Holidays

Busy, busy, busy!  Our students have been so busy this month.  It is our last two weeks before Trestle Tree ends for this academic year.  There have been so many monumental achievements on the pieces of equipment.  From the Tower of Power to the Red Rainbow students are working together to solve problems and find courage to do more than they thought possible.  If you haven't already, please take a moment to ask your child about a personal achievement they had on a Trestle and help them celebrate their unique accomplishments.

In one 3rd grade classroom, the students celebrated Thanksgiving by planning their Thanksgiving meal. The students browsed through a shopping circular to identify foods they wanted to have for appetizers, the main meal, and desserts.  Students then found out how much money their foods cost and planned a meal from soup to nuts!  I was happy not to eat at their homes for Thanksgiving this year because some of the menus sounded a bit too untraditional for me.  But they sure understood that the Thanksgiving meal has a hefty price tag.  What a way to incorporate math with the holiday!  

Below is one of the many bulletin boards that Mrs. Anger, our art teacher, creates with student work. These pieces were amazing! 

In a Kindergarten classroom, Mrs. Cote came in to share about Hannukah.  Students learned several Hebrew words and even got to spin a dreidel!  It's a special treat when one of our own parents can add cultural traditions into our lessons. Thank you Mrs. Cote! 

Tonight we had a special Board of Education meeting held at Southeast.  Special thanks to our PTO Co-Presidents for sharing with the Board all of the wonderful ways you engage with the school throughout the year. The Board personally thanked the PTO for all their hard work, for their participation on the Principal's Search, and for the great fundraiser we recently had.  Thank you for all you do to help make Southeast Soar!  Special thanks also goes out to Reid Cartier in Second Grade. He presented his plan to begin work on a Pal's Place bench for the playground.  The Board asked great questions, and Reid had an answer for each question.  Nice work, Reid!  You were amazing!  We look forward to seeing your progress on the plan.

Finally, I wish you a safe winter vacation, a joyous Christmas for all who celebrate, and the happiest New Year. I will write again in one year.....2014!

New pictures posted!

What an exciting day we had today at Southeast as we celebrated our annual Thanksgiving Feast. Thank you to all the parents who joined us to help set up, serve and clean up.  We couldn't do this without you.  A special thank you to all staff involved in planning and executing this wonderful day.  Please check out the photo album for some pictures of the Thanksgiving Feast and some displays around the halls.  Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you enjoy your holiday.

A Noteable November

Hello to our new blog visitors.  The PTO has suggested that I advertise my blog this week on our take home notices.  So, I imagine that is how you have found us.  If you have found me in a different way, then welcome, as well.  I was happy to see a viewer in Argentina checked us out, as well as a viewer from Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Isn't it amazing the far reaching effect of technology?  I have been dabbling with this blog as a way to keep families connected to the many great things happening at Southeast.  I now look forward to my bi-weekly posts and hope you find some value in them, as well.  Today I realize that this blog also offers the opportunity for people all over the world to see what one great American elementary school looks like, at least from my perspective.  

November was highlighted with a special fundraiser for a family in need.  We had an amazing turn-out from local family and friends.  The celebration was a soup and stew pot luck dinner and I think we amassed over 30 crock pots full of varying dishes, in addition to breads, salads and desserts.  There wasn't an empty seat in the cafeteria.  There was, quite possibly, about 150 people in attendance.  Another highlight of the night was the entertainment provided by Earl MacDonald, an accomplished and supremely talented Jazz pianist.  Finally, a personal letter was read to the community from the family expressing gratitude for the overwhelming and supportive response from the school community.  I am grateful to all the families who attended, the support of our PTO to pull an event like this together, to our staff who were with us every step of the way, and for the families who continue to donate their funds, meals and support.  Your support is appreciated and valued.  Most importantly, your actions teach our children what it means to be in a community.  I am humbled by your ongoing outpouring of support.  

Earl MacDonald, an award winning Jazz composer, arranger and pianist from UConn - as well as a parent to two lovely Southeast children - pictured here at our November fundraising event

Our school vision statement is still in draft form, the committee is meeting again this upcoming Monday.  I am hoping that sometime mid-December we will have a draft ready to go out to the community for feedback and review.  I will post it on the blog as soon as it is off the press.

Next Tuesday evening is a special award ceremony for CAS (The Connecticut Association of Schools).  Our kindergarten team has been selected to receive the prestigious award for the creation of a unique program designed to provide individualized/ small group instruction to all students at all levels.  We have nine teachers who work on a daily basis to plan these lessons and support the unique needs and strengths of our Kindergarten students throughout strategic planning.  Congratulations to:  Mrs. LaBella, Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Proffer, Mrs. Byrd, Mrs. Brennan (our former Kindergarten teacher), Mrs. Doyle, Mrs. Bergeron, Mrs. Ziko, Mrs. Pelletier, and Mrs. Lagrotteria.    

I am looking forward to our next Southeast Super Stars Luncheon next Wednesday.  Good luck to all the students!  One boy and one girl per classroom will be selected by their teacher to participate.  I am looking forward to chatting with the students, taking their picture for display in our display case, and reading a special Thanksgiving story.  

Finally, our beloved Thanksgiving dinner will be next Friday, the 22nd.  This is a famous tradition at our school where all students will eat together and enjoy turkey, potatoes and all the fixings.  We have invited some very special guests, former staff members who have retired and are looking forward to being reunited.  

Classroom and School Snapshots

The month of October has been highlighted with school wide events like our international pot luck dinner titled Savory Samples and a School Vision Brainstorming Night and some notable learning opportunities in the classroom.  

In one classroom, dedication and hard work was evidenced in Physical Education as students completed their fitness testing.  I watched a team of third graders run one mile as best they could, and heard their classmates cheer at the finish line.  I watched another class perform the push-up test and tried my best to match their efforts.  I completed 5 solid push ups and was feeling pretty good about my efforts, until the students were effortlessly getting 50.   Clearly, it would benefit me to spend more time in Miss Parker's Class!  Congratulations to the students for giving their best effort on these tests.

In another part of our school, our fourth grade students have been engaged in a Native American study. Students have been reading trade books focused on the theme and today, they were fortunate enough to participate in a half-day of a native american reenactment of various parts of life like cooking over an open fire and creating an arrowhead.  Special thank you to the PTO for funding this exciting event. You will also see student made wigwams decorating Mrs. Sangree's classroom cabinets.  Students are thoroughly immersed and engaged in this thought unit.  

All classroom teachers have begun a study on the teaching practice of shared inquiry through our professional development days in October and upcoming in November.  Teachers are learning new skills focusing on the concept of asking thought provoking questions that have more than one right answer through the Jr. Great Books Program.   They are also teaching children the importance of reading the provided text three times, the first time is to hear the story and appreciate it, the second time is to focus on their comprehension, and the last time to focus on the intricacies of the text and author's message and then to participate in the inquiry session.  It is exciting to see inquiry in the younger grades and how it develops at each grade level.    Teachers and I have been surprised at how capable the students are.  But I have also been impressed at the level of risk-taking the teachers have shown.  This is unchartered territory for many, and is the buzz of the faculty room and hallways as teachers share their experiences and learning.

I want to extend a heartfelt congratulations to our third grade student Athavan.  Athavan's recent lego sorter invention is highlighted on the 5th floor at the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford, CT. 

His invention will be on display through the end of October. What a wonderful accomplishment of creativity and task comittment.  You make us proud, Athavan!  

Finally, a warm thank you to everyone who participated in our school wide events.  Our Savory Samples was a wonderful highlight of our school community.  Many students and parents participated and prepared special ethnic dishes, and our support staff and their families acted as planners and servers. We are so fortunate to have diversity in our community and this event was a chance to recognize the individuals that make us a whole in Southeast.  What a night!  A special thank you to Senora Hutton for the inspiring idea and for continuing this beloved tradition.  

The Vision Brainstorming event was a delightful mix of teachers and parents sharing their vision for Southeast in the next 5 - 7 years.  We spent time brainstorming about future ideas to start or practices to continue.  Overall I felt a sense of the higher purpose we have in educating our students.  I was inspired by our thoughts and look forward to working with a sub-group to write a vision statement based on the ideas shared.  I will be posted the drafted statement on this blog for people to review and comment upon.  I welcome your thoughts and ideas as we refine our vision.

   

Fire Prevention Week

It's Fire Prevention Week at Southeast.  Our pre k - 4 classes were visited by our very own Mansfield Fire Department.  We had several trucks from the fleet on our blacktop area where the children had the opportunity to tour the vehicles and ask questions.  The classes also had a special indoor presentation where they learned about what to do in case of a fire inside their home.  The firefighters were extraordinary. They were informative, calm and friendly to all the students.   Above is a special picture of Firefighter John trying on his gear and showing the students that they don't need to be scared of him when he gets his uniform on.  If you haven't created an escape plan for your home, this could be a good reminder!  

There were lots of smiling faces around SE this past weekend.  On Friday afternoon, I had the pleasure of joining my first running club with our third and fourth grade students.  Over half of our students in third and fourth grades are involved in this incredible program, staffed by our own Senora Hutton, Ms. Parker, Mrs. Pelletier, and several other staff members and parent volunteers.  The excitement is contagious.  I had the chance to run with third graders Kaitlyn and Daniel for most of the way. They were very motivating and kept the conversation going when I was too out of breath to talk.  I was most challenged by Break Neck Hill, as I found myself walking up the hill both times I approached it.  My goal for next time is to actually run up the hill one time.  This is an example of thinking and discussions the students reflect on at the end of their run.  They set goals for next time, they congratulate each other for doing something well, and they reflect on their progress each week.  What a model program for everyone involved.  Special thanks to the parents and staff who have worked out a seamless program for our students.

Saturday...the beautiful skies were just the beginning of the "perfect" day we had for our annual Southeast Carnival.  It is hard to believe that it is the end of September.  It felt more like June with the warm sun and gentle breeze.  It was heartwarming to see the many families who came to Southeast for the day to join in the festivities.  There were numerous games, food, prizes, activities, and silent auction items!  Plus, a playground that was bustling all day with current, former and soon to be SE students. For the morning, I watched my own children participate in the fun activities (see our picture below), but by mid-day I found a home at the ticket booth with Mrs. Brown and enjoyed greeting the children as they arrived.  We also had several E.O. Smith Lions Club student volunteers who ran booths. My favorite was the Alex's Lemonade Stand that was run by our own SE students.  Would you believe they raised over $100?  What a fabulous team they were, and what an important cause to support. Great job!  Finally, special thanks to all of the PTO parents who volunteered in the planning, organizing, set-up, clean-up, and delivery of this day's events.   It is no small task to coordinate it all....so, on behalf of the whole school community...Great job Erin!  You did a marvelous job.  

PTO and Open House

The Southeast hallways were bustling with daily and nightly activity this week.  Monday night was our first PTO meeting of the school year.  We reviewed an outline for the planned school activities for the year and decided to move forward with all programs.  I am so excited for the hearty calendar of events the PTO puts forth.  Such a committed group of men and women...and I encourage all members of the community to join us for the next meeting.

We also celebrated Open House last night.  Our attendance was outstanding, despite the extreme heat inside and out.  Teachers, students and families became acquainted with each other and followed the children to the special areas of their classrooms and the work they have created thus far.  I enjoyed meeting some new families - and even got to visit with some of our former Southeast students.    

Please note that we are currently asking our families to complete the school climate survey.  Please complete this at your convenience over the next two weeks.  We will be setting goals based off this annual data.

Opening week at Southeast School!

The school year is off to an energetic start at Southeast Elementary School.   On opening day, the rain held off so we could have our annual outdoor opening day ceremony.  The staff was excited to see so many returning fathers, mothers and guardians symbolically delivering their children to us.  It was heart warming to see the many hugs and hellos being shared by students and families.  Our ceremony was highlighted by the beautiful singing, lead by music teacher, Mrs. Carr, of America and the Southeast School Song.  The highlight of the event was when the students turned into rock stars as the parents lined a pathway for students to walk through on their way into the school building.  Applause and cheers resounded - truly showing the spirit of Southeast.  Our theme, Southeast Eagles Soar, is fully underway.

Thursday night was a wonderful welcome as I get to know the special families that make up our community.  I want to extend a special thank you to the PTO for providing an opportunity to bring everyone together so early in the school year. Also, a special thank you to everyone who came to support the event.  The cafeteria was filled with students, families, food and laughter.  The food was delicious, the welcome was warm, and the playground was the hot spot that night. 

Finally, our students and teachers are getting acquainted in the classrooms.   Many teachers are asking students to share information about interests and learning styles so classrooms can be designed to support the children.  Teachers are also beginning to collect and review baseline data on the student's academic performance.  

I couldn't be more pleased with the start of our school year.  Southeast Eagles truly soar!

Welcome to Southeast School!  I hope you are enjoying your summer.  The school is getting ready to start on August 28 and we can't wait to see everyone.  Please check your mailbox for summer letters going home at the end of August.