we can set up dates for our calendar, as well as setting goals for our school for the upcoming year. It is very time consuming to plan an entire year for almost 600 students and 100 adults, but it is worth every second. I am blessed to work with great people that love kids and are dedicated to influencing the future of our country. That is why I look forward to the work of the summer. It allows us to reflect on what we did well (We did a lot of wonderful things in 08-09!) and what we could still improve upon in the previous school year, and then set a path for a "Remarkable" 09-10 school year. I am excited as I work during the summer because I know that Kennedy Elementary is on the right track, and that we are going to be "Remarkable" next year.

P.S. We do eat out a lot during the summer, and I will get to go on vacation in July. The best part though, is that I wear shorts almost every day!!!!!